This Saturday at 8pm and 11pm ET/PT, Fareed Zakaria's GPS primetime special – “Restoring the American Dream: Fixing Education” will re-air. So if you missed it in November, make sure you catch it now.
While America was once tops in education, we are now ranked 15th in reading, 23rd in science, and 31st in math.
What happened? How can we dig ourselves out of this deep hole?
For inspiration, we go to South Korea and Finland – two nations that consistently rank highly on education. Interestingly, the two have very different approaches. South Korea has long school days and school years with a strong focus on standardized testing. Finland is much more lackadaisical – except in its approach to teachers and teaching. In Finland, teachers are revered; it’s tougher to get into masters programs for teaching than it is to get into higher education for medicine and law.
So what can we learn? We talked about the priorities of teachers, testing, and technology with Microsoft chairman Bill Gates whose foundation has given $5 billion to education so far; we speak with former DC schools chair Michelle Rhee, and education activist Diane Ravitch. We look at a novel way of teaching, started by a former investment manager who stumbled upon a formula for student success: Sal Khan is the creator of the Khan Academy, a YouTube-based “classroom” that so far has gotten over 80 million hits - and reports of success using it in real classrooms.
Finally, Fareed offers his take on what will fix our troubles.
Here are some excerpts:
The secrets of Seoul
Welcome to Seoul, South Korea – capital city of one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. There are many reasons to be impressed with this Asian tiger that rose from the ashes of a civil war. But South Korea’s crown jewel is its education system. Thanks to a militant drive for success, this nation’s students have outperformed the rest of the world for the better part of a decade. On the most recent Pisa exam, the benchmark international test, South Korea ranked first in reading and second in math among all nations.
President Obama has noticed, singing Korea’s praises on a regular basis. On a visit to Seoul in 2009, he asked South Korean president Lee Myung-bak what his biggest challenge was in education. The president’s reply? Korean parents care too much about their children’s success. We visited the Cho family on a typical day for their son, Sung-do. He gets up every day at six a.m., jumps rope as the sun comes up. Then eats a massive breakfast his mother has prepared. She says a healthy meal helps his concentration. Sung-do goes to school from eight a.m. to four p.m. on most days – much longer hours than most American students. There are about two hundred and five schools days in the South Korean calendar – twenty-five more than the typical U.S. schedule. Over the course of their academic careers, South Korean children will spend almost two more years in the classroom than their American counterparts.
Insights from Bill Gates
Fareed Zakaria: If you were the secretary of education, well, let’s say you have - even more powerful than the secretary of education. So suppose you could change something about the structure of American education, the, you know, the system, what would it be?
Bill Gates: If I was in charge of a school district, it would be about hiring the best teachers. And how do you get them to learn from each other and how do you make sure you’re bringing the really good ones in. So the basic research about great teaching, that’s now become our biggest investment.
It could be a very smart investment. One study says that if students had a top teacher for four years straight, the achievement gap between blacks and whites would disappear.
The Gates foundation has launched a massive effort to figure out how America can foster great teaching – collecting data from thousands of educators and even videotaping their lessons.
Fareed Zakaria: What do you think makes a good teacher?
Bill Gates: Clearly, there's something about engaging the student. As I've watched the videos of great teachers, they are constantly looking out and seeing that the kids are starting to fidget. They're bringing up the energy level. They're calling on this kid. They're using examples.
Fareed Zakaria: But Gates’ research is not only about identifying great teachers.
His team is also figuring out how to grade the teachers – just like they grade their students.
They’re looking at different ways to reward and motivate good teachers – like adding to their paychecks based on a principal’s evaluation or their students’ performance.
Bill Gates: Why is teaching going to be better 10 years from now, 20 years from now, than it is today? Well, partly because we’re going to have these feedback mechanisms. Now the way you weigh the different elements, how much tests weigh into that, how strong the other elements are, that’s what we’re investing in.
And that’s where things can get controversial – because when it comes to education policy, the politics are nasty.
Remember to tune in this Saturday at 8pm and 11pm ET/PT for Fareed Zakaria's GPS primetime special – “Restoring the American Dream: Fixing Education."
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Education starts within the family. Parents carry the burden as much as the teachers.
You are exactly correct!
YOU'RE RIGHT! ALSO BILL GATES LIED ABOUT THE COST AND SUCCESS OF THE KIPP SCHOOLS. SEE NPR NEWSCAST BY CLAUDIO SANCHEZ.
I sent you an email concerning generating revenue for education by creating jobs. This is an idea that I would lilke to promote. I am not media savvy, so I am wondering if you will foward this idea to your friends and offer suggestions on how to reach others to have this idea evaluated. Thanks! Frankie L Smith Sr.
Americans have elected legislatures that are launching an assault on schools. Teacher salaries are frozen in step, and as a result, the entire compensation structure is falling. Benefits are being slashed and the standard of living for teachers is sliding.
Americans don't want to pay for good schools. They want a babysitting service. The lunkheads who manage schools know nothing about managing talented people. A teacher is a fixture in a building: place it in a classroom and check a box. Many in the ranks of school administration were flops in the classroom looking to flee it for bigger money.
I think Americans are getting exactly what they deserve. They want to do absolutely nothing about the problems in the schools. They are comfortable with the status quo. I think a lot of this talk is pure gas and a waste of time.
We need to raise the standards for accepting students into teacher's education program. I teach graduate level classes in education and the majority of my students are teachers who are seeking master degree in teaching. Almost 50 % of them are not qualified to teach at any level. They lack basic writing skills and most importantly math skills. I had a math teacher once who could not calculate the mean/ average of 10 two digit numbers ( VERY SAD).
That happened because American went to fight two wars
Education forms the basis to democracy and world-wide peace processes. People who get a little bit of basic ecucation know how to protect the environment, to save money and ressources and how to help themselves to make up their own mind. So the cutting of investments in education causes big damages to a society, because people don't know what to think and what to do, if the media fails and political unrest arise through radical parties demanding short living positions. Education/ Enlightment is probably like Voltaire said, the opposite of power. It endangers the highs of all sorts of demagogues, who needs fools and blind-followers.
So, what would be your suggestion to fix our broken K through 12 educational system?
we need to invest more in teachers' education programs, increase teachers salary to a level to encourage and attract brighter students to apply for teaching degrees, and by making teaching more respectable. In a society that respect, social status, and success are only measured by how much money you make that is the only way. otherwise, as is now , teaching degree programs can only attract students who are rejected by other schools or departments because of their low achievement. I notice that a large number of teacher's education students do not really like to teach but they are getting a degree in teaching because they could not get into other programs. And cycle goes on and on and on, as it has been for a very long time.
it sounds good but south koreans have a high suicidal rate as well
their is also the question about socializing, if we follow the koreans our lives will just get borinnng
To learn properly, children need: 1) a stable family life (NOT SIGLE PARENTING); 2. Demanding parents; 3. Demanding teachers; 4. Discipline in the schools, and 5. fewer distractions ( too much sports, cheer leading, etc).
The US, in general, lacks very much in ALL THE ABOVE. The US government needs to have its citizens understand PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. It does not take much money to properly educate a child. The US educational system is wasteful.
Single-parent homes often produce excellent students. My father was in the US military and was often away. My mother was involved in my education. My son was raised in a single-parent home with a mother who checked his homework, encouraged academics, was in touch with the teachers, and my son has two masters degrees and a J.D. And was an honor student. One involvedarent is far better than two uninvolved parents. The number of parents in a home does not determine a child's academic success.
Just had to turn off your show fixing Education. What I have seen in SKorea all boys in classroom, parent home fixing well cooked meal, excellent behavior and respect between students and teachers, good concentration and focus of students, parent support. I have seen the movie on finland, a friend of mine from Sweden disagrees that Finland is so great. Very homgeneous population, no immigrants, ... Lets talk NYC... hungry children with parents or parent working 1,2,3 jobs at min wage. no money for supplies, many parents noneducated or supportive of education. We have special education nd I do not seem to see this area discussed in foreign countries. Korean students who come here excell, a disable student with excellent grades would not had the same chance in skorea. Most teachers and administrators are male, Bill gates is another poor example of someone trying to fix a problem fuzzy statistics and he will keep at it until he gets the statistics that he wants. Why cant anyone see the problem in America is poverty, over worked parents and non motivated students to begin with along with appropriate funding.
