Tag: Educational Issues

“Idiocracy” Is Coming True!

About ten years ago I went to see a film by Mike Judge about the decline of the American people into a dystopian future where the population became idiots.  The movie was ‘Idiocracy’.

Since then I have watched their view of the future become more and more prophetic.

And now the news is not very encouraging abut the mental make-up of the people of this country….

For the first time in recorded human history, scientists have discovered a generation they claim is actually less intelligent than the one that came before it.

Neuroscientist Dr Jared Cooney Horvath, who previously worked as an educator, argues that people in Gen Z have become cognitively stunted as a result of their over-reliance on new technology, like smartphones.

With records being kept on academic achievement for the past 200 years, this sudden decline from Millennials to Gen Zers was attributed to this rapid digital development, with Dr Horvath explaining before a Senate committee last month that this drop happened despite young people spending longer than ever in school.

Gen Z are the first age group to grow up with easy access to the internet both at home and in school, which Dr Horvath explained has caused a provable loss in skills related to problem solving, reading, memory, math, and paying attention in class.

The Mail reports that Horvath told the Commerce, Science, and Transportation committee that this is directly tied to the rise of ‘educational technology’ in school, where teachers rely on tablets or computers in school as part of the learning process.

The neuroscientist claimed that humans had not developed over the course of millions of years of evolution to digest short video clips and sentences and convert them into understanding and memory, without having to work at a novel or think through a complex idea.

On January 15, Horvath told the committee: “More than half of the time a teenager is awake, half of it is spent staring at a screen.

“Humans are biologically programmed to learn from other humans and from deep study, not flipping through screens for bullet point summaries.”

Continuing his argument about human evolution, Horvath explained that, as social creatures, we had developed to learn from each other in face-to-face discussions. Not a short YouTube video or AI summary.

Even the act of looking at a screen can disrupt the process through which our brains store information, as well as hurt our ability to focus. He also argued that it was not a case of developing better apps, but returning to how humanity had evolved to process information.

Horvath said: “The answer appears to be the tools we are using within schools to drive that learning.

“If you look at the data, once countries adopt digital technology widely in schools, performance goes down significantly.”

Calling for a sea change in how those in power look at education, Horvath asked legislators: “What do kids do on computers? They skim.

“So rather than determining what do we want our children to do and gearing education towards that, we are redefining education to better suit the tool. That’s not progress, that is surrender.”

(unilad.com)

If this continues then this country is doomed….and as long as we have politicians willing to lie and steal this country is doomed….

Just watch ‘Idiocracy’…..

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/

The movie was meant to be a comedy and instead it has become a gloomy prediction of our future without substantial change.

Glad my time is limited and I will not see the end results of this stupidity.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Who’s Afraid Of Intellectualism?

Good question and the best answer is Conservatives since about the 1960s….and ever since they have worked tirelessly to eradicate it….

As a kid, my favorite part of grocery shopping wasn’t the snacks or the cereal aisle, it was the tabloids at the checkout. I’d devour headlines about Batboy sightings, Bigfoot vacations, royal scandals, and the occasional presidential summit with extraterrestrials. These were absurdities printed with a straight face, and the comedy was half the fun.

I didn’t expect that, decades later, those supermarket fever dreams would feel less like parody and more like prophecy. The fantasies that once lived on cheap newsprint now pulse through mainstream culture. In the social media age, anything can be “true” if it flatters your bias or fuels your outrage. And with AI dissolving the already thin boundary between fact and fiction, we’ve entered an era where reality feels optional, truth feels negotiable, and the most sensational lie travels at the speed of an algorithm.

In this environment, “common sense,” emotion, and personal anecdote have muscled into spaces once reserved for evidence and expertise. But there’s nothing “common sense” about medicine, climate science, gender identity, or any other complex system that shapes human life. Yet this appeal to “what feels right” has become the jet fuel of America’s culture war. It declares: If the issue seems simple to me, it should be simple to you. And if you disagree, you’re elitist or part of a hidden agenda. This flattening of complexity has turned ignorance into authenticity and expertise into betrayal.

This is anti-intellectualism, and though accelerating, it isn’t new. Richard Hofstadter warned in the 1960s of a growing American suspicion of expertise, a belief that intelligence itself was untrustworthy. What was once a cultural tendency has hardened into a political identity and, increasingly, a governing philosophy.

