Posted on 02/09/2013 4:00:16 PM PST by BruceDeitrickPrice
In 2007 Bill Gates said the public schools are a threat to the nation’s survival. They’re that bad.
It’s important that community leaders of all kinds (but especially business executives) become involved in fixing what must be called a crisis.
Your community needs you. It’s easy to help. Here’s how, in four steps:
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I: START WITH A CLEAN INTELLECTUAL SLATE
Public schools have been sinking into mediocrity for 70+ years. Statistics trend ever downward. Why?
Let’s confront the obvious. The people at the top are grossly incompetent. Or their philosophy dictates that leducation’s true goal is leveling (i.e., dumbing down). Either way, it’s prudent to replace the so-called experts who created all this decline and misery.
In short, start fresh. Re-examine what went wrong. Re-imagine what is possible. Find your own experts and your own answers.
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II: TRUST ONLY THOSE WITH A RECORD OF SUCCESS
Every city has three reservoirs of educational wisdom. Talk to these people:
1) People who manage private schools.
2) Those in charge of good parochial schools.
3) Homeschooling parents. (Note: homeschoolers have to spend all day at the kitchen table teaching. They don’t waste time on methods that don’t work.)
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III: SELECT ONLY THE BEST APPROACHES
Investigate. Find out what goals and methods are used by the most successsful schools. Embrace only those methods!
You’re a VIP. People will answer your questions. What theories, what approaches, what curricula are mentioned again...and again?
In a few hours, you’ll know for yourself what works and doesn’t work.
(Here is a preview of what you’ll probably learn...)
BAD METHODS OFTEN FOUND IN BAD SCHOOLS:
Sight Words
High-Frequency Words
Reform Math (12 varieties)
Constructivism
Cooperative Learning
Self-Esteem
Fuzziness
Whole Words
Dolch Words
Social Studies
Guessing
Relevance
Multiculturalism
No Memorization
Pretend Critical Thinking
Disorderly Schools
Permissive About Cheating
Just a few of these ideas, used relentlessly, can cripple any school.
GOOD METHODS TYPICALLY EMBRACED BY GOOD SCHOOLS
The 3 R’s
Basics
Phonics
Arithmetic
Cursive Handwriting
Mastery
Facts
Knowledge
Academics
Aesop’s Fables
Geography
Literature
General Science
History
Second Language
Homework
Proper Spelling
Accuracy
Promptness
Real Critical Thinking
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IV: PUT ON THE PRESSURE
The blueprint for success is simple: use only good methods. When in doubt, do what good schools do.
Praise and promote those methods. Spotlight successful schools.
Conversely, explain and criticize what bad schools do. Publish their scores. Name their principals. Laugh at their fads and foolishness.
Accept no excuses. When big organizations produce bad results, the top people should be replaced.
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SUMMARY: public education, throughout the 20th century, was debased to achieve political goals. It’s time to say goodbye to all that.
The best schools around the country, and throughout history, have done much the same things. Kids learn reading, writing and arithmetic. From there they go on to geography, history, science, literature, and the arts.
We need to enforce the popular will, which surely desires substantive education, not indoctrination, for every child.
The problem is that the official leaders in education are like viruses in a computer; nothing works right with them around. We need new leaders, in every community, to reclaim the public schools.
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RELATED READING--
WHAT NOT TO DO: “56: Top 10 Worst Ideas in Education” http://www.improve-education.org/id83.html
WHAT TO DO: “A Bill of Rights for Students 2013” http://www.improve-education.org/id90.html
Step one is to stop pumping marxist teachers out of our colleges.
how about parents, students and teachers?
Conservative Public school teachers have been saying this for years.
Funny - a hundred years ago kids didn’t have such a difficult time mastering reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic.
In fact, they did far better with a far smaller budget.
Personally, if I were a member of the NEA, I’d have a tough time looking at myself in the mirror each morning before going off to “educate.”
And I certainly would NOT be crying for a bigger budget or more “community involvement.”
A good teacher could teach in a barn with a handful of shared textbooks and handheld slates. In fact generations of teachers did pretty much that.
Trouble is, people feel about public schools the way they do about Congress—terrible, terrible, terrible, except theirs somehow just happens to be very good.
leftist Bill Gates said that?
Gates recognizes that our schools aren’t producing people he would consider hiring. Its in his own self interest that the schools do better.
Right, he’s a leftist on most crap unless it actually impacts him.
Success in schools begins with proper parenting. When over 50% of children are born to single mothers, forget it. Becoming properly educated becomes that much more unlikely.
It’s too late, the teachers are totally democratic idiots.
Agreed. I read a great post the other day on the AJC.com’s Get Schooled blog about how kids wish teachers would hold them more accountable in school.
It was hilarious to read.
This ping list is for the “other” articles of interest to homeschoolers about education and public school. This can occasionally be a fairly high volume list. Articles pinged to the Another Reason to Homeschool List will be given the keyword of ARTH. (If I remember. If I forget, please feel free to add it yourself)
The main Homeschool Ping List handles the homeschool-specific articles. I hold both the Homeschool Ping List and the Another Reason to Homeschool Ping list. Please freepmail me to let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from either list, or both.
This ping list is for the “other” articles of interest to homeschoolers about education and public school. This can occasionally be a fairly high volume list. Articles pinged to the Another Reason to Homeschool List will be given the keyword of ARTH. (If I remember. If I forget, please feel free to add it yourself)
The main Homeschool Ping List handles the homeschool-specific articles. I hold both the Homeschool Ping List and the Another Reason to Homeschool Ping list. Please freepmail me to let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from either list, or both.
Agree. All I have heard in the last 22 years is how much worse the schools are becoming, how much lower the kids score on tests, and; the local government here thinks that after throwing more money for each year it will work the next year. Why not be honest? This is greed and lazy teachers.
Bruce,
GIVE IT UP!!!!
Govenrment schools are a godless, socialist, single-payer, monopoly, and price-fixed, union controlled ENTITLEMENT.
When in the entire history of mankind was ever possible to REFORM A GODLESS, SOCIALIST, SINGLE-PAYER, MONOPOLY, PRICE-FIXED, AND UNION CONTROLLED CARTEL SOCIALIST ENTITLEMENT???????
Yeah! I am shouting, jumping up and down, and having a fit. Why isn’t the OBVIOUS OBVIOUS to someone who is OBVIOUSLY smart????
If you want real reform that work toward complete privatization of universal K-12 schooling in this nation.
The elementary schools are really the very worst. If you can homeschool your kids through middle school, you could place them into high school- and still have a fighting chance at your child’s mind.
Parents need to honestly take this very seriously. The Common Core Standards Curriculum is pure Marxism. It is dangerous and it will punish anyone who is not a struggling minority.
Truth to power. Turn over every stone and devote your energy to learning about what your children are learning- and check in with them every day on what they are learning and how they feel about it.
Remove your child at the first sign of abuse.
The days may be growing short that you will have a chance to remove them. By having your child in federal schools, you are submitting to the federal government.
I have had to allow one of my children stay in High School, at his request- and so- I am quite aware that at this point- I am in danger.
He and I have had a very long talk about why I am permitting him to stay in school, and what I expect from him, so that he can stay there.
My homeschooled son works for him.
Conservatives need to honestly recognize that government schooling can not be reformed.
How we currently school the vast majority of our nation's children threatens our nation's continuing freedom. If we treat children like prisoners in godless, socialist-entitlement, and prison-like schools we should NOT NOT NOT be surprised if we have a nation of future voters who are comfortable being godless and socialist state prisoners.
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