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Location: Los Angeles, which as I understand was once upon a time ago part of the United States of America
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High-school students here rarely get more than a half-hour of homework a night. They have no school uniforms, no honor societies, no valedictorians, no tardy bells and no classes for the gifted. There is little standardized testing, few parents agonize over college and kids don't start school until age 7.
Yet by one international measure, Finnish teenagers are among the smartest in the world. They earned some of the top scores by 15-year-old students who were tested in 57 countries. American teens finished among the world's C students even as U.S. educators piled on more homework, standards and rules. Finnish youth, like their U.S. counterparts, also waste hours online. They dye their hair, love sarcasm and listen to rap and heavy metal. But by ninth grade they're way ahead in math, science and reading -- on track to keeping Finns among the world's most productive workers.
Testing well means that someone takes tests well. Personally, I don't care if we have a nation of test-takers or not. I don't think that standardized tests are an accurate measure of how "smart" a nation is.
As to why this is, I would look at the demographics of Finland. It is much easier to teach an entire nation of children who are of similar race, ethnicity, and background. I think America's diversity, by its very nature, means that we won't score #1 in these demographic contests. We won't be the healthiest, because we don't have a uniform nation of fish-eaters. We won't be the smartest, because we don't have a uniform nation of families who value education.
If the goal here is to compare educational systems, you might start by comparing Finland to, say, Minnesota.
Last edited by anonymous; 03-02-2008 at 06:41 AM..
It's a cultural thing. All the techniques in the classroom don't mean anything if education is not the MOST important thing in the home. In Finland, it IS important. Not to the extent of Japan perhaps, but I would gather much more important than in the average household in the US.
Also, kids in the US lose their intrinsic drive for learning early. With all the testing, worry about college (or heck, in some cities, worrying about getting into the top PRESCHOOL), and homework, learning ceases to be fun.
With all the testing, worry about college (or heck, in some cities, worrying about getting into the top PRESCHOOL), and homework, learning ceases to be fun.
The Japanese however put too much pressure on their kids.
If I'm not mistaken suicide is high among Japanese students when they shame their family by not getting into a top university or other school.
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The latest NPA data confirm that suicide by elementary- and middle-school students is a serious social problem. The suicide rate for this group rose by a massive 57.6%, representing a total of 93 innocent lives lost, 34 more than in 2002. Among high-school students there was also a sharp rise of 29.3%. In total, 225 young lives were lost in this category. There was also an increase in the number of college students killing themselves. The overall suicide rate among people aged 19 or younger rose by 22%.
Experts say that young people who commit suicide are greatly influenced by adults who take their own lives and the publicity surrounding the deaths. The stress and competition in school for jobs that may no longer exist have also been documented.
In the meantime, American kids spend time learning about multiculturalism, sensitivity, and why Sally has two moms.
And no civics, little in current events which are not liberally left-leaning, math which is totally irrelevant to many ( while not being able to handle common finances for a home), and all pushed into college track. The leiberals needed a power base and unions were it. Now they are not, so maybe education may right itself -- illegals and the poor will become the liberals power base.
And no civics, little in current events which are not liberally left-leaning, math which is totally irrelevant to many ( while not being able to handle common finances for a home), and all pushed into college track. The leiberals needed a power base and unions were it. Now they are not, so maybe education may right itself -- illegals and the poor will become the liberals power base.
Exactly how will people who can't vote and people who almost never vote support the "leibrals"?
In the meantime, American kids spend time learning about multiculturalism, sensitivity, and why Sally has two moms.
I think you nailed it. Schools in the USA are no longer about academics. They are socialist indoctrination centers. School administrators have no interest in having math taught -- but multicuturalism replaces it.
In order to improve our public schools, everything of the last 20 years needs to be tossed out and a return to the basics. Teach the kids how to read. Teach them how to do math. Teach them to write.
And no civics, little in current events which are not liberally left-leaning, math which is totally irrelevant to many ( while not being able to handle common finances for a home), and all pushed into college track. The leiberals needed a power base and unions were it. Now they are not, so maybe education may right itself -- illegals and the poor will become the liberals power base.
Notice our educators see the results of these comparisons -- and instead of looking at the top countries as a good source of teachers to recruit, they go way to the bottom and try to recruit from those countries.
Schools today are more interested in making sure illegals from Mexico keep their language and their own country's history and culture. And what's bad is they're making sure the brighter and more prepared students are held back so that they don't get ahead of the Spanish speakers.
There was another study a few years back that identified the Finnish economy as the world's most competitive, beating out the U.S. and a handful of other heavy-weights.
The Finnish system has historically been a mixed one, eg. elements of both socialism and capitalism.
The Finns are also a separate people, i.e. not Indo-European like practically all of Europe. They are a Finn-Ugric people, with a Finn-Ugric language.
I hope the Finns aren't like the Swede's who accepted Eugenics in the early 1930’s (even before Nazi German who followed a few years later).
What they did was sterilize every individual the government perceived as mentally and/ or physically handicapped. I guess they eliminated a lot of 'stupid' people.
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Eugenics is a social philosophy which advocates the improvement of human hereditary traits through various forms of intervention. Throughout history, eugenics has been regarded by its various advocates as a social responsibility, an altruistic stance of a society, meant to create healthier and more intelligent people, to save resources, and lessen human suffering. More controversially, some, such as the Nazi regime in Germany, used eugenics as a pretext for racial discrimination.
Source: Eugenetics - encyclopedia article about Eugenetics.
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