American Education

[Ron in Regina]

American schools are still ahead - Way Ahead

The perception is that American children live a relatively easy life and coast their way through school. They don't do any more homework than they have to; they spend an extraordinary amount of time playing games, socializing on the Internet, text-messaging each other; they work part time to pay for their schooling and social habits. And they party. A lot. These stereotypes worry many Americans. They believe the American education system puts the country at a great disadvantage. But this is far from true.


Much is made of the PISA test scores and rankings, but the international differences are actually quite small. Most of the U.S. ranking lags are not even statistically significant. The U.S. falls in the second rank on some measures and into the first on others. It produces more highest-performing students in science and reading than any other country does; in mathematics, it is second only to Japan.


U.S. Schools Are Still Ahead—Way Ahead - BusinessWeek

American Teachers (at least some of them) have a tough row to hoe though....

My Daughter-in-Law hails from Utah until recently. She talks about school there.
In her Grade 12 History class there was 42 Students (ideally the Teacher/Student
ratio shouldn't exceed what? 1/25 at the most?). My Daughter-in-Law was one of
two Students with English as a first language.

The other forty Students came from a country south of the USA, and where taught
a very different version of History than what that Teacher was trying to teach them.
When the Teacher would mention a fact (or the American version of a fact, as each
country seems to have its own slant on History), she would be heckled and drowned
out by forty students if it conflicted with the Mexican version of History.

Tough environment for the Students to learn in, let alone the Teacher to teach in....

 

[darkbeaver]

" American schools are still ahead way ahead" The multi polarization of the nation does not reflect that statement. The poverty of it's people do not reflect that statement. The certain imminent catastrophic collapse of the American economy and the rising tide of state fascism do not reflect that statement. The permanent war declared on faux terrorism doe not reflect that statement. The conclusion is inescapable, something is very wrong with the education system and that is its obvious purpose, the maintenance of the same system responsible for the destruction of America. Statistics are deceiving.

 

[Tonington]

If you rely on cirriculum to educate your child, your child will mentally starve to death.

It's not all a matter of relying.

Curricula that are politicized are shifting even more of the supplementing to meet a childs intellectual needs back to the parents. Though, many parents do rely on public school curriculum because they work multiple jobs to provide financially for their families...I'd personally rather have school curricula addressed by input from subject matter experts, not fashioned along partisan political lines.

 

[JLM]

It's not all a matter of relying.

Curricula that are politicized are shifting even more of the supplementing to meet a childs intellectual needs back to the parents. Though, many parents do rely on public school curriculum because they work multiple jobs to provide financially for their families...I'd personally rather have school curricula addressed by input from subject matter experts, not fashioned along partisan political lines.

That might be the source of the entire problem, kids aren't necessarily learning the important things in life and "providing financially" has taken on a whole new meaning in the past 50 years- they can provide a house but they can't necessarily provide a home.

 

[Tonington]

That might be the source of the entire problem

I don't know about entire problem...there are plenty of adults who know less science and math than their children do.

 

[darkbeaver]

"subject matter experts" experts subject matter matter subjects expert subject expert matters that says it all

 

[ironsides]

Teachers in the U.S. are paid a yearly salary, Summers off, all those extra days off, teachers conferences etc just part of what teachers unions have negotiated for over the years. Salaries range from minimal to very high (well into the 6 figures), very hard to take anything away from teachers in unionized states.

 

[Bar Sinister]

The problem with the US educational system is that it varies widely from state to state, school district to school district, and even within school districts. At the top levels the education received by the average student is excellent; unfortunately at the bottom level it is abysmal. The result of this widely varying quality are the SATs which are one way of ascertaining what level of education high school graduates have actually achieved. If students from the best schools are given international tests they tend to do fairly well, however, when students across the spectrum are given the same tests the US scores well below many countries.

Below are two articles detailing the results of US students on international test scores.

