My officemate, who commutes from the Augusta, GA area, is amazed that his kids' spelling tests are multiple choice, and that his sister, the teacher, has been told by parents that it's her job to teach little Kaneisha to tie her shoes: "It not my job. It yo job."

A mouth to feed in the "assisted lunch" program means power for school administrators. There is a LOT wrong with schools.

From the article: "In October 1999, the U.S. Department of Education released a report to 16,000 school districts..."

That is the root of the problem: the US Department of Education should not exist. Education is the job of communities, possibly with guidance from the state government. The federal department of education provides job security for bureaucrats who have no connection whatsoever to the needs of any community. They not only do not - they cannot any idea of what they are talking about.

Of course, the the federal government is incapable of eliminating a bureaucracy, no matter how useless, so the Dept. of Education will continue to exist. The states should just find the balls to ignore the nonsensical natterings of the federal nanny.

I was once asked by someone "in Education" "What qualifies YOU to teach children?" when I suggested ways to make the home school process work for those who wish to pursue it. She was pretty nasty about it too. That attitude along with this article sums up the problems in my mind with public education. The public educators are rightly threatened by home schooling.

Well, I didn't know the woman was an "educator" until I made my comment-I wouldn't have bothered.

"Oopsy!"

Pretty much what the teacher's unions said after it was noticed that a generation of children taught with the "whole reading" methodology were illiterate.

They paid a high price for that one. Oh, wait. No they didn't, so now they're at it again.

I used to teach math. I can confirm this... kids are getting overly reliant on calculators, which is ok at higher levels, but a lot of the kids don't quite understand what addition, multiplication, division and subtraction are. Especially with negative numbers. Factor in social promotion...

I should include education administrators, or as I call them, worthless overpaid bureaucrats, to the teacher's unions mentioned above.

You do understand that this is not an accident, yes?

If they can't do math, they can't figure out that they are being robbed blind by an increasingly corrupt political class.

Here's my math question: If private school tuition for my kids is $4750 each, and the public schools here get $9000 per student (in tax dollars), why are the public schools demanding more money when the private school students significantly outperform the public school students? What's more, our teachers get paid LESS, are NOT unionized, and are teaching choosing these lower wages of their own free will.

The librarian at the PRESCHOOL in my district makes $105,000 a year. This is listed on the school administration website which requires all salaries to be listed.

Want some irony? Most of the public school teachers in this city choose to send their kids to our private school. It's a Christian school, but only 20% of the students are church-going. Think about it; Public school teachers of no church affiliation would rather have their children taught bible verses that they don't believe in, than have their kids subjected to a public school education that they as teachers take their livelihood from.

My 5th grader hasn't used a calculator yet, I haven't even seen it on the school supplies list. I expect she'll need one to do logarithms next year.

I'm a homsechooled kid. I went back to "real" school for highschool just to make up for any educational experiences I was missing (yes, I was that much of a naif - there are a few drawbacks to homeschooling). A year later I dropped out of high school, told the state I was homeschooling and enrolled in the local community college. I got my AA two weeks before I got my HS Diploma. That sounds super smart when I say it, but believe me, I am not super smart.

"Educators" should be frightened of the homeschooling movement. Unfortunately the reaction is to make it harder to homeschool, not to get their collective asses in gear.

I must confess that a secret little pleasure of mine is to watch younger folks who can't do ANY math in their head get befuddled if I change the amount I'm paying AFTER they've punched the figures into their cash register.

For example, the other day I bought some food for $8.71. I gave the fellow a $10 bill, so of course his cash register told him he owed me $1.29. For some reason I can't recall, I needed to keep that $10 so I gave him a $20 bill instead. He needed to pull out a separate calculator to figure out how much to give me back.

This sort of stuff happens all the time. At first I felt sorry for such folks but now I believe they just have lazy minds and are relying too much on the technology to do their thinking for them..

What irritates me is the effect all this has downstream. If a kid is in tenth grade and reading or doing math at the first grade level, why is he in tenth grade? If everyone graduates from high school regardless of performance, then a high school diploma means absolutely nothing. A very *expensive* nothing - the national average cost to the taxpayers for a K-12 education is $10,000 a year per kid. So what we get is $130,000 worth of daycare that may provide nothing of any educational value whatsoever. Schools are custodial in nature, not educational.

So then you have to go to college, just to show the H.R. trolls at some company that you are smart enough to read and write at an adult level. Everyone has to do this, so the cost of college is skyrocketing.

