How Would You Improve the American Education System?

[Kannap]

Can't get worse than rock bottom, unless you're content to just sit there and not try to get out of the hole you're sitting in.

Education needs to be entirely publicly funded, needs to be publicly provided, every citizen needs access to an education. The alternative, if you prefer, is homeschool.

I'd much rather have a State provided education for everyone with private alternative (tho with a curriculum approved by it too) being available for those gifted enough.

Not everyone is as able to learn and those that do not shouldn't impede the ones who want to. The State can simply not discriminate in such a way so we have to leave it to private actors.

The only thing private education institutions allow is segregation on the basis of people being able to fork out thousands of dollars a year for private education. It doesn't separate the smart from others or the hard workers from others, it separates the rich from the poor.

[Kannap]

Can't get worse than rock bottom, unless you're content to just sit there and not try to get out of the hole you're sitting in.

Education needs to be entirely publicly funded, needs to be publicly provided, every citizen needs access to an education. The alternative, if you prefer, is homeschool.

Not everyone can homeschool, private education should still exist for anyone who needs an alternative. It could be hard to publicly fund boarding, and religious education can't be public.

If you can't homeschool, send them to public school. Private education exists for those who can afford to separate their children from poor children.

Teaching faith belongs at home, with family, in church, among your brothers and sisters in Christ - not in school. School is for core subjects such as reading, writing, math, science, and skills based subjects that'll help you find a career when you're old enough.

[Geneviev]

Not everyone can homeschool, private education should still exist for anyone who needs an alternative. It could be hard to publicly fund boarding, and religious education can't be public.

If you can't homeschool, send them to public school. Private education exists for those who can afford to separate their children from poor children.

Teaching faith belongs at home, with family, in church, among your brothers and sisters in Christ - not in school. School is for core subjects such as reading, writing, math, science, and skills based subjects that'll help you find a career when you're old enough.

Private schools do have financial aid. Some people need boarding schools and they can't be publicly funded. Also, some people want schools to not contradict their church. That's what private schools are good for.

[Bienenhalde]

Make it mandatory that any private entity that proposes a new program will have to 100% pay for said program forever out of their own pocket.

Watch all these new programs vanish when the private companies trying to profit off them lose their incentive.

Just go ahead and solve the problem the EZ pass way by banning private education institutions

Well, I agree that for-profit education is a bad idea, but I would be absolutely against any attempt to ban religious schools.

[Bienenhalde]

Teaching faith belongs at home, with family, in church, among your brothers and sisters in Christ - not in school. School is for core subjects such as reading, writing, math, science, and skills based subjects that'll help you find a career when you're old enough.

If you think education should only be about getting skills useful for finding a job, your view of education is too shallow and materialistic.

[The New California Republic]

Teaching faith belongs at home, with family, in church, among your brothers and sisters in Christ - not in school. School is for core subjects such as reading, writing, math, science, and skills based subjects that'll help you find a career when you're old enough.

If you think education should only be about getting skills useful for finding a job, your view of education is too shallow and materialistic.

I mean, that is one of the main reasons for it.

[Kannap]

If you can't homeschool, send them to public school. Private education exists for those who can afford to separate their children from poor children.

Teaching faith belongs at home, with family, in church, among your brothers and sisters in Christ - not in school. School is for core subjects such as reading, writing, math, science, and skills based subjects that'll help you find a career when you're old enough.

Private schools do have financial aid. Some people need boarding schools and they can't be publicly funded. Also, some people want schools to not contradict their church. That's what private schools are good for.

Schools to not contradict their church, how so? By not teaching actual science rather than whatever else there is to be taught? By banning their students from reading Harry Potter or other 'wicked' books?

[Kannap]

Teaching faith belongs at home, with family, in church, among your brothers and sisters in Christ - not in school. School is for core subjects such as reading, writing, math, science, and skills based subjects that'll help you find a career when you're old enough.

If you think education should only be about getting skills useful for finding a job, your view of education is too shallow and materialistic.

If you ignored my mention of reading, writing, math, and science - among other various subjects I find important - then sure, you may come to the conclusion that I think education should only be about getting useful skills for finding a job. Though, let's be honest, the main point of education in American - especially secondary and post-secondary education - is to get students ready for the workforce, because that's the next stepping stone in their lives.

