Ya wanna cure our "shitty" education system? Just one word is necessary:

[Stinky The Clown]

FUNDING

The tax cutting mania in the problem. Not shitty teachers. Sure, there probably *are* some shitty teachers. Just like there are shitty doctors, shitty newsreaders, shitty garbage collectors, shitty car mechanics, shitty cops, and *for* *sure* shitty politicians.

We find ways to fund the war machine.

We find ways to fund big bidniss.

But we can't fund health care

But we can't fund a social safety net (instead, we discuss cutting it)

And we SURE can't fund education.

I dare say the overwhelming majority of teachers actually give an actual shit about what they do.

Politicians and people who have that motherfucking teabagger mentality, not so much.



FUNDING, people. That's what it needs.

FUNDING.

[Warpy]

1. Throwing money at the schools won't do it, either

The place you need to start is with the parents. Give them some hope for a better life, give them a little training so they can see the value of training and education. They'll communicate both hope and the value of training to their children.

That's how it works, from the bottom up.

There will always be shitty parents, of course, and not all the shitty parents are among the poor. However, when you create a class mired in hopelessness from generation to generation, you end up with generations of kids who just don't see the point in putting forth any effort, at all.

Yes the schools are underfunded. The rich are overfunded and the empire they refuse to pay taxes to support is overfunded. Everything else has been allowed to fall into ruin because the rich don't use it.

This is the problem. The solution for all of it starts at the bottom. Until and unless our fine leaders realize this, expect to see failing kids in shabby schools taught by heroic but underpaid teachers who are being blamed for the whole mess mostly because they had the audacity to join a union.

[uncommon]

2. Funding is a huge issue. There always were and always will be shitty parents --

that doesn't explain this.

If we actually pay for the schools, so kids can get not only basic classes but music lessons, free or heavily subsidized sports where needed, art classes, extra help from well paid teachers with small class sizes, and not have to lug a huge bag of supplies to school every day because the school can afford crayons and markers and paper and glue - these things make a difference.

[blondeatlast]

4. My son gets arts, music, and PE this way--one quarter of art, one quarter of music,

one quarter of PE.

That is NOT the way to a healthy, we;;-rounded student. But the school has to do it that way because the teachers have to be shared among two schools and have to meet the AIMS requirement.

It's goddamned shameful--and he and I live in a very, very comfortable area--where the goddamned voters routinely strike down bond issues. :banghead:

[uncommon]

8. Wow that's awful. We have been lucky - my daughter gets

3 days of PE and then one music and one art. Every week. All year. At her old school they had library one day - I think they include it in their normal classes here. And this is a poor district.

[CTyankee]

55. Back in the old days, I had PE every day. I don't know what happened.

I don't remember how much art and music I had but I did have it. And this was in Dallas! And it wasn't that fancy a school and a school district!

[Occulus]

62. I know, reading that, I was going "....the *hell*???"

I can only presume we aren't talking about high schools here, but even in middle school, I had five days a week of band and choir. In high school, I had that, rehearsals both before and after school, marching band in the fall, musicals in the spring, and concerts about once a month. There was also jazz band all year, a huge concert each spring, festivals, etc. Our music directors worked themselves to the bone... and even then, there was no extra pay for most of those things.

And this was a small school.

[LiberalCatholic]

10. I agree

I live in an upper-middle class town. We have very active PTOs which have helped to supply a smart board in every classroom. We parents buy the supplies for the school year for our kids (cost me $340.00 for my 3 boys this year). PTO's arrange and pay for field trips, enrichment activities at the schools and parents volunteer in the classrooms. All this could be done with more funding. And more funding would allow less affluent districts to have a more level playing field.

More money in education would be so much better for our country. It is a moral issue as well as a common sense issue. Where are the churches on this????? I'm always amazed at the term "Christian nation" being used about this country. Jesus' fundamental message was about helping the poor and treating everyone with respect and dignity. If we BEHAVED like Christians, rather then just CALLING OURSELVES Christian, we really would have the best country in the world.

[lib_wit_it]

91. Well, the RW is rewriting the Bible to rehabilitate "librul" Jesus. The new one only cares about

the rich. After all, he made them rich because they deserved it, unlike the scumbags who are poor. This from the gospel of "The Family".

[handmade34]

129. spot on...

on MSNBC's program Sunday, a woman suggested that we send our kids to school in the next community over and then we would be more apt to fund and care for all schools...

as for calling ourselves Christian... I expect that Jesus has already returned (the much anticipated second coming) and left again, but the fundamentalists missed it because he was a poor immigrant :shrug:

[CTyankee]

56. Money must make a difference: look at the very richest people in our country. They send their kids

to either private schools or they live in very high end communities where the public schools are well funded. In short, they "throw money" at the issue of schools for their kids! Voila!

I have seen this in Greenwich, CT and I have seen this in the public school in some suburbs of Boston, on a first hand basis.

Sad but true. The parents who do NOT have the financial resources can't get the best of the best. It's "pay to play."

It's not that we don't have talented teachers in our poorer communities' schools. We do. And they are saints. But money is a big motivator. It's not the only one. But it is one.

Yes, we do need "better" parents. How do we "get" them? I don't know. Without a better social contract in this country, how can it ever be?

Not an easy question, to say the least...

[AllyCat]

84. And meals. They could use some food while they are there.

Easier to study with a full belly. I agree with your argument.

[uncommon]

116. Don't public schools already offer free and reduced lunch to all qualifying kids? And my daughter's

school gives free breakfast to ALL students who want it, regardless of income. Hunger does not help kids focus in school.

[AllyCat]

145. I have heard of cuts in school food programs in different areas

Glad to hear some are still funding it. I wonder for how long.

[Bigmack]

9. It works for the Pentagon....

doesn't it? They just throw enough money at a problem and it gets - more or less - solved.

Witness the Bradley, the Osprey etc....

I posted elsewhere... "Just once, let's just try throwing (really serious) money at education and see if it helps."

I'm not talking money here... I'm talking real Pentagon Money!

[Igel]

50. K-12 gets about the same amount.

Nobody likes to admit it, but that's the case. The Pentagon gets significantly less than K-12 education if you peel out interest on the national debt incurred by DOD funding and VA expenses.

Notice that K-12 does not include any college or post-HS tech training.

Of course, it looks like the Pentagon gets more because it's all at the federal level so there's a nice pie chart to look at with a big number for "Defense Spending," while most K-12 funding is at the state/local level and pops up in any of 50 to 1000 different pie charts, all with small numbers.

