Keep it simple on education

This sounds like support for the voucher system which is okay with me on principle, but realize it will create problems. Those who have paid more for houses in good school districts will be swamped with students from other poorer districts coming in without having to pay the "ticket" of the more expensive house. Plus, the bottom line, is that there is no money for such an undertaking and won't be for the next 50 years with this economy.

i'm in support of merit pay for teachers in critical shortage fields: math and science. otherwise, if merit pay involved ANY additional benefit based on how students performed, then let's switch the incentive formula around: pay STUDENTS who perform well. remuneration can come in many forms, from additional days off (parents would hate this one) to whatever else can be imagined. it's not bribery, either: one of the reasons i go to work is to get paid; why should we assume students are doing their best for the intrinsic value of a good education?

Allowing parents to choose between government schools and schools that set parameters on a level with the best magnate schools would provide a line in the sand. Either deal with the parents and students that wish to have a basic education that will allow them to move on to a higher level of education, or deal with the student that is ready to enter a trade or is just happy where they are. This will provide the competition necessary to throw off the silly "non discipline" and low expectation policies that the government schools feel are necessary to "level the playing field".
Also, this would give the parents an opportunity to school their children in an atmosphere free from the politically correct and left wing agenda programs. Sally has two mommies and Bobby has two daddies and there is no God and revisionist history and "global warming" science and a plethora of needless b.s. can be taught to those who don't care what their children learn. All forms of competition can be removed and everyone will get straight A's in the government schools and the rest can move ahead from a realist perspective. The teachers that must have tenure to keep a job can work in the government schools.

Quality teachers can work in the school whose goal is preparing the student for a life of learning and intellectual growth.

Have you ever taught school, PT?

I've never taught any one how to breathe.

PT: explain what "politically correct and left wing agenda programs" are in your opinion?

Bone: I paid all my children cold hard cash for A's and B's. They paid me for C's, D's and F's. Being the cash lovers they are, I can recall getting exactly one dollar from my daughter because she wouldn't take gym. Parents, not the school system, should pay their kids. Great idea, Bone.

They aren't "government schools", patriciathomas. They are public schools unless you insist on using using every moniker that rightwing talkshow hosts foist upon their gullible audiences including the term "drive-by media" to describe mainstream corporate-owned commercial media in this country, but that would include Boortz and Limbaugh wouldn't it! Are the University of Georgia bulldogs a government football team? This country better put its money where its mouth is with regards to education because that is the foundation for the highly-skilled, highly-trained workforce required for an economically sustainable future.

here cain............. here is a video on obama the savior, the war criminal that is bombing civilians in pakistan, that has lied everday of his presidency so far. 12 sections. here is the link to the first. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrpRocaEfQE
the obama deception. just a puppet for the same criminal cabal.

Cain, saying schools owned and controlled by the government aren't government schools is like saying Catholic schools aren't Catholic or Muslim schools aren't Muslim, or private schools aren't private. The public schools are like public t.v. or public radio, slanted and agenda oriented...and the agenda is turning out a good government product, not necessarily good for the country, but definitely good for the government. My point in my 6:47 post is that conservative parents have to deal with an extremely liberal system because the confiscatory taxes leave them no other choice besides paying double so they can access a non-liberal system.

Lobosolo, I'm not a certified teacher, but I've done a lot of tutoring. I'm also not a junkie, but I can tell that's not a good life style. I'm not a socialist, but I can see from history that's not an intellectually viable life style. I'm also not a race car driver, but can drive competently for the landscape I operate in. Does your question have a point or are you just being chatty?

Moterman, read my post @ 6:47 for a partial list of what some of the programs are. What I think the left wing programs are, in my opinion, is bad for this country.

What's the matter, Augusta Chronicle editorial staff (ACES)? Are you admitting that 8 years of George W. Bush's "No Child Left Behind" was an unmitigated failure? Bush and the Republicans had 8 years including at least 4 and perhaps 6 years when Republicans controlled both the House and the Senate to address the problems affecting public education. And it should be pointed out to ACES that Charter Schools are no cure all. They have been known to fail.

29 states have voted down charter school bills.Our schools aren't as bad as we claim.Schools reflect society and parents' values.
Productive students make good schools.
There are some good private schools and there are some unproductive private schools. There are some good public schools and some bad..There are a million children in Georgia's public schools and only 50,000 in private schools.Most of our schools do well.

My point is, PT, have you even seen what is being taught in schools today? Do you have an inkling whatsoever? Take a look at it, from top to bottom, from K-12. I haven't seen it all, but from what I have, I just can't see anything that would define liberal (or conservative, for that matter) doctrine. I think you just like your status as the Limbaugh of the C.Intelligentsia, forever waking up, heading to your computer, and regurgitating every piece of right-wing bunk you're able to physically swallow. Trouble is, when you regurgitate it like you do, it all gets mixed up into some kind of sarcastic rip-rap that doesn't hold much substance (not that it held any when you swallowed it in the first place).

Lobosolo, spoken (written) like a true liberal. No wonder you can't see the liberal agenda. You're not supposed to. I see you're a product of government schools. See how much it influences you? Oh yeah, you don't. Well, ...

I disagree with your statement that schools reflect society and parent's values, Rozzie. They reflect the values the government wants them to reflect so parents, and therefore society, will reflect the same values. It's what government schools do. Catholic schools teach Catholic values and Muslim schools teach Muslim values. There are some good government schools, Davidson for example. Most of our schools do okay, but not that well. I guess it depends on what those trained by government schools consider "well". As long as private schools are still allowed to exist, our country has a chance of recovering from social engineering.

