Dobbs making sense....

[Aviation Pro]

Dobbs: How to save our failing schools

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/27/dobbs.june28/index.html

His solutions:

It is time to restore absolute discipline to our public schools and classrooms to eliminate every extraneous program in kindergarten through eighth grade that does not focus on reading, literature, writing, American history and civics, mathematics and natural sciences.

We should begin to redress the compensation of all public school teachers to ensure that we have the very best and brightest educating our next generation. For me, that means paying teachers far more and demanding far more of them.

The role of the federal government should be to provide, no matter what the cost, a scholarship program that provides a family stipend to economically disadvantaged students who demonstrate exceptional intellect and talent.

All graduating seniors in the top 10 percent of their class should be assured federally funded national scholarships to pursue university educations in mathematics, science and English. And stipend programs should be instituted, conditional on an educational commitment to teach in our public schools after their college graduation.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. They could start by hiring more teachers with masters degrees

instead of kids just out of college with a bachelors. The schools save money by hiring less experienced "teachers" b/c of the scale of pay based on the number of years of education and degrees earned. but you get what you pay for . . .

[Aviation Pro]

3. They could also make education curriculum at the baccalaurete...

...level far more robust and demanding and then offer benefits for continuing education to qualified teachers.

[SteppingRazor]

2. Agree with all but the first one...

Along with "reading, literature, writing, American history and civics, mathematics and natural sciences," kids should be taught art, music and conditioned to exercise from an early age. I don't think we should abandon the right side of the brain and the entire body to turn everyone into little Einsteins.

[pepperbear]

4. OR LITTLE HITLERS. n/t

[SteppingRazor]

6. Yeah! Or Little... um... wait a sec...

what the hell are you talking about? :wtf:

[pepperbear]

7. I can't tell whether you're kidding or not...

so I'll bite...I was referring to your "little einsteins" quote, the last sentence.

[SteppingRazor]

8. right. And then you said school turns people into Little Hitlers...

to quote John Cleese in the Cheese Shop sketch, "Explaining the logic underlying that conclusion, pray."

[pepperbear]

9. ah, I can see how that misunderstanding occurred..

I was referring to the current no child left behind act and the fact that without music and art, we run the risk of producing...well, little hitlers...when we should be trying to produce little einsteins

[Aviation Pro]

5. I agree...

...and foreign languages starting with Chinese and Spanish.

[gizmo1979]

11. I agree

all work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy.They forget these are kids and it's hard to keep them interested.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

10. Disagree.

I don't know what he's talking about with "absolute discipline." Sounds like more Dobbsian bullshit.

Reading, lit., writing, American history, civics, mathematics, and natural sciences are all fine. As long as you don't forget music, art, P.E., shop, home-ec, health, world history, economics, etc. If there's a problem it's that these are being cut.

Big pay raises for the teachers sure, but what's this business about expecting more out of them? Teachers are jumping through these stupid hoops that people who aren't teachers keep setting up for them, e.g. NCLB.

Stipends and scholarships for economically disadvantaged students would be great.

But enough with this egalitarian top 10% bullshit. It's a terrible measure of intellect and talent. It's a complete disadvantage to poor and minority students, but of course this is Dobbs we're talking about.

Stipends and easy-access loans to all students who want it for the first couple of years of adult education, at community colleges.

And none of this denying loans to kids who got caught smoking pot.