Though, let me assure you that I chose to go to a liberal arts college instead of a trade school, so make your conclusion on whether or not I think studying a wide variety of subjects is important or not.

[Geneviev]

Private schools do have financial aid. Some people need boarding schools and they can't be publicly funded. Also, some people want schools to not contradict their church. That's what private schools are good for.

Schools to not contradict their church, how so? By not teaching actual science rather than whatever else there is to be taught? By banning their students from reading Harry Potter or other 'wicked' books?

Actually, yes. And there are some schools that claim that Christianity is evil, and that's another thing parents shouldn't have to allow.

[Aellex]

I'd much rather have a State provided education for everyone with private alternative (tho with a curriculum approved by it too) being available for those gifted enough.

Not everyone is as able to learn and those that do not shouldn't impede the ones who want to. The State can simply not discriminate in such a way so we have to leave it to private actors.

The only thing private education institutions allow is segregation on the basis of people being able to fork out thousands of dollars a year for private education. It doesn't separate the smart from others or the hard workers from others, it separates the rich from the poor.

Then you have a bad private system, here it's working as intended; separating the rich and reasonably gifted from those that are only going to school because it's mandatory or just aren't well suited for education.

Money can buy you a place in a private school just as much as intelligence will, but it won't buy you your diploma if you don't work. Moreover, if you're seeking shit, you will promptly be expelled.
Privates schools simply just are better at fostering superior studying conditions.

[Kannap]

Schools to not contradict their church, how so? By not teaching actual science rather than whatever else there is to be taught? By banning their students from reading Harry Potter or other 'wicked' books?

Actually, yes. And there are some schools that claim that Christianity is evil, and that's another thing parents shouldn't have to allow.

So we're supposed to permit our populace to be more uneducated because religion is sensitive and the climate change science hurts our brains?

[Catholic Britannia]

I mean, that is one of the main reasons for it.

This depends on what the end-goal of education is. Do you want to follow the Prussian education model that was developed to produce better factory workers and infantry or do you want to establish a populace that can think for itself? Understandably, not every can be nor should be on the university track. If everyone is an engineer, no one will be left to dig the ditches. The servile, or mechanical, arts can be taught in a vocational school setting or through apprenticeship. Everyone — every single person — has the right to learn to think for himself or herself. After secondary school, just like today, students can choose to enter a university to further pursue the humanities, enter a trade school or enlist in the military to learn a vocation, or go straight into the workforce.

Part of the problem is that school counselors keep pushing kids to go to uni when many would be better-suited learning a trade. Not everyone is a scholar. However, that choice should be provided to them after a solid foundation in critical thought is established. Need based scholarships should be abolished, or strictly limited, for this reason. The valedictorian of an inner-city school likely has a different capacity than the valedictorian of an elite private school. These youths from impoverished backgrounds go into university with a level of preparedness far behind that of other students. As a result, they fail or drop out after one or two semesters, usually taking on some student loan debt as well.

[Pope Joan]

Rank schools impartially, following the example of the collegiate accreditation system. Support and reward the districts accordingly
Peg teacher salaries to a set percentage of property values, as a cap.
Allow random unannounced observation of classrooms by evaluators
Cut out sports

[Kowani]

Rank schools impartially, following the example of the collegiate accreditation system. Support and reward the districts accordingly
Peg teacher salaries to a set percentage of property values, as a cap.
Allow random unannounced observation of classrooms by evaluators
Cut out sports

Obesity epidemic waves at you.

[Pope Joan]

Rank schools impartially, following the example of the collegiate accreditation system. Support and reward the districts accordingly
Peg teacher salaries to a set percentage of property values, as a cap.
Allow random unannounced observation of classrooms by evaluators
Cut out sports

Obesity epidemic waves at you.

Varsity sports are not the answer to obesity. Give the kids more outdoor recess; it is cheap and they will run around and play

[The Supreme Magnificent High Swaglord]

Obesity epidemic waves at you.

Varsity sports are not the answer to obesity. Give the kids more outdoor recess; it is cheap and they will run around and play

I mean, I’m not obese, but when I was a child I spent outdoor recess sitting away from everyone else and drawing diagrams in the shade by a tree.

[North German Realm]

Varsity sports are not the answer to obesity. Give the kids more outdoor recess; it is cheap and they will run around and play

I mean, I’m not obese, but when I was a child I spent outdoor recess sitting away from everyone else and drawing diagrams in the shade by a tree.

