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FrankRep
06-24-2009, 01:23 PM
What? Even Charter Schools Got "F's"?


Beverly K. Eakman | The New American (http://www.thenewamerican.com/)
24 June 2009


After decades of hand-wringing over nonexistent or, at best, mediocre gains in student academic achievement, the most noticeable thing to come out of all the "studies" aimed at improving schools is that there is a lack of any understanding of what a "real" education looks like.

For example, the latest finding from a study at Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes is that even "charter schools" fall short of expectations (See hyperlink to Washington Times article: "Charter schools hit, miss in new report (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/16/charter-schools-hit-miss-in-new-report/)"). Some 37 percent of charter schools even came in below their "traditional" public-school counterparts.

Say what?

Many "poor" families, plus parents who are simply dissatisfied with their children's education but cannot afford increasingly expensive alternatives, have been sending their children to what they thought were higher-performing charter schools. The parents aren't aware that the same constraints that are placed on public-school learning are placed on charter schools. They aren't aware that any sort of federal funding — passed through to the states and on to local education agencies — adversely affects the school environment and curriculum. It is the rules that must be followed if a school accepts federal funding (incentives and disincentives) that guides a school's curriculum. That is why schools are awash in political correctness masquerading as history ("social studies"), junk science as scientific method, and sex education as health. Tests are called "assessments," meaning they are not really tests at all, but rather opinion research with large doses of mental-health screening interspersed among self-reports and how-do-feel-when queries.

Some readers may have seen a version of the following test — this one an eighth-grade final exam, circa 1895, from Salina, Kansas. The original document is on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina and was reprinted by the Salina Journal. A similar test served as the entrance exam for New Jersey public high schools. If a student couldn't pass these, they failed a grade, or were channeled into low-paying, menial jobs. The message was two-fold: (1) success at academics matters; and (2) education is a privilege, not a "right." Thus, the school environment was infused with strict discipline — "Yes, Ma'am" and "No, Sir" — and appropriate dress and decorum.

What follows, then, is an honest-to-goodness test, not a "questionnaire," not an "assessment," not an "instrument." Notice the construction is not "multiple choice"; comprehensible sentence structure was required. Note also the first entry under Geography: "What is climate? On what does climate depend?" That alone should give our nation's education policymakers a reality check:

8TH GRADE FINAL EXAM, 1895

Grammar (1 hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph.
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of "lie," "play," and "run."
5. Define "case" and illustrate each.
6. What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.
7-10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (1 hour, 15 minutes)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 ft. long and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs. What is it worth at .50/bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school for seven months at $50 per month, with $104 for incidentals?
5. Find the cost of 6,720 lbs. coal at $6.00/ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7%.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per foot?
8. Find the bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10%.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
10. Write an example of a bank check, a Promissory Note, and a receipt.

U.S. History (45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of Columbus' discovery of America.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Provide a short history of Kansas.
6. Who were Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
7. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.

Orthography (1 hour)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds and their classifications?
3. Give examples of each of the following: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals.
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.'
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and syllabication.


Geography (1 hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.


As a guest on Pat Buchanan's radio show a few years ago, this author brought along a copy of this test to prove that American schools were not pursuing real academics. A liberal professor represented the opposing view, alleging that the three R's were less relevant in today, falling way behind things like teamwork and socialization. Thus, the perfect time to whip out the vintage test from 1895. It turned out that neither the liberal professor, nor even Mr. Buchanan (a former Jesuit student), could answer most of the questions, and we dissolved into laughter.

Nevertheless, the point was made: educators no longer have a clue what a real education is. As soon as "social studies" replaced history, civics, and geography, America's precipitous slide into ignorance began. Today, most graduates are oblivious to any connection between national sovereignty, the Declaration of Independence, self-evident truths, inalienable rights, liberty, private property rights, and popular sovereignty. How can they be expected to understand the Constitution?

Little wonder that America is on the path to socialism in earnest, having turned out some 40 years' worth of little socialists who believe not in self-sufficiency, independent action, or self-determination, but rather in interdependency, mob action ("teamwork"), government regulation, and bean-counting.


SOURCE:
http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/culture/education/1284

jsu718
06-24-2009, 01:27 PM
Most charter schools are horrible. Add to that the fact that 90% of their students are those that couldn't cut it in a standard public school.

FrankRep
06-24-2009, 01:36 PM
Most charter schools are horrible. Add to that the fact that 90% of their students are those that couldn't cut it in a standard public school.

Please explain

jsu718
06-24-2009, 01:41 PM
Please explain

Charter schools not only pay their teachers less, but also require no standard certifications of their teachers... at least that is the situation here. They are basically allowed to create their own curriculum and do things how they want with less interference from the govt. The problem with this is that they don't have the same funding that other public schools do and can't really afford to do it right. Most of the time the kids even in high school level charter schools are just trying to learn basic math and how to read and write, although this varies by location and school. Some have a different agenda and focus on different things. They definitely aren't getting a broad nor a deep education like would be tested by the old Kansas test.

