The NEA and US Department of Education, Disgusting

U.S. students lagging in global test scores
U.S. students are continuing to trail behind their peers in a pack of higher-performing nations, according to results from a key international assessment.
By CHRISTINE ARMARIO

The Associated Press

Related
U.S. students are continuing to trail behind their peers in a pack of higher-performing nations, according to results from a key international assessment.

Scores from the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to be released Tuesday show 15-year-old students in the United States performing about average in reading and science, and below average in math. Out of 34 countries, the United States ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/n ... sts07.html


Chart
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2010/ ... =education

I am not an educator but, I have a couple of suggestions:
1. Set actual goals for the students, set expectations high.
2. Encourage and reward excellence, so what if the poor performing student “feels bad.”
3. Stop teaching to lowest common denominator, challenge students.
4. Teach facts, scientific theory and problem solving, not feelings and political correctness.
5. Get rid of crappy teachers, and administrators.
6. Close and re-organize poor performing schools.
7. Hold back, failing students who don’t make the grade, passing them on just because they are old enough only hurts the student on down the road, and passes the problem on to the next class.
8. Get parents, or mentors, involved.

But all of that is so Un-PC!!!!

Great suggestions actually. Too bad that the mentality of people today is controlled by political correctness, isn't it?

good luck with any of that. the gvment will just throw more money at it and it will be spent on bigger and better buildings and more admins.

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but rather the lighting of a fire." - William Butler Yeats

Many times it is difficult to maintain the fire for an interest when/after a student has had a bad teacher in that subject. By the time 12 years is over, those with lower fires many times have them smothered.

Local experience:

Grady wrote: I am not an educator but, I have a couple of suggestions:
1. Set actual goals for the students, set expectations high.
Students in Jeffco are currently expected to set goals at the beginning of the year and have a 5 year plan for graduation when they enter 8th grade. Expectations are high - many students are taking Advanced Placement classes and some are even getting college credit for High School classes.

2. Encourage and reward excellence, so what if the poor performing student “feels bad.”
They do reward excellence, they have an honor roll, students are recognized for academic achievement.

3. Stop teaching to lowest common denominator, challenge students.
In Jeffco, students are identified according to their learning ability. There is a gifted & talented program, which gives those students additional work at a higher level. Not all students are taught at the "lowest common denominator."

4. Teach facts, scientific theory and problem solving, not feelings and political correctness.
Facts, scientific theory and problem solving are taught. Do you have evidence that they are not? Do you have evidence that feelings and political correctness are being taught?

5. Get rid of crappy teachers, and administrators.
Agreed. Can you identify them?

6. Close and re-organize poor performing schools.
Agreed.

7. Hold back, failing students who don’t make the grade, passing them on just because they are old enough only hurts the student on down the road, and passes the problem on to the next class.
They do hold back failing students in Jeffco.

8. Get parents, or mentors, involved.
Agreed. Many are already involved.

scruffy and grady you both make good comments. i am familiar with public schools as i have subbed in jeffco and denver. denver is improving slowly. it still has a very high drop out rate but getting better.

the problem i have is that when anything has to be reduced it is often the teachers. we have to stop spending money on state of the art buildings and so many administrators and get some qualified teachers who can teach and interact with the students. part of learning problem solving is being able to interact in discussions and not listen to teachers drone on and on. we are losing our students.

there also has to be a serious assessment and give those lacking a solid foundation in math and reading an opportunity to learn and bring up to speed. most of the time they are just glossed over and they quit.

I appreciate your response, mtntrekker. I agree with most of what you said, but the reality of any business operation is that salaries are the top expense. If you want to cut the budget, salaries are the first thing, which is why so many layoffs have been happening. Right now, schools are being asked to do more with less staff. I know that Jeffco schools are stretched thin and it seems that the teachers are overworked - and probably underpaid for the responsibility they are bearing. If we can cut administrators, great! Tell me where and which ones.

It's easy to sit here on a forum and criticize teachers, but the day when they get paid millions to teach the children (our future) and football players get paid $50,000 to block linebackers, then we can boo them all we want. Right now, I support the schools and the teachers and applaud what they have accomplished.

nope i don't. i have had the opportunity to teach full time but i won't because i am required to pay nea union dues and follow a prescribed curriculum with boring stupid books that are bought and paid for by you. it isn't teaching but filling young minds with drivel. there is so much wrong with how teachers teach and it needs to change.

thank you scruffy for your thoughtful response.

came back to add that we wouldn't be so far behind in comparison with other countires if our teachers were really that great.

i teach math from basics to adv. trig and calculus. if i follow the books i lose kids. if i teach to them so they understand i get chewed out for not following protocol. i know the best way to teach but am not allowed to do it.

Fat, dumb, indoctrination and gay...that's the goal of America's school industry.

Residenttroll wrote: Fat, dumb, indoctrination and gay...that's the goal of America's school industry.

For which you have no evidence or facts.