America has too many teachers

[dogtowner]

and not enough parents

Coulson lays it out for you. Money for nothing.

Since 1970, the public school workforce has roughly doubled—to 6.4 million from 3.3 million—and two-thirds of those new hires are teachers or teachers' aides. Over the same period, enrollment rose by a tepid 8.5%. Employment has thus grown 11 times faster than enrollment. If we returned to the student-to-staff ratio of 1970, American taxpayers would save about $210 billion annually in personnel costs.
Or would they? Stanford economist Eric Hanushek has shown that better-educated students contribute substantially to economic growth. If U.S. students could catch up to the mathematics performance of their Canadian counterparts, he has found, it would add roughly $70 trillion to the U.S. economy over the next 80 years. So if the additional three million public-school employees we've hired have helped students learn, the nation may be better off economically.
To find out if that's true, we can look at the "long-term trends" of 17-year-olds on the federal National Assessment of Educational Progress. These tests, first administered four decades ago, show stagnation in reading and math and a decline in science. Scores for black and Hispanic students have improved somewhat, but the scores of white students (still the majority) are flat overall, and large demographic gaps persist. Graduation rates have also stagnated or fallen. So a doubling in staff size and more than a doubling in cost have done little to improve academic outcomes.

Nor can the explosive growth in public-school hiring be attributed to federal spending on special education. According to the latest Census Bureau data, special ed teachers make up barely 5% of the K-12 work force.

The implication of these facts is clear: America's public schools have warehoused three million people in jobs that do little to improve student achievement—people who would be working productively in the private sector if that extra $210 billion were not taxed out of the economy each year.

We have already tried President Obama's education solution over a time period and on a scale that he could not hope to replicate today. And it has proven an expensive and tragic failure.

 

[steveox]

You see why Democrats tax and spend? More Teachers means get more money for teachers unions. Obama is a hypocrate,,Hes all for teachers and public education. But he sends his kids to a private school.

 

[pocketfullofshells]

and not enough parents

Coulson lays it out for you. Money for nothing.

and some people still think a 1970 high school education is anything like what you need to know today. A 1970s education would get you to about a jr high level today and a great job at McDonald's.

 

[Pandora]

Obama is a hypocrate,,Hes all for teachers and public education. But he sends his kids to a private school.

The Clintons did the same thing.

 

[steveox]

The Clintons did the same thing.

So did The Carters

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Children today are being given the worst education imaginable.
They learn NOTHING and are never tested properly.
No one is failed--for failing.
It will be the total undoing of the nation.
Teachers today are quite literally--and often measurably--morons. I chose that word carefully.
Unions--once again--have destroyed everything they touch.
Their old goals were commendable--but--now they are mere stooges of organized crime and graft of the worst sort.

 

[dogtowner]

and some people still think a 1970 high school education is anything like what you need to know today. A 1970s education would get you to about a jr high level today and a great job at McDonald's.

hmmm...

reading stronger then than now
math stronger then than now
science stronger then than now

those last two especially are key factors in why we lag internationally

the we have other areas, arts in particular, are being cut which even I know is bad

respect is down, perceive3d value of education is down, dependence is up

care to remind me what kids are getting now that trumps this ?

 

[TheJPRD]

I love discussing "education", "intelligence", and "knowledge". A few conclusions I've drawn are: (1) "A college degree doesn't necessarily indicate 'intelligence'". (2) "A college degreee doesn't necessaarily indicate that one's well-educated". (3) "Knowledge doesn't necessarily indicate 'intelligence'". (4) "More teachers and more money put into schools and colleges doesn't mean our children will be better educated". (5) "The BEST indicator of a person's 'intelligence' or 'education' is his/her ability to solve problems!"

 

[Cruella]

"The BEST indicator of a person's 'intelligence' or 'education' is his/her ability to solve problems!"

I have a dear friend that never went past the 10th grade. She was an only child with a single alcholic mother. She married young & had four kids. Her husband was injured, he couldn't work and she supported the family. She turned out to be quite an entrepreneur. Started her own business and has been very successful. They now own two homes, (one is a ranch) kids in college and they have more friends than they know what to do with. Her education was a life of hard knocks, hard work, determination and no one giving her a hand out.

Sad to say, but few people today have that kind of grit.

 

[steveox]

Then why are they still failing? I say this,,, Make the teacher held accountable for her class. Just like if youre the Manager at a making TVs and the employees arent keeping up with productivy what does the Boss do? The Boss fires the Manager. Just like if youre the Manager of a Baseball team and your pitching,,Hitting and field sucks and youre the worst team what you think the Owner does? He fires the Manager. So i think the Adminstrative board should fire the Teacher when her class is failing.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Without the dissolution of Teacher's Unions, the entire system will be reduced to a gang-infested shooting gallery with no students and teachers getting 50% pay raises every 6 months. By contract. And not required to show up in classrooms.

Yes--it is JUST that RIDICULOUS.
They can't teach!!

 

[steveox]

Ever seen the movie "Walkout" ? Rent it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkout_(film)

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Ever seen the movie "Walkout" ? Rent it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkout_(film)

I will put it in my Netflix cue. Thanks.

Probably better than "To Sir--With Love". LuLu's greatest moment on film.

 

[dogtowner]

Then why are they still failing? I say this,,, Make the teacher held accountable for her class. Just like if youre the Manager at a making TVs and the employees arent keeping up with productivy what does the Boss do? The Boss fires the Manager. Just like if youre the Manager of a Baseball team and your pitching,,Hitting and field sucks and youre the worst team what you think the Owner does? He fires the Manager. So i think the Adminstrative board should fire the Teacher when her class is failing.

how does that get the kid to read his assignments and do his homework and apply himself in class ?
if you don't also grant the teacher the authority to take actions necessary to reach their goal then you cannot hold them accountable for the outcome.

now if one teacher in a school consistently underperforms their peers you have a point but unions have made this at best nearly impossible.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

how does that get the kid to read his assignments and do his homework and apply himself in class ?
if you don't also grant the teacher the authority to take actions necessary to reach their goal then you cannot hold them accountable for the outcome.

now if one teacher in a school consistently underperforms their peers you have a point but unions have made this at best nearly impossible.

PRECISELY.