Will you be voting for the tax measures this fall? (Oakland: homes, buying)
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Sadaf Malik sat near the front of the packed human physiology class at San Francisco State University on the first day of school Tuesday listening to a lecture on body temperature and scribbling to get it all down.
Students who hadn't arrived as early as Malik stood in the corners or sat on the floor with notebooks splayed across the linoleum. But Malik, a senior who needs physiology to finish her major and graduate this year, won't be allowed to stay in the class unless she wins the lottery. Literally.
"I only have three or four extra seats, so I'll have a lottery on Thursday," Professor Jennifer Breckler announced at the end of the class as dozens of students, including Malik, surged to her desk in hopes of being allowed to enroll.
Disappointed, Malik turned away. "There's a good chance I'm not going to get in," she said. A guy standing nearby said simply, "This is cutthroat."
But don't worry kids, the state is preparing for your future:
I am an Engineer by trade... so I look at things based on numbers...
Can anyone explain why public school per pupil expense is at the high end of the scale and the results are at the low end... at least this is how I see it here in Oakland?
In addition, the State had to come in to manage the district and in the audit process discovered many shadow employees... those receiving pay and not working... the district uncovered this by requiring each employee show up at district headquarters to personally pick up their paychecks... many went unclaimed... same for the district paid cell phones... some that had retired years ago still had phones paid for by the district....
School expenditures have to be in any property tax discussion because they take such a large share of tax revenue.
Numbers don't tell the whole story. I could summarize everything I've seen in the classroom at the elementary level and based in input that I've received from elementary school teachers -- and it wouldn't make sense to the public. What's on paper and what really goes on in the classroom is like night and day.
I know our state has a lot of spending problem and I've been one of the harshest critics on this board, but I don't let politics get in the way of facts. If anyone wants to be absolute certain when making a statement about an issue such as public school education, then I suggest spending a day or two in a public school and observing what the teachers have to put up with.
I hope none of you have kids planning on going to public universities...
From reading the quote, it sounds no different from 20 years ago. Undergrad core classes were always packed like that. Usually got better for upper classes but I remember having to take one of my 800's at SJSU because I hadn't been able to take the class the previous semesters and couldn't stand the thought of another semester for just that one class.
If money was the arbiter of outcomes... how can it be explained that those in private schools with per pupil spending much less than public schools perform better... and then we have some of the top achievers that are home schooled.
While I am not voting for either of the taxes measures the answer to your question is selection.
Private schools don't have to take everyone. Furthermore, it is much easier for them to expel unruly students compared to public schools. Heck, some private schools require an entrance exam which will obviously select out less able students and perhaps even learning disabled students.
As for home-schooling that is basically one to one tutoring. If the parent is intelligent and well-prepared it is not a big surprise that a child would be a top achiever.
Numbers don't tell the whole story. What's on paper and what really goes on in the classroom is like night and day. I suggest spending a day or two in a public school and observing what the teachers have to put up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Obvious
... the answer to your question is selection. Private schools don't have to take everyone. Furthermore, it is much easier for them to expel unruly students compared to public schools, some private schools require an entrance exam which will obviously select out less able students.
Numbers don't tell the whole story. I could summarize everything I've seen in the classroom at the elementary level and based in input that I've received from elementary school teachers -- and it wouldn't make sense to the public. What's on paper and what really goes on in the classroom is like night and day.
I know our state has a lot of spending problem and I've been one of the harshest critics on this board, but I don't let politics get in the way of facts. If anyone wants to be absolute certain when making a statement about an issue such as public school education, then I suggest spending a day or two in a public school and observing what the teachers have to put up with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Obvious
While I am not voting for either of the taxes measures the answer to your question is selection.
Private schools don't have to take everyone. Furthermore, it is much easier for them to expel unruly students compared to public schools. Heck, some private schools require an entrance exam which will obviously select out less able students and perhaps even learning disabled students.
As for home-schooling that is basically one to one tutoring. If the parent is intelligent and well-prepared it is not a big surprise that a child would be a top achiever.
