Comments below:
> [Krimel]
> I would say that my kids learned a portion of the
> values both of you
> mentioned. Each learned something different, each in
> her kind.
>
> [Arlo]
> Now don't you go getting all "thinking" on us. In
> Platt's dichotomous
> world, that's forbidden. Two options, "value of the
> individual" in
> private schools, "Marxist collectivism" in the
> public. If I start
> funnin' with that (as my granddaddy used to say),
> don't bring
> reasonable discourse into it.
>
> [Krimel]
> Public schools have a host of problems but lack of
> funding
> contributes to all of them.
> [Arlo]
> I think our biggest problem with education stems
> from an
> unarticulated philosophy... "why do we educate?"
>
> Once we know why we do, we can start working on
> solutions. Until
> then, it's just ad hoc band-aids, a parade of fads,
> and the usually,
> boring cliches about "government" schools. But yes,
> funding
> (particularly funding in "the arts") continues to be
> a big problem
> across the board. But its not all about funding. I'd
> say most of it
> derives from a lack of overall vision. It also stems
> from a
> dissolution of community integration, failure of
> parents to involve,
> and the "teach to the test" mentality of "No Child".
>
> Some other gripes (in brief), adherence to "grade
> levels" (such as
> 5th grade, 6th grade, etc), adherence to the clock,
> non-integration
> of subjects, lecture-based learning, splitting
> vocational students
> from "college prep" students, inability to
> discipline as needed, and
> overall grading policies.
>
> [Krimel]
> Certainly there are plenty of problems but it is
> possible to get a good
> public education. The issue should be how to make
> that true for more
> students. In general public education is locally
> controlled. Each school
> district has its own elected officials and taxation
> authority. So the
> success or failure of schools is largely a local
> concern strongly influenced
> but not always determined by federal or state laws
> or policies.
>
> While I think current federal policies do encourage
> teaching to tests and
> some of the other evils you mention. I fear these
> kinds of problems will wax
> and wane. Educators are always pursuing new and
> better teaching methods some
> work, some don't, but hopefully local control allow
> lots of experiments and
> best practices have a chance to immerge. Or one
> might say the most
> successful memes reveal themselves and grow. If this
> is not happening that
> is perhaps the biggest problem.
SA: On the economic note, around here the crime is so
terrible in one community that the local grocery store
is pulling out. This places the next closest grocery
store a bus drive away. Now the locals will need to
travel by bus, if need be, to get food. This is
happening on the north side of Pittsburgh. Pointing
out the lose of tax base, due to crime, thus, lose of
school funding (via property taxes) with business pull
outs, thus... more crime with harder to come by
schooling tools. We know this cycle, I'm showing a
real example of how crime can close down a community,
now the basic necessity of food will be hard to come
by in this particular community. I know crime has
increased around Pittsburgh so much so, that the FBI
is involved now.
SA
____________________________________________________________________________________
You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total
Access, No Cost.
http://tc.deals.yahoo.com/tc/blockbuster/text5.com
Moq_Discuss mailing list
Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc.
http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org
Archives:
http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/
http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
