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268 Comments
- jmpeagle, on 11/21/2007, -9/+68how come parents in this country are not allowed to choose which public school they want to send their kids too? The Netharlands, Belgium, etc... all allow parents the choice.
Also, why do we start trying to teach children earlier than other countries. It seems like he wants to expand pre-schooling. This all looks like government funded day care and will have no effect on the education system at all. We could learn a lot from the European countries who ironically have a much less socialized schools system than we do. - WorkingDead, on 11/21/2007, -0/+55Lets face it, the Department of Education ins a failure. Lets give control of schools back over to the states so it can be reasonably managed. There is no accountability at the federal level. These things need to be handled locally.
- fadeout, on 11/21/2007, -27/+76I am not exactly excited about his suggestion of cuts to NASA for education. Our inability to even match Russia these days is pretty pathetic.
- dinostabOMG, on 11/21/2007, -10/+56In Soviet Russia, education spending helps YOU!
But seriously, you're more worried about a dick-measuring contest with Russia than you are about basic education? - inactive, on 11/21/2007, -2/+44We need to stop with the department of education already and the no child left behind that only end up leaving kids behind. The federal govrenment knows no better than the state government about what is involved in education.
This is something the states used to be in charge of until the federal government offered the states more of our own money.
The department of education is a bottomless pit of wasted tax payers dollars.
Just because someone doesnt like the department of education doesnt mean they are anti education. It means our money would be better managed by the state in which you live. Why does the federal government want to put out broad swiping requirements when each state is different. And each locality in each state is different.
We need to get the federal government off our tax dollars and back into our pockets, they are just waisting it anyway. - SCharb, on 11/21/2007, -24/+66Right now, teachers are grossly underpaid. More money for teachers, more incentives, better teachers. Simple.
- brstilson, on 11/21/2007, -18/+54It's funny that you decry Obama for wanting to spend a measley $18 billion on our children's education when Bush has already spent $700 billion on a war that nobody wants.
- wendelgee2, on 11/21/2007, -6/+42There are things that funding CAN do, and things that funding CANNOT.
Here's what money can do:
1. Well-compensated teachers = motivated teachers.
2. Teacher training.
3. Smaller class sizes.
Here's what money cannot do:
1. Make kids give a *****.
2. Foster a culture that values education.
Unfortunately, the bottom list is more powerful than the top list; unfortunately, the gov't can do something about the top list, and can't do ***** about the bottom list. - rupertmorris, on 11/21/2007, -19/+40WTF has NASA done for any of you lately?! Seriously, I want to know.
I guess my point is to invest in the future of your country via education has much farther reaching benefits than sending ***** into space. I'm all for sending ***** into space, but not at the cost of education. - afruff23, on 11/21/2007, -6/+27Nice job using statistics incorrectly. % of government spending has nothing to do with the quality of education. In DC, they spend over $10K per kid, but they still ahve bad test scores. The problem is lack of competition, mainly caused by forcing poor people to go to public school and denying merit pay for teachers. Belgium let's you choose your own school and they have much better scores. See John Stossel's "Stupid in America" for more info.
- fadeout, on 11/21/2007, -31/+51God forbid we spent more money on education and maybe catch up with the rest of the world. The Air Force is spending 63 BILLION on just the first batch of f-22's, this kind of money is nothing to the federal government.
- epicstruggle, on 11/21/2007, -11/+27We spend more per student than almost any other country, the results arent very good for what we spend. Ive already saved enough to make sure my daughter goes to private/kipp schools when she gets old enough.
- Alpione, on 11/21/2007, -4/+20Yes, but you still have to pay for everyone else's kid (and yours) to go to public school. That's the problem and that's why vouchers or tax refunds are essential. Otherwise you're paying twice for your kid's education.
- Mcwop, on 11/21/2007, -10/+26He could throw $50 billion at education, and not one thing will change except teacher salaries. Same crappy curriculum, badly designed school buildings, no ability to discipline kids, spending tons on sports that benefit only a few kids, etc.... etc.....
- jonms83, on 11/21/2007, -2/+17I just hope the extra money will somehow trickle down to pay teachers more for their efforts. They really do get paid very little in regards to how important their work is.
- inactive, on 11/21/2007, -2/+17Get rid of the Department of Education. It's making our kids ignorant.
The city of Atlanta spends $14,000 per kid and they have the lowest test scores.
The education system needs an attitude change, not money - except to pay the good teachers more. - TyroPyro, on 11/21/2007, -12/+26I was really disappointed by this too. Cutting NASA's funding to pay for education to produce better scientists/engineers makes no sense.
