I would like to know some of your Ideas about how the Education system could be better Is it all that necessary? http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/lists/dropouts.html Lot of famous folx made it without the Diploma Rocket River
The major problem in most places is funding. lack of funds is the reason many great potential teachers won't consider teaching (doesn't pay enough), why many schools lack current technology, up to date text books, and lack of funding causes many teachers to not be updated on the latest teaching methods. So there are 2 things you can do: -Generate more revenue (raise taxes, possibly make parents pay more, find new revenue streams like state lottery systems) -Explore ways to cut overhead. Generating more revenue will be tough. You either have to convince taxpayers to pay more taxes AND keep other political interests out of the money. Taxes are always a tough sell. Cut overhead - Notice I am not saying cut teachers. But modernize the schools so each building doesn't need so much overhead (princiaps, asst-principals, secretaries, general admin) and possibly increase school district sizes to decrease the overhead/school of those admin costs (superintendents, treasurers, etc). Drop programs that cost money (possibly privatize more lunchrooms, make more pay to play extra-curriculars) and have more profit centers. Many schools get deals with Coke or Pepsi to have them be the exclusive soft drink on campus, maybe it's not a lot of cash but it's something. Again nothing will be easy but if you can increase funding you'll be on the right path, IMO.
1st thing i think we need to RETHINK our discipline policies I think we need to maybe RETHINK Corporeal Punishment What is the point of kids being in school and not paying attention or being disruptive. I think having the right technologies is a step in the right direction I think schools need to be MORE STRICT I'm not saying take away Recess but definately needs to focus more on Self Control and Discipline. Elementary level - Discipline and Fundamentals Everything else is Extra I would like Music and various other arts taught but that should be like Icing on the cake. In Fact it should be the Carrot for kids to do better. I believe in POSITIVE and NEGATIVE ReEnforcement High School - needs more LIFE SKILLS Classes Credit Education Balancing checkbooks Writing resumes etc Rocket RIver
I think we need more funding. Teachers having to by supplies, provide their own paper for copies, having limited copies they can make, in addition to modest salaries is wrong. Teachers should have more options when it comes to discipline and classroom management. I don't think physical punishment is the option, but students need to have consequences for not following the rules. Funding for music programs, drama programs, band, atheletics should be increased. At least one of those programs should be required for students. The fact is that girls involved in those programs are less likely to become teen pregnancies, and all students who spend their time on those activities learn about how to work with others, cooperate, and will have enhancements to their core classes. I think most of the time the kids that are messed up on drugs, and what have you aren't the ones that are spending all their free time on drama, baseball, music etc. It's the kids who don't really do anything that seem like they fall prey to drugs, and other problems.
Define making it. Define Education, i.e. what should the goal of education be? Is education simply learning a vocation, because I thought that was what vocational schools were for. OR...Is education the replacing of ignorance with knowledge. If that be the case, is any man truly educated? HAS ANYONE COME OUT OF THE CAVE YET!!!???
My wife just quit teaching after eight years because she got hardly any parent support. Teachers are nothing now but glorified baby sitters. They spend most of their time enforcing dress codes and other rules instead of teaching. Even when teachers try to enforce the rules, the schools don't give the teachers that much support either. I say get rid of sports in schools. If your kid needs to play baseball etc, have them play Little League. Why should it take away from textbook money? I also agree with twhy77. Most people go to school to learn how to make money, not be educated. There is a difference.
No, we need to spend that money intelligently, too. Personally, I think schools should sort the students into different classes and tracks based on their natural proclivities. Those who excel at math should be in a math track to futher strengthen these talents. Everyone needs to know basics, but we could start with some specialization starting at the intermediate school level.
I'm really against specialization. Trains people for only one career. I think colleges need to become a lot more selective, like they used to, and for those who can't hang, they can go into their specialty vocational school. Education isn't just about getting a job. There's something much greater lost if we have an uneducated populace with great numbers of specializations. At my work we call that Balkanization of Education.
