Posted on 09/06/2021 2:40:42 AM PDT by Kaslin
In reading the "overview" of Dr. Jill Biden's 2006 doctoral dissertation from the University of Delaware, I am reminded just how rotten, from top to bottom, are America's schools of graduate education. That a doctor of anything could write a sentence like the one that follows speaks to the historic worthlessness of most graduate programs in education:
Three quarters of the class will be Caucasian; one quarter of the class will be African American; one seat will hold a Latino; and the remaining seats will be filled with students of Asian descent or non-resident aliens.
An advisory committee had to approve this mumbo-jumbo. Apparently, none of the committee members noticed that when you add three fourths to one fourth, you've pretty much exhausted all the "fourths" available — all the seats as well. Although the temptation is to write Dr. Jill's dissertation off to the power of political pull, her dissertation, from my experience, represents something of a norm in the illiteracy, innumeracy, and race obsession of grad-level education.
My oldest brother, an exceptional high school principal, refused to pursue a doctorate in education — the key to becoming a school superintendent — because he thought the courses he took to get his Master's a waste of everyone's time. My middle brother became a very good high school math teacher without getting any education degrees. He simply retooled through a special quickie program after retiring as an engineer from Exxon.
On the other hand, an in-law, since deceased, did go on to get his Ed.D. As a "doctor," he quickly climbed the ranks and became a school superintendent. Oh, one caveat: I took his Graduate Record Exams for him. He could not have passed on his own. My bad.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Voucher system is the only solution. The GI Bill would be a good model for starters. Fund the parent/child not the teachers and school district.
Watching levin last night, cameras in all classrooms where any parent who is footing the bill across the board can see how they’re money is spent and what is being taught in class
Some years back while waiting for an assignment I decided to return to a major University (or so it likes to consider itself), and as a graduate pick up a teaching credential. I thought it might one day be useful. I was approved after only four days. In three quarters I took 24 courses worth 72 credits - which would have been impossible in every other discipline. The courses were universally humdrum. I received one B (because I would not dink the unhinged instructor). I found teachers, staff, and students to be almost universally moronic and nearly all left-leaning. I left with the sinking feeling that all was not well in education. I was right.
We must regain control of the national/state curriculum. Without even addressing the ‘quality’ of education they are poisoning our children with vicious propaganda and outright lies. They use race as a battering ram and seek to destroy the West
Sadly, many on the right bypassed education as a career because they wanted to make money or do something (they felt) was more productive. Alas, this may be THE most important career, given the immense level of influence it has on everyone.
Many on the right that do try to go into it, at the collegiate level (at least), find it is a daunting task to deal with the ultraleft bias, and either depart because of a hostile atmosphere or are forced out. At a public school level, it is just as bad, if not worse. The level of banality of teaching, which favors radical leftist social(ist) justice instead of actual learning and critical thinking about subjects has poisoned the well, and ruined countless lives (it did a job on me). Those that come in wanting to raise standards find themselves marginalized and, again, often forced out by hostile colleagues and principles.
You hear complaints from teachers/education officials about “wanting support” in the form of people coming in from the private sector to teach and more involved parents, but it is a falsehood. They want sycophants to applaud everything they do, no matter how degenerate, banal, or incompetent their record is. Parents demanding higher standards are detested and criticized, what few excellent teachers that come in from the private sector quickly show up the bulk of the educational employees to be subpar or worse, and demonstrate they have no business even being in the profession (and hence, the “good ones” are bullied out or fired for whatever trumped-up reason they can come up with). See the famous Jaime Escalante of “Stand And Deliver” fame. You want more like him, but the school system hates people like him and run them out.
From my profile page:
Public schools should not exist. The notion that knowledge can ever be politicized has no place in a free nation of normal, civilized human beings.
See my previous post. The “school system” you describe hates competent people and run them out because it is designed to impose mediocrity on a nation of gullible fools.
Gotta eat the apple one bite at a time.
I’ve said it already, but it bears repeating. Parents should revolt. Take over the public school buildings, block the property tax payments, and instead pay concerned parents and those teachers who actually do teach and want in, to do the teaching. Lunch ladies and janitors can continue with their respective jobs. Administrators and lousy teachers—OUT!
Let them call the National Guard. If they arrest you en masse, sing civil rights songs and make yourselves go limp so they have a hard time carrying you. The optics will attract the media in spite of themselves. If not, keep smart phones handy.
Sadly. I, too, support the dismantling of public (mis)education. It is an abject failure and disaster, and the state of our culture and society is proof positive of that.
This year will be my last. Fighting the good fight against an entity that cares not one whit about children, education, or critical thinking has been wearying, but is now impossible. My Seniors, for the most part are mind-numbed drones, with their heads buried deeply in their cellphones and who scarcely read a page of assigned books (this now includes my AP students). The graduating class of 2020 (whose Senior year was interrupted by Covid) had an exceptional student - one of the best I had ever taught. The year before we had read Orwell’ 1984. At the commencement I asked him if he had any new thoughts about the book, given what was going on with lockdowns, masking, “peaceful protests”, etc. He asked me, “ What do you mean?” This young man will be one of our future leaders some day.
Good ideas!
Charter schools are the best approach here in Connecticut.
Competition for the failing city schools
Writing dissertations is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical.
Other than basic innumeracy, Dr. Jill is treating different groupings as mutually exclusive. Race (Caucasian, African American or Asian), cultural origin (Latino) and citizenship/immigration status (non-resident alien) can all apply. You could have a person from Mexico of pure Spanish ancestry here on a temporary visa hit the Caucasian, Latino and non-resident alien checkboxes at once. If you look at the census forms you can easily see that race and Hispanic origin are two separate questions.
=facepalm=
“I am reminded just how rotten, from top to bottom, are America’s schools of graduate education.”
Thomas Sowell pointed this out at least 35 years ago...no one cared then, no one cares now. Nothing will change, ever.
And by the way, there are no “Schools of Education” in Asia as they don’t see a need for 5 years of ‘educational’ college to be able to stand up in front of a bunch of 10 year olds and teach arithmetic.
“Watching levin last night, cameras in all classrooms where any parent who is footing the bill across the board can see how they’re money is spent and what is being taught in class”
Couple that with anti-BLM laws and you get the only formula that might work. Either one alone is futile, given the bunch that now call themselves teachers.
But is that being seriously considered, anywhere? I really, really, doubt it.
Education will never improve as log as the government is involved. I do not respect the abilities of colleges to turn out the moral and qualified to actually teach children.
I don’t get all worked up when schools are closed now. School is for indoctrination and babysitting. Not a place to educate the future citizens.
If schools close, these so called teachers should have their paychecks reduced for all the days they don’t get to ruin young minds.
I wonder how many people take tests for other people in education field? It should be required to show photo Id. Insane.
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