To fix education in the United States, we need to spend more money on it

"It's a shame that we spend more on the military than on education"

Actually, we don't. If you tally up federal, state and local expenditures on education it totals more than $1 Trillion. Federal defense spending is in the $500-700 Billion range.

Pumping money into these endless wars in the Middle East is like pumping it into failed urban schools. You may as well take the money and burn it.

Hingle McCringleberry wrote:

R U R U Really? wrote:

No, not really. Just pointing out the fact that your IQ is zero (at least by all appearances). Sorry if the reality of you is something that you consider to be insulting. That must really suck.

You are the gift that keeps on giving.

Is that the best that you can do with an IQ of zero? Well, probably yes. I am sorry.

Get some rest. You might grow a neuron!

etcher wrote:

Hingle McCringleberry wrote:

If you have so etching to support the 11-8 thing, I'd love to see it.

I too would like to see an etching that supports "the 11-8 thing." I usually read scientific journals, and a good cave etching would really be a nice change of pace every once in a while. Y'know, just as a reminder of simpler times.

You really ought to take it easy on the guy. He's pretty much Jamin II (if not Jamin I).

Hingle Dingle: "Oh, help me. Why don't I get any respect on these boards? Is it because I am the village idiot?"

It's not about the $$$. It's about the student reading & studying when they get home.

I've got a BS & MBA. I've taken courses at a community college & at good universities. Books on algebra, history, english, etc.. up to graduate level business, etc.. are pretty consistent. Schools that can't afford books can even get online accounts & print them. Computer labs? Okay, that's an issue. But the college prep, SAT & ACT areas are more than available to learn.

R U R U Really? wrote:

Hingle McCringleberry wrote:

You are the gift that keeps on giving.

Is that the best that you can do with an IQ of zero? Well, probably yes. I am sorry.

Get some rest. You might grow a neuron!

Dude, you must realize that you are making Hingle's point for him. Why do you keep re-verifying what he has said?

Proud Obama Voter wrote:

It's a shame that we spend more on the military than on education. We need to pay teachers more, give kids better textbooks and better facilities.

The problem is that when you increase spending to either of the two programs, the money does not go where it should. It stays at the top to pay for infrastructure, bureaucratic things and the higher up people and rarely gets to where the boots are on the ground.

I don't like the idea of completely getting rid of summer vacation. It might help test scores, but there's plenty of time for slaving away year round when they are grown. Had a friend from France tell me that, while their hs is more rigorous, by the time they got to college they were all extremely burned out. They would just sit and talk during lectures. College was regarded as the time to relax. He was amazed how serious students took it here.

I think teacher pay should be restructured. Don't know exactly how, perhaps based on subject and number of classes taught, or give more power to administration to determine pay. It should also be easier to fire a teacher. Too many times teachers that don't care enough to try and just want to do draw a paycheck, just get moved to the joke classes that are not tested instead of fired. They get paid the same for these classes that require much less knowledge and time. They are rewarded for their laziness. Meanwhile the teachers that care are put in the tough classes that are more time intensive, have higher expectations of results, yet pay the same. It doesn't happen in every school I'm sure, but we're 3 for 3 out of the ones my wife has taught at.

Josh Hamilton's Addiction wrote:

R U R U Really? wrote:

Is that the best that you can do with an IQ of zero? Well, probably yes. I am sorry.

Get some rest. You might grow a neuron!

Dude, you must realize that you are making Hingle's point for him. Why do you keep re-verifying what he has said?

Ummm..Yay? Yay for you?

Please go away.

Sloppy Joe wrote:

Please go away.

So simple, my little simpleton friend.

Proud Obama Voter wrote:

It's a shame that we spend more on the military than on education. We need to pay teachers more, give kids better textbooks and better facilities.

yeah, because spending more (a lot more!) on education has worked so well over the last 50 years...

Now we're stuck with the most underachieving, inefficient, ineffective wasteful boondoggle in the history of man: the American govt school education system, which basically does the opposite of what it's objective should be..

One measure of it's lack of success is the depressingly large # of folks who went through said system & think and act like OP...

Has anyone noticed that the educational standing of the United States versus the rest of the world has declined as the teacher's unions strength had risen??

If You Can't Do, Teach wrote:

Has anyone noticed that the educational standing of the United States versus the rest of the world has declined as the teacher's unions strength had risen??