At the age of 53, being back at college has disgusted me to no end. The students are tested more than they are taught. Most of the classes repeat what is in the book with no further education. The students teach themselves. They are not supported and are frequently treated as if they were all stupid. There are some good teachers but they are few and many of the teachers that I have spoken to complained that their hands were tied as to their method of teaching. I have met one teacher who is a genius in teaching chemistry. Get him on a one to one basis and chemistry is easy. Yet in the classroom, he seems so different because he has laws he must follow. We need to completely go over education from kindergarten to college to find out what is wrong and correct it. I came from poverty myself. If you are motivated you can overcome all barriers. Yet I agree with you that many sutdents are not getting the support they need and that is another area that must be addressed.
America's schools ARE NOT Broken. Fixing implies tinkering; instead they need reinventing. What traits/skills should teachers be promoting in the classroom? An industrial era teacher instilled physical quietude, obedience, punctuality, rote learning. An Industrial era teacher was the sage on stage and the sole arbiter of excellence.
A globalized/innovation-based economy requires students be able to recover from failure, overcome obstacles, take risks. They need to be critical thinkers and problem solvers who can work in teams. High test scores don't guarantee these skills/traits. Straight A's Don't Make You Rich!!!
21st century teachers need to create a classroom built around the concept of community instead of one based on compliance. Students come to school with so many challenges that the classroom/school needs to replace homes and communities lost.
We are in uncharted terrain.
Lorraine Richardson http://www.owlmountaincoaching.com
The schools are flawed. I KNOW teacher's that go into the profession for a check and to have summer's off. The principals and lead teachers want to see that students pass the test; test scores. Not actually knowing the subject matter. It is all about who knows who in the schools. I wanted to become a teacher and did all my core work well and took the Texas teacher exam 4 times. I have NOT passed it cause I suffer from clinical anxiety. Because I was not able to pass a TEST I'm now considered an incompetent teacher?! It makes no sense cause TESTING not only affect an adult learners life it also effects how children feel about a test. Alll I am stating is that just because a teacher passed a state mandated test it does not mean he/she really knows how to teach. The can simply pass a test...and that my fellow Americans is sad cause how do we (parents) know they can truly teach?
I took the exams to become a teacher in Texas. Not only did I receive high scores; but, in my field, I had a perfect score. I was never able to get a permanent teaching job because the social studies positions are reserved for the coaches. Gee, I wonder why our students graduate from high school and cannot position South America on a world map, do not know the three branches of government in the US, and have little grasp of the basics of history and economics!
Not impressed by the report on South Korea at all. The huge thing that they are overlooking is the fact that Korean parents send their children to school after their day at public school is over. Of course they are going to do better on tests. They are constantly studying. I am sure American students would score higher if the majority of parents here paid for their kids to have tutoring from the end of regular school until bed time. That makes me wonder what role the public education system has if the students are getting educated in the private tutoring schools as well. Which school is more effective? The public education or the private tutoring?
It appears that both the public schools and cram schools in South Korea are successful. However, note the parental involvement. When I taught in US public schools, the parents of my students were not at all involved in their children's education. Parent/Teacher night was a night for the teachers to get together and drink coffee and chate because we seldom saw a parent.
"get together and chat"
you got it...the rich get better and the poor students don't. All parents in south Korea agree that public schools are terrible!!!
To find schools that work in the US, go to El Paso, Texas and visit Cathedral boys' high school and Loretto girls' high school. Texas Monthly magazine published a story on those schools over twenty years ago. Check out their system.
I get so frustrated when I watch your show on Fixing Education in America. I have taught for 25 years in both elementary and junior high schools. You cannot compare America to countries where education is highly valued by society.
One of our problems in America is that education as a whole is not valued in our society. If you watch tv, it tells us it is not cool to be smart. Our professional sports players, singers, actors and actresses are the ones America admires. Teachers are not respected in our society.