It is absurd for all of us to have to keep pouring money (through taxes or direct tuition payments) into this giant money pit. Why should kids have to blow four years of their lives in college and go into thousands of dollars of debt, just so they can get an entry-level job somewhere?

We have to get the government out of this process, at least at the federal level. Bradley13 is absolutely right about that.

"If everyone graduates from high school regardless of performance, then a high school diploma means absolutely nothing."

Yep. A high school diploma today is, at best, a certificate of attendance. In fact, there are quite a few people who dropped out, then went to night school and got GEDs, who are better educated than the average high school graduate.

Where I work, they don't bother asking about your high school. They want to know where you went to college. Depending on the job you're applying for, a two-year degree from a community college may be fine -- but they need to see some evidence that you've actually made an effort to become educated. And the high school diploma is not it.

Remember the SAT's and ACT's? Do they count for anything anymore? I'm not sure, my kids aren't to that point yet. I just had to take something called the TEAS test, Testing of Essential Academic Skills. It's like going back in time to 8th grade. It had algebra, geometry, grammar, reading comprehension, and some minimal sciences. My nursing program is using it to weed out people who've been "socially promoted". Why is THIS paltry minimum the new standard?!?!?!? However, I AM glad for it, I'd hate to have someone socially promoted to a point where they're in charge of making medical decisions for someone else.....

"It is absurd for all of us to have to keep pouring money (through taxes or direct tuition payments) into this giant money pit."

But...but...(spluttering) PJ, how can you SAY THAT?!?!?! It's for the CHILDREN!!!!!

This, the standard battlecry of teachers' unions everywhere as they go into contract negotiations. The public school district here is no longer able to provide services to special needs students once granted by state law. This covered para- professionals and special education resource teachers to supplement kids' educations, to keep them from falling behind. The funding for this got cut but the teachers still got a raise last year.

So much for it being for the children.

"If math were a color, it would be __, because __. B. If it were a food, it would be __, because __. C. If it were weather, it would be __, because __."

I'm not sure I could answer that without alcohol...

Radwaste - your comment is blatantly racist and should be deleted ASAP.

This nonsense is part and parcel of the effort over the last 40 years to make school more "girl-friendly." Girls' performance has risen relative to that of boys' -- even as students' overall performance has declined. It is just that boys' performance has plummeted even farther than the girls'.

It's ok, though. How you FEEL about math is apparently more important than actual understanding and facility.

Let's not discount the importance of parental involvement either. Alot of parents never read to their kids anymore, just park them in front of a screen--TV, computer, video game, etc. I read to my kids every opportunity I get--my mom read to me when I was growing up and it's among my fondest memories. And reinforcing math--can be as simple as playing a game. Monopoly is a big hit at our house--my kids never seem to tire of it, and we can hit reading, math, and basic real estate all in one!

My 8 yr old was recently struggling with reading and writing--turns out he was just not putting forth the effort--but my ex was all about to march into the parent teacher conference and blame the teacher for it all. I was like, No, teaching kids is a dual responsibility to be shared by the teachers AND the parents. Following up with homework, reinforcing the lessons, etc. School should be an extension of the learning process, which starts at home.

Private schools do better because they can kick kids out.

Parents are paying good money, and would be pissed off if their kid got kicked out. So they are more likely to get on their kids' cases.

Private schools also don't have to take the most troublesome kids, or the more expensive special needs kids.

Having said that, the biggest indicator of academic success is not how much is spent per child, but the income level of the family the child is from.

"A. If math were a color, it would be __, because __. B. If it were a food, it would be __, because __. C. If it were weather, it would be __, because __."

Were these questions supposed to produce answers that anyone could possibly care about? Riffing on Cousin Dave's comment a little bit, they sound like topics stoned college kids would spend a lot of time talking over.

Look, I've done plenty of criticizing of public schools. I think they warp individuality in lots of ways, love rules for rules sake. But my second grader goes to a tiny Title 1 public elementary school -- at least 35 percent "assisted lunches," Radwaste, and lots of non-English-speaking parents -- and no one's been handed a calculator yet, no one's been let out of learning to add and subtract and do simple geometry and algebra. These kids are 6 and 7 and sometimes the homework stumps me -- and if I'm not the smartest, I'm not stupid, either. I just couldn't reconcile this article with the education she's getting at her economically and racially diverse school.

I read those questions and I'm like "Huh? What are you talking about?"

I don't have kids, but my ex-GF's kids are in a school district that at least gives them the basic long division at a decent level.

I'm scared of what is coming out of the "advanced" school districts.