[AnnetteJacobs]

81. So, all these pie charts are lying.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ISIzDdrM7Fk/S1_VjFuRJJI/AAAAAAAAA94/mykLoI8ZNws/s400/spending+graph.png

[AllyCat]

85. +1

[Lorien]

96. Zing! Other first world Nations fund their school systems

we deal with overcrowding, crumbling buildings, lack of school supplies and underpaid teachers THEN we blame the teachers for it?? Blame the war whores who vote on the budgets!

[NobleCynic]

98. You totally missed his point.

The graphs you posted are all of federal numbers. Which totally miss the state and local contributions. Which is what he was trying to point out, that comparisons of federal spending may present false ratios of spending allocation when you look at the aggregate contributions both local and federal.

Yes, our schools are underfunded. But you are erroneously accusing this guy of lying when he is most certainly not. All you have done is help prove his point in a rather ironic fashion.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

121. True but...

Education (presumably) is needed and used by every American. The MIC has contributed very little to the average American over the last 50 years.

[NobleCynic]

147. No argument there. n/t

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

148. Thank God! nt

[beerdoug]

95. I've seen this in the LAUSD

Well armed students. Is this part of the Pentagon's budget? 'Cause I gotta tell you, these kids don't seem to know what they're fighting for. And they don't know how to shoot, either. I blame the public schools. And the Bush administration. Gee, I feel sorry for the Pentagon.

[Enthusiast]

108. But, Igel, we don't

peel out interest on the national debt incurred by DOD funding and VA expenses. How would that make the numbers more accurate? Why should we 'pick and chose' in such a manner? Unless, of course, you want to follow the Bush plan of de-funding veterans needs and creating distortions with funny numbers. But that is always the way of the chickenhawk.

[customerserviceguy]

105. It hasn't helped their ability to win wars

All we do is fight with one hand tied behind our backs, sending servicemembers to die needlessly, then when we are whipped, we call it a 'tie' and bring everybody home 'with honor', as Nixon used to say.

If you're using the military as an example of just throwing money at a problem to fix it, you've picked a lousy example. Tossing money at the war on drugs would have been another example of how funding doesn't buy results.

[Dappleganger]

12. I would LOVE for the government to give us a butt-load

of money so we can prove you wrong. We haven't even been given a CHANCE.

[Phentex]

44. How do people just know it won't work?

when, like you said, this has never been done on a large scale. I'm not talking piecemeal. I'm talking top notch for every single student.

It seems to me, people don't care until something affects their own children.

[NotThisTime]

15. In this case you could go top down... start with the Administration

Get rid of the administrative hacks (local and above) that have no place telling teachers or parents what they should do, or, NOT telling anyone what they should do... Find administrators who give a damn... that might be very hard.

Stop strangling the schools with mandates that may or may not apply to their local needs, accountability is fine but tests don't necessarily show progress. It's an overall picture.

Stop the notion of working from 8-3, it's 8-5 with students allowed to spend time in your office. On top of that provide tutors for kids who need them and want them - that part is $$$ we need to spend.

Get rid of the minority of teachers who don't want to be in the classroom and encourage good teaching skills from those teachers who want to be great. And make sure the administrators work in conjuction with those teachers, showing mutual respect. It's not a foreign concept, just an absolutely necessary one.

Then start with the parents, they may be a lost cause in their child's education, but if a kid has ONE adult to look up to, how about a teacher? How about someone who tells THEM they can be something? They need one person... It costs nothing to believe in a child.

Then you start with funding, you have after school programs, summer programs, paying teachers properly and the list goes on... but throwing money at the same problem expecting a different solution is ludicrous... The path we are currently on is just ludicrous...

[uncommon]

18. That is pretty much exactly what I think we should do.

And I don't think we should be determining the bad teachers solely or primarily based on standardized testing.

[Warpy]

28. I agree with all of the above

and I'd also suggest doing what Europe does, offer a general diploma at 16 and offer a 2 year job training course after that for kids who have absolutely no interest in nor aptitude for academic study. Expecting kids to stick it out until 18 and then pay for that training afterward is unrealistic, as out high dropout rates confirm.

Most of all, I think we need to restore art and music programs since study after study has proven a synergistic effect between those and academics.

However, we won't be able to do a whole lot in the schools, alone. We have to do something about the hopelessness a lot of the kids are raised with, that feeling that they'll never be able to achieve anything, so why bother.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

76. I think that is a great idea to make high school better. nt

[NotThisTime]

82. I absolutely agree with all your points but the last and thank you for bringing those up

I'm going on my background and my background alone for my first thought. As a child who saw no future of success, I needed ONE person to show me a path, I didn't have any further help, but this person showed faith and a path when I was around 13, and although they left my life, I kept those things with me, that knowledge kept me going even when the odds seemed impossibly hard. I know that future of hopelessness, and I know even without family it can be overcome.

Having said that I didn't grow up in an inner city suburban area where bullets were being shot around my neighborhood and gangs were taking up street corners. These kids in particular need innovative ways to keep them at school, keep them engaged, keep them hopeful for as bad as I had it, their situations are so much worse. This requires big funding, these kids not only need hope, they need safety or a safe place to be... I think there are options there... they all cost however.

[bobbolink]

23. Perfect.

Right on target.

For RW talking points.

Got it.

[Warpy]

25. Try reading the whole post some time

You might find that we agree more often than not.

What part of concentrating wages and training at the bottom didn't you get?

[Pithlet]

48. "throwing money at the problem" sounds just so god awful right wing

It really does. It makes me gag every time I hear that phrase. It's moronic. It's usually right wing faux news talking points spewing nutbags who say that phrase, and for good reason.

[bobbolink]

69. I LOVE your snark. VERY good. It convinces me.

:crazy:

[Bucky]

61. I think FAILING to throw money at the problem is worse

As Harlan Ellison once said, "Of course you're supposed to throw money at the problem. That's exactly what you have money for!"

[SugarShack]

79. Where is all of our money for EDU? They're looting it. Plain and simple.

[beerdoug]

87. Whatever you do, don't throw money at the schools

That would be terrible! Now look, after how many decades of underfunding we have witnessed, if you still think that it's an oversight, a political problem or an accident, you might want to think about putting down the bong.

[beerdoug]

88. Throwing money at the schools

is what made them so shitty in the first place, isn't it? What do expect when teachers are farting through silk like the Banksters? Oh Lord, the corruption!

[gtar100]

89. Contrary N on a basic point.

Point - The schools are failing and we keep cutting their budgets. Yes, they need more funding. Period.

