Ah the glorious education of our public system... (Not the fault of the teachers

[nadinbrzezinski]

by they way... but how we fund it, and that is another rant)

So went over to Carls Junior to get dinner. One of our rare treats... and a day I get a break from cooking

As I am waiting for my order two young men are talking about the crisis (yes folks are), so one of them tells the other... well we need a new deal.

I turned and asked them, do you know what that was?

They were honest, had no clue, just that it worked in the great depression... but they knew squat about it... but they heard about it in passing in history or social science class, they weren't too sure about it

So spent 10 minutes doing the cliffs notes and encouraged them to call their congress critters...

One asked, but mine is a repub... he won't listen...

I told him, call anyway... the last thing they want is a bunch of people actually awake... I also told them of web resources to get more info on it.

This gives me hope that people are actually paying attention outside the small refuge that are the interwebs

[glowing]

1. When people hear $, they pay attention.. and beleive me, they aren't buying

what the pigs are selling.. Send the money to restore America, and let the 2% fall on their asses.. Its time for a new set of rules.. Frankly, I'd like to see a new system that is fair.. I'd like to see a world where people don't die because they didn't have the money to feed themselves or seek medical attention..

[L0oniX]

3. Health care and food are human rights ...IMO

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Yes they are, why we need a living wage

and national health care, single payer

[mdohoney]

2. Grade Level and its problem

One of the frequently used concepts used to prove our schools are not doing well is the claim that

"50% of the Students in American schools are below grade level."

Think for a minute. Grade level is computed in such a way that average student at a given level performs with a certain proficiency. So generally speaking the claim above is to be explected. If too many students are performing above or below that proficiency it is incumbant on the testing companies to renorm the tests so that indeed that claim remains to be true.

What I have a hard time understanding is how our elementary and high school system can be performing so poorly when our college and university system here in America is the envy of the world.

Now a good many high schools have abandoned the trades and business preparation and demanded that all students go to college which is clearly inane. A high number of high school students are more interested in earning a living and working and not at all interested in spending 4 to 8 more years doing college work. We wonder why such high drop out rates. We are not offering a vast majority of the students what they need to make lives for themselves.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Two comments on this

our basic education is doing that lousy... hell in cali we are arguing whether kids should be forced to take algebra in eight grade (for the record I did... didn't go to school in the states) So yes, we cut way too many corners.

And testing that is a whole different kettle of fish

As to college... research institutions are ... but trust me, the first two years of GE we are catching to the rest of the world... I know, I actually took many of my GE courses and got them validated due to the books et al used in HS in another country.

And we will not be the envy for long either...

We need to reform the school system. And kids HAVE to read the US constitution and UNDERSTAND it before they leave HS... the same goes for a basic course on how the banking system actually works... so things like why my bank will not let me take money out from your bank's ATM if the credit crisis deepens, will not be like talking quantum mechanics to people