"Radwaste - your comment is blatantly racist and should be deleted ASAP."

It's a quote. Bite me.

Well, no. Go pretend it doesn't happen, along with a bunch of other crap the politically correct polishes.

Meanwhile, pointing out that Michael Jordan is a gentleman and a scholar will be equally racist, so let's not do that, either.

I agree with radwaste, we are so PC that we do not fault the current generations of black, er african americans who do not seem to think it is important that their kids speak proper English. Not sure what they speak, but I would almost guarantee it will not get them into a future company's executive layers. And yes, the school lunhc program is a huge waste of money that is unfairly distributed. Any f'ing social program administered by government will be poorly done. As far as schools, the individual school districts should be free to educate the community kids in the way that best fits that community. It really should be up to the parent to make sure a kid is getting a good education, and if not, to find out why (you know, spend a day with little Johnny, like the good old days). And yes, the thought of teacher's unions, especially the militant bastards here in CA is just sickening.

" ... the biggest indicator of academic success is ... the income level of the family the child is from."

Ya know, if your ass is broke, you really can't afford kids in the first place. If you go ahead and have them, even though you can't afford them, it's because you are stupid. Therefore your kids probably won't do too well in school.

So, NicoleK, your statement is true, but not because kids who don't come from money can't learn. It's because kids with stupid parents are probably not taught to value learning.

"According to cultural-historical activity theory, schooling as it exists today reinforces an illegitimate social order. Typical of this mindset is Brian Greer, a mathematics educator at Portland State University, who argues “against the goal of ‘algebra for all’ on the grounds that . . . most individuals in our society do not need to have studied algebra.” According to Greer, the proper approach to teaching math “now questions whether mathematics as a school subject should continue to be dominated by mathematics as an academic discipline or should reflect more fully the range of mathematical activities in which humans engage.”"

http://www.city-journal.org/2009/eon1113ss.html

Hey, Robert in Vancouver...

There are many, many intelligent people who need a second to do math in their head, including me.

I don't normally bandy about my stats, but I was reading at the age of three, reading at college level at the age of eight. 1497 on my SAT, 800 of that being the Verbal portion (which is perfect in case you didn't know, being Canadian and all). Off the charts on my ASVAB, scoring higher on the spatial portion than most men, which I am very proud of, being female. You get the picture. I am also very, very visual, which means that I basically picture the numbers in my head. And if I have been ringing all day, it takes a few seconds for the brain to switch modes from "knowing which buttons to hit" to "math in head."

I work retail by choice because I enjoy the variety of tasks. If I leave retail though, it will be because of people like you...people who think they are clever because they did the math ahead of time while they were waiting in line. People who feel superior to lowly retail clerks. People, who I strongly suspect, have serious self esteem problems and need to bait hard working folks in order to feel superior. I'm going to quit now before I say something unladylike.

Read some Ed Hirsch, like The Schools We Need and Why We Don't Have Them. New-New Math is just one more misstep in a serious of failed Progressive Ed programs since the days of John Dewey and his acolytes. And we're oh so much smarter now aren't we.

"Private schools also don't have to take the most troublesome kids, or the more expensive special needs kids."

Actually, my school DOES have the expensive special needs kids. We parents have to pay extra. Hubby and I shell out an extra $10,000 for my middle daughter to have a paraprofessional aide. The school district is supposed to provide it, but they've laughed and said "Sue us." We can't afford to, and they know it. But we do it because we've found it's the only way our special kids will get ANY kind of education. The public school district conducts the IEP (individual education program). Translation: watches us like a hawk to make sure the kids aren't being neglected in their education. This is a joke, since we've all yanked our kids out from their program to begin with. My daughter was the 2nd special needs child to attend our school, and it's like the floodgates have opened. There are now several kids with autism who are making wonderful gains; cut the red tape and watch them flourish. It's not a cure-all. Amazing.

Here are your tax dollars at work. I went to a "good" highschool too.

1. Math. Every year we had to take a math exam but the damn district kept printing the wrong books over and over again. First they printed the books in hardcover edition and then they remembered that the class required we write in the books. So we kinda had to wait until they printed the paperback edition, even though the hardcovers were readily available. Then they ommitted some required courses so they had to be reprinted a third time.

2. My English teacher lost all of our essays for the whole year, for all of his classes. He came crying one day and told us sorry it was because he had "moved". They were important because the state came and evaluated them.

