Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Who Loves You?

Something that has really impressed me about these Yurpeen socialist countries is that the schools are such a point of caring. In our U.S. schools, from my experience, we are doing nothing to help, and often a lot to cripple, our future.

In Malta, I learned that if you get into the academies there, you are sent by the state, and as long as you are doing well, you even get a stipend. If you have to repeat a grade, you can do it, but the financial support isn't given.

Today in Sardinia, at the top of the hill at the port, the main feature of the area is its school. The university has the highest and most distinguished structure, an old fort overlooking the bay. It's a focal point for their support, and shows caring that just doesn't apply for us.

The success stories bear out the source of our increasing economic and social failures, our lack of interest in our kids and their education.

Top of the class, the latest report from the OECD’s PISA assessments, shows Finland and New Zealand in the lead for science excellence, with one in five 15-year-olds reaching top levels of science proficiency. In Greece, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and Turkey, by contrast, fewer than one in 20 students make top grades.

Countries with more top-level science students do best in science overall. In United States, the average performance of 15-year-olds is below the OECD average because of a large number of low performers. But the US has the same proportion of top performers as Korea, one of the best performing education systems overall but with weaker performance at the top.

In Japan, Finland and Austria, more than one in three students from disadvantaged backgrounds become top performers. In many other countries, by contrast, social barriers to excellence in education remain very high.

The study shows that while many high performing 15-year-olds have a general interest in scientific careers, about half are not well informed about what this entails. Less motivated high-performing students tend not to enjoy science lessons and not to get involved in science outside school, even if they do well on a test.
(snip)
Schools and careers services should do more to improve knowledge of science as a career, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría said. Schools should make an effort to make science studies enjoyable. Outside school, societies can also do more to engage students in science....“It is important for the future strength of economies to develop a large and diverse talent pool ready to take up the challenge of a career in science,”Gurría said.


The years of domination by our ignorant element, claiming that business interests were advanced by neglecting our educational system and the kids in it, have set back the country substantially. Watching the careful nurturing that those Yurpeens are effecting, I want to smack down the wingnuts and their negative family values permanently.

What hilltop haven do you see where our kids are put on the pedestal they ought to have, and the effort directed at making their lives as good as they can be? I don't see that happening. As a result, our economy and our society is on the skids.

We can't continue to be that leading nation while we dig holes to pitch our future in. It's time to get back into the business of a future, not pitching it away on the pretense that that's going to make it easier for those job creating fantasies of the past maladministration.

There's no excuse for throwing our good taxpayer dollars after the bad of the past failures.

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5 Comments:

Blogger Woody (Tokin Librul/Rogue Scholar/ Helluvafella!) said...

Obama's Schools boy, arne duncan, is a corporatist test nazi.

Read susan ohanian and check out her blog. I used to teach a book she wrote (15 years ago) on reading pedagogy (which is in microcosm what the whole epistemological 'debate' in education is all about).

3:02 PM  
Anonymous Monkeyfister said...

Ruth--

Where in Sardinia are you? LaMaddelena, perhaps? I lived there for quite some time while in the Navy. It turns out that rather close family own at least a third of the island. The people are very close-knit, family-centered, and welcoming to those who care. Most of my old Shipmates? They had little good to say about them. But, the whole island got to know me, and I was treated like one of the family wherever I went. It was wonderful. Living in Sardinia was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. and the water is SO BLUE!

--mf

7:36 PM  
Blogger Ruth said...

I was in Sardinia only until 5 yesterday, in the port at something like ...Cardiglio, had very nice visits with people there. also got some local liqueur, will save you some - will you be at Blissfest - at least I know you will see Barndog so I will save it to give to him.

3:19 AM  
Anonymous Monkeyfister said...

Ruth--

I WILL be at Wheatland, and I ALWAYS camp with Barndog. I usually drive up to his place and caravan in with him. He and his wife, Sherry, are such incredibly good people.

Is the Liqueur Merto (sp?), by chance? I've missed it a LOT!

Thank you!

It sounds like you are have an incredibly good time!

--mf

3:38 PM  
Blogger Ruth said...

It is, indeed the local 'merto' (also, sp?) and sorry I didn't get the quart size. Looking forward to seeing you all and passing it on to you.

8:54 PM  

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