Education
This forum is scheduled from 2:15-3:30. Speakers to appear (according to the schedule) are:
Bob Luddy, Founder Franklin Academy & St. Thomas More AcademyTerry Stoops, Education Policy Analyst, John Locke Foundation
Representative (unnamed) from NC Public Schools. Ogre's note: Are they really going to find a person from inside the state system to come to a meeting like this? This is going to be a feeding frenzy. I wonder if anyone will ask how much money is enough -- and if they'll be honest and give the real education system answer: MORE. Update: Howard Lee was the Public Schools representative that was here for an earlier session, but did not return for this session.
Bob Luddy:
We are failing our children. Reforming education has become an industry in itself. The tests and the testing system is complete fraud. They are changed and adjusted over the years to produce results that are desired instead of using them to measure the actual skills and abilities of the children.
Why don't government schools work?
They deny student and parental choice.They preclude normal free to choose competition. The government system goes out of it's way to remove any possibility of choice in education.
They are heavily unionized. In NC we have NCAE -- which advocates full time AGAINST the student.
Moral relativism is the norm in the schools -- which destroys parenthood. And the schools use the parents as a scapegoat for anything that the student does wrong. Teachers are not able to correct students or the teacher will get in trouble.
They are socialistic by their very nature. They own the schools, the cirriculum, the teachers, and the philosophy. Charter schools are a good step forward. A good environment helps control the behavior of the student. People want and desire this type of school. Applications in North Carolina are very very high compared to the available seats. Community schools are best. Students who can just walk to their schools are simply best. Bussing students in the early mornings to strange places is dangerous. This type of school can bring the community together so people can take pride in the school and the community. But best would be to allow parents to pick which kind of school they want for their children. In the last 8 years, people have fought for more Charter Schools in North Carolina. However, the education powers absolutely oppose any competition. Therefore, Democrats will simply not allow any more Charter schools in the state. He believes the solution is to simply build independent community schools (200-400 students) and that will create tremendous pressure on the public schools [Ogre's note: I don't think so. If there's pressure on the public schools and the Democrats are in charge, they'll simply make the independent schools illegal]
Next up, Bob Stoops:
We're in a global society. Our students are competing with students around the world. The US ranks 24 out of 29 countries.
One group suggests that students need to be in more classes more hours per day. Our students are already in math classes 4.7 hours per week. That's about an hour MORE than the other countries. Turkey gives their students 6 hours instruction a week- they rank 28th. Japan gives 4.5 hours per week- they rank 1st. It appears that hours per week has no effect on ability.
Direct instruction is the best way to teach, according to the US Dept of Education. That's what many charter schools do, but no public schools do.
Another claim is that we need to educate our students more days per years -- including all year. After all, some other countries do. US gets about 169 hour per year. The average is 140. Japan gives 175 hours per year. Turkey and Mexico give 214 hours per year. More is NOT always better.
The US teachers supply about 1,000 teaching hours per year. Japan teachers average about 635 hours per year. The average is 700 hours. Our teachers have a heavier load than other countries.
The US has the second highest per-pupil expenditure in the world (second to only Switzerland). $31,500 is the average NC starting entry level salary. National average: $27,000. 15-years of exp, avg worldwide is $37,500; in NC it's $43,000. That makes NC the 10th highest in the world.
We have the highest number of computers per student in the entire world. 27% of principals actually complain that instruction is hindered by lack of computers and software!
Some will say that our children are more creative, even if they aren't learning. That's simply not true, as can be seen by checking something simple like the number of patents granted to those countries in the Pacific Rim. They nuture creativity for 6 years of their life.
We need to follow models like that of Bob Luddy's schools, or we will never get anywhere.
Legislative Agenda for the Democrats:
NCAE has SEVEN full-time lobbyists in the General Assembly. There are at least 30 full-time lobbyists that are working all day long to protect the education system and establishment against parents and children. Educational aristocrats are pumping money into their own programs -- which is why the system does not change.
NC is one of only two states that does not allow collective bargining from the teacher's union. NCAE is trying hard to change that this year. Most teachers work 39 weeks out of the year. The average salary is close to $44,000. A first-year teacher is granted 4.5 days of leave. A teacher with 20 years gets 33.5 days out of the classroom for leave.
Despite the fact that 1/3 of the students in high school are failing out, the only solution the Democrats have suggested is to raise the mandatory attendance age from 16 to 18. The governor wants every single student to go to college (for free). One of the Democrat candidates for governor wants to spend billions for "connectivity" in schools -- web cams and other things that will have zero effect on learning.
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