08-04-2009, 05:49 PM
Hi,
No, the problem is a lot more complex than that. For one thing, teachers are given a lot of responsibility without the necessary accompanying authority. Often the administrators are elected or appointed individuals who are more interested in backing the voters (i.e., parents) than supporting the teachers. Teachers are graded for how many kids they pass, not how many they fail. When I was at GaTech, one of my friends in the Vets Club was married to a high school teacher. This was around '70. She had a few students who deserved to fail, but the administration tried to pressure her into giving them a 'social' promotion. She refused, resigned, and quit teaching. And that is a big symptom of the problem.
There are many other problems with education in the USA. Too much emphasis on 'training' because of the influence of business. Too much emphasis on learning factoids and too little on learning thought processes. Too many standardized tests and too much teaching to those tests. Too much adherence to the antiquated schedule and school year. Too little recognition that some students should fail, either because they haven't reached a sufficient level of maturity or because they're just not smart enough.
Money is just one factor. Easy to understand, but often over emphasized.
--Pete
Quote: . . . my understanding is that back in the day when it was actually funded, high school education was actually pretty decent.Don't buy into the 'underfunded' story. While it is true that there are places where funding is poor, there are other places where there is an excess of funding. As an example, the local school district floated a six million dollar levy for a performing arts center. And almost every suburban high school in the USA has a sports (mostly football) stadium -- a large expense to make and maintain for approximately seven games a year.
No, the problem is a lot more complex than that. For one thing, teachers are given a lot of responsibility without the necessary accompanying authority. Often the administrators are elected or appointed individuals who are more interested in backing the voters (i.e., parents) than supporting the teachers. Teachers are graded for how many kids they pass, not how many they fail. When I was at GaTech, one of my friends in the Vets Club was married to a high school teacher. This was around '70. She had a few students who deserved to fail, but the administration tried to pressure her into giving them a 'social' promotion. She refused, resigned, and quit teaching. And that is a big symptom of the problem.
There are many other problems with education in the USA. Too much emphasis on 'training' because of the influence of business. Too much emphasis on learning factoids and too little on learning thought processes. Too many standardized tests and too much teaching to those tests. Too much adherence to the antiquated schedule and school year. Too little recognition that some students should fail, either because they haven't reached a sufficient level of maturity or because they're just not smart enough.
Money is just one factor. Easy to understand, but often over emphasized.
--Pete
How big was the aquarium in Noah's ark?