| 'Stupid in America'; on ABC tonight | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 13 2006, 08:50 AM (304 Views) | |
| amomof2 | Jan 13 2006, 08:50 AM Post #1 |
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Did anyone see the previews for tonight's episode of 20/20? Here's a highlight: Jan. 9, 2006 — American students fizzle in international comparisons, placing 18th in reading, 22nd in science and 28th in math — behind countries like Poland, Australia and Korea. But why? Are American kids less intelligent? John Stossel looks at the ways the U.S. public education system cheats students out of a quality education in "Stupid in America: How We Cheat Our Kids," airing this Friday at 10 p.m. "We're not stupid. … But we could do better," one high school student tells Stossel. Another says, "I think it has to be something with the school, 'cause I don't think we're stupider." There are many factors that contribute to failure in school. A major factor, Stossel finds, is the government's monopoly over the school system. Parents don't get to choose where to send their children. In other countries, choice brings competition, and competition improves performance. Stossel questions government officials, union leaders, parents and students and learns some surprising things about what's happening in U.S. schools. He also examines how the educational system can be improved upon and reports on innovative programs across the country. "Stupid In America: How We Cheat Our Kids" with John Stossel airs Jan. 13, at 10 p.m. |
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| cat | Jan 13 2006, 09:35 AM Post #2 |
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And spoiled too!!!!! What a shame.... |
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| Elisa | Jan 13 2006, 09:40 AM Post #3 |
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It's lengthy but worth taking a look at in light of Michigan's lagging economy... Higher Education in the News Parents Fail to Push for Education: Poll shows hurdles for state's effort to shift economy's focus from brawn to brains. (Detroit News, May 1, 2005) Originally Posted at http://www.detnews.com/2005/schools/0505/01/A01-167664.htm By Francis X. Donnelly and Marisa Schultz / The Detroit News For Clare Barwick, it's not vital that her two children go to college. More important is their happiness. The Canton homemaker won't measure her children's success by their scholarly prowess. "I think it could be very satisfying for someone to be doing something they love, such as planting trees," she said. People like Barwick scare the dickens out of Michigan business and school leaders, who believe the economic future of the state depends on more schooling of its citizenry. As its manufacturing base erodes and the state tries to shift from brawn-based industries to brain-based ones, residents still have complacent views toward advanced education and training, according to a poll released today. The survey of Michigan parents found: • Nearly half of parents don't think everyone should have a college education nor do they trust the judgment of teachers and professors. • Three out of five define the success of their children without reference to education or the ability to support themselves. • Only one in four believes a good education is essential for getting ahead in life. Among minorities, there is greater support for post-secondary schooling, but less financial means to make it happen. The findings present yet another hurdle for an initiative by Gov. Jennifer Granholm to double the number of college grads in Michigan within a decade. It also left some school and business leaders flabbergasted. "It's fairly amazing in this day and age if they don't think it's important," said Greg Handel, senior director of work force development for the Detroit Regional Chamber. "They need to wake up." The poll involved telephone interviews with 1,544 parents and guardians across Michigan from April 1 to April 25. It was conducted by the Lansing-based EPIC/MRA polling firm, in conjunction with The Detroit News, for the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians and Your Child, a group of education organizations in the state. Michael Boulus, executive director of the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan, which represents the state's 15 universities, said parents and counselors need to begin encouraging children early in their lives to attend college. "You can't succeed today without some sort of post-secondary credential," he said. Economic impact The Michigan populace is ill-equipped to the fill jobs in the growing fields of health care and technology. The state ranks 37th in the nation in the number of residents with college degrees, according to a recent study by Kurt Metzger, research director for the Center for Urban Studies at Wayne State University. A quarter of the residents older than 25 have bachelor's degrees. That hurts Michigan as much as its residents, scholars said. The state is trying to pump up its economy by attracting businesses, but companies prefer states where they can draw many talented workers. Paul Massaron, a Southfield consultant on community redevelopment, said residents' blithe views toward higher education have ramifications that are economic, social and cultural. "It's the difference between having a $28,000-a-year job versus a $48,000 one," he said. "We could end up being a backwater state." Americans