Many years ago (probably 16 or 17 ) during a parent teacher meeting in richardson high school near Dallas TX where my daughter graduated from. I heard a dad becoming all emotional and criticising the education our kids are getting from the school.
As a parent coming from India I did not have a good understanding of the education system in USA at that time ( I am not sure even today i really have a great understanding)
I was greatly impressed by the facilities available in that school.and the air conditioned classrooms. well stocked library. my daughter was conducting PCR experiments ( I as a surgeon coming from India heard of PCR but used it only after coming to USA and doing a residency in internal medicine)
I was not able to understand why this dad was so agitated,I see all theses wonderful text books with advanced concepts which used to be taught at college level ,given freely to students, properly equipped labs teachers who seemed eager to teach and for the first time some one from the school wanting to hear from a parent about how the school was doing. compared what I had when I was studying back in India.
My wife was always worried that our kids are not getting proper education and we should send them to private schools like the Reddy, Rao, Patel neighbours were doing. i was not convinced by the arguments put forward by her and the neighbours and being a non believer in any religion ,I did not want my children to imbibe christian dogma by going to these Private schools and learn nothing but snobbery.
Now after all these years both my kids have graduated from college, they are finding it tough to decide what they want to do with their life . they are finding it tough to find a meaningful career which pays a decent living wage.
I have these occasional discussions with my 26 year old son who completed a college degree in advertising and journalism.He was recently explaining to me why he thinks he did not learn 'Anything" during his high school after we moved from a lower ranking ISD of Mesquite to a higher ranking ISD in Plano.
Why he admires me for not pushing him in to medicine or engineering as all the other DESI ( Indian immigrant) parents.
I admire and understand much of what he discusses and feels.
what I realize is American education system is topsy turvy and significantly Hypocritical and sets up our youngsters for failure.
where ever I turn to and read about a crisis in American education system such as the article given below there is so much emphasis on inner city African american kids and how high school students are not able to read,write or do math.
What about the above average children who play by the rules, th highly educated( immigrant)parents who are excessively involved in the children's academics. They still seem to be not doing any better either.
"Public can sue Govt officials for inaction
Sana Shakil | Aug 27, 2015, 11.59 PM IST
NEW DELHI: Paving the way for making public servants
accountable if they fail to perform their duties, a city court has stated that
people can seek damages on account of their "inaction". Currently, no
law exists under which government employees can be prosecuted or held liable
for inaction. The move of seeking such damages, a first in the country except
in defamation cases, if put to use effectively is likely to make public
servants more responsible.
"Failure to act is an actionable wrong as much as any
malafide action by such public servant for which the aggrieved person can seek
damages for all the physical, mental, emotional, psychological, social and
financial loss and sufferings caused to him. For this, a public servant would
be liable in his personal capacity," Additional District Judge Kamini Lau
said.
The judge noted that the general impression about personnel
manning public institutions not performing and getting away with it needs to
change. "It is this malaise which ails public institutions. Today that
needs to be taken care of. It is time that public servants, particularly
officers of the government, police, corporations, municipal bodies, etc., are
made to answer for the inconvenience, trauma and loss caused to the public due
to their failure to act on time and to make them liable for such
inaction," the court said.
The court was hearing a civil suit filed by head constable
Satish Chand against four other cops, including an inspector and an additional
sub-inspector, who allegedly did not register an FIR on his complaint and
instead booked him in a false case under Section 107/151 CrPC for breach of
peace. Chand sued the four cops and sought a compensation of Rs 1 lakh on
grounds of defamation and loss of reputation. His plea, however, was dismissed
by a trial court so he appealed before the district court.
On June 2, 2004, the four cops refused to take action on
Chand's complaint saying that his minor son was beaten up by some boys. In his
plea, he said that instead of inquiring into the matter the cops started
beating him and booked him in a false case in which he was later discharged.
Sec 217 to 219 of IPC
provides for punishing public servants under certain conditions. How many have
been punished so far? I know every information commissioner under the RTI Act
... Read More
The district court set aside the trial court order and
marked the matter to a senior civil judge. "The claims of those aggrieved
by action of public servants cannot be thrown out casually. Unfortunately, in
the impugned judgment I find no discussion on some important aspects," it
said.
The judge also raised concern in the manner senior officials
of Delhi Police treat their juniors, observing that "it needs to be
checked." "Merely because the appellant is a junior functionary in
the same force, it does not mean that his dignity and self-respect or his self-esteem/
reputation can be trampled," the judge said.
‘I have had enough’ – veteran
teacher tells school board
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/03/10/i-have-had-enough-veteran-teacher-tells-school-board/
“You make us pilot all of these new programs year after year that
have been tried already (just under another name), not worked-and tried again.
We keep reinventing the wheel! I hear often that teachers don’t teach any more.
We don’t!
You have made us information pushers, test givers, and paper
passer outers. LET US TEACH!!! You have taken all of this away. You give us a
new common core curriculum that is almost impossible to finish in a year, and
now you slide in Compass, new evaluations, JPams, and On Course all in a single
year, and all which require more time that we just don’t have. You are setting
teachers up to fail. Teaching was once a noble and creative profession.
Learning was once fun! If you want kids to stay in school, make them want to
come!!!
