I posted this a few minutes ago to the editor of our local newspaper with copies to our State Superintendent of Eduation, our Commission on Higher Education, our mayor, and the the Hoover Institution, where Dr. Walberg is a Distinguished Professor. ---------- Forwarded Message ---------- Subject: Education does not measure up Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 11:07:01 -0400 From: James R. Frysinger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Editor, Post and Courier Dear Editor: In today's paper Dr. Walberg called attention to the need for a longer school year and higher standards, as recommended by the National Commission on Excellence in Education (NCEE), in order to accelerate our students' sluggish progress in mathematics and science. Inexplicably, both he and the NCEE have overlooked an obvious third need, the teaching of measurement in only one system. Our students currently must study both the hodgepodge of units used in the US and the metric system used by everyone else in the world. To rub salt in the wound, public school systems waste time teaching children to measure things in paper clips, beans, and body parts. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics have shirked their duties and have recently published a new "standard" that is vacuous, soporific, shallow in content, and bogged down in education jargon. Failing to hear a strong voice from the electorate, our government stands with one foot on the pier and one foot in the rowboat, failing to finally get onboard and sail us firmly into metrication. We are the only non-metric country in the world now, although silent progress is slowly being made thanks to international commerce. The college students coming into my core science classes are somewhat better at using the modern metric system (the SI) than they are at using other units since it is easier to comprehend and remember. Yet they are not as skilled at using it as they could be if they had not been distracted by teaching non-metric units. Dual education is semi-effective. Yet, the metric system is THE language of measurement used in science. Of course our students won't progress as fast as students elsewhere; they are weaker in using the language! Our state and federal governments need to take timely and resolute action at metricating our country's affairs, laws, and regulations. Our educators need to teach the metric system exclusively and in more depth without waiting for the government to give a starting signal. In the transition period, students will absorb enough from those around them to deal with non-metric units during the short time they linger. Within the next several years we must complete our metrication process if we are to avoid hitting a significant, economic stone wall. Our State Department of Education has started to turn the tide. It must follow through now to help our students and education community measure up. James R. Frysinger [Aside to the editor: I am willing to work with an editor on this if you would be interested in having it presented as a opinion column rather than a lengthy letter to the editor. I have strong credentials in the SI (the modern metric system), education, and metric standards. For example, I will be representing the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at the 2001 Business Expo. Please call me.] -- James R. Frysinger University/College of Charleston 10 Captiva Row Dept. of Physics and Astronomy Charleston, SC 29407 66 George Street 843.225.0805 Charleston, SC 29424 http://www.cofc.edu/~frysingj [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cert. Adv. Metrication Specialist 843.953.7644 -------------------------------------------------------
