US Schools vs the World
 

Unicef ranks American schools as 18th in the world.

What do you think the rest of the world (those 17) is doing better?

I'm writing a speech on this (scholarship awards of up to $1500) but the topic was sprung on us yesterday and apparently the organization doing the whole thing wants scripts submitted by November 1st, so I'm frantically trying to do this because I want the money. (run on sentence).

So you're opinions would be greatly valued just to get the creative juices flowing. Thanks!

unicef link please?

I blame the iraq and other such places as, like, the australia.

better parenting

U.S. falls in education rank compared to other countries
Story posted: 10-04-2005 07:07
http://kapio.kcc.hawaii.edu/upload/fullnews.php?id=52
By Elaine Wu


U-Wire

The United States is falling when it comes to international education rankings, as recent studies show that other nations in the developed world have more effective education systems.

In a 2003 study conducted by UNICEF that took the averages from five different international education studies, the researchers ranked the United States No. 18 out of 24 nations in terms of the relative effectiveness of its educational system.

Another prominent 2003 study, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, shows a steady decline in the performance of American students from grades 4 to 12 in comparison to their peers in other countries.

In both studies, Finland, Australia, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Netherlands and the United Kingdom beat the United States, while the Asian nations of South Korea, Japan and Singapore ranked first through third, respectively.


Little change since 2003 eh?

It's probably because nobody is allowed to discipline anymore. And also all school work is busy work. And also all we do is teach how to take standardized tests.

It is a lie from those UN commies! USA #1! Our schools are #1! Our football is #1! Our videogames are #1! Our smoothies are #1!

We're the USA!

We're #1!

I think part of it is that very few students (at least in my experience) want to learn. At my high school, there were a handful of A and B students taking the advance classes and a ton of students barely getting by with very little in between. I'm not exactly sure why so many people but so little effort into school, but it's definitely a massive problem.

Granted, I did go to a drop out factory, so maybe it was just my school.

We place low value on science and math. Many states think school is a place to teach religion or withhold science in lieu of religious belief. In populated states such as California, Texas, and New York, a high immigrant population tends to lower scores at english speaking schools and raise the dropout rate. Teachers' unions put kids in the backseat (out here in California, the average teacher makes 59,000 a year and California still boasts some of the lowest test scores, so funding isn't an issue). It really just gets broken down into value. We value capitalism and looking out for ourselves so the school system is filled with people who look out for themselves, not the kids.

less semi automatic weaponry in the classroom

hehehehh

Intelligent Design.

OMG ID is science!!!!11 sum quantum theorists think it is real

god already made all of americas schools.

Lol'd hard

you must have never been busted at school before, the failures of the public school system result from their draconian policies of discipline. the entire system is rather degrading for those who do not complacently follow along with everything.

the other problem is that schools do not honestly intend to teach 80% of the kids that they force to go through their halls, in fact, in reality, much of the US education system is simply housing inmates like the same failures with the prison system. they are interconnected.