tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8654813078764388005.post5082642526337255133..comments2023-06-07T10:41:20.112-04:00Comments on Dick Farrell: Penn State grad supports JoePa no matter whatDick Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09689470096385000932noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8654813078764388005.post-54211873775350656532011-12-18T06:32:06.551-05:002011-12-18T06:32:06.551-05:00You conclude that problems in education are rooted...You conclude that problems in education are rooted in poverty, not in the failure of teachers and schools. The facts show that students from wealthier families out perform those from poorer families. The US is the wealthiest nation on earth and spends more on education than any other country. Yet we lag behind many other countries in student performance, graduation rates, and just about every other measure. Why so?<br /><br />I see a parallel with healthcare. The US spends more per capita than anybody else for healthcare but by most standards of measure, health outcomes on average lag behind other countries.<br /><br />American education and healthcare are similar in that our best is the standard of the world...students come from around the world to attend our colleges and universities...just as people come from around the world to our best hospitals for heart surgery, transplants, and cancer treatment. The problem is that the best education and best healthcare is related to wealth...outcomes decline as you move down the economic ladder. <br /><br />You point out that the public wants accountability from schools and teachers for student performance. I suppose that's easier than holding parents accountable for their kid's performance. The US has spent billions...perhaps trillions...in the 'War Against Poverty' and yet there's more people living in what we define as poverty today than 50 years ago. It is a chicken or the egg corundum...reduce poverty and those students will perform better in school. But it appears that we need better educated people to lift themselves out of poverty. <br /><br />In healthcare we spend billions to save people from heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes that result from their choice of lifestyles (too much food, not enough exercise). We want doctors and hospitals to fix what our lousy lifestyles have done to us rather than expecting Americans to be accountable for their own poor choices. <br /><br />In education we want schools and teachers to fix what lousy parenting has created. Why can't we expect parents to clean the house, take out the trash, buy food instead of HBO, and read books to their kid? What does the household income have to do with that? We've deluded ourselves into thinking the lifestyles of the rich and famous can and should be ours. Otherwise it's not fair. <br /><br />As ye sow, so shall ye reap. From its foundings up through World War II this country sowed a culture defined by self-sufficiency and sacrifice We reaped a country that saved the world from tyranny and established a remarkable standard of living for its citizens (at least the white ones). Since then we've sown an American culture based on entitlement and self indulgence and now we're reaping a harvest of selfishness and dependence. <br /><br />Are we going to learn from our mistakes? Probably not. Instead we'll probably raise taxes to pay for more standardized testing and to fund bypass surgery for poor people.<br /><br />Have a nice day.<br /><br />MelvinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com