It’s also tied to a literacy crisis hiding in plain sight. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 21% of U.S. adults struggle with “Level 1” literacy, basic decoding with limited comprehension, and 34% of adults perform at “Below Level 2,” meaning they cannot reliably compare or integrate information across texts. The more recent NCES update shows low literacy rates increasing, with “Below Level 2” rising from 29% to 34% as of 2024.

America’s Peril: The Rot of Anti-Intellectualism and Demagoguery is Costing Us Our Future

So why are so many Americans afraid of intellectuals?

They prefer to grasp a hold of some hair-brain idea than see if the idea holds water….is it laziness or just plain stupidity?

Inquiring minds want to know.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Would Your Child Like To Go To A Great School?

Just a little FYI for those considering a higher education for their children.

My granddaughter will be attending Univ of New Orleans this fall….and it will be a tough nut for my daughter to crack and that got me to thinking about ways that kids could lessen the costs.

We all want what is best for our children and that includes to go to a good college….but thanks to many factors that is becoming only a dream….if you are middle class then the best you can hope for is a local community college and hope something breaks so they can move on.

But did you know that there are 15 great universities that offer free tuition to middle class families?

No?

Well here they are….

With the shocking cost of college tuition these days, many hoping to earn a degree are wondering if it’s worth it, or even fiscally possible.

Fortunately, more elite colleges have been adjusting their policies to cover tuition for middle-class students, making college possible for more Americans (and creating a way to keep more cash in your wallet while attending).

Here are 15 highly respected schools that offer free degrees for middle-class students.

Brandeis University

Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, students whose families make less than $75,000 annually will receive total grants and scholarships that cover the cost of full tuition at Brandeis University in Massachusetts.

Students whose families earn less than $200,000 will receive grants and scholarships to cover 50% of their tuition.

Brown University

At the famed New England Ivy, Brown University students whose families earn less than $125,000 annually can expect to have their full tuition covered.

Students whose families earn less than $60,000 annually will have their tuition, plus room, board, and other expenses, covered through scholarships.

Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon’s CMU Pathway Program, which will go into effect for the 2025-2026 school year, will fully cover tuition for students whose families earn $75,000 or less annually.

Columbia University

Students who land an acceptance letter from prestigious Columbia University in New York City will also be able to secure free tuition if their family earns less than $150,000 annually.

Dartmouth College

Students whose families make less than $125,000 annually will receive a financial aid package at Dartmouth that requires no parent contribution.

Students may be expected to contribute to tuition based on jobs they hold during the summer or school year, but full needs will be met without the students having to take out loans.

Duke University

In the fall of 2023, Duke began covering full tuition for undergraduate students from North and South Carolina whose family incomes were $150,000 or less annually.

For admitted students from the Carolinas whose families earn less than $65,000, the school will cover tuition through grants, as well as financial assistance without student loans for housing, meals, and other college expenses.

Harvard University

Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, students accepted to Harvard can attend for free if their families earn $200,000 or less annually. These students qualify for “Free Tuition Plus,” which covers tuition and may offer additional financial aid for things like fees and housing based on individual needs.

Students whose families earn less than $100,000 qualify for free tuition, fees, food, housing, and more.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

MIT will begin allowing students with family incomes less than $200,000 to attend for free beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. The cost of tuition will be covered by grants and scholarships.

New York University

Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, The NYU Promise program ensured that all undergraduate students who started as first-year students on the New York campus would have their tuition covered if their families earned less than $100,000 annually.

Princeton University

Back in the fall of 2023, Princeton upgraded its financial aid program to cover the full tuition, room, and board through grants for students whose families earn less than $100,000 annually.

It was the first university in the U.S. to eliminate loans from its aid packages, and in the most recent school year, all families with annual incomes up to $180,000 qualified for some sort of aid.

Stanford University

At Stanford, accepted students whose families earn less than $150,000 annually qualify to have their full tuition covered. If a student’s family earns less than $100,000, the school covers room and board as well.

University of Chicago

The University of Chicago takes it one step further, offering free tuition to students whose families earn less than $125,000 per year and those who are the first in their families to attend college.

If a student’s family earns less than $60,000 annually, they can expect tuition, fees, housing, and meals to be covered.

University of Michigan

Students who qualify for in-state tuition and have a family income of $125,000 or less will qualify to have their tuition and university fees covered at the University of Michigan starting in fall 2025. Housing, meals, and other expenses are not covered under the new program.

