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failures in Education Pt II (317 hits)

After 1957, and America's race to the moon, focus shifted in education, back to the basics. New Math, open classrooms, programmed instruction, and upgraged schools beame the trend. Behaviorism, whole language, reading mastery learning, and standardized testing of teachers and students became the new focus. new terms were coined to identify the problems. A Nation At Risk, then Students At Risk, (basically minorities). Despite the new programs, new focus, and more kids, performance declined.

Average student spending 1950---$ !,189 1991 ($5, 237.)

--- 1988 5% of 17 year old high school students could read with comprehension.

--- 1971 8% decline

---This failure was placed on the "Minority" students taking the SAT.

--- 1986, 6% of 11th graders could solve multi-level math problems.

--- almost all institutions of higher lerning offers remedial courses.

The blame, as designated by some "experts" was attributed to":

--- Rigid personnel rules and regulations
--- Tenure
--- Uniform salaries
--- Civil Service System
--- Mediocre teachers in abundance
--- Monopoly (respond to incentives
--- Centralized decision making

*Dumbing Us Down: Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling" by John Taylor Gatto.

THERE IS MORE.

Posted By: Thomasena Martin-Johnson
Thursday, October 14th 2010 at 11:11PM
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MS JOHNSON
do you think that blacks learn things differently then whites ? i think so ,,,
i also believe that the educational system is geared up for whites and and there are more white teachers that will give a black child half the chance of a white child !
case in point ,,,,,my grand child is 8yrs old and is having a hard time getting the teacher to explain to him more about the school work ,,,yes she will come to him when he raises his hand but she will repeat what she is trying to teach ,,,he comes home and we have a teacher showing him and explaining things to him until he understands ! some teachers are there just to get a pay ck !
Friday, October 15th 2010 at 1:42AM
DAVID JOHNSON

MS JOHNSON
HERE IS A LINK THAT I THINK GOES GOOD WITH THE INFO THAT YOU HAVE HERE !
http://blackinamerica.com/cgi-bin/blog.cgi...
Friday, October 15th 2010 at 2:10AM
DAVID JOHNSON

In the first place, SOME white teachers do not teach, they instruct. Black children are used to being told what to do not ask them what they think or would you like to.... I do not think that the material is geared to whites; it is geared to middle class values. I think all sstudents should know the same thing so when they talk about slanted test, they are really talking about under education. Poor whites do not fare any better.

Under the middle class value system, there are certain things that one should know. It has nothing to do with race. Middle class black children know these things. This is a middle class not bsed solely on money. There are people who make the money and still not have middle class values. That is the reason our standards have becomeso relaxed.

You or your g-chillds prent needs to hve a parent conference. Tell your g-child when he ask for help, be specific about what he does not understnd. Don't just say I don't understand.

Many times white techers have low exectations for African American students. DEMAND HIGH EXPECTATIONS. REmember the story I told about the students and the 20 page paper. The rest of the CompII teachers were only asking for 6-10 pages.

I am not so sure we are better off. We do not have National Merit Scholorship winners like we used too. Many of those special classes do not teach what they should. You learned the math even if it was difficult. Today they don't get the exposure most of the time.

The assistants are usually more thorough than some professors because they think that they should only teach majors or upper level classes not the lower level where the best tachers should be.

REMEMBER, I AM TALKING ABOUT S O M E WHITE TEACHERS. There re poor teacher of all races. I know personally some good White teachers.

Tenure teachers were on my list of what is wrong. Teaching assistants have at least one degree.

Friday, October 15th 2010 at 3:03PM
Thomasena Martin-Johnson

David,
I'll bet that your g child's teacher thinks she has explained thoroughly. if the teacher doesn't understand the learning style of their students, black or white, the child will have a hard time. How does your g-child, learn best?

Another thing that will help the child is to know his history. Then, what is required for him to know will not just apply to the "White System". I don't believe there is such a thing. We all live in the same country, states, and cities. Everything they learn, we should learn. We do not need to isolate ourselves in the knowledge bank. Our "bank" should contain everything their's does and then some.

Remember, they need to be prepared for a globel society.
Friday, October 15th 2010 at 3:11PM
Thomasena Martin-Johnson

Those statistics were not confined to African Americans ; those were American school system.
Friday, October 15th 2010 at 3:13PM
Thomasena Martin-Johnson

Sister Thomasena,
Thank you so much for your expertise on this blog. I really hope you continue on with more, because I'm looking forward to more from you on this subject matter. Many teachers don't have high expectations for Black students and the students don't have high expectations of themselves because many parents don't encourage their own children to excel. Who do we blame?
Friday, October 15th 2010 at 5:58PM
Jen Fad

HI Thomasena, yes all of those Black schools being built and up graded to try and get us too content to want to still go to the nearest school in our neighborhoods.., and if tis had worked as they had planned we would still be having Black only, White only schoos and us still spending hours and hours on a bus getting to the nearest school. (smile)

Yeh, the good old days when our children had so much work to do they hadl no time to spend hanging on the corners selling drugs.lol (smile)
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA

...but, so many tings are so much better in our schools today.example,

Someone like me who is math learning disabled would have a special class to attend ( extra tutorings) so they could get the extra help needed...a better understanding today about we all cannot be great or even good in some school subjects.(smile)

But as for me, I believe schools will never be able to get better until we as adults, parents begin to realize our children spends sometimes more time with teachers than they actually do with some of us. It is not their job descriptions or their moral or legal duty to raise our children for us.(nup)
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA

...I will say this then turn your blog back to you and other commenters...

I believe some tenured teachers ae the worst thing that can happen to some students. In college a student may never even get a chance to even meet their profesor face to face...after and before those two hour lectures the tenured professor don't have to be bothered with any students...that is what the student aide (teacher) is for...

sure you can make an appointment to see your professor if his/her office hour is not during one of your class times...some teachers with tenure don't even have to come to class at all if they don't want to do so on a regular basis. (nup)
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA