Exodus: Is It Time To Leave Public Schools Behind?

Educational statistics and news stories throughout the nation point to the dismal state of affairs in our public schools. The academic performance of the vast majority of junior and senior high school students today does not equal that of students 100 years ago. A near omnipresent popular culture awash in increasingly graphic sexual content and violent material, results of the rising tide of pornography and obscenity that floods our society, has seeped into almost every corner of our society. Even our schools have been tainted, so much so that a broad array of secular and religious thinkers and leaders are calling upon parents to remove their children from public schools.

As our popular culture has become increasingly sexualized, so, too, have media representations of children and adolescents and the world in which they live. During the past few years a number of television programs have sprung up around what the media seems to define as teen life, with school serving as one of the main settings.

Not surprisingly, given the sexual saturation of today's media, the typical portrayal of teens in this television genre—which has, through the years, included such programs as Beverly Hills 90210, Boston Public, Dawson's Creek, The OC, life as we know it, and One Tree Hill—seems designed to titillate adults, via caricatures of teens in what Brent Bozell, of the Parents Television Council, so aptly described as "teen sex-addict stereotypes" in an October 28, 2004, column. But, it is not only adults watching plot lines that all too often involve teens indulging in a variety of sexual situations, including sex with other teens, sex with adults, even teachers, and occasionally group sex. Teens are among the most faithful fans of these programs.

With these programs and scenarios in mind, it is interesting to consider some of the news stories that seem to pop up in clusters. Last year, we were flooded with news reports of children performing various sex acts in classrooms, in school restrooms and on school buses. We've learned about the trend towards teen and preteen hook-ups for sex with no strings, peer pressure and friends-with-benefits associations. We've seen homemade porn-style videos, created by teens, of adolescents engaging in group sex and homosexual behavior for the enjoyment of applauding teenage onlookers. We've also witnessed a surge in another type of news story.

Mary Kay Letourneau is an early, lurid example of this type of story—teacher student sex. She had two children by the boy she molested. The story made international news in 1997, when stories of this nature were still rare. However, scanning today's news, there are numerous examples of this type of abuse. So many, in fact, that they barely make national, let alone international, news.

On February 3, 2005, Jeremy Pawloski, of the Albuquerque Journal, reported that "the former Mesa Vista High School teacher arrested last week for having sex with a student married the pregnant 16-year-old on New Year's Day." A February 13, 2005, Associated Press headline in the Kansas City Star announced "Teacher-student sex cases continue to appear in Kansas." Tennessee is struggling with its third recent high profile teacher-student sex case. Texas, Nevada, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Oregon are just a few of the many states to have news stories concerning teacher-student sex—and these are just the stories from the first part of February!

"It used to be unthinkable, but has become oddly routine," states a February 15, 2005, CBS report. Routine enough, it seems, for Congress to request a report from the U.S. Department of Education on educator sexual misconduct. Completed in 2004, the report revealed "that 9.6 percent of all students in grades 8 to 11 report contact and/or non-contact educator sexual misconduct that was unwanted." Unwanted, however, is a word to pay attention to, as often these teacher-student sexual unions are consensual, at least to the degree that a minor is able to consent.

Crime is a problem in public schools and much has been written about teacher's inability to maintain the level of discipline that was standard years ago. According to recent statistics prepared by the National Center For Education Statistics and released in the Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2004, in 2002 there were approximately 88,000 students between the ages of 12 and 18 that were victims of "serious violent crimes (including rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault)" at school.

Furthermore, according to the report, "annually, over the 5-year period from 1998 to 2002, teachers were the victims of approximately 234,000 total nonfatal crimes at school, including 144,000 thefts and 90,000 violent crimes (rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault)."

Yet, information in the 2004 report requested by Congress, Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature, as well as numerous news reports during the past few years, indicate that the numbers relating to school crimes may be too low, as school administrators strive to guard the reputations of their schools.

On page 11 of Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature, mention is made of "the difficulty of obtaining information on educator sexual misconduct" that the Seattle Times experienced while preparing a December 2003 series on the topic.

