The Democrats in the legislature are simultaneously proposing to (a) eliminate the WASL and (b) pay for two years of college all students, which would have to include those who couldn't pass the WASL.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at February 01, 2006 09:36 AM | Email ThisIt's called lying, and the democrats should stop doing it to our children.
The republicans come up with a bi-partisan bill (the NCLB act) that ensures that everyone gets a good education. It even goes as far as to let each state determine what is and isn't a good education, as long as it is measurable. But what happens when it starts to go in force? The democrats start backtracking.
Don't worry, as well see at the end of this election cycle, they're all bark and no bite.
Posted by: Jonathan Gardner on February 1, 2006 09:44 AMBush said, at the very beginnning of NCLB, that he was worried about American children competing against other students in other countries. He wanted to know how our students stack up against other countries. And did he put out one national test so we could know? Of course not. There's 50 different tests, all of varying quality (yeah, sure, go out there and figure "measurability" and tell how you know, in any definitive way, how American schoolchildren are doing as a whole).
The interesting thing to me is that the feds left it up to states to decide how to figure out getting students to take the tests. Only about 9 states have it a graduation requirement and many states don't have any opt-out language in their assessment laws.
Posted by: westello on February 1, 2006 10:15 AMSchools absolutely SHOULD be privatized; before the advent of so-called "public" education, when schools were a local, community endeavor (and pre-compulsory attendance laws, which are nothing more than a transparent revenue enhancement maneuver), we had a higher rate of literacy and better educated citizens. Government schools have been a DISASTER. And give me someone with a profit motive over a so-called "public servant" do-gooder with a political agenda ANY TIME.
Posted by: libertarianobserver on February 1, 2006 10:19 AMHey Westello...if our “public” schools are doing such a fine job why do we have a 51% high school graduation rate...avg. S.A.T. scores falling below 1000...why do 75% of our high school grads need remedial instruction when they get to college...why is there a 21% graduation rate among those that enter college and only a 2% post grad rate?
Compare this with Washington State home schooled children...98% high school graduation rate...S.A.T. avg. test scores over 1250...less than 10% need remedial instruction…and they have an 85% college graduation rate and 24% post grade rate.
Westello... if this can be accomplished by “Domestic Incarceration Survivors” and their “Legalized Rapist,” just what you think trained, motivated and rewarded professionals could do?
I remember classes in my senior year of high school being filled with students that didn't care about learning - they goofed off, complained, and distracted the rest of the class. College was a huge differnce since most that that were there actually wanted to be there and the class clowns that were just doing their time where gone.
The problem with the two years of college proposal is that it feeds into the mindset that everyone should go to college. It ignores the fact that there are many that simply don't have the motivation or desire to do so. Proposals such as this will do nothing but overinflate college attendance, taking away time and resources from students that really want and have the ability to learn.
Posted by: Darth Dogbert on February 1, 2006 12:31 PMA sad theme for Washington.
Posted by: HappyGoLucky on February 1, 2006 12:33 PMI'll call this the "Washington State Non-Education Death Spiral" WSNEDS(tm).
1. Two more years of school.
2. More State Employed Union Teachers jobs created.
3. Job growth praised by the politicians.
4. More Union contributions to Pork Creating Liberals.
5. Students still not tested against students from other states to see the value of the education they are receiving.
6. Repeat step #1.
The NCLB is about ensuring that the poor black kid who happens to live in a white neighborhood gets as good an education as the rich white kids he goes to school with.
We had an interesting thought in the FWPS district. We had about a 40% pass rate on the WASL as a district. Looking at our demographics, it's apparent that that 40% would've passed regardless of whether they went to school or not. (They have parents who care and are educated. Probably would've been better served by staying home all day.) It's that 60% that didn't stand a chance in the first place that we are short-changing by not requiring 100% pass rate.
If our schools can't educate a poor black child, why do we even waste money on them? They would probably be better off without public schools at this point.
Posted by: Jonathan Gardner on February 1, 2006 12:45 PMI'm not getting Mr. Gardner's message. I agree that there are many schools not doing their jobs but punishing all the schools isn't the way to go. And I didn't mean 90% is good enough; I'm saying if you have a school that educates 90% of its students but can't reach the feds AYP (annual yearly progress) that doesn't make them a failing school. Apparently this is quite a problem in suburban Conn.
