How would you reform America's education system?

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wolveraptor
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How would you reform America's education system?

Post by wolveraptor »

After reading countless stories of fundie idiocy, and reading countless rants against America's education system, I'm inclined to propose the following hypothetical (RAR!) scenario.

Suppose that Bush goes wacko*, and abolishes the school boards for states, and instead instates a dictator for school policy throughout the country. You are that dictator. How would you reform the education system. Remember, nothing is stopping you from doing whatever the hell you want except for money and practicality.



*Keep the jokes to a minimum; the response is way too obvious. :P
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Post by Xenophobe3691 »

Um...watch the Supreme Court kick the shit out of my job under the banner of "New Federalism?"
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Post by RedImperator »

Immediately return my ill-gotten power to the states, because I know that no matter how convenient it is for me to put through my reforms with no state or local interference, it's equally easy for the next guy to do the same.
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Post by Pick »

Do the impossible: find people who actually care about public education, and fucking hire them already!
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Immediately ask for advice from Darth Wong!! :lol:
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Post by Wicked Pilot »

I would give power to the states and local districts, and then proceed to reform my local community's school system. Improving schools is a bottom to top operation.
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Post by Drunk Monkey »

Wicked Pilot wrote:I would give power to the states and local districts, and then proceed to reform my local community's school system. Improving schools is a bottom to top operation.
The states are in charge now and our schools are in the shit hole. If were going overhaul the education system it has to be federally funded so buba cant fuck it up the anymore then he has
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Re: How would you reform America's education system?

Post by FedRebel »

wolveraptor wrote: Suppose that Bush goes wacko*, and abolishes the school boards for states, and instead instates a dictator for school policy throughout the country.
"The school boards have been disbanded completely, the regional governers now have direct control over their school systems."

"Fear will keep the school systems inline, fear of the Dictator of Public Education."
You are that dictator. How would you reform the education system. Remember, nothing is stopping you from doing whatever the hell you want except for money and practicality.
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Post by Jew »

Schools won't improve unless they have competition. I would start gradually, by introducing a nation-wide voucher program to allow parents to send their children to private schools if they so choose. The voucher system would cause a boom in the private school industry.

It would take 10 or 15 years, but the goal would be to have the voucher system eliminate the need for public schools. Oh, we'd have a few left here and there, but mostly parents would realize their children would get a better education at a private school.

Private schools would have to be accredited, so there would be accountability there. Standardized testing for students would be available but participation would be up to the school to decide. Accreditation could be based on test scores (when available), professional classroom auditors, or any number of other criteria that the accreditation board deems appropriate.

Second change: high schools would be encouraged to offer a co-op program for students who do not plan on attending college. The co-op program would let a student attend classes half-time and work at an internship for a local company half-time. If the student drops out of school he loses his job. This will encourage many would-be dropouts to stay in school and get at least a rudimentary education.
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Post by Wicked Pilot »

Drunk Monkey wrote:The states are in charge now and our schools are in the shit hole. If were going overhaul the education system it has to be federally funded so buba cant fuck it up the anymore then he has
And this assumption that another level of bureaucracy will somehow change things for the better is based upon what? I hate to point out the obvious but the federal government already throws millions of dollars away in the name of education with nothing to show for it. However there are local districts out there who've gotten their shit together and manage to run fine educational institutions. If parents and school boards would get their act together they'd be able to do the same.
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Post by aerius »

Get rid of the teacher's unions, or at least severely limit their powers. That way we can start firing the incompetants as well as fixing the pay scale so it pays teachers by performance & results instead of seniority. After that I think it's a matter of fine tuning things and keeping the religious influence out.
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Post by Drunk Monkey »

Wicked Pilot wrote:
Drunk Monkey wrote:The states are in charge now and our schools are in the shit hole. If were going overhaul the education system it has to be federally funded so buba cant fuck it up the anymore then he has
And this assumption that another level of bureaucracy will somehow change things for the better is based upon what? I hate to point out the obvious but the federal government already throws millions of dollars away in the name of education with nothing to show for it. However there are local districts out there who've gotten their shit together and manage to run fine educational institutions. If parents and school boards would get their act together they'd be able to do the same.
Who would you rather teach your children the fundi dropout that works for a state with low standards and regressive, or some one who is college educated and knows intelligent design is Bull that works for the feds. Federal intervention on school systems has worked with segregation it will work with this.
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Post by Wicked Pilot »

Drunk Monkey wrote:Who would you rather teach your children the fundi dropout that works for a state with low standards and regressive, or some one who is college educated and knows intelligent design is Bull that works for the feds. Federal intervention on school systems has worked with segregation it will work with this.
Oh yes, feds are always smart and qualified and are never fundamentalist morons, while state workers are nothing more than buck teeth tobacco chewin' slack jawed yokels. :roll:
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Post by The Duchess of Zeon »

I would institute a national boarding school system and eliminate the summer break and replace it with evenly spaced breaks throughout the year, while simultaneously bringing in experts from Singapore and Korea to comprehensively design a new standardized national curriculum. Nothing short of that is going to have any noticeable impact at all.
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Post by Drunk Monkey »

