The education system is in shambles

[Rosa Luxemburg]

35 students in the classroom, teacher lay offs, no supplies, out of date textbooks. Is this America?

[newfie11]

1. easier to dumb down population

Welcome to the coming 3rd world America.

[ingac70]

2. Yes.

And the only thing new in all that is teacher lay offs.

[glowing]

3. Just the way the Republicans want it.. An educated populace is

much harder to fool... and will want more than a McJob.

[GoCubsGo]

6. Exactly right.

And, judging by the people in my town, it's working.

[Smarmie Doofus]

4. Hard to believe,isn't it?

Maybe we should try to elect a Democratic president who will try to turn things AROUND.

[Harmony Blue]

5. That is their goal

they want these kids to grow up to be consumers of goods without critical thinking skills in the work place.

[Mass]

7. The goal is to privatize education. Make sure it works poorly and then

say the public cannot deliver a good public service. This should be evident by now.

Sadly, the government is following, by focusing on deficit and on so-called accountability before actually even starting to fix the problems.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

8. The Republicans and their greedy masters have it made

at the expense of the people. I just wish the unions were stronger?

[YvonneCa]

12. Thanks...

,,,Mass. :grouphug:

[knitter4democracy]

9. Yes, and it has always been this way.

We've never put the emphasis on education that other cultures do. We romanticize the one room school house, but reading anything from the time shows how the teachers were underpaid, expected to do miracles, and often had to fight parents and even entire towns to keep kids in school.

I'm a teacher who was lucky enough to find a long-term sub job that lasts until Thanksgiving. The alternative high school where I'd been working for over a year and a half hired someone else for the job I was promised because of pressure from higher up and massive budget cuts due to our governor's "pro-kids, pro-jobs" budget. Now they're not sure they can even pay the guy they replaced me with, and the budget's a mess due to lower enrollment because local districts are keeping the students they would normally send to the alt. high school for the money.

Bottom line: kids are just cogs in the machine, and teachers are worth even less. The governor-appointed manager of the Detroit Public Schools promised 60 kids in a classroom this year, so the 32 in my classes means I'm lucky.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

10. I wonder what Mr. Duncan is going to do about it?

[knitter4democracy]

13. Make it worse. He wants the teacherless classroom.

I'm convinced all those in power do.

[craigmatic]

11. They're just making it worse with race to the top and no child. All the testing is hurting teachers

students. Learning can and should be fun whenever possible but the system they're creating is more like an education factory instead of a school.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

14. the education factory is not working

[madfloridian]

15. They are still "reforming" it.. Just wait, you'll see.

:eyes:

[Mr Deltoid]

16. People who go to college tend to vote Democratic

So they try to keep people from going. They are willing to ruin the scientific viability of this country to get power. They care nothing whatsoever about this country, they only care about the GOP.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

17. many of the private schools are going bankrupt

so if they privatize education there will be nothing left - just like the economy thanks to Bush and his cronies.

[LWolf]

18. It's what happens when you allow the neo-liberals to control the system. nt

[bemildred]

19. So NCLB has been a successful. nt