Not to point out your ignorance but....... The exact opposite has happened. Over the last 20 years there has been a constant attack on teachers and teachers unions and this the profession has become less desirable for high achieving students.

Over the last 20 years teachers union membership has shrank and so has there influence over education policy. Thus politicians have gained influence particularly in Republican states. In these states you can see a huge drop in educational achievement as the push partisan agendas instead of sound educational policy.

20 years ago most states had some kind of teachers unions. Now most don't or the unions have been cut to piece by laws.

So to summarize. You are wrong. Education has actual got worse when the stack holders have been cut out of the process and big corporations have been allowed to step in for a profit.

If You Can't Do, Teach wrote:

Has anyone noticed that the educational standing of the United States versus the rest of the world has declined as the teacher's unions strength had risen??

Also ask yourself these questions.

Where are the best states in education located? Where are the strongest teachers unions located? Where are the highest paid teachers located?

Answer that then ask yourself the following.

Where are the worst states in education located? Where are the states with virtual no teachers unions located? Last where are the lowest paid teachers located?

Be honest with yourself and you'll begin to understand why it is not the fault of teachers unions for most of the current education issues.

Roy D. Mercer wrote:

Proud Obama Voter wrote:

It's a shame that we spend more on the military than on education. We need to pay teachers more, give kids better textbooks and better facilities.

yeah, because spending more (a lot more!) on education has worked so well over the last 50 years...

Now we're stuck with the most underachieving, inefficient, ineffective wasteful boondoggle in the history of man: the American govt school education system, which basically does the opposite of what it's objective should be..

One measure of it's lack of success is the depressingly large # of folks who went through said system & think and act like OP...

Cripes you're ignorant. Look up 'hyperbole' in the dictionary and they gave your picture there. Obviously you're not a product of thus educational system.

R U R U Really? wrote:

Roy D. Mercer wrote:

yeah, because spending more (a lot more!) on education has worked so well over the last 50 years...

Now we're stuck with the most underachieving, inefficient, ineffective wasteful boondoggle in the history of man: the American govt school education system, which basically does the opposite of what it's objective should be..

One measure of it's lack of success is the depressingly large # of folks who went through said system & think and act like OP...

Cripes you're ignorant. Look up 'hyperbole' in the dictionary and they gave your picture there. Obviously you're not a product of thus educational system.

Also, check out the number of posters whose life is so shitty that the most pathetic of all posting practices (posting under the handle of another) marks the highlight of their lives. This should give you the sense that something is deeply wrong with them and with the education system that spit them out.

Well Now That You Mention It wrote:

Hingle McCringleberry wrote:

How will starting school days later change anything for the better? It's not like that automatically means more sleep time.

Actually, it pretty much does. It has been pretty well documented that start times around 9 result in superior performance for high school kids when compared to start times around 7.

And it's also been heavily suggested that the optimal creative/intellectual workload is around 35 hours a week.

Maintaining a late enough morning start and extending the school year can ensure the kids can maintain/improve learning efficiency while increasing their annual workloads. Of course, this - as always - only works if the kids do everything else right (eat, sleep, pay attention in class and do their homework), and the responsibility for that lies in the parent's hands, not the rest of society.

madarin wrote:

If you eliminate the test scores of blacks and Hispanics, US students score higher than almost every other country in the world. Even though teachers unions are a joke, they aren't the issue. More money isn't the answer. The problems in the US education system aren't even "problems." They are the natural result of the genetic differences between races.

Behold, the superiority of the civilized white race

R U R U Really? wrote:

Roy D. Mercer wrote:

yeah, because spending more (a lot more!) on education has worked so well over the last 50 years...

Now we're stuck with the most underachieving, inefficient, ineffective wasteful boondoggle in the history of man: the American govt school education system, which basically does the opposite of what it's objective should be..

One measure of it's lack of success is the depressingly large # of folks who went through said system & think and act like OP...

Cripes you're ignorant. Look up 'hyperbole' in the dictionary and they gave your picture there. Obviously you're not a product of thus educational system.

LOL. "....they gave your picture there" "...thus educational system"

Duuuuhhhhh........ddddrrrrrrrrr......Huuuuuhhhuuuuuhh...fart...scratch....giggle...

Irony is awesome.