Daily Agitator
Our children are the future of the US…that is the song being sung by everyone in Washington……and that education is the key to the return of America’s industrial greatness……if all that is true then why is it so low on the agenda?
States and cities are having a bitch of a time coming up with the cash for many needed programs….and education is the most needed and the most overlooked and abused by the very politicians that tell us that education is the number one priority…..schools are closing by the hundreds, programs are being slashed, teachers being fired and the list goes on and on…..
The NY Times is reporting on the new way of looking at education:
The new proposals could transform American education, replacing the patchwork of standards ranging from mediocre to world-class that have been written by local educators in every state.
Under the proposed standards for English, for example, fifth graders would be expected to explain the differences between drama and prose, and to identify elements of drama like characters, dialogue and stage directions. Seventh graders would study, among other math concepts, proportional relationships, operations with rational numbers and solutions for linear equations.
The Obama administration quickly endorsed the effort. Under the Department of Education’s Race to the Top initiative, in which states are competing for a share of $4 billion in school improvement money, states can earn 40 points of the possible 500 for participating in the common effort and adopting the new standards. Under current law, there is no penalty for states that choose not to participate.
All this sounds just ducky…..but I see a few problems….one, who gets to approve the textbooks? That answer could very well influence everything….second, is this a move to make it easier for students to pass tests? If it is, then are the children learning or just retaining info until they take the test?
As long as we are talking about it….math and science are excellent choices to focus on…..but there should also be a mandatory introduction to consumer economies and a mandatory Civics class……we want our children to have an education then make it a complete education…….just passing tests as a judge of a student is pure political bullsh*t! If the student does not retain what is taught then what good was all the money spent?……that would be training the student NOT TEACHING!
It sucks when lobbyists can get influence for their clients and education must wait to see what is left over……crumbs from the budgetary table……IT IS DISGRACEFUL!
But that’s ALWAYS the problem all the way through education, isn’t it?
A GOOD teacher who teaches his or her students to think for themselves and weigh up ALL sides of any argument is almost as rare as hen’s teeth!
Equally, any school curriculum and indeed any text book depends on the quality of what is included and how well instructed the students are and how much they UNDERSTAND, rather than learn parrot fashion. The dilemma is simple, but oh so hard to solve – “localised” administration takes into account local views and individual ideas, but enshrines and perpetuates bigotry, prejudice and myth that has no place in modern education – but “centrally controlled” education teaches only a single point of view that could be entirely wrong and misleading for all, with only tests on “facts” recalled for that one day as any guide as to what is happening “out there”. In fact though – it is also a perfect opportunity for brainwashing on a national scale.
Sucks either way, doesn’t it?
Yep….that is the problem…..if you teach bullshit then the students learn bullshit……..the teaching methods are to make the student into a “model” American….that has the same point of view as every other student…..kinda like brainwashing…..the government uses education to legitimize a broke system….
Great! Now we’ll have Obama approved textbooks that will give students a distorted education.
Hello mrh and welcome to the ‘hood………I understand your concern but that same concern should be that ANYBODY can give kids a rotten education…..like now…….schools are all about tests and success as measured by whoever holds the power, both right and left, ……kids are taught to retain info for tests not learn the material….there is a difference…..