America Behind in Math and Science

[KittenKoder]

Math and science is responsible for ALL the tech we have, and with the decline in advancements coming from the US this isn't surprising at all.

 

[Southpaw]

The primary reason I spend the extra money to send my kids to private schools is so I have more control over my children's education. If public school kids were allowed in (with vouchers, for example), there would be no point in sending them to private schools. If that happened, I would probably opt for home-schooling.

That's your view.

My complaint against public schools is that they are not held to a high enough standard. I don't really care which kids are going there or not. I think that if schools were put in the hands of private companies and given goals to meet, the competition would be much higher because, as opposed to now, companies that no longer performed would not keep their contracts and companies that did well could keep them.

Costs would decrease and performance would increase.

I disagree. I've seen a great deal of flexibility and creativity from my kids' teachers over the years, and while it is true that some schools do teach to the test (particularly here, in Florida), it is also true that what is being tested is basic literacy skills that every student needs. Without those basic literacy skills, it's difficult to give kids critical thinking skills. That's why our math scores have actually gone up, comparatively speaking. I heard that yesterday on NPR, in fact.

I agree with the necessity of basic literacy skills for a foundation. I'm talking more about 6th grade and on. Furthermore, you have said in the past your kids go to a great school with decent teachers. I think we can agree that is becoming more and more of a rarity these days.

thats exactly the point that unravels almost the entire argument of those who propose private schools will become some kind of educational panacea. THEN, would the public be expected to pay tuition to parents who decide to homeschool their kids after a private school failure?

Of course not. If a parent decides to homeschool, why should the public pick up the slack?

xsited should really stop making sense. It's screwing up southpaw's argument.

Not really, he/she is coming at it from an entirely different angle than I am.

 

[Amanda]

Okay, I got few a GREAT cleaning solutions for you, they will get rid of all the germs and grime with ease. The best one is mixing hydrogen-peroxide with bleach.

What's that supposed to do, explode or something? Whatever I guess it's hilarious to make fun of me today.

 

[KittenKoder]

What's that supposed to do, explode or something? Whatever I guess it's hilarious to make fun of me today.

Um no, I was actually trying to prove that you do use science everyday ... but if you don't know then I failed, though you did prove that you need to go back to school. Many common household cleaners can be mixed to create very dangerous gases and poisons, that just happens to be my favorite.

 

[xsited1]

Math and science is responsible for ALL the tech we have, and with the decline in advancements coming from the US this isn't surprising at all.

Even in the 1980s, I had to hire foreigners to fill technical positions in R&D because there weren't any qualified Americans. It's gotten worse since then with no improvement in sight.

 

[KittenKoder]

Even in the 1980s, I had to hire foreigners to fill technical positions in R&D because there weren't any qualified Americans. It's gotten worse since then with no improvement in sight.

I know, it saddens me greatly. It's also one of the reasons our economy is failing, without anything to offer the rest of the world (even India is ahead of us in medical science by light-years) no one wants to give us any money now.

 

[Amanda]

though you did prove that you need to go back to school.

Wow I proved what I've already said a dozen times. This day just gets better and better.

 

[xsited1]

That's your view.

My complaint against public schools is that they are not held to a high enough standard. I don't really care which kids are going there or not. I think that if schools were put in the hands of private companies and given goals to meet, the competition would be much higher because, as opposed to now, companies that no longer performed would not keep their contracts and companies that did well could keep them.

Costs would decrease and performance would increase.

There are charter schools in Arkansas which partially fill that need. Even though they receive less funding than regular Public Schools, the students perform better. There is usually a long waiting list. Of course, the students still don't perform as well as the homeschooled or private school students, but it is a better alternative for some.

I seriously doubt the State will allow private companies to run schools with public monies simply because they don't like competition.

 

[KittenKoder]

Wow I proved what I've already said a dozen times. This day just gets better and better.

