Why Schools Stink: It's You!

[PoliticalChic]

Let's stipulate that American students are no longer the finest in the world.
Blame teachers, unions, not enough money being spent on education, Americans don't care....
Which is the culprit?

None of the above.




1. " Compared to those hard-studying kids in China, Korea or Finland, U.S. students appear to be chronic underachievers. The average kid in the U.S. does less than one hour of homework on average at all grade levels,....




2. The Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, gives tests to high school kids across a range of countries..

3....the US ranks behind sixteen other economies including Poland, Estonia and South Korea in terms of student literacy –the ability to read, integrate and evaluate texts. U.S. student rankings on mathematics are even lower — dropping under countries including Slovenia, Hungary and Taiwan. The United States also produces some of the biggest gaps in test scores between stronger and weaker students.





4. So, where’s the group in the U.S. that could try harder?
Is it the teachers, more concerned with their tenure and pension rights than actually teaching kids?
Is it miserly federal and state lawmakers, starving their educators of resources?
Or maybe it is the lackadaisical students, too addicted to questing with their avatar through World of Warcraft to think about algebra?

a. If there’s a crisis in U.S. education, the fault lies with a group more accustomed to leveling blame than receiving it: parents..... Around the world, the catch-all measure used to proxy for parental commitment to education is the number of books in a child‘s household.

5. This measure predicts student educational outcomes better than class sizes, or expenditures per student, the length of the school day or better class monitoring..... one of the strongest relationships between parental book ownership and child learning outcomes.





6. In the U.S., kids from homes where there are more than two full bookcases score two and a half grade levels higher than kids from homes with very few books.


7. How do you help parents ensure that their kids can learn? First off, they need tools to judge if any learning is going on. The No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law a decade ago, provided for annual state-wide testing for all students...


8. ... we know what works –ensure parents are close enough to education decision makers that their voices can be heard. "
The Real Reason America's Schools Stink - Businessweek

 

[eagle1462010]

I don't believe it's the Teachers or the money.

I have 2 sisters that teach and they go out of their way to help their students, but some students just REFUSE TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE. They simply don't want to learn, no matter how hard the teachers try to help them.

So...........Teacher parent conference? Parents don't show up or they are upset for being called in on their kid.

Get the picture................

We have been steadily spending more without results and I DO BLAME IT on the break down of the FAMILY over time. We no longer have the leave it to Beaver Days. Where one parent stays home and the other works so more time is spent with the kids. Why? Our dollar has tanked so much, that both parents have got to work.

One last comment. Both of my sisters disagree with mandated tests. Why? Because they are forced to teach areas of the test when they know their students weak areas better than the Govt. An area they can't spend more time with as they have to hurry up and teach a standard test. Back in the day we didn't have these standard tests and we did better than today regarding ratings. If it isn't broke, then DON'T FIX IT.

Every thing the Gov't gets its hand on, eventually turns to C.........t. Proven time and time again. I believe that they need to allow the STATES TO DECIDE were to push the agenda. Allow the Teachers some input on teaching weak areas, which may not be the same from area to area.

Anyway, just a few thought here.

 

[PoliticalChic]

I don't believe it's the Teachers or the money.

I have 2 sisters that teach and they go out of their way to help their students, but some students just REFUSE TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE. They simply don't want to learn, no matter how hard the teachers try to help them.

So...........Teacher parent conference? Parents don't show up or they are upset for being called in on their kid.

Get the picture................

We have been steadily spending more without results and I DO BLAME IT on the break down of the FAMILY over time. We no longer have the leave it to Beaver Days. Where one parent stays home and the other works so more time is spent with the kids. Why? Our dollar has tanked so much, that both parents have got to work.

One last comment. Both of my sisters disagree with mandated tests. Why? Because they are forced to teach areas of the test when they know their students weak areas better than the Govt. An area they can't spend more time with as they have to hurry up and teach a standard test. Back in the day we didn't have these standard tests and we did better than today regarding ratings. If it isn't broke, then DON'T FIX IT.

Every thing the Gov't gets its hand on, eventually turns to C.........t. Proven time and time again. I believe that they need to allow the STATES TO DECIDE were to push the agenda. Allow the Teachers some input on teaching weak areas, which may not be the same from area to area.

Anyway, just a few thought here.

Almost every teacher I've spoken to are like your sisters.

The original article makes the point that many have to spend some 11 hours a day on their work...

...and, get this....teachers, as a group, are among the happiest folks with reverence to their jobs.



Sure agree with you about federal government intrusion into education. There was a reason that the Founders left it up to the states.


I'm starting to research Common Core......another federalization.



So.....how many bookcases do you have?

 

[eagle1462010]

I don't believe it's the Teachers or the money.

I have 2 sisters that teach and they go out of their way to help their students, but some students just REFUSE TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE. They simply don't want to learn, no matter how hard the teachers try to help them.

So...........Teacher parent conference? Parents don't show up or they are upset for being called in on their kid.

Get the picture................

