The authors of Academically Adrift find that in the first two years of college, "with a large sample of more than 2,300 students, we observe no statistically significant gains in critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing skills for at least 45 percent of the students in our study."
Education Reform
This is all the information that I found so far on Education Reform.
This is a list the people and organizations that are working on improving education so that you can either help or just learn about what improvements are being made. Combining all these programs and disciplines will eventually provide all humans with a more complete education.
The Seed Foundation is another great program that proves that every child has incredible abilities, no matter what their social status is or where they come from. You don't have to be born privileged to succeed you just have to be born. And when you invest in a child's education, you're not only investing in that child's future but you're also investing in the future of everyone and everything that child comes in contact with. Talk about returns on your investment, there is no better place to invest your money or your time. Advanced Distributed LearningEducation Revolution
You can't have advancements in technology without making advancements in education.. If the education system followed Moore's Law, education would be very effective today. But sadly as it stands right now our Education System is just another form of Child Abuse. Moore's Law and The Conundrum of Human Learning(PDF)
Most schools discourage learning more then they encourage learning, that's because people associate learning with schools, which they should, but, if school sucks that means kids mistakenly think that learning sucks. This is why there's so many ignorant people in the world and why we have so many problems. Then on top of that we have made a horrible mistake in creating a society that discourages the sharing of information and knowledge.
Yes your parents and your teachers may be stupid at times,.so if you don't want to end up like them you better start educating yourself and learn what particular information and knowledge is important.
"You can't Process information unless you have Information" "Improving Education is the number one priority. All other priorities, problems and issues are directly related to fixing this number one priority. It's not just that people don't have enough information and knowledge, it's that some of the information and knowledge they do have is not being processed correctly, and this is why people make mistakes and make bad decisions". Education Sayings & QuotesEducation BlogEducation News
The only thing that can save us now is our ability to share information and knowledge effectively and efficiently.
Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education
Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids (This shows you a good example of what a good education can accomplish)
Below is more information about the Seriousness of Education Reform.
Yes everyone knows that our education system is a horrible failure. If you are not aware of this then you are truly a victim of an incompetent education system.
Tracking Education and grouping students is a failure. Detracking Classrooms just proves how incompetent schools are. I have witnessed Detracking Classrooms first hand when I was in Broadview Junior High School in 1973. I was accidentally or incompetently put in a lower performing class of students. What a freaking disturbing nightmare that was. Over paid baby sitters who were just preparing kids for the Dropout Factory. When I finally was moved to the correct higher level class I realized that it was just a little better because I was still learning nothing of value. The End of EducationSegregation
My heart breaks when I see kids that have so much potential and abilities being subjected to this cruel and incompetent education system. An education system that has no idea what education should be. And on top of that people are putting way to much faith in college as a means to an end when college is just a continuation of this incompetent education system. Yes college does give you more education. So instead of being just a slave you are now a slave with benefits. What are we doing?
There is this ignorant assumption that people actually think that kids will just figure stuff out on their own..Figure What Out? What Stuff are you talking about?
To judge education success by reading and math scores is not just inadequate but incredibly moronic. Reading and math is just 10% of the actual education that every human needs. It’s like a car manufacturer selling you a car without an engine or a gas tank and telling you “Hey at least the car still rolls”. No engine to power it and no tank to add fuel. That’s not education, that’s a scam.
When someone asks "What's wrong with education?" They have already answered the question and given a good example at the same time.
"The Education Revolution has begun, the war on ignorance must be won" Ourteachers are on the frontline in this war, teachers are our most important soldiers, but if teachers do not become part of the solution they will then be part of the problem.
