Failing education system

http://news.yahoo.com/five-olds-put-test-kindergarten-exams-gain-steam-050058507.html

Now more testing of 5 year-olds. We test and we test and yet by the fourth grade we have unacceptable results. Maybe we should be testing the teachers. Something is wrong and more money or better pay for teachers is not the answer. I would like to know the demographics of the poor-performing students. Are they equally distributed across the country or are they concentrated in minority or poverty-stricken areas? Are they from families where the parents performed poorly in school? What is the root of the problems? I would like to hear from our many experts here in the forums.

Jim J

Jim, my definitely inexpert opinion is that you are right. One of the essentials for a successful democracy is an educated electorate, and our system is no longer effective at providing that. I have heard that there is a correlation between per-pupil spending and excellence, so that the poorest districts are the worst educators. Beyond that, I have only an opinion: we cannot expect students to perform if we fail to set adequate standards and rigorously adhere to them. In other words, for example, no more social promotions-- the student gets what he earns.

The most important factors in determining a students success in school is in general the student's economic status and secondly is the parents attitude/importance towards school.

Doug Grebe