Well ... I learned it when I was 12, before I got into science on my own. Ever think of studying things without the incentive of a grade? You can learn just as much without a teacher. But it is recommended that if you ever are going to do housework, get a decent job, or even just go shopping you should learn a lot of math and science, or you may just cause yourself a lot of harm or even worse kill yourself and not realize why. HO + Chlorine (Bleach and hydrogen-peroxide, both common household cleaners) creates chlorine gas, which kills you if you inhale it. I learned a lot of chemistry when I was young, but those common mixtures were also taught in Jr. High science class when I was in there.

 

[Amanda]

HO + Chlorine (Bleach and hydrogen-peroxide, both common household cleaners) creates chlorine gas, which kills you if you inhale it.

Right. Which is why I just assumed you thought it would be funny to have me mix something that could kill me. What hoot that would be.

 

[KittenKoder]

Right. Which is why I just assumed you thought it would be funny to have me mix something that could kill me. What hoot that would be.

As I said, it was suppose to show to you that you use science and math all the time without knowing it, I actually did not think that you would have been that badly educated to not know it. But you have also proven that our schools are failing badly.

 

[Annie]

We've been behind for a long time. I assign blame to 'new, new math' and the 'intelligent design' quandry.

 

[KittenKoder]

We've been behind for a long time. I assign blame to 'new, new math' and the 'intelligent design' quandry.

The whole 'new math' crap is certainly part of it, the 'intelligent design' has only one flaw, it's not science by legend and myth, the problem is the exclusion of proven sciences in it's place that slows things down. It's teaching kids not to ask questions and making them fall short in expanding their learning.

 

[Annie]

The whole 'new math' crap is certainly part of it, the 'intelligent design' has only one flaw, it's not science by legend and myth, the problem is the exclusion of proven sciences in it's place that slows things down. It's teaching kids not to ask questions and making them fall short in expanding their learning.

Good inferences. You get an A.

 

[KittenKoder]

Good inferences. You get an A.

*blush* Aaaw, thanks. Sadly in school I was a total goof off and jerk to most teachers (I loved my chemistry teacher and one of my english teachers, an ex-catholic nun no doubt). Of course my math teachers got mad when in algebra I pointed out that dividing by zero was not impossible, my electronics teacher kicked me out for programming a virus in his computer.

However, in spite of my not liking most of my teachers I never stopped learning, but students today love their teachers and learn nothing. Something is wrong.

 

[catzmeow]

Okay, I got few a GREAT cleaning solutions for you, they will get rid of all the germs and grime with ease. The best one is mixing hydrogen-peroxide with bleach.

Are you trying to kill her?

 

[catzmeow]

We've been behind for a long time. I assign blame to 'new, new math' and the 'intelligent design' quandry.

The new new math is SERIOUSLY buggered. I was trying to help my son with it this year (he's in 5th grade), and it TOTALLY kicked my ass.

They should seriously go back to memorization.

 

[KittenKoder]

Are you trying to kill her?

No, I thought for sure she would at least have known that, it just backfired and proved a totally different point (the one from another thread) that the schools are failing.

 

[KittenKoder]

The new new math is SERIOUSLY buggered. I was trying to help my son with it this year (he's in 5th grade), and it TOTALLY kicked my ass.

They should seriously go back to memorization.

Thing is, the original math was not memorization, unless you cheated. It was about learning how the numbers work in different forms and equations instead of burying it in words. We use to learn with mathematical puzzles sometimes to make it fun (math itself was fun for me so I didn't like the puzzles much). But the 'show your work' policy (though it has flaws) was still better.

 

[Annie]

The new new math is SERIOUSLY buggered. I was trying to help my son with it this year (he's in 5th grade), and it TOTALLY kicked my ass.

They should seriously go back to memorization.

memorization in math seems to me to be required for addition, subtraction, and multiplication-if one does those, division follows.

Then there are the theorems necessary for algebra and geometry. Do they do those in high school still?