Will Stimulus Money Lead to Actual Education Reform?

David D seems to be right on..it makes clear and simple sense. What ever happened to common sense anyway???

Bill Jones of WA 7:48PM November 13, 2009

With all the talk about trying to compete with other countries I find it ironic that none of the stimulus money is directed at providing gifted students with the resources they need to make the US competitive internationally. For example, students should be learning Chinese, but all of the money is going either to back-fill existing programs or to provide special needs children with more resources. The truth is that none of those children at the bottom and pretty much all of those in the middle will never contribute to society the intellectual capital required to return the United States to the upper tier of educational achievement. When resources are diverted to have more teachers for special education everybody loses because they children that might find the cure for MS (as an example) won't do so because he or she doesn't have access to a microscope in 4th grade that would trigger an interest in science. Education is being dragged down to the lowest common denominator. If we are to progress as a nation some must be left behind so that others can move forward. Every child can't be college ready unless the standards for admission to college are no more than a specific age, a checkbook, and a pulse. I've been a college professor for thirty years and the quality of incoming students has declined precipitously. I consider myself fortunate if ten of every thirty students can read a college-level text. Administrators at my college are only concerned about the number of students enrolled and the pressure to give every student at least a "C" is a perversion of what education is suppose to be about. The vast majority of today's student's want a college degree, not a college education.

David D in Fresno of CA 2:08PM June 25, 2009

Longer school days, longer school year?? Thats NOT new or innovative, it has been bantered about for years and some districts already offer it (how much improvement do we really see with this? The research is NOT overwhelming.) Performance pay? I have yet to see crystal clear significant statistical evidence that it works in districts where it is already implemented.

Real change: Take out sports and from high schools, turn them all into AAU and club sports run by independent associations paid for by those who participate. Let schools focus once and for all on ACADEMICS! But it will never happen. Take out music,drama and art from schools. Let the kids take private classes in these areas on their own time and own money. Let the schools focus on academics! But it will never happen. However, this is exactly what happens in many of the countries that outperform US students. And those kids from India, Japan or China seem to be doing just fine, especially as engineers, doctors or researchers here in America.

Real change: NATIONAL academic standards, NATIONAL curriculum and NATIONAL standardized tests. Remove all curriculum decisions from non-professional, non-trained, school boards members. They can manage all other aspects of the district except curriculum. Make the NATIONAL tests exit tests THAT MUST BE PASSED to receive an academic diploma. All others get participation diplomas only.

Real change: Parents get a tax break for every high school academic class that a kid gets "B" or better in. College or Trade School is FREE for ALL who pass national tests with excellent, but attainable scores.

Real change: Loosen, but not eliminate tenure law (everyone deserves due-process), so that consistently underperforming teachers can be removed from the classroom. Increase the difficulty of teacher certification tests in subject areas. Increase the pay of Math and Science teachers who can and do leave the teaching profession for more lucrative pay in private industry.

Real change:STOP GRADE INFLATION by backing up teachers when parents complain. Teachers just give-in because they receive little administrative support and don't have time or the emotional energy to deal with aggressive parents. Administrators kow-tow to parents because they are afraid of getting fired by school boards.

Real change: Change our culture of permissiveness and entitlement. Our world is now about competition and our children need to be prepared to compete and learn instead of expecting handouts. Parents need to educate their children on a daily basis; Put on the Discovery Channel instead of American Idol, take them to a museum instead of to the mall, buy them some books instead of a video game, take them on vacation to a national park instead of laying on the beach in Florida, get them a library card, take them to a zoo. Parents have forgotten that it is they who are ultimately responsible for the education of their children, not a a social instituition

phoenix of MI 6:52PM April 14, 2009

It continues to amaze me that some of the most sweeping and conclusive research regarding student preparedness for college and beyond is still being ignored. The entire social-emotional development piece of education is like the "red-headed step-child," neglected and discounted to the detriment of students and society alike. Some of this generous funding must be invested in teachers and programs that can intentionally address the social-emotional development needs of students. Then, and only then, will schools be able to begin to be effective in preparing students for college and life. It befuddles and frustrates me to no end that schools and professional educators continue to pretend that this element of education is either unnecessary or, at best, a luxury that receives short shrift.

Randy Youngling of CO 11:58AM April 11, 2009