- cranium, on 11/21/2007, -2/+15All the ***** ones have tenure.
- Alpione, on 11/21/2007, -2/+15Both = Throw Money At It
Both = Worthless
How many times in the past have we just tossed money at the public school systems only to see it stay miserable. Why do we keep doing that? Time to stop bashing our collective head against the wall... - jayhawk, on 11/21/2007, -8/+21he's not just throwing money at schools and saying go; rather, he has something called a plan. has anyone criticizing it actually read it? here's a snippet from the article and a link to the "plan":
Obama's plan (http://my.barackobama.com/page/-/HQpress/112007%20 ... would spend $10 billion a year on programs for children up to 5 years old. It would expand Head Start and other preschool programs and increase the availability of child care to working families.
"For every dollar we invest in these programs, we get $10 back in reduced welfare rolls, fewer healthcare costs and less crime," Obama said.
------------
i spent years working with single mothers who are below poverty and the number 1 issue that kept them from keeping jobs was inconsistent or a lack of childcare. Obama is correct in that having better available childcare will help these young mothers to keep their jobs and that saves us all money in the long run. - jmpeagle, on 11/21/2007, -2/+15huh? We still spend more per student than all but 2 countries
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/edu_spe_per_sec_ ... - Alpione, on 11/21/2007, -7/+20That's the point, fadeout... Throwing money at education has been shown time and time again to fail. Someone above had it right - competition and school choice are the only ways to improve the situation.
- inactive, on 11/21/2007, -5/+18I agree . Why would you cut a program that is necessary for recruiting young people into the ranks of scientists and engineers. When every liftoff had coverage on all of the channels more than half of elementary school kids wanted to get into NASA.
I don't understand what the rookie was thinking on that one. - fractalman, on 11/21/2007, -2/+12The more money we give to the education system, the bigger the bureaucracy grows and less money actually gets to the educators. "No Child left Behind" is working real good....NOT. The only thing gained by the creation of the federal department of education is, the feds now have control over the schools. How well is that working out? Control of education needs to be returned to the states. Only then can people have any type of influence over their local education system. As long as the feds fund education, they control education, and dictate what is taught in the classroom.
- dinostabOMG, on 11/21/2007, -4/+14I'll add that in the same sentence, the article says he's suggesting cutting spending from the occupation of Iraq. There's a no-brainer for you, the biggest and most unnecessary area of spending that's bleeding us dry? 18 billion is a drop in the bucket compared to what we could free up from Iraq. If it's necessary, I think astronauts can wait five more years to get to the moon.... AGAIN. Or are we worried about falling behind China as well in our essential mission of dicking around in space?
- thcobbs, on 11/21/2007, -1/+10Spending more money is not the answer. I live in a state where .50 of every tax dollar goes to Education. What did it get us? A massively bloated administrative wing and teacher asking students to bring paper towels because class-supply money is so tight.
- jvolkman, on 11/21/2007, -0/+9 It's difficult to do much when budget cuts are being thrown at you. NASA had twice its current funding during the height of the Apollo program (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Budget ), AND education was better.
- PeppermintPig, on 11/21/2007, -2/+10"A program that rewards the teachers when students show progress."
They call that the free market, and it doesn't require a predesignated program to work. - wheresthevan, on 11/21/2007, -0/+8i send my kids to private school too... the public school systems in most places are a joke compared to private schools where teachers make more and parents are more involved...
hmmmmmmm.... - jakeson2, on 11/21/2007, -0/+8That is so TRUE. It is shameful that we allow teachers unions to destroy our children's education by allowing the tenure of bad teachers. One said teachers are underpaid. I cannot DISAGREE MORE STRONGLY. Most teachers in our schools are making more than the average worker subject to layoffs, firing etc. Yet teachers get 3 months off every year and get paid for it. Teachers unions and tenure MUST GO.
- inactive, on 11/21/2007, -2/+10Well, you know, most people don't see a need for NASA and think it is funded at the same level as the Defense Dept.
- freestatelover, on 11/21/2007, -2/+9John Stossel gave a report on 20/20 that proved education spending did not equal education results. Obama seems to be whistling Dixie with his head up his ass.
- inactive, on 11/21/2007, -0/+7I went to a private school, but the teachers made less than public schools. My impression is that the ones in the private schools wanted to teach, while the public school teachers got into it because they get summers off.
- brstilson, on 11/21/2007, -3/+10Oh no, we're not as good at space as Russia! Whatever shall we do?!?!?!?!
