Dumbing Down of America

[brewer]

Give kids better grades than they earned so they won't feel bad. Shit, give them all a trophy also.

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/educatio...o-t/np9jL/

[vorlon13]

I blame Reagan.

Really.

Motherfucker made ignorance fashionable. And look where it got us.

[FatAndFaithless]

I'm not really into the alarmist culture of the 'dumbing down of america.' Kids today know more than the kids of any previous generation and the amount of information mobility and accessibility they enjoy is staggeringly higher than any other time in history. On top of that, this is a private religious Jewish school. Fundy religious schools aren't exactly known for their advances in any field or for their academic rigor.

It's a ridiculous story; the idea that you can request better grades to feel better about yourself is ludicrous. However, this is a extremely specific anomaly in a very specific type of school, involving young kids, in a culture that has a whole host of problems.

Overall I think the title of the thread is a bit overblown, and the kids are all right (and getting better).

[Faith No More]

Well, they site FoxNews.com as their source, so the story has to be taken with a grain of salt.

[Cecelia]

It's a private school, to no surprise. Many private schools teach what they want and how they want (which is one of many reasons why we shouldn't have vouchers imo). This is inevitably what will happen if we privatize all schools. We'll get Wal-Mart schools that don't teach anything except what the parents want, and give grades based on how much you pay.

I think our education system is pretty good, if a bit underfunded and a bit understaffed. It's sad that we don't put as much into it as we should. Children are our future. Today's students are tomorrow's doctors, scientists, lawyers, and programmers. More importantly they're tomorrow's voters. I'd say America isn't dumbing down so much, as some people are trying to avoid progress in the name of maintaining their values and belief systems.

[Aroura]

There has been a streamlining of public school education, making it harder for both gifted and special needs kids to move into classes that would benefit them more. This hurts the kids in the middle.

That being said, kids today are still being taught at a more advanced pace, and with more advanced tools, than kids 20"years ago.

It is not just private schools that give out rewards to help boost self confidence. My kids grade school gives out "great kid" awards. I was thrilled when my kids kindergarten teacher told me she would receive one. Later, I discovered ALL the kids at all grade levels get one per year. They make up stuff, like "great sense of humor" for kids who do not earn an academic one.

I discovered this when another child, one who had been suspended for violent behavior already in kindergarten, earned one.

[Aroura]

So yeah, long story short, 3 years later, and I home school. There are many reasons I do this, not just because of the public schools flaws. Overall I'm still very grateful public schools exist and do even an adequate job. There are many children who would otherwise get no education whatsoever.

[account_inactive]

It's happening in the United Kingdom too. GCSEs (England) and Nationals (Scotland) have apparently gotten a lot easier these days.

[Alex K]

It's a private school, to no surprise. Many private schools teach what they want and how they want (which is one of many reasons why we shouldn't have vouchers imo). This is inevitably what will happen if we privatize all schools. We'll get Wal-Mart schools that don't teach anything except what the parents want, and give grades based on how much you pay.

I think our education system is pretty good, if a bit underfunded and a bit understaffed. It's sad that we don't put as much into it as we should. Children are our future. Today's students are tomorrow's doctors, scientists, lawyers, and programmers. More importantly they're tomorrow's voters. I'd say America isn't dumbing down so much, as some people are trying to avoid progress in the name of maintaining their values and belief systems.

I have a US High School diploma as well as my local one, and in my opinion the US system is ok in principle - but (and that's a big but)
- iirc funding is largely based on taxes from the community or county ( locally anyways) and while some districts are fine, others are brutally underfunded because of that. This creates a vicious circle for some poor counties.

- My school was supposed to be the one with the highest academic level in the area, and while there were great teachers, overall teacher quality varied too much. For every truly excellent teacher I can name a bona fide idiot, and even some of my AP classes were taught by people who did not know the subject well enough.

-School boards have an insane amount of power over teachers

- Teacher pay is pretty lousy, and hence you get few for the job who excel academically.

[Cecelia]

The real problem is that teachers simply aren't valued. Faux News paints us as bad guys whenever we want a raise, even if it's been years since we've had a cost of living adjustment. I make decent money, though it doesn't go too far because I live in an area with a very high cost of living. People love bringing up how we're lucky that we get summer vacations, and have it so easy (teaching is much harder than most people realize. Yes, I have today off because of a blizzard. No, that doesn't mean I'm not working. I'm still planning my next couple of assignments out, and grading papers today. I tend to work weekends too.) I've been called an 'overpaid babysitter' one too many times. As someone once said, if each parent paid me $2.00/hour for their kid, I'd be making more money than I'm making now!

Teacher Quality will always vary, but I think our area has had some really good teachers. Unfortunately most of them have left because other areas are paying better. I'd leave if it weren't for the fact that I live really close to the school. I could make a lot more money if I moved a little North of here. A lot of teachers also become disillusioned. And others come into the profession thinking it's going to be easy -- and then quickly leave (though the years they're there they're there)