Public School Education System Thread

[apeman]

Be careful with assumptions.

If we could eliminate lack of $$$ as a reason for poor performance

where does that leave us?

What is the problem here?

[SuburbanFarmer]

Be careful with assumptions.

If we could eliminate lack of $$$ as a reason for poor performance

where does that leave us?

What is the problem here?

We can't eliminate that as a factor, though. Teaching wages haven't been competitive for a very, very long time. Standards have been implemented, using third-party testing companies making Billions every year on issuing paper tests and grading them. Nobody is interested in imparting actual knowledge anymore, only cramming answers into the students to be regurgitated on the next statewide test day.

The problems are immense, and getting worse. It's not just about money, it's corruption - same as everything else in our society.

Case in point: My gf's kid is in 4th grade (considered part of 'middle school' now wtf), and he takes a state test about every single week. He had no idea what the Declaration of Independence was, or the Constitution, but he recited a presentation on the 1st Amendment. No concept of what it meant, or what it was for.
He's also been working on Long Division this semester, and each week they simply add a digit to the sums being divided, as if that were a new topic. They had him factoring numbers a few months ago, using weird-ass names and methods that we couldn't make sense of. No cursive writing taught, and no real PE - only dodgeball, or jumprope.

The problem certainly isn't a lack or surplus of funding - it's bone deep. These people are not interested in actual learning or thought whatsoever.

[Ex-California]

You're both looking at the wrong graph here, the problem is not funding, the problem is the employee growth.

I like people to have jobs but we all know the issue with school employees is the huge growth of highly-paid administrative staff, not teachers.

I'm even fine if costs were rising if it went to teacher pay. Instead it goes to pencil pushers and unnecessary technology

[apeman]

Sure, I read the graph as congruent with your hypothesis, no secret that the bloat in admin staff is a problem.

[Hanarchy Montanarchy]

US population in 1970 was 205 million... in 2016 325 million, and scores have remained pretty static. Makes sense it would cost more money.

Now, the fact that our schools are modeled after factories and serve as places to store kids when both parents are working is not ideal, but that is a different issue.

[Smitty-48]

Crazy that the United States of all places has a federal Department of Education, even lefty wefty centrally planned teachers union run Canada doesn't have a federal ministry of education, that's a provincial jurisdiction.

I don't think Republicans are "retarded' for being opposed to it, what is retarded, is that you have a federal Department of Education.

[StCapps]

.double post.

[StCapps]

Crazy that the United States of all places has a federal Department of Education, even lefty wefty centrally planned teachers union run Canada doesn't have a federal ministry of education, that's a provincial jurisdiction.

I don't think Republicans are "retarded' for being opposed to it, what is retarded, is that you have a federal Department of Education.

Yet another reason we are better than they are. Chairman Meow needs to rethink it being a good idea, the right actually has a point when they talk about scrapping the Department of Education. It's clearly holding their education system back, but too many people think throwing money at the problem and putting the federal government in charge actually makes things better.

[Smitty-48]

Crazy that the United States of all places has a federal Department of Education, even lefty wefty centrally planned teachers union run Canada doesn't have a federal ministry of education, that's a provincial jurisdiction.

I don't think Republicans are "retarded' for being opposed to it, what is retarded, is that you have a federal Department of Education.

Yet another reason we are better than they are. Chairman Meow needs to rethink it being a good idea, the right actually has a point when they talk about scrapping the Department of Education. It's clearly holding their education system back.

We've probably been spared that boondoggle by Quebec's states rights, no way the Frenchies are letting the Anglos take control of their schools, that would incite a revolt.

[StCapps]

We've probably been spared that boondoggle by Quebec's states rights, no way the Frenchies are letting the Anglos take control of their schools, that would incite a revolt.

Well at least Quebec is good for something, like occasionally saving us from our own stupidity. Hooray for them.