The charter or specialized schools that are in low income areas that make remarkable gains with their students is because the parents have chosen to send their children to those schools. Parents make a tremendous difference in a student's opinion and value of school. If a parent values education and supports their child in it appropriately, the child will be successful. Every child can learn, but how much they learn depends on the support of the family at home.
If we could fix American values, we could fix America's education system.
Shannon,
You'll be interested in the NPR News Blog "KIPP Charter Schools Have Funding edge" of March 31, 2011. Bill Gates clearly said some things on Fareed's program that are untrue (ie., lied). KIPP schools get $54700 per student from private donors and cost taxpayers more than public schools as well. The turnover rate at KIPP schools is reported as 15% per year vs 3% in public schools (they get rid of students they don't want). Follow Diane Ravitch's blog - you'll like it I think. I hope Fareed will publicly correct the record.
Ralph
What a shame that we should be compared to S. korea. While funding for American education continues to dwindle, and millions of Americans seem to think that the federal government is to blame, we continue to protect one of the most corrupt countries on earth. Korea is also kicking our ass in manufacturing, shipbuilding. Bring the troops home, and dedicate every saved dime to Education JAY
I think the dynamic of school systems themselves play an important part.
Obviously the concept of education in the US is definitely not valued, mainly due to the fact that as a society they do not instil the importance of long term gain. As you can see with many Eastern societies, such as mentioned with South Korea, you are looking at families that want their children to succeed in the long run. In the US, there seems to be a disconnect with the families and teachers working together to teach their children/students the importance of education. This is obviously something that cannot be done over night but something that needs to altered through changing the structure of education – implementing better teachers seems to be an obvious choice, but also getting more parent involvement, having more classes that are mandatory on long term success and possibly starting more standardized testing that really push children. Information will become more accessible and will continue to grow at an exponential rate, so challenging children might also be a determining factor.
I have a granddaughter in the 10th grade who is failing in geometry along with all her fellow students in that class. I don't understand how this country holds on to teachers that are not interested in teaching our children. The last test was failed by every student in the class. I don't know why this teacher is still on the faculty. There are many teachers that love their craft and are great teachers. Unfortunately, this is not one of them. I wish the United States, the greatest country in the world, would pay more attention to what is happening in our schools. We have fallen behind and we need to do something about teachers that are not qualified or are just plainly not interested in teaching our children, just their paychecks.
Lidia,
Weren't the teachers in her previous grades responsible too? Are there any good ones? What does the teacher and the principal say when you talk about the problem? Have you looked into the khan academy.org which was part of Fareed's program? If she's motivated to learn and with your urging, she can master it there. Also good is a website "mathisfun". Both of these are free!
I think the conversation about fixing the education system is missing one key component. We look to policy makers, business models, union influence, teacher preparation programs, etc. The one area we do not look to for answers is in my opinion where the answers lies; neurosurgeons, child psychologist etc. those who understand the way children's brains work. If we teach in a way that compliments the natural way students learn I think we would have more success.
What Korean students are doing is "academic jihad". Poor guys are under too much of pressure to perform. I like the Finnish model that encourages hiring the best talent for teacher positions. Parents need to spend more time with kids, build a relationship, support and become a trusted friend before they can even think of demanding results. Discipline and structure is everything. Giving kids the impression that their families are better off than what they actually are is misleading. Buying gadgets and making up for lost time will do no good. An educated neighbor, a relative, a sibling or a friend can become a good mentor. It doesn't necessarily have to be the teacher. Last but not the least, we should not forget what Einstein said – "Imagination is more important than knowledge"..standardized tests and senseless cramming will produce an army of conformist, soul-less workers but not future leaders and visionaries. Switching off TVs, encouraging kids to play outside with other kids (not video games), eating a healthy diet and having a healthy respect for educated individuals are values that need to be promoted.
A St. Petersburg Times investigation shows that almost three-fourths of the nearly 5,000 teachers who received merit pay worked at the county's more affluent campuses.
In contrast, only three percent of the educators deemed worthy of the $2,100 bonuses worked in the low-income schools that struggle most, where at least nine in 10 students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
And almost two-thirds taught in A-rated schools, where they arguably were least needed.
