Why should we trust government to improve education considering its perpetual failure since 1979?

Question

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE56N0T120090724

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is set to announce on Friday a competition for $4 billion in federal grants to improve academic achievement in U.S. schools, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.
Obama wants states to use funds from the competition, dubbed the "Race to the Top," to ease limits on so-called charter schools, link teacher pay to student achievement and move toward common U.S. academic standards, the Post said.

Charter schools receive public funding but generally are exempt from some state or local rules and regulations. They are operated as an alternative to traditional public schools.

"What we're saying here is, if you can't decide to change these practices, we're not going to use precious dollars that we want to see creating better results; we're not going to send those dollars there," Obama told the Post in an interview.

"And we're counting on the fact that, ultimately, this is an incentive, this is a challenge for people who do want to change," Obama said.

Obama is scheduled to speak at the Department of Education on Friday.

Answer 1

Considering private schools spend less than public schools pay per student, and still manage better results, throwing more money at a problem won't make it better.

Answer 2

You overlook the education bureaucracy itself and the steady decline of College Board Exams since 1968.



A teacher is a certificated professional, but also a union member. (And he probably needs those protections--I remember too well when the PTA wanted to look into teacher's records because they thought they could detect latent homosexuality by doing so) and this leads to an entrenched cadre who ignore the worst of the abuses of their kind.



Rge strictures placed on teachers for doing their jobs are somewhat unbelievable. Books get taken out of line because they don't respect some myth or other (not a disrespect, just a presentation of another set of evidence). Discipline is a joke, with parents abdicating their roles and abrogating their duties to supply encouragement to achieve, often interfering negatively in educational processes.



Even though the Soviet schools had some ridiculous theories, like the inheritance of acquired traits (Lysenkoism), they did a creditable job of educating their students. It is likely that the average Russian Citizen today knows more about our form of government than most of us, though they will be ignoran of such events as the Cherry Blossom Festival and its origins.



And we have the tools to make our schools better. The Department of Education is not the barrier. The barrier exists in every school where the role of the disempowered teacher is reinforced by an ultraconservative, defensive school administration full of their own non-working philosophy and terrified of change.



So, no, we should not trust government. And we definitely should not trust the cowardly education administration personnel at every level. We should trust ourselves and the really dedicated teachers we have left within that establishment, and toss the rest of the bums out.



But doing that without a plan is a terrible idea. And the bums are bums mostly because they are scared. If we had a way of driving out the fear instead of the people, that would be a prime choice.



Such does exist and it is in use in a few locales. Unfortunately, the unqualified successes do not spread because too many people who have no business in education interfere or lead others to interfere. I am speaking about certain conservative ministers.

Answer 3

Some of the city schools in our area were privatized and have been doing so much better ever since. Everyone knows that public schools spend more per student than private schools with less results. If the government would get out of education all together it would finally be turned around.

Answer 4

Education budget 2006 $59 billion

Education budget 2009 $69 billion + $109 billion from the Recovery Act

Answer 5

The problem is parents. Not the government. Parents are not doing their jobs. No amount of government spending can change that.



People raise over-indulged, lazy brats that won't study, and teachers can't do much lest the parent report the teacher for dissing their "little angel".

Answer 6

The control of young children's Education to what standard and what agenda LOOK very carefully at the possibilities to which form this could be used.Remember Hitler Youth? have look,then look where the funding came from

Answer 7

Know with a 100% certainty that money will go ONLY to schools whose average graduates are literally stupider than truant kids and that the money will be CUT OFF if they show ANY signs of improvement.

Answer 8

We should get rid of the DOE, as my guy Ron Paul says.

Answer 9

We shouldn't trust government one iota with our children's minds , gee I wonder if Barry will say stupider things there?