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is another top-notch school moving to make Ivy League education accessible to students in the 2025-2026 school year.

Starting in the fall, the school will offer full tuition scholarships to students whose families make $200,000 or less per year. They also removed a home equity evaluation from the financial aid assessment process.

University of Texas

In late 2024, schools in the University of Texas system agreed to cover the full tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate students whose families earn $100,000 or less.

The rules will go into effect in the fall 2025 semester, and students whose families earn $125,000 or less may qualify for tuition support as well.

Please if interested check out the schools…..I am sure there will be a criteria for this program so check closely……and that does not mean the entire education will be free….so far just the tuition.

Good luck.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

A ‘Patriotic Education’

I keep returning to the days of Obama, the 2010-2012 time frame…..we were warned about Americans being sent to indoctrination camps for those that did not see the country as the Dems did…..and yet the GOP and Herr trump seem to making that dire prediction come true on several levels.

We now have the Trump goons throwing up and attacking education…..this time they want a ‘patriotic education’ for America’s children.

In executive orders signed Wednesday, President Trump mandated changes for American schools that include replacing what he calls radical ideologies with a curriculum of “patriotic education.” One of them calls for cutting federal funding for schools that teach certain topics related to race, sex, gender, or politics, ABC News reports. It’s the first time the federal government has tried to exert such control over curriculum, one expert said. Another directs agencies to use funding to expand school choice through voucher programs. “Too many children do not thrive in their assigned, government-run K-12 school,” the order says, per the New York Times.

  • Teaching: This order gives the secretary of education 90 days to come up with a strategy to end “indoctrination” in K-12 schools, subject to Trump’s approval. There is no education secretary at the moment; confirmation hearings have not been scheduled for the nominee, Linda McMahon, per NPR. The order says it “prohibits federal funding of the indoctrination of children which includes radical gender ideology and critical race theory in the classroom,” per the Hill. It’s not clear what criteria would be used by the Department of Education to identify schools teaching critical race theory. Trump has said American history classes should be rooted in “patriotic education.” The order, which does not say “critical race theory,” says without citing evidence that teachers have been “demanding acquiescence” to concepts of “white privilege” or “unconscious bias.” That has promoted racism, it says, per Reuters.
  • Response: “Whether the federal government can influence curriculum in this way is a completely open question,” said Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. “If they were actually able to compel school districts to alter their curriculum, that would be the first time the federal government had done that. Ever.” Such restrictions imposed at the state level around the country have led to lawsuits.
  • School choice: This order directs the secretaries of education and defense to decide how discretionary grant programs can promote school choice, a goal the president calls “education freedom.” Education Savings Accounts let families to divert per-student public school funding to instead pay expenses involving private schools, micro-schools, or homeschooling. Agencies are to give guidance on how funds can go toward “educational alternatives, including private and faith-based options,” per ABC.
  • Response: Opponents argue that such efforts damage public schools while propping up schools that don’t have to meet state standards for student performance. “Instead of stealing taxpayer money to fund private schools, we should focus on public schools,” said Rebecca Pringle, president of the National Education Association. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, called the plan “likely illegal.”

Indoctrination?

Is that what we now call a well-rounded education?

If the children is ignorant the choice of school will not improve that condition.

The hate of education by some is a pathetic turn of events.

This is just another way to turn Americans into subservient tools….will do nothing to prepare them for the world they must live in later.

Hopefully lawsuits will be forthcoming and possibly a change of direction.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Trump On Education

The continuing series on what we Americans can expect from our new president……

Trump is NO friend to education but does that mean that it will become an elective for life?

Donald Trump will be serving a second presidential term, and with both chambers of Congress likely under Republican leadership—though the House is still to be decided— the future of education in the U.S. could starkly change. 

Trump has pledged to dismantle the Department of Education, cut federal funding for schools teaching critical race theory, and bar transgender female athletes from participating in school sports.

“The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail. He will deliver,” Trump-Vance Transition Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told TIME in a statement. 

Trump’s transition team did not respond to specific questions regarding which of his policies will take priority come January. 

Here’s what to know.

Dismantling the Department of Education

On the campaign trail, the President-elect vowed to eliminate the Department of Education, which has been a cabinet-level agency since 1980. The Department takes on numerous functions: designating federal aid through Title I, which gives state and local funding for schools serving low-income families, handing out Pell Grants, and regulating student loan relief through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program or income-based repayment plans. 

