[BretLudwig]

How to improve education?

"For several weeks, I've been noodling away on an article on how to
improve mass K-12 education in America, as an upbeat response to Charles
Murray's important article "Educational Romanticism." So far, though, I
haven't come up with a very long list.

So, I'd like your suggestions in the comments. Or email me.

In the meantime, here is one of the Presidential candidates' speeches on
What to Do About Education. I haven't looked into what the other
candidates said, but I doubt if it particularly matters which candidate
this is (other than Ron Paul). I've included in italics the comments of a
friend who has spent his career analyzing education statistics. He's heard
it all before.

Full text of Obama's education speech

Sen. Barack Obama's speech, "What's Possible for Our Children," was
delivered at Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts in Thornton on
Wednesday:

It's an honor to be here at Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts.
Just three years ago, only half of the high school seniors who walked the
halls of this building were accepted to college. But today, thanks to the
hard work of caring parents, innovative educators and some very committed
students, all 44 seniors of this year's class have been accepted to more
than 70 colleges and universities across the country. [This is quite a
change. Any difference in demographics?]

I'm here to congratulate you on this achievement, but also to hold up
this school and these students as an example of what's possible in
education if we're willing to break free from the tired thinking and
political stalemate that's dominated Washington for decades, if we're
willing to try new ideas and new reforms based not on ideology but on what
works to give our children the best possible chance in life. [No
substance.]

At this defining moment in our history, they've never needed that
chance more. In a world where good jobs can be located anywhere there's an
Internet connection-- where a child in Denver is competing with children in
Beijing and Bangalore -- the most valuable skill you can sell is your
knowledge. [It's actually your intelligence, which can be raised only
marginally by current technologies.] Education is the currency of the
Information Age, no longer just a pathway to opportunity and success but a
prerequisite. [Again, it's intelligence.] There simply aren't as many jobs
today that can support a family where only a high school degree is
required. [This was already predicted by The B*ll C*rv*, but for
intelligence not degrees. What it takes to support a family is mostly a
subjective judgment.] And if you don't have that degree, there are even
fewer jobs available that can keep you out of poverty.

In this kind of economy, countries who out-educate us today will
out-compete us tomorrow. Already, China is graduating eight times as many
engineers as we are. [It has a much bigger population, too. Also, it's
easier to get an engineering degree in China than here.] By 12th grade,
our children score lower on math and science tests than most other kids in
the world. [This is false. Generally, U.S. kids are in the middle among the
advanced nations.] And we now have one of the highest high school dropout
rates of any industrialized nation in the world. [This is a good thing,
since high school is mostly a waste of time, particularly for those of
less than average intelligence.] In fact, if the more than 16,000 Colorado
students who dropped out of high school last year had only finished, the
economy in this state would have seen an additional $4.1 billion in wages
over these students' lifetimes. [Aristotle exploded the post hoc, ergo
propter hoc fallacy in the fifth century B.C. The figures for this
statement are just for raw income. Differences in intelligence and effort
are not considered.]

There is still much progress to be made here in Thornton, but the work
you've done shows us that we do not accept this future for America.

We don't have to accept an America where we do nothing about six
million students who are reading below their grade level. [Ignores how
grade level "standards" are set. If kids read better, the "standards"
would get adjusted upward. There are always going to be those who fail to
meet them.]

We don't have to accept an America where only 20 percent of our
students are prepared to take college-level classes in English, math and
science. Where barely one in 10 low-income students will ever graduate
from college. [Sure, we could dumb down college requirements.]

We don't have to accept an America where we do nothing about the fact
that half of all teenagers are unable to understand basic fractions. [What
was it a hundred years ago?] Where nearly nine in 10 African-American and
Latino eighth-graders are not proficient in math. We don't have to accept
an America where elementary school kids are only getting an average of 25
minutes of science each day when we know that over 80 percent of the
fastest-growing jobs require a knowledge base in math and science. [This
last statement has no basis in any facts I've ever seen. I have asked lots
of people to recite the quadratic formula, which they all got in the ninth
grade. Hardly anyone can.]

This kind of America is morally unacceptable for our children. It's
economically untenable for our future. And it's not who we are as a
nation. [Bromides.]

