Brains Are Terrible Thing To Waste: But 65% Of Them Are

MOTUS A.D. ^ | 5-3-18 | MOTUS

[NOBO2012]

 

By the 21st century everyone needed brains but unfortunately nobody could read well enough to locate them.

I have been unable to get this report out of my mind: in 2017 65% of American Public School 8th Graders Not Proficient in Reading; 67% Not Proficient in Math. And that’s burying the bad news: in many urban areas proficiency levels are much worse. Detroit came in dead last with 8th grade reading proficiency at 7%, and math just 5%.

But the schools are more concerned about social justice than basics. It’s enough to make you weep.

While the children in the current analysis spent half their school years under the Common Core curriculum, the results are not actually that much worse than they have been for the last decade so the problem goes back further. What happened? Let’s take a peak at the cause and effects behind this colossal failure.

In order to do that we need to reacquaint ourselves with one of Obama’s buddies, or as he likes to refer to him “just some guy in the neighborhood,” Bill Ayers.

Obama with “some guy in the neighborhood” working side-by-side on the Annenberg Education project.

“The former bomber and co-founder of the communist terrorist Weather Underground organization was Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The two had worked together closely from the year Ayers hosted a political launch party for Obama, in 1995, to 2002. At the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, “the brainchild of Bill Ayers,” they funneled more that $100 million to radical groups like ACORN and Gamaliel, which used the funds to promote radical education.” AIM

Yes, that Bill Ayers: 1960s era domestic terrorist,  “Distinguished Professor of Education,”

and key architect of America’s current K-12 education system. You see it’s not a coincidence that American classrooms stopped educating children and became instead indoctrination centers. Anti-American activist Bill Ayers’ fingerprints are all over the transition. Retired now, Ayers was an instrumental figure in shaping 21st century education in America and it would seem he shaped it to his own image and likeness.

Ayers, after escaping punishment in 1980, used his position at the University of Illinois at Chicago, to spread his revolutionary ideas throughout the educational system--in the classes he taught, the books and articles he wrote, the conferences he attended, the dissertation committees he sat on, and the political connections he fostered with Barack Obama and Arne Duncan on the Annenberg Challenge.

His behind the scenes influence directed the creation of Obama-era Common Core curriculum which was a  federal power grab with an agenda inline with Ayers educational aims. Consider Arne Duncan, Obama’s Secretary of Education. In a 2013 address to the American Educational Research Association, a professional association of faculty, researchers, and graduate students who work at universities and colleges, federal and state agencies, school systems, test companies, and non-profit agencies (Ayers was once vice president for curriculum in the organization) he had this to say:

Duncan talked about the “sea-change” in “assessments” under Common Core. Darling-Hammond’s tests, he said approvingly, would address “deeper learning.” “Diagnostic or formative assessments” will measure “student growth,” and determine whether students are “college-and-career ready.” Much in line with Ayers’s pedagogical strategy, Duncan hailed the forthcoming Assessment 3.0 that “will shift from seat-based learning to competency-based learning.” The “next frontier in assessment research,” said Duncan, is in “non-cognitive skills.”

Somewhere in the urgency to measure “non-cognitive skills” the educators forgot that “seat-based learning” such as reading, writing and ‘rithmetic were actually the competency skills that indicate if children are being educated as opposed to brainwashed.

Sadly, while “teaching for Social Justice” somebody forgot to teach Johnny to read.

Posted from: MOTUS A.D.

[Terry Mross]

Thanks to W at least none of the kids who can’t have been left behind.

I’d like to see a study showing how many teachers can’t read. I’ve met lots of people with college degrees who can’t read, can’t spell and can’t speak proper English. How did these people get college degrees?

[BenLurkin]

The Three Rs stand in the way of “progress”.

[robroys woman]

An idiot could teach a child to read by age 8. The fact that in so many cases our schools cannot is a damning testimony against them, and a call to parents to home school. I’m amazed that it is still considered “normal” to put your kids in public school.

[2ndDivisionVet]

I was in military intelligence and could join MENSA tomorrow, yet I never got through basic Algebra. Never made any sense to me. My (adoptive) father hardly got to attend school during the depression, instead being sent out as a “hired man” to support his family, starting at age 11. But he was able to tackle Calculus.