We have been steadily spending more without results and I DO BLAME IT on the break down of the FAMILY over time. We no longer have the leave it to Beaver Days. Where one parent stays home and the other works so more time is spent with the kids. Why? Our dollar has tanked so much, that both parents have got to work.

One last comment. Both of my sisters disagree with mandated tests. Why? Because they are forced to teach areas of the test when they know their students weak areas better than the Govt. An area they can't spend more time with as they have to hurry up and teach a standard test. Back in the day we didn't have these standard tests and we did better than today regarding ratings. If it isn't broke, then DON'T FIX IT.

Every thing the Gov't gets its hand on, eventually turns to C.........t. Proven time and time again. I believe that they need to allow the STATES TO DECIDE were to push the agenda. Allow the Teachers some input on teaching weak areas, which may not be the same from area to area.

Anyway, just a few thought here.

Almost every teacher I've spoken to are like your sisters.

The original article makes the point that many have to spend some 11 hours a day on their work...

...and, get this....teachers, as a group, are among the happiest folks with reverence to their jobs.



Sure agree with you about federal government intrusion into education. There was a reason that the Founders left it up to the states.


I'm starting to research Common Core......another federalization.



So.....how many bookcases do you have?

We grew up with 1 main book case and 2 more in the boys bedroom. That including the 2 bunk beds and 3 drawers for closes as well.

LOL

I didn't do a lot of reading except for the assigned reading via homework. On which we had to write about. Not much different today on that issue.

I had to buy books for my kids for assignments while they were in school.

Bottom line, is the Fed Gov't butts into toooooooooooo many people's business these days, and they are the PROBLEM AND NOT THE SOLUTION.

Which is why we are going down the tubes.

 

[Moonglow]

Funny, that has been my quesstamite fo years as to why ed levels are dropping with US kids.

In all societies through history the ones that were super powers and had adequate monies to live easy have had the social stigma of becoming lazy, both physically and mentally.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Funny, that has been my quesstamite fo years as to why ed levels are dropping with US kids.

In all societies through history the ones that were super powers and had adequate monies to live easy have had the social stigma of becoming lazy, both physically and mentally.

"...that has been my quesstamite fo years..."


Wait...let me see if Queequeg can translate that for me.....



If your post suggests that societies rise and fall, and we've had our day in the sun.....I have to agree with you.
In the face of ineptitude....folks insisted on reelecting this loser.
Human nature is the prob.....and that's not about to change.

 

[BobPlumb]

I agree that the biggest problem with our public education has to do with lack of motivation with the students. If education is not made important at home, then the teacher's job of motivating students becomes much more difficult.

Many students do as little as possible to pass a class. They are looking for that "D" for diploma. And because of the goal of having a high graduation rate, teachers are pressured by administration to not fail to many students.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Both of my Parents were/are voracious readers, a habit they gave to me which I passed on to both my Sons. My Mom used to collect 1st Editions.

What do parents today collect? FaceBook "likes".

 

[PoliticalChic]

Both of my Parents were/are voracious readers, a habit they gave to me which I passed on to both my Sons. My Mom used to collect 1st Editions.

What do parents today collect? FaceBook "likes".

Rumor has it that your bookcases were filled with autographed copies of "The Communist Manifesto," "Das Kapital, Kritik der politischen Ökonomie," and "Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance."

 

[PoliticalChic]

I agree that the biggest problem with our public education has to do with lack of motivation with the students. If education is not made important at home, then the teacher's job of motivating students becomes much more difficult.

Many students do as little as possible to pass a class. They are looking for that "D" for diploma. And because of the goal of having a high graduation rate, teachers are pressured by administration to not fail to many students.

The operative phrase that they learn is "...can I supersize that for ya'"?

 

[Mad Scientist]

Both of my Parents were/are voracious readers, a habit they gave to me which I passed on to both my Sons. My Mom used to collect 1st Editions.

What do parents today collect? FaceBook "likes".

Rumor has it that your bookcases were filled with autographed copies of "The Communist Manifesto," "Das Kapital, Kritik der politischen Ökonomie," and "Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance."

You see how observant and smart PC is? She got two out of three!

 

[PoliticalChic]

Both of my Parents were/are voracious readers, a habit they gave to me which I passed on to both my Sons. My Mom used to collect 1st Editions.

What do parents today collect? FaceBook "likes".

Rumor has it that your bookcases were filled with autographed copies of "The Communist Manifesto," "Das Kapital, Kritik der politischen Ökonomie," and "Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance."

You see how observant and smart PC is? She got two out of three!

So....that means you have two copies of the Bill Ayers book?

 

[Mr. H.]

The ex traveled to two ALA conferences each year, and would bring home the latest Caldecott Award winners for the kids to read (often autographed). But my greatest joy was engaging the boys anywhere we went, putting whatever we observed into math and science contexts. It made them think and challenged their lil' noggins.

 

[PoliticalChic]

"Owning Two of A Certain Object Indicates Your Kids Will Do Well In School. Can You Guess What It Is?"

