Why are U.S. kids so incredibly poorly educated?

Question

Kids today don't know the difference b/w there, they're and their. Two, to, and too. They can't point to Ohio on a map and forget about foreign countries. Our kids are being taught that the jury is still out on evolution! Huh? No it's not. Not in the majority of the educated world. Is the shocking ignorance and shoddy education of our youth going to be our downfall?

to "not a dogmatic" - you seem to be exhibit A. Of course there's no "scientific evidence". Scientists don't study educational accomplishments. There are however, people who do and it's well documented that the U.S. is WAY behind many, many other countries in the field of educating our youth.

Answer 1

My children, educated in French schools, always seemed much better educated and informed than their US cousins when they were young.

At college the gap largely closed because US college education is liberal arts, and European is specialized.

US primary and middle school education is given tasks to accomplish that detract from basic teaching of literacy. And religion and politics get in the way of rigorous teaching of science and history. Also, memorization is derided in the USA (and not tested for in college and professional school aptitude tests) whereas it really does have an important role, albeit reduced somewhat by computer database availability.

Another reason for lost of rigor in education is the damning of competition and comparison; and the dumbing down of education so that the least able will not feel disadvantaged. Also, the making of teachers into administrators: like policemen they seem to spend half their time filling out forms. Teachers' competence also; size of classes; poor quality of textbooks (uniquely bought in the USA on a political basis controlled by large states like Texas).

There must be more; but those come to mind.

(In Continental Europe, university exams are often a 10-minute interview with the professor, with the opportunity for a re-take if the student thinks s/he performed badly. In reality, grades don't differ much under that system from when there is a 2-hour written exam. Top students will be top students under almost any education system. It is the average and below who suffer from a system that allows them to leave school empty-headed. And in many schools and regions, students have no hope of jobs and no reason to study hard. In the USA especially, cheap and free education has virtually disappeared. College loans can be crippling; house prices in areas where there are jobs are another barrier to economic survival. The lower middle class and the poor no longer sees college as a means of escaping their status. And by and large, VA benefits are no longer enough to see them through.)

Answer 2

I will say it. When World War 2 started, the mothers left the home for the factories, to replace the men that were fighting the war. When the men came home, the women had found independence and did not want to return to the home. They wanted to make money of their own, and have careers. This is when life in America changed for the worse. Nobody was at home with the kids like before. Tv's and video games have replaced the parents. Now it takes most people two incomes to survive. When they come home, as long as the house is still there and little Johnny, and Andrea aren't in jail or dead, they go on about their existences. Mean while the children can operate a computer but don't have a basic education. That is the short version, like it or not!

Answer 3

Apparently part of that education didn't include a class on logic since this is a pretty obvious one to many logic error. Just because one, some or most people you know are not that well educated does not mean that this translates to all "U.S. Kids". On the contrary no stereotype applies to all humans.

Also, there's a big difference between being well educated and actually using what you have learned. I suspect the US has some of the best schools in the world, but that's wasted on a lazy student.

Answer 4

amber ros who do you think pays the bills ? the gov, don't have any money they take it away from the people period, next, our nation had the highest educational academics in the world and our nation led the world , this year America came in in 5th place in technology, alone and lower in math , and science, has anyone noticed our schools have constantly degraded since the sixties, when there was forced integration, ask any school teacher and they will tell you the blacks would disrupt the classes so much no one could possible learn, (unless the teacher is black) our colleges had to lower their admission standards (scores) high school and grade schools would give a minority a passing grade with a score of 50 whites 70 but, they were entitled to college even tho they could not read or write, many of our professors left America to go some where they could teach, many said they could not teach people who could not read or write, so many white kids have followed the minority lead, thinking they are the leaders,you can be P.C. and call me prejudice or ??? but if you get your head out of the sand you will not call me names, if you do i really don;t give a sh..

Answer 5

Yes.
It is truly frightening.
When I went to school we said a prayer in the morning.
Teachers were revered and respected. The bad kids chewed gum.
The really bad kids got paddled.
Now there are campus police and still crime of all kinds on campus and what the hell are the kids learning????
Most cannot put together a proper sentence and do not care to even use spell check.
We should all be very afraid and then do something.............BUT WHAT???? and HOW????
My kids got out of college before the educational system went straight to hell.


NOT A DOG MATTIC:
You are kidding, right????????????
Its a joke, right??????????????

Answer 6

Because we, the parents, do not demand better. My eldest son is in first grade and already learning the difference between they're, their, there, as well as to, two and too. So, I'm not certain why there are so many who have obviously passed the first grade but lack knowledge of the simplest rules of grammar and spelling.
I think that most American kids have the resources for a good education made available to them, but fail to take advantage of it.

Answer 7

I have to agree. My children don't even know how to diagram a sentence. They looked at me and asked "what's that" . I think it is because we have gotten lazy as parents and relied on educators to decide what was best for our children to know. It is the responsibility of the parents to make sure that our children are educated. And the public schools do ask for our input, but we look at school as a free baby sitting service and we don't want to dirt our hands. The education of our children is a group effort. The child, the teacher and the parent must work together.

Answer 8

I know quite a few older people that don't know a lot of that stuff too...

my mother never even took algebra in high school...

and the rates of kids that went to college were much lower...

but really, I think other countries have really focused on education and have improved theirs greatly...
while we haven't and have just watched them pass us by...

they took what we do and made it better... we think "our way is the best" and don't change...

Answer 9

Please don't group all USA kids as poorly educated, I went to school the same amount of hours as our children do today. What our children are learning in school today we were learning in college. Just look at history, it didn't stop in the 60's. Also maybe college should set higher standards after all that is where the teachers are coming from.

Answer 10

Probably. It's amazing how many kids in my school get as much help as can possibly be given (inclusion classes, afterschool tutoring, etc.) Yet still make no effort to apply themselves and fail all of their classes...Even more shocking is the fact that they are PROUD to have failed all their classes...and that their parents either don't know about it or don't give a hoot.

But never fear, there are plenty of us who know the difference between to, too, and two and can put together a coherent sentence. We'll take care of it all, I promise! =)