How would you change the education system in America?

Lets say you are made supreme educational whatever. You are allowed to change the entire public education system in any way you see fit. What would you do?

as santanna said legalize pot and put all the profit from pot to education and health care too. i think its a great plan :)

Students pay$50,000 when they fail a cl@ss.

If someone fails a class they get one of their testicles cut off

Ifthey are a girl they get their innocence taken away

I would let the kids decide what they want to do and train them in that aspect there whole school career so by the time there out they are a genius in that aspect ex. doctor, mechanic.

Voucher system. kingyotoX

I'd like to read a pro & con argument to this. I keep hearing about it (mainly from conservatives).

Vouchers and make teachers get evaluated. If their students aren't doing well...they are out. Get parents involved.

Vouchers and make teachers get evaluated. If their students aren't doing well...they are out. Get parents involved.

LJS9502_basic

Vouchers and make teachers get evaluated. If their students aren't doing well...they are out. Get parents involved.

LJS9502_basic

Develop more mathematics skills from an earlier age, and then implement higher level mathematics in junior high and high school.
Also more emphasis on the sciences, however have more 'arts' courses readily available.
Also,
MORE HOMEWORK. NO WEIGHTED C-LASS. PERCENTAGE SYSTEM, NONE OF THIS ABC AND GPA CRAP

Remove all creationisn and intelligent design from all US public school science classes.

Other than that the biggest flaw with the edu. system is LAZY KIDS.

This is almost entirely for schools before college. I would first get rid of No Child Left Behind. That single bill is behind a huge amount of the complete idiocy in American schools. I would then have the government regulate the system by hiring qualified staff; the teachers hired would then decide on a curricula appropriate for their cIass and that meets any regulations implemented. The system would no longer be based on state/federal tests; that degrades the system by having teachers focus too much on the test and not on anything else important. Rather, to pass a cIass you would have to show an accumulative knowledge of your subjects with good grades on tests and quizzes assigned by the teacher. Grades would NOT be given by the teacher but by the school, usually electronically, to ensure that no grading bias exists (and yes, it happens frequently).An average grade of "B" or "C" at the end of a school term would pass; lower than that would repeat the year. This will assure that we have no high schoolers that cannot read/write like we do now.

Teachers can be fired. None of this teacher union bullcrap. Bad teacher = no job.

For college, I'd get rid of this "general education requirements" crap and focus on your major. If you're majoring in psychology, you'll study psychology; not a million cIasses you'll never use just so you can get a degree in an irrelevant field. This is how colleges go in Europe, and it works splendidly.

I would also make it a requirement to learn a foreign language in grade school. That may seem harsh, but think about it: it has been proven that children learn foreign languages (and music) far more easily than teens and adults. Their youth is THE time to learn that stuff, and there is simply no way to get a decent living without knowing at least two languages. This also opens their minds for the future.

No system is perfect, but there are plenty of systems better than what we have.

Colleges need to be more major-intensive. I am studying medicine and have to take almost two full years of things that have nothing to do with my major at all. Things like government, english, sociology, psychology, chemistry, math courses, technology courses, etc. While I see its use, less of such classes would be nice.

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]

Vouchers and make teachers get evaluated. If their students aren't doing well...they are out. Get parents involved.

clembo1990

Only have five periods... P.E. is boring.

-Make the GED only available to those age 21 and up, so students quit dropping out and just getting that. Also make it much less valuable then a HS diploma as the test is significantly easier and requires less commitment. I understand that some people can only get a GED, they should have to put forth the effort of high school first. Also no adult rights unless u have a HS diploma. No voting, drinking, or smoking. U get caught drinking or smoking without the diploma, 5 years minimum.

-Remove age limit to get the diploma. I know in Iowa, once u reach 21 u are forced to drop out.

-Get rid of the teachers union.

-Set up a teacher pay system based on performance.

-Get rid of the bell curve grading that some teachers do because it guarantees failure.

-Change the GPA/grading system to just to A, B, C, D, F. No plus or minus. The D grade gets u the credit but can't be used toward a specific grade requirement such as math or science but it can count if it is just for a general credit needed. If u get a D in a required class/area, u have to retake the class.

-Have one teacher for every 20 students.

-Have a class evaluator for every class to determine if the teacher is giving proper effort and likewise for the students.

-Remove disruptive/slacking students and put them in job corps if they don't improve there behavior in a 60 day window at the high school level. If they are at below HS level, move them to a special class with harsher punishments then give them a chance for normal class the next year. Those special class teachers are a constant wage and are not based off student performance, but will be monitored to ensure they do their job.

-Quit force feeding the need for a college education down the students throats. Most kids with higher grades are one taking easy classes, and in no way will they survive in the college level. Only those that take higher difficulty classes should have college put into their mind.

-Make required classes that teach good study techniques and habits.

-Make much higher emphasis on math and science over other subjects. Also make higher emphasis on reading. There are kids in college that have trouble with reading words such as together and comprehensive. It pisses me off when in a small lecture at college and the professor asks a student to read a little passage, they are having trouble with middle school level reading material.

For college, I'd get rid of this "general education requirements" crap and focus on your major. If you're majoring in psychology, you'll study psychology; not a million cIasses you'll never use just so you can get a degree in an irrelevant field. This is how colleges go in Europe, and it works splendidly.

I would also make it a requirement to learn a foreign language in grade school. That may seem harsh, but think about it: it has been proven that children learn foreign languages (and music) far more easily than teens and adults. Their youth is THE time to learn that stuff, and there is simply no way to get a decent living without knowing at least two languages. This also opens their minds for the future.

