Saw this article posted on Yahoo. It talks about how our country is dropping in educational rankings compared to other nations. Especially troubling is us being at #25 in math. The study looked at education levels for 15 year old students around the world and compared them. Interesting read. Yahoo Article So what do you think should be done to improve our education?
Don't really know about the other countries, but the US can't really emulate China. See, China's methods for such high scores isn't really anything brilliant. It's simply a matter of priorities. Our education system is based upon making sure 90% of the kids understand the teacher. It's about making sure just about everyone "passes". It's about letting every kid know that he's good enough, that the kids who get high grades are just nerds who should have their lunch money taken from him. Their education system is based on making sure 10% get the most efficient education possible, and the rest of the losers either catch up through tutoring, extra sessions/homework, or simply get discarded. It is about making sure only the good students move on at each level using entrance exams for middle school, high school, and college. It's about telling the smart, hardworking students that they are awesome, and the dumb, lazy ones to go screw themselves. The Chinese system will get schools about gazillion lawsuits and full scale revolt from parents.
We may just end up finally taking asian gangs seriously. Maybe on the back end we could just re-visit that whole Liberia thing.
Its sad when I visit all the top universities across the country and all the science and engineering programs are all foreigners from Asia and India. Unfortunately these bright minds are not staying in the US anymore. They get their education and they return home.
Uh.. did u read the article? While your theory sounds ok, I want to believe it, but... More than one-quarter is more than 10... don't tell me US math is this ****** "More than one-quarter of Shanghai's 15-year-olds demonstrated advanced mathematical thinking skills to solve complex problems, compared to an OECD average of just three percent," the OECD said.
"More than one-quarter of Shanghai's 15-year-olds demonstrated advanced mathematical thinking skills to solve complex problems, compared to an OECD average of just three percent," the OECD said." Don't get me wrong I understand your point too But do you recognize that US/ Europe has tons of resources, universities everywhere; while poor countries generally can only afford a few, where you will see all these 1##### of hardworking, aspiring kids vying for those few precious seats all just for the prospect of earning a few hundred a month? I'm talking about China. I've always hated when you hear these disillusionment by college kids who tell you "I learned everything in college"... hey so is that a good thing?
Well US and Europe "resources" appear to be drying up. Everything is cyclical, when something reaches the top, its eventually going to come down. Nothings gong to happen overnight, but the trend definitely is pointing towards the rest of the world catching up. You can also see this by viewing the rankings of universities across the world, at one point the US dominated that list, in the last 10 years though the list has been changing at a relatively fast pace. (Don't get me wrong, I believe 60% of the top 100 Universities in the world are still American, the figures are still vastly in favour of American dominance....but suprisingly that # was also much greater years back) As Americas economic power and middle class dwindle down, education will also follow in the same direction.
Well we have a deficit and are too poor to do anything about it don't you know. See the University of California going down the tubes. Have to give more money to the uppper two percent with most of it going to the upper 1%. Some day when the universities have collapsed the libertarian economy will magically reinvest in building new universities from the ground up in the USA-- or maybe just do them in Bangladesh where there is a willing market for university profs who makes $1/hr or whatever. Regardless all will be good--for the market winners. It would be nice to be number one in education again or at least not be sinking so rapidly, but we have to face cold reality we don't have the money.
Major, where is the money going to come from to do anything about it with the recent Obama tax cuts for billionaires and millionaires?
For starters, education spending is fairly fractional in comparison to anything else. Second, I'd classify it as investment spending - that is, it pays for itself through increased economic output and thus increased tax revenue over the long-haul. But really, I think the problems with our education system go well beyond money. We need to re-look at our entire approach to education.
In the case of education and economic growth, yes. There is a lot of data to suggest that educated people tend to be more productive and generate more output for a country.
You're kidding, right? If you're a skeptic of the bond between education and economic health, then man, there's not much we can do for you.
you have to appreciate Major for responding to all these sarcastic posts from the right and from the left who is angry with Obama right now.
Well, 10% and 90% are just numbers I made up, educated guesses if you will. They're suppose to show a contrast of views between the two countries. Not be hard facts. Ironically, it's you who would try to use real data on Shanghai and try to extrapolate that to entire China. You know, I have a good feeling that St. Johns and Kinkaid 15 year olds demonstrate incredible knowledge in all subjects. I guess this means the Houston education system is truly amazing.
