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We have GOT to get it together!


krazeeboi

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Metro.m hit this one on the head perfectly. In this state, as with the whole nation, we've got to get the focus where it ought to be, and that must start in the home. I am sick of the lazy asses we've got who think they'll just mooch off of the government and wait until one of their children signs a multi-million-dollar contract with a pro sports franchise or well-known record company - instead of taking time everyday to instruct by example what is really important in life.

Mr. Skyliner your statement seems to indicate that only the black underperforming students are bringing your state's educational standards down. Your sports and music reference says it, but I must remind you that blacks are a minority in your state relative to the number of students passing and failing. More whites fail than blacks and contribute to the bottom line data.

This situation as is the case here in GA is one that the whole state must step up it's game. You seemingly want to blame your failing status on a select few, minority. MHO.

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This information is continued bad news for the state of South Carolina. IMO, school choice is not what's needed, even funding amongst all public schools is what's needed. That said, what happens at home is even more important; if parents don't push their children to excel, they usually won't and the continued cycles of poverty in our state feed that result. Our people must be empowered to believe that they CAN see a better life if they work hard and get an education.

Krazee, I understand your frustration with the schools in SC, but if a child is home-schooled they miss out on all of the important social aspects of school, like the number of friends they would make in school, chess club, drama club, latin club, sports, etc.

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The social aspect is important, but home-schooled children also have social outlets. I asked this concerning a former co-worker of mine who, at the time, was considering home-schooling her children, and she informed me of the various ways in which her children would have the opportunity to interact with other children, particularly other home-schooled children.

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This information is continued bad news for the state of South Carolina. IMO, school choice is not what's needed, even funding amongst all public schools is what's needed. That said, what happens at home is even more important; if parents don't push their children to excel, they usually won't and the continued cycles of poverty in our state feed that result. Our people must be empowered to believe that they CAN see a better life if they work hard and get an education.

Krazee, I understand your frustration with the schools in SC, but if a child is home-schooled they miss out on all of the important social aspects of school, like the number of friends they would make in school, chess club, drama club, latin club, sports, etc.

How in the world is even funding among schools supposed to help more kids graduate? Honestly? We have to many kids graduating as it is. Let me clarify that, I wish and hope that everyone gets a high school education, but kids are getting diplomas that should not be; the standards have been getting really lax. And you cannot fix these problems by spending more money.

Also, I went to Riverside, which was supposed to be one of the best schools in our state, if that is the best our state has to offer then my kids will not be going to public schools, it is a joke.

Also, we need to stop trying to prepare every kid for college and realize that college is only appropriate for some people, not everyone. We need to bring back the trade schools and start teaching students skills. Skilled labor is a shortage and it pays well, we could use more carpenters and mason and linemen, etc.

Otherwise taxpayer money is being wasted. When we have students who don't care, don't try and do know work, they are wasting taxpayer

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^ Good points. People think the problem with public schools in the U.S. can be improved by simply throwing more money at it. Unfortunately, that won't fix the problems that we're dealing with.

I remember seeing a television story within the last couple of years, and it dealt with a man who used to teach in inner city New York. I cannot remember his name, but he was a very smart man and fascinating to listen to. He taught at a school in a rough area filled with "at-risk" students, most of whom were not even expected to graduate. What he found was that these students hated math, literature, etc., but really enjoyed the classes he taught on starting a business. He said that these students really came to life, and the idea that they could start a business and make something of themselves really interested them. In the interview, he was making the point that most students are not equipped with the skills necessary to get a job and have a career. They don't know about interviewing skills, how to present themselves, how to manage finances, etc. The fact that these at-risk high school kids were so interested in that speaks volumes.

I am not stating that we should throw out the fundamentals of math, literature, etc., because they are very important. The story does, however, suggest that perhaps students who are not on the college track should be taking more classes geared toward a future career rather than learning the things that have always been taught throughout history. Because an 18 year-old high school graduate can't get very far with a diploma alone, but perhaps with some skills, hard work, and an idea of what they would like to do upon graduating, they would be in a better position to excel.

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OK, I'm in the middle of viewing the ABC special, "Stupid in America." I just finished watching the part where a school official from Lee County, SC said that as far as funding is concerned, the more the better. Remember, Lee County. Then the example of Kansas City was shown, in which per pupil spending increased dramatically, yet there was no change in average test scores or graduation rates. How can you compare an underfunded school district in a much less well-to-do county (one could probably even say impoverished) to that of a city of that's over TWENTY TIMES the size of that county as far as population goes? That's a very apples-to-oranges comparison. I know increased funding is far from a cure all, but the fact of the matter is that when our students can't even have up-to-date textbooks and teachers have to come out of their own pockets for school supplies, THERE IS A PROBLEM! Funding still makes a world of difference.