No system is perfect, but there are plenty of systems better than what we have.

Theokhoth

I have a decent living and I don't use another language. A foreign language should only be required if it's necessary to a specific job.

Seems your two points about are a contradiction of each other by the way.....

[QUOTE="Theokhoth"]

For college, I'd get rid of this "general education requirements" crap and focus on your major. If you're majoring in psychology, you'll study psychology; not a million cIasses you'll never use just so you can get a degree in an irrelevant field. This is how colleges go in Europe, and it works splendidly.

I would also make it a requirement to learn a foreign language in grade school. That may seem harsh, but think about it: it has been proven that children learn foreign languages (and music) far more easily than teens and adults. Their youth is THE time to learn that stuff, and there is simply no way to get a decent living without knowing at least two languages. This also opens their minds for the future.

No system is perfect, but there are plenty of systems better than what we have.

LJS9502_basic

I have a decent living and I don't use another language. A foreign language should only be required if it's necessary to a specific job.

Seems your two points about are a contradiction of each other by the way.....

General education should be long-since fulfilled by the time you get to college. College should be about training for your future career; not about getting a well-rounded education, which should be gotten in High school and before.

Foreign languages are already required for education. If children learn better than adults, they should learn it as children.

And no, they don't contradict. College and grade school are two different things. . . where I live, anyway.

Take away standardized testing Maniacc1

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]

[QUOTE="Theokhoth"]

For college, I'd get rid of this "general education requirements" crap and focus on your major. If you're majoring in psychology, you'll study psychology; not a million cIasses you'll never use just so you can get a degree in an irrelevant field. This is how colleges go in Europe, and it works splendidly.

I would also make it a requirement to learn a foreign language in grade school. That may seem harsh, but think about it: it has been proven that children learn foreign languages (and music) far more easily than teens and adults. Their youth is THE time to learn that stuff, and there is simply no way to get a decent living without knowing at least two languages. This also opens their minds for the future.

No system is perfect, but there are plenty of systems better than what we have.

Theokhoth

I have a decent living and I don't use another language. A foreign language should only be required if it's necessary to a specific job.

Seems your two points about are a contradiction of each other by the way.....

General education should be long-since fulfilled by the time you get to college. College should be about training for your future career; not about getting a well-rounded education, which should be gotten in High school and before.

Foreign languages are already required. If children learn better than adults, they should learn it as children.

And no, they don't contradict. College and grade school are two different things. . . where I live, anyway.

Second, university level education is not the same as grade or high school education. It's also more specialized. Nothing wrong with education dude.

[QUOTE="Theokhoth"]

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]The goal of higher education is to make well rounded individuals. If you only study your major...that isn't happening. There is nothing wrong with having some background in various subjects.

I have a decent living and I don't use another language. A foreign language should only be required if it's necessary to a specific job.

Seems your two points about are a contradiction of each other by the way.....

LJS9502_basic

General education should be long-since fulfilled by the time you get to college. College should be about training for your future career; not about getting a well-rounded education, which should be gotten in High school and before.

Foreign languages are already required. If children learn better than adults, they should learn it as children.

And no, they don't contradict. College and grade school are two different things. . . where I live, anyway.

Second, university level education is not the same as grade or high school education. It's also more specialized. Nothing wrong with education dude.

In this country, where we literally have tens of millions of people who do not know a word of English, learning a foreign language IS required. In any case, my "required" deal did not go for grade school, but for college; grade school is for learning reading, writing, basic arithmetic, etc; college (under my system) is for studying your career path. College and grade school are different things = no contradiction. Grade school and up is for general education requirements.

I explicitly said university education is different. High school education and grade school education is for general education; in college, when you have a major and a career path ahead, you should focus on subjects relating to that. Once again, this is the system in European colleges and their standards of education are far greater and their success rates are far higher. There's nothing wrong with education; when you're holding back students in college by bogging them down with three or four or five subjects they'll never use when they could be learning their majors, there is definitely something wrong with that system.

I think some of your ought to be heading the dept. of education. There's some legitimately good ideas in this thread.fidosim

I plan to be a teacher one day. I just might do that.

'Required elective' is an oxymoron. Enough said.Welkabonz

[QUOTE="Welkabonz"]'Required elective' is an oxymoron. Enough said.LJS9502_basic

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]

[QUOTE="Welkabonz"]'Required elective' is an oxymoron. Enough said.Welkabonz

Why all the hate for a well rounded education? It may happen that one changes majors after taking an elective that interests them. Plus, I didn't have a problem with learning areas I might not otherwise have studied.

LJS9502_basic

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]

Why all the hate for a well rounded education? It may happen that one changes majors after taking an elective that interests them. Plus, I didn't have a problem with learning areas I might not otherwise have studied.

Welkabonz

I was referring more to the general feeling and not specific users.....

LJS9502_basic

make the school a better. some schools barely have any money for educational things(books, utensils, ). Make sure a lot of the schools have money, have different ways of learning, get rid of all of the bad teachers, find younger teachers.iam2green

While federal funding for schools is okay, we have to be sure they are not funded based on their students' average grades. This what NCLB does, and it is a horrendous system.

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]

I was referring more to the general feeling and not specific users.....

Welkabonz

I have to agree with Theo. General Education requirements are eating up a year of my college education, most of it is stuff I've already learned before. I'd much rather delve into the meat of my degree in order to become better prepared for my job and profession in the future.hokies1313

Sure....and I don't care if they hate it. Just find it strange to not like education is all...

LJS9502_basic

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]

Sure....and I don't care if they hate it. Just find it strange to not like education is all...

Welkabonz