Don't you think more time should be allocated to debating Education?

[Serenity081221]

Tuition has been increasing abruptly. Student grants have been decreasing. Financial aid has been decreasing. Yes some college kids work themselves through college. But it is not enough to pay for everything, as you know. In the meantime, China and India pump education into their young people.Here in MI, I think they were saying more than HALF inner city kids don't graduate from HS. South Park had a very insightful episode about "not caring" in general...in the sense that we like to say we care but our actions do not support that. Do we really care about how others are faring? (please, not the socialist label...I'm talking about educating K1-12 here, to help them get jobs and become productive citizens who support themselves, not welfare recipients).Just wonderin...

[OlanBlack]

Very good question, I wish everybody had very objective questions like yours,I think that the US education system has so many issues, it is like trying to fix a leaky pipe. fix one part, the other part starts leaking. It is riddled with greedy people using the system just to make money (like everything else in the US). I remember in Detroit, they busted a School board member who was riding a limo to meetings (the dept of ed paid for it)From the top down needs to be reworked, the "no child left behind" is just a cover dressing to make it look like things are ok. we need to pay teachers more. it makes no sense to pay a person playing baseball millions of dollars, and not be able to make sure all schools have computers and things that will help them learn

[tys73449996]

I would love to hear them debate education more, especially about the no child left behind law and aid for college. We need to accept their answers (or lack of) on the character issues and move on.

[mt_pelion6133]

The American public education system is not only completely inadequate, it is also severely unconstitutional.The average public school receives a check from the government for around $5,000 per student per year.The average private school tuition is just under $2,000 per student per year.Private school graduation rates are higher and so are their test scores.Also, let's not forget to mention homeschooling. At an average cost of only $250 per year per student (less for additional children who can use the same books again) it is significantly more cost effective than any other educational program. Also, many Ivy League schools give preference to homeschooled children as they are better suited to both higher education and real life work situations then their publicly schooled counterparts.First and foremost it is not the government's job to educate the population. That responsibility is solely on the shoulders of the child's parents. We don't need education reform, we need to do away with the system completely and let it go back to those who are supposed to be taking care of it.

[MonaLisaOverdriveAMVTwannabe]

If you are talking about k-12, then why start off with a paragraph about the cost of college tuition?At some point have to accept that the government can't cure all of our problems, and children not graduating is the result of bad parenting and nothing else.We spend on average nearly $10,000 per year per urban student on public education. That is, each and every child in America is given roughly $100,000 in free education, far more than China or India spend. I have been to India and seen the young children going barefoot to dirt-floor schools , walking through filth to get there. NOTE TO Mt. Pelio (above) private schools get to choose their students, have parents who are actively involved, and virtually none of them get by on $2,000 per child.NOTE to wish I could, below: Teachers cost far more than $38k each, especially when you count benefits, unemployment taxes, etc. Then add in janitors, building and grounds maintenance, buses, supplies.... if it there were large profits being made, you would be flooded with private schools opening to suck up those profits. Every penny of your school budget is made public. Take a look before you make ridiculous assertions.

[WishedIcould]

Here in VA, the schools receive 7800.00 per year per student.Do the math: Each class has no more than 20 kids. 20 x 7800 =156,000 per class room45 class in the school = 7,020,000Each teacher makes about 38,00038x 45 = 1,710,000two principles 100,000that comes out to 1,810,000 and some odd cents.that leave 5,210,000 Where did it go?more money is NOT the answer

[eastacademic1518]

A major problem in education is perception.You start with some assumptions and other posters enforce those - the key is alot of it is perception. We are all invested in our schools - we went to them, we base our votes on them, many of us have children within them.China and India (and most of the other nations we are often compared to) do *not* educate every child. We are not a homogeneous nation as some others on lists are. If you are a child from rural china - there is no chance you could grow up to be a propulsions engineer. Pick any rural area in the US, if the child has the drive and willingness - he can. To discount the huge numbers of Engineers, Doctors, Mathemeticians, Physicists, Aviation and Aerospace specialists.....name hundreds of others....*all* produced by our education system... is a sad mistake. We DO produce the best in the world. We also have a system where personal responsibility is the key to success.No one discounts the dropout rate exists. The reasons are complex and are often things that society is not willing to tackle. There are no simple answers to complex problems. Those dropouts have reasons that vary often *to the person*. A latest PDK gallup poll asks americans to rank their schools. 70 % ranked their local schools an "A or B"Why so high?? Everyone knows our schools stink! How could this possibly be??!! A follow up question reveals the true reason for the wide spread belief of our failing schools.rank schools not in your area? 16 % A or BThat is it! How can my local schools be the best while your schools stink? perception - politicians make it an easy selling point - country rank lists that compare apples to oranges.We are unique - If we want to do something about the problems we know we have - we need to tackle bigger issues than what happens between 8 and 2:30 in that classroom.