Our educational standards are incredibly inadequate and are an injustice to our children's future. Since most people, parents and teachers, are unaware of what academic studies that we need to expand on, and how they should be formulated for each age group, then it is safe to say that we will all learn this together. Everyone needs life skills and an education that provides the necessary knowledge that we use in everyday life. The best way to improve our world is to improve our pedagogic practices. The rapidly evolving information landscape means that education methods and practices must evolve and adapt accordingly. The more teaching methods, teaching styles and teaching techniques that a teacher is familiar with and understands, the more valuable that teacher will be it the classroom. And it’s not just knowing about the many ways of teaching but more importantly showing students the many ways of learning. “An educated person is someone who knows how to learn and continually learns”. Education Blog
What's the point of having standards for a dysfunctional and inadequate education? That's like having standards for child abuse. It's wrong to begin with. It's like someone with serious brain damage trying to perform surgery on your brain. How can you ever create good teachers using the same information and knowledge that creates ignorance? First you have to define what is the best information and knowledge that is needed and then teach it. Standards should only be comprised of methods, styles and guidelines.
To judge education success by reading and math scores is not just inadequate but incredibly moronic. Reading and math is just 10% of the actual education that ever human needs. It’s like a car manufacturer selling you a car without an engine or a gas tank and telling you “Hey at least the car still rolls”. No engine to power it and no tank to add fuel. That’s not education, that’s a scam.
Lunatics are Running the Asylum
Just because your school has closed or your teachers are incompetent does not mean that your chances of a good education are gone. It just means that you were looking in the wrong place. 80% of your education is here on the Internet. Even if you go to a good school or have a so-called “good teacher”, 80% of your education is still here on the Internet. Basic Knowledge 101
We spend billions of dollars on education and a lot of that money is being wasted, but waste does not mean cuts, it means that there has to be improvements. 774 million people in the world are illiterate and two thirds are women. Low health literacy cost the U.S. 238 billion per year. About 30 million people, 14 percent of the US population 16 and older, have trouble with basic reading and writing. 18 million adults don’t read well enough to earn a living wage. 63% of prison inmates can’t read.
Our defective education system as it stands is creating children with learning disabilities, but still it's better then nothing because luckily some students do make it through and achieve on their own. And now to make this situation even worse some leaders are cutting education budgets. This is like seeing people starving to death and then deciding to produce less food. 36,000 teachers could lose their jobs in California, 20,000 in Illinois, 16,600 in New York. And not only cutting teachers, but cutting programs, cutting school hours, enlarging classes, closing schools and all to save money. Ignorant people making ignorant choices, another reason why education improvements are extremely important. The same leaders who failed to make the necessary educational improvements are now just cutting services that they promised to protect. Ignorant people make horrible leaders. "Improving education will improve our next generation of leaders which in turn will improve our world" The War on IgnoranceStop Education CutsSay No To Cuts
All text books should be available for digital download for Laptops or Netbooks with flash drives, so that every student can study when ever they can. Plus they don't have to worry about carrying all those books. Plus digital textbooks can be updated easily so learning can keep pace with progress.
The beginning of the next school year in August, math & science students in Ca. high schools will have access to online texts that have passed an academic standards review. Education News
I love the One Laptop Per Child and the Class Mate PC program but I want to take it to the next level with another Laptop Idea for the advanced student or as a teaching tool for an educator.
What is the True Purpose of Education?
Public education, contemporary education or formal education, with it's traditional curriculum should provide you enough information to get you a job, but that's pretty much it. Though Career Education and work skills are essential, we know that there is much more to life then just our work. Our National Academic Standards desperately needs to be reevaluated. What you teach, how you teach it, when you teach it and why you teach it, all these questions need intelligent answers.
