Is education in this country really all that bad?

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Is education in this country really all that bad?

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not at all

the problem is our underclass drags down the totals. remove that underclass (it's not just black people, for the record. this isn't using codes) and we're boss hogging. western european countries don't have to deal with that underclass

Its as much to do with families as it is to do with the public education system. Most of us had parents making sure we read or reading to us and making us do our homework and helping with projects etc. Tons of kids of all races today live in one parent homes or in divorced or remarried homes where their parent/parents tend not make education of their children a priority at home.

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Its as much to do with families as it is to do with the public education system. Most of us had parents making sure we read or reading to us and making us do our homework and helping with projects etc. Tons of kids of all races today live in one parent homes or in divorced or remarried homes where their parent/parents tend not make education of their children a priority at home.

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pretty much this

effort + cultural values are the 2 biggest factors in a "good school"

what's sad is that the defense of being a shitty parent destroying your kid's future will be "well they were raised in that system, too, and don't know any better". however the same people who rely on this defense will ALSO get upset if you attack that culture (and not the people) to avoid this defense

I've been saying this for years on this board and elsewhare.

People are saying things like Oh My God everything sucks, schools suck, we need vouchers, we need standards, we need this, we need that.

Then you go down one thread and read "Holy F*ck, my daughter with a 3.7 and captain of the lacrosse team and 26 ACT was just denied entry into Wisconsin!".

I have always said those two thing don't mesh.

Our schools are fine and beyond fine as long as you live in the right school district.

K-12 education in the USA is pretty bad unless you live in an ISD. Beyond demographics there is a socialist model in teacher pay. For example, let's say you are a white guy who graduated from Alexandria Sr. HS. The best teacher you ever had and the worst teacher you ever had made the same salary. So, there is no incentive for talented people to work there.

OTOH, our colleges are the best in the world because they are a free market model. The best physics prof at LSU makes a lot more than the best Eng lit prof at LSU. It's because of supply and demand. Great physics profs are much harder to find and retain than Eng teachers.

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If you count just White and Asian students, the USA would be ranked in the top 5 in the world right behind several Asian countries, and right ahead of the Nordic countries. That tells me there is really only a problem with Black and Hispanic minority groups. Now, is it the schools themselves or is it the students not applying themselves? We've all heard the horror stories of inner city schools. What really can be done? Do the issues in those schools not start at home?

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I am a teacher and I can tell you that the problem is Culture. Certain cultures do well and certain ones do bad and in many cases bad on purpose so that their family can get a "stupid" check. Yes, the government gives money to minorities if their kids are in special ed. My wife teaches second grade and they are constantly having kids who were A and B students who all of a sudden cant even read and then they get picked up and placed in special ed. The result, the children get assistance from the government.

oh yeah the Disability ("crazy check") shite is INFURIATING

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K-12 education in the USA is pretty bad unless you live in an ISD. Beyond demographics there is a socialist model in teacher pay. For example, let's say you are a white guy who graduated from Alexandria Sr. HS. The best teacher you ever had and the worst teacher you ever had made the same salary. So, there is no incentive for talented people to work there.

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The only problem with merit based pay is the premise that you can plant cotton and pick corn.

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Tons of kids of all races today live in one parent homes or in divorced or remarried homes where their parent/parents tend not make education of their children a priority at home.

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I grew up in a one parent home, we did not have a car in my family. My mother worked shift work, Southern Bell. I think my first real new clothes were when I was a sophomore in H.S. and I earned enough money working in the summer to buy new clothes.

We were not on public assistance at any time. I had a Social Security card by age 12 or 13, so I could work and earn money.

I was washing, cooking and ironing before I was 10. I was a Latch Key child, yes things were different in the 50's. There was expectations one would succeed. I did get my first aquarium with S&H Green Stamps.

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What is an ISD?

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Independent School District. For example, if you are a wealthy businessman in Chicago you don't live there. You have a house in Northbrook or Glenview. It's a separate school system from Chicago. The schools run on property taxes just like other districts.
But the houses in those 'towns' are all very expensive so the schools are awash with money. Base salary for a HS teacher at GBN or GBS is over 100K.
This causes every talented young teacher in the area to apply for openings.
If a position for an English II teacher comes up at either school they will get over 50 applicants from which to choose.
Since you have to be rich to live there it also means that the children are very smart due to IQ correlations of wealth and children.