raise their annual earnings by 10 percent for each additional year they go to college, according to federal data. In 2003, high school graduates had an unemployment rate of 5.5 percent and earned a median weekly salary of $554, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That year, people with bachelor's degrees had an unemployment rate of 3.3 percent and had median weekly earnings of $900. Michiganians' satisfaction with a high school diploma stems from the state's signature industry, where all one needed for a high-paying job in an auto plant was a diploma. But the factories are closing, and residents need to exchange their lunch buckets for briefcases, school leaders say. Margaret Trimer-Hartley, spokeswoman for the Michigan Education Association, said high schools could encourage students to further their education through mentoring programs and vocational courses. It's an uphill battle, she conceded. School counselors could help get students excited but they're often outmanned, with one counselor assigned to 500 kids. "We have to paint the picture of what's needed, what's possible and how to get there," she said. Shift in thinking When Granholm announced her goal last year of doubling the number of college grads in a decade, she assembled a commission to study how to make it happen. Among its recommendations, released in December, were improving high school curriculums, expanding the role of community colleges and breaking down financial barriers to college. Those measures won't mean a thing if Michigan doesn't change the way residents think about high education, said Ed Sarpolus, who conducted the EPIC/MRA poll. "We have a lot of work to do," he said. "It won't happen tomorrow." The commission that studied improving the college-graduation rate said the state needs to make higher education universal by guaranteeing financial support to students. Last week, Granholm proposed changing the Merit Award from a $2,500 scholarship given to high school students to a $4,000 one given to students who complete two years of college or training. Lt. Gov. John Cherry, who headed the commission, said a high school diploma should no longer be the minimum benchmark in education. Post-secondary schooling is mandatory, not an option, he said. "This issue is at the foundation, if not the fundamental issue in building Michigan's future economy," he said. Ethnic groups lead Michigan may learn lessons in its diversity, experts say. One of the bright notes in the poll was sounded by ethnic groups, who prized education more than whites did. The survey included interviews with African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian-Americans, Arab-Americans and American Indians. Each group was more likely to agree that everyone should get a college education and was more likely to define success in terms of educational attainment and ability to support oneself. For example, while 54 percent of all races agree that everyone should get a college education, 88 percent of the 150 Arab-Americans interviewed believed so. Mahmoud Daoud, 52, originally from Jerusalem, came to the United States in 1974 and doesn't understand why more Americans don't pursue college degrees. The Dearborn poet has three children in college, and they're studying to become a doctor, dentist and dental surgeon. "It's like a kid who comes home from school and he finds his mother sitting down and watching TV," he said. "What will that child be? He will be a carpenter." And while 63 percent of all races think people with a college education are usually better off, 88 percent of Asian-Americans think so. Pardhiva Gogineni, 48, a native of India, is a chemist in Troy who's working on his third master's degree. His wife also has a master's degree. He said his two children, ages 10 and 14, are learning by his example. Both kids are doing well in school. "They watch me going to school and working hard," he said. "They understand education is very important." Sarpolus said ethnic groups prize education more because they see it as a way to improve their lot in life. The rest of the state needs to capture the same type of feeling, state leaders said. When the industrial age dawned a century ago, Michiganians were willing to do whatever it took to succeed in the changing work force, Sarpolus said. Now their descendants need to recapture that spirit. Instead, residents have grown comfortable and complacent, he said. "We're not focusing on our future," he said. You can reach Francis X. Donnelly at (313) 223-4186 or fdonnelly@ detnews.com. Back to Higher Education in the News Back to Related Research and Web Sites -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- History | Site Map | Contact Us | Contact Webmaster ©2004 The National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good, Revised 2005 Home Forum Hot Topics People Mission Projects Forum Policy Research Forum Publications and Materials Forum Research Agenda Related Research and Web Sites Higher Education in the News Get Involved Note: To view certain documents on our website, you must download the Adobe Acrobat Reader which is available at the link below: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WWW The National Forum |
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| Rose | Jan 13 2006, 10:35 AM Post #4 |
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Principal