"When the Seattle Times asked the Bellevue School District for information about teachers and coaches accused of sexual misconduct, school officials and the state's most powerful union teamed up behind the scenes to try to hide the files. Bellevue school officials even let teachers purge their own records at union-organized "file parties" to prevent disclosure," according to the 147-page report. Furthermore, the report indicates that the official numbers of sex-related crimes may be low due to students' being hesitant to report such incidents.

Far more pervasive than actual crime, however, is yet another aspect of our current cultural climate that has settled into our public school systems. Taking their cues from the seemingly never-ending sexual revolution, which is the foundation upon which our popular culture firmly rests, school administrators have instituted a variety of educational and social policies that reflect a serious disconnect with the values and beliefs of the majority of Americans.

Zogby's 2004 poll on the topic of sex education found that the majority of parents believe children should be taught abstinence and the biological facts. 79% of parents responded that they strongly agreed that "the best choice is for sexual intercourse to be linked to love, intimacy and commitment" and "that these qualities are most to occur in a faithful marriage."

Yet, public school districts, such as those in Holyoke, Massachusetts, persist in giving condoms to 6th graders. In California, according to a December 3, 2004, World Net Daily report, "schools cannot inform parents if their children leave campus to receive certain confidential medical services that include abortion, AIDS treatment and psychological analysis, according to an opinion issued by the office of state Attorney General Bill Lockyer." These are just a couple of the policies that have made their way into public school systems throughout the nation.

Not only has a cultural climate that undermines the values and beliefs of most parents developed in the public school system, but, in addition, public schools are failing to educate children in the necessary scholastic subjects. The National Center For Educational Statistics reports of 8th graders that less than one third are able to write at a level deemed proficient, that 29% are reading at a proficient level, with proficiency in math being achieved by 23%, and proficiency in American History being reached by only 15% of students.

While it has been primarily religious leaders who have garnered the majority of media attention for calling upon parents to remove their children from public schools, such as in the case of the recent "exodus mandate" contemplated by Southern Baptists, secular thinkers are also speaking out in favor of leaving public schools behind. Because our country was built upon Judeo-Christian values, many who are not religious still hold basic, traditional values. Even secular parents are offended by 8th graders being told that "stripping and exotic dancing could be lucrative career moves for girls, offering as much as $250,000 or more per year, depending on their bust size" and that "for every two inches up there, you should get another $50,000 on your salary," as occurred in a Palo Alto middle school, according to a January 14, 2005, AP report on FoxNews.com.

Parents—religious and secular—are tired of this insanity. They are tired of the bizarre social engineering that disrespects their families and their values, and tired of the excuses given for substandard academic performance within the public schools. Homeschooling is now the fastest growing educational movement in the country.

Internet technology has made it easier than ever before for parents to take charge of their children's education. Recently, there has been a sharp increase in classes available via the computer specifically designed for homeschooling families. Through the homeschooling associations and collectives springing up all over the nation, there are numerous educational options and homeschooling support networks available to families. There are numerous low-cost or free programs, making home education a viable option for almost every family who desires it.

Scholastic performance statistics make it clear that more and more the public school system is failing to fulfill the purpose it was created for—namely, the education of our nation's youth in academic subjects. The administrative and educational policies of many public school districts make it clear that the decision makers are willing to ignore the values held by the majority of parents and to sacrifice the physical, psychological and sexual health of our nation's youth to appease those more concerned with advancing social agendas than with what is best for children. Perhaps the secular and religious thinkers and leaders are right, perhaps it is time for parents to remove their children—and thus, the per student government funding—from a tainted and failing system.

"Re:(2-24-98) -- A major study
Might want to use the most current stats unless you want to purposely mislead people? "