We are the nation that has always understood that our future is
inextricably linked to the education of our children -- all [text missing.
This was true before government education. "In no part of the habitable
globe is learning and true useful knowledge so universally disseminated as
in our native country. Who hath seen a native adult who cannot write? Who
knows a native of the age of puberty that cannot read the bible." --John
Gardiner, 1785 (exhibit in the National Museum of American History).] We
are the country that has always believed in Thomas Jefferson's declaration
that "talent and virtue, needed in a free society, should be educated
regardless of wealth or birth." [He actually did say this. But he was
honest enough to ask for a constitutional amendment to fund education:
http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/w...efferson.html]

That's who we are. And that's why I believe it's time to lead a new
era of mutual responsibility in education, one where we all come together
for the sake of our children's success. An era where each of us does our
part to make that success a reality: parents and teachers, leaders in
Washington and citizens all across America. [The part of most of us is to
pay.]

This starts with fixing the broken promises of No Child Left Behind.
Now, I believe that the goals of this law were the right ones. Making a
promise to educate every child with an excellent teacher is right.
[Where's the free lunch?] Closing the achievement gap that exists in too
many cities and rural areas is right. [This is impossible, on current
technology, unless you want to level the field by inflicting brain damage
on the smarter.] More accountability is right. Higher standards are
right.

But I'll tell you what's wrong with No Child Left Behind. Forcing our
teachers, our principals and our schools to accomplish all of this without
the resources they need is wrong. Promising high-quality teachers in every
classroom and then leaving the support and the pay for those teachers
behind is wrong. [I'm not sure these things were exactly promised. But who
is to pay for them?] Labeling a school and its students as failures one day
and then throwing your hands up and walking away from them the next is
wrong. [Is nothing incurable?]

We must fix the failures of No Child Left Behind. We must provide the
funding we were promised [This guy is a United States Senator. He knows
fully well that acts of Congress specify the maximum amount of money that
can be spent. What is actually funded by Congress is done in MONSTER
appropriation bills, that fund several different Departments at once. He
is a liar.], give our states the resources they need [The objectives are
impossible.] and finally meet our commitment to special education. [Does
"America's future" depend on the mentally challenged, which is what most
"special education" students are?] We also need to realize that we can
meet high standards without forcing teachers and students to spend most of
the year preparing for a single, high-stakes test. Recently, 87 percent of
Colorado teachers said that testing was crowding out subjects like music
and art. [This is indeed unfortunate, but the "music" that was being
taught in school before NCLB was not classical but rather garbage.] But we
need to look no further than MESA to see that accountability does not need
to come at the expense of a well-rounded education. It can help complete
it -- and it should.

As president, I will work with our nation's governors and educators to
create and use assessments that can improve achievement all across America
by including the kinds of research, scientific investigation and
problem-solving that our children will need to compete in a 21st century
knowledge economy. [How are assessments, as such, going to improve
learning?] The tests our children take should support learning not just
accounting. [If this means that educrats design tests badly, okay. But who
is going to design better tests?] If we really want our children to become
the great inventors and problem-solvers of tomorrow, our schools shouldn't
stifle innovation, they should let it thrive. That's what MESA is doing by
using visual arts, drama and music to help students master traditional
subjects like English, science and math, and that's what we should be
doing in schools all across America. [This sounds interesting.]

But fixing the problems of No Child Left Behind is not an education
policy on its own. It's just a starting point.

A truly historic commitment to education -- a real commitment -- will
require new resources [MORE!] and new reforms. It will require a
willingness to move beyond the stale debates that have paralyzed
Washington for decades: Democrat versus Republican; vouchers versus the
status quo; more money versus more accountability. It will require leaders
in Washington who are willing to learn a lesson from students and teachers
in Thornton or Denver about what actually works. That's the kind of
president I intend to be, and that's the kind of education plan I've
proposed in this campaign.

It begins with the understanding that from the moment our children
step into a classroom, the single most important factor in determining
their achievement is not the color of their skin or where they come from.
It's not who their parents are or how much money they have.

It's who their teacher is. [Coleman exploded this in 1965.] It's the
person who stays past the last bell and spends their own money on books
and supplies. It's the men and women here at MESA who go beyond the call
of duty because you believe that's what makes the extra difference. And it
does. [Evidence, please? Remember that only "accounting" is used to test
the students.]

And if we know how much teaching matters, then it's time we treated
teaching like the profession it is. I don't want to just talk about how
great teachers are. I want to be a president who rewards them for their
greatness.
[MMORE!!]

That starts with recruiting a new generation of teachers and
principals to replace the generation that's retiring and those who are
leaving. Right here in Colorado, more than 6,000 teachers won't be
returning to the schools where they taught last year. [Yeah, lot's of
folks retire. Is there something unusual here? Maybe terrible
administrators that make teaching difficult. After all, private schools
pay less than government schools, since the teachers are freer.] That's
why as president, I'll create a new Service Scholarship program to recruit
top talent into the profession and begin by placing these new teachers in
overcrowded districts and struggling rural towns, or hard-to-staff
subjects like math and science in schools all across the nation.
[MMMORE!!!] And I will make this pledge as president to all who sign up:
If you commit your life to teaching, America will commit to paying for
your college education. [MMMMORE!!!! The chief executive does not have the
power to do this, not yet.]