- Alpione, on 11/21/2007, -1/+8One part of your post that isn't true is that private schools pay their teachers more than public. That's true in some cases, but here in Atlanta it's not. Some teachers go to public schools to get more money, while others go to private schools for better working conditions, better students, etc.
- j0ew00ds, on 11/21/2007, -0/+7there's plenty of science and tech advances as a result of NASA. I agree with geddon, the money has to come from the military directly.
- shortarabguy, on 11/21/2007, -11/+18First question: Because part of their purpose( along with providing the schools) is allocating space in each classroom. Where I went to school there were around 3 high schools in a mile or 2-mile radius because one school would never have been enough to handle everyone. If you allowed the people to choose, they'd all flood into one school, or they would flood into a school that's not necessarily closer to their home.
As for your comparison to other nations, looking at Finland( which, according to article 1, is ranked first in reading literacy and consistently scored higher than the US in mathematics and sciences), you'll see that they have compulsory education for 9 years starting at age 7, fully funded by the government and accomplished by sending the kid to the local school. After that 9 years, they go to secondary school depending on their test scores, either on track for a 3-part education( for higher learning), or 2-part( which is geared more toward vocational education skills).
Tl;Dr They're considerably socialized. Their laws clearly favor public schools over private schools, and they require you to go to the school which they designate. Also, for what it's worth, studies tend to show that kids do better if they go to pre-school, as it helps them with Kindergarten, which helps them through elementary school, etc...
It's not a problem that the system is there at all, it's HOW the system accomplishes its goals.
article 1: http://www.siteselection.com/ssinsider/snapshot/sf ...
just for ***** and giggles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Finland - oldhick, on 11/21/2007, -7/+14Don't let the facts ***** up Diggers. They believe spending more government money solves any and all issues!!!
- sunchild, on 11/21/2007, -2/+8Right now, teachers are the dregs of society. First, you have to fire them all. Then you raise salaries and re-hire based on stringent qualifications. We need to get rid of the idiots in schools who sit at the front of the room before anything will improve.
- janeuner, on 11/21/2007, -2/+8Yes, the Air Force spent 63 billion on air superiority fighter jets. Supposedly, they are the best in the world. The cost/benefit was high, but it is measurable.
However, spending an extra $300 per student...to do what? How does an extra $300 help? Tell me exactly what you want to spend it on, show me the cost/benefit, and I will consider it. Otherwise, its just more deficit. - captbbq, on 11/21/2007, -0/+6Thats not even adjusted for inflation...
- jonms83, on 11/21/2007, -2/+8Lets just hope the money will trickle down to the teachers. Considering how important their work is, they do get paid too little.
In addition, I hope this will raise the bar for teaching, allowing schools to be more picky about teachers, and have a higher quality of education. - captbbq, on 11/21/2007, -2/+8Just on the heels of the top ten digg indicating "most people thin NASA budget is near 25% of Federal budget" The NASA budget is actually about 0.6 percent of that.... or around 12-16 Billion... LESS than Obamas' proposed increase for education.
Its obvious he is just another politician playing off peoples' ignorance. My respect for him has gone down. - PeppermintPig, on 11/21/2007, -31/+37Obama's children attend private school. And yet he thinks throwing money at a problem will fix it? What a joker!
- sunchild, on 11/21/2007, -1/+7News flash: if you want to be successful in a nepotist society like ours, you have to join all the right clubs. Public school isn't going to cut it in NYC or Washington.
- captbbq, on 11/21/2007, -1/+7NASAs budget is around 15 Billion, Obama wants 18 Billion for education, you do the math (Because he obviously can't)
- slantyeyed, on 11/21/2007, -0/+5The skinny on how he intends to fun his education plan.
"To pay for his proposals, Obama suggested cutting spending on the Iraq war, delaying sending astronauts to the moon by five years, auctioning surplus federal property and closing a tax loophole for chief executives, among other things." - patosan, on 11/21/2007, -0/+5Obama's solution to our education system is essentially new programs, reform some existing programs (No Child Left Behind etc.) and more money. We already pay more money per student than any other country.
Reform the existing system and get it working well first. Before that we have no business even thinking about additional programs.
More programs and more money does NOT fix a fundamentally flawed system. We have over forty years of new programs and increasing funding as evidence. - KingCook, on 11/21/2007, -5/+10A program that rewards the teachers when students show progress. So good teachers are rewarded when this will stimulate competition between the teachers and give the teachers more incentive to helping the ones who have got room for improvement ... The students should also be rated on their evolution more then on their grades I think
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