There are studies out there that indicate having successful and educated parents has as much to do with school performance as anything. It reminds me of a common football argument. Does a good QB make his receivers or vice versa? Do affluent areas tend to have good schools because they really are that much better (spend money wisely, hire better teachers), or because the parents are just more educated and successful? Ditto for private schools. I know one elementary school teacher who swears by this. She taught in an affluent planned community in Orlando. She couldn't say enough about how good the kids were, how easy they made her job. And then the housing bubble grew. People were buying homes left and right and renting them out. Over a few years she went from having a dream teaching job to a completely average teaching job. The kids were no longer such a pleasure to teach.
I grew up dirt poor and hate to think there is any truth to this. I think there is though.
Numbers don't tell the whole story. I could summarize everything I've seen in the classroom at the elementary level and based in input that I've received from elementary school teachers -- and it wouldn't make sense to the public. What's on paper and what really goes on in the classroom is like night and day.
I know our state has a lot of spending problem and I've been one of the harshest critics on this board, but I don't let politics get in the way of facts. If anyone wants to be absolute certain when making a statement about an issue such as public school education, then I suggest spending a day or two in a public school and observing what the teachers have to put up with.
Which is one of the big reasons why its idiotic to keep throwing money at an issue that you don't fully understand. This has been the fault of many govt.'s (state/federal) in this country and its not by mistake... Unsolved problems = excuses to tax more .. More revenue = more spending .. More spending = bigger govt... Why on earth would someone in govt. want big govt.? Why is the primary goal of private companies to increase revenue and grow? .. The answer is the same. So, problems exist and aren't fixed because problems create excuses for more taxes/spending .. The reason why intelligence/logic and real problem solving aren't applied and politics are is because politics allow morons to make up b.s stories/excuses/idiotic reasons for more taxes/spending/bigger govt even though it doesn't solve problems.
While I am not voting for either of the taxes measures the answer to your question is selection.
Private schools don't have to take everyone. Furthermore, it is much easier for them to expel unruly students compared to public schools. Heck, some private schools require an entrance exam which will obviously select out less able students and perhaps even learning disabled students.
As for home-schooling that is basically one to one tutoring. If the parent is intelligent and well-prepared it is not a big surprise that a child would be a top achiever.
To expand, it's more than just unruly. ESL kids are a dime a dozen in S Cal.
There are studies out there that indicate having successful and educated parents has as much to do with school performance as anything. It reminds me of a common football argument. Does a good QB make his receivers or vice versa? Do affluent areas tend to have good schools because they really are that much better (spend money wisely, hire better teachers), or because the parents are just more educated and successful? Ditto for private schools. I know one elementary school teacher who swears by this. She taught in an affluent planned community in Orlando. She couldn't say enough about how good the kids were, how easy they made her job. And then the housing bubble grew. People were buying homes left and right and renting them out. Over a few years she went from having a dream teaching job to a completely average teaching job. The kids were no longer such a pleasure to teach.
I grew up dirt poor and hate to think there is any truth to this. I think there is though.
And this all has to do w/ basic behavioral psychology and the huge impact that environments have on an individual. There are always exceptions but generally, environments play a big role. Trying to paper over this reality is nothing short of a waste of money. The root issue has to do w/ the environment in many cases...
If being an uneducated fool made you an outcast in your home, community, and in this country, you would see many of them.
When bars are set low at an early age and there is no social stigma against it.. Surprise, people don't achieve much
Which is one of the big reasons why its idiotic to keep throwing money at an issue that you don't fully understand. This has been the fault of many govt.'s (state/federal) in this country and its not by mistake... Unsolved problems = excuses to tax more .. More revenue = more spending .. More spending = bigger govt... Why on earth would someone in govt. want big govt.? Why is the primary goal of private companies to increase revenue and grow? .. The answer is the same. So, problems exist and aren't fixed because problems create excuses for more taxes/spending .. The reason why intelligence/logic and real problem solving aren't applied and politics are is because politics allow morons to make up b.s stories/excuses/idiotic reasons for more taxes/spending/bigger govt even though it doesn't solve problems.
I'm not endorsing at throwing money at the problem. I'm endorsing fiscal responsibility and more efficient use of the taxpayer's money. A lot of the blame is being placed on teachers who have nothing to defend themselves against superintendents and administrative officials who make salaries in six figures. They are the ones who have to put up with parents who may refuse to take any responsible role in their children's education (and they may happen to be taxpayers who want a lot for almost nothing).
When did teachers become parents of every single student in the classroom and when did they become the enemy?
Nobody wants an inefficient government.
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