Kipp has a parent contract, #1 factor in a childs learning gains PARENTS. For a child to enter KIPP the parent must take the time to register the student. Bill "Drop out" Gates please respond, Hillsborough's merit pay experiment benefits affluent schools.
Dear "Just Me",
I agree with you about parent involvement. But Bill Gates lied when he said KIPP doesn't cost any more than public schools and the turnover of students there is terrible. According to an NPR Newscast by Claudio Sanchez that summarized several studies (3/31/2011: "KIPP Charter Schools Have Funding Edge") researchers found on Dept of Education data that $1000 more from tax payers and $5700 more per student from private donors than public schools. In addition the turnover (Baltimore Sun) at KIPP schools was 15% per year vs 3% @ public schools.
I recommend Diane Ravitch's blog as well as her book: "The Death and Life of the Great American School System" (I'm a fan of hers).
thanks!
Just watched your show and I have mixed emotions. In Korea, high school students go through hell to finish and basically have their life determined for them by the time they are 18. This is insane,,,Secondly...university students in Korea are the worst students in the world. This is what you should be investigating. Nobody fails...99.8% of university students pass with very little effort. Teachers are not instructed to fail. It's a free ride in university here in Korea. PLEASE STOP PRAISING A SYSTEM YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT!!!!
A hopeful program about education. We need to enhance problem solving and independent thinking while encouraging teachers to be professionals. We can customize education with technology. The future is not formed with a cookie cuttr. Khanacademy.org. We need to educate the people with morality or we will have a smart immoral people. Thanks to Fareed for a good display of not only the well known problems but some constructive responses.
You are correct though on one thing. They have no creativity and very little common sense because of the pitiful school system CNN is praising...STOP EMBARRASSING YOURSELF WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THAT EVERY SINGLE KOREAN UNIVERSITY STUDENT IN KOREA WANTS TO GO TO AN AMERICAN UNIVERSITY. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THEY HAVE THE HIGHEST FAILURE RATE OF ALL RACES IN AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES. Close to 55% FAILURE RATE. STOP PRAISING SOMETHING YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE DONE VERY LITTLE RESEARCH ON... KOREAN EDUCATION IS AWFUL!!!!
A group of well educated moms/dads could come together and start an informal school in a basement/church over the weekends. Facilitate group discussion, team study and make kids work on assignments that increase their curiosity, make learning more fun, recognize areas where kids are finding it a challenge to learn, find when they are getting bored and why?
Some amount of cramming, memorizing and standard tests are necessary to get to the tactical parts of the education, and to meet the milestones. But we all need to think about what makes the kid go back to the material after they are done with their exams. They need to "Learn what they love and Love what they learn" as Fareed rightly said. If a kid recalls and passionately discusses material from a previous year, it is a pat on the teacher's back. Children are our f uture. Please don't work extra hours to earn more money, invest that time in your kid and cultivate him/her to be a positive, happy, wise and well rounded individual. That is your best retirement plan.
Yes there is bad luck involved. Not all parents are educated, responsible and have the resources to support their kids in a way that is ideal. Not all children are gifted, there are homes that are violent and miserable. But who said this is easy?
Nature has its role. Let's do our best on the nurturing part. Parenting is the most responsible job in this world. Let's not kid ourselves...Think twice before having kids.
Bill Gates and Fareed Z need to spend several months teaching in several American schools. The main problem is hardly Bad Teachers. The main problem is that an environment has grown up in the last fifty years or so that encourages and permits blatant and constant disrespect for teachers, disruptions in the study environment, a lazy work ethic, unwillingness to read or do assignments, and journalists assigning everything wrong to "poverty". You cannot rule out the students and who they are and what they do regarding their OWN education, as you outsiders always do in these useless hand-wringing shows that completely omit student behavior AND BLAME EVERYTHING ON SOMETHING ELSE.
DANIEL BROWN, PH.D. Is on the mark. Of all the remarks to this most critical topic, Mr. Brown has identified the core of the onion which has many layers. Success starts at home with a caring family and quality time spent with a child teaching them to be respectful, resourceful, determined, focused and curious. Our kids watch hours of TV where young role models are disrespectful bullies and parents are protrayed as stupid and useless...particularly the Dads. With better prepared kids, competent teachers and interested parents...it should not be so hard.