Talking Point A from every conservative I've discussed education with is, "it all starts with the parents". Well who could argue with that - of course parents need to be involved in their kid's education. But that doesn't pay for the materials needed, the space needed, or the teachers. Repukes have been stingy and petty with our most precious resource - the knowledge we pass on to future generations. And they backpeddle when it comes to paying more taxes to fund our better aims.

It's a false dichotomy to say we're just going to "throw money at the schools" and not start "with the parents." I can think of several schools in my area that if you "threw money" at them, they'd put it to damn good use. They need more money and obviously that would come with the standard guidelines and requirements when accepting Federal and State funds. So no one's talking about "throwing money".

Bottom line, we need to pay more for our schools and stop looking for excuses because we're a bunch of miserly sons of bitches who salivate at the words "tax cut".

"Love America, just not the people in it... or having to pay for it." That's the republican party of today.

[Name removed]

94. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ejpoeta]

107. it's not just shitty parents. when i was a kid if i didn't do my work i was

held responsible for it. if i did something wrong i was held responsible for it. parents berate teachers in front of the kids. parents are teaching their kids they don't have to listen to anyone. and they are refusing to take responsibility for the fact that their kid just isn't doing their work..... now the parents may be busy working three jobs.... that is the american way you know. but if the parents and students refuse to take responsibility and then the parents neuter the teacher's authority.... what do you think is going to happen?

[The Uncola]

109. Oh really?

Please then, explain to me, the dramatic drop in test scores in Minnesota schools in direct correlation to repeated funding cuts, that took our school systems from some of the very best in the Nation, to mediocre, at best.

Thank you Wannabe Prez Tim Pawlenty.

Freakin jerk.

[wizstars]

111. You want better parents?

Start with better funding for schools. EDUCATE kids to be better parents and smarter citizens. It starts there and ends there.

[Zoeisright]

117. Oh bullshit. I would like to see money thrown at schools for ONCE.

Like we throw money at the military, and the rich, and banks, and corporations. Just try it for a generation. Of course, we won't, because there are too many stupid people in this country and it's probably too late.

[Texas Mom]

118. Ugh

This is so ridiculous I don't know where to start.

I grew up back East, where teachers were very well paid. We had excellent teachers because smart people could actually make a living wage teaching. They were able to live in our community, and we had many male teachers. But where I live now, the teachers are very poorly paid, and people desiring to make a living wage do other things. That leaves many "teachers" who can't get a job anywhere else. There are, of course, exceptions to that rule, like retired people who have been successful in other careers, but most of the teachers, even in this "wonderful" school district where I live, are not so hot. Emailing with them is very depressing as many of them do not know how to construct a sentence or even use a spell check. And they are teaching my kids?

Further, I doubt you've ever been to many inner city schools. I've been to quite a few, and they are so depressing and in such disrepair that I probably would drop out if I was forced to go there.

Yes, yes, yes, parental involvement is critical. But if your kid has to go to a ramshackle school that is suitable for demolition instead of learning, and is taught by functional illiterates,

[Patchuli]

120. You are right about the shitty parents

and the students themselves need to be held accountable. Turning off the phones, ipods, etc. might be a good start...but

they NEVER "throw money at us" even in the best of times. I'd love to show you what kind of old crap my school has....and we rank in the top 500 high schools in the country.

Please, THROW some money at us and see what we can do!

[1monster]

140. No, it is not the teachers, or the parents, or even just the funding. GET THE IGNORANT, CORPORATE -

OWNED, MONEY-GRUBBING, POWER HUNGRY POLITICIANS out of determining curriculum, and judging how students are assessed, how teachers are assessed, how schools are assessed, and even what students should be required to learn and are not given a chance to learn.

Yes, the parents need to be involved. Yes, teachers need to be better than competent. Yes, funding is of vast importance.

But even if a magic wand could be passed over and all of those problems were instantly cured, repaired, or otherwise taken care of, there is a major problem in the laws and rules passed by legislators, bureaucrats, and self-appointed (ignorant) education reformers.

The politicians do need to be aware and involved in education, but should never be allowed to introduce legislation regarding the nitty-gritty of education without first getting advice from in-the-classroom experts: the teachers, the parents, and the students themselves. School administrators and school board members should also have their say.

Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey, no matter how well intentioned, have no classroom experience. Having heard some of the politicians speak, I'm not sure that many of them could pass the state mandated tests that students must pass in order to obtain a diploma. I am doubtful that they could manage a classroom in all of its diverse problems, let alone teach.

Funding is very important. Funding is very important and the lack of current funding is setting up for many more problems down the road. But fix the funding and there are still some cripling problems teachers face. And those problems were created by politicians.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

146. I disagree - I think throwing money at schools is exactly what is needed.

I think that there are unquestionably other things that would help - fewer exams, less pressure on schools to get good results for pupils in exams that do not matter to the pupil; changes in curriculum here and there - but by far the most helpful thing would be simply to provide schools with funding to do more of the same - hire more teachers, build more classrooms, and cut class sizes.

[Orsino]

3. I can't recommend this enough.

I don't want to hear anything about teacher quality until well after we give them enough money and freedom to teach something other than tests. Fund it first, then nit-pick.

As things are, public education is a contest to see which teachers drown most slowly.

[Still Blue in PDX]

38. Right on, amen, and so mote it be.

I spent a number of years as a member of my kids' school's site council and was extremely grateful that I didn't get that degree in elementary education that I wanted so many years ago. Teachers aren't really given an opportunity to teach anything but narrow benchmark goals.

[earthside]

5. Not necessarily.

If your teaching theory, method or policy is crappy, then you'll get poor results no matter how much money you spend.

Indeed, the proof is in what Obama said this morning ... we've increased funding for education over the past twenty years and yet things are getting worse. What Pres. Obama appears to be clueless about is that it is the policies he is now supporting that are failing.

Frankly, if Obama and the states keep going along with the Bush-Spellings-Obama-Duncan polices ... well, why waste the money?

[kiva]

13. Before you get behind the "we've increased funding for the last 20 years"

meme, think about WHY funding increased and what it has bought.

Twenty years ago not all schools even had computers, and those that did often shared a handful between all the students; now we expect schools to have reasonable access to computers for their students - not to mention computers for admin and office staff, and classroom technology, and you are talking major $$$$$.

Buildings? As some districts lean toward year-round school, the expenditures to heat and cool buildings increases.

Security - twenty years ago few schools had much security beyond a (often part-time) guard. Now schools are expected to purchase equipment to keep their students safe.

Money did NOT increase significantly for more classrooms and teachers so that class size would shrink, which most studies say is the most important factor in improving education. Classroom budgets didn't increase to allow the purchase of necessary items, so that teachers don't need to spend their own money.

