4 ms·

I don't see a problem with this. Growing up poor and being an african american, if I wasn't a self taught software engineer, I would probably be in jail or dead

by meetri 9y ago

I don't see a problem with this. Growing up poor and being an african american, if I wasn't a self taught software engineer, I would probably be in jail or dead with the rest of my siblings. Growing up poor and having to attend local schools are a complete utter joke in this country. Only thing they prepare us for is gangs and jail. Looks like a lot would have to be done for this to change. And given what's going in trump's america, i doubt things will ever change. :(

nnfy 9y ago
I'm sure you had it worse, but public schools in non poor areas are pretty shitty too, unless you are in honors/ap courses. And this problem with our schools existed long before trump, and not to sound conspiritorial, but the both GOP and neoliberals like Hillary both seem to have interests in keeping public schools underperforming. And it isn't a funding problem, either. We spend more per capita on education than most, if not all, other countries.
- Retric 9y ago
  That somewhat depends on what you consider education spending. We waste ridiculous amounts of money doing things only tangentially related to education. Median teacher salary in the US public schools = $57,200. And 50.4 million students attend public elementary and secondary schools combine. Teacher student ratio is nominally 16.1 so ~3.5k* per student. However, the total spending per student is actually ~$12.7k core and 15.5k w/ indirect support. This gap covers support staff, buildings, equipment, trips, testing, etc but most other school systems do that stuff for far less money. https://www.oecd.org/edu/EAG2014-Indicator%20B1%20(eng).pdf https://www.oecd.org/edu/EAG2014-Indicator%20B1%20(eng).pdf has PPP numbers for this stuff. But, it assumes each country is using the same metrics. *Note that's just salary benefits get complicated to calculate.
  - cakedoggie 9y ago
    What a strange comment. Of course the costs of an education don't just include the teachers salary.
    - Retric 9y ago
      Yea, it might not have been clear. I just mean there is a sliding scale where you can include a school nurse as education spending or healthcare spending and countries don't always slice stuff the same way. Is reduced cost lunches welfare or education, how about subsidized school supplies?
    - CountSessine 9y ago
      Ok, fair enough. But only 11%? Retric's numbers suggest only 11% of education funding is for teacher salaries. Does that not sound as crazy and outrageous to you as it does to me? Especially when the system seems to be so ... dysfunctional. I don't know a single teacher who hasn't had to personally shell out money for school supplies for their students because their school ran out of paper or something else essential. Update: I misunderstood Retric. Teacher salaries make up 22% of total education spending. I guess that's ... better?
      - Retric 9y ago
        3.5 / 15.5 = 22.6%.
        CountSessine 9y ago
        Haha - oh goodness. I thought you meant indirect support was in addition to core. My bad. Not so outrageous.
      - ghaff 9y ago
        And remember that, as a rule of thumb, add about another third to salaries to come up with total comp (health care, pension, etc.)
        CountSessine 9y ago
        Another third of the salaries or another third of the total?
        9y ago

by meetri 9y ago

nnfy 9y ago

I'm sure you had it worse, but public schools in non poor areas are pretty shitty too, unless you are in honors/ap courses. And this problem with our schools existed long before trump, and not to sound conspiritorial, but the both GOP and neoliberals like Hillary both seem to have interests in keeping public schools underperforming. And it isn't a funding problem, either. We spend more per capita on education than most, if not all, other countries.

Retric 9y ago
That somewhat depends on what you consider education spending. We waste ridiculous amounts of money doing things only tangentially related to education. Median teacher salary in the US public schools = $57,200. And 50.4 million students attend public elementary and secondary schools combine. Teacher student ratio is nominally 16.1 so ~3.5k* per student. However, the total spending per student is actually ~$12.7k core and 15.5k w/ indirect support. This gap covers support staff, buildings, equipment, trips, testing, etc but most other school systems do that stuff for far less money. https://www.oecd.org/edu/EAG2014-Indicator%20B1%20(eng).pdf https://www.oecd.org/edu/EAG2014-Indicator%20B1%20(eng).pdf has PPP numbers for this stuff. But, it assumes each country is using the same metrics. *Note that's just salary benefits get complicated to calculate.
- cakedoggie 9y ago
  What a strange comment. Of course the costs of an education don't just include the teachers salary.
  - Retric 9y ago
    Yea, it might not have been clear. I just mean there is a sliding scale where you can include a school nurse as education spending or healthcare spending and countries don't always slice stuff the same way. Is reduced cost lunches welfare or education, how about subsidized school supplies?
  - CountSessine 9y ago
    Ok, fair enough. But only 11%? Retric's numbers suggest only 11% of education funding is for teacher salaries. Does that not sound as crazy and outrageous to you as it does to me? Especially when the system seems to be so ... dysfunctional. I don't know a single teacher who hasn't had to personally shell out money for school supplies for their students because their school ran out of paper or something else essential. Update: I misunderstood Retric. Teacher salaries make up 22% of total education spending. I guess that's ... better?
    - Retric 9y ago
      3.5 / 15.5 = 22.6%.
      - CountSessine 9y ago
        Haha - oh goodness. I thought you meant indirect support was in addition to core. My bad. Not so outrageous.
    - ghaff 9y ago
      And remember that, as a rule of thumb, add about another third to salaries to come up with total comp (health care, pension, etc.)
      - CountSessine 9y ago
        Another third of the salaries or another third of the total?
        9y ago