Quote:
Originally Posted by donb9006
So...if I do something 45 years after someone else...I'm nipping at their heels? Do something NEW if you want to impress me.
Are you suggesting another costly endeavor by our country? We're already going over a trillion in the hole every year. Where is the money to come from? There are so many great ideas...that unfortunately...cost money.
Take the minorities out of the statistics and we're still at/near the top. Run your numbers with white middle class and above...and the numbers are strikingly different. I hate to always have to come back to racial differences...but they are there and they do have an effect. Our rankings go down as the percent of minorities goes up. It's a fact. Delete this if you must, but it doesn't change the facts. Ignoring a problem does not make it go away. Instead of "no child left behind" that lowered standards so pretty much anyone can get a HS diploma, making them worthless...the new motto should be "study like an Asian!" to get everyone to strive to do their best. Kids will and SHOULD fail to get a HS diploma unless they can show proficiency. "Try harder and maybe you'll make it" should be our other motto.
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First of all, China is now only one of three who have landed on the moon softly, and the first to do so in THIRTY YEARS. I find it VERY significant.....first in orbit just 10 years ago, AND concern has been expressed as to how the Chinese examination will interfere with our own ongoing investigation on the surface.
I do, however, agree that this country who cannot afford what we are up to now, are going to have to sit by......we have channeled our money to other things we feel are important.
On your education remarks, there is a lot of truth in what you say....to validate some of it, I offer an article from the LA Times that says pretty much what you did...
"If there is a lesson to be gleaned from PISA, it's that moving toward a more educated nation will require helping families give their children the resources and background they need to do better in school, as well as continuing reform efforts to improve instruction and curriculum. It requires committed action over time, not warring and self-serving pronouncements.
Are America's students falling behind the world? - latimes.com
My opinion, and it is shared by many in the profession is our tolerance level is so much higher than others....we live in a "you get a trophy if you show up" society.....we do not INSIST on family involvement, and the rewards for hard work in school are not recognized.
LEST YOU THINK it is reserved for children....I ask you to consider this from the NY Times...
"A particularly alarming report on working-age adults was published earlier this month by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a coalition of mainly developed nations. The research focused on people ages 16 to 65 in 24 countries. It dealt with three crucial areas: literacy — the ability to understand and respond to written material; numeracy — the ability to use numerical and mathematical concepts; and problem solving — the ability to interpret and analyze information using computers. "
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/23/op...ng-behind.html
It is scary how "lazy" our country has become. We follow slogans, not ideals...we follow sound bites instead of principles.
This freedom and stuff does not come cheap or easy !!!