Return control of education to local boards/parents. You think some bureaucrat in D.C. spends even a SECOND thinking about what your child needs, or what you want for your child? Let RC Board of Ed. decide whether/how to offer merit pay, access to high-performing schools, etc. Let parents decide where to send their kids - take RC's $7000/student, give the parent the "check" and tell them to send their child wherever the heck they want...

"There are a million children in Georgia's public schools and only 50,000 in private schools.Most of our schools do well. " No, Rozzie, most of our public schools don't do well. That's why the people who know them best, the teachers, send their kids to private schools in numbers AND percentage far exceeding every other profession. That's why when a private school offers a scholarship, there's a scramble to get it. The reason for your stats (if they are accurate, and they may be, but I haven't checked), is that most cannot afford to pay both the taxes they are paying for education, AND private school tuition. Education is the SINGLE most costly use of tax dollars in this country--think about that, the next time you hear that we don't spend enough. Not only that, but the schools that get the most money -- D.C. -- achieve some of the lowest results in the nation, if not the lowest. It's not money, it's not teacher pay, it's not any of those things. Good schools are schools full of children who want to learn, or children whose parents want them to learn and who will hold them to a standard until the child can reach the point at which he or she values education.

you can't give the parents the check,smitty, that's why gov't has to coddle and chapherone most us families.they would take that money and go buy tvs and stereo equipment.this is the worst generation of parents ever witnessed.(not all but very many)stop blaming the teachers,if the parents can't do anything with their riff raff what can teachers do?

elliottness, as johnsmith said, it's not the teachers, it's the federal government standards. Read his posts, you'll be surprised. Also, the $7000/student wouldn't be given as cash to the parents, it'd be a voucher to the school chosen by the parent. No chance for stereo buying.

Education; who needs high school anymore? I personally know of two individuals who dropped out of school in the 11th grade, went on to get their GED, and went on to college. And now both have college degrees. Where is the reward for those of us who stuck it out and tried to make good grades through twelve years of school? Nothing is geared toward the achievers in todays world. It seems as if someone has put forth the extra effort to gain an advantage,they are the ones who are penalized for the good of the ne'er do wells.We even have Home-Schooled children now. I don't think there was any such thing as home schooling when I was in school. So if your child is tired of school, let him/her drop out. The next year, let him/her get their GED, and them take college courses online. You will have complete control. You can be your own education system.

you can't give the parents the check,smitty, that's why gov't has to coddle and chapherone most us families.they would take that money and go buy tvs and stereo equipment.this is the worst generation of parents ever witnessed.(not all but very many)stop blaming the teachers,if the parents can't do anything with their riff raff what can teachers do?
Posted by elliottness on Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:51 I must agree with Popkorn, with the slight edit of "Gov't has to" to "Gov't has chosen to".

PT: explain what "politically correct and left wing agenda programs" are in your opinion?
Posted by Motorman5039 on Mon Mar 16, 2009 8:24 AM....PT already covered part of the PC crap when he said guv'munt schools could continue to teach "Sally has two mommies" and Bobby has two daddies" PC BS. Also, some schools now don't keep score at ball games (in elementary school) because they don't want the losing team to "feel bad", which is also PC BS. I have never been a supporter of "mainstreaming" (another PC program) as "normal" students are deprived of a quality education because the teacher has to spend too much time with those "special needs" kids. Specail needs kids need special schools. Seems the voucher or "scholarship" program for the poor kids IN D.C is working just fine. BimbObama's program would abolish it. Yeah, a real supporter of education for the poor.

Cain, "public schools" ARE guv'munt schools and are now enfluenced more by the federal beauracracy than ever and will get worse under BimbObama. BTW, how about telling us exactl where and how many charter schools have failed. From all the reports I have heard, New Orleans has a lot of them and doing quite well.

29 states have voted down charter school bills.Our schools aren't as bad as we claim.Schools reflect society and parents' values. Productive students make good schools. There are some good private schools and there are some unproductive private schools. There are some good public schools and some bad..There are a million children in Georgia's public schools and only 50,000 in private schools.Most of our schools do well.
Posted by Rozzie2003 on Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:39 AM....Pure BS. Public schools in GA have one of the highest drop out rates in the nation. RC is one of the worst in GA.
"The Georgia Department of Education, for example, reports a 72.3 percent statewide graduation rate, but independent estimates have placed the rate at 56 percent." http://winnersville.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/what-is-georgias-real-schoo...

you can't give the parents the check,smitty, that's why gov't has to coddle and chapherone most us families.they would take that money and go buy tvs and stereo equipment.this is the worst generation of parents ever witnessed.(not all but very many)stop blaming the teachers,if the parents can't do anything with their riff raff what can teachers do?
Posted by elliottness on Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:51 AM....Gasp! Yonce you finally made a little sense. Don; give parents the money, but give them a voucher for the money to be spent only in another school. The reason ColCo schools/students do so much better than RC is that generally speaking, the paresnts in ColCo are Republicans, therefore, better educated than parents in RC who are primarily DIMocRATS, and motivate their kids to learn and go to college.

okay, how about this for incentive AND a cost-cutting measure: let's go to a 4 day school week, but leave in the 5th day for a skeleton crew of teachers / students. the incentive is that the students who perform as they should & complete whatever tasks need completing get Friday off; the ones that have behavior issues which impair their ability to accomplish their work could attend the additional day. Just a thought...

bone, I have said that exact same thing. Extend the 4 days a bit and then use the 5th day for those students who need remediation or want to take AP courses to get ahead. I always thought it was the student's responsibility to learn the material. Seems as if everyone is being blamed except the students themselves. Interesting.