2-26-11 (RM, France)
Living abroad has given me the opportunity to discuss US education policy without the fear of angering someone who is sympathetic to or a member of a US teacher's union. One thing is clear from my discussions: US public education is among the worst in the Western and developed world. I'm completely dumbfounded by the level of stupidity exhibited by Americans when foreign people visit the US. For example, a girl last night told me that someone in the United States asked her if France had electricity. In my mind, the problems with our system are as follows.
1) Spending per pupil has significantly increased while performance and test scores have remained stagnant of fallen. Too much money is siphoned off by bureaucrats and administrative hacks and not enough actually reaches the classroom. Poorly aligned school financial incentives are to blame. Also, since when do sports count as an "in-classroom" expenditure. This needs to change.
2) Federalized education programs have politicized lesson plans, distracted from actual education, and have imposed a one-size-fits-all approach to education.
3) A group of self-interested State employees have used political force in order to secure their financial interests and job security at the expense of competition and flexibility within the system.
4) Students are expected to being mastering concepts in soft social sciences before they have mastered the ability to read, write, and do basic math. Instead, they are asked to memorize useless facts at a young age that really have no bearing on their ability to think critically or get a handle on the basic skills truly necessary for furthering their education.
5) Almost all, except for a few, school districts and States refuse to allow experimentation and competition within their education system. Children unfortunate to live in low-income areas are trapped in a failing school system and are legally prevented from seeking out other public schools in the area.
6) Education is not synonymous with public school. This mentality has stifled creativity, innovation, and experimentation in terms of the way we educate our young people. In fact many unionized public school employees actively seek out the force of the State to make home-schooling and private schooling less attractive options for families.
7) Lack of proper nutrition and exercise within public schools. Although this is not a simple solution, it is my belief that children today are severely lacking in the proper nutritional building blocks to improve their early-years brain activity and function. Fatty meats, simple carbs, sugary soda and candy, and a lack of essential fatty acids are pretty much a school lunch recipe for disaster in terms of student performance and overall behavior. In fact, one study conducted in a Federal Prison showed that removing simple carbs and adding lean meats and vegetables helped improve inmate behavior by reducing insulin spikes and mood swings.
8) This goes along with 7 but I think the lack of proper exercise and breaks are hurting our student's ability to focus throughout the day. Kids are not adults, they don't have the attention span of adults, and they need breaks with physical activity.
9) Parents. Although I understand that it is difficult for some working parents to spend adequate time with their children, it is still their responsibility at the end of the day to educate their child. This is called personal responsibility for your family. Far too often, I hear or see parents act as if education is solely the responsibility of the State school. Wrong. Buy some activity books, buy some books to read at night, and spend time with your child. Read to them. Work with them. Instill the value of a higher education in them.
10) Kids themselves. I'm sorry kids but it isn't cool to be stupid. It isn't "selling out" or "betraying your community" when someone strives to be the best in academics. I have first-hand experience in seeing young black students being ridiculed by their peers for "acting white" when they succeed in academics. Since when did wanting to secure your financial future with a better education became a race-based quality? This mentality is just too sick to describe with words. There are other problems with children spending too much time in front trash tv, playing video games, or surfing the web for mindless imagery. Although all of these things are ok in moderation, kids need to experience life outside electronic mediums.
I am tired of the "dumb American" stereotype that persists in many European countries. The hard but obvious truth here is that this stereotype exists for a reason. Please educate yourselves and your children. Kids, please take the initiative to learn and explore things for yourself. It is ok to be curious and to want to pursue knowledge. Now get out there my fellow Americans and prove these Europeans wrong! ;)
Song of the Day: American Idiot by Green Day
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