[RebelPhotog]

Let's just start kids into school at birth......
We have a pre-K program; it's called Head Start and it doesn't help. You want kids to be better educated? That starts at home. I worked at my kids' school for several years and I always saw that the kids who do well are the ones with parents who care about them and their education. The kids who don't have that support at home are the ones who don't do well in school. There are exceptions, but not many.

[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by RebelPhotog

Let's just start kids into school at birth......
We have a pre-K program; it's called Head Start and it doesn't help. You want kids to be better educated? That starts at home. I worked at my kids' school for several years and I always saw that the kids who do well are the ones with parents who care about them and their education. The kids who don't have that support at home are the ones who don't do well in school. There are exceptions, but not many.

I would actually say allow availability and option of public boarding school for kids to get out of certain home/neighborhood situations. that are near unsolvable. But no way that would ever fly in the US. I bet the left would call it discriminatory (even if it were optional) and the right would hate the perception of more gov't.

[friday13]

Originally Posted by RebelPhotog

Let's just start kids into school at birth......

We are - it's called daycare - we enroll kids at 6 weeks thanks to the "generous" family leave (FMLA - 6wks paid, up to 12 wks unpaid) - Europeans are getting 1-2 yrs paid - and kids take off from there, if the "school" is good they start teaching them "school stuff" as early as 1 (make no mistake, it's only 15 mins classtime a day, not olympiad-level).

Originally Posted by RebelPhotog

We have a pre-K program; it's called Head Start and it doesn't help.

It didn't help much because of the make-up of the HS student body: low-income - now, history taught us that "low income" generally means "low concern from HS parents for their kids education" - as always, there are exceptions. It's exactly the type of program the name suggests: some kids need a head-start in education, need longer time to be aquainted with the school setting.
People with more-than-the-HS-income-levels are free to get their kids in any daycare, pre-k, school as long as they pay the price.
Also, in AL, some school districts offer pre-k programs, free of charge, to any income level, in a limited number of spots (you apply, and they use a lottery system).
>>Now, I can't wait for my kids to enter public (mandatory) K to save myself some money on daycare. But it paid for good "education" - by 2, kid knew everything (colors, shapes, letters, numbers). Also, as stated here, I am an involved parent and supplement in a ludic way.

[RebelPhotog]

Originally Posted by friday13

We are - it's called daycare - we enroll kids at 6 weeks thanks to the "generous" family leave (FMLA - 6wks paid, up to 12 wks unpaid) - Europeans are getting 1-2 yrs paid

We should be just like the European countries. No need for us to be the strongest capitalistic economy in the world or a military superpower. Would be great if our healthcare system worked on a European standard, too.......scary stuff!

Why should a company pay me to be off 1 or 2 years to have a baby?What kind of profits would that company make by doing such a thing? What happened to the work ethic in this country?

[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by RebelPhotog

We should be just like the European countries. No need for us to be the strongest capitalistic economy in the world or a military superpower. Would be great if our healthcare system worked on a European standard, too.......scary stuff!

Why should a company pay me to be off 1 or 2 years to have a baby?What kind of profits would that company make by doing such a thing? What happened to the work ethic in this country?

People get tax breaks for having kids...

[friday13]

Originally Posted by RebelPhotog

Why should a company pay me to be off 1 or 2 years to have a baby?What kind of profits would that company make by doing such a thing? What happened to the work ethic in this country?

Hey, don't take it up with me - It is what is is. They actually get the money out of state's coffers, not the company's. Them socialist ways!

Didn't you hear recently on NPR that some Europeans are taking vacations to NYC while on unemployment ?

And giving people incentives to have children is investing in the future. We need younglings to take over and work and pay for the aging - Japan, Australia are paying couples to have the 2nd, the 3rd child, a portion of the child rearing up to 18th birthday.

What does the US do: "import" skilled immigrants, raised and educated cheaper and at other countries' expense? Why do you think we have the baby boomer generation - yes, they were made out of loove after WW2, but also they were enticed, to replenish the lost population -GI bill - how many nowadays happily and willingly plan for more than 2-3 kids)
I wish I could afford 3 children, unfortunately I can't, and I am not poor ($100k household), but for the sake of the other 4 existing members of our family, I do not want to get us into the poorhouse. And I haven't figured out how am I going to pay for the kids' college. Ok, you'll say these are my choices, and I accept that, that's why we stopped at two. That how much I can afford raising on my own without socialist govt. help, which I would have qualified for had I been poor (remember the word in the ghetto: I'll pop another baby for the govt. check - but also have in mind the quality of that parent or child >> potential and education-wise). And my 3rd kid will be one less productive american in 20 yr. Now, that's what I call good use of your taxpayer money!

[bluebeard]

I definitely have rebuttals, but I'll try to take this off the national politics track:

I'm undecided. Considering Byrne since he's the one I trust most on ethics and doesn't seem too ideological, but I'm a lefty, so Davis is a likely choice.

Any, he talks a bit about education here:
The Tuskegee News

[mimpdaddy]

[bluebeard]

ok...

[mimpdaddy]

ALABAMA AND AUBURN HUGGING!!!
RTR!!!!