As we continue to gush billions of dollars for Afghanistan and Iraq as well as giving $100 million buildings to Israel, our school system continues to decline and our student school continue to rank below a long list of other countries. The most recent reports of fourth and eighth graders shows the United States lagging behind Asian and European countries in math and science. Nevertheless, we will continue to give billions to wealthy countries like Israel with better schools and increasingly hostile countries like Pakistan and Egypt. The real threat to this country is the collapsing educational system and erosion of our competitive labor force.
The two new reports, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, show South Korea and Singapore leading in science in the fourth grade and Singapore and Taiwan leading in the eighth grade. The U.S. ranked 11th in fourth-grade math and 9th in eighth grade math. We ranked 7th in fourth grade science and 10th in eighth-grade science.
I am less worried about the ranking as I am with the fact that only 7 percent of students reached the advanced level in eighth-grade math compared to 48 percent of eighth graders in Singapore and 47 percent of eighth graders in South Korea.
I have been admittedly harping on this issue for years. I fail to understand how our leaders can get away with the lack of priority shown toward education which plays directly into our competitiveness in the world market.
Source: New York Times
puzzling,
I assume you can read and understand English. I believe my statement was clear. Did I deny anything? Did I suggest the tests were rigged? You sure read a lot into my statement. Sheesh!
nick,
I responded to your Yin and Yang comment by naming the qualities that I think the best teachers have. Many teachers have those qualities. I know that from my own life experience–and not just from working in one school system. I’ve met teachers from all over the country at conferences and conventions and when I served as a member of a children’s literature and language delegation to China.
I’d say you’re the one with an entrenched “bunker” mentality. Teachers are bad. Teachers’ unions are evil entities. All schools are failing and need to be reformed.
There are many good schools in this country that provide their students with a quality education. There are many excellent teachers who are dedicated professionals. You paint all teachers and schools with a broad “negative” brush. You appear to be the type of person would throw the baby out with the bath water in the name of school reform.
Elaine, when you say “I don’t know if other countries like South Korea educate ALL children–as we do in this country.”
are you denying that the US is behind Singapore, South Korea, and many other nations in academic achievement? Or maybe these tests are rigged to favor Asian students, is that the next argument?
This may be relevant:
What does that compare to in the United States? 75 or 80%? Which of these systems comes closer to educating “all” students? The free, mandatory one? Or the voluntary, paid one?
Teachers unions must be abandoned and students should attend schools of their choice. The current system is a total failure robbing children of choices, quality, and the opportunity to compete with better qualified peers abroad.
And Elaine please..I implore you..don’t go Lucy Link on me now.
Elaine, We’ve gone over this before. I believe you were a good teacher. I’m not talking about you or I. I’m talking about the profession and what the profession needs. Our President, our Secretary of Education, education supporters like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, and just regular parents see it. You’re way too entrenched. And, being entrenched you and too many people like you have a bunker mentality. Teachers MUST admit THEIR culpability in the failure of our educational system. Any step in recovery has to start w/ that important admission. You don’t see it, I know that.
nick,
I don’t think you understand me. I am yin and yang all rolled into one entity. I think that the best teachers are a combination of the two complementary forces. They’re caring and supportive. They are also demanding and have high expectations of their students.
Elaine, I know. Male/female, light/shadow. You’re the motherering, comforting, I’m the no excuses, tough love. The profession needs a lot of yang right now. The “We’re trying our best” is simply not working.
nick,
Yin and Yang are complementary forces.
We need to spend more money on school busing instead of improving the schools, we need to spend more money on the lunch programs so the kids can improve their food fight techniques and spend more money on administration so they can dream up new ways to use the budget up for anything but teaching.
Elaine, You and I are ying yang on this. Let’s just say we respectfully disagree.
nick,
I don’t know if other countries like South Korea educate ALL children–as we do in this country. When I visited schools in China in 1994–and I only observed a small sampling–I didn’t see any of the special needs students (children with cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome) that were mainstreamed into the classrooms in my elementary school.
Teachers are not union rats. Maybe you knew some. That doesn’t mean that all or the great majority of teachers are.
I wonder if there is poverty in South Korea, Taiwan, etc. I guaruntee you they spend a helluva lot less per student.
rafflaw, If teachers want to be considered the most important career in our society they need to stop being union rats ala Teamsters. If you want to be treated as a professional then act as one. The profession went downhill ever since unionization. Yes their are other societal factors over which teachers have no control, however teachers have control over their ranks and they ignore it. But they loooove to point the finger @ others. Great role model for kids..”Not my fault!”
Early childhood education is of great import–as is parent involvement in the education of their children. After all, parents are their children’s first teachers. Children usually arrive at public school at the age of five or six. By then, they should know their ABCs, numbers, colors, nursery rhymes. They should be read to every day–even when they are infants.
We need a Congressman/woman to file a Bill to terminate Aid to all foreign countries. Call it the Jimmy Cliff Bill. Then we each push our Congress person to commit. If they dont then we start agitating for an opponent in the next election. We can get if we really want. We must try, try, try and try. Well succeed at last.
We gotta do the Jimmy Cliff with the Fiscal Cliff. Any congress person who pronounces that physical needs to be shot. Notice how many cannot pronounce Fiscal?
Roger, you must have taken the test as several different different students.
Our statis from no. 1 to no. 17. Why? Because
our nation is filling up with mexicans. They have a
lower I.Q. , the some as blacks.
AY,
the teachers have to deal with life issues almost as much as they deal with learning issues. The higher class sizes that are an outgrowth of the misguided austerity cuts made to state budgets as they lost money from the Feds. Internationally, teachers are revered and honored. Here in this country the Teachers are attacked as overpaid and union stooges. If we allow our teachers to actually teach a reasonable number of students, we will do fine in these snapshot comparisons. The teacher should be considered the most important job in our society. Without their efforts and dedication, we all fail.
Now, if they compared the math scores during my day, I would have really brought down my schools average! 🙂
Thanks Elaine…..