Lots more examples, but the fact is that using the "more money doesn't equal good education" meme is at least uninformed and at most deceptive.

[uncommon]

24. Amen. My daughter's first grade classroom has 2 computers for the kids and the teacher has

a laptop with projection software and equipment.

It's nice to have that stuff in the classrooms, and kids do need to learn to integrate computers into their work, but a lot can be learned without computers.

[Stinky The Clown]

31. I'd also ask if the "increase" kept pace with inflation

They LOVE to play that "we increased funding" or "we increased social security payments". Kinda like wages. We make less, in inflated dollars, now than 30 years ago.

[earthside]

40. Not "uninformed" "deceptive"

Let's put it this way.

We know of charter schools that have received, fund raised lots of money ... but test results show that they are doing no better than regular public schools with a comparable socioeconomic student body.

Actually it is just common sense ... it depends on how the money is spent. Just as pouring billions of dollars into the Pentagon budget doesn't necessarily make us safer, the same tactic won't make education better if the funds are spent on stupid programs.

[kiva]

42. The point is that much of the money that politicians

love to say has been dedicated to education is often about things that have little or nothing to do with teaching or learning.

Do students need computer skills? Absolutely. Do schools need computers and other technology? Yes, and ironically the poorest schools need it the most, since their students are the least likely to have computers at home.

But do not confuse increased spending on schools with increased spending on education - they are very different animals - though they do make a good scapegoat for politicians.

[Igel]

51. True. At times.

But countering the claim and assumption that funding helps K-12 educational achievement are studies showing that for the most part educational achievement is independent of funding.

Funding helps when there are deficiencies preventing education. Getting rid of the grosser (i.e., larger and more obvious) deficiencies is actually fairly cheap. What's left is mostly very expensive with small returns.

There have also been very cheap programs that did not involve significant upgrades to facilities and equipments but in structure and management, re-aligning the curriculum, that produced really good educational outcomes.

"Most studies" say lots of things. I like some review studies. There was one on phonemic awareness that looked at over 300 studies, all saying how glorious teachign phonemic awareness was. At the end, there were a dozen definitions, inconsistently applied and often contrary or contradictory to each other; in all but a couple of studies they taught phonemic awareness *and* phonics, tested phonemic awareness by testing phonics, and when they saw an improvement in phonics knowledge decreed that to be an increase in phonemic awareness (whatever the definition of phon. awareness was that they used). In other words, a large chorus cheered itself on for its purity of pitch and elegance of style, but an outside observer said they were out of tune and insipid.

The couple of studies that tested what it said it did after designing a reasonable experimental protocol found that for Israeli Hebrew teaching phonemic awareness was a help; the other study found that for the kids speaking some other language increased phonemic awareness (as defined and implemented in the study) decreased reading ability.

A lot of increased student expenditures is for special ed.

[Phentex]

45. can we at least start with buildings not full of mold and rats...

and leaky roofs and doors that lock so that what little equipment does exist can't be stolen? Have we ever thrown money at that?

[ProdigalJunkMail]

6. funding is NOT the major contributor to the success of a school

or its failure. in GA some of the most successful schools receive a little less than HALF (per student) of what the worst schools in the city of ATL receive. to fix the school...you have to fix the community. raise the community and you raise the school.

funding...part of the equation...not the solution.

sP

[librechik]

7. Why do people always say "Throwing money at the problem?"

There are so many restrictions and rules on Federal money, the idea of throwing is a disservice. It leads to the idea that the money is being spent irresponsibly and there is no recourse. For the most part the money given schools is spent as responsibly as any GROSSLY INSUFFICIENT FUNDING can be spent--yet they still come out short.

Poor results are no surprise when the school roof is falling down, there aren't enough books, and the children didn't get breakfast. Even when the parents care, they often just can't help.

[woo me with science]

16. And yet...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100822/ap_on_re_us/us_taj_mahal_schools

LA unveils $578M school, costliest in the nation

By CHRISTINA HOAG (AP)

LOS ANGELES — Next month's opening of the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools will be auspicious ....With an eye-popping price tag of $578 million, it will mark the inauguration of the nation's most expensive public school ever.

The K-12 complex to house 4,200 students has raised eyebrows across the country as the creme de la creme of "Taj Mahal" schools, $100 million-plus campuses boasting both architectural panache and deluxe amenities.

.....

Not everyone is similarly enthusiastic.

"New buildings are nice, but when they're run by the same people who've given us a 50 percent dropout rate, they're a big waste of taxpayer money," said Ben Austin, executive director of Parent Revolution who sits on the California Board of Education. "Parents aren't fooled."

At RFK, the features include fine art murals and a marble memorial depicting the complex's namesake, a manicured public park, a state-of-the-art swimming pool and preservation of pieces of the original hotel.

.....
The RFK complex follows on the heels of two other LA schools among the nation's costliest — the $377 million Edward R. Roybal Learning Center, which opened in 2008, and the $232 million Visual and Performing Arts High School that debuted in 2009.


The pricey schools have come during a sensitive period for the nation's second-largest school system: Nearly 3,000 teachers have been laid off over the past two years, the academic year and programs have been slashed. The district also faces a $640 million shortfall and some schools persistently rank among the nation's lowest performing.
.....

(more at link)

[uncommon]

21. Don't spend the money on the building - spend it on the contents. Pay the teachers well, fill the

classrooms with books and supplies, keep the class sizes small, create an environment that fosters creativity and achievement.

[woo me with science]

29. Yup. nt

[Stinky The Clown]

32. That article was written by a right winger

Just as an example: Architectural panache is as often good design as it is materials based.

[woo me with science]

43. ...

:wow:

[MedicalAdmin]

102. Teachers ARE to blame for these luxury buildings. Period.

After all it's not like there are any ego driven administrators calling the shots, are there?

[woo me with science]

122. ...

:wtf:

[Skidmore]

11. Education should be not for profit AND

funds should be collected at state level at the very least, and the redistributed with equity throughout the state.

[uncommon]

19. YES - and distributed per student, not per school. I absolutely agree.

This is the kind of "wealth redistribution" we need more than anything.

[blondeatlast]

36. Word--I'm fortunate that my son goes to a well-funded school, but I'd be more fortunate

if every child in the state did and I'm happy to contribute my tax money for that to happen.

[OrangeGrapes]

128. I'm with you on contributing tax money to schools. But...

The government, however, might not.

[mike_c]

71. in America, EVERY THING is for profit, and things that aren't profitable...

