Education in America (1 Viewer)

[Scatty Kitty]

But what about those who are going to flip burgers or clean bathrooms?

Oh that's it. The problem is only for those that hold onto the idea that there are some kids that are more deserving than others. Since I don't, and I hold that all kids deserve a quality education, the problem doesn't apply to me.

 

[BrotherFease]

Dismantling the Department of Education does not equal “no one gets an education” nor does it mean that all children will be in private schools. From what I've read and from the answers from admin at my school, much of the funding that came through the DOE has been moved to different departments, it hasn't been eliminated.

The Trump Administration cannot eliminate the DOE. That would be require congressional and senate approval, and there are not enough votes to do that.

Yes, they have moved functions of the DOE to other departments.

Now the DOE is focused purely on monitoring special education and civil rights matters.

But here's the problem:

None of these things actually improves people's lives. All what you're doing is changing locations.

The Administration is cutting funding in education and eliminating programs designed to protect the civil rights of all people.

 

[Josie]

Oh that's it. The problem is only for those that hold onto the idea that there are some kids that are more deserving than others. Since I don't, and I hold that all kids deserve a quality education, the problem doesn't apply to me.

You said yourself............

I think there's a much better question to ask. Why should a person invest money, time, and energy into a person's education when economically speaking, the only jobs they will realistically have are flipping burgers? Why bother teaching literature and math to someone who just needs to clean out a bathroom?

 

[BirdinHand]

Why give teachers and aides pay for an entire year if they aren't working the entire calendar year

Teachers and aides aren’t paid for time they don’t work.

Contracts are written and signed for a specific amount of hours - and those employees can opt to be paid out over only those hours that they are working IN buildings OR they can have the pay dispersed to cover when they are on breaks.

How - as a supposed teacher - do you not know this?

 

[BrotherFease]

If you would have followed US Education you would have understood that the US was better for in Academic standings BEFORE the Dept of EDU!
Now US Kids are at the bottom half !

Show your work. I need to see some stats.

90% of educational funding is from the state and local governments.

The DOE is no way responsible for the so-called failures in education.

The DOE does not regulation curriculum. They are there to assist the states.

Americans actually ranks high in reading and science. We're in the lowest in math.

 

[Scatty Kitty]

What's your solution?

But what about those who are going to flip burgers or clean bathrooms?

Why give teachers and aides pay for an entire year if they aren't working the entire calendar year?

You said yourself............

You asked my solution to the problem I posted. Which I did. Because the issue is school based in the framing of the question. Since the idea of training a group of children to be nothing more than burger flippers is a bad idea, we need to equalize education as much as possible. So it's not a problem for me. Not sure why you're editing your messages after the fact for something other than a grammar edit but you do you.

 

[Scatty Kitty]

Teachers and aides aren’t paid for time they don’t work.

Contracts are written and signed for a specific amount of hours - and those employees can opt to be paid out over only those hours that they are working IN buildings OR they can have the pay dispersed to cover when they are on breaks.

How - as a supposed teacher - do you not know this?

Josie is responding to my proposal for a full year pay for people who are in the support staff. Even teachers need that pay.

Especially when you consider Teachers are working during the summer.

 

[BirdinHand]

Josie is responding to my proposal for a full year pay for people who are in the support staff. Even teachers need that pay.

Especially when you consider Teachers are working during the summer.

Aides and paras are typically hourly employees. Teachers tend to be salary level employees.

 

[Scatty Kitty]

Aides and paras are typically hourly employees. Teachers tend to be salary level employees.

Correct. But the problem comes from when they're not working at the school. Without steady employment schools lose good support staff and teachers to low pay when you consider what the pay is over the course of a year. It also leads to high turnover for schools who can't keep support staff down. Since it takes about if I remember correctly 5-7 years to master education, and most staff leaves before 5 years. So to stop turnover, we need teachers and support staff more pay.