[TheNext]

Teacher’s Union HURTS children.

Teacher’s Union HATES children.

Every teacher strike says they hurt children.

Teachers Hurt Children.

— and written with good grammar.

[Leaning Right]

> An idiot could teach a child to read by age 8. <

True, unless three or four other students are yelling and running around the room.

And sadly, that’s the state of most urban schools today. Years ago, a disruptive student would get suspended, and the rest of the class could learn. Now principals are rated (and given bonuses) based on reducing suspensions.

Suspensions are down. But so are scores. School administrators refuse to see the connection.

[robroys woman]

When I was in college, I loved Chemistry. After three weeks into the first semester at community college, I had become the student from which all the other students were asking for help. It fit my brain. Then the teachers went on strike.

That was the end of college for me. I never looked back. Looking back now, I wish I had gone for a shingle or two back in the day, but it has really only cost me a little money. I proved to myself that I did not need college.

[suthener]

When I was a Navy recruiter I tested a guy who came into my office carrying his bachelor’s in education from a historically black college. He did not qualify to join the Navy by a large margin.

[HamiltonJay]

Anyone who lived through the forced integration of schools can tell you stories.... they didn’t raise the kids up from the black community, just dumbed everyone else down.... And it continues today.

[Bringbackthedraft]

If you have a skill, do you really need a degree in it? My mechanic earns $75 an hour. The trades pay good. We weren’t all meant to be Rocket scientists. Are we going to get into the bell curve analysis again? Environmental motivation has a lot to do with it. “Family” up bringing is a big deciding factor. The stronger the family relation, the better the chances are to being better educated.

[Moonman62]

And that’s burying the bad news: in many urban areas proficiency levels are much worse.

...

Urban areas are dominated by Democrats.

[Leaning Right]

> I tested a guy who came into my office carrying his bachelor’s in education <

You’ve hit on something important there. I’ve spent decades teaching in urban public schools. In general, the better teachers had degrees in the subjects they taught. The math teacher had a degree in math, etc.

The poor teachers had degrees in education, and only a minor in the subjects they taught. And the worst administrators all had something in common. They had PhD’s in education.

So yeah, it would be a big step forward if all education degrees were abolished. You want to teach math, get a degree in math.

And for what it’s worth, even in the worst schools I was in most of the teachers were good teachers. They had real degrees. But the challenges they had to face there...the violence, the self-serving administrators...I could write a book.

[Ohioan]

This is one area where the Left has been most successful in preventing any improvement by misdirecting attention away from actual causation.

Misdirection: Destructive Leftist Tactic.

[4Liberty]

Yikes. 😟

[Sacajaweau]

If we feed them breakfast and lunch, they will do better.

Ever notice that they weren't obese before we started giving the their meals.

[minnesota_bound]

The Incredibles 2 - see at 1 min mark on math
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5qOzqD9Rms

Reading and writing and math do not change so why is it the kids are dumber? It has to be on purpose as far as I can tell.

[Lopeover]

Raising snowflakes! The cultural illness in our society is that everything said, done or seen is “about me!” The self-absorbed snowflake sickness is some people are unable to process that external stimulus isn’t necessarily about them - then they meltdown. The KEYSTONE to a strong self identity is faith, values, morals, and a REAL education.

[litehaus]

“any teachers can’t read. I’ve met lots of people with college degrees who can’t read, can’t spell and can’t speak proper English. How did these people get college degrees?”

Here in Flori-DUH, we lowered the standards for wanna b teachers since they consistently flunked the then, normal qualifications...
Problem solved they said back then ..

[plain talk]

Environmental motivation has a lot to do with it. “Family” up bringing is a big deciding factor. The stronger the family relation, the better the chances are to being better educated.

Yep. My kids are professionals with advanced degrees. Having said that that doesn't necessarily translate into job security. There is probably more job security in being a mechanic. My kids are getting good money, traveling around the world and are not sweating in some factory or shop. But the potential of layoffs is always hanging over their heads.

It depends on your IQ, skills, passions and risk tolerance. One size doesn't fit all.