...are simply not important.

[Skidmore]

100. And because of that, we are a misguided people, prepared to

bring about the end of our own nation.

[yurbud]

14. I would add one caveat: cap administrative expenses

[Freddie Stubbs]

17. So, are the few lousy teachers would do a better job if we only paid them more money?

[Stinky The Clown]

33. Where did it say that?

Just make a snarky comment if that's all ya got, Fred.

[bik0]

20. Throwing money at schools is not the answer... focus funding on services for teenage single mothers

My wife is a kindergarten teacher at an inner city public school - she's been teaching there for over 20 years.

Most of my wife's students come from one parent families (14 out of 18 last year), usually female, and a lot of those are grandmothers. These are children born out of wedlock to teen age women (some as young as 12) with no parenting skills. The father abandons them in most cases and the kid is passed off to the grandmother many times. A typical parent/teacher night or open house attracts maybe 2 or 3 parents in her class.

The ability to learn is severely impaired by the stress on a child from one or a combination of things... when the parent is single, unemployed, on drugs, alcoholic or abusive. A teacher is almost powerless to overcome these obstacles. My wife has seen a direct correlation with parental apathy, abuse etc. vs. learning ability, comprehension and staying on task.

Kids with learning disabilities are usually from abusive families and also suffer from personality disorders as well. These are angry children where learning is way down the list of priorities. They're angry about being abandoned and not cared for by a mother who's more concerned about getting high then how they do in school.

By the time these kids get into high school with 3nd grade reading skills and realize what opportunity was squandered - it's too late. They become unemployable following the path of their role model parents by dropping out of school, abusing drugs, having babies out of wedlock - and it becomes a vicious circle. No amount of money, vouchers, de-unionization will fix this problem.

If I could point to one sector of society where change could make the most difference with in our education system it would be to focus on young, single mothers. The money that is wasted trying to raise the standards of teachers and increase the performance of those students who are abused, unwilling or unable to learn would be better spent on drug counseling, sex education, parenting skills and life coaching for teenage single mothers.

[uncommon]

22. Are you the same person who posted this on another thread? "Unwed" mothers are not the issue.

[bik0]

27. Yes I posted this on another thread - "single" mothers is the issue...

[uncommon]

58. No, it most certainly is not the issue. The issue is that we live in a society that

is devaluing education, and this attitude is seeping into every sector of society.

Your comments come across as ignorant and narrow-minded.

[bik0]

70. Who is devaluing education? What sector of society?

What is ignorant and narrow minded about wanting resources directed toward drug counseling, sex education, parenting skills and life coaching for teenage single mothers? A child born to a single parent family is at a huge disadvantage and if that parent is 12-14 yrs old and on drugs then a successful education for that child is virtually impossible. Why not try to educate prepubescent girls about what long term ramifications these life changing decisions have... try to get them to look at their life with a long term perspective. Yes - I'm being very specific about what I believe is one of the reasons our schools are failing.

Although this is based on anecdotal evidence form my wife's experience, I do believe it's a widespread problem especially in inner city schools. 14 out of 18 students in one class were from single parent families... that's a pretty high percentage. Only 2 or 3 parents at parent/teacher night... this is the norm at her school and it's the same year after year. You can't tell me that parental apathy isn't related to the student performance. And parental apathy is very much related to UNWANTED children. These teenage mothers do not want these babies and there is a big psychological effect of the child feeling abandoned - there's no connection between the parent and child. They can sense they're unwanted. This goes to the core of who a person is and how they see themselves. This is highly stressful and stress is a huge factor in learning disabilities.

Something needs to be done to prevent these teenage mothers from having babies at such a young age who eventually enter the school system and drag all the other students down with all the attention they demand with their personality disorders and learning disabilities. So much one-on-one time is spent on kids with major behavioral problems, and kids with way below average IQ’s that the "normal" kids who have the desire and ability to learn and achieve are neglected. There is no shortage of aids and tutors in her public school but they are all focused on the unwilling and unable... trying to bring their test scores up so the school is not classified as in "academic emergency". This is what's killing education in our schools.

It's not that "sectors of society" are "devaluing education"... it's a short sighted system that assumes all children are capable of learning and succeeding. The sad truth is it's Utopian nonsense to believe all children are equal and will succeed if we just spend the time and money to bring them up to speed. Instead of tackling the problem after it's established isn't it smarter to prevent the problem from taking root? This is why I'm proposing preventative measures based on education and counseling.

Instead of deriding my comments, tell me what I'm ignoring and what I'm missing.

[uncommon]

72. Obviously parental involvement is important - but plenty of single mothers are good parents

who care deeply about their children and their educations.

There are also plenty of 2 parent families who don't give two shits about their kids.

Crappy parenting comes from ALL sides. My issue is that you are denigrating single mothers as the cause when there are myriad causes.

And I am 100% behind educating children to make better choices about sex and birth control - and 100% behind giving as many resources as possible to young parents (and parents in general) to help their children succeed.

[bik0]

74. I never said there weren't any single mothers that are good parents...

but as you look at their age, even though they may have wanted to get pregnant, the younger they are, the chances are greater that they will not want the child after it's born. And the younger, immature single mothers are more likely to lack parenting skills. I am not that rigid and idealistic to say that ALL single mothers are bad parents or that ALL 2 parent families are good parents. I KNOW that "crappy parenting" comes from all sides.

I resent that you put words in my mouth and then castigate me for things I didn't say.

[uncommon]

115. Apparently, however, you -are- rigid and idealistic enough to say the "single mothers is the issue"

that is causing failures in the public ed system.

I'm not putting words in your mouth - this is what you said.

[bik0]

125. I only said that in response to your "unwed mothers is not the issue"...

To clarify I meant "single" and not "unwed". In all my posts I could not make it more clear that I was talking about YOUNG, IMMATURE, TEENAGE, SINGLE MOTHERS who lack PARENTING SKILLS and have UNWANTED children. How is that saying ALL single women is the issue?

You can take anything out of context and make a liar out of them. Someone who does that is more interested in bashing and is not serious about the real issue.

[uncommon]

127. Your assertion is ridiculous - these people do not make up the majority of the population, so how

can this be the root cause of the problem?

It is *a* problem in and of itself, but you claimed more than once that it was *THE* problem.

I am not bashing - you made a sweeping generalization and now you are trying to back out of it.

[bik0]

131. There you go again... I never said it was the "root cause" of the problem...

It is a big part of the problem though. They may not make up a majority of the population but children born to a single parent make up a large portion of the inner city schools and these are the schools that are failing the most...