 

[Josie]

Teachers and aides aren’t paid for time they don’t work.

Contracts are written and signed for a specific amount of hours - and those employees can opt to be paid out over only those hours that they are working IN buildings OR they can have the pay dispersed to cover when they are on breaks.

How - as a supposed teacher - do you not know this?

Why do you think I DON'T know this? LOL!

@Scatty Kitty said they should be paid as if they worked all year.

Increased funding to schools so that all school districts have equal funding. Get rid of property taxes as the main source of funding in schools in favor of block grants that each school district gets from the state to ensure equal funding, the grant being based specifically on school size. Some grant money can be set aside for emergencies or as needed, especially when we consider the needs of small, rural school districts. Incorporate bilingual education in classes. Give teachers and support staff (like 1 on 1 aides) full year pay.

For short term? Reduce state testing and increase recess time for kids. Make sure K-6 teachers have equal pay to 7-12th grade teachers.

Most solutions are pretty obvious, we just need kids to be kids.

 

[Josie]

You asked my solution to the problem I posted. Which I did. Because the issue is school based in the framing of the question. Since the idea of training a group of children to be nothing more than burger flippers is a bad idea, we need to equalize education as much as possible. So it's not a problem for me. Not sure why you're editing your messages after the fact for something other than a grammar edit but you do you.

Schools aren't training children to just flip burger or clean bathrooms. The goal is for students to be on grade level in reading and math and then go into whatever career choice they want. The students who are behind in reading and math most likely started kindergarten behind.

I edit things when I think of something else to ask pertaining to the same message. You're responding quickly, so you miss the edits.

 

[Josie]

Correct. But the problem comes from when they're not working at the school. Without steady employment schools lose good support staff and teachers to low pay when you consider what the pay is over the course of a year. It also leads to high turnover for schools who can't keep support staff down. Since it takes about if I remember correctly 5-7 years to master education, and most staff leaves before 5 years. So to stop turnover, we need teachers and support staff more pay.

Paying them more for the time they are working is one thing - paying them for time they aren't working is another.

 

[j brown's body]

I think there's a much better question to ask. Why should a person invest money, time, and energy into a person's education when economically speaking, the only jobs they will realistically have are flipping burgers? Why bother teaching literature and math to someone who just needs to clean out a bathroom?

Because a democracy needs a population of critical thinkers.

 

[Josie]

Especially when you consider Teachers are working during the summer.

I think this is a common misconception. Most teachers aren't spending Monday - Friday every week of summer vacation working on school/classroom stuff. They are going on vacation, gardening, reading books on the deck, enjoying other hobbies that they don't have time for during the school year. And some take another job in the summer either because they need the money or they just don't like staying at home. But most teachers aren't "working" at their teaching job all summer. A couple of weeks out of the summer? Sure. Any mandatory school workshops or professional development should be paid.

 

[Scatty Kitty]

I think this is a common misconception. Most teachers aren't spending Monday - Friday every week of summer vacation working on school/classroom stuff. They are going on vacation, gardening, reading books on the deck, enjoying other hobbies that they don't have time for during the school year. And some take another job in the summer either because they need the money or they just don't like staying at home. But most teachers aren't "working" at their teaching job all summer. A couple of weeks out of the summer? Sure. Any mandatory school workshops or professional development should be paid.

Any mandatory school workshops should be paid... and then paid for for working them as well. But to say they're not doing other things as well, or recovering from the emotional issues from the school year is grossly incorrect to say. The fact is Teachers are the lowest paid professionals for those with their level of education. Not being paid for work during the summer is one of them.

 

[Scatty Kitty]

Because a democracy needs a population of critical thinkers.

So raise them as critical thinkers. But who needs a burger flippers to be a critical thinker?

 

[Scatty Kitty]

Paying them more for the time they are working is one thing - paying them for time they aren't working is another.

You are aware of what vacation time is yes?