The date of the study I posted was included...there was absolutely no intent to mislead.
When I cut and paste the entire article...including the date...it shows that I'm trying to make absolutely sure that even a moron can figure out what they're reading. I knew that the '03 results had been released in Dec 04. Those test scores aren't particularly impressive. Perhaps you're trying to make the point that while the US ranking isn't by any means great, that they've shown an upward trend...in this test cycle. Okay, fair enough. What we may have uncovered, here, is a set of differing standards, between you and your little "band of cheerleaders" and people like me. When US students are beaten in Math testing by kids from Singapore (99 points better), Latvia, Lithuania, The Russian Federation, Hungary, Cyprus, and the Republic of Moldovia...to name a few...I don't see that as cause to celebrate. As bad as middle of the pack sounds, it's even more distasteful when we remind ourselves of the only category where we lead the world in public education...THE MONEY WE SPEND! I was interested to see you try to make the claim that I'm trying to deceive...after I posted the entire article, including the date...but you posted only snips of the '03 report on Eighth Grade achievement. I'd like to encourage everyone who reads this to go to the TIMSS web site and read it all...everything. See how these kids stack up against kids from Malaysia, many of whom are attending schools where the floors are dirt. See how our kids stack up against the kids from Hungary, where a kids is as likely to go to school on a jackass as on a buss. Did you also know the TIMSS tested 12th Grade students, too? I think this next article is important, because the kids involved are out of public education now. They're among us as adults...voting, working, and raising children. This is what our public education system gave them: From: http://ustimss.msu.edu/ 1998 publication Michigan State University 455 Erickson Hall East Lansing, MI 48824-1034 Phone: (517) 353-7755 Fax: (517) 432-1727 National Center for Education Statistics Washington, D.C. National Science Foundation Washington, D.C. PRESS STATEMENT BY WILLIAM H. SCHMIDT U.S. TIMSS NATIONAL RESEARCH COORDINATOR MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Are There Surprises in the TIMSS Twelfth Grade Results? "There is something surprising about the mathematics and science achievement results for US high school seniors," said Dr. William H. Schmidt in discussing the recently released TIMSS (Third International Mathematics and Science Study) high school seniors' results. "What is surprising is not the profoundly disappointing results but rather failing to realize how predictable those results were given what we already knew. The mathematics and science performance of American high school seniors is neither unexpected nor unimportant." TIMSS released achievement results comparing general mathematics and science knowledge among typical graduating seniors in several countries. They also released results on more advanced, specialized achievement tests for graduating seniors studying physics or calculus (including Advanced Placement courses in one or both of those areas) and their counterparts in other countries. TIMSS showed very low results for US students compared to those in the other countries giving the tests, both for general knowledge by average graduating seniors and for advanced performance by seniors studying physics and calculus. A recent report, Facing the Consequences, from the US TIMSS Research Center suggested that these results were certainly to be expected. It pointed out that there was a consistent decline in our relative standing from fourth grade to eighth grade in both mathematics and science. Of the almost 40 topics examined in both mathematics and science, none showed improved standing relative to other TIMSS countries from fourth to eighth grade. Most topics showed a decline over the middle school years. Schmidt said, "It could hardly be a surprise to find this decline continuing on through high school. As we discussed in Facing the Consequences and in our earlier report A Splintered Vision, US curricula through eighth grade do not focus on any key topics or give them significantly more attention. Those curricula and our textbooks are highly repetitive and unchallenging in grade after grade of the middle school years. How could they provide a sound foundation on which to build during the high school years?" The middle school curricula in most TIMSS countries cover topics from algebra, geometry, physics and chemistry. For most US students these are first studied, if at all, in high school. Many students (about 15 percent) never study algebra, geometry (about 30 percent), advanced algebra (40 percent), other advanced mathematics (around 80 percent), chemistry (about 45 percent) or physics (almost 75 percent). Schmidt indicated, "US students frequently opt out of advanced study of mathematics and science in high school or are placed in less demanding courses even if they do continue to take mathematics and science courses. So high school mathematics and science is unlikely to overcome the poor foundation provided during US middle school education and reverse the downward trend in comparative performance for average students." The US is also selective about who takes what courses, especially in mathematics. We do this even before high school and are essentially unique among TIMSS countries in doing so. As early as middle school we offer different content to different groups of students. We presumably do this to improve our educational 'efficiency' and increase learning for all students or, at least, for the students in our most demanding courses. It doesn't work. Facing the Consequences used TIMSS results to examine these practices in some detail and found that they did little to help most students learn mathematics. The report also found that this practice contributed to exaggerating achievement differences among US students. The new twelfth grade results make it clear that tracking also fails to provide satisfactory achievement for either average or advanced students. That report suggests that tracking is not the only problem with the US approach to mathematics and science education. US science and mathematics curricula cover many topics but without devoting much time to any one topic. This makes it unsurprising that there appeared to be only very small differences in what had been learned by US fourth graders compared to third graders or by eighth graders compared to seventh graders. This was true for all mathematics and science topics examined. Schmidt said, "We have characterized US science and mathematics curricula as 'a mile wide and an inch deep.' We can hardly be surprised to find the achievement gains in all of those topics only an 'inch deep' as well." The US pattern of consistent small gains contrasts sharply with patterns in other TIMSS countries where in any single grade there are large gains for some topics and small gains in others. US high school seniors' performance on the TIMSS tests show that this approach of accumulating consistent small gains in the end does not result in overall gains as large as those attained by focusing on some topics for greater gains but changing the focus across the years of schooling. Schmidt suggested, "Surely these results must call into question the entire US approach to mathematics and science curricula across the grades." What about the US's better students? When asked, Schmidt replied, "For some time now, Americans have comforted themselves when confronted with bad news about their educational system by believing that our better students can compare with similar students in any country in the world. We have preferred not to believe that we were doing a consistently bad job. Instead, many have believed that the problem was all those 'other' students who do poorly in school and who we, unlike other countries, include in international tests. That simply isn't true. TIMSS has burst another myth - our best students in mathematics and science are simply not 'world class'. Even the very small percentage of students taking Advanced Placement courses are not among the world’s best." US students have been provided with weak foundations for studying advanced mathematics and science.. "Our high school specialists are ill prepared to gain the most from advanced study", Schmidt said. "A few grades of weak specialization in high school does not appear able to overcome the weak foundation we lay in earlier grades." How mathematics and science is arranged in courses also seems to be part of the problem. Better US students study physics in only one or two courses. This is very different from what the students study in the higher achieving countries where physics study begins during middle school and continues throughout high school. Better US mathematics students during high school years take separate courses in geometry, pre-calculus, etc. In most TIMSS countries, students take a course in mathematics -- a course which may include studying parts of advanced algebra, geometry, finite mathematics, and calculus at the same time. They may take such courses for several years. "What these results for US high school seniors make clear and what we tried to examine closely in Facing the Consequences," Schmidt said, "is that there is no one source of these problems and no one source for their solution. The problem is bigger. It is in our system, not any single part of it." "We can waste our time protesting each and every change. We can also waste our time thinking that any one change will solve all our problems. In either case, what we do is waste our time. US mathematics and science education has neither simple villains nor 'magic bullets' to cure our ills." "We've failed our tests. Do we want to fail our futures, too?" /////////////////////////////////////////////////////// The 12th graders who tested in this group are adults, on the street.