The True Purpose of Education: To Teach Students to become Free Thinkers, Expert Analyzers of Information and how to possess excellent Perceptual Skills. To Teach Students how to formulate ideas and information into logical answers. To Teach Students how to learn from History and how to learn from their past using mistakes and bad decisions as experiences that can teach us how to help make better choices and how to make better decisions. To Teach Students how to see the future and understand the importance of being prepared and the importance of Intelligent Planning. To Teach Students how to use machines effectively and responsibly as well as teaching students how to survive without Machines and still retain the necessary knowledge and skills to live. To Teach Students to be analytical thinkers who are not constrained and who are instead encouraged to explore and to be creative. Alternative Education To Teach Students how to Understand Themselves, to be aware of their potential, to be aware of their abilities and at the same time to be aware of their vulnerabilities. To Teach Students to have a clear understanding of logic and why common sense is so important. To Teach Students to be conscious, How to Focus, to live with purpose, to have pride and to never stop learning. Indigenous Education Develop reasoning about perennial questions, Master the Methods of Scientific Inquiry, cultivate the intellect, create positive change agents, develop spirituality, and model a democratic society. Basic Knowledge 101
We have to teach students how to develop Study Skills. How to develop conceptual thinking, abstract conceptualizing, and analytical reasoning. How to Develop the ability to approach problems and situations logically instead of reacting to problems and situations illogically. How to develop mental-thinking-cognitive skills. How to develop the ability to seek solutions to problems instead of just complaining about problems. How to develop intellectual curiosity. How to seek truth, to effect change. How to gain moral and character development. How to attain intellectual, physical and spiritual or emotional progress. How to empower people to seek a more just world. How to develop the ability to observe and analyze situations, compare results, anticipate consequences, and make decisions based upon firm commitment to goals, ideals and ethics. How to develop processes for selecting the best and rejecting the worst elements contained in the various value systems. How to provide students with the intellectual resources that enable them to make informed and responsible judgments about difficult matters of moral importance. How to create thinkers who are positive influences on society instead of creating unconscious materialistic consumers who are unaware of their true impact and unaware of their true potential.
All students should ask their teachers what they think is the true purpose education so that all definitions can be examined for validity.
Before you start learning something new, ask these questions…Why are you learning this? How will this knowledge be used? When will this knowledge be most likely used? How will this knowledge be stored in your psyche?
It is the responsibility of the teacher to inform students the objective of the lesson.
We have to teach more then the traditional disciplines such as literature, history, science and mathematics. We need more Purpose-Guided Education, Inquiry-Based Learning, Contemplative Education and provide Learning Contracts and Personalized Student Learning Plans while at the same time avoiding curriculum overload. The process approach to education is requiring new forms of student assessment. Students demonstrate their skills, assess their own learning, and evaluate the processes by which this learning has been achieved by preparing portfolios, learning and research logs, and using procedures. American UniversityVanDamme Academy
"On this Learning Adventure I'm not saying follow me, I'm saying Observe and Learn as Much as you Can, so that I may follow you"
Stupid in America by 20/20 on ABC This 2007 video explains some of the problems we have in our education system.
This video shows just how ignorant some Administrators and Unions can be. Vouchers would be a great idea. We should also abolish union rules that protect unqualified, ineffective and corrupt teachers and administrators. We need to improve ineffective schools by firing unqualified, ineffective administrators and teachers that fail to educate students. There are schools and teachers who are producing better education results with less money then the schools who are receiving a lot more money then they deserve. So this is not just about money it's more about quality and effectiveness. Another film to see is Waiting for Superman which also shows how horrible our education system is.
Lunch Scholars (Youtube) Shows how uneducated some kids are...Disturbing!
I would never say that a Diploma or a Degree is worthless. I would say that some knowledge is worth more then other knowledge. So choosing the right knowledge at the right time is critical. If choosing to learn a specialized skill you should understand that you will be investing a lot of time. And it just can't be about the Money, so what is your True Purpose? Do you have What it Takes? Everyone needs Skills. Everyone needs Knowledge and Information. But not everyone needs the same specialized skills or the same specialized knowledge. Teamwork And it's not just about what you want, but also, what the world needs. Do your Home Work. Social Problems
Teachers unions are criminals. The only thing they should be negotiating is what’s best for children’s education, period. You shouldn't haggle with children's future. What are you trying to say to kids, that when you grow up you become a selfish greedy scumbag? You’re wrong on so many levels that it’s totally disgusting, disgraceful and pitiful. Your ignorance is so ignorant that you don’t even know how ignorant you are. Your leader acts like she's a Sociopath and at the same time she’s making teachers look like a bunch of Mental Cases. I’m all for workers rights, I will even fight for workers rights, but not at the expense of children. You cannot justify treating children this way. Education is the most important thing we have. I'm sorry for these horrible and demeaning words. Being cruel and name calling is not me. It's embarrassing and childish. But I'm really disappointed in adults who claim they care about students. A poor education does so much damage in so many ways, you cannot put a price tag on life. And I know that teachers unions are not the only ones to blame. There's problems with all areas of society and Government when it comes to this issue. But the teachers union has the power to make a big difference. Please don't be greedy and please don't make unfair demands. American needs you to do what's right. Please do the right thing. Be the hero. Be a great example. Be the change that we desperately need.
