A Nation Still At Risk

[Adam's Apple]

Nation Deserves Candidate Debates on Failing Public Schools
By Mort Kondracke, Roll Call
April 7, 2008

How many wake-up calls does America need before we make our failing public schools fit for the competitive challenges of the 21st century?

for full article:
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/kondracke1.asp

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Unless you support and get passed an Amendment to the US Constitution , the Federal Government has no legal say in State run Education. They have no legal right to tax for it either. Nor a legal right to expend US tax dollars on it.

 

[Adam's Apple]

I really don't think the American people would raise a ruckus about some of their tax dollars going to improve the quality of education in our public schools. I know I wouldn't, and it would be far wiser to spend tax money on improving American education than on some of the other things tax money is being spent on. If you're going to be a great country, seeing that your citizens get a good education is where it all begins. This is doubly important in today's global economy.

I'm not in favor of the federal government taking over the responsibility for education, but there are ways the federal government can assist the states in improving the quality of public education. Both state and federal governments should be making quality education a high priority on their list of things that need to be given attention. Maybe opening a national dialogue on the topic, as Kondracke suggests, would make that happen.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

I really don't think the American people would raise a ruckus about some of their tax dollars going to improve the quality of education in our public schools. I know I wouldn't, and it would be far wiser to spend tax money on improving American education than on some of the other things tax money is being spent on. If you're going to be a great country, seeing that your citizens get a good education is where it all begins. This is doubly important in today's global economy.

I'm not in favor of the federal government taking over the responsibility for education, but there are ways the federal government can assist the states in improving the quality of public education. Both state and federal governments should be making quality education a high priority on their list of things that need to be given attention. Maybe opening a national dialogue on the topic, as Kondracke suggests, would make that happen.

The Federal Government does NOT do anything great, they marginalize and make broad across the board decisions that do not fit everywhere. If you think the Fed can improve our schools explain why they have gotten worse the more the Fed intervenes?

 

[Annie]

I don't think the answer to the problems ailing America's schools lies with the federal government. I think the answer lies with the states; moreso with the parents and local communities. Today's schools are being asked and accepting too wide a roll in the child's lives. They cannot take on the roll of parent, though some teachers may be able to be effective roll models. School should not be about sex education, gender clarification, social workers, nutritionists, etc. Schools should be about academics, which are about successfully being able to read, comprehend, compute, and write.

Guess where the emphasis lies today? Self-esteem, communication with peers and family, social skills, nutrition, physical fitness or lack of such, drug awareness, and environmental issues.

 

[BrianH]

Nation Deserves Candidate Debates on Failing Public Schools
By Mort Kondracke, Roll Call
April 7, 2008

How many wake-up calls does America need before we make our failing public schools fit for the competitive challenges of the 21st century?

for full article:
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/kondracke1.asp

I must say, I am really glad to see that title. The original 1983 report was absolutely correct, and it doesn't seem like we've done a whole lot to improve things. It makes you wonder what the problem is.

 

[Gunny]

I really don't think the American people would raise a ruckus about some of their tax dollars going to improve the quality of education in our public schools. I know I wouldn't, and it would be far wiser to spend tax money on improving American education than on some of the other things tax money is being spent on. If you're going to be a great country, seeing that your citizens get a good education is where it all begins. This is doubly important in today's global economy.

I'm not in favor of the federal government taking over the responsibility for education, but there are ways the federal government can assist the states in improving the quality of public education. Both state and federal governments should be making quality education a high priority on their list of things that need to be given attention. Maybe opening a national dialogue on the topic, as Kondracke suggests, would make that happen.

I don't disagree with you ideally, but you KNOW that isn't how it would happen. Tax dollars would not be realigned. Taxes would be raised.

We couls solve most, if not all, of this nation's problems if current tax dollars were spent wisely. Not going ot happen with in our government. They have important shit to spend them on like Rainforests in Iowa and investigating steroids in baseball.

 

[Adam's Apple]

We could solve most, if not all, of this nation's problems if current tax dollars were spent wisely. Not going ot happen with in our government.

I have never understood why the American people put up with such wasteful spending of their tax dollars. They have the power to put an end to it, but I guess they just don't want to go to the trouble of taking on one more herculean problem. It's quite enough these days to take care of your own personal finances.

They have important shit to spend them on like Rainforests in Iowa and investigating steroids in baseball.

Since they don't have any solutions to offer for the real problems, I guess they fool themselves by thinking they are doing their jobs when they focus their time and attention on trivia.

 

[The_Hammer]

I don't think the answer to the problems ailing America's schools lies with the federal government. I think the answer lies with the states; moreso with the parents and local communities. Today's schools are being asked and accepting too wide a roll in the child's lives. They cannot take on the roll of parent, though some teachers may be able to be effective roll models. School should not be about sex education, gender clarification, social workers, nutritionists, etc. Schools should be about academics, which are about successfully being able to read, comprehend, compute, and write.

Guess where the emphasis lies today? Self-esteem, communication with peers and family, social skills, nutrition, physical fitness or lack of such, drug awareness, and environmental issues.

Unfortunately our society has begun to go down the shitter. People don't have the common sense to eat well so they don't get fat. Exercise so they stay healthy, NOT do drugs and or drink and drive. Use birth control so we don't have 15 year olds popping out kids or getting scrapped two or three times a year. We don't have people who aren't sensitive enought to NOT think it's okay to sexually assualt one another or beat someone up because they are gay, lesbian, or transgender. We also don't have folks who can survive in an academia only environment. You've got to have a wide catering to make sure all your students succede. The problem is is that much has gotten pervasive. There is a lack of discipline. I should know. I graduated by the skin of my teeth. However, not everyone wants to turn shit around. Most people like to wallow.

