EDUCATION

[JOEBIALEK]

As students return to schools all across the country, perhaps a discussion about education would be appropriate. From a capitalist point of view, some would argue that the purpose of public education is to provide training to enter the work force. The basics of reading, writing and arithmetic are taught to provide a foundation of which to build on once a person graduates to on-the-job training. However, the democratic argument suggests that the purpose is to promote an informed citizenry. Therefore, an exposure to history, sociology etc benefits society as a whole because people learn about their roles and responsibilities. Obviously, both arguments merit equal consideration and should continue to be pursued. Further, no one can dispute that each and every child in this country should receive the educational services provided by the public. The most pressing question today, however, is how does government ensure the quality of educational services?

The public school system today continues to fail at educating our children both in terms of job training and citizen awareness. The most powerful country to ever exist on planet earth continues to lag behind other countries when it comes the very basics expected of this institution. The reason for this is because of the bureaucratic non-incentives consistent with government waste. Teachers are not held accountable as a unit manager would be held accountable for their unit achieving objectives in a private corporation. They are also not rewarded financially for the success of their students when it comes to test results. And the biggest benefactor of all, private enterprise is not required to reinvest in an educational system that provides free training to future employees. The time for privatization of public education is long overdue. We as a country need to finally get serious about training and educating our future citizens. It is time to use corporate property tax along with personal property tax as a means of funding schools. Educational facilities from pre-schools to colleges and universities need to be converted to entities of private enterprise whereby an education is crafted as the finest product available to United States citizens. Along with this transition would be the disciplinary environment so desperately needed in our schools today. If a co-worker or boss were struck by an employee, they would be fired and possibly jailed. The same code needs to exist in schools today. Furthermore, a greater effort needs to be made in determining where one fits in the skills and abilities matrix. Spending more time and attention to the criss-cross of what one enjoys doing with what one is good at doing would make a profound difference on our society. Education is a public good no less or important than national defense, environmental quality etc but it is the means of providing that good that most importantly needs to change.

[Andrew]

Isn't that why they have private schools? If people don't like it thedy will leave, so the teachers have to do good, or else they would be fired, no?

Coughs with Apollyon. ::)

[thomas]

yeah porochial schools *sneezes* oops I mean *cough* *cough* ;)

[Acriku]

The most pressing question today, however, is how does government ensure the quality of educational services?

My answer is: not nearly enough. We played a mock Senate in A.P government class a few weeks ago, and we passed a bill requiring a test to be administered to every student in every state and the school or district, and would receive financial benefits for administering it. I would change that bill to say that every public school must administer a comprehensive test at each achievement level (5th, 8th, and 12th), and each state will receive extra federal money to distribute between the schools based on their percentage of passing. This provides an incentive for each school to help their students learn effectively and successfully, gearing towards each achievement level test. The contents of the test will be decided at each state level board of education, because each state is different in their curriculum (in some areas) and different geographies provides more relevancies and irrelevancies (to be determined by the board of education at the state level). Send this off to the Congress and see how it goes :D

[Egeides]

This thing about private schools just doesn't work since then you don't get the money you would get for education. Thus, most people see this door closed and locked.

[Gobalopper]

I think this is just a form message that this guy posts on a bunch of different messageboards so I don't know how likely it will be he comes back again...

[Edric O]

"Public education doesn't work" - Yes, and the publicly educated masses that have grown the modern economies of the past 150 years are an illusion. ::)

Public education is what got us to the level of technology and culture we enjoy today. Public education is what ensured the proper education of every child in each generation, regardless of the wealth of his parents or his skin colour. Abolishing it would return us to the 19th century.

Privatization kills education is two ways:

1. Rich kids will get the best education, poor kids won't get any education at all. This way, American society will turn into a sort of caste system in which the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor, having no opportunity to get a better job due to their lack of a proper education. You would be rewarding or punishing children for the achievements or mistakes of their parents.

