Your mom goes to college.

Folks in America often think of education as the panacea to cure all that ails a society. But is it? Or could it be used to the detriment of a society?

I heartily recommend the following lengthy video which questions the legitimacy of some assumptions in our society with regard to a college education. It also exposes the problem of indebtedness being necessary to getting an education, due to absurd costs.

Check out "The College Conspiracy."

• In related news, check out a SWAT team invasion being used by the Department of Education to collect on defaulted student loans. It's another incident raising concerns about the overuse of police force upon the American people and confirmation for me that the federal government should have NOTHING to do with education.

Really, check this stuff out, folks.

Tough guys don't do math. Tough guys fry chicken for a living.

After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said:

Let me see if I've got this right.

You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.

You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.

You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.

You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.

You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, email, newsletter, and report card.

You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.

You want me to do all this and then you tell me . . . I CAN'T PRAY?

Education Standards 101

In the recent report noted by AP (Oct 29, 2009 - Report: States set low bar for student achievement) there are no earth-shattering revelations.

It has been known for some time that education standards set by each state vary widely.

However, this information is probably not something about which most Main Street USAers are particularly aware.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), part of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), produces "The Nation’s Report Card" outlining findings of annual student assessment. State standards were compared to the NAEP standards in determining the differences.

Here are a few facts reported by AP:
• Thirty-one states deemed fourth-graders proficient in reading when they would have rated below basic on NAEP. Mississippi's standards were lowest, and Massachusetts' were highest.
• Seventeen states deemed eighth-graders proficient at reading when they would have rated below basic on NAEP. Tennessee's standards were lowest, and South Carolina's were highest.
• Ten states deemed fourth- and eighth-graders proficient at math when they would have rated below basic on NAEP. Tennessee's standards were lowest; Massachusetts had the highest fourth-grade math standards, and South Carolina had the highest eighth-grade standards

The standards (from highest to lowest) are: Advanced, Proficient, Basic, Below Basic.

Thus, when states are reporting students as Proficient, when in fact they are Below Basic, there is definite cause for concern.

Before continuing, please be advised that Basic does not necessarily mean that a student knows their "basics." That word is misleading. Students testing at Basic are not at their grade level. More than likely they are one to two grades below, possibly more for older students.

What is amazing is that 60% of the states report students in 4th grade as being Proficient when they are actually Below Basic, or substantially below their grade level.

To revert this President Obama, Secretary of Education Duncan and a host of others are calling for Educational Reform. A much vocalized part of this reform are things like longer school days and perhaps no or much shorter summer vacation.

Main Streeters, it is NOT reform (i.e., to change to a better state, form, etc.; improve by alteration, substitution, abolition, etc) that is needed.

It needs to be reiterated that what is needed to halt the decline in our educational prowess is, quite simply and remarkably, to return to the basics: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, formerly known as the 3 R’s: reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic.

The National Institute of Justice claims that 85% of juvenile offenders have problems with reading, writing and basic math and that well over 65% of adults in prison are functionally or marginally illiterate.

The 3 R’s must be slammed back in with a vengeance.

Get rid of philosophical beliefs that a child’s self esteem is hurt if they are told that they have failed, so pass them to the next grade and make them feel good.

Yeah, they’ll feel “good.”

But they cannot read.

They cannot write.

They cannot perform basic math problems.

How irresponsible is it to not provide the best education possible and, instead, point fingers at teachers, at parents, at administrators, etc., to avert the blame.

Wake Up Everybody!

We are ALL to blame. We ALL allowed this slow transition to mediocrity.

And we are paying for it. Every day, in every way.

Campaign to get the 3 R’s back in our schools. Accept nothing less. Vote out anyone who opposes the idea. And have them take the 1895 8th Grade Final Exam from Salina, KS, and watch as they score below 50%, probably between 30-40%. http://www.barefootsworld.net/1895finalexam.html

Tell them that back in 1895 we taught the 3 R’s, had summer vacations and that Main Street USA enjoyed a very high level of educational competence.

Over For Now,

Main Street One

Longer School Days, The Solution?

First President Obama states that children in the U.S. need longer school days.

Then Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who is in Philadelphia visiting schools with Newt Gingrich and Al Sharpton, says (per the Philadelphia Inquirer): "Our school calendar's based on a 19th century agrarian economy. I'm sure there weren't too many kids in Philadelphia working in their parents' fields this summer."

The above statement by Duncan is true; school in America is based on an agrarian calendar. Summer was a time for children to assist their family in the fields, harvesting, and the like.

Don't get me wrong; I do not particularly have an issue with children attending school longer.

And I do know there are researchers that say adding even short amounts to of time to a curriculum, such as math, raises test scores.

What I take exception to is that the root of America's educational crisis is NOT a short school day.

Witness, we have been on the agrarian calendar for education since schools were formed.

The U.S., under this system and schedule, did lead the world in education for decades and decades.

Thus, changing the school day schedule or the number of days in school is not the answer. It may help some, but it is not THE answer.

What is?

Basics.

Pure and simple, the basics of education.

The Three R's: reading and 'riting and 'rithmetic.

Youth today have not learned their basics. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.

National test scores, as collected and averaged by the National Center for Education Statistics, show slight, only slight, increases in reading and mathematic scores in all grade levels of students tested the last four decades.

The vast majority of students cannot perform a multiplication table.

Whole word reading displaced phonics as the way to teach students to read, despite the fact the National Reading Panel (which reviewed over 100,000 studies on reading) states unequivocally that the use of phonics is the best way to accomplish this task.