I agree.
Just one or two of disruptive students create problems for the teacher and her class. It's hard to get rid of such problem students in public schools and even charters if they live under local school board rules. But KIPP schools manage to get rid of them according to a Baltimore Sun reporter Gary Miron and others (see NPR News Blog 3/31/2011 "KIPP Charter Schools Have Funding Edge, Study Says"). KIPP schools also benefit from an extra $5700 per student in private donor contributions. The public schools don't have those luxuries. Bill Gates didn't tell the truth on Fareed's program. Read the NPR's 3/31/2011 News blog. I follow Diane Ravitch's blog and like her book "The Life and Death of the Great American School System" which Fareed showed on his program. I hope he corrects Bill Gates misleading comments.
I am teacher who has been trying for years to teach thinking skills rather than rote memorization in my classroom. Facts are useless because unless you use these facts daily, they are soon forgotten. What is important is reasoning using those facts, finding patterns, communicating with others, etc. I have been allowing students this year to use notes on all tests and the scores are lower than last year....on tests that are easier. Aside from student lack of effort, the parents have been my worst detractors and caused endless problems. When I teach as the guide on the side rather than the sage on the stage the kiddies run home to parents to say "she makes us teach ourselves" and instead of talking to me about any concerns they run behind my back to my administration and I am then told that I am not providing enough support. I had one student this year who insisted that the 10 minutes they took to find a pattern in some data was a complete waste of their time because I could have simply told them what the pattern was and saved all that unnecessary effort. When I ask what a lesson would look like in the classroom if the purpose of education was to teach thinking skills, analysis, reasoning, finding patterns, communicating said patterns, etc. I was told I expected too much. All the students and parents seem to want is easy A’s without having to break a sweat. The kids talk and text during class, do not listen to discussion about concepts because they are waiting for the bottom line at the end, copy homework, rush through worksheets just to put crap on a page for a grade, refuse to read or practice. But somehow it’s my fault for not making every last second interesting enough for them to bother paying attention.
PLEASE TELL MR.OBAMA TO STOP EMBARRASSING AMERICA BY WANTING TO FOLLOW A KOREAN SYSTEM HE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT. TEST SCORES SHOW VERY LITTLE..TEST SCORES MEAN NOTHING. THERE IS NO CREATIVITY HERE. I KNOW AT LEAST $ KOREAN BUSINESSES WHICH HAVE STOLEN STARBUCKS LOGO AND SIMPLY REPLACED THE LETTERHEAD. NO CREATIVITY AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE TELL MR.OBAMA TO STOP EMBARRASSING AMERICA BY WANTING TO FOLLOW A KOREAN SYSTEM HE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT. TEST SCORES SHOW VERY LITTLE..TEST SCORES MEAN NOTHING. THERE IS NO CREATIVITY HERE. I KNOW AT LEAST 4 KOREAN BUSINESSES WHICH HAVE STOLEN STARBUCKS LOGO AND SIMPLY REPLACED THE LETTERHEAD. NO CREATIVITY AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!
NO! Mr Obama needs to keep saying this because americans are stupid and lazy. We need to hear the truth that other countries are passing us up. We have become a punchline for jokes and the worlds whipping post. We live in a state of fear and paronoia; too scared and paralyzed to do anything. We were once number one in education. We can be again. THE SLEEPER MUST AWAKEN!
The education system you talked about in the program is k-12 public school system. I agree there are a lot of problems. However, we have the best college system, we have the best entrepreneur system, and we have the best economy. Why do we bother to fix the education system?