I literally sat under the shade with a bunch of my friends, snacking on sandwiches and debating whatever came to mind. (That is to say, after Elementary school. I scarcely remember what I did in elementary school, recess or not)

[United Muscovite Nations]

The most important way to improve the educational achievement of the population is the promotion of adult and child literacy programs. Parents from low income areas need to be given the literacy skills to read to their children in the years before formal education begins. Numerous studies have shown that the greatest predictor of educational attainment is parent-child literacy at an early age. By the time people get to middle school and high school, the gap in educational achievement is too great to be overcome by intensifying education at that level. Something has to be done at the early years. Unfortunately, decades of discrimination have left large sections of our population with a lack of confidence in literacy, so many don't feel comfortable or don't possess the skills to read to their children.

[Genivaria]

The most important way to improve the educational achievement of the population is the promotion of adult and child literacy programs. Parents from low income areas need to be given the literacy skills to read to their children in the years before formal education begins. Numerous studies have shown that the greatest predictor of educational attainment is parent-child literacy at an early age. By the time people get to middle school and high school, the gap in educational achievement is too great to be overcome by intensifying education at that level. Something has to be done at the early years. Unfortunately, decades of discrimination have left large sections of our population with a lack of confidence in literacy, so many don't feel comfortable or don't possess the skills to read to their children.

%100 This^

[Salandriagado]

The Pledge of Allegiance definitely needs to go.

I disagree. The Pledge of Allegiance must stay, although in my... ideal version of America, I'd make some slight adjustments to the Pledge itself.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the North American Union, and to the Technate for which it stands, one Nation, indivisible, with brotherhood and justice and unity for all.

Does it sound good? I tried reciting it a few times, and it worked well. What do you all think?

Still sounds like a cult.

[The Supreme Magnificent High Swaglord]

I disagree. The Pledge of Allegiance must stay, although in my... ideal version of America, I'd make some slight adjustments to the Pledge itself.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the North American Union, and to the Technate for which it stands, one Nation, indivisible, with brotherhood and justice and unity for all.

Does it sound good? I tried reciting it a few times, and it worked well. What do you all think?

Still sounds like a cult.

Ah. I understand that it is a bit... "cult-y"?

[The Lone Alliance]

Make it mandatory that any private entity that proposes a new program will have to 100% pay for said program forever out of their own pocket.

Watch all these new programs vanish when the private companies trying to profit off them lose their incentive.

Just go ahead and solve the problem the EZ pass way by banning private education institutions

I didn't say that, I'm not banning private schools, I'm just banning the consultation class that creates things like Common Core. Part of the biggest problem in education is they keep rolling out strange program after program designed to "Save education" when in reality it's just supposed to make a lot of people money in rolling it out and confuse everyone, from educators to students by giving conflicting education priorities.

Then when each program inevitably fails due to screw ups, they show up again demanding the schools give them more money to write a new program that will save them all.

I think schools need to stop being run like businesses with this idea you'll turn every single kid into a college bound mini genius, cause that inevitably fails, children are not raw materials you can just mold in a factory to make whatever you want, no matter what "Program" you use.

No amount of throwing money at the problem will make a school full of idiots into a school full of geniuses.

[Outer Sparta]

Obesity epidemic waves at you.

Varsity sports are not the answer to obesity. Give the kids more outdoor recess; it is cheap and they will run around and play

Also there is an obsession with varsity sports in school and those who can get into a top college just because they run a sub 15:00 time in cross country or something.

[Kannap]

Varsity sports are not the answer to obesity. Give the kids more outdoor recess; it is cheap and they will run around and play

Also there is an obsession with varsity sports in school and those who can get into a top college just because they run a sub 15:00 time in cross country or something.

Shame my best 5K was 19:59 and my best mile was 5:50, never close to the good school times.

[Outer Sparta]

Also there is an obsession with varsity sports in school and those who can get into a top college just because they run a sub 15:00 time in cross country or something.

Shame my best 5K was 19:59 and my best mile was 5:50, never close to the good school times.

I played varsity tennis this year but I was never good enough to be labeled an "athlete" when it comes to college admissions. Oh well, I'll stick to "generic student" since I am not in the legacy group.