Announcement

**Ben Kenobi** · February 12, 2011, 22:30

Originally posted by Docfeelgood View Post

Ok, I'll bite. please explain.

That's the present cost to educate a student in TX public schools.

**Docfeelgood** · February 12, 2011, 22:32

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi View Post

That's the present cost to educate a student in TX public schools.

wow!

I thought it would be less.

**Ben Kenobi** · February 12, 2011, 22:33

Still trying to complete elementary school, eh, Kenobi?

Of course. If I didn't believe education couldn't be improved, I wouldn't be doing it.

**Ben Kenobi** · February 12, 2011, 22:34

I thought it would be less.

TX is 50th in the nation, and that's spread out over 12 months, not 9.

US Average is close to 830/month.

http://www2.census.gov/govs/school/07f33pub.pdf

**Docfeelgood** · February 12, 2011, 22:36

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi View Post

TX is 50th in the nation, and that's spread out over 12 months, not 9.

50th?

**Docfeelgood** · February 12, 2011, 22:38

Can we spell e-m-b-e-z-z-l-e-m-e-n-t?

**Ben Kenobi** · February 12, 2011, 22:39

Yep, they spend the least of anyone.

**Dinner** · February 12, 2011, 22:42

Originally posted by Elok View Post

The question in the OP is something of a no-brainer. Does anyone care to speculate on how U.S. public schools might be improved?

Longer school days - a full eight hours instead of 6 hours with 1 hour in breaks.

Strictly limit class sizes - no more then 20 kids per teacher and make sure there is one teacher's assistant per class.

Extremely centralized standards - set very high standards for what kids must have learned by what age. Finland is always ranked #1 in education so just carbon copy Finland's standards even if the retards in Kansas don't want evil science or evolution.

Force parents to give a **** - Most parents are too lazy, too busy, or too stupid to give a **** about their children's education. They don't show up for parent teacher conferences, they don't bother to see if their kids are doing their homework, and if the kid ditches school they don't care. Make them care by hitting them in the pocket book; if the kid ditches school or disrupts class too much then fine the parents. If they get too many tickets then let dear mommy and daddy both sit in jail for 48 hours. In short, make sure the lazy ****s know their personal life will be effected if they don't control their fruit of their diseased loins.

Longer school year - most other successful education system are longer then the US. In most of the US school is in session less then 8 months per year and some less then 7 months per year. Make them all do 10.5 or 11 months per year.

Pay teachers more - it's simple pay low salaries on few intelligent and motivated people will bother to go into the field; pay lots of money and there will be tons of people trying to get the job so we can pick only the best.

Make it super easy to fire teachers - Did the teacher get lazy? Get rid of tenure and make it so a teacher is as easy to fire as the zit faced teen at McDonalds. High pay but fearful of job = working harder.

**Docfeelgood** · February 12, 2011, 22:52

The Dallas Morning News2010-04-03
The former Lancaster ISD superintendent who resigned last year after years of district financial problems and accusations that he misused state funds has a new job. Larry Lewis joined Bessie Coleman Middle School in Cedar Hill ISD a few weeks ago as an interim assistant principal. Lewis will oversee student discipline at the seventh- and...

On March 20, 2008 the Northeast Education First community group asked for the state to fire the school board.Governor of Texas Rick Perry did not remove the NFISD school board. On March 26 the district stated that it would lay off 90 teachers to try to reduce its budget crisis.

On July 31, 2008, Wayne Dolcefino of ABC 13 KTRK, a primary news station, based in Houston, reported on an investigation he had conducted regarding North Forest ISD, for possible finance and election malfeasance and misconduct committed by officials of NFISD leadership. Dolcefino investigated for several months prior to the release of his facts and findings. This investigation could lead to possible criminal indictments, in the future. Also, misconduct concerns from parents of NFISD enrolled children and investigating government officials may lead to petitions for new leadership. Special Education Director, Dr. Ruth Watson, has been removed from her position and given a new one within the district. The move in job position was reported as lateral, in which Dr. Ruth Watson maintained her current salary, despite not being Director of Special Education. Dr. Watson approved and forwarded more than five special federal government grants which were received, for her own family members. These grants are meant for the most seriously disabled special children. It was also exposed that one of the Special Education specialists, in question, had a child with Vice President of the Board of Education for NFISD, Allen Provost. When Dolcefino asked Provost if the board member ignored election laws, Provost shoved a business card in Dolcefino's shirt pocket, while telling the reporter(Dolcefino) to contact Provost's lawyer. The TEA dismissed the NFISD school board on July 31, 2008.