Fareed needs to spend one week in a typical American classroom so he will see that what ails public education is more than just "bad teachers". At some point, students, parents and the community have to take responsibility for bad student behavior, excessive truancy, school violence, and students' lack of motivation. The problem is that people like Fareed and Bill Gates always blame teachers, but they do not have the courage to spend time as teachers so they could model how to "fix" the system. If they know the solution, they need to stop preaching from the comfort of their offices. They should adopt a classroom, teach inner city kids and show the teachers they habitually label as "bad", how teaching should be done. They should then allow the public to evaluate their performance so we can check if they were able to "inspire" drop outs to come back to school, if their students have become more respectful and less disruptive, and if students are able to read better even against their will. And stop tooting KIPP's horn. These charter schools choose their students, while the public schools Fareed slanders must accept everyone zoned to them. It's like allowing a doctor to treat only the safe and easy patients, and praising him for his success rate. Assign KIPP a zone, and take away its right to cherry pick students. Then we will know how well it performs as compared to public schools.
Webster,
Your post is one of only a few that hits the nail on the head. NPR has a post ("KIPP Charter Schools Have Funding Edge" March 31, 2011) that describes research showing Bill Gates statements about KIPP are misleading at best. Also if you haven't read it, Diane Ravitch (Fareed's guest on the program) book "The Death and Life of the Great American School System" is excellent. I recommend it.
If you watched the whole episode, the most telling statement to me was made by the Finnish education expert. He noted emphatically about how shocked he was by the level of poverty he witnessed in the school system. This to me is the key to understanding why inner city kids are failing.
he school system is a tripod. one leg is the teachers, one is school system administration and one is the parents. everyone wants to pile on the teachers but what about school system administration and the parents, who have a equal share of the eduction of our children.
Hoorah for you Webster
I love the tripod analogy! The problem is these three legs of the tripod are often pitted against each other and the blame finger points in a circle. There has to be some way to bring the legs together and work towards building a system that has the children in mind. Also, the "equal share" is idealistic. There must be checks and balances for each "leg" to bear more weight when the other(s) fail. ...... Easier said than done!
Second hooray for Webster!
American parents should spend more time to discipline and educate their own children rather than complaining to teachers and school system. Some American parents try to place their children into academically advanced classes even though the children are not capable to follow, and fix the school system including curriculum to fit into their own children's capability. This is actually lowering down academic level in advanced classes. Simply teachers do not have authorities and too much parents influence in school system. In addition, the school system should have some standard for placing individual students into academically appropriate classes. In order to achieve this, each classroom should be designed to have different academic level. Standard testing for each month for placing students should be held for placement. Also they should have standard text book system for each grade such that those books are readily available at low cost to anybody. The copy right should be owned by the government. These text book should be developed by well known group of teachers funded by government, so that anybody can copy, use, and develop the content without worrying about copyright. This will motivate secondary market to develop additional educational method based on the standard that set by the text book without incurring any royalty payment to the standard text book authors.
I was surprised that FZ summarized by saying that American workers are "too expensive and too poorly educated". Wages have been declining for over 20 years. He didnt mention the deplorable way education is funded in America - out of property taxes for the most part. Americans are among the most productive workers in the world when they are working. At the heart of our problems is the poverty and social dislocation in so many of our lowest performing schools. Illegal immigration takes jobs away from teenagers and retirees who used to do some of these part time and summer jobs. Americans are expensive because they dont want to work for $11 an hour. They are burdened with a health care system that is monstrously expensive. Sick people cant work. People dont job share in this country, and they must pay for their college educations by themselves. All of this is crazy. Why blame Americans, and not the multinational corporations who have been allowed to run our government?
I don't think it was a swipe at teacher's and their salaries; more so, a swipe at the bureaucratic garbage that goes into buying books, and what they cost, things of that nature. Teachers are poorly compensated for what they do.
Bill Gates lied when he said that his KIPP schools have the same costs per students as public schools (see the NPR News Blog of 3/31/11). The KIPP schools cost the tax papers more plus they get (and apparently need) $5700 per student per year from private donors according to the New York Times. But worst is the fact according to the Baltimore Sun's Inside Ed blog that the turnover averaged 15% of students drop from KIPP "cohorts" every year compared to 3% in public schools. It's worse in grades 6 and 8 where 30% o KIPP students drop off the rolls (mostly African-American). AND it's selective about who it accepts (public schools can't be). Bill Gates is a deceiver and a liar.
Oh yes, I forgot. FAREED: YOU NEED TO TELL YOUR VIEWERS THE TRUTH ABOUT KIPP SCHOOLS AND THEIR PROUD SUPPORTER'S "INCORRECT STATEMENTS"..