I'm not being critical of teachers, just critical of the teaching process.
12 years of school is enough time to include a college education. If not then you are failing and definitely not teaching correctly or effectively. The first 16 years of every Child's life are the most critical and the most important years in their education. By the time a child is 5 years old they should have enough education to be prepare for the next level of education. If a child starts school at the age of 5, that's 6 hours a day, 5 days a week with 2 months off in the summer till the age of 16. Teachers of course will not have 2 months off for they will still be in school learning to perfect teaching methods and teaching strategies along with every administrator and politician who will finally have to earn their money. And just because kids will have summers and weekends off does not mean they will not be educating themselves. For that will be one of the things they will learn in school. Homework will not be about making up time for teaching failures it will be about children finally learning how important it is to educate themselves instead of expecting someone else to do it for them. Lets do the Math, 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, 40 weeks a year, for 12 years = 14,400 hours. If you can't graduate students with a college education in 14,400 hours of school then you are not just a failure but you are completely blind and incompetent. And this is not just about the teachers but more about the administrators and politicians who force teachers to be morons. Teachers have to work together as a team and know exactly what the other teacher is doing. One good hour or having only one good teacher in a school will not be productive. I apologize again for the name calling. I'm not trying to be mean or disrespectful. I'm just trying to get your attention.
Educate America Act (103rd Congress, 2nd Session, January 25, 1994) To improve learning and teaching by providing a national framework for education reform; to promote the research, consensus building, and systemic changes needed to ensure equitable educational opportunities and high levels of educational achievement for all students; to provide a framework for reauthorization of all Federal education programs; to promote the development and adoption of a voluntary national system of skill standards and certifications; and for other purposes. Staff must be encouraged to work together to analyze student curriculum needs, develop a broad instruction plan, set information literacy goals, and design specific unit and lesson plans that integrate the information skills and classroom content. Educators can also collaborate on teaching and assessment duties, teaching methods, procedures and feed back they receive from students.
Student Rights 1: No student shall be unlawfully denied an equal educational opportunity or be unlawfully discriminated against because of national origin, race, religion, economic status, sex, pregnancy, marital status, previous arrest, previous incarceration, or a physical, mental or sensory handicap. 2: All students possess the constitutional right to freedom of speech and press, the constitutional right to peaceably assemble and to petition the government and its representatives for a redress of grievances, the constitutional right to the free exercise of religion and to have their schools free from sectarian control or influence, subject to reasonable limitations upon the time, place, and manner of exercising such right. First Amendment 3: All students possess the constitutional right to be secure in their persons, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures. 4: All students shall have the right to be free from unlawful interference in their pursuit of an education while in the custody of a common school district. 5: No student shall be deprived of the right to an equal educational opportunity in whole or in part by a school district without due process of law.
Inspiration 101 Websites, Books and Movies about Teaching and Leadership
I'm not saying that I wouldn't except Incentives for good teachers and good schools, but.... Rewarding good teachers or good schools is simply ignorant. If you want to improve education you should use the money to improve education curriculum so that it would create greater quality teachers. Incentives are ignorant and very insulting. You just can't throw money at problems. If you are a good teacher then you don't need incentives or rewards. It's like giving people money for not smoking instead of using the money to teach people about the dangers of smoking. You don't use money to reward people for not being morons you use money to stop people from becoming morons. Just remember that if you are only teaching 10% of what is needed in education then you should be fully aware of what you are paying for. Having better test results from an inadequate and an incompetent education is still a failure. Paying more does not necessarily mean that you are actually getting more.