There more….please read on….

https://time.com/7174651/what-trump-winning-means-for-education/

With that said a closer look at the possibility with the elimination of the Dept of Ed…..the link below is from a conserv paper….

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to cut the Department of Education and move its responsibilities back “to the states.” The change would be an unprecedented move as no Cabinet department has ever been dissolved without being reorganized in some way.

The Washington Examiner spoke to three leading education policy experts, who explained how cutting the Education Department would work, if it is realistic, and what the effects would be.

“I think it’d be fine,” Frederick M. Hess, senior fellow and director of education policy studies for American Enterprise Institute said. “The Department of Education is extraordinarily bureaucratic. It creates extraordinary amounts of red tape for the nation’s schools, especially relative to the money it actually provides.”

Hess said that under the Obama and Biden administrations, the department became “a political entity frequently engaged in promoting particular ideological nostrums” which he called “massively problematic.” He added that the two Democratic presidents “make the best possible case for abolishing the department. So, yeah, I think downsizing the department, or even abolishing it, is certainly wholly sensible.”

How Trump’s promise to abolish the Department of Education would work

In my opinion every word of that report is bullshit!

Then there is a view from the other side of the political spectrum….

The consequences of President-elect Donald Trump fulfilling his promise to abolish the Department of Education could be widespread, CNN reports.

“I say it all the time, I’m dying to get back to do this. We will ultimately eliminate the federal Department of Education,” Trump said during a September rally in Wisconsin.

“We will drain the government education swamp and stop the abuse of your taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate America’s youth with all sorts of things that you don’t want to have our youth hearing,” he added.

The establishment of the Department of Education as a Cabinent-level agency goes back to 1979 when former President Jimmy Carter signed it into legislation. Before Carter, federal education programs were housed in other agencies. It’s unclear how Trump would handle shutting the department down, but the move would have reverberating effects on K-12 schools and higher education.

One of the Department of Education’s biggest tasks is administering federal funding to K-12 and managing the federal student loan and financial aid programs. Funding programs under the federal agency for K-12 schools include the Title I program, an aid to low-income families, and the IDEA program, which helps provide money to meet the needs of children with disabilities. Programs like these could be in danger with the abolishment of the Department of Education.

The agency also doles out roughly $30 billion annually to low-income college students through the Pell grant program and manages about $1.6 trillion of student loans.

https://www.binnews.com/content/2024-11-12-heres-what-could-happen-if-trump-shuts-down-department-of-education/

My feeling is that education is a vital part of life and any attempt to eliminate or lessen its impact is a disaster waiting to happen.
Will Trump make good on his promise to eliminate the Department of Education or will he decide on something less?

Texas is trying a template for the rest of the nation on education…..

A new Texas public school curriculum criticized for focusing too much on Christianity passed a preliminary Texas State Board of Education vote on Tuesday. A measure to reject the state-produced Bluebonnet Learning curriculum was defeated in an 8-7 vote, with three Republicans siding with the board’s four Democrats, the New York Times reports. It is up to schools whether they adopt the curriculum—but those who do so can get an extra $40 per student per year. A final vote on the curriculum is expected Friday.

  • The K-5 curriculum incorporates lessons from the Bible as early as kindergarten, with a “Golden Rule” kindergarten lesson focusing heavily on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and making only brief mentions of other religions. A first grade “Sharing Stories” unit includes the Parable of the Prodigal Son from the New Testament, reports CNN. Critics say the Christian stories and ideas are presented without being introduced as religious beliefs.
  • In a press release days before the vote, Texas AFT, one of the state’s largest teachers’ unions, said it “believes that not only do these materials violate the separation of church and state and the academic freedom of our classroom, but also the sanctity of the teaching profession.
  • Critics say the curriculum has other problems, including the downplaying of the role of racism and slavery in American history, the San Antonio Express-News reports. A kindergarten lesson instructs teachers to tell children that Founding Fathers including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson “realized that slavery was wrong and founded the country so that Americans could be free,” ignoring the fact that both men were slaveowners, reports the Texas Tribune.
  • Supporters say the Bible plays a big part in American history, the Times reports. The curriculum will “allow our students to better understand the connection of history, art, community, literature, and religion on pivotal events like the signing of the US Constitution, the Civil Rights Movement and the American Revolution,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement.
  • “Of course, the Bible is an important part of history and American society. And of course, students should learn about the Bible as literature and history in the context of a secular curriculum,” Charles Haynes, a senior fellow for religious liberty at the Freedom Forum, tells CNN. “But inserting faith-based lessons into public school classrooms, which sounds like what is intended here, is not the study of history or literature. It is religious indoctrination.”
  • The Times notes that as conservative Christians push to expand the role of religion in public schools, similar lessons may be adopted by other states, and the Texas curriculum “may also offer a playbook for the White House” after Donald Trump returns to the presidency.