What all these articles and statistics point out, is that the current population of America is failing our own homegrown youth.

Now, from an economic standpoint, this is not the demise of America, but it is the demise of America as we know it. Because our Universities are the best in the world, we will still produce the best graduates and doctorates in the world.

There will be no shortage of people to fill the tech jobs and research jobs that are here in America. America will always be on the cutting edge of these jobs for one reason, capitalism. Unless of course, you consider that unions, lawsuits, and government regulatory commissions push these corporations out of America.

Assuming we are able to curb those elements that would push our jobs to foreign soil, we can ascertain that those graduating from American Universities will go where the money is. They probably won't want to go back to Asia to work for 3 bucks an hour, they will probably stay here, so long as our wages and stock option programs are competitive. A very fine line between paying wages and paying the government for strict OSHA compliances and federal oversight is what many companies walk.

The only question, is even though American capitalism will survive, and America itself will survive, will your grandchildren be those who are in the high paying jobs, or will they simply be the bus boys and fruit pickers of this global economy.

If we do not create an environment in which our high school graduates can compete in the sciences at the graduate level, we will soon see a revitalization of the industrial age. Though this would appear to be good news to some, rest assured that those manufacturing jobs will be filled by your grandchildren who will be working for foreigners, and getting paid minimum wage. The days of assembling vacuum cleaners for 28 dollars an hour are gone with the buggy whip.

While other countries are progressing, we are languishing in the arts. Other nations are laughing at us, even though our schools are boasting a better liberal arts program than that which is offered in the finest schools of Paris and Amsterdam.

And trust me on this one, other people of the world aren't as obsessed with their "feelings", as we are. All of those who are studying gobbledygook-psycho-babble, may as well plan on a future of flipping burgers, because the disciplined Asians aren't going to be flocking to your couch to complain about how they feel hurt because their dog doesn't love them. They'll just simply eat the dog and move on with life.