1. ' Stanford economist Eric Hanushek, and his research partner Ludgar Woessman from U. of Munich, put together a study where they found a specific object in certain family's homes that served as a reliable indicator that a child from that family would do well in school.

2. it's a bookcase. Specifically, two of them.

For example, in England the difference in educational achievement between children of families with more than two bookcases of books and children of families with only very few books at home [is] more than three times what students on average learn during a whole school year.



3. On a materials level it makes no sense, that a series of particle-board slats named Billy would, just by their very existence in the living room, mean a child living in the same structure would do better in school than kids whose families lacked that product. But parents buy bookshelves for a reason, of course, and when they own two bookshelves or more it indicates that they like to buy books and presumably read them, and as it turns out, folks who like to read are more predisposed to see to it that their children do well in school.

4. The point of the study is not that parents should all run out and buy bookcases and lots of books to fill them. The relationship from bookcase to A-student isn't causal, it's symptomatic. "Books at home are the single most important predictor of student performance in most countries," writes Woessman.

5. And the reason is that regardless of background, ethnicity, school funding, immigrant status, etc., it is the input of bookish or well-read parents that make all the difference in a child's education.'"Owning Two of a Certain Object Indicates Your Kids Will Do Well in School. Can You Guess What It Is? - Core77

 

[BobPlumb]

Both of my Parents were/are voracious readers, a habit they gave to me which I passed on to both my Sons. My Mom used to collect 1st Editions.

What do parents today collect? FaceBook "likes".

Rumor has it that your bookcases were filled with autographed copies of "The Communist Manifesto," "Das Kapital, Kritik der politischen Ökonomie," and "Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance."

AM -- You have been profiled.

 

[jasonnfree]

Let's stipulate that American students are no longer the finest in the world.
Blame teachers, unions, not enough money being spent on education, Americans don't care....
Which is the culprit?

None of the above.




1. " Compared to those hard-studying kids in China, Korea or Finland, U.S. students appear to be chronic underachievers. The average kid in the U.S. does less than one hour of homework on average at all grade levels,....




2. The Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, gives tests to high school kids across a range of countries..

3....the US ranks behind sixteen other economies including Poland, Estonia and South Korea in terms of student literacy –the ability to read, integrate and evaluate texts. U.S. student rankings on mathematics are even lower — dropping under countries including Slovenia, Hungary and Taiwan. The United States also produces some of the biggest gaps in test scores between stronger and weaker students.





4. So, where’s the group in the U.S. that could try harder?
Is it the teachers, more concerned with their tenure and pension rights than actually teaching kids?
Is it miserly federal and state lawmakers, starving their educators of resources?
Or maybe it is the lackadaisical students, too addicted to questing with their avatar through World of Warcraft to think about algebra?

a. If there’s a crisis in U.S. education, the fault lies with a group more accustomed to leveling blame than receiving it: parents..... Around the world, the catch-all measure used to proxy for parental commitment to education is the number of books in a child‘s household.

5. This measure predicts student educational outcomes better than class sizes, or expenditures per student, the length of the school day or better class monitoring..... one of the strongest relationships between parental book ownership and child learning outcomes.





6. In the U.S., kids from homes where there are more than two full bookcases score two and a half grade levels higher than kids from homes with very few books.


7. How do you help parents ensure that their kids can learn? First off, they need tools to judge if any learning is going on. The No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law a decade ago, provided for annual state-wide testing for all students...


8. ... we know what works –ensure parents are close enough to education decision makers that their voices can be heard. "
The Real Reason America's Schools Stink - Businessweek

Most of these kids aren't going to use algebra so why is it so important? It seems like U.S. businesses will tap the brainpower of the foreign students either by offshoring or visas to lower the earning power of the really smart American kids anyway which should delight race to the bottom right wingers.

 

[jasonnfree]

Parental teaching is the core to learning.
Without that motivation kids don't care.
The OP fails to mention that the liberal curriculum pushed by teachers unions involves undermining parental teaching an a massive scale.
When parents tell their teens that abstinence is a good thing, for example, the teachers instruct kids to sleep with as many people as they want and that their parents cannot stop them.
Unionized teachers bully kids into following liberal ideas.
They encourage the other kids to bully those who show signs of not being liberal enough.
The public school system is designed to indoctrinate.
Kids are unable to read or write but they can spout off the party line when it comes to any of the social engineering programmes of the liberal movement.
Public politicized schools should be closed down, parents should home school their kids or provide quality education free from government indoctrination.

Are there any studies available about union teachers bullying kids into accepting liberal ideas and other statements you make?

 

[Cookie]

We all have Kindles. Can they be virtual bookcases?

 

[Mr. H.]

Too many parents view schools as daycares.

 

[BobPlumb]

Too many parents view schools as daycares.

You just hit on one of the major problems with school, especially high school. It is mandatory that kids attend school. Kids that would rather not be at school know that will have to be at school anyway from start time to dismissal whether they try or not.

If school were structured such that students would get out early once assignments for the day are complete and correct more kids would have an incentive to try and learn. Also, once the quicker students are gone for the day, teachers would be able to give more attention to those that remain.