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> Adjusted for our socio-economic demographics, the U.S. performs about the same on international educational tests as western european countries You've been v
by clicks 13y ago
> Adjusted for our socio-economic demographics, the U.S. performs about the same on international educational tests as western european countries
You've been very perceptive in recognizing the situation on US educational system, but you overlook the fact that the socio-economic class who's doing poorly is increasingly getting bigger. I think therein lies the problem -- and, the continuing streak of anti-intellectualism has this peculiar feature of worsening everything around it ten-fold, and it's extremely seductive because of the capitalistic factor (dumbed down movie/shows dialogues, dumbed down news, etc.). A vast amount of data at this point portends social unrest in terms of class warfare, politics, etc. What'll happen when unemployment keeps going up, when the clamor of "entitlement programs" gets more agitated, when school systems get even more stressed with funding issues? I really think that's where shit will hit the fan.
> The solution is all the middle class people from the Detroit suburbs moving back into the city, stabilizing the social structure of the city, sending their kids to Detroit public schools so as to dilute the influence of social phenomena like gangs that thrive in low-income ghettos, and to build functioning integrated communities with broad parental involvement. Butt hat will happen when hell freezes over, and until then people will complain ceaselessly about the government's failure with regard to education.
Right, exactly. So, the way I see it, there are a good many reasons for alarm. I spent my teenage years in American inner cities, so yes I know just how bad it is, I saw at least 2 fights per week or so breaking out in high school that would end up in police involvement.
Can you think of a solution? The best solution I can think of: boarding schools, that are run like military schools, that get teens away from the bad neighborhoods for at least 8 months of the year, that give them some tough love treatment to discipline them.
- astrodust 13y agoThe only reason there's bad neighborhoods is because people have stopped caring, and the only reason they've stopped caring is because they're powerless to change anything. There are some instances in places like Detroit where neighbors have banded together to fight off thugs, gangs, and dealers, and it seems to be working a lot better than relying on the erratic or indifferent response of local police forces. The solution isn't military schools, it's people taking the initiative and asserting themselves, having a direct hand in reshaping their neighbourhood.
- dragonwriter 13y ago> The only reason there's bad neighborhoods is because people have stopped caring, and the only reason they've stopped caring is because they're powerless to change anything. If they are powerless to change anything, then them caring or not is irrelevant. The reason that there are bad neighborhoods is that the people that aren't "powerless to change anything" (who may or may not live in the neighborhood, but nevertheless influence it by their power, including the power to direct resources away from it) have either stopped caring or, more often, have active interests that are served by actions which hurt the neighborhood.
- clicks 13y agoThe solution has to be practical and doable. It seems to me campaigning for boarding schools as a solution to the ills of society and getting them open is more doable than somehow getting people to take the initiative.
- rayiner 13y ago> Can you think of a solution? Honestly, I can't. I've recently been on a tour of the Delaware Valley for job-related purposes, and visited Camden, Trenton, etc. And I don't know what can be done. Ending the drug war would probably help, but I think we've got Iraq-scale rebuilding to do in some of our cities...
- clicks 13y agoAnd yet, if we actually decide to do Iraq-scale rebuilding of our inner cities you'll see people shouting "SOCIALISM!!!" Makes me wonder how we ever won the populace support to spend that kind of money on Iraq/Afghanistan. I guess probably because it was packaged as a threat "If we don't go over there they're going to bomb us because they hate our freedom". So perhaps one line of campaigning to get funding for social programs for inner cities could be "If we don't go over in inner cities to rebuild them they're going to start coming into your suburb homes and steal your stuff and make your life miserable".