“v Would a doctor lose his job if his diabetic patient didn’t
follow their recommendations for losing weight when that patient is
hospitalized for his/her choices? Of course not! The educational system is no
different. We should not be held responsible for apathy and wrong choices!(
No buddy we are in the same boat.
We can
loose if not our jobs completely certain
amount of money for not
making our unwilling and
noncompliant patients Healthy .
“If you really want to change one thing in our
school system-start with discipline: SIMPLE nothing else, just DISCIPLINE.
Follow through from first grade on up to twelfth grade. Be consistent, give
consequences. Teachers should not be repeating rules to the same students over
and over again. If you would listen to experienced teachers who have good
discipline, it works and learning is going on. No fancy programs, no bells and
whistles, just the teacher in charge. Stop moving students from school to
school. This just dilutes other schools!”
You are hiding the problems-NOT solving them!
The same students that we saw get away with the “little infractions” over and
over, and over again, are the same students that end up in the paper under
“local arrests”. We are not here to be popular or please parents, we are here
to teach children. Small things like uniforms, gum chewing, and tardies may
seem small to you, but to a classroom teacher they are the small things that
lead to larger problems like disrespect. If you don’t back us up on these
issues, the students know it and lose respect for us. Don’t give in half way
through the year, or keep changing things. Follow through. Back your teachers
up! You have taken our “power” away. No Discipline=No Teaching-Period!
You want to save one child by not removing them
from the classroom or campus because you don’t want THAT child to miss out on
learning, but you are doing a TOTAL injustice to the average and above average
students who want to learn and know how to behave. The others are NOT learning
because teachers are spending their time repeatedly correcting, constantly
documenting, meeting one on one, and conferencing with the one child who
chooses not to behave.
All teachers are different and that is what
makes public education so special. Students get the affection, nurturing, life
lessons, and education from each of them over their twelve years. Some
experiences will be good, some not so good, but that is called life!!! Children
need to learn to cope! They need this skill for the rest of their lives, so
they can become good problem solvers on their own and not have everything
catered and changed to their every desire. Having their parents just being able
to call the central office and have teachers give in to “solve the problem” to
make it easier for the child is not a coping skill. You are doing the students
and parents a total injustice.
“There is SO much more to teaching then getting
in front of a class and giving a lesson!”
10 Reasons
the U.S. Education System Is Failing
Share
Once
upon a time, enthusiasts designed a formal education system to meet the
economic demands of the industrial revolution. Fast forward to today and, with
the current global economic climate, it seems apparent that the now established
education system is unable to meet the needs of our hyper-connected society - a
society that is in a constant state of evolution. Let's examine 10 problems
that prevent the US education system from regaining its former preeminence.
1. Parents are not involved enough. Of all the things out of the control of
teachers, this one is perhaps the most frustrating. Time spent in the classroom
is simply not enough for teachers to instruct every student, to teach them what
they need to know. There must, inevitably, be some interaction outside school
hours. Of course, students at a socio-economic disadvantage often struggle in
school, particularly if parents lack higher levels of education. But students
from middle and upper class families aren't off the hook, either. The demands
of careers and an over-dependence on schools put higher-class kids at risk too
when it comes to the lack of parental involvement in academics.( Not true!,in most cases)
2. Schools are closing left and right.
3. Our schools are overcrowded. The smaller the class, the better the individual student
experience. A study by the National Center for Education Statistics found that
14 percent of U.S. schools exceed capacity. At a time where children need more
attention than ever to succeed, overcrowded classrooms are making it even
tougher to learn and tougher still for teachers to be effective.
4. Technology comes with its downsides.
5. There is a lack of diversity in gifted education. The "talented and gifted" label
is one bestowed upon the brightest and most advanced students. Beginning in
early elementary grades, TAG programs separate student peers for the sake of
individualized learning initiatives. Though the ideology is sound, the practice
of it is often a monotone, unattractive look at contemporary American public
schools. District schools need to find ways to better recognize different types
of learning talent and look beyond the typical "gifted" student
model.
6. School spending is stagnant, even in our improving economy.
7. There is a lack of teacher education innovation..
8. 80 percent of students are graduating high school...yet less
than half of these students are ready for what's next.
The
U.S. Education Department reports that the high school graduation rate is at an
all-time high at 80 percent. Four out of five students are successful in
studies completion and graduate within four years. While these statistics sound
like a reason for a standing ovation, they are overshadowed by the crisis that
is sweeping the United States. While 80 percent of high school seniors receive
a diploma, less than half of those are able to proficiently read or complete
math problems.
The
problem is that students are being passed on to the next grade when they should
be held back, and then they are unable to complete grade-level work and keep up
with their classmates.
The
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the largest standardized
test administered in the United States, reports that fewer than 40 percent of
graduating seniors have mastered reading and math and are poorly equipped for
college and real world life. These students who are passed to the next
grade are at a serious disadvantage and have an increased chance of falling
behind and dropping out of college.
9. Some students are lost to the school-to-prison pipeline.
10. There is a nationwide college-gender gap, and surprisingly, we
are not focusing on it.
Some
of these reasons are well-known and long-standing issues. However, others--such
as the emergence of a screen culture--are new and even somewhat unexpected
challenges. However, the nature of each issue does not matter. All of them are
standing in the way of us becoming globally competitive.
Can you think of any
additional reasons why the U.S. education system is failing?