Forced indoctrination.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–11Apr24

My next door neighbor, I live in Mississippi, is trying to criminalize librarians….Alabama has a law in consideration that would do just that…..

The Alabama Library Association and other critics on Wednesday called out the state’s Republican policymakers for pushing a new bill that opponents warn will unfairly jail librarians and have a chilling impact on collections.

House Bill 385, introduced Tuesday by state Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-43) and 30 other legislators, says that “under existing law, certain obscenity laws do not apply to public libraries, public school libraries, college libraries, or university libraries, or the employees or agents of any such libraries.”

“This bill would provide that these criminal obscenity laws do not apply to college or university libraries or their employees or agents, but do apply to public libraries, public school libraries, and their employees or agents,” the legislation continues.

H.B. 385 would also add the following language to the definition of sexual conduct: “Any sexual or gender-oriented material that knowingly exposes minors to persons who are dressed in sexually revealing, exaggerated, or provocative clothing or costumes, or are stripping, or engaged in lewd or lascivious dancing, presentations, or activities in K-12 public schools, public libraries, and other public places where minors are expected and are known to be present without parental consent.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/alabama-library

So sad that politicians are turning schools and libraries into political battlefields….when they should be more concerned with educating their citizens and not hindering the teachers and librarians.

It is a pathetic day when the destruction of schools take the lead in state politics.

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Ignorant Takeover Of Education

As someone who cherish the education that I have been able to get I am appalled at the lack of concern by our Congress and president for the sad condition of the educational system in this country.

I received a public school education and it was a good one that prepared me to face life and especially my college.

I hate to see what my state (run by GOP lackeys) are doing to the system in Mississippi and then there is the national GOP that hates education altogether

The GOP is trying to loot public education to weaken it….the Repubs favor a voucher system and in some states are looting the public arena to fund these voucher schemes….

In North Carolina, the Republican legislature passed a voucher program with no income limit, no accountability and no requirement that children can’t already go to a private school. This radical plan will cost the state $4 billion over the next 10 years, money that could be going to fully fund our public schools. In Kentucky, legislators are trying to amend our constitution to enshrine their efforts to take taxpayer money from public schools and use it for private schools.

Our public schools serve all children. They provide transportation and meals and educate students with disabilities. And they’re accountable to taxpayers with public assessments showing how students and schools are doing and where they need to improve.

But private schools that get this taxpayer money have little to no accountability. They aren’t even required to hire licensed teachers, provide meals, transportation or services for disabled students. They don’t even have to tell the taxpayers what they teach or how their students perform. North Carolina’s voucher system has been described as “the least regulated private school voucher program in the country.”

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2024/02/26/republicans-cut-public-schools-for-private-kentucky-north-carolina/72670677007/

This is happening in most Red States and it should be stopped and stopped now!

I am a staunch supporter of public schools….matter of fact I think K-12 should be mandatory and home schooling does not equate.

I have no agreement with my public school education and I think a new standard should be brought forth.

Why do we let the ignorant among us educate our children?

Just asking?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

World’s Shortest IQ Test

What is life without whimsy?

Another Sunday and I would like to change things up a bit….no the blog will not change just the post on this day.

I got this idea after the news that our local schools would be testing the kids next week

Awhile back I saw this article and took the test (I enjoy tests….always have)…..for those interested the test is below….are you a ‘stable genius’?

If you’ve ever wanted to test your intelligence, but can’t be bothered to sit through a lengthy IQ test, we may have the perfect solution for you. The world’s shortest IQ test is made up of just three maths questions and shouldn’t take too long to complete. But be warned – it’s pretty tough!

Called the Cognitive Reflection Test, the quiz isn’t new, but was originally part of a research paper published in 2005 by MIT professor Shane Frederick. This paper has recently resurfaced online, leaving many keen to give it a go. As part of his research, Professor Frederick had more than 3,000 participants from a range of educational backgrounds complete the test – and even those attending top American universities such as Yale and Harvard struggled to work out all the answers. Of all those who took part only 17 percent managed to score three out of three on the test, meaning 83 percent of people failed – how will you fare?