Academic Failure - International Test Scores - Poor TIMSS Results
International test score data show U.S. firmly mid-pack

 

[ironsides]

Your right, and you know the funny part there are school districts paying as much as some systems on say Long Island, NY who pay in excess of $14,000 per year in school taxes (per home) and the kids get a excellent education, and other paying almost as much lose the money somehow and the kids get poor quality education. It is just good that those better schools are turning out the next generation of engineers teachers and future executives. With the taxes we pay, there is no way we should be in the middle of the pack, but here we are.

 

[Unforgiven]

American schools are still ahead - Way Ahead

The perception is that American children live a relatively easy life and coast their way through school. They don't do any more homework than they have to; they spend an extraordinary amount of time playing games, socializing on the Internet, text-messaging each other; they work part time to pay for their schooling and social habits. And they party. A lot. These stereotypes worry many Americans. They believe the American education system puts the country at a great disadvantage. But this is far from true.


Much is made of the PISA test scores and rankings, but the international differences are actually quite small. Most of the U.S. ranking lags are not even statistically significant. The U.S. falls in the second rank on some measures and into the first on others. It produces more highest-performing students in science and reading than any other country does; in mathematics, it is second only to Japan.


U.S. Schools Are Still Ahead—Way Ahead - BusinessWeek

What's with all the half wits then?

 

[DaSleeper]

I know that the left "Democrats" just love to regulate everything but why would this be necessary...


Erik Wells Proposes West Virginia Bill That Would Revoke Parents' Licenses For Children's Truancy

 

[JLM]

I know that the left "Democrats" just love to regulate everything but why would this be necessary...


Erik Wells Proposes West Virginia Bill That Would Revoke Parents' Licenses For Children's Truancy

That probably won't work. Each case is a little different. Instead of "pulling the teeth out through the asshole", maybe a quiet talk with the parents first might be a better plan. The problem could be anything from a medical problem to the teacher being a pedaphile, but you have to find out first.

 

[ironsides]

What's with all the half wits then?

Immigrants and visitors from up north.

 

[Cannuck]

YouTube - RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms

 

[Unforgiven]

Immigrants and visitors from up north.

Mexicans and Palin eh? I can see how that would be a a problem but why do you encourage the broad? :lol:

 

[ironsides]

Mexicans and Palin eh? I can see how that would be a a problem but why do you encourage the broad? :lol:

She's cute?

 

[#juan]

That reminds me of a teacher I had in elementary school that told us that there was no word in the English language that ended in C. For the life of me, I don't know how she taught me arithmetic. She must have used magic.

Using magic would have been tragic and probably would have caused much havoc

There appears to quite a few :

logic
tragic
pathetic
ceramic
classic
chaotic
tonic
ironic
sardonic
chronic
panic
picnic
empathetic
electric
relic
electronic
psychic
hypochondriac
maniac
mechanic
lethargic
allergic
garlic
spastic
plastic
mosaic
cosmic
comic
frantic
gigantic
hectic
toxic
agnostic
diagnostic
democratic
relic
insomniac
prophetic
cryptic
skeptic

 

[JLM]

Using magic would have been tragic and probably would have caused much havoc

There appears to quite a few :

logic
tragic
pathetic
ceramic
classic
chaotic
tonic
ironic
sardonic
chronic
panic
picnic
empathetic
electric
relic
electronic
psychic
hypochondriac
maniac
mechanic
lethargic
allergic
garlic
spastic
plastic
mosaic
cosmic
comic
frantic
gigantic
hectic
toxic
agnostic
diagnostic
democratic
relic
insomniac
prophetic
cryptic
skeptic

And sac.

 

[#juan]

=#juan;1370760]Using magic would have been tragic and probably would have caused much havoc



logic
tragic
pathetic
ceramic
classic
chaotic
tonic
ironic
sardonic
chronic
panic
picnic
empathetic
electric
relic
electronic
psychic
hypochondriac
maniac
mechanic
lethargic
allergic
garlic
spastic
plastic
mosaic
cosmic
comic
frantic
gigantic
hectic
toxic
agnostic
diagnostic
democratic
relic
insomniac
prophetic
cryptic
skeptic

There appears to be quite a few.

 

[Tonington]

biotic
prophylactic
poetic
diuretic

I wouldn't be surprised if the number of words ending in -ic was a few thousand, with the various suffixes.