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Dire warnings often taken with a grain of salt

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We are twenty-fifth from the top in the world compared to other nations for quality education. At one time we were much more innovative being number one for years. Some nations are requiring students to go six days a week with much emphasis on math and science, however, it so obvious to see why our students would never be so aggressive in tackling math and science. American students are being sold out by our business communities not only at home but abroad.

Wow--an education themed editorial by Jay Evensen without the word "voucher" in it. I was almost fooled Jay, until a google search of "Hoover Institution" found them to be just another right-wing "educational choice" wacko group bemoaning the November defeat of Utah's voucher bill. Nice try though Jay. Better luck next editorial.

Properly funding education is not a means to improve education, it's the end. Even if additional K-12 spending doesn't mean better performance, it's still worth the effort to give children more individualized instruction.

Classes are filled with students who don't care to be there. Their only goal during the day is to cause disruption for their own entertainment. The schools have no power to deal with these students. They waste hundreds of instructional hours each year for their class. Other students are educationally harmed by their presence.

All these other proposed changes in education mean NOTHING until we tackle this issue.

Is it too much to ask that occasionally, when discussing education, a columnist point out that the Federal Government has no jurisdiction over public education ..... it is a State responsibility.
That means that the Federal Department of Education is unconstitutional. It is absolutely unconstitutional to transfer tax dollars from citizens of one state to pay for education in another state. Don't even get me started on "no child left behind"

. . .for public education.

The goal of public education is to train workers and indoctrinate them to behave, not educate people to think for themselves.

The only way meaningful change can come to education is to get the biggest impediment, the biggest roadblock out of the way.

That road block, that impediment is the unions.

They are the only group that fight tooth nail any meaningful changes to the education system that could improve it. But embraces any change that brings it further down.

These comments that seem to imply that quality education doesn't matter are quite disapointing to me. I am an electrical engineer and what has happened to education since I went to school very sad. Math education has gone considerably downhill since I went to school. To think this doesn't matter is quite niave.

Sure progress continues to be made. It takes only a few minds to come up with new ideas such as the internet. With mass production of electronic IC's it takes relatively few engineers to design the IC's to make the internet run. Also there are many foreign born engineers in our country that industry is able to hire.

Without proper math education, many engineering projects suffer though and end up being less than they could have been. Many business leaders are less capable than they otherwise would have been.

I am disapointed that people don't seem to care, we need to restore what has been lost in math education not write articles on how this doesn't matter.

No Child Left Behind Hurts Excellence

I have asked the question why math has been dumbed down so much and one of the answers I get is "no child left behind". A school scores better if everyone gets a lackluster education that the majority of people can understand that to try to excell and risk some kids not getting it. Hense we don't try to teach why mathematical facts are true anymore.

No child left behind is a rigid one size fits all and is hurting education.

School curriculum was dumbed down long before No Child Left Behind came along.

So people telling you that are simply wrong. And are probably liberals wanting rip bush for anything as they are want. The explanation they give does not make any sense at all.

The problem with comparisons to foreign countries is that foriegn countries kick out the poor students and put them else where.

So those test comapare all american children with just the best in other countries. And we still do well!

Problem is the unions and political correctness. Which pushes all students along at the same rate. Meaning they move on to the next grade whether they have mastered the previous grade or not.

But silly to blame some federal test which justt recently came along. And whether is is useful or not.

None these things keep a teacher from teching a student. So rather than believing the popular hogwash. Look at what is really going on in schools. From discipline, to movin students who aren't ready, parents, unions with political and liberal agendas, the list go on and on.

But blame a test? Get a grip.

Blorty blort, smorty smort.