Wicked Pilot wrote:
Drunk Monkey wrote:Who would you rather teach your children the fundi dropout that works for a state with low standards and regressive, or some one who is college educated and knows intelligent design is Bull that works for the feds. Federal intervention on school systems has worked with segregation it will work with this.
Oh yes, feds are always smart and qualified and are never fundamentalist morons, while state workers are nothing more than buck teeth tobacco chewin' slack jawed yokels. :roll:
Your missing my point. Never said that all feds were smart or all those who work for the state are rednecks I was making a point. If the federal government is in charge the schools will over haul every thing epically if we deny them funding other wise. that’s how we got Alabama and al those other bigoted states to integrate so we can do that to make the education in this country work. I can speak from experience I’m in 11th grade right now and dam are this countries standards low.
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Post by Wicked Pilot »

Drunk Monkey wrote:Your missing my point. Never said that all feds were smart or all those who work for the state are rednecks I was making a point. If the federal government is in charge the schools will over haul every thing epically if we deny them funding other wise. that's how we got Alabama and al those other bigoted states to integrate so we can do that to make the education in this country work.
Oh, so you point is that the states are actively trying to deny education to their citizens? Well shit if we just point a court order and the money gun at them they'll just have to capitulate won't they. If we're really loud and forceful then they'll just do the job extra better right?
I can speak from experience I'm in 11th grade right now and dam are this countries standards low.


Your own spelling and grammar incompetence isn't evidence of insufficient learning opportunities, it just means you're a dumbass.
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Post by wolveraptor »

Only a few of you have really explained what you would do. Examples: reducing the power of teacher unions, increasing competition between schools to raise their standars.

We need to also devise a way test whether a teacher is competent. Student satisfaction sure as hell ain't a good way. The average high schooler thinks a teacher is "aweseome" if he/she doesn't give homework, doesn't mark him/her tardy, and is in most every way lenient. Such a teacher isn't competent; quite the opposite in fact. The best way we have so far is those standardized tests, but how much of the scores recieved was due to the teacher, and how much was due to frantic cramming?
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Post by Bob the Gunslinger »

Didn't Castor Troy just do this thread?

Wait...where is Castor Troy?
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Post by Drunk Monkey »

Wicked Pilot wrote:
Drunk Monkey wrote:Your missing my point. Never said that all feds were smart or all those who work for the state are rednecks I was making a point. If the federal government is in charge the schools will over haul every thing epically if we deny them funding other wise. that's how we got Alabama and al those other bigoted states to integrate so we can do that to make the education in this country work.
Oh, so you point is that the states are actively trying to deny education to their citizens? Well shit if we just point a court order and the money gun at them they'll just have to capitulate won't they. If we're really loud and forceful then they'll just do the job extra better right?
I can speak from experience I'm in 11th grade right now and dam are this countries standards low.


Your own spelling and grammar incompetence isn't evidence of insufficient learning opportunities, it just means you're a dumbass.
How did I say states were denying there citizens education? And you have no room to talk on grammar buddy “Oh, so you point is that the states are”. that you should be a your.
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Post by Wicked Pilot »

Drunk Monkey wrote:How did I say states were denying there citizens education?
What are you too fucking stupid to understand it? You can't just order schools to improve like you can to get them to desegregate. What are you suggesting we do, send the 82nd Airborne to make sure little Tommy gets enough math instruction?
And you have no room to talk on grammar buddy "Oh, so you point is that the states are". that you should be a your.
Good for you, you found one mistake in four post. You must be real proud of yourself, now if only you could learn how to capitalize. Perhaps then we can get you graduated after all and sent on your way to a rewarding career of saying 'would you like fries with that?'.
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Post by Drunk Monkey »

Wicked Pilot wrote:
Drunk Monkey wrote:How did I say states were denying there citizens education?
What are you too fucking stupid to understand it? You can't just order schools to improve like you can to get them to desegregate. What are you suggesting we do, send the 82nd Airborne to make sure little Tommy gets enough math instruction?
And you have no room to talk on grammar buddy "Oh, so you point is that the states are". that you should be a your.
Good for you, you found one mistake in four post. You must be real proud of yourself, now if only you could learn how to capitalize. Perhaps then we can get you graduated after all and sent on your way to a rewarding career of saying 'would you like fries with that?'.
Why wouldn’t it work just cause you don’t like my ideas. Now if you will listen logically for one minute Mr. big bad pilot. Tell me one school district that would deny the federal government they get shit loads of cash from them if they refuse, there funding is no more. When did I say I would get the military involved. :roll:
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Post by Wicked Pilot »

Drunk Monkey wrote:Tell me one school district that would deny the federal government they get shit loads of cash from them if they refuse, there funding is no more.


Rephrase the question in a way that resembles English and I will try to get you an answer.
When did I say I would get the military involved.
You brought up the enforcement of desegregation by the federal government, and that's what it came down to in at least one case. Either drop your stupid historical analogy or deal with the consequences of it.
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Post by Wicked Pilot »

Now that I think of it Drunk Monkey, are you that retarded home schooled kid we banned a few weeks ago? Come clean man.
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Post by Drunk Monkey »

Wicked Pilot wrote:Now that I think of it Drunk Monkey, are you that retarded home schooled kid we banned a few weeks ago? Come clean man.
Well wicked pilot I am certainly not that person my real name is Mike E Cole from Union City PA and i go to Union City High School. that’s clean enough for you look it up if you must. but I’m certainly not that kid. (what was his name by the way)
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Post by DPDarkPrimus »

Find out what my high school was doing right, and have other schools follow suit. :P
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