Posted by: westello on February 1, 2006 01:09 PMA government job? Sure it is, and one that gives a young man or woman not ready for, or wanting, college, a good head start. Very much like an apprentice in a union. The military isn't a dumping ground for the uneducated. Uneducated soldiers get people hurt.
The soldiers I meet are sharp, intuitive, fun, and very cosmopolitan. Some will stay in for outstanding careers. Most get out after serving their enlistments and go on to other things...some even become teachers. I try to hire as many as I can. None have ever gone on to ask if I want to supersize my order.
As for infractions...yes, the military will not tollerate them. But so will any successful business. Try doing anything that is illegal, immoral or unethical where you work and see what your boss does.
I CAN HOME SCHOOL MY KIDS AND IF I FAIL SHAME ON ME...OR I CAN PAY (EXTRA MONEY) TO HAVE MY KIDS GO TO A PRIVET SCHOOL AND IF THE SCHOOL FAILS, I CAN FIRE THEM AND GO ELSEWHERE...
UNDER THE PRESENT SYSTEM, WHERE WE KNOW THE SCHOOLS ARE FAILING AND HAVE BEEN FOR 20 YEARS… WE CAN DO NOTHING BECAUSE THE UNIONS MONOPOLY CONTROLS THE PROCESS AND IT IS NOT IN THEIR BEST INTEREST...
WITH CHARTER SCHOOLS, IT IS A WIN / WIN VENTURE BECAUSE THE TAX DOLLARS FOLLOWS THE STUDENT, IF A PARENT WANTS TO SEND THEIR CHILD TO A PARTICULAR SCHOOL AND THAT SCHOOL FAILS… THAT PARENT CAN FIRE THAT SCHOOL AND GO ELSEWHERE...
THIS WILL WEED OUT THE BAD TEACHERS, PRINCIPLES AND THOSE SCHOOLS THAT DO NOT PERFORM WILL FOLD. THE ONES THAT PERFORM WILL THRIVE. END OF STORY!!!
THAT IS HOW SUPPLY AND DEMAND WILL SAVE OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM!!!.
Posted by: TACOMA PHLASH on February 1, 2006 02:38 PMTO EXPAND ON MY STATEMENT…IF YOU HAD A CHILD THAT WANTED TO BE A PLUMMER, CARPENTER, AUTO TEC., AIR PLANE PILOT, ISLAMIC CLERIC OR WHATEVER… THE MONEY WOULD STAY UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE STUDENT AND PARENTS …IT WOULD BE THERE TO SEND THEM TO A SCHOOL THAT WOULD EDUCATE THE CHILD IN THE MANNER THE PARENTS OR STUDENT FEEL IS BEST… THAT’S REAL PRO-CHOICE!!!
KNOW ONE IS TWISTING YOUR ARM TO LOG ON AND READ ANYTHING...IF YOU DO NOT LIKE READING ALL CAPS OR WHAT I WRITE JUST SKIP ON BY...I DON’T MIND...I DON’T CARE!!!
AS FOR MY SPELLING I MAKE TYPE-OS, I THINK FASTER THAN I CAN TYPE. YOU MUST LOOK AT THE WEBSTER’S UNABRIDGED DICTIONARY SOMETIME...TAKE THE WORD KNOW AND NO. NO HAS THREE DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS...KNOW HAS 19. THERE CAN BE SUBTLE DIFFERENCES IN THE WAY THAT ONE CAN INTERCHANGE THEM…ITS CALLED MIRTH
I was simply making a joke. The joke was twofold: 1) Perhaps kids could get an education in the real world by working hard and diligently in the military instead of slacking off in school, since no drill sargeant would let them do otherwise, while (some) of our teachers could care less; and 2) that without any skills at all, at least the uneducated kids could dig slit latrines and do otherwise physical labor while they learned.
Admittedly, this joke wasn't very good, and not for serious consumption, and if it came off like that to anyone else, especially anyone who is, or has been, in the military, I apologize.
Posted by: HappyGoLucky on February 3, 2006 09:10 AM