People with closed minds have open mouths, I guess...
Then I guess you have to include me in the closed mind group.
I'm not shy about saying that US public schools are failing our children --- by that, I mean ALL children, not just the 2% at the top of the IQ tests.
By any objective standard, our schools aren't doing their jobs. American students do poorly on international exams, are barely numerate, and have mediocre reading skills. Writing skills are mediocre at best. Watered-down multiple choice tests written by states are used to "prove" that schools are improving, yet there are no improvements on national or international tests. I don't have to send my kids to every public school in the country to know this stuff.
If the schools were getting better, most of the kids would do well on the tests with minimal preparation. They prepare like mad and still do poorly.
The California exit exam is written at a 7th-8th grade level overall, yet many students can't pass it on the first attempt in 10th grade (
check here ). Other state exams aren't much better. Many (not all!) teachers haven't mastered the subject matter they're supposed to be teaching. And meanwhile, some of our school boards are pushing creationism in science class. Etc. etc!
Sorry, and I'm not trying to be rude, but the problem isn't about
fit. It's about poor schools, watered-down lockstep curricula, and anti-intellectualism. A child can be happy at school while still not learning much.
Like I said, I'm not trying to be rude. I'm blunt because nothing will change until people start accepting these facts and start looking for meaningful solutions.
Val
