Understanding the Issues: Education

Hey SS - how about a third option for "Abstain"? Would be interesting to see how many are in the middle...

I think the standardized testing are the SOL's actually. It limits creativity in that teachers have to teach the material that will be on the SOL's. Teaching anything else is moot because the SOL's are all that matter for gauging a school districts academic progress.

Yeah, I think that's pretty much it. I once dated this girl who was a schoolteacher (I imagine she still is), and she used to complain about how she had to spend so much time preparing her students for a standardized test that they never spent sufficient time on any creative learning/thinking. She didn't feel she was really preparing her students, or allowed to prepare her students, for real life. On a side note, her colleagues were Jenna Bush and Mike Shanahan's daughter. Kinda cool.

Schneed, I think we're basically on the same page about this. I'm glad that Obama at least seems to have some semblance of a plan, while rough around the edges. My biggest question is where will the funding come from for many of these projects to take place. And would we be depending too much on government funding?

Hey SS - how about a third option for "Abstain"? Would be interesting to see how many are in the middle...

Done

Hell yes.

If I can get $4,000 for my tuition while only putting forth 100 hours of community service, you damn well better believe I'm on board for that.

That's $4,000 that can stay in my bank account.
But thats also a new tax that you will be paying your entire life to support.

Obama's Education Plan will cost about 18 billion annually which means we're not exactly breaking the bank. It's short on details as far as how he will pay for it but giving it's cost estimates and the fact that it's an investment with attachments I am more inclined to be in favor of it even at 30 Billion dollars a year. Lord knows "Rarely is the question asked, Is our children learning?"

Double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs to serve one million more children. Parenting should be the answer here, not government funding.

I'm guessing that your wife stays at home with your kid(s)? I'm not knocking the stay-at-home mom, but those in that situation tend not to have an understanding of the realities of a family where both parents work. For many families, it's not an option to have a stay at home parent, and after-school care is essential to allowing some parents to provide all of the material necessities for their kids.

Obviously, there is a funding issue, but this is one that I think is critical in today's world.

Well if you cannot pass a SOL then why would the teacher be teaching them anything else to start with. Remember this is basic skills not rocket science they have to pass. Maybe he could make it easier for a school to fire a teacher who has over 5 years in the system who is not performing. We allready spend how much on a failing system so lets just throw more money at a failing system. Until we take control over the schools and get parent involvement there is nothing that the fed goverment can do to improve schools. Maybe make it manditory that parents attend parents night or other things or they get fined.

Yeah I think I gotcha. You're saying that the SATs force teachers/schools to gear their teaching styles towards the test.

I'm not sure that's a bad thing. I happen to love the SAT and think it's a great measure. It combines good probing questions with the need to perform under pressure (time limit). I think you need a degree of standardization in schools all across the land. After all, all students are headed to the same real world and job market, aren't they?

The SATs are a funny animal though - those who did well on them tend to like them. Those who didn't... not so much.

It's definitely a bad thing if you talk to teachers. I had the opportunity to speak with a middle school teacher/principle a few weeks ago and he said they're just training the children to take the test. No critical think necessary. When teachers don't believe in what they are doing how can they possibly do a good job?

SAT is a total different beast, it's a collage aptitude test. Teachers can do some prep-work to prepare students for the test but they don't base their curriculum on the test.

It's definitely a bad thing if you talk to teachers. I had the opportunity to speak with a middle school teacher/principle a few weeks ago and he said they're just training the children to take the test. No critical think necessary. When teachers don't believe in what they are doing how can they possibly do a good job?

SAT is a total different beast, it's a collage aptitude test. Teachers can do some prep-work to prepare students for the test but they don't base their curriculum on the test.
While I agree teachers get stuck teaching to the test isn't it the basic stuff kids nee to know?

Smoot one quick search McCain's stance.

John McCain on Education (http://glassbooth.org/explore/index/john-mccain/10/education/14/)