"Seven out of every 10 African-American children are born out of wedlock, according to testimony given by a leading social policy researcher during a Joint Economic Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

In what is being called "the nation's worst crisis in the history of the Black family," hearing participants attributed the degenerating situation to the particularly disturbing plight of young African-American men, half of whom are now unemployed, and have 30 percent chance of serving time in prison before age 30.

Mincy, citing other studies, said that single parenthood, lack of education, and incarceration are a vicious cycle in the Black community. "Living with a single mother increases the likelihood of dropping out of school," he said. "The effects of single parenting on dropping out of school are larger, the longer a child is in a single parent home, and larger for boys than girls."

"These numbers take your breath away," committee chairman Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), said. "These numbers should cause national alarm and demand a national solution.""

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_12_111/ai_n18765592/

[bik0]

133. Did you forget this?

"Yes - I'm being very specific about what I believe is one of the reasons our schools are failing."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9209501&mesg_id=9211960

Because I misspoke (single mothers are the issue) one time does that negate everything else? Only in a basher's mind.

[bik0]

137. 75% of black children in Ohio live with single parent...

Nearly three of every four black children in Ohio live with only one parent, usually their mother - a rate almost three times higher than that of white youngsters.

The increase in single-parent families was one of 10 indicators of children's health and economic well-being examined in Kids Count, an annual report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The trend concerns local advocates for children.

"It has a major impact on the financial stability of those families," said Barbara Turpin of the Ohio Children's Defense Fund.

"When you have two parents, both are often working, which brings more resources into the family and other benefits like health insurance. When there is only one parent, that parent takes on double duty, and you can only stretch yourself so thin."

Family structure is a strong gauge of child well-being, researchers say, because single-parent families tend to have less money and move more frequently, and they are generally less stable, putting children at risk of poor grades and behavioral problems.

Nationwide, the rate of children in single-parent families has tripled since 1970, with black children and other minorities disproportionately affected. Reversing that trend would reduce the number of children growing up in poverty and improve the quality of their lives, Turpin said.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/07/27/more-ohio-kids-living-with-single-parents.html

[laughingliberal]

99. What you're ignoring is millions of kids whose problem in school is not unwed mothers. nt

[Stinky The Clown]

34. "Throwing" money?

I'm not even going to grace you with a reply beyond this disdainful one.

[felix_numinous]

26. Low grades are a symptom of a much bigger social problem.

Funding shows where our national priorities lie, certainly. To say the low grades are caused only by teacher skills ignores the social pressure all families are under right now. Unemployment, homelessness, parents having to work multiple jobs and healthcare issues name just a few other factors that are all interrelated.

This is the same way we treat illnesses by focusing on the short term by suppressing symptoms, rather than getting to the roots of the problem because that would require a much longer attention span.

An important point is that social challenges are not solved well because most government officials are only in office 4 or 6 years at a time, and so programs are interrupted, and often take 180degree changes in mission statements. Most politicians are interested in reelection, not all of them, but enough that we have gotten into this mess we seem not to be able to get out of.

This is why I believe social programs should be a permanent part of our society. Education, Healthcare and Welfare have to be assured to everyone independently of the whim of politicians, and have their own funding assured as well. Yes, when it comes to social issues, I am a socialist!!

[LeftinOH]

30. Property owners shouldn't have to bear any extra expense; the funding is all f#*@ed up. n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

35. Renters shoudn't have to pay for the fire department?

Stop it.

[blondeatlast]

37. Well, I've never required the police, so maybe I'll just stop paying for them.

:banghead:

[LeftinOH]

46. I refer to public school funding *only*.

[uncommon]

59. The people who own property in an area have a vested interest in the education of that area's

children. And those who buy and rent a property pass on the taxes to the tenants.

Why should property owners not be responsible for supporting public schools? Please explain.

[Initech]

39. The pukes and the fundies do not want an educated populace.

They want people who are just smart enough to push the right buttons, and that are stupid enough to accept all the increasingly shittier jobs being offerred. The fundies want a Taliban-style government that persecutes anyone they do not like (but are afraid to admit it). An educated society is a truly free society. That's why Glenn Beck and his merry band of idiots are always the first to dismiss education reform. They'll call it socialist and nazi-esque. Our leaders will never admit this, and as such, they'll never work to fix it.

[L0oniX]

57. Educated people embarrass the repukes, tea baggers and fundies.

A stupid person is exposed as being stupid by the educated just like a good worker is hated by all the others who don't do good work. When you do your job well it makes the others who don't, look bad. The only way a tea bagger can avoid exposure of their stupidity in a crowd of educated people, is to shut the hell up. A fool who remains quite in a crowd may be deemed as being wise - bible quote.

[Initech]

73. I keep bringing up this Frank Zappa quote - they hate to be laughed at

I don't remember the whole quote exactly but that was the basic context of it. The pukes, tea baggers and fundies feel the need to be taken seriously, and if they don't, they go apeshit. They're like Dwight from the show The Office - everything he does is supposed to be taken seriously, but it isn't.

[LostInAnomie]

41. One word is necessary:

PARENTING

[Klukie]

119. +1000

[Enthusiast]

141. A parent can only enhance a child's

ability to learn if the parent is educated to begin with. Parents can make sure the child is doing an assignment but they are far less likely to do so if they are not educated themselves. The uneducated parent often does not appreciate the value and significance of education.

[Johonny]

47. We do fund education

on the local level. So it's a very selective "we". Some communities that have been taught to value education and have money do fund their schools do. I think school funding generally goes hand in hand with community/parent activeness in the education system. Communities that have been taught to be afraid of godless gov'ment education and don't have large local resources thus have a double strike against them.

It's hard to fix generally local problems with federal money alone because it's really hard to fix peoples attitude towards education.

[Swamp Rat]

49. Finding and GET RID OF CHARTER SCHOOLS

Charter schools have brought this nation's education to a new low.

[flyarm]

53. + 1 million and they are administratively now being run by Pentagon and MIC people!

go to Hannah Bells Jounral and Madfloridians journals and read all about these charter schools run for and by the richest.. because without knowing what one is talking about..it is all bullshit!

You know that Swampy.I know you have read what i have read by your excellent post!!

[EFerrari]

66. "Charters" are what the monarchs in England gave privateers

to come and exploit the New World, weren't they?

[defendandprotect]

92. +1000% --

[kimmerspixelated]

52. The War money

Just think how well it could've been used, not just for education.

[flyarm]

54. well now we have the war mongers from the MIC and Pentagon running our charter schools!

[Mudoria]

80. Most school funding is at the state and local level...

but then you knew that eh?