 

[Josie]

Any mandatory school workshops should be paid... and then paid for for working them as well. But to say they're not doing other things as well, or recovering from the emotional issues from the school year is grossly incorrect to say.

What? I didn't say my list of things teachers do in the summer was exhaustive.

The fact is Teachers are the lowest paid professionals for those with their level of education. Not being paid for work during the summer is one of them.

They should be paid for working during the summer. They shouldn't be paid for not working during the summer.

 

[Josie]

You are aware of what vacation time is yes?

................................

 

[Parrish]

Teachers and aides aren’t paid for time they don’t work.

Contracts are written and signed for a specific amount of hours - and those employees can opt to be paid out over only those hours that they are working IN buildings OR they can have the pay dispersed to cover when they are on breaks.

How - as a supposed teacher - do you not know this?

In my state, as in most, the salary is dispersed over 12 months instead of 10.

 

[Citizen]

The American education system has some serious problems that it doesn't appear to be poised to address, nor has addressed:

• On average, 79% of U.S. adults nationwide are literate in 2024.
• 21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2024.
• 54% of adults have a literacy below a 6th-grade level (20% are below 5th-grade level).
• Low levels of literacy costs the US up to 2.2 trillion per year.
• 34% of adults lacking literacy proficiency were born outside the US.
• Massachusetts was the state with the highest rate of child literacy.
• New Mexico was the state with the lowest child literacy rate.
• New Hampshire was the state with the highest percentage of adults considered literate.
• The state with the lowest adult literacy rate was California.

Where does the US rank in literacy?​

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The US ranks 36th in literacy.​

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The relationship between literacy and poverty​

​

The nexus between poverty and literacy is pronounced, with these two challenges often interlinked. In impoverished regions, educational opportunities are frequently scarce, exacerbated by the necessity for struggling families to prioritize immediate income generation over sending their children to school. The majority of countries with the lowest literacy rates are concentrated in South Asia, West Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa, regions also characterized by a prevalence of the world's poorest nations.​

Literacy Statistics 2024- 2025 (Where we are now)

The capacity to read and write, commonly known as literacy, stands out as a pivotal determinant in shaping an individual's career trajectory. Individuals with literacy skills have access to a broad spectrum of career possibilities, including highly skilled and well-paying positions. Conversely...

www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com

Making changes to the US education system appears to be more warranted.

See, that’s the problem with education in America. We are so focused on reading and writing when most other countries like those Asian countries are more focused
on science, technology, engineering, and math ( STEM).

 

[Josie]

In my state, as in most, the salary is dispersed over 12 months instead of 10.

Depends on the district. In many districts, teachers have the option to spread out their salary over 12 months or get paid for the 9-10 months they’re working. I choose to be paid 9 months out of the year.

 

[Citizen]

It's the number one reason why students don't perform well in academics at school. It has nothing to do with the funding the school gets or even the teachers the average child has. If he has a parent or parents who provide a loving, peaceful, supportive environment at home, he's more likely to do well in school. These are the kids who come into kindergarten having been read to almost daily, held books since they were babies, turned pages, used a pencil and crayons daily, have known how to write their name for awhile, know many letters and sounds, know vocabulary words for everyday objects, have the background knowledge for a variety of different scenarios and situations -- those kids will do well in school. None of that takes much money at all. It takes a parent or parents who care about education and their child's development. And, as research has always shown, if a student is behind early in life, he will most likely always be behind. That's they number one reason why we're getting 6th graders who can only read on a 3rd grade level.

You are absolutely correct on this

 

[Citizen]

Depends on the district. In many districts, teachers have the option to spread out their salary over 12 months or get paid for the 9-10 months they’re working. I choose to be paid 9 months out of the year.

It appears to me that you have just contradicted your previous statements. Why make statements that you know are not true

 

[Josie]

It appears to me that you have just contradicted your previous statements. Why make statements that you know are not true

? What have I contradicted?