'Excellent' schools are failing

usa today ^ | 8/4/2

[NativeNewYorker]

At least 19 schools dubbed the nation's finest by the federal government over the past five years are also on this year's state lists of failing schools, USA TODAY has found.

The overlap underscores just how elusive the definition of "school excellence" has become and questions the validity of the nation's most prestigious recognition program.

[backhoe]

Georgia 625

Funny, first they claimed all we needed to do was OK Lotto to fix the schools... then- surprise!- still not enough money "for the children..."

...so next we "needed" to pass a SPLOST- a special purpose local option sales tax. Hey, it was only 1% more...

We're working on the 4th SPLOST now... they're "sure" that will cure the problems...

BTW, property taxes have quadrupled since then...

[umgud]

Which came first? Failing students? Or failing schools?

[Libertarianize the GOP]

.

[CWRWinger]

Something very basic needs to be cleared up. No child has a right to an education. The public school systems need to be dismantled. Tax money for education should not be collected one more day. Only those children whose parents care enough about a private education should get one. Children with parents who don't care about education, shouldn't be given one.
(Herein lies one of the biggest failures in the present educational system. Children from traditional homes with parents who want and desire an education for them, are forced to attend schools full of barbarians' children who don't care about education.)

The quality of education would improve dramatically if the above criteria was followed.

Some of the benefits of selective education would be: a disciplined learning environment, cultural harmony between all involved, young people growing up and maturing sooner to be responsible citizens instead of mass produced sheeple, and people without children would not have to pay a dime for any brat's education. These are just a few of the positive aspects.

Now flame away you bleeding heart left-wing wienies who don't like your sacred cow being verbally abused.

[tcostell]

Just retelling some statistics for those of you having this argument outside FR.

when they tell you more funding will help, tell them about the twon where I live.

Budget: $20,200.00 per student.
Students passing state tests: 67%

Putnam Valley NY, the most expensive, failing school system in the country. Thanks NEA.

[RAT Patrol]

Funny, first they claimed all we needed to do was OK Lotto to fix the schools... then- surprise!- still not enough money "for the children..." ...so next we "needed" to pass a SPLOST- a special purpose local option sales tax. Hey, it was only 1% more... We're working on the 4th SPLOST now... they're "sure" that will cure the problems... BTW, property taxes have quadrupled since then...

It will never end because the money is used for politics, not education. Schooling is really not that hard and kids are really not that dumb. "Here's a book, kid, now read!" It really is almost that easy. (Small exaggeration there, but my point is, learning is like exercise...it's a mental discipline; not really that hard, just a little boring and time consuming. It isn't entertainment, sorry kids.)

[backhoe]

Naturally, I agree- both my parents ( b. 1890 & 1918 ) learned in a one-room schoolhouse, and I suspect what passed for high school level then would be college level now. If not higher. They really knew "a lot of stuff about everything."

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

Students passing state tests: 67%

"Two out of three ain't bad."

Apparently Meatloaf is a charter member of the NEA.

[yendu bwam]

No child has a right to an education.

That's up to the public, isn't it? This is a democracy.

[FITZ]

BTW, property taxes have quadrupled since then...

The politicians keep telling us over and over how important it is to have an educated population and that's why they must rob us so.....but then at the same time they're bringing in millions of uneducated illiterate people who can't even speak the language because supposedly we have so many low-skilled jobs we can't find workers for, then we have to pay for programs to educated the new arrivals and then we need to bring in more unskilled. Maybe we should just let the low performing drop out and get these jobs so we don't have to import so much labor.

[FITZ]

My father once pointed out that a lot of this is because they won't let the drop-outs drop out so they keep bringing the schools down, they should be out on the streets where they belong, or out working menial jobs like people who didn't want to stay in school in the past had to do.

[ventana]

Are you kidding, they'd never get rid of them: those kids are the cash cows...special needs kids get all the bucks,and support a burgeoning specialized educational bureaucracy, imho. V's wife.

[Frankss]

Washington DC spends 11,000 dollars per year per student for a public school education,this is amongst the highest cost in the country. They are the next to last in performance. You need money,but money is not the cure all.

[serinde]

Children from traditional homes with parents who want and desire an education for them, are forced to attend schools full of barbarians' children who don't care about education.

I agree with this. It was bad when I was in school (when they actually tried to teach academics), and it's gotten much, much worse now.

The best class I ever had in high school was one for "advanced" students - the first ever in the district. On the first day of class, the teacher called for attention and everyone shut up and paid attention. We all looked at each other in surprise; we were used to the teacher taking ten minutes or more just to get everyone quiet. Needless to say, we were all interested in learning, and it showed.

Now, with so many in the schools with kids that should not be there at all, the situation is often useless.

[CWRWinger]

It's the parents responsibility to educate their children, not society. And those parents who don't care about education, use public schools as a daycare center. They dump their children off to get them out of the way, while some of them go off and play their guitar and smoke weed.

[Ahban]

bump

[FITZ]

That's what it's all about. As long as they can get those kids to just show up, it justifies taking huge amounts of taxpayer money. At the same time they've got all kinds of GED programs, and even a Spanish GED so the poor drop-outs can get jobs that should require a high school diploma. The government should get out of education, let communities and families do what they wish with it.

[yendu bwam]

It's the parents responsibility to educate their children, not society. And those parents who don't care about education, use public schools as a daycare center. They dump their children off to get them out of the way, while some of them go off and play their guitar and smoke weed.

I agree that there are parents like that. I do believe that society gets a net benefit from helping to educate kids with parents like that.

[yendu bwam]

Actually, I am thinking about what you're saying. Would you entirely dismantle the public education system? How would you see things working after that?