The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States.
In June 2010, Texas Watchdog reported that the district was squandering thousands of taxpayer dollars on air travel. The story cited poor planning, a $30 per ticket fee paid to a third party travel agency and flights to nearby, drivable destinations. Superintendent Terry Grier refused to answer questions about the report.
Former Sharpstown Assistant Principal Robert Kimball, found by an external investigator to have been involved in the false reporting, asserts that HISD coerced administrators at many schools to lie on dropout rates.[

just a drop in the bucket

**Elok** · February 12, 2011, 22:59

Most of those sound pretty good, Oerdin (I'm skeptical of standardized testing--as is, I see schools "teaching the test," which isn't ideal from an actually-learning-stuff POV). The main problem is, they'll all either cost a lot of money or seriously piss off some voting bloc or special interest. Which, I guess, is why most people don't actually talk about solutions.

**Ben Kenobi** · February 12, 2011, 23:01

Longer school days - a full eight hours instead of 6 hours with 1 hour in breaks.

Disagree.

Instructional time isn't the issue. They already spend a tremendous amount of time in class. What is the issue is how and what they are being taught. 4 good hours are better than 8 where half of them are slept through. Good for the unions though to try to get time an a half though.

Strictly limit class sizes - no more then 20 kids per teacher and make sure there is one teacher's assistant per class.

0/2 so far. More teachers, means folks like me end up teaching. Do you really want 20 kids with a poor teacher, or 40 kids with a really exceptional one. Pay a kid bounty. Let the kids choose a teacher, any teacher in the school. Whomever gets the most students gets paid for each student who ends up working with them. Oh, TAs are garbage. Cut them altogether.

Extremely centralized standards - set very high standards for what kids must have learned by what age. Finland is always ranked #1 in education so just carbon copy Finland's standards even if the retards in Kansas don't want evil science or evolution.

Wow, I actually agree with Oerdin here. Have QC private firms do testing of students. If a teacher is not performing well then let them go regardless of seniority.

Force parents to give a **** - Most parents are too lazy, too busy, or too stupid to give a **** about their children's education. They don't show up for parent teacher conferences, they don't bother to see if their kids are doing their homework, and if the kid ditches school they don't care. Make them care by hitting them in the pocket book; if the kid ditches school or disrupts class too much then fine the parents. If they get too many tickets then let dear mommy and daddy both sit in jail for 48 hours. In short, make sure the lazy ****s know their personal life will be effected if they don't control their fruit of their diseased loins.

Hold the student back. Does all of the above. Give parents more of a say in school. Scrap parent-teacher conferences, have it so parents can sit in on classes and monitor. Let parents who wish to volunteer help out.

Longer school year - most other successful education system are longer then the US. In most of the US school is in session less then 8 months per year and some less then 7 months per year. Make them all do 10.5 or 11 months per year.

Again, instructional time is not the issue, the issue is what they do with this time.

Pay teachers more - it's simply pay low salaries on few intelligent and motivated people will bother to go into the field; pay lots of money and there will be tons of people trying to get the job so we can pick only the best.

One, stop paying for support workers. Two, pay good teachers more and offer them incentives, no collective bargaining. Remove requirements to belong to a teaching union.

Make it super easy to fire teachers - Did the teacher get lazy? Get rid of tenure and make it so a teacher is as easy to fire as the zit faced teen at McDonalds. High pay but fearful of job = working harder.

Agree.

**Ben Kenobi** · February 12, 2011, 23:05

I see schools "teaching the test," which isn't ideal from an actually-learning-stuff POV). The main problem is, they'll all either cost a lot of money or seriously piss off some voting bloc or special interest. Which, I guess, is why most people don't actually talk about solutions.

If the teachers aren't in control of marking the test then they can't teach to the test, can they? I'd be interested to see how it would fare if none of the teachers knew what the questions would be. This way you have a level playing field.

**Jon Miller** · February 13, 2011, 07:08

In Sweden, kids often go to school until 5pm.

JM

**onodera** · February 13, 2011, 14:05

[QUOTE=Oerdin;5928295]Longer school days - a full eight hours instead of 6 hours with 1 hour in breaks.
That's inhumane. Adults have to work for 8 hours, and they don't have homework to do after that.