First, it begins at home. Parents need to raise their children right and be involved in their lives more and stop weining them off on tv and video games. Despite the stress, finances, and other problems, parents still have a duty and obligation to be there for their children. That should be first and foremost. No one ever said parenting was easy and it will never be easy. People need to suck it up and get the job done or just don't have kids.
Second, the public school system as a whole needs a major refit; its not broken but its way out of wack. We need to be very militant with education. And stop idolizing professional sports stars, movie icons, and performers. We pay too much homage to them and not enough towards good education. Third, we need to take pages out of S. Korea and Finland. Then use them as a guide to create a style that works for us; but not watered down. Fourth, we need to hire the best teachers and requirements should be tightened. Lets not bring anyone off the streets to teach kids. Fifth, the proper resources and material should be allocated without hesitation to ensure teachers have what they need to accomplish the goal. Sixth, the govt needs to get itself together and stop attacking the schools and taking away resources over their petty duels for each group to out do the other. And lastly Seventh, As a nation, we need to regrow our spines. We are not that rough and tough nation we used to be. We have become soft, weak, and complacent. We need to pull it together, wake up, and stop being so stupid. Ex: research shows that most americans in general can't even find Italy on a world map. We have become arrogant and conceited we forget we are not alone on planet earth. And I have friends in Canada and Europe and this is how they say we are largely seen by the rest of the world. I'm sure this isn't what our founding fathers wanted us to be. We need to get our fight back people!!! Their is a lot more to life and the world then sports, soap operas, and video games; AND PLEASE STOP BASHING S KOREA AND/OR FINLAND! WE ARE STAGNATE AND MESSED UP. THEY MAY NOT BE PERFECT BUT AT LEAST THEY ARE TRYING TO DO SOMETHING!!
Fareed, What is the role of 'natural IQ' of a nation in the success of its students at school? It appears that the estimated average IQ in the Korean region is 105 and in European region of Finland is upwards of 100. In the US it ranges much lower except the North East of United States & Canada where it averages 95. Any thoughts? Is IQ a function of education or is there any other relationship. Ferial
Last evening in the Fixing Education program, Fareed Zakaria stated that teachers were of lesser quality today than in the 1960s or thereabouts; he stated this as a fact. I am wondering what source he used for this? From what I have read, this is not supported by factual research on the topic.
Thanks,
Barb
Where can I find a link to the full episode? I have found the transcript, but I would like to view the entire "Fixing Education" program. Thanks.
Did you ever receive a response to your questions about viewing the entire episode of Fixing Education? I am also trying to find it.
After viewing the special on education again and reading all of these posts I can say that I think everyone is on track: 1) some parents are not involved in education , 2) some kids are not raised to see education as important, 3) some teachers are definitely not qualified to teach, and 4) some schools lack the innovation to engage their students. What amazes me is the amount of money we are spending, as a nation, to "fix" the system and we are not doing so.......it's not that hard but people have to be willing to examine the issues...Fareed, your special was well done, but you did not discuss parenting and its role in quality education, therefore you did not discuss the issue in a complete way-we all need to discuss the issues honestly and completely. Education is an issue that we can all find rallying points, but we can't be afraid to discuss it all. As a parent and an educator, it frustrates me that the solutions are right in front of us but we are not getting there.
When are/will you post the full episode?? It was really great and I am trying to recommend it to others. Please post it soon! Thanks!
Many schools are beginning to experiment with self-taught, on-line formats in which teachers are being replaced by proctors who can help only with the technical aspects of starting and closing the system and none of its content. The system is lauded as the coming thing in education and is necessary to save money. As such, the hole we are digging is getting deeper and an economic heart of darkness seem to be at base; If we are not constantly growing, we are failing.
Somewhere there is an economist behind all of this.
Schools can increase their earnings by replacing higher paid teachers with proctors, but pinching pennies here will result in the dumbing down of America and our rankings will fall even more. Current American business practices do not have a place in the education system. There can be no bailout for our education system and at least in the classroom, the final words of Corporate Kurtz shall be, "Profit, Profit!"