I teach 80 undergraduate students in the College of Education every Monday night. All of them are what we call “college and career ready”.
Last week I gave these “college and career ready” students an assignment: prepare a group presentation on important topics in education and present those topics to the class. Because they are recent high school graduates, their idea of important education topics and my idea of important education topics were drastically different. For example, I would have picked teacher evaluations, education reform, or theconsequences of No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top on the learning environment.
When they chose topics like dress code, shaming in school, music education programs, testing, and sex ED, I didn’t protest. I sat in the back row of my giant classroom, and listened to these future educators, standing side by side, nervously presenting in an auditorium to their peers.
Each presentation was 5-10 min.
As the third group of the night set up in the front of the room, their PowerPoint came into view onto the giant screen. In giant letters read College Readiness? with this image underneath:
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Almost all funds are spent on below average learners and those who won't behave. Other students are not a priority. We're closing the gap by holding back those who want to learn. Nothing to show for the millions of dollars spent on remedial programs except for a decline in numbers of high performing learners. Disgraceful.
ReplyDeleteGreat article with an excellent point.
ReplyDeleteHow many MILLIONS of $$ are being wasted on what is being called 'education' in this country?
Are your kids ready for their adult lives, or have you just assumed they are because of all the tax money that is being spent on Fredrickson's Folly?
It just starts here - it continues all the way in to the careers of these 'below average learners'. In the Federal government, they are hired for affirmative action continuing the effect.
ReplyDeletethe whole point of public schools is to destroy the wills and minds of sharp students..,ask too many questions? wonder too much why you study what you study? You'll quickly be labeled a troublemaker. I remember getting in trouble for reading too far ahead in the textbook- not to mention that most public school teachers are regis and kathy lee watching morons....
ReplyDeleteWho need a check book when da government gives me everyfing???
ReplyDeleteThis article covered many good points. Some of the responsibility also lays at the feet of the parents. Why are they spending time with their children showing them how to balance a checkbook, how to budget, how to do homework given by teachers. My children had classes in school about banking, balancing a checkbook, and other day to day activities, and the parents were also involved in providing assistant in the process.
ReplyDeleteOf course, with the common core, I don't know that a child will ever be able to learn how to balance a checkbook or plan a budget without killing three or four good sized trees to draw all their tally marks and such.