There may be something inherently wrong with the American school system. What can we do better ? Is anyone familiar with the system in other countries ? This is for a school project, and what I need is opinions. Thank you. ------------------ "norm, would you like to buy an indian scalp ? This deal isn't gonna make or break me Norm, so don't jerk me around." Harry Carey "Norm, if I had a mohawk scalp, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you."
Change school start times. Make elementary students start earlier and the high schoolers start later. Instead of high schools starting at 7, start them at 9. Instead of Elementary Schools starting at 9, start them at 7. It has been proven that older students need more sleep to do well, while younger students do well with earlier start times. This would be a simple way to improve the quality of education. ------------------ WIN NOW! The Protrolls.com message boards! Hey, I've got posts now! Feel free to join in the trolling fun! Protrolls.com!
Challenge the students to do better. Get rid of the outcome based education concept. If they deserve an F give them an F. Use the grading system that was used when I was a kid (and may be still in use in some schools), 93-100 = A, 86-92 = B, 78-85 = C, 70-77=D. Until you demand more, you will get less. ------------------
I would scrap local funding of school districts. It intensifies funding disparities between poor and rich schools. It also intensifies geographic segregation based on economic wealth: it's not enough that one's neighborhood doesn't have poor people, one's school district better not have any either (but that has less to do with education). Funding isn't the whole key, unfortunately: the poor will always get a worse education. I'll tell you my wife's plan while I'm at it: she'd say to scrap the entire educational system and force everyone to get their schooling through private enterprise. When it comes to government, she is a minimalist. ------------------ RealGM Gafford Art Artisan Cakes
gr8-1: <a href=mailto:markbazin@postmark.net>drop me an email</a> and I'll direct you to a few people and organizations who can really help you. I also have many views/opinions on this that I'll try and collect (as I've written about this before) for you. Also, I am a co-founder of a nonprofit organization that will perhaps be of great interest/value to your project. ------------------ "Up and down, inside out, outside in, some you lose some you win" -- DMB -> "Sweet Up and Down"
Wow. But, you know that this means alot of people won't be going to school ? Also, I assume there would be some tax relief, but will that be noticeable ? Your wife's idea is bad news. ------------------ "norm, would you like to buy an indian scalp ? This deal isn't gonna make or break me Norm, so don't jerk me around." Harry Carey "Norm, if I had a mohawk scalp, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you."
in britain the grades arent based on your average but your place in the class. I think that, that is the way it should be because it forces you to try to learn more than your peers ------------------ KD 12-21-99
Whereas I'm against such rankings. For one thing, just being better than my peers can be meaningless, especially if the teacher does a poor job teaching (though the current grading system can be, too). But more importantly, the variations from year to year and class to class would drive me crazy. Just because you luck out and end up in a class of morons doesn't mean you're better educated than the people from the year before who had classes with geniuses. (That's kind of an exaggeration, though based on my personal experience. In high school, we were ranked by year. In my year, my ex-wife had a 77 overall average and was ranked somewhere in the second half of the class. A friend of ours who was a year behind us graduated with a 76 average but was in the top half of his class. This disparity existed even though they had the same teachers and same classes, just one year apart). I also think about my cousin Cindy from Ola, Arkansas. She was Valedictorian of her class. She was also the entire first half of the class since there was only one other person in her graduating class. ------------------ Houston Sports Board Film Dallas.com AntiBud.com
Get rid of standardized testing. What does that prove? and what about all your grades during the year? Do those not count for anything? I heard about a new standardized test that will prohibit the student from advancing if it's not passed? Why have grades if it all boils down to one test? All I know is that I'm glad I'M out of school and I don't have kids. rH ------------------ visit: The Psychedelic Groove House of Rockets Basketball Love! President, CEO & Charter Member of Rocketholics Anonymous Jiizz Coach Sloan, "OK guys, after we practice layups, I want everyone to pair up with a buddy and practice your flops even though we lost to the Mavs in the first round and will never win a championship!"
I think you still need to pass your classes in addition to the standardized test. Why not have a standardized test for each subject, like the AP tests. That way you are forcing the kids to learn the material and you have accountability. Another thing that could be done to avoid teaching to the test is just lay down some basic guidelines about what might be on the test, that way they would need to cover a wide range of topics, whether or not they end up on the test. ------------------ You can't stick a porcupine in a barn, light it on fire, and expect to get licorice.
I have two problems with the system but they are both similar. 1) change the focus of exit exams. In Texas schools TAAS is god. Everything revolves around it and teachers teach to the test.From the time a student enters Kindergarten they are learning how to take the TAAS. That severely limits some of the subjects that can be taught. Districts are told that if you are not exemplary then you are not doing your job(and a districts rating is included on Teacher Evaluations). Because of this many districts on the elementary level place less emphasis on Science, Social Studies and other non TAAS subjects. There fore when students reach Higher grades they are often missing fundamentals in these subjects. I am not saying that they need to scrap the idea of an exit exam but it needs to be looked at and fine tuned so that it is not the only means for assessing a students progress. 2) High Schools need to design more graduation tracts. In most Texas schools there are two basic tracts to graduation(There are some schools who offer more). You are either on the basic track or the advanced track. Schools should design programs that are specific to student needs. You would have tracks that not only address student needs but offer courses that could help them after graduation. Schools should add career specific graduation plans. For Example if someone were interested in pursuing an engineering career offer them a way to graduate while taking courses geared towards engineering. Each path could all contain basic studies(similar to the way colleges are set up) and then electives could be focused towards specific careers. When I say this I don't mean that every school should offer classes like Basics of Engineering(most districts would not have the personel to teach sucj classes). I feel that students that want to pursue math related fields should not have to take 4 honors english classes just graduate on their path. And the same can be said for students with english related interests. They should not have to take Honors Calculus to graduate on their path. Sorry for being so long winded but I got going and it just snowballed. CK ------------------ CC.Net Sim Homepage For stats standings and team information.