 

[Care4all]

I don't think the answer to the problems ailing America's schools lies with the federal government. I think the answer lies with the states; moreso with the parents and local communities. Today's schools are being asked and accepting too wide a roll in the child's lives. They cannot take on the roll of parent, though some teachers may be able to be effective roll models. School should not be about sex education, gender clarification, social workers, nutritionists, etc. Schools should be about academics, which are about successfully being able to read, comprehend, compute, and write.

Guess where the emphasis lies today? Self-esteem, communication with peers and family, social skills, nutrition, physical fitness or lack of such, drug awareness, and environmental issues.

And who makes these decisions K? The administrators of each school? The State? The Feds? The Board of Education?

Who has decided that reading, writing and arithmatics should not be the focus in school anymore...and do "we the people" really have the say?

Schools have become nannies to kids moreso than ever imo because women are full time workers, most all of them, along with parenting, and many of these women are not capable of handling both, imo.... yes, you have done a fine job with your children and so have many working mothers, but many also have not....and to no fault of their own in many cases....it is a very, very hard job just to parent, let alone parent and work full time imo....

of course, I don't have any children, but my working life and career would have been near impossible if I had children...it would have been impossible...I shouldn't even give "near" a thought....impossible to do with children in the picture....

and some of my women employees with children were my best employees, however....they had a very, very hard life compared to me....having to leave work early every time a school sends the child home sick... needing to find someone to care for their children when the school calls a snowday.... doing all the cooking and cleaning and the homework help too once they get home....

honest to goodness, I don't know how they did it, and were able to get up every day and do it all over again.... I was exhausted just listening to all of their additional responsibilities to my own....

Just my thoughts on it.... of course when I grew up, my mom was around all the time, she did not work, other than running the household and us kids and there wasn't a damn thing that she did not know when it came to us kids or if it came to the school, PTA meets, what we were being taught, getting our homework done and being questioned as if i failed, if I got a B on the report card! She even knew when I was trying to sneak around!!! a 6th sense I thought it was miraculous..... She scared the Pajesus out of me really!!! Mom held the upperhand....period! And she had the time to be the Supreme Commander, while Dad worked, cuz she didn't work outside of the home.... we were poor, but that didn't matter to them....my parents.

Care

 

[Annie]

Care, it's nice of you to be so empathetic. On the other hand to expect the schools to become able to parent and provide the academic education needed is just a denial of reality. Schools have the children 185 days, more or less, for 6 hours a day. It just does not work as the report cards are showing.

Working full time and raising kids isn't easy, but a lot harder without an education.

 

[Care4all]

Care, it's nice of you to be so empathetic. On the other hand to expect the schools to become able to parent and provide the academic education needed is just a denial of reality. Schools have the children 185 days, more or less, for 6 hours a day. It just does not work as the report cards are showing.

Working full time and raising kids isn't easy, but a lot harder without an education.

i didn't mean to leave the impression that i thought the school should do it...i think the parents should do it.....but if they can't with 2 fulltime working parents.... then the dad or the mom needs to go part time to do it....whether they are poorer or not, due to it.... But, i can't force my belief of this on to someone?

care

 

[Annie]

i didn't mean to leave the impression that i thought the school should do it...i think the parents should do it.....but if they can't with 2 fulltime working parents.... then the dad or the mom needs to go part time to do it....whether they are poorer or not, due to it.... But, i can't force my belief of this on to someone?

care

I agree with that. Even at the middle school level, over 1/2 my students moms are at home, but it's a pretty wealthy area. It's weird how many people would rather have a luxury car or vacation, not seeing that things that need to get done, aren't?

 

[BrianH]

IMO, the school has these kids for a large part of the day. Teachers see these kids more often than their parents do. The parents maybe see them for an hour in the morning (maybe) and a few hours in the evening before going to bed. The problem is that kids spend most of their day at school, and the school's hands are tied when it comes to disciplining, teaching manners, ethics, and stuff like that.

Another problem that we as Americans have with education, is our lack of value in it. Other nations wish to get educations soley for the purpose of being educated....knowing what they're talking about, etc.... We here in the U.S. consider an education as something that will reap rewards such as money, good job, etc... Most fail to persue an education based on knowledge, but instead is based on rewards. Kids will not take a class if they don't need it, even in high school, where as I would take it just because I could learn something that I've never known how to do.
So what if you're going to work on computers, take an automechanics class or a philosophy class to learn. Parents need to start becoming involved on their own and participating in their kids education instead of having the idea that the school is supposed to do everything.

We have the most resources in the world for a good education, but fail to encourage kids to utilize it. It's really a shame, considering there are many in the world who would love an opportunity to come here to get an education, but can't.

 

[Adam's Apple]

Guess where the emphasis lies today? Self-esteem, communication with peers and family, social skills, nutrition, physical fitness or lack of such, drug awareness, and environmental issues.

Sad, sad, sad. These are all issues that should be taught to children in their homes by their parents and not left to the school systems to teach. As you have pointed out, parents have failed/are failing in their personal responsibilities. Guess they have subscribed to Hillary's mantra (it takes a village) when in fact it really takes a family.