2. Schools will be guided by profit, not quality of education. You will not solve the problems of your education system - you will only make them worse. That's because schools will teach children what their parents are willing to pay for, not what the children actually need.

Remember, the true results of education can only be seen many years later, when the kids grow up and get jobs. That is why the idea that the market can ensure a high quality of education is ridiculous.

If you look at international contests of maths, science, etc. for children and teenagers, you will see that the highest scores are achieved by those who come from countries with strong public education, especially Russia, Eastern Europe and China.

The solution to your problems is something along the lines of what Acriku proposed: Strenghten your public education system instead of weakening it, and develop a system of rewarding teachers based on their students' achievements.

[Acriku]

We must also not forget that private schools do not abide by government standards, so they can pretty much teach you whatever they feel is necessary.

[Caid Ivik]

I don't know how is it abroad, but in Slovakia there are three types of schools. Private schools, which take tremendous money from parents, but there is no morale in classes as well as in staff room. Chaos and drugs. But also more individual work and also school's equipment, which is best. Religious schools have slightly better morale, and are quasi free. If we don't count "voluntary" donations. The equipment is usually obsolete, but still these schools have usually best results in education (if we don't count specialized schools). And then we have state schools, from which most look like coal power plant - from that omnipresent smoke... Voluntary donations are minimal, technology is provided by state (mostly obtained by corruption or foreign projects). But quality of education itself is lowest. Altough we can't say it about all.

[Anathema]

I think this is just a form message that this guy posts on a bunch of different messageboards so I don't know how likely it will be he comes back again...

Googled it, you're right.

[nemafakei]

When people begin postls like this, it is really quite inconsiderate not to put the country to which they are referring! With regular members, we can at least look at the flag, but with 'unknowns', you have to read it through twice to get the full sense of it, the first time working out the context.

Anyway, to education.

Here in the UK, there are two major divisions of school: Private schools (aka public schools, a name originating in the 16th Centure - i.e. not individual tuition), and state schools. Some primary (4-11 years) state schools are religious, but few secondary (11-16). There are one or two state schools which are not co-educational (both genders), and still quite a number of private schools. Many private schools are religious.

Education should be available to all, and should be compulsory to the completion of a pupil's 16th year of age (those with learning disabilities may be excepted from much of this). It should be available, free of charge at least as far as degree level to those who are capable and prepared to put in the effort to gain the most they can from it. However, we must recognise that not everyone is best suited to academia, and there should be no pressure to higher education for those who would benefit more from a practical or vocaional training (supplemented where necessary by theoretical education).

Certainly, all education should be of very high quality indeed, and furthermore should not be aimed at simply gaining the grades required for universities, or passing exams to make for a better CV: each subject should be taught holistically within itself, and connections between subjects should be made wherever possible to aid learning.

As to the purposes of education... well, it is a major factor in the quality of anyone's life, and, of course, it prepares people so that they can be of greatest use to society, be that in the workplace or in helping the processes of governance.

Regarding teachers' pay, however, there are distinct problems: Foremost is the question of how you are to measure the success - by public examinations? That has the hazard of leading the more unscrupulous teachers to teach pupils not the subjects, but how to pass the exams. Secondly, there are problems like whether it will be absolute acheivement or relative improvement in pupils that you will measure, and further to this are the problems with different rates of learning at different times... it all gets complicated. This is why paying teachers cannot be based solely on exam performances.

[Egeides]

EdricO: I lurned more out of school and as someone who went in public, alternative-public (independantly directed by a group with special goals) and private school, let me say you that public schools and the way the government sees education aren't the best forms of education... The public school didn't seemed the best solution, even if there certainly are some good ones. I don't believe in a monopoly over education and education's goal/philosophy. Education isn't only a way to get somewhere in life, it's also your mind.

Yet, education is the art of answering what you are asked to answer (= getting good grades and teachers/others saying you're doing good) a lot more than really understanding and EDUCATE yourself. In this case, it's not that much about how much MORE money is invested into education but HOW it is invested, what is asked from children and how it is done.