Our education system has fallen behind other countries'
In Illinois, about 40 percent of high school juniors failed to meet standards in reading this year, and 47 percent failed to meet standards in math. America is most likely, as a whole, close to those figures. The state of this country's education system is depressed.
Despite the continuous increases in education funding in the states and nation, including a growing U.S. Department of Education, we have suffered over the last several decades continuous decreases in secondary school graduate skill levels. This has posed a problem to colleges receiving freshmen; in fact, many students coming out of high school must now take non-credit remedial courses in these basic subjects before moving on to college-level.
Even our traditionally world class colleges in these United States are starting to lose foreign students to other countries; along with the steady decline over
the last few decades of our industrial base, has been the decline in America's emphasis of the hard disciplines. In developing countries such as India and China, much more emphasis is placed on math and science.
Our representatives in Washington should face these negative trends, and bring our educational system into the 21st-Century. The United States is ranked 17th in the world in childrens' education. With your participation and support of Vote Out Incumbents for Democracy, we can hope to motivate challengers and remaining incumbents alike, to put partisanship aside, put lobbyists, and campaign donors aside, make solving these problems their first priority. If their elections and reelections depend on it, they will. Please step up to the plate and do your share to restore government of, by, and for the vast majority of the American people, instead of an elite few.
Comments
The state of education is not only depressed, it's depressing.
When I was in school 69% was an F. Now with this stupid curve grading system 20% can very possibly be an A. This sure aint doing our children any favors.
Our leaders need to address this and the disipline problems that trouble our schools.
Posted by: Ron Brown | November 22, 2005 12:14 PM
The biggest single negative impact on American education was the transition from predominantly one wage earner families to two wage earner families brought on by the declining wage scale in America, inflationary pressures, and the transition from an industrial to a service economy.
This had the effect of removing 10's of millions of parents from their child's educational process. When both parents work, quality time in the evenings does not include a parent sitting down and spending time with the student on the homework and learning process. And time spent doing homework has dropped significantly over the decades. It is no surprise that educational achievement by 1960 standards has also dropped significantly.
I don't know what the answer is. We certainly can't, given the globalization of markets, return to single wage earner family structures. If I had to guess, I would think some hope lies in standardized internet study programs, but, only if the US will adopt a national educational standard and core curriculum. Not a likely scenario at this time.
Posted by: David R. Remer | November 22, 2005 3:02 PM
David's points above could
not be more accurate.
While one would hope that computer technology vis a vis internet study programs would promote and supplement the educational shortcomings created by economic conditions requiring both parents working, less time to spend with their children in evenings, etc., it seems that the technology is further widening the gap.
More and more TV video game options, exotic cell phone variations, gadgets with 10,000 songs and videos in a hand held unit, etc. is available.
There are now TV commercials while well meaning in their intent to promote education at home, that has parents telling kids to "stop cleaning up" and play your video game, "stop making your bed" and play with your video game. The game in question is an educational one for kids granted but, it does not include the parent.
I am all for technology. I double my enthusiasm for it when it invites the parent to participate with the child.
Posted by: steve smith | November 22, 2005 5:08 PM
I'm with both yaall on parental involvement. It is hard to spend quality time with kids these days. Not only are parents tired when they get home from work, but there's the one eyed monster in the living or family room. There's sports that the kids are involved with.
Then there's the parents involvement with their childrens education. I cann't remember the times I was told by the schools my kids went to not to be bothering the teachers. And not to make sugestions to improve the schools because the School Board knew better than I did about what's best for my kids.
I know that some school now are saying they want the parents involved in their kids education. But start asking questions about things you don't agree with. You'll get told real quick not to come back to the school.
Posted by: Ron Brown | November 22, 2005 5:58 PM