Your only hope is to become an artist, and produce bauble's to sell to our new invaders, much like they produce art in the port-of-call cities for the Virgin cruise lines.

All you art students take notice, pay attention to your next basket weaving or tribal art class, because you may be relying on that knowledge to get you and your future family through the rough times that are assuredly ahead, if changes are not made now.

There will only be so many football players, basketball players and rappers that we can export. After that, its all downhill.

"Re:(2-24-98) -- A major study
Might want to use the most current stats unless you want to purposely mislead people? "

The date of the study I posted was included...there was absolutely no intent to mislead.

When I cut and paste the entire article...including the date...it shows that I'm trying to make absolutely sure that even a moron can figure out what they're reading.

I knew that the '03 results had been released in Dec 04. Those test scores aren't particularly impressive.

Perhaps you're trying to make the point that while the US ranking isn't by any means great, that they've shown an upward trend...in this test cycle. Okay, fair enough.

What we may have uncovered, here, is a set of differing standards, between you and your little "band of cheerleaders" and people like me.

When US students are beaten in Math testing by kids from Singapore (99 points better), Latvia, Lithuania, The Russian Federation, Hungary, Cyprus, and the Republic of Moldovia...to name a few...I don't see that as cause to celebrate.

As bad as middle of the pack sounds, it's even more distasteful when we remind ourselves of the only category where we lead the world in public education...THE MONEY WE SPEND!

I was interested to see you try to make the claim that I'm trying to deceive...after I posted the entire article, including the date...but you posted only snips of the '03 report on Eighth Grade achievement.

I'd like to encourage everyone who reads this to go to the TIMSS web site and read it all...everything.

See how these kids stack up against kids from Malaysia, many of whom are attending schools where the floors are dirt.

See how our kids stack up against the kids from Hungary, where a kids is as likely to go to school on a jackass as on a bus.

Did you also know the TIMSS tested 12th Grade students, too?

I think this next article is important, because the kids involved are out of public education now. They're among us as adults...voting, working, and raising children.

This is what our public education system gave them:

From: http://ustimss.msu.edu/
1998 publication
Michigan State University
455 Erickson Hall East Lansing, MI 48824-1034
Phone: (517) 353-7755
Fax: (517) 432-1727
National Center for Education Statistics Washington, D.C. National Science Foundation Washington, D.C.
PRESS STATEMENT BY WILLIAM H. SCHMIDT
U.S. TIMSS NATIONAL RESEARCH COORDINATOR
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Are There Surprises in the TIMSS Twelfth Grade Results?

"There is something surprising about the mathematics and science achievement results for US high school seniors," said Dr. William H. Schmidt in discussing the recently released TIMSS (Third International Mathematics and Science Study) high school seniors' results. "What is surprising is not the profoundly disappointing results but rather failing to realize how predictable those results were given what we already knew. The mathematics and science performance of American high school seniors is neither unexpected nor unimportant."

TIMSS released achievement results comparing general mathematics and science knowledge among typical graduating seniors in several countries. They also released results on more advanced, specialized achievement tests for graduating seniors studying physics or calculus (including Advanced Placement courses in one or both of those areas) and their counterparts in other countries.

TIMSS showed very low results for US students compared to those in the other countries giving the tests, both for general knowledge by average graduating seniors and for advanced performance by seniors studying physics and calculus.

A recent report, Facing the Consequences, from the US TIMSS Research Center suggested that these results were certainly to be expected. It pointed out that there was a consistent decline in our relative standing from fourth grade to eighth grade in both mathematics and science.

Of the almost 40 topics examined in both mathematics and science, none showed improved standing relative to other TIMSS countries from fourth to eighth grade. Most topics showed a decline over the middle school years.

Schmidt said, "It could hardly be a surprise to find this decline continuing on through high school. As we discussed in Facing the Consequences and in our earlier report A Splintered Vision, US curricula through eighth grade do not focus on any key topics or give them significantly more attention. Those curricula and our textbooks are highly repetitive and unchallenging in grade after grade of the middle school years. How could they provide a sound foundation on which to build during the high school years?"

