Posted on 04/23/2003 5:36:18 AM PDT by Lance Romance
Demoralized Teachers, Unruly Students, Bureaucracy Top Concerns About Schools
Published: Apr 23, 2003
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Teachers, parents and students said they were concerned about the rough-edged atmosphere in many high schools, according to the report released Wednesday by Public Agenda, a research and policy organization in New York City.
Only 9 percent of surveyed Americans said the students they see in public are respectful toward adults. High school students were asked about the frequency of serious fights in schools, and 40 percent said they occurred once a month or more; 56 percent said they hardly ever happened; 4 percent had no opinion. Only 15 percent of teachers said teacher morale is good in their high school.
"This is a true reflection of how the public feels," said Shirley Igo, president of National Parent Teacher Association. "It says that our young people are looking for positive role models out there."
The report, drawing together more than 25 surveys done by Public Agenda, traces how attitudes of parents, teachers, students, principals, employers and college professors have changed over the last 10 years. A typical national random sample telephone survey on standards in 2000 canvassed 803 parents of public school students in grades K-12, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The report says standard testing is important, but many other factors are hurting academic performance.
The 2001 No Child Left Behind Act holds schools accountable for student achievement. States must devise and offer tests in reading and mathematics for every child each year in grades three through eight, beginning in fall 2005. Under current law, states are required to test students in reading and math three times during their K-12 years.
"The standards movement has taken hold in American schools and continues to enjoy broad support. But there are some troublesome fault lines," said Public Agenda President Deborah Wadsworth.
Teachers "believe in higher standards but often feel they can't count on students to make the effort or parents and administrators to back them up," she said.
Superintendents and principals want more autonomy over their own schools, with 81 percent of superintendents and 47 percent of principals saying talented leaders most likely will leave because of politics and bureaucracy.
Teachers said their views are generally ignored by decision-makers, with 70 percent feeling left out of the loop in their district's decision-making process.
According to the report, 73 percent of employers and 81 percent of professors said public school graduates have fair or poor writing skills.
Teachers said lack of parental involvement is a serious problem, with 78 percent of teachers saying too many parents don't know what's going on with their child's education. Only 19 percent said parental involvement is strong in their high school.
Igo said part of the problem is the lack of communication between schools and homes.
"There is a lack of knowledge on the part of parents about how to be effectively involved in the school," she said. "It is two-way street - parents have to assume responsibility and schools have to offer meaningful opportunities for parents to be involved in students' education."
The study also found that 67 percent of teachers said their school puts obstacles in the way when they are trying to accomplish goals at work; 83 percent of teachers said parents who fail to set limits and create structure at home for their kids are a serious problem; 41 percent of teachers said schools automatically promote students who have reached a maximum age.
Respondents generally said schools place far too much emphasis on standardized test scores, with 60 percent of parents 84 percent of teachers, 52 percent of employers, 57 percent of professors, 45 percent of students agreeing.
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Heaven forbid teachers be held accountable. Whether they coddle the troublemakers, molest underage boys and girls or just sit back and collect the paycheck, the fact is the Teacher's Union has destroyed the public school system.
I'm not saying all teachers are bad, just a solid majority.
We need more no-nonsense teachers in our schools and they need to be backed up by an equally hard-nosed principal.
Most urban high schools are zoos. If you've ever seen the old sitcom "Welcome Back Kotter," that actually reflects rather accurately how many urban high schools really are (and an increasing amount of suburban schools). The high school I went to in the late 1970s was exactly like that. A few troublemakers constantly disrupting class and making it impossible for the rest of the class to learn. In fact, unruly kids usually encourage the same behavior in others that would otherwise not be exhibited if the troublemakers were dealt with harshly.
I am all for expelling high school students who cannot conform to acceptable standards of behavior as well as minimum academic standards. I don't know why this society is so fixated on everybody getting a high school diploma. In fact, the diploma becomes virtually worthless anyhow if everybody is shuffled through the system regardless of their performance. I say expel the troublemakers. The world needs ditchdiggers and sanitation workers too. And Burger King is always hiring. Just kick the punks out.
Yep, the whole left-wing, PC environment has about ruined the system. When parents aren't allowed to discipline their kids, how can we expect teachers to do it? I remember a few years ago, there was an interview with the guy that Clinton had as his Education honcho - when asked if he thought some of these alternative teaching methods were a good idea, even when it was proven that they didn't work, he said (with a straight face) that sometimes teacher actualization was necessary and it was OK for actual learning to take a back seat...
"This is a true reflection of how the public feels," said Shirley Igo, president of National Parent Teacher Association. "It says that our young people are looking for positive role models out there."
Because the NEA has taken the parents away as role models.
Teachers said lack of parental involvement is a serious problem, with 78 percent of teachers saying too many parents don't know what's going on with their child's education.
Because the NEA and the school beaurocrats have forced parents out of the schools saying that parents don't know what's best for their children.
Structure? Involvement?
My daughters school schedule has no structure whatsoever!
mon, tue, & thurs, she gets out at 2:45pm. Wed and Fri she gets out at 2:15pm. every other week there is either a holiday, or a minimum day. Not to mention the 3 month "vacation" as they call it. If a parent does not check the school schedule daily, if not hourly, then the parent has no idea when thier child is at school.
Parents who discipline their rude kids, run the risks of a visit from Children & Family Services
demoralized teachers
NEA and Teachers Unions maybe?
uninvolved parents
Many parents have found that getting too involved can have some very negative effects on their childs future in the school, especially if they question the curriculum or text books.
and bureaucracy in public schools are greater worries for Americans than the standards and accountability that occupy policy makers, a new study says
Yes, some parents are concerned about (the socialist agenda), diversity training, tolerance training, guilt-slinging environmental curriculum, re-writing of history, anti-patriotic sentiment, kicking God and the founding fathers out, over prescribing of Ritalin and other drugs, and tests that are 80% touchy-feely pyscho-brainwashing.
And let us not forget the somewhat recent stories of teachers, daring to flunk a non performing student, being reprimanded and forced to pass the student. She eventually resigned rather than do it. The good teachers leave, the rest stay behind, like residue in the bottom of a barrel, too scared to teach properly, or too stupid to know the difference.
Public education is a failed experiment and parents should not experiment with their children.
How right you are! I remember back many moons ago to how shocked I was when my mother (RIP) pointed out that until the mid-1950's or so that quiting school at 16("dropping out") was no more tramatic than dropping out out out of college today. Many, many jobs did not require a HS diploma, e.g. pump jocky, waitress, barber, clerk, hair dresser, construction work, military, factory work, etc.
Girls dropped out about as often as boys, esp. in rural areas. As my mother said: "A girl grows up to be a farmer's wife. What does a farmer's wife (or a farmer) need to know about French literature?"
My mother, who was born and raised in a small Illinois farming community, hated being a farmer's daughter and was determined never, ever to end up a farmer's wife. When she graduated in the mid-1940's she was 1 of only 4 girls in the entire graduating class of 50.
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