How are public schools failing our children?

Answer 1

The public schools are doing exactly as the parents demand. The problem is NONE OF THE PARENTS GET INVOLVED! I tried to revive the Home-School Association at my daughters school. Out of 700 students Home school never had more than 5 parents show up EVER! The teachers have their share of blame, but us parents must also stand up and take our responsibility as well! If a school of 700 students had half the parents interseted enough to show up to Home-School every month Alot more would be accomplished. The teachers are with your child 30 hours a week --- the parents are with the child much more than that. The teachers are appathetice because the parents are lethargic.

Answer 2

There will be many opinions on what is failing our children and if anything is failing at all.

I personally think that we have way too many schools and administrators.

Every time we build a school, the annual budgetary cost skyrockets. Usually a new high school cost over a million a year to fund Staff, administrators and the school building itself.
The teachers have little or no authority to discipline children when they get unruly, and they have no real control over their curriculum.
The teacher to student ratio has been said to be a problem. They want a 20 to 1 ratio. Personally, I do not see why it can not be a higher ratio. I recall being in school where it was not uncommon to have 35 kids in 1 class. The teacher had a lot of control. You got out of hand. she corrected you in the class or in the hallway. Usually, you worried more about what mom and dad would do then what the school would do. (Parents did not have to worry about Child protective services for spanking their own child)

We fail the kids when we put the interest of administrators and school wants and desires more then the kids educations. Let the teachers have more of the money and money to do things with and let them mold these kids correctly. They have been trained to do it, let them!

Answer 3

Another question is "how have we failed public schools?"

Instead of demanding change and improvement in our public schools, we yank our kids and put them in private, or we support school vouchers. The worst never improve and the best just get better, deepening the chiasm.

Similarly, schools do not, cannot, and should not be expected to teach our children everything. When I was a child my parents made sure I did my schoolwork, they made sure I was at school unless I was legitimately sick. They began teaching me the basics of reading and writing and sharing and all those life lessons we need to know long before kindergarten began for me. I had a cousin who's parents would get so mad at the school because the schools didn't teach their kids to read and write very well, but those same parents never ONCE picked up a book to read with the child or sat with the child to make her improve her handwriting- she said that was the teacher's job.... Well, teacher's can't do it all.

I know we're busy, and I know there is MUCH room for improvement in the public school system. But I also know learning begins at home, that's where life's lessons are taught. Teaching our kids to respect authority and to value education will help them succeed regardless of how poor a school system they are in.

Answer 4

They are one sided. They are off balanced. And even that, their teachings are not strong in the first place. The other half that the schools do not understand that they need is creativity. Though do not get me wrong. There are a very limited amount of teachers that know what is best. They know that students need some stretching. Some laughing. Some fresh air. Some colors in thier life. Some playing like a child just for the sheer joy of it. They need the beauty of life in their lives to balance out the teachings. I hope this answer helps. Cheers!

Answer 5

They don't teach the basics ( reading, writing, math) and don't spend enough time drilling the information in to their minds. Too much attention is spent teaching values, tolerance, and a lot of stuff that should be taught at home. Without the basics most kids will be left unable to perform in higher levels or in the "real world." Also, discipline has to be enforced so kids know that there are rules that must be obeyed (for their own good). There is too much emphasis on standardized testing which are a complete waste of time because they do nothing to educate the students.

Answer 6

Public schools didn't fail me. I graduated third in my class, mostly because Casey and Dan were both harder working then me. I think my education when very well, I studied hard and got good grades. I think parents arn't allowing the schools to teach, teachers get nothing but complaints from parents and they never get things like thank you for being a wonderful teacher. Lousy parents that get mad when their children get detention or bad grades are what make schools bad, by making it so teachers stop caring.

Answer 7

I do not really thin public schools are failing our children. I think parents are failing public school and failing their children.

Answer 8

It costs tax payers more to send a child to public school than private school, yet the private school kids sees their money used efficiently towards the education where as the public schools don't.

I know in my district we had huge problems with corruption that officials tried to sweep away. They did a good job of controlling the flow of information, seeing that most people still don't even know what happened.

Answer 9

When the administrators are more concerned about the all might dollar and not what a child needs educationally then there is a problem. If a child with special needs has to have certain things and the ADMINISTRATORS act like you are killing them to ask for things the kid needs that is where the schools are failing the kids.

Answer 10

I think teachers are generally offworked and underpaid. Most classrooms have upwards of 20 children and only one teacher. Children who have problems and learning disabilities often demand most of the teachers attention and good students often go unnoticed and unencouraged.
Teachers are such important people because kids need help to "make it" and the teachers get no recognition or help. And because there are so many schools that are understaffed unfortunately there are cases when underqualified teachers teach classes or worse their criminal backgrounds are not checked properly.