"Dave Hall" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 07 Apr 2006 16:25:21 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:


"Gene Kearns" wrote in message
. ..
On Fri, 07 Apr 2006 14:09:33 GMT, Shortwave Sportfishing
wrote:

http://www.break.com/movies/suffrage.html

I couldn't believe it.

I know that this is probably preaching to the choir... since I know
your wife is a teacher, but education is now defined as the ability to
pass a standardized test. It has nothing to do with ability to reason
or accrued knowledge.

A recent newspaper article found that, locally, of 350 applicants,
only 23 of 350 applicants with a high school diploma had adequate
skills in reading, writing, and math to begin entry level college
classes.... but having a high school diploma, we know they can pass
that test! Right?


I wish someone would explain to me why this is true, and exactly what's
happened since I left high school in 1970. It's rather depressing.

Well, for one we now spend all of our time and effort trying to
educate the uneducable. Was a time when we allowed and expected those
who did not want to be in school to leave and those who could not
learn were excluded. Now we dumb down everything to their level. This
includes those who would have been institutionalized in 1970 due to
extremely low IQs and learning disbilities. The current trend ( and
the law "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act") is much better
for most of these groups, but try learning in a class of 20 where two
autistic children are banging their heads against the walls while 2 or
3 retarded children are being attended to by their personal teacher
aids. The class size is much smaller than in 1970 (20 kids vs. 32
kids) and the staffing levels are way up ( a teacher and a couple of
aids assigned to specific children) but the instruction is designed to
a much lower level and the distractions are extreme.

Dave Hall

that plus the fact that the schools all focus on sending the kid to college
to learn. 20% of the population is college material. In the 1950's when I
went to school (graduated HS in 1961) there were shop classes, and other
vocational classes as well as technical vocation HS's. We need these to
schools and classes to keep kids in school and interested in learning. We
need auto mechanics and other vocational arts people for a majority of the
jobs.