What Is the Worst School System in America?

“Bobb made it a point to say the horrible test scores are not the fault of the students, management was to blame.” – ABC News
These Detroit Dudes are never going to fix this.
They don’t even know where the problem lies.
The horrible Test Scores are due to the bad parents and dysfunctional society/culture that is the Detroit Scene.

What is the true role of education in society for the 21st Century
Anyone listening or reading the news lately has been bombarded with seemingly bad news about many schools not “making the grade.” Some pundits have looked at the past and present state of the American educational system, and proclaimed “democracy at risk.” In many schools, graduation rates are less than 50%, and many schools fail to meet or demonstrate “Annual Yearly Performance (AYP).” Some schools face take-over for either budgetary or performance reasons.
The solution of past administrations – both state and federal, have been to increase mandated testing, as if collecting more data would show that in fact schools are succeeding. States have instituted a set of curricular standards that K-12 public schools should all utilize in their instructional set. Proposals have been put forth to tie teachers salaries to student’s performance on said tests, a troubling, dubious, and non-actualizing event. While across some schools test scores demonstrably rise, what is actually being measured by such performance assessments? Do these tests simply assess the guessing ability of a student, or the ability of a student to perform rote memorization, or does standardized testing show an adequacy of transferability of book smarts to real world applicability? Just what does a “passing score” mean with respect to what is actually learned and can be applied in real life? Are we creating a nation of students that can play the testing game, but be unable to transfer this ability to authentic assessments? And just what is the goal of education in its totality?
When a student graduates from high school, or college, or grad school, or whatever, what exactly does a student’s overall GPA mean in the greater schema of things? What is the difference in abilities between a 4.0 student and a 2.5 student, or a 1.5? Regardless of the overall GPA, as long as the minimal values have been achieved, along with a suitable level of attendance, students are awarded a diploma. That piece of paper is the same for the 2.0 student as it is the 4.0 student. Yet, what fundamentally, is the difference? Should there even be a difference?
What is the true role of education in American Society today? Is it to create a more informed electorate and positive constructive members of capitalist society? Is it the transference of knowledge from one to another? Whom and what is the ultimate arbitrator of whether such knowledge is enough?
I would postulate that the proper role of American Education is to help guide students to become successful members of a global society and to exhibit properties of tolerance, respect, faith, hope, and love towards one another and our planet, through an engaging self journey challenged academically to attain critical core skills and knowledge base sufficient to move on to further their personal professional and experiential dreams. As such, to me, every single student not just in America, but on the entire planet shall have an equal access to FREE education – as far as they can travel academically, regardless of every competing entity. The very idea as I have heard some social darwinistic types quip that “not everyone is entitled to an education” is antithecal to my moral argument that all peoples anywhere on earth be entitled to the same opportunities to an education. If one wants a harmonious world living in peace and equality for all, then that fundamental concept has to be incorporated and taught everywhere immediately.
With respect to what does a grade mean, much has been made of grade inflation, and the current push towards “deflation.” To me, the very concept of giving a grade to a student, is an indication of the failure of the current system, unless all students attain equal levels of knowledge and abilities. Looking at the not too distant past, it was presumed that student grades, and hence abilities, were represented best by the “bell curve” shape of few E, lots of C, and few As. That bell shaped curve has now been replaced with skewed and inflated curves, or what I have been noticing is a bi-modalism, of many F and many A, with not much in between. Assuming no grade inflation, and taking into consideration diverse student abilities and backgrounds, the perfect outcome for the school, the instructor, as well as the student, would be for each and every single student to attain a 4.0 GPA, with the corresponding abilities and knowledge base. Yet, this is rarely, if ever the case. So, if at the end of a marking term, or a semester, or a quarter, one is left with a set of variables, that of the students, all of whom may have exhibited a diverse range of abilities and “learning.” What then is one to do? If the goal of education is to teach the material X, Y, and Z… yet only the top 15% received an “A”, while the rest got lower GPAs, what then to do about the non-performers? While a given student may be happy to squeak by with a 3.0, it clearly is not the same as a 4.0? Thus, there must have been some demonstrable deficit in the amount of “learning” that has occurred. Is there therefore, a moral duty, to reteach the material, until said time as the student attains “sufficiency”, i.e the 4.0? While this sounds utopian in concept, it is not generally done here, certainly not at the higher ed level, where it is very darwinistic in that it is generally a “sink or swim” attitude present in most colleges and universities. Think of the classroom managerial nightmare, if the solitary teacher, likely a part time college adjunct professor, underpaid with no benefits whatsoever, whom teaches at multiple schools and multiple classes to make a living, were to have to suddenly teach their 200+ students all at a different pace, or a to reteach the same material over and over and over until such time as all 200+ get with it? Not likely going to happen in reality. Given that given the current for profit business plan of most colleges, that only care about getting students here, taking their money, and running them through the diploma mill with little problems, how would they possibly cope with the necessity to teach in this manner? Would you be able to have 100+ students in lecture halls, taught by 1 person with no regard to pupil/teacher ratio compensation, where the students entire grade is based on 2 maybe 3 exams? It seems to me, thusly, that the very fundamental structure of the entire k-12+ system here in the US is fundamentally flawed. It is very rooted in the archaic adage of survival of the fittest and survival of the strongest, in that those that get it get a 4.0, those that don’t get some grade less than that, but then the teacher moves on, and those students whom didn’t get it likely never will… they stagnate and ultimately get left behind. In the end then, what gets created is a social academic elitism, those with the really high grades that can play the game move on to advanced educational opportunites, while those that do not, don’t get the chance to re learn what they missed k-12. What results is a lost generation then.
What can we do to fix this huge problem? Should students that obtain anything less than a 4.0, or be able to adequately demonstrate proficient learning” be moved along with everyone else, or should the train stop, back up, and pick up the feces left along the tracks dropped by the rigors of academia? Is there a moral imperative to help those less fortunate than others, and to do what it takes to bring them up to speed? And how many times is enough back tracking for a student or given group of students? Is one re-teach enough? Two? Three? Whom decides – admin, parents, state, feds?
It is clear from all the banter in the news lately that the education system needs fixing. I contend here, that the very structure of the American Educational System itself is fundamentally flawed, in that social promotion passes up the opportunity for material to be retaught and for deeper learning to occur. Failure to address the differences between varying performance indicators may lead to dire consequences for the future. Our very nature as the great democracy we are, demands well informed citizenry able to make appropriate intelligent choices on elections, proposals, bonds, propositions, amendments, taxes, health care, and where and when to go to war.
I encourage any and all responses to this query I have tendered. Intelligent discourse can and will yield a suitable environment for future change. Our children’s lives and our very nations’ greatness depend on the outcome of the debate around educational practices today.

