When 81% Passing Suddenly Becomes 18% (NYC)

Some of the topics I wouldn't mind so much if they did something with them. For instance, box-and-whisker plots, which I probably learned about for the first time when I had to teach them, are meaningless to 8th and 9th graders. At the very least, make TWO of them, so you can compare data and come up with some kind of conclusion about the data based on the graphs. Otherwise, save the graphs for a course that uses them.

Actually, the same goes for most of the statistics that they have me teach. Nothing is done with it, and the material doesn't lend itself to understand the other 90% of the course. And you can't find a decent resource on statistics for high school students, because real statistics is not only a COLLEGE-level course, but you need a couple of semesters of Calculus before you can take it!

Vouchers. How long with the government schools experiment be allowed to continue?

How many children do we need to lose?

It’s been a near century of failure.

Let the market work and let parents be parents.

In loco parentis is loco.

Parents haven’t devalued education. They’ve been groomed to a level of proficiency necessary to keep the system going.

There might be great schools out there, but a market would prove it. Either government school teachers are the best or they aren’t.

The fact that Kumon math and other tutoring services exist is proof that government schools aren’t doing the trick.

The supposition that someone cannot be taught and the class warfare played out with honors, AP, and magnet schools is a lie.

Anyone can be trained. The market does it all the time. In a few short years McDonald’s can take near morons, rejected by government schools and get them to run a store.

To not allow the market to try and fix a broken system is to relegate an entire class of people to permanent serfdom.

Not acceptable and absolutely unAmerican.

There might be great schools out there, but a market would prove it.

Amen! I'd love to have schools compete. IMO the lack of such is one of the primary reasons for mediocrity.

Parents haven’t devalued education.

Whaaa? You sayin' most folks value education as much as say 30 years ago? I disagree heartily.

Either government school teachers are the best or they aren’t.

The teachers, by and large, ain't the problem. It's the monopoly system, teacher unions, and a reduced emphasis on the importance of education that create the mediocrity - and permit it to continue. You can take most any teacher, put her in a school with a minimum of the problems above and see success - just like the mcdonald's example you gave.

The fact that Kumon math and other tutoring services exist is proof that government schools aren’t doing the trick.

Just an indication that a) we have an open market and b) so far the teacher unions still let us do it ;). Really, just as many top kids use tutors as any other kids. I don't think this is one of your valid points.

I don't know what you mean by :The supposition that someone cannot be taught and the class warfare played out with honors, AP, and magnet schools is a lie.

WRT differing levels of rigor existing - i'm all for it. Everyone needs to be pushed as far as they can go IMO.

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