To prepare our teachers, I will create more Teacher Residency Programs
to train 30,000 high-quality teachers a year. [MMMMMORE!!!!!] We know these
programs work [We do?], and they especially help attract talented
individuals who decide to become teachers midway through their careers.
Right here in MESA, you have excellent teachers like Ike Ogbuike, who
became a math teacher after working as an auto-engineer at Ford and
completing a one-year, teacher-residency program.

To support our teachers, we will expand mentoring programs that pair
experienced, successful teachers with new recruits -- one of the most
effective ways to retain teachers. [MMMMMMORE!!!!!!] We'll also make sure
that teachers work in conditions which help them and our children succeed.
[MMMMMMMORE!!!!!!!] For example, here at MESA, teachers have scheduled
common planning time each week and an extra hour every Tuesday and
Thursday for mentoring and tutoring students that need additional help.

And when our teachers do succeed in making a real difference in our
children's lives, I believe it's time we rewarded them for it.
[MMMMMMMMORE!!!!!!!!] I realize that the teachers in Denver are in the
middle of tough negotiations right now, but what they've already proven is
that it's possible to find new ways to increase teacher pay that are
developed with teachers, not imposed on them.

My plan would provide resources to try these innovative programs in
school districts all across America. [MMMMMMMMMORE!!!!!!!!!] Under my
Career Ladder Initiative, these districts will be able to design programs
that reward accomplished educators who serve as mentors to new teachers
with the salary increase they deserve. [MMMMMMMMMMORE!!!!!!!!!!] They can
reward those who teach in underserved areas or teachers who take on added
responsibilities, like you do right here at MESA.
[MMMMMMMMMMMORE!!!!!!!!!!!] And if teachers acquire additional knowledge
and skills to serve students better -- if they consistently excel in the
classroom -- that work can be valued and rewarded as well.
[MMMMMMMMMMMMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

And when our children do succeed, when we have a graduating class like
this one where every single student has been accepted to college, we need
to make sure that every single student can afford to go. As president, I
will offer a $4,000 tax credit that will cover two-thirds of the tuition
at an average public college and make community college completely free.
[MMMMMMMMMMMMMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!] And in return, I will ask students to
serve their country, whether it's by teaching or volunteering or joining
the Peace Corps. [This is a mistake. The best way to help your fellow man,
in a free society and generally, is to become rich, and I am not referring
to what the government takes and wastes.] We'll also simplify the maze of
paperwork required to apply for financial aid and make it as easy as
checking off a box on your tax returns because you shouldn't need a Ph.D.
to apply for a student loan. [This is too bad. The *old* aid forms
ammounted to something of an IQ test, so that resources were not wasted on
those who can't actually benefit from college.]

Finally, as so many of you know, there are too many children in
America right now who are slipping away from us as we speak, who will not
be accepted to college and won't even graduate high school. [How many
should be slipping away?] They are overwhelmingly black, and Latino, and
poor. [Is there a reason for that?] And when they look around and see that
no one has lifted a finger to fix their school since the 19th century, when
they are pushed out the door at the sound of the last bell -- some into a
virtual war zone -- is it any wonder they don't think their education is
important? [Is it buildings now that matter, not teachers?] Is it any
wonder that they are dropping out in rates we've never seen before? [Is
this true?]

I know these children. I know their sense of hopelessness. I began my
career over two decades ago as a community organizer on the streets of
Chicago's South Side. And I worked with parents and teachers and local
leaders to fight for their future. We set up after-school programs, and we
even protested outside government offices so that we could get those who
had dropped out into alternative schools. And in time, we changed
futures.
[Any controlled studies?]

And so while I know hopelessness, I also know hope. I know that if we
bring early education programs to these communities, if we stop waiting
until high-school to address the drop-out rate and start in earlier grades
-- as my Success in the Middle Act will do -- if we bring in new, qualified
teachers, if we expand college outreach programs like GEAR UP and TRIO and
fight to expand summer learning opportunities for minority and
disadvantaged students -- like I've done in the Senate -- or if we double
funding for after-school programs to serve a million more children, as
I've proposed to do as president, if we do all this, we can make a
difference in the lives of our children and the life of this country.
[MMMMMMMMMMMMMMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!] know we can. I've seen it happen. And so
have you.