The middle school curricula in most TIMSS countries cover topics from algebra, geometry, physics and chemistry. For most US students these are first studied, if at all, in high school.

Many students (about 15 percent) never study algebra, geometry (about 30 percent), advanced algebra (40 percent), other advanced mathematics (around 80 percent), chemistry (about 45 percent) or physics (almost 75 percent). Schmidt indicated, "US students frequently opt out of advanced study of mathematics and science in high school or are placed in less demanding courses even if they do continue to take mathematics and science courses. So high school mathematics and science is unlikely to overcome the poor foundation provided during US middle school education and reverse the downward trend in comparative performance for average students."

The US is also selective about who takes what courses, especially in mathematics. We do this even before high school and are essentially unique among TIMSS countries in doing so.

As early as middle school we offer different content to different groups of students. We presumably do this to improve our educational 'efficiency' and increase learning for all students or, at least, for the students in our most demanding courses. It doesn't work.

Facing the Consequences used TIMSS results to examine these practices in some detail and found that they did little to help most students learn mathematics. The report also found that this practice contributed to exaggerating achievement differences among US students.

The new twelfth grade results make it clear that tracking also fails to provide satisfactory achievement for either average or advanced students. That report suggests that tracking is not the only problem with the US approach to mathematics and science education.

US science and mathematics curricula cover many topics but without devoting much time to any one topic. This makes it unsurprising that there appeared to be only very small differences in what had been learned by US fourth graders compared to third graders or by eighth graders compared to seventh graders. This was true for all mathematics and science topics examined.

Schmidt said, "We have characterized US science and mathematics curricula as 'a mile wide and an inch deep.' We can hardly be surprised to find the achievement gains in all of those topics only an 'inch deep' as well." The US pattern of consistent small gains contrasts sharply with patterns in other TIMSS countries where in any single grade there are large gains for some topics and small gains in others.

US high school seniors' performance on the TIMSS tests show that this approach of accumulating consistent small gains in the end does not result in overall gains as large as those attained by focusing on some topics for greater gains but changing the focus across the years of schooling.

Schmidt suggested, "Surely these results must call into question the entire US approach to mathematics and science curricula across the grades." What about the US's better students?

When asked, Schmidt replied, "For some time now, Americans have comforted themselves when confronted with bad news about their educational system by believing that our better students can compare with similar students in any country in the world. We have preferred not to believe that we were doing a consistently bad job. Instead, many have believed that the problem was all those 'other' students who do poorly in school and who we, unlike other countries, include in international tests. That simply isn't true.

TIMSS has burst another myth - our best students in mathematics and science are simply not 'world class'. Even the very small percentage of students taking Advanced Placement courses are not among the world’s best."

US students have been provided with weak foundations for studying advanced mathematics and science.. "Our high school specialists are ill prepared to gain the most from advanced study", Schmidt said. "A few grades of weak specialization in high school does not appear able to overcome the weak foundation we lay in earlier grades." How mathematics and science is arranged in courses also seems to be part of the problem.

Better US students study physics in only one or two courses. This is very different from what the students study in the higher achieving countries where physics study begins during middle school and continues throughout high school. Better US mathematics students during high school years take separate courses in geometry, pre-calculus, etc.

In most TIMSS countries, students take a course in mathematics -- a course which may include studying parts of advanced algebra, geometry, finite mathematics, and calculus at the same time. They may take such courses for several years.

"What these results for US high school seniors make clear and what we tried to examine closely in Facing the Consequences," Schmidt said, "is that there is no one source of these problems and no one source for their solution. The problem is bigger. It is in our system, not any single part of it." "We can waste our time protesting each and every change. We can also waste our time thinking that any one change will solve all our problems. In either case, what we do is waste our time. US mathematics and science education has neither simple villains nor 'magic bullets' to cure our ills." "We've failed our tests. Do we want to fail our futures, too?"

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////// The 12th graders who tested in this group are adults, on the street. This is what our American public schools have become.

The mild improvement in the standing of 4th graders in the 2003 vs the 1999 tests may offer a seductive bit of home. But that improvement is tiny, and it's a single event, not a trend.

Unfortunately, US national test results, such as those we see with the SAT, don't give much hope that the 2003 TIMSS results are more than a "flash in the pan."

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