Isn't that what magnet schools do? I really don't know. Here is but a partial list of specialty high schools in New York Ballet Tech/NYC Public School for Dance High School for Environmental Studies Health Professions/Human Services High School Leadership/Public Service High School Manhattan Center for Science/Math High School Bayard Rustin High School for the Humanities High School of Economics and Finance Martin Luther King Jr. HS for the Arts/Technology Richard Green High School of Teaching High School of Fashion Industries Humanities Preparatory Academy Young Women's Leadership High School Chelsea Vocational High School Graphic Communication Arts High School Art and Design High School Academy of Environmental Science Bread and Roses Integrated Arts High School High School for Math, Science/Engineering @ CCNY HS for Media and Communication @ George Washington Ed. HS of Health Careers/Science @ George Washington Ed. HS of Int'l Business and Finance HS of Law and Public Service The NYC Museum School Life Sciences Secondary High School
Here in Texas, I think we need to clean house, pretty much, and get some new leadership for Governor, Lt. Governor, the Senate and the Legislature. They have combined to do a horrendous job on education in this state. We have ranked last in high school graduates the past two years, just as an example. They have done a terrible job while running on "education." That started with Bush as governor, then he was replaced by Rick "I'm corrupt and proud of it" Perry, who makes Bush look like a genius... no small feat. They talk a big game and cut funds while doing it, moving the costs down to the local level and your property taxes, along with whatever other revenue streams the hard-pressed local governments can come up with.
So how do you measure if people are learning? Graduation Rates? I think not.... The only adequete way to ensure learning is to ensure you have knowledgeable teachers...who will only pass students who are worthy.
But when you have federal monetary incentives (to the school district) tied to graduation rates and test scores it seems to me that "learning" is taking a backseat to passing a test. I don't know that much about it. I'm just thinking out loud.
Which is complete crap I totally agree. (About test passing not you think aloud). Teachers don't teach anymore. They train students to pass tests. Been happening since the 80's. Just one of the many reasons we have events like Abu Gharib happening.
Ding ding ding ding! We have a winner. I have several friends who are or were teachers (not to mention that I'm a teacher although I teach adults) my sister teaches some and my mom was a teacher. It's the parents people. Kids whose parents take an active interest in their education do just fine. Kids whose parents use school as a baby sitter or don't think it's their responsibility to ensure their child gets educated are the problem. Are there exceptions? You bet. But mostly it's the parents. I had one friend who got in trouble because she was having trouble with one of her kids. She asked the parent to help her with the discipline (can you punish him at home if he misbehaves here). The parent said that she didn't punish the kid, ever, because it might hurt his self-esteem. And them promptly went to the principal and complained that my friends was abusive to her kid! (The "abuse incident" had numerous witnesses and my friend was completely exhonorated - she didn't do anything but this parent made crap up because it was more important to be "right" than ensure the kid behaved well in school). Also, most parents will be as involved with their kid's educations as their parents were in theirs. It's a vicious cycle. The answer? Don't let people have children unless both parents make a concious and voluntary effort to conceive. Now, how you can make that happen is anybody's guess.
This may be true but is there a better way? If teachers just taught and we could trust them to do so we wouldn't need standardized testing. If parents took more of an interest in their kids education we wouldn't need standardized testing. Unfortunatly that's not the case. Society is not happy with the results of our public school system so what we get is higher powers (i.e. elected officials) trying to police the school system. The ONLY practical way to evaluate a really large number of kids is standardized tests. The BEST way would be individual interviews. But, clearly, individual interviews are not possible. It's really a vicious cycle. Kids don't do well in school (because, IMO, the parents don't do enough to ensure their kids do well) so the state decides to give a test to determine if the kids have met such-and-such minimum requirements. If the kids fail the tests you blame the teachers. Now, what are the teachers supposed to do? Their jobs are at stake people. How about this. Let's make it the parents responsibility to get the kid to pass the standardized tests. If a person's kid doesn't pass you fine the parent (or put them in jail so as not to put poor people at a disadvantage).
I didn't say we should have kids specialize and not have ANY other classes, just that for those with talents in one area, we should let them concentrate on that area and get basic education in other areas. MC, There are some specialized schools, but for the most part, they are only open to those with the money to make it happen. Public schools don't do any of that, but they could. I believe that kids will be interested in school when they are in classes that are interesting to them. If one kid wants to be an athlete, what would be wrong with allowing them 2 periods in school to give them a chance to hone those skills? For those interested in history, what would be wrong with an additional history class? For those interested in going to work right after high school, why wouldn't we get them in classes that would teach them to be a valuable member of the workforce? Specialization is not mutually exclusive with a well rounded education, it just encourages kids to identify and concentrate on their strengths.
I don't disagree with you, twhy. The point of my post is that here, in Texas, we have woefully inadequate funding. You want knowledgeable teachers? So do I. I've got a daughter going into 3rd grade this Fall and a son going into the 8th. I have a keen interest in their education, obviously. So how do you get knowledgeable teachers? (and they have to be more than knowledgeable... you can have all the knowledge in the world, and if you don't know how to teach, it doesn't do the students a damn bit of good) You pay them. Pay them a good salary, so they get into the field and stay there. Here, we have a pretty decent starting salary, but the salaries for long-time, experienced teachers, the ones you want to keep, are lousy. And we have a state government that talks a big game and dumps the problem on the local level.
