Show of Hands

This is what we already do. The reason that we have grades is that the vast majority of kids the same age will be on roughly the same level. Kids who are smart kid grades, sometimes in only one subject. Others get held behind (though not as often).

They have to pass tests already. Do you not know any teachers?

I never understood the unionization of government workers to begin with.

Well, I support unions that protect worker's rights. That is, the workers who do their job well and deserve good treatment. But the teachers unions only serve to protect workers who aren't even doing their jobs. That, I abhor and do not support.

We have state laws against what the unions are "supposed" to protect workers now. The pay issue with teachers is a myth. They work 9-10 months/yr. I'd love 2-3 months vacation a year. What other profession has that? Besides congress.

Every time we throw more money at education, teachers sale ties go up, not test scores. The system needs a complete overhaul. We need educators at every level of the DoE. Not politicians. I'd be ok with an ad campaign, with today's pop culture icons

promoting education and learning. We live in a country where Honey Boo Boo and the Jersey Shore douche bags are relevant. I think it's a combination of too much Government involvement and a culture flaw.

Look at some of the richest people in society. How is it that we are willing to accept educators and scientists and math wizards are less famous than Snooky?

There are some phenomenal ideas on this thread, I love the participation. Keep them coming folks.

You need APs and Principals to run day to day operations. Teachers are tied to the classroom and couldn't do all of the work required by the district and state.

That's right, and that is why we leave 1/3 of the board and other admin in place.

Got it. I thought you meant APs and principals.

Furthermore, you should understand that "poison" is not universal term when talking about any one substance. Alcohol is poisonous. Toothpaste is poisonous. Proportion matters. Water in the Mid East might kill you but not those who do regularly.

Start teaching more of reading, writing, history, and arithmetic. Stop lowering standards and instead hold people accountable. Parental involvement is the greatest think to improving schools.

Yes, there are bad teachers but they're not the bulk of your problem. Making the focus to go after people is missing the opportunity to work on the overall system which is incredibly flawed.

Get rid of the department of education,and give the money in that budget to the states for education.

This has been a rallying cry by republican law makers who would like to break all unions. The fact is there are means in to remove any teacher who is not doing the job. The problem is many administrators are unwilling or to overwhelmed to do it.

The laws set up to protect teachers resulted from the misuse by administrators and school board members who would have a grudge against an individual teacher unrelated to their performance. With a little effort a poor teacher can be fired.

Teachers seen the problem. Politicians and district personnel that are not professional educators are making the decisions that drive the system. Research has been done on effective techniques only to be ignored by decision makers.

Seen=aren't.

As a student, there's definitely a balance between a nice teacher and a doormat teacher - doormat teachers make for the worst classroom environments. Teachers need to be nice AND very firm and tough.

The fact that we do offer an education to all students is also what causes our problems. Many countries, Japan, Korea, ..., are educating a very homogenous group. Our diverse population makes the job of education more challenging.

It wouldn't be so difficult if they wouldn't keep taking away honors and other similar programs... That, or lowering the standards on those programs so much that they may as well have never existed in the first place.

On your second point. Studies have shown that the #1 indicator of student college success and earnings is high school teacher grades. Standardize test show little or no correlation to future success of any kind.

I do believe I agree.

On your first point, teacher unions have initiated more useful change in schools then any other group. True quality change has been impeded by the short sited intervention of our politician who are furthering their agendas at the expense of our kids.

Teachers unions are no longer about what they used to be. It is now about a way to keep their jobs. In all of high school, I have come across three great teachers. The rest are horrible. I am in one of the best districts in the country too.

It has time and again shown that charter schools perform dismally compared to public schools. When schools are run for profit it is all about the bottom line. Over and over again there are reports of these schools mishandling tax dallars.

Sending tax dollars to parochial and church sponsored schools should be unconstitutional. I do not want my tax dollars lining the pockets of those who are trying to make a profit on our children by running a charter school.

Churches are non profit also.

Scientific theory and theory the way you believe it is defined are not the same thing. You must be trolling.

Come again?

There's also the whole "you can't fire bad/old teachers," which I believe is a union thing and a much bigger problem.

As a liberal hs student, I understand the importance of unions, however, public unions make no sense. Especially the teachers union. The unions for teachers are not longer about protecting money, but about protecting horrible teachers.

100 percent wholeheartedly agree with you.

Paul Ryan is, is ridiculous in my opinion.

Ignore the Paul Ryan comment

For a well rounded education.

Because a 9th grader may not know that he enjoys calculus, and end up hating history/political courses by his junior year, but it's too late! Choosing courses is what college is for.

Not everyone can go to college. If my brother who didn't go to college was able to take an engineering course, he would be better off. Lastly, why can't the junior either switch out of the history course and take more mathematics?

Problem in this country is we do not have an apprentice program.

If the junior were to switch out of history, he would still be at a jr. High math level, so he'd have to go back to 9th grade math = more years of high school.

If a student doesn't plan on going to college, he should have basic life skills, and basic life skills are acquired in all different kinds of high school classes.

The point I am trying to make, is that schools should be based more on real-life necessities such as economics and civics. Spending more money on things that are self-sustaining like the arts, while half of the people at my school don't know who...

...Paul Ryan is, is ridiculous in my opinion

Yes it does and they are solely lacking.

Again agree.

If there are no standardized tests, how do we measure academic success in such a large country?

The problem is they teach to the test.

I know, I'm a high school student, but the question still stands.

Where does the funding for higher salaries come from? This is futuristic, but doable....children have computer education, from broad server bank, thus eliminating the cost of maintaining brick and mortar buildings, and the school bus system.

And please, don't forget, they have a strong union as well.

People are all freaked out bc we used to be #1 educated. Plus, we're like #27 in math/science, I think.

... Which has only hurt our schools...teaching to the test and under valuing classes which focus on creative problem solving (something we value so highly in the US).

That really won't solve anything.

How do you know that? Qualify that lame statement.

...that is titsworht's statement

Or - tests need to be focused on critical thinking!

There is no data that has proven the standardized testing of students improves the educational process. Teacher training, class size and parental involvement have been proven to be the most important factors.

.. Thing for student success. Single parents working multiple jobs - have teachers send weekly or bi-weekly newsletters to parents via email. Reach out to THEM. Involve them. Don't make it hard for them when their whole lives are hard.

Bad teachers are fired, most often forced from profession by peers and admin who focus on the non- performer and design plans which show the low achiever they need a new job. Underperforming teachers mostly resign and firing not needed.

Hey Mac. My husband was involved in an operational excellence effort for a school where the teacher refused to follow new OpEx processes and was clearly underperforming, at the detriment of the students. They couldn't fire her b/c of union/tenure.

That's my only context...

Good student-teacher ratios make worlds of difference for individuated instruction. We're so terrified of pedophiles we ignore the greatest resource of all--us Americans!