Our kids are getting dummmerer

I agree, or a caring parent helping them along. I still have a child in school, I se ethe good the bad and the ugly. She does have one exceptional teacher that she has excelled with to a point that the teacher wants her to take college accounting courses since she has flown through the high school curriculum.

You can learn everything you learn in school on the Internet, and then some. The only real separating factor is "how" it's taught to you. In America, good teachers seem to be few and far between. They exist, surely, but you literally, by contract, cannot tell them apart. A bad, terrible, horrible, mean, nasty, bitter, hungover, inept teacher has the same "right" to teach kids as the teacher you want to give an apple in the morning and hug when you leave. In a lot of cases, kids would be better off learning from technology instead of some of these teachers.

Why do you think they fight home schooling so hard? Because of the one- on- one attention the child can excel. Because of the proven results of that one-on- one, from parents who often only have a 12th grade ed. themselves...it embarrasses them. Teachers are told and we are told that you have to have a college education to teach. I told an administrator once, I know my children better than your teachers, and whatever I LEARNED in those twelve years I can pass along. There are excellent curicuulums available for homeschooling and many groups that gather for social and athletic events for homeschoolers. Then we have the 'socialization' issue that professional educators are stuck on. We see where that has led...and it's not pretty. Trusting parents send off little Johnny to kindergarten, he knows no cuss words and he comes home from kindergarten spouting reproductive facts with gutter language. Not to mention, little girls wanting to look like Madonna, or is it Miley Cyrus now? My 12 year old granddaughter is popular, she has lots of friends.She is in cheerleading and track and field. She is on honor roll. You'd think she would never have a problem with bullying or teasing. And yet she comes home bawling cause one of the other girls has 'snubbed' her or has told her her clothes are not cool. She took so much grief for not having a cell phone, my daughter finally broke down and got her one against her better judgment. I remember being 12. And some of my worst memories are of just this sort of thing. That's the socialization they get. Their family values are ridiculed by their peers and not held up by the teachers. It worse in some areas of the country, better in others. But we live in a very conservtive religious area...and 8 girls in the MIDDLE SCHOOL are pregnant in a town of 10,000. Two of them claim it happened AT SCHOOL. If a rural area has such problems, what is going on in the inner city schools? I dislike speaking ill of teachers. So I will say that many here feel helpless, they have told me that they are effectively under a gag order and cannot say or do what they feel is needed to stop the insanity. I applaude their dedication. But as we saw in Wisconsin, not all teachers are altruistic nor are the students put first. It's time parents woke up and take charge of their children back. The days of the little red school house are long gone.

Great points and you are right about not wanting to actually solve the problem, just make it look like they are "working on it"

Of course Obama wants to give money to education and hence the teachers unions. They have an incestual relationship. Funds are taken from the citizen, go to the schools, then to teachers, then to the unions through involuntary contributions, then to the democrat party, and Obama's reelection campaign. Democrats will always fund any public organization run by unions. It is pure confiscation of citizens money to contribute to democrats. There is nothing democratic about the democrat party.

It the old watch my right hand while my left hand relieves you of your wallet!

Bob I agree with you 100%. I think there should be competition in schools and most definitely choice. This has been proven to work, that is what scares them. The teachers because the majority are worthless, and the union because they want members which equal dues. Debra - I think it is great that this is all coming to light. I just wish more people would pay attention to the design

But that would be a free market plan, supply and demand works! And we know the liberals hate that sort of thing. I sorta take exception to your saying...'even' homeschoolers are now out performing public school students. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_education_in_the_United_States#Colonial_Era This site is good for understanding the history of edcuation in the US. Note that in the colonial days it was the church, or community and parents who were ultimately responsible for edcuation. When we come to the modern era, it is Dewey who stands out. Notice that he said: "to prepare him for the future life means to give him command of himself; it means so to train him that he will have the full and ready use of all his capacities." Dewey insisted that EDUCATION AND SCHOOLING ARE INSTRUMENTAL IN CREATING SOCIAL CHANGE AND REFORM. He notes that "education is a regulation of the process of coming to share in the social consciousness; and that the ADJUSTMENT OF INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY on the basis of this social consciousness is the only sure method of SOCIAL RECONSTRUCTION.".[46] Although Dewey's ideas were very widely discussed, they were implemented chiefly in small experimental schools attached to colleges of education. The problem was that Dewey and the other progressive theorists encountered a highly bureaucratic system of school administration that in general was not receptive to new methods. UNESCO advisor and socialist philosopher Bertrand Russell: It may be hoped that in time anybody will be able to persuade anybody of anything if he can catch the patient young and is provided by the state with money and equipment...When the technique has been perfected, every government that has been in control of education for a generation will be able to control its subjects securely without the need of armies or policemen.

specifically the administrators

that is the best idea i have heard..yeah...

I agree, in my opinion, this is a good campaign point. I think most thinking individuals agree that this should be a local issue.

Our kids futures should not be on the political agenda at all! You are so right in your statement advocating the elimination of the DOE...parents have NO SAY with them. Bring the responsibility back down to the community level where the results of said education ultimately end up. The DOE has one agenda...social engineering. And frankly, I've had enough of that.

or maybe less time in indoctrination. I dont think longer school hours are neccessary, I think they should be more productive in the hours they have.