[Dawson Leery]

60. Not that simple. We need structural changes to our system.

Two working parents or single parents who work two jobs to get by do not have enough time to raise their children.
The offshoring of high paying industries (both manufacturing and service) have lead to a struggle to get by for many.
We cannot expect teachers to become substitutes for parenting.

[ThoughtCriminal]

63. Everybody compares to other countries

and points out how much better they are doing in various subjects. But does anyone every ask what they are doing that works better?

I'm asking.

[AwakeAtLast]

78. Well, for one thing

most of these countries fund pre-school education for everyone. They get them ready before they even GET to elementary school.

[Lorien]

97. They fund them well, class sizes are small with a focus on individual attention

and they don't rely as heavily on testing. Plus, the parents are encouraged to stay involved.

[Igel]

64. Nonsense.

There's a piss-poor correlation between funding and improvement in educational achievement.

The studies that show improvement typically involve really badly funded schools with very students: Fixing the lighting and the heating, giving every student a book, feeding the kids if they're hungry all make a big difference. But if the kids are fed, students have textbooks (no, it doesn't have to be the latest and greatest, the level of knowledge needed in K-12 is hardly cutting edge), their fingers aren't numb then additional money doesn't much matter.

Overhead projector? Computer projector? Having the curriculum prepackaged in a software module is nice and standardized, but the curriculum was nice and standardized 30 years ago on transparencies.

My district has a couple of really, really nice high schools built in the last 5-7 years. Computers everywhile, stone floors, vaulted ceilings, computer projectors, wifi everywhere, a cafe and all sorts of perks. It also has a high school built in the '50s and one built in the '70s. The pay scale is the same everywhere, with bonuses for lower-achieving schools. Lower achieving schools have gobs of money for tutors. They have flex-time schedules. They have afterschool programs students and training programs for parents. Which are lower achieving? You got it: The nifty new schools. The students in schools where they still use overhead projectors and chalk run academic rings around the students in the nice, new schools. Funding = educational achievement? Nope.

It's the parents.

[CTyankee]

65. I wonder. In western european communities you must have parents who are the

"problems." But they nonetheless educate their people. Not everyone goes to the university, but so what? They all have jobs, thanks to some social programs of the state.

With a little more planning we could have that system, too. It is only a matter of time before we do...

[mike_c]

67. +0.5....

Half agreement because I was completely with you until the last line: "It's the parents."

Actually, it's the students. That's the dynamic that no one wants to talk about here. Perhaps it's just more in my face than in grade school teachers' because I teach college students, ostensibly "adults." Ultimately, the dynamic comes down to students and teachers facing one another in the classroom, laboratory, and lecture hall. Teachers and professors perform lots of functions in this interaction, but most of the learning falls to the students-- that's why they're there, after all-- and that gives them most of the control over the outcomes of student-teacher interactions.

I'm a professor and academic scientist now, suggesting that I'm a reasonably intelligent person, capable of learning. Still, I dropped out of high school twice and never progressed beyond the tenth grade (never passed eighth grade algebra and now I do data analysis and math modeling for a living). My point is that I was a TERRIBLE student-- not one who tried but failed, but rather one who didn't give a damn about school and never participated beyond the bare minimum needed to stay out of jail until I was old enough to quit. I was apathetic and lazy.

I see lots of students like that now, sitting out there in the classroom playing computer games or emailing during class. They're the ones no one wants to talk about in all these debates about "fixing" education-- the students who are failing simply because they choose to fail. They are a substantial minority, and perhaps a majority if we recognize that many students who would LIKE to succeed will ultimately fail, or succeed only marginally, because they seek to avoid the challenges implicit in learning and academic success. They cannot accept that success requires them to embrace those challenges rather than avoid them.

Back to your comments-- I certainly agree that parents play an important role in preparing students to relish academic (and professional) challenges. Mine were lower middle class, sent me to good suburban schools full of white kids and great resources, they berated me constantly to take advantage of the opportunity, work for good grades, etc. They made education important (although I'm STILL the only member of my immediate family ever to finish college, I think). It just wasn't important to me, at least not at the time. Nothing anyone said or did made it important. I failed all my classes from about fourth grade on, passing from one grade to the next simply because the schools didn't know what else to do with kids like me, until I was old enough to quit. My academic apathy contributed to the strain and dysfunction that STILL characterizes my family relationships today. I went back to high school later, for one year after my first marriage, but I still couldn't bring myself to give a rat's buttocks about school, even with a family. I dropped out again. You can't imagine how strange it is to go back to high school at nineteen, and still not want to be there or work at learning.

A half dozen or so years later something just clicked-- I walked into a GED exam without an appointment one night after work and finished in a couple of hours, enrolled at a JC, and began a journey that culminated years later in joining academia myself. It happened when I was ready to make it happen. All the good teachers, good schools, and good parenting in the world couldn't make it happen any sooner than when I was ready.

It's the students. Parents certainly play a role in modeling the right frame of mind for confronting the challenges of learning new things, especially topics that don't seem very relevant, but the best parenting in the world won't overcome apathetic or distracted students.

[jeff47]

110. Funding != buildings

While funding can be used for buildings, that's usually not the problem. Sure, if the building is falling down, or too small for the number of students, then the buildings need some $$.

But the major problem is we pay our teachers poorly. If you're smart and work hard, you can make a ton more money doing something other than teaching. Which means you have a big recruitment and retention problem. You're left with teachers who are a) bad or b) so dedicated to teaching they're willing to make half their potential salary.

Use the extra funding to hire more teachers to get class size down. And use the extra funding to raise teacher salaries so we can make it easier to recruit and retain the good ones.

[Panaconda]

114. Which parents?

Seems there is a direct correlation between school "performance" and wealth. So is it only the parents who aren't wealthy that are the problem? And if so can you imagine a whole host of other factors that come into play or is this tired, simplistic canard, "it's the parents", all you've got.

Hmmm?

[Radical Activist]

68. The high schools in my district spent millions on cameras and metal detectors.

The area is not prone to frequent violence. There's no limit to how much money can be wasted by idiotic, fear-based decision making.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

75. Wouldn't it be great if schools could afford tissues

like in the good old days? They seriously ask for tissues as donations from parents. That tells me that the schools are definitely having funding problems.

[mwooldri]

77. Funding has to be more widespread as you mentioned.

A lot of schools are well funded but still have issues. The social safety net is going away piece by piece... forcing poorer people to literally in some cases work to death to survive.

There needs to be healthcare that's free to all at the point of delivery (yes paid for but not at the doc's office). There needs to be a higher "minimum monthly salary" for all people who work that allows people to have a reasonable quality of living. Homelessness should never be an issue in this country. Food banks should never exist in the USA.

How many people in poverty in the USA today? The CIA's factbook says the USA has 12% below poverty in 2004. In France it was half that. The Census Bureau says it has gone up to 14.3%. America, the worlds' most powerful country, has a worse poverty rate than Syria, Libya, Malaysia and Taiwan.

[2Design]

83. Parents are working three jobs at 7 and 8 dollars hour - they don't have time or energy

to parent - the repubs are not willing to pay living wages but want more money and raises for themselves. They all have government jobs and have benefits and retirement etc. the rest of the people are poor. They don't have the advantages. Also, you can't get kids to study or stay in school when the options are so lousy even with degrees.

[CUTTIN HEADS]

86. Bingo

[defendandprotect]

90. They've starved schools -- except in wealthy areas -- and destroyed those in poor areas ....

Remember reading that often the Federal Budget for education actually contained

secret funding for CIA -- as much as 50% of the budget!!

[Demstud]

93. I don't know about that...

When our schools here were well funded, the administrators didn't know how to spend it. There was plenty of money, but much of it was wasted.

[Kringle]

101. how much per student, is enough? .nt

[tclambert]

103. It needs a particular kind of funding. Look up the Kalamazoo Promise.

That program, and others like it, transform school systems overnight. No change in teachers, no change in adminstrators, no change in faclities. Change the expectations of the students. Give them hope.

The problem isn't that the students from poor families are stupid, it's that they're smart. They figure out a young age that they can't ever afford college, so what's the point of trying hard in high school or junior high? Tell them that they CAN go to college, prove it to them, and they jump at the opportunity.

[nemo137]

104. Funding REFORM

There is no goddamn reasons that some places should have property tax rates that are ~5x higher than others, yet have massively worse schools. Getting rid of the bullshit local property tax-based system we have know could go a long way towards fixing the funding problem.

[ejpoeta]

106. well... i would add another word....

responsibility. teachers are getting the blame for kids who aren't doing the work. lord knows it can't be the parent's responsibility to make sure the kids are doing their homework! it might cut into their tv and video game time. it certainly can't be the kid's responsibility because they are just kids. the teacher's supposed to be a fucking miracle worker....

[procopia]

112. Recommended book

The Manufactured Crisis by Berliner and Biddle explains the rightwing attack on public schools.

[fascisthunter]

113. here come the lies about "throwing money" at Schools

unbelieveable... is this DU?

[nunyabidness]

123. Remember, stupid people are easier to rule. It`s the sheeple rule.

[dotymed]

124. It is amazing, and sad

that schools rely on continual fund raising events to maintain any Arts and now even Athletic programs for their students.
As a parent,(disabled, unemployed and no SS) I help as much as I can. I volunteer and work to at least help preserve what few facilities they have. I still have to pay outrageous sums (to me) for uniforms, membership fee's, etc..
Sadly, I feel like a failure, because I can not afford the extras like baseball camps that last a weekend and cost $200.00.
My son is definitely not living in the same country that I was raised in.

[Greyhound]

126. And then more funding, followed by losing half the administrators. K&R

[freebrew]

130. Locally, our problem is spending priorities.

$millions for a fake grass football field.
Administrators getting well over 6 figure salaries, principals, superintendents, special grant personel.
OS systems that don't work, email systems that don't work, phone systems that don't work.
People living out of district not paying to send their child to our district. Since we're funded through property tax, out of district means they don't pay for their children to attend. Most of these folk are rich, else they would be charged.

And, since we're in the crotch of the bible belt, a religious litmus test for hiring. All unspoken. But I've seen it first hand.
Local control is through an elected school board, the superintendent is hired by the board who then seem to do whatever the super wants as if they are employees.

Most hiring is done through favoritism, relatives of those already working there, or recommendations through church.
Principals are routinely over-ruled by the superintendent. Troublesome children are separated and do not attend classes. Yet they are passed on to the next grade level.

I could go on for another paragraph or two. But the point is that the teachers have no(zero) control over their situation.
A poor administrator will wreck a school system. If your schools aren't doing well, blame the administrators, they have the power to bring change. The teachers, not so much.

More $$ would probably be used for sports, coaches, anything but better education.

[itsrobert]

132. What the hell is wrong with me

I read "shitty ejaculation system"

[BanzaiBonnie]

134. Another couple of words...

Personal responsibility

How many of you are teachers run up against parents who won't back you up when you have to give their baby a poor grade.

Teachers are undermined at every point. From school boards and administrators who won't support teacher decisions - parents who will not help in holding their child accountable for their behavior.

One of the reasons why there must be teacher unions. Otherwise, who will support the teacher

[cjbgreen]

135. Thanks!

But I'm sure we'll be scolded for being whinny about
:
The war ----escalating
Drones and bombing ---- escalating
Privatizing public education-------pushed by democrats!
Not holding BOP accountable----oh get real!
War Crimes-----"we need to look forward"

[Beer Snob-50]

136. funding is the first step

i think the enxt step is to stop teaching to tests and start teaching so that the kids are required to use that grey matter that separates their ears

[Blue Owl]

138. BOOKS NOT BOMBS

That's the way to a better future.

[TZ]

139. It has to be spent correctly though

For years DC public schools spent more per child than just about any other school system in the country but has struggled for years especially considering its wealthy neighbors Fairfax and Montgomery County have the top rated systems in the country. Oh and my mother was a public school teacher in MC for many years..the problems in education go way way deeper than just money issues. Now obviously funding helps, but its alot more involved than that.
As for teachers giving a shit? After enough years in the school system, even a nice rich one like Montgomery County, you'd be surprised how many don't care anymore. Burnout is a HUGE issue. One usually overlooked.
My mom was once a really good English teacher--she made an excellent salary and cared about her students..and about 20 years ago she got fed up with all the bullshit that she quit. Making $50,000 a year at that point. Does that not tell you something?

[Dinger]

142. Thank You Stinky Honey:)

'Precciate it.:fistbump: :yourock:

[ItNerd4life]

143. I agree! Less FUNDING so they stop wasting money on administrators.

Many school districts funds were increasing at a faster rate than inflation in the 1990s and 2000s. Guess what? Most of that money went to administrators, not teaching students.
School districts need to manage a budget, like the rest of us have to.

Otherwise adding more money is as stupid an idea as the Republicans saying we need to spend more money on the 'War on Drugs'.

40 years doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

[Name removed]

144. Deleted message

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