Dear HUH: Never have encountered such a long-winded post. Let me make it easy for you to understand by axing this question: What, besides horrific test scores does D.C. and Detroit have in common? Answer that. In my lifetime the situation has NEVER changed, despite the billions and BILLIONs of tax dollars thrown at it for decades. So what is your magic formula? Throw a concrete wall around it and walk away. I rest my case.

Where is Obama on this issue. Our education needs to have choice and competition yet in the DC area where the kids were doing well in a private school obama stopped the program. Until we open up education to voucher system where the parents have a choice where to send their kids this problem will continue. This added pressure would cause the public schools to either do a better job or loose their students. However, the teachers union will fight this to the end.

Dear HUH:
Yes, Jeff it was with the dissertaion. Sorry ’bout that there.
“Show me a major city and I will show you where it sucks.”

In addition to Rick’s very true comment, we might also look at standardized testing. This one size fits all approach to educating children is as stupid as a one size fits all shoe store. You show me one child, in a black school or white school or whatever ethic background they come from that learn exactly the same way as another, all children are unique and special and comprehend in different ways. What puzzles me is in college we are expected to learn and come up with new innovative ways to learn and teach others, yet we want children, ALL children to learn one thing, one way. Sorry. NO WAY.

You folks are making me ill with your rants about black people. What is wrong with you!

Maybe if parents stopped letting their children take their cell phones and ipods to school and made them stay off the internet, gaming systems, and TV at home in the evenings, their kids would pay more attention to their education. Maybe these same parents should work harder at staying married, if they ever were married, or not have children if they aren’t married. Maybe they should wait until they are adults themselves and have educated themselves before having children. When the uneducated have uneducated children they just continue to breed more future uneducated people generation after generation. This goes for all races. There is always a way to educate yourself, and the best place to start is at home.

“AN historic low”? You mean “a historic low”?

The really bad public schools should implement mandatory minimum of 2 teachers per classroom if their city has a teacher surplus (which the news says there is). Maybe even add some Teachers Assistants also, to get the teacher-student ratio down. Private schools and even Harvard University does that kind of thing, some of the classes seem to have 4 teachers working and teaching. If a bad public high school had more adults in the classes, students would be totally better off and get more personal instruction to actually learn and pay attention (with the adults encouraging them to pay attention and do their work). And maybe install some cameras to also record what is going on in classrooms. Holding teachers more accountable will help. this is probably wishful thinking but I think those measures could really make a difference in bad schools, also holding teachers accountable, not to low standards that some bad schools do (they compare themselves to themselves and not to outside standards, I have been to a horrible school in Las Vegas and they did not realize how horrible they were even with the gang problems, pregnant 6th graders, bullets in the walls, many fights in class etc).

THIS IS A LIE!!
PASCO WASHINGTON A.K.A south of the boarder north..actually has the crappiest schools, 17.4 math and 34.3 reading.. I doubt the kids can spell the first and last names without a mistake.

The parent(s) have a responsibility to ensure that their child(ren) get an education. The teachers are the ones that have these children for 5 to 6 hours a day and it is their responsibility to ensure these children are properly taught. It is sad that there are some college athletes that can barely spell their own names, but due to their athletic abilities they were promoted on and were given scholarships and an injustice was done to them by the educational system.

It’s a shame, really. Everyone loses.

Sorry – I added one more item – so there are five things that make a difference.

There are too many people that refuse to be educated even if it is handed to them on a plate. Nobody I ever knew in school, even the poorer students, could go through 12 years of school without absorbing SOMETHING. Parents AND THE STUDENTS THEMSELVES are to blame for such poor performance. That was the first to go and the school’s failure was soon to follow. The school systems have always had some ‘fall through the cracks’ and everybody didn’t always fit the mold. But this WHOLESALE shunning of education in this country is sending us into third world status in a hurry. Even third world countries have an educated elite and the ELITE are all that are going to end up being educated in THIS country. Is that what we want?

Oh … Not just to pick on Detroit, but ABC’s Tahman Bradley should have included the Government web site that details these math test results.
Other major cities (Chicago, LA, Atlanta, Cleveland and Milwaukee and numerous others) all posted similar fourth grade math results similar to Detroit’s. IMHO, this nation is in serious trouble when less than forty percent of our fourth graders can not perform simple subtraction.

Detroit hasn’t had a Republican Mayor since 1962. Does anyone else see a similarity?

Based on extensive studies, the average IQ of these students is around 80-83. No amount of money or skilled teachers or more parent involvement can change what evolution has produced.

I don’t get all the trashing of the public school system in this country. My parents were Asian immigrants and I went to public school my whole life and went to college. So did my sister who went to an Ivy League schoool. In fact I know a ton of people who went to public schools in working class neighborhoods who went to college. Stop blaming the schools and start looking at the parents.