Is the public school system going downhill?
143402
If you drop a frog in boiling water, it will jump right out, but if you put the same frog in cool water and turn up the heat slowly, it will allow itself to boil to death.  The frogs are boiling in public schools.  Too many parents believe that the moment their child steps through the doors of the public school, their responsibilities as a parent stops. R-rated movies are shown to 15 year olds *with* parental permission, b/c the parent is afraid to "rock the boat" for fear that the child will face retribution or not be allowed to play on the basketball team b/c the teacher is also the coach.  2nd graders who make death threats against other children are not taken seriously, b/c "boys will be boys".  Parents who do raise questions about curriculum or discipline are labeled as troublemakers and are frequently asked to withdraw their children to either private or home schooling b/c the administrators/teachers would rather not make an effort to actually deal with the problems.  As a former public school teacher and now homeschooler (the above problems really happened), I strongly believe that the public school system in America will eventually implode, despite the NEA's attempts to keep the sinking ship afloat.
893945
It depends on the quality of the high school.  There are bad public schools and bad private schools, and the opposite is true.  They universities understand there are different high school qualities.
44875
Is America's educational system poor?  Yes.\n\nIs it the fault of the teachers' unions? No.\n\nThere are a lot of factors taht come into play, but a recent study that was down shows that all attempts by states to ensure teacher quality (e.g. requiring degrees, tests, etc.) actually correspond to DOWNWARD trends in student performance.
295852
i guess they all have their own downsides public schools can be crowded private schools are expensive with a certain genre of people and home schooling doesnt give you all of the social aspects you may need in life. i think it all depends on the certain child and what their specific needs are
1154104
Read 1984 by George Orwell.  The schools are dumbing down our children.  Check the spelling words for a high school senior.  The govt is turning our children against us.  Can't even spank your children anymore.  The list goes on and on.  The goal is total govt control, generation after generation is being groomed for that future.  Give it another 30 years.
539657
I heard the long version on NPR. I think the speaker is correct. We want to be like lake woebegone. We want all the children to be above average. That is not going to happen any measure of a population that is done right will turn up a bell curve. Reported grades no longer match the curve. Therefore grades are being inflated.
946910
No Child Left Behind is a joke.  The perception is that more money is the solution.  Offer private school vouchers and watch the cost become a fraction of what it does now.
346444
Yes. I attend public school, and kids can get away with murder there. (Not literally.. I hope).\n\nPrivate school is much better. More education, less of a class size, and usually stricter rules. Plus, I believe there is more parent / teacher conversation.
406722
Yes i have lost faith in the American education system by reading some of these questions. When i went to school during the mid 70s Thur the 80s they taught you how to spell and proper grammar.I do not know how some of these young kids make it through college, because they must write reports with proper spelling and grammar. Sigh, they are going to be our future leaders.
1173110
I think it has definitely gone down a bit.  But it could still go down more.  I'm a minority and even though I go to a school that seems like it doesn't discriminate on the outside, it still does.  I'm waiting for the day that the outside of my school will match the inside.\n\nBut till then, racism can still go down a lot.
581448
Absolutely. Conservatives have been trying to abolish the Department of Education ever since it was created in the 1970s.\n\nThe standards NCLB sets are so ridiculous that most districts will be hard pressed to pass them, and are therefore labeled "failed" schools. If you school fails, your funding is cut off, making it ever more difficult to raise standards because you have ever fewer resources.\n\nIt's a well-designed plan to make it look like Bush cares about education, while in reality shafting the public education system.\n\nHouse Democrats have done some good work on this:\nhttp://www.house.gov/budget_democrats/analyses/spending/education_nov1303.pdf\n\nhttp://www.house.gov/budget_democrats/analyses/education_bush_history.pdf
29032
Well, very few kids are being left behind, in theory it appears to be working. That said, the quality of education that everyone is getting has been greatly reduced.  So, no one is left behind, but now they are all dumber than before.  Teachers have to only teach the TEST now, otherwise the school fails the tests and they say its because the teachers are bad.  So, learing has been reduced to what is on a standardized test to make test scores look good.  Teachers hate it, it hampers their ability to teach.
588824
The problem with government and schools is that every 4 to 8 years, when a new president is elected, there is a new agenda for schools.  Maybe some standardization that is constant for years to come will see progress
651598
THEREs a  lot  of  reasons.First  of all  the schools  are  not as safe. Look  at all  the  guns. TEACHERS are  not  treated  well.OR Payed  well.  Most  school systems  don't  have  proper funding. So  teacher  take moneys  out  of their  pockets, to buy supplies and things  4 the students.This  is not attractive to  teacher  who  spent  5+  years  in  college.And discipline is down.When  the discipline is down  so  are the scores. DISCIPLINE is part  of  learning.WHO  wants to teach a class they  abuse you?  AND  further  more  no respect  from  above. So  it ATTRACTS  people  who  barely made it through school. Or  people  just looking 4  a  job.JUST  A  JOB.  TEACHING  should  be  a  calling  in  life. I feel  it  no  longer  attracts  the  good educators  any more.
109127
No, we are not doing fine. Maybe America is on it's way out. The average government lasts 200 years. Do the math. However, Bush is doing fine, as are the other rich people in the nation. The gap between upper class and low class is widening and middle class is disappearing. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
1154958
Yes, your kids would be better off in public schools. Don't indoctrinate them before they have a chance to learn to think for themselves.\n\nChildren taught  in public schools have  better test scores anyway.
463509
Bad: People want their students to get premium educations - but no one wants to pay for it.\n\nGood: Some students thrive and excel in the current system... and others... are scary.\n\nGood:  We strive towards the ideal that all people are created equally and are equally capable of succeeding in accomplishing their dreams.\n\nBad:  We deem failure when we don't meet the IDEAL... which is completely impractical anyway.\n\nBad: State testing... always wants to raise the bottom 50 percent to the top 50 percent.  Whoah... who taught the politicians their math? There will ALWAYS be a bottom 50 percent.