1. A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?

2. If it takes five machines five minutes to make five widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?

3. In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake?

If you take the test leave your answers in the comments and I will give the answers later in the week.

Good luck.

Have a safe and enjoyable Sunday and we will return to our normal posting come Monday.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Assault On Education

I am a firm believer that education is one of the most valuable resource that we can give to our children…..and in the past several decades there has been an assault on the system to reinforce stereo-types, hatred, biases and fear and it has only gotten worse in the past couple of years.

This assault is lead by, surprise, surprise, the GOP….

Over the past two and a half years, Republicans across the United States have introduced nearly 380 bills aimed at establishing a climate of fear among educators, librarians, and other school officials, according to a report released Wednesday by the free expression group PEN America.

Distinct from the outright censorship measures that GOP lawmakers have unveiled in a number of U.S. states in recent years, “educational intimidation” bills “pressure educators to be more timid in the content they teach, pressure librarians to be more restrictive in the books they make available to students, and pressure students to limit their self-expression, without imposing direct prohibitions,” the new report notes.

“Put simply, these ‘educational intimidation’ provisions, as we dub them, empower the use of intimidation tactics to cast a broad chilling effect over K-12 classrooms by mandating new and intrusive forms of inspection or monitoring of schools, as well as new ways for members of the public—including, in some cases, citizens with no direct connection to the schools—to object to whatever they see that they do not like,” the report adds.

Often introduced under the guise of protecting “parental rights,” such bills require students to receive approval from their parents before taking part in any instruction related to gender identity, give parents and other state residents more power to review and protest instructional materials, prohibit school libraries from offering any material not deemed “age-appropriate,” and more.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/republican-education-bills

Then there is the under-taught subject of civics…every good citizen needs a working knowledge of how our government works….today they do not have the faintest idea what the government does….

While the idiots on the Right are worried about bathrooms, sports and ‘porn’ in the libraries….the students are functionally illiterate on the government and its duties.

The teaching of civics should be mandatory in every democracy, especially in universities. In that regard, I agree wholeheartedly with Richard Hass’s point of view. Democracy has become increasingly fragile in recent years, and only through a reemphasis on the education of citizens can this slide be reversed. No country is stronger than its people, who believe they all have an obligation to serve others, the community, the nation, and the world itself. As Kennedy famously said “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. It is a message we still need to hear today.

To sun up….our educational system is dying, our students are ignorant and the GOP is the culprit destroying what is left of our so-called democracy.

Education should be the priority no matter which sleazy party you are a member of at the time.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Is Education Failing?

For years now the retention skills of American children have been dropping and the latest stats look even more disturbing..

National test scores for 13-year-olds released Wednesday showed setbacks in mastering basic skills, providing evidence that schools and students have not overcome the lost learning caused by the pandemic. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, which conducted the tests last fall, reported major drops of nine points in math scores and four points in reading from three years earlier, before the start of the pandemic, the Washington Post reports. The results sparked serious concern across the education field. “This is more than alarming,” said an educator who’s on the board that sets test policy, adding, “We really need to be concerned about what is happening here.”

The declines in what’s been called the nation’s report card put the average reading score back to where it was in 2004 and the average math score back to the 1990 level. In both subjects, scores dropped the most for students already at the bottom of the scale. Students of all races and ethnicities fell in math. But reading scores varied, with Black, multiracial, and white students posting declines while Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, and Alaska Native students pretty much held steady, per the Post. Scores fell 11 points for female students overall and 7 for male students, per CNN. Roughly 8,700 students in 460 schools took the test.

The drop in scores has been pronounced since the pandemic first disrupted schools, but student performance already was in decline, per the New York Times; the questions are designed to spot long-term trends. Action is needed, said a junior high school math teacher from Colorado and member of the governing board. Researchers and policy analysts should help identify the most effective methods for teachers and schools, said Mark Miller, who considers the situation urgent. “It’s like the alarm has gone off,” he said.

History and civics scores are at a record low.

Ignorant students make ignorant voters.

I blame local school boards….they spend more time worrying about bathrooms and what books are acceptable and less time on the quality of the student’s education.

I blame the voters for not caring about their children’s education enough to learn the issues other than some divisive crap.

School boards should not be a political position.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”