Yes, it takes new resources, but we also know that there is no program
and no policy that can substitute for a parent who is involved in their
child's education from day one. [Do you find a problem with parents who
are so irresponsible that they bring children into the world that they
can't or won't support at the level you think they should?] There is no
substitute for a parent who will make sure their children are in school on
time and help them with their homework after dinner and attend those
parent-teacher conferences, like so many parents here at MESA do. [You
told us earlier that teachers, and maybe buildings, were the most
important factor.] And I have no doubt that we will still be talking about
these problems in the next century if we do not have parents who are
willing to turn off the TV once in awhile and put away the video games and
read to their child. Responsibility for our children's education has to
start at home. We have to set high standards for them and spend time with
them and love them. We have to hold ourselves accountable. [What new
Federal crimes will there be?]

This is the commitment we must make to our children. This is the
chance they must have. And I will never forget that the only reason I'm
standing here today is because I was given that same chance. And so was my
wife.

Our parents weren't wealthy by any means. My mother raised my sister
and me on her own, and she even had to use food stamps at one point.
Michelle's father was a worker at a water-filtration plant on the South
Side of Chicago and provided for his family on a single salary. And yet,
with the help of scholarships and student loans and a little luck,
Michelle and I both had the chance to receive a world-class education. And
my sister ended up becoming a teacher herself.

That is the promise of education in America, that no matter what we
look like or where we come from or who our parents are, each of us should
have the opportunity to fulfill our God-given potential. Each of us should
have the chance to achieve the American dream. Here at MESA, you've shown
America just how that's possible. I congratulate you, and I wish you
continued success, and I look forward to working with you and learning
from you in the months and years ahead. Thank you. "

http://isteve.blogspot.com/2008/06/h...education.html


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[Shhhh! I'm Listening to Reason!]

On Jun 6, 6:17*pm, "BretLudwig" wrote:
How to improve education?

Diversity training to combat ignorance.

[Shhhh! I'm Listening to Reason!]

On Jun 6, 8:47*pm, "ScottW" wrote:
"BretLudwig" wrote in message

* *It's an honor to be here at Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts.
Just three years ago, only half of the high school seniors who walked the
halls of this building were accepted to college. But today, thanks to the
hard work of caring parents, innovative educators and some very committed
students, all 44 seniors

44? *What happenned to the rest of the class? *Why in hell is Obama
visiting a one room school house?

We have an arts high school near me. Its enrollment is very
competitive, based largely upon audition or portfolio, and the class
sizes are quite small. Think "Fame".

He probably chose to visit because it's an innovative school.

Now quit barking about everything you don't understand, which is
everything.

[Shhhh! I'm Listening to Reason!]

On Jun 7, 10:51*am, "ScottW" wrote:
"Shhhh! I'm Listening to Reason!" wrote in ...
On Jun 6, 8:47 pm, "ScottW" wrote:

"BretLudwig" wrote in message
It's an honor to be here at Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts.
Just three years ago, only half of the high school seniors who walked the
halls of this building were accepted to college. But today, thanks to the
hard work of caring parents, innovative educators and some very committed
students, all 44 seniors

44? What happenned to the rest of the class? Why in hell is Obama
visiting a one room school house?

We have an arts high school near me. Its enrollment is very
competitive, based largely upon audition or portfolio, and the class
sizes are quite small. Think "Fame".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So much for this being a model to build upon.

Who said it was a "model to build upon"? He said it was an example of
thinking outside the box:

"I'm here to congratulate you on this achievement, but also to hold
up
this school and these students as an example of what's possible in
education if we're willing to break free from the tired thinking and
political stalemate that's dominated Washington for decades, if we're
willing to try new ideas and new reforms based not on ideology but on
what
works to give our children the best possible chance in life."

Don't feel bad, 2pid: Bratzi missed the substance here as well.

Having "competitive enrollment" in K-12 is not exactly a
model you can extend throughout the system.

Not everybody wants to be an artist, 2pid. I'll wager you have no
talent whatsoever in that direction, for example. And I'm not sure
what Mapleton's admissions system is. I was merely pointing out that
smaller schools like this exist. In my area it's competitive and its
focus is on teaching arts. Not everybody want to attend a non-
traditional school.

Why would you want to generalize an admissions system for a school
like this to the rest of the district? Did you 'think' to do a search
on this school? Here, dimmy, let me help:

1. Copy name of school. When you are done, it will look like this:

Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts

2. Go to google. Paste name of school into search box.

3. Hit "enter".

4. Open link to school.

5. (And here's the really, really hard part for you) read and
understand information now on your screen. If you need more
information, call the school. their number is now right in front of
you.

Lol