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... we are unique among many Western nations in our expectation that all students take some sort of higher level class. ...
I make similar observations, but assert the opposite conclusions. The strength of the Chinese or Indian systems, not to mention the German and the French, isn't in offering substantial and intellectually-stimulating education to every peasant or street-urchin, but in concentrating on the elite. It's the elite that learns 2-3 foreign languages in high school, takes calculus in the 11th grade, and is prepared to excel in STEM fields. The more that a nation aims to equally distribute its resources, and thereby broaden the pyramid, the less it can elevate the pyramid's apex.
In China and India, the impoverished peasants are largely invisible. They don't sit for the much-vaunted national college entrance exams. They are excluded from most available statistics. In America, our peasants are very much part of the statistics, and consequently our national numbers – our means and medians – appear to be risibly low.
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Originally Posted by Ivorytickler
Our education system is a supply and demand system. We supply what the public demands and that ain't much. ....
Good point. The nations traditionally known for academic excellence and for cultural veneration of abstract knowledge, also tend to be centralized nations with unitary governments and a strong hierarchical planning-concept; witness again France and China. In America, we have caustic aversion to central-planning or the authority of "experts", instead having dogged faith in the primacy of markets. The result is the best education that the market wants – and no better.
Ironic, isn't it, that it is precisely the free-market forces that result in common-denominator distribution?
I've always thought that it was because the people who run our government think that the dumbed down make better politically correct decisions as to whom they should vote for to put into political office.
Which people would that be in the government, this mysterious back office hidden dark evil agenda driven government? You and I get to elect new ones in all the time. Which ones are trying to keep us dumber? We just elected a massively republican wave of congress recently, so do you mean republicans want us dumber? Or when we end up voting in a big wave of democrats are you saying the democrats want us dumber? Who are these mythical government people who seem to stay in office long enough to control the educational outcome of our nations youth?
Americans have a certain reputation for being stupid internationally. After careful comparison, it is obvious that the American public school system is very easy compared to other countries especially Asian countries.
The people making the rules are apparently not involved with the consequences of their policies. They don't seem to understand that by requiring mentally disabled students to be in the classrooms with regular teachers (without providing the support to make such a transition beneficial) they've essentially turned the classrooms into special education classrooms. Now, instead of teaching children who are on a normal level, teachers have to deal with students who are several grade levels behind, have emotional disorders, are defiant to authority, have meltdowns, etc. In addition, teachers have the new requirements of common core and NCLB to "teach all children' and "make sure everyone is achieving at a certain level." Do you see how ludicrous all of this is? Do you still wonder why American students don't achieve as high as their international counterparts?
The American public school is expected in many cases to be the social support system, the daycare, the surrogate parent, and the juvenile asylum, on top of being the main education system for millions of children. Now, hopefully the problem is pretty clear. If any other system of education, like colleges and trade schools, were run like this, there would be a public outcry. People send their kids to public school to keep them from going to jail, to make sure they have a hot meal, to get social support services and government benefits, to get them out of the house, etc. It's seldom about wanting them to get a good education and make something out of themselves. In many cases, the "bar" has to be lowered to accommodate the lowest common denominator, and the students have little incentive to change.
Americans have a certain reputation for being stupid internationally. After careful comparison, it is obvious that the American public school system is very easy compared to other countries especially Asian countries.
Republicans keep cutting funds. They want people to SPEND MONEY on Private Institutions.
And for those who can't afford it. No problem! More kids to send to war.
Good thing is, people can still make the best out of it. Look at them Asians.
Which people would that be in the government, this mysterious back office hidden dark evil agenda driven government? You and I get to elect new ones in all the time. Which ones are trying to keep us dumber? We just elected a massively republican wave of congress recently, so do you mean republicans want us dumber? Or when we end up voting in a big wave of democrats are you saying the democrats want us dumber? Who are these mythical government people who seem to stay in office long enough to control the educational outcome of our nations youth?
The actual drivers of educational changes is not the government.
They are the think tanks and big business.
I don't agree with the original premise either. Public education has, if anything, become more rigorous since I went to school in the 70s. My kids took courses I had as a junior or senior in high school while they were still in middle school.
The public school system works just fine in many areas of this country. Now, we need to keep special interests and politicians from messing with it.
As much as I'm willing to accept that the number of people taking advanced coursework in high school and/or taking advantage of dual-enrollment has increased exponentially, I don't think it's US-specific.
But have public education been made more rigorous elsewhere in the world as well?
Obama et.al. say the key is education, and want everyone to go to college. Well, everyone is not going to go to college unless a HS diploma is easy enough that everybody can qualify for college admission. Somehow, then all those college graduates will magically repair the economy by becoming more productive workers for higher wages.
Americans have a certain reputation for being stupid internationally. After careful comparison, it is obvious that the American public school system is very easy compared to other countries especially Asian countries.
No. Not stupid. Have respect. Ignorant. That is a correct term.
Btw, one thing I need to say about American education. One has everything one wants to acquire available. Just have desire and know where to find it. Using Peter Gibbons words, "it's the lack of motivation".
Btw, the ENTIRE world education system is backwards. I spent years of frustration learning trigonometry and stereometry and all kinds of algebra in my high school. What for? Was waste of time. What is recommended is to switch to methodological education, when one is taught WHERE and HOW to acquire knowledge one NEEDS for real life. Then entire school is done in few years and from that on, you only learn what you need to know.
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