While I agree with Robert that most people running the register probably can't add well, it's not 100% their fault, so I don't think I'd make fun of them (at least not on a good day)

And snoosnoo is right, visual people actually "see" the problem in their head. That takes a second. The perk of that being, in an exam, I can generally flip through my memory and "see" the page the answer was on, and get it.

I rocked the ASVAB too. Visual people test well.

"I work retail by choice because I enjoy the variety of tasks. If I leave retail though, it will be because of people like you...people who think they are clever because they did the math ahead of time while they were waiting in line. People who feel superior to lowly retail clerks."

Ok I'll be a dick and say it. People don't work retail because they enjoy it; people work retail because they need some money, and don't have a better job lined up at that point in time. That's not me trying to put you down. I worked retail for a while myself while going to school. That's just me stating the obvious.

"Private schools do better because they can kick kids out."

That really is the issue in public schools. What do you do with the disruptive kids who parents don't care? If you want an effective learning environment, you have got to be able to get rid of the troublemakers.

One solution that some countries use: send the most disruptive kids to disciplinary schools, where they live 24/7. That not only gets them out of the normal schools, it keeps them off the streets. Use the same solution to solve social promotions - most likely the same kids anyway.

"People don't work retail because they enjoy it; people work retail because they need some money"

Actually most people most of the time work whatever job they hold down because they need some money.

And some people are good at retail. Case in point: my gay stepbrother. He loves it and let me tell you is damn good at it.

Juliana... it sounds like you pay extra. People sending their kids to public school don't pay extra for their special needs kids. Which means resources (tax dollars) get channelled to them, driving up the mean cost per student.

I do know several retired ladies who work retail for fun and profit. And are quite good at it, even if they do use the register to calculate change so they can serve their customers more efficiently and quickly.

Pirate Jo.... exactly. If the parents don't value learning, that is going to get passed down to the kids.

Schools can be wonderful, but they simply cannot replace parents. A teacher usually has 20 or more kids in a class, and usually only for a year. S/he simply cannot give the same sort of individual attention to the children that the parents can. If the parents are not reinforcing what is being taught in schools, and even pre-teaching some of it, the kids are not going to do well.

Having worked in education, I sometimes am filled with a hopeless despair. Because schools are not replacements for parents, and there are so many parents that just don't care. The big question is how to reach those parents and make them, well, parent.

Yes, Mike Hunter, you are a dick. I don't know how you can make such a broad statment about someone you never met, much less millions and millions of people.

Here's the deal on me, just to help you think outside the box a little.

I come from a family of teachers. Don't wanna do that. Don't wanna be a doctor, even though I could. Don't wanna be a lawyer even though I could. Not a computer person other than point and click. Tried climbing the corporate ladder, too ethical for that, and was told so...not kidding "you're too honest". Don't want a job I take home *at all". Don't like to be locked in an office with a bunch of gossiping women--it's one of the seven circles of hell as far as I'm concerned. Don't like to sit on my ass all day. Don't have the physical strength for a male oriented job like construction. Have no desire to be rich and famous. Yet, like all of us, I do need money to live.

So what is my job of choice? Retail/Commission Sales and Sales Management. Variety of tasks. Not sitting on my ass all day. Meeting new people, and those I don't like go away eventually. Don't take it home for the most part.
Fits my work to live not live to work credo. It sucks a little right now, just because full time is hard to come by right now, but it'll shake out.

Why is it so hard for you to imagine someone doing something you dislike *by choice?* Would I do it if I had enough money not to? Of course not. Most people have no desire to stay with their current job. But know that there are people in the world of retail that are quite capable of doing other things but choose not to.

"While I agree with Robert that most people running the register probably can't add well, it's not 100% their fault..."

Somehow I wound up with a job I had no experience nor training for. What did I do? Went to the library evenings and researched about the job and the field.

It doesn't matter if someone's situation is their fault or not.

At the end of the day, either you can do the job or not. Deal with it.

If math were a food, it would be sliced onions, because the only time I've ever heard people sobbing in class was during a statistics test ...

"If math were a food, it would be sliced onions, because the only time I've ever heard people sobbing in class was during a statistics test ..."

It's a shame that people don't recognize the generalities, which aren't cause for tears - because you can't be lied to if you understand the basics. And there is actual geeky fun to be had exploring popular concepts. At work, for instance, half the people there are below average, though they all have more than the average number of legs.

And then, it's such an important science that the computer in front of would literally be impossible, for a variety of reasons.

But - having seen the work of a PhD in statistics, I've been shamed. I can only be satisfied that some member of my species can figure that stuff out!