As far as the 18-year-old guy that was reading on a 4th grade level, that really disturbed me. However, I would have liked to know which school district he was in. You can't make a blanket generalization about our state's public school system by using one example.

I think Inez Tenenbaum got unfairly blasted. No, all of our students aren't reaching the standards set by the state, but I'm sure we would look somewhat favorable if our standards were adjusted against those of other states.

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You just made a good case for national education standards. That guy took an extreme case in Lee County which is an extreme case in SC. So I can only assume he did the same thing with the school in Kansas City. But even if you keep those things in perspective, obviously something isn't working as well as it should. I think I'm leaning more towards for Karen Floyd now, as this issue is of critical importance to our schools.

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Tell all the illegals who keep coming into this country to stop taking those jobs and maybe there would be.

No, tell the CEO of these construction companies to stop hiring them.

I am against hiring illegals, but I have been told in the past that their is a shortage of legals to do the work.

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You just made a good case for national education standards. That guy took an extreme case in Lee County which is an extreme case in SC. So I can only assume he did the same thing with the school in Kansas City. But even if you keep those things in perspective, obviously something isn't working as well as it should. I think I'm leaning more towards for Karen Floyd now, as this issue is of critical importance to our schools.

I still have to check out all of the candidates to see what they're talking about.

I am against hiring illegals, but I have been told in the past that their is a shortage of legals to do the work.

Obviously not in South Carolina.

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I graduated from High School 3 years ago and I can tell you it's not hard at all to graduate from a public school in SC. I think a lot of the dropouts are just generally uninterested in school because it's boring. You rarely learn anything important and most teachers don't care. The only classes that I really learned anything in were Economics, Art, Typing, English (Only because I was usually in honors classes so I got the best teachers) and Weight Lifting (yes I said weight lifting because the coaches actually cared about your progress). I took so many classes were I didn't learn anything, the following classes were a waste of time: Freshmen Success, Spanish (3 years and I can say me gusta), French, every math class I ever took, Service Learning, Government, Geography (was alright but the one I took at Clemson was a lot better because you didn't just memorize countries and capitals you actually learned about cultures), and every science class I ever took.

These are some suggestions

After a certain point, some students should be taking all college courses.

Teach business classes, micro and macro economics

Teach useful health classes if done right this could help lower medical costs in the long run

Hold teachers accountable

Change math classes, teach practical math, show how it can be used, add engineering math classes for those who want to go into that field of study

Teach Public Speaking

Talk about current events and their significance in class

Read more modern books in English classes

Teach about cultures in geography classes

Expand vocational schools and make attending them useful

Lower class sizes

Eliminate pointless classes

Possibly go to year round schooling

Expand art programs, mandatory 3 classes

Taking spanish or french classes are pointless if you don't ever use what you learn and if your teacher is can't teach at all.

Expand after school programs

In general, teach subjects that are interesting and have practical uses, I couldn't tell you how many times I sat in class thinking I'm never going to use this, so why should I learn it.

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I graduated from High School 3 years ago and I can tell you it's not hard at all to graduate from a public school in SC. I think a lot of the dropouts are just generally uninterested in school because it's boring. You rarely learn anything important and most teachers don't care. The only classes that I really learned anything in were Economics, Art, Typing, English (Only because I was usually in honors classes so I got the best teachers) and Weight Lifting (yes I said weight lifting because the coaches actually cared about your progress). I took so many classes were I didn't learn anything, the following classes were a waste of time: Freshmen Success, Spanish (3 years and I can say me gusta), French, every math class I ever took, Service Learning, Government, Geography (was alright but the one I took at Clemson was a lot better because you didn't just memorize countries and capitals you actually learned about cultures), and every science class I ever took.

These are some suggestions

After a certain point, some students should be taking all college courses.

Teach business classes, micro and macro economics

Teach useful health classes if done right this could help lower medical costs in the long run

Hold teachers accountable

Change math classes, teach practical math, show how it can be used, add engineering math classes for those who want to go into that field of study

Teach Public Speaking

Talk about current events and their significance in class

Read more modern books in English classes

Teach about cultures in geography classes

Expand vocational schools and make attending them useful

Lower class sizes

Eliminate pointless classes

Possibly go to year round schooling

Expand art programs, mandatory 3 classes

Taking spanish or french classes are pointless if you don't ever use what you learn and if your teacher is can't teach at all.

Expand after school programs

In general, teach subjects that are interesting and have practical uses, I couldn't tell you how many times I sat in class thinking I'm never going to use this, so why should I learn it.

You are spot on youngster. Thanks for your informational post. If someone could past these on to state and local school leaders (provided they listened), then the maybe results would change.

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