FORT90 forum

But it's not THAT hard...

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2009/11/12/2009-11-12_cunys_got_math_problem_many_freshmen_from_city_hs_fail_at_basic_algebra.html

wow, I would be interested to find out what exactly happens in your typical high school algebra class there, and moreover how many people are being passed through at that level, because those are some awfully damning statistics.

hey guys here's a secret: just because public schools meet "higher standards" in order to get funding to stay alive, doesn't mean that the higher test scores are a result of the kids' work.

i want to add a little more to this.

lots of "new" education ideas are pretty good on paper, but in practice, they typically get abused and altered.  it's just a new way of doing the same old shit as usual.  so when people bring up things like determining teacher tenure based on student performance, there's a lot to be worried about.

while most people in the business world would agree that one should not be promoted or guaranteed a job if the performance of whatever they work on isn't up to par, business models can't be applied to schools.  despite what movies would like people to believe, even the best teacher will sometimes have a class that is just not good.  students are people and people are not predictable like other business variables.

and generally, who gets the worst students?  the new teachers; the people who have yet to pay their dues, so to speak.  so if that new, inexperienced teacher is unable to work miracles and get C and D students to get high marks on state exams, what's to happen?  obviously, what already happens:  cheating.  the scores can be doctored and made up as much as administrators and teachers want, but it doesn't mean any students are actually learning.

how else can students, who failed every subject and missed over 80 days of school in 8th grade be promoted to 9th grade in the high school?  those kids hurt the middle school's stats and those admins don't want them there.

short version:  education is pretty corrupt and a shiny new spitshine from the flavor-of-the-year politician who has never actually taught is not going to immediately rectify anything.