[Bill Konnoway]

According to the National Academy of Sciences:

"Fewer than 15% of US high-school graduates have sufficient mathematics and science credentials to even begin pursuing an engineering degree."

"In a 2005 test of science understanding administered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 32% of US fourth-grade students performed below the “basic” achievement cutoff level (the lowest of three levels defined for the test). Among 8th-graders, the share increased to 41%. By the 12th grade, the fraction of underachievers had grown to 46%. In mathematics, the same test revealed that fewer than one-fourth of high-school seniors perform at or above their grade level."


Article

[Suntzu]

Teachers don't usually get to set the curriculum or decide what math a science courses students take.

[The Immortal Goon]

I suspect it has to do with Americans being obsessed with doing the opposite of what works in every other industrial society.

That is to say, most countries that do well in this stuff have much more highly centralized education systems, and Americans repeatedly keep doing the opposite and then wonder why it's not getting the same results.

This is not to say that the kind of centralization and funding used in most of Europe and many Asian countries is not without its problems; in some of these places it's a lot harder to fail, clean one's self off, and then jump back in a few years later and fucking shine. But finding a funding and institutional balance that makes both possible has been difficult.

[Suntzu]

The constitution of the U.S. dictates that education is the domain of state and local governments. See the 10th Amendment.

[LV-GUCCI-PRADA-FLEX]

The constitution of the United States once dictated that people could be kept as property. Who the hell cares what that document written by slave owners says?

[The Immortal Goon]

The constitution of the U.S. dictates that education is the domain of state and local governments. See the 10th Amendment.

Thank you for pointing out something that was implicitly stated in every post this thread. That shows that you have some kind of literacy, I guess, so good contribution.

[Suntzu]

The constitution of the United States once dictated that people could be kept as property. Who the hell cares what that document written by slave owners says?

If you live in the U.S. and don't care what the constitution says you probably need to find a new home.

[LV-GUCCI-PRADA-FLEX]

Why? I was born here, it's the only country I have citizenship to. And last I checked there was a little amendment in your oh-so-precious constitution called the first amendment. My right to be here and say whatever the hell I want to about your absurd worshipping of a piece of paper written by slave owners who thought women should know their place is enshrined on the very piece of paper that you uphold as holy. If you like the constitution so much you should try reading it sometime and understanding its history.

The idea that the constitution is right just because it's in there is absurd when you notice that some of its most important pieces were not added in until later. We call those amendments. There are twenty-seven of them, if you didn't know.

[Suntzu]

The constitution includes the amendments. The 1st Amendment give you the right to say stupid chit and me the right to ignore you. You wouldn't make a pimple on the ass of slave owners such as Washington, Jefferson and Franklin.

[Red_Army]

The most important component of a child's education behind the child itself is parenting. If a child's parents don't care about his education - the child will not go as far. Teachers have many students in a class and do not have the time or resources to ensure a child who doesn't want to learn does. There are disciplinary strategies, but they don't really work if they aren't backed up at home. A child with supportive parents can learn effectively in a class with a poor teacher, but the reverse is less likely to happen.

[LV-GUCCI-PRADA-FLEX]

The constitution includes the amendments. The 1st Amendment give you the right to say stupid chit and me the right to ignore you. You wouldn't make a pimple on the ass of slave owners such as Washington, Jefferson and Franklin.

Lol seems like you changed your tune from "git out of my country".

Also fuck Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and the horse they rode in on. As far as I'm concerned they were all assholes and they can rot in hell.

I love the first amendment to be honest. Lets me trigger constitutionalists and all they can do is put their fingers in their ears and cry about it.

@Red_Army I totally agree. Education starts in the home. No teacher in the world can teach an ignorant child that doesn't want to learn. An ignorant child that works hard can teach themselves though.

[Suntzu]

I'm sure folks place great store in what you think.

[LV-GUCCI-PRADA-FLEX]

You'd be surprised from your bubble just how many people despise the Founding Fathers for being nothing more than capitalists looking to further their own self-interest. They didn't write a religious text, they issued a coup d'etat on the failing Confederation so that they could protect their private property. People that turn them into gods are just ignorant of history.

Now what do you think about the topic at hand that didn't come from your toilet paper document.

[Scheherazade]

The constitution of the United States once dictated that people could be kept as property.

...and that people of the same sex can get married.

Who the hell cares what that document written by slave owners says?

Well the Founders didn't own as many slaves as modern day corporations do via sweatshop labor, but within the context of their day and age they were on the forefront of abolishing it.

Either way, this is another wonderful example of historical and sociological education, and possibly proof of what the OP said.

That'd be like saying "Charles Darwin was a racist, so who cares about his theory of evolution".

Though if abolishing it meant we could get rid of abortion, gay marriage, pornography, and reinstate stricter obscenity laws on the media, that would be one advantage to doing so.