FrankRep
06-24-2009, 02:04 PM
Charter schools not only pay their teachers less, but also require no standard certifications of their teachers... at least that is the situation here.

The beautiful thing about charter schools is that you can make the schools compete for your business. If the school sucks, go to a different one.

jsu718
06-24-2009, 02:06 PM
The beautiful thing about charter schools is that you can make the schools compete for your business. If the school sucks, go to a different one.

You are making the assumption that there is a "different one" that is better. Most places in the US there aren't "better" schools to choose.

FrankRep
06-24-2009, 02:17 PM
You are making the assumption that there is a "different one" that is better. Most places in the US there aren't "better" schools to choose.
In other words, a lack of competition.

TonySutton
06-24-2009, 02:37 PM
I have seen several charter schools that are totally worthless, this is expected in the beginning. The initial surge in charter schools caused a vacuum of teachers. It takes a certain amount of time to clear the bad schools out and let the good schools rise to the top.

Also there were many charter schools which were filled with borderline students. This caused some charter schools to fail even though they had good staff. Again this is just part of the ripple effect. Competition is not an instantaneous fix, it takes time.

Aurelia
06-26-2009, 09:32 AM
If education is going to improve, it's going to take a whole generation. If you want to teach a kid base 2 mathematics, and yet the teacher isn't capable of doing anything but teaching kids to memorize multiplication tables, well, the kid isn't going to learn a whole lot about it unless he has some other resource or a lot of ambition and, again, the resources (library, youtube, whatever).

In theory, it seems the real expense of a good education is teachers if you already have the building. Books don't have to be expensive and, seriously, those electronic blackboards are ridiculous to me. If I were a teacher I'd jump at the chance to do make my own curriculum and make some attempt at breaking the mold. But, like I said, you have to make the teachers competent first. Put a monkey at a keyboard and something will come on the screen, but it won't be Shakespeare.

Edit: forgot to add culture here. That also takes time to change. If kids are more concerned with Miley Cyrus than literature, well, that's a tough one to change.

Feenix566
06-26-2009, 09:47 AM
That 1895 final exam is all memorization. People need to learn critical thinking, not memorization.

Oh and I agree that progress in education will take time. The more options parents have, the better. The only thing policy makers should be focusing on is setting the stage to allow more schools to enter the market.

jsu718
06-26-2009, 09:48 AM
If education is going to improve, it's going to take a whole generation. If you want to teach a kid base 2 mathematics, and yet the teacher isn't capable of doing anything but teaching kids to memorize multiplication tables, well, the kid isn't going to learn a whole lot about it unless he has some other resource or a lot of ambition and, again, the resources (library, youtube, whatever).

In theory, it seems the real expense of a good education is teachers if you already have the building. Books don't have to be expensive and, seriously, those electronic blackboards are ridiculous to me. If I were a teacher I'd jump at the chance to do make my own curriculum and make some attempt at breaking the mold. But, like I said, you have to make the teachers competent first. Put a monkey at a keyboard and something will come on the screen, but it won't be Shakespeare.

Edit: forgot to add culture here. That also takes time to change. If kids are more concerned with Miley Cyrus than literature, well, that's a tough one to change.

On the high end schools spend $10k per student a year. I guarantee you that with a 20:1 ratio the teachers aren't getting paid $200k a year. No, in fact the major expense is everything OTHER than the teachers. Teachers are lucky to get 1/5 of the total.

Sean
06-27-2009, 01:32 AM
That 1895 final exam is all memorization. People need to learn critical thinking, not memorization.

Actually your criticism is the major focus of education the past 30 years less memorization and more critical thinking. The problem is you end up with uniformed opinion instead because there is hardly any focus on memorization or learning of facts. You get kids that don't know jack squat about any facts what so ever. You have kids trying to do advanced math who can't do simple multiplication. My theory on this move away from hard knowledge is that your average certified teacher is taken from the bottom of the academic barrel. They themselves had trouble retaining information and so made a move against it in the Schools of Education in Universities.


Charter schools not only pay their teachers less, but also require no standard certifications of their teachers... at least that is the situation here.

You are generally better off to go for college grads that are not certified and did not go through the Colleges of Education to get their degrees. Most elite schools do not look for this certification because the Teachers Colleges are at the bottom of the academic barrel. Most of this certification consists of is your average liberal muck. Most of your smartest college grads are considered unqualified to teach, yet they are smarter than your average teacher. Lucky for private schools they usually do not have to abide by certification rules.

jsu718
06-27-2009, 07:43 PM
That is false, at least in Arizona, Charter schools have waiting lists to be admitted.

Having a waiting list is not an indication of the caliber of the students.

swed
06-29-2009, 07:06 PM
I went to charter and regular schools, charter had much better students and teachers. The regular school was filled with trashy kids and the teachers were a joke. At the charter school there were no 2nd chances, you got kicked out for getting worse than a C or doing anything bad like skipping class or getting into a fight.

I personally like the idea of charter schools, like frank said its great that theres competition.