California Teachers produce propaganda cartoon to show to kids

[mrbill]

Quote from Ricter:

Excellent question.

Interesting chart, but there are other very different charts. For example:

<img src="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/edu_pub_spe_per_stu_pri_lev-spending-per-student-primary-level">

Then there is the achievement aspect, for example:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Index

So how to measure is an important decision.

U.S. at nearly 98%, not bad, up there with major European countries, Canada, and Australia.

 

[Max E.]

Quote from Ricter:

Excellent question.

Interesting chart, but there are other very different charts. For example:

<img src="http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/edu_pub_spe_per_stu_pri_lev-spending-per-student-primary-level">

Then there is the achievement aspect, for example:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Index

So how to measure is an important decision.

From your link: The Education Index is measured by the adult literacy rate (with two-thirds weighting) and the combined primary, secondary, and tertiary gross enrollment ratio (with one-third weighting). The adult literacy rate gives an indication of the reading and writing abilities of the nation, while the GER gives an indication of the level of education from nursery (UK & others)/kindergarten (USA & others) to post-graduate education.

You are talking about literacy rate, which is completely different, given the fact that we put every single one of our citizens in school, our literacy rate should be fairly high, and it is, but you will also find that every single country in the western world has an incredibly high literacy rate.

Is this really the bar you think we should be using to judge our students against? Whether or not they can read and right after they obtain a 12 year education that costs hundreds of thousands? Granted it is important to be able to communicate, but i have yet to see an english professor with a PHD in shakespeare come up with any kind of meaningful invention that will help mankind.

If you look at english proficiency scores once again we are at the bottom, because english proficiency scores require proper grammar.

 

[Max E.]

Documentary on New Jersey public schools vs charter schools.

Here are the numbers:

Newark District school number of students proficient:
Language arts 58.3%
Math 35.3%

Charter School number of students proficient:
Language arts 81.3%
Math 65.7%

Spending per student: District school 17,237
Spending per student: Charter School 12, 902


Here is another district:
District school percentage of students proficient:
Language arts: 49.9%
Math 35.3%

Charter School number of students proficient:
Language arts 88.4%
Math 93.0%

Spending per student: district school 17 237
Spending per student Charter school 10, 994

Watch the video, or the whole documentary is called "the cartel" and tell me that the thugs in the teachers union are really in it for the kids.....

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