2020 Election

Just curious, why do you think that is? A lack of funding? A curriculum that fails to challenge and teach critical thinking? A lack of caring on the part of the parents at home? A general lack of respect for learning and knowledge in American society?

I know i'm getting off topic here but I am interested in your thoughts as an educator

 

Trump isn’t going anywhere. They can’t get him while he’s in office. Once he’s out there gonna have more pressing matters to attend to.

 

Mel

Good questions

To give a simplistic overview from over here I’d say it goes back (again) to neoliberal based ideas and policies.

It was believed that ‘market forces’ could be used to improve education levels so a false market competition was set up between schools, with targets.

Schools were rated by the targets they reached and money went to those that reached the targets.

So schools of course started teaching to reach the targets rather than to give a full, wide and analytical education.

A lot of teachers time is now spend filling in forms that ‘prove’ that targets are or can be meet. Effort is concentrated on those children that can up the results and less time give to failing children (with bad children getting exclude)

Then also in line with neoliberal thinking ‘austerity’ has been brought in (to pay for the economic problems the private sector bankers got us into) which has resulted in public sector cuts including in education.

I know of several teachers that have left education because of stress and disillusionment and schools are begging the parents that have the money for donations to keep schools going.

 

In Oklahoma, "Buckle of the Bible Belt", there's another reason: the perception that public schools are godless, Darwinist, and full of riffraff who can't be got rid of because of federal regulations. Solution:Starve them, destroy them, and let charter schools and church schools take over, which can be more exclusive in whom they let in and what they teach.

 

i.e. keep the students ignorant

 

National unity through mental-illness .

 

Education in the US is a sad story. I attended a one room rural public school in Wisconsin. It was well supported by the community and gave good preparation for high school and college. Wisconsin had a really progressive education base. And then came the effort to demonize public schools, support schools for particular religious groups and wealthy minorities. Then came Gov Walker who went after public unions, drained away tax revenues to finance tax cuts for the rich and put public education in a tailspin. And his drive to make Wisconsin over on the”Mississippi model” was the goal of his handlers...the Koch brothers. And we wonder how things got this bad.

 

"i.e. keep the students ignorant"

And they will grow up to be Repugnatants.

 

Abstinence only sex ed programs are geared towards minority students(can't have them populating america), but it's ok to let mormons have fifteen kids.

 

I haven't seen the democratic party so fractured as an election approaches. Usually this is the time when they galvanize to defeat whatever the republicans have to offer. Unless, of course, the republicans throw in the towel (McCain, Romney). In which case the contest can concentrate on a popular candidate or one that will tick off another "make history" moment, so we don't have to wait for it to REALLY happen.

I still think that Biden is the only option for democrats. But Biden doesn't give a fart about the "Green New Deal", so he's alienating nearly all of the base that thinks we can switch to "green" overnight. Biden is a dying breed, to be sure. A "conservative democrat". If you present a a "green" plan to him the first thing he'll say is "how will it pay for itself". It will have to, because he's going to raise taxes and that money's for other causes.

The man has an agenda, naturally. But consider how many leftist bubble gum fantasies can be entertained under a democrat as compared to a republican president. The point is to WIN. THEN you can pester the president till he caves on what you want. But don't be to sure of yourself. Biden will be a ruthless and shrewd president.

He'll likely inherit a war from Trump.

 

These programs haven't been a threat of any sort since I was in school and they actually LET these "Christian" freaks into public schools to spout this nonsense. We rolled our eyes back then, and we roll them now.

It's the "Reefer Madness" of the sex among teenagers issue (that will never be "solved").

As for the focus on minority students, any additional focus on them will only benefit them. There are far more pregnant white teenagers in US schools who seem to have gotten that way, in the same way as anyone else. The Mormons have had their order for a long time, it's their right under the constitution. But really, do you think their population is really adding up? I bet there's more guys wearing dresses in the US.

 

Biden is a fucking loser.

 

Dude, how do you know this? Did he fuck you? Did you fuck him?

Clinton fucked my sister!

 

are you serious? I didn't think he was. He seems legit.

 

I feel like the US is in for a couple of decades of tremendous steps back. Religion (fundamentalist Christianity) will take it's place alongside science in our public schools, states (such as Alabama) outlawing abortion will be commonplace, environmental protections will be rolled back, distrust of science will increase (this is already happening in regards to vaccinations, resulting in the reemergence of measles for example) and even regular people will start believing there is some sort of conspiracy to keep them down. Alta-news will replace regular news, be it liberal or conservative leaning. By the time I retire this country will be a shadow of it's former self. I hope I'm wrong.

 

That's exactly what people who vote for the lesser of two evils deserve. Americans only have themselves to blame.

 

What do the ones who vote for the greater of two evils deserve? Or the crazy, mixed-up types who root for the bad guys to punish the country if their dream candidate doesn't get a nod from the voters?

 

You're all a part of the same American cult of hatred and greed. You all deserve the worst life has to offer.

 

Guess you are including yourself in this, seeing as you live here too....