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I have been seeing bits and pieces too. This is very interesting. John says "government monopoly breeds mediocrity." He says when parents have a choice where to send their kids to school, schools have to be competitive if they want to have students. Many parents in Livonia can't send their kids to private school or cannot home school. Some of us don't have a choice and LPS knows that. I know they do not have the childen's Best interest in mind. Why try to be the best when you can just be mediocre?(SP?) |
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| Grant | Jan 13 2006, 11:23 PM Post #5 |
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Principal
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This is what charter schools are for. I think the time has come to set one up in Livonia. Would anyone here support the creation of a Livonia charter school? It think it would be near impossible to set one up for next year, but in one or more years it is a plausable. |
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| Elisa | Jan 14 2006, 11:20 AM Post #6 |
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I agreed with many of the points on the program. I also think that it is a credit to the group here that we have already raised and discussed many of those issues...the power of teacher unions, charters, schools of choice and financing. The decline in student achievement beginning in middle school and escalating through high school has always bothered me. I am hopeful that the new standards for graduation will begin to turn this around. As for charters, I am all for them. Parents should have choices in education. I agree that all schools would benefit as all schools would have to be creative and innovative to attract students. I also think that school choice would change the relationship between school admin and parents to more of an equitable working relationship rather than the authoritarian model that seems to be in place now. Grant, you have to have/be able to show a great desire for a charter in the city to attract or interest a charter organization unless you start up more of a 'grassroots' school-seeking the sponsorship on your own and without a charter management company. Many of the charters start small and add a grade per year. I believe that the LI has severed the trust that many parents had in LPS to make good decisions for their children. As a result, I believe that parents will, at the very least, be open to examining the charter idea. |
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| Grant1 | Jan 14 2006, 11:31 AM Post #7 |
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We have just begun to fight!
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Charter schools best utilize the facilites that have been vacated by the existing school system ( closed/mothballed schools ), but just try and arrange a lease with LPS on a facility they own and see what happens. This has been tried in the past and LPS has expressed absolutely no desire to even open a dialogue or even consider taking a bid from a charter organization to put one of these facilites to use. Hypocrites at work - afraid of competition |
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| NFarquharson | Jan 14 2006, 11:33 AM Post #8 |
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Principal
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The program was right on point. What struck me was that the decline in achievement seems to begin when kids go to middle school, which is when most kids leave their smaller neighborhood schools for a large school setting. It seems that Livonia's BOE wants to push this up a couple of years. Our kids can join their entire graduating class and start the decline sooner! |
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| Elisa | Jan 14 2006, 12:03 PM Post #9 |
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Maybe, just maybe, there IS something to all that research
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| Momforone | Jan 16 2006, 12:48 PM Post #10 |
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Principal
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When my son attended middle school his grades started to decline dramatically. He had a lot stress and axiety. He finely settled down a little in high school, but it really wasn't until his senior year that he was able to be consistent with his grades. My the way, in middle school he had Ms. Owens as one of his teachers. She surely didn't know about transitioning then and I'm wondering if she knows now. |
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| Grant | Jan 16 2006, 01:38 PM Post #11 |
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Principal
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So, we'll build a brand new building. There are many organizations willing to support the creation of charter schools. It won't be as hard as many may think. I find that most things seem the hardest before you start. Once you start, things just start falling into place. I think LPS has created the perfect environment to start the creation of a charter school. |
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| fyi | Jan 17 2006, 02:10 PM Post #12 |
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Stupid in America: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Stossel/story?id=1500338 |
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3:38 AM Jul 11