Student comprehension is low, as dictionaries, which used to be in classrooms in mass quantities, have all but disappeared from the educational scene.

Main Street USA, the problem is NOT the number of hours a child spends in school.

The problem IS what and how our children are being taught while they attend.

And this problem has been staring us in the face for decades.

Our youth need to be taught the basics.

Teaching those basics is the best way to halt student dropout, of which there are 3,000 students who leave school PER DAY.

"In Philadelphia, for instance, about half of all students cannot read or do math on grade level. The dropout rate hovers around 50 percent as well," states the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Keep in mind that the National Institute of Justice reported that 85% of all juvenile offenders lack basic reading and math skills.

Food for thought.

Over For Now,

Main Street One

Education: Pre-K through Higher Ed

"President Obama soon will be announcing a plan to substantially boost funding for the nation's community colleges, with an aim of helping more workers get the job-training they need in the coming decade," the Chicago Tribune reported on June 17, 2009.

Then President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers announced that jobs in both the healthcare industry and the environmental field have been growing at rates faster than others in the economy and reform would be necessary to ensure workers have the skills needed for these jobs.

While funding to better our community colleges may be warranted, there is still the underlying issue of current (and historical) student literacy and dropout rates.

A 2006 report by Civic Enterprises in association with Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation states that the high school drop out rate is nearly 33% and closer to 50% for African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans. There are similar studies with nearly identical figures, including that of Time magazine, which ran a front cover proclaiming that the US is “Drop-Out Nation.”

In some areas, it is even far worse. The Manhattan Institute calculated that the drop out rate in Milwaukee was 66% while the Cleveland City School District hit an astonishing 71%.

Studies typically find that illiteracy and the inability to calculate basic math are primary reasons why students drop out of school.

There is also mention of increased funding for Early Head Start which, I believe, is much more needed than funding for higher education, at least proportionately, due to the fact that a) there are such high dropout rates and b) many students who do graduate still need remediation in order to do their college assignments.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy states that the national cost for remedial education is approximately $16.6 Billion annually. It would certainly be nice to put that money to use in another area of education (or save it).

So, while I agree that each of the various areas of education need to be addressed, it seems that Main Street USA must be primarily focused on students currently in K-12 and working to ensure that these students possess the reading and math skills needed for college, then setting sights on Early Head Start and community college reform.

Over For Now,

Main Street One

Quotes To Think About

I would like to share certain of my favorite quotes from a variety of individuals. Some are serious, others are humorous but I believe that all of them are pertinent to life in one way or another.

They are in no particular order…

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." Abraham Lincoln

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.” Robert A. Heinlein

"We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives." John F. Kennedy

“Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not.” Oprah Winfrey

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." Albert Einstein

“The preservation of the means of knowledge among the lowest ranks is of more importance to the public than all the property of the rich men in the country.” John Adams

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” Frederick Douglass

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” Colin Powell

“A politician looks forward only to the next election. A statesman looks forward to the next generation.” Thomas Jefferson

“We do not have a money problem in America. We have a values and priorities problem.” Marian Wright Edelman

“Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” Ronald Reagan

“The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." Plato

“Education is a vaccine for violence.” Edward James Olmos

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." Confucius

"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests." Patrick Henry

“I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Michael Jordan

“It's the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter.” Marlene Dietrich

Happy thinking!

Over For Now,

Main Street One

Are You As Smart As . . .

One of the things that I do is to provide after-school tutoring for students not doing well in reading and mathematics. It is extremely disheartening to see high school students reading and spelling and performing math at low elementary grade levels. However, it is also encouraging to know that virtually any student can be assisted with proper remediation education.

As I am a researcher I enjoy surfing the web to discover new and old facts, ideas, opinions, etc. In the area of education, I ran across something several years ago that I think will amaze anyone. It is the final exam for 8th grade students in Salina Kansas – from 1895.

Believe me, I was not prepared for the questions on this exam.

Here is one example, the first question in the one-hour Grammar portion:

Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.

A question from the 45 minute section on U.S. History:

Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?

That one is slightly easier but many people cannot correctly identify each of the individuals named.

How about one more from the one-hour Geography section:

What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?

How did you do with these three 1895 8th grade questions?

Would you like to attempt the full five-plus hour exam. Here is a link to one site that has the questions and also, on another page, provides the answers. http://www.barefootsworld.net/1895finalexam.html

I have given this exam to individuals with doctorates in education, masters degrees in business, attorneys, medical doctors, politicians, and others and no one has scored much higher than 50% correct, if that (even taking into account a few obviously outdated questions). Some even gave up!

So, why am I posting this you may be wondering…

Well, we, as a Nation, are becoming less smart. It has been happening over the last century very gradually.

Is that a problem?

Yes, in many ways. One of the most prominent is that illiteracy, for one, drastically affects us economically.

The American Library Association estimates that illiteracy costs America over $225 Billion annually in crime, welfare payments, lost taxes, job incompetence and remedial education. A study by the National Institute of Justice strongly suggests that illiteracy is a primary cause of crime, with estimates that well over 65% of adults in prison are functionally or marginally illiterate and that 85% of juvenile offenders have problems with reading, writing and basic math.

In future blogs, I will take up the history of reading and how, from the research I have done, it appears we ended up in this mess. And, yes it is a mess. We keep throwing billions upon billions of dollars trying to fix the problem when what we really need to do is get early education back to basics.

A final note: Taking that 1895 8th grade final exam from Salina, KS, gave new meaning to the expression, “My grandparents only had an 8th grade education.”

Over for now,

Main Street One