Poor Man Survival
Self Reliance tools for
independent minded people…
ISSN
2161-5543
A Digest of Urban
Survival Resources
American
Education is Failing the Grade
I’ve
always found it ironic that America has 51 different departments of
education. Each seem to duplicating the
other and competing with each other to waste taxpayer dollars.
While
the United States may get an “A” for its spending on education…over the past 70
years, we have increased inflation-adjusted spending per student by
approximately 650 percent, more than any other nation on earth. Yet our students lag behind students in other
nations in literacy, science, and basic math.
Once
challenge most Americans are unaware of is that often we hear or read about a
huge round of cash going to a school system and everyone assumes it is headed
to the teacher and student for better books and training materials. That is rarely the case. It frequently winds up in the pocket of
administrators and staff…or as what happened in Detroit in 2017, it was stolen
by principals [ Over a dozen current and former principals in the Detroit public
school system have been charged in a conspiracy scheme involving more than $900,000
in kickbacks and bribes, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
At least 13 principals are named in the federal complaints —
including the principal of a school that was featured on “The Ellen DeGeneres
Show” and received $500,000 in donations because conditions there were so poor.
One of the principals, Ronald Alexander, had received about
$23,000 in kickbacks, the federal complaint says.
Alexander appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in February
when DeGeneres surprised his performing arts school with donations from Lowe’s
Home Improvement and pop star Justin Bieber, who pledged $1 from each ticket of
his Michigan concert toward Spain Elementary-Middle School.
During the show, teachers told Degeneres how they did not have
enough money for books for each of the students and how classrooms lacked heat.
More:
https://100percentfedup.com/principal-caught-stealing-from-deteriorating-detroit-school-that-got-500000-donation-from-ellen-degeneres-video/]
Despite
our enormous failures, teacher unions railed against the appointment Secretary
DeVos in 2017 and launched juvenile demonstrations against her visits to
various schools.
The
average annual expenditure per student in the United States in now
$16,268. In most other nations the
average is $9,487 and yet they outperform Americans in all three categories of
reading, science and math. Those nations
include: Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan,
Estonia, Taiwan, Finland, S. Korea, Ireland, Slovenia, Germany, Denmark, New
Zealand, Netherlands, Australia, United Kingdom and Portugal.
U.S. students lag behind the industrial world
– the Program for International Student Assessment is a test measuring the
performance of 15-year-old students in 70 countries and educational
systems. Their most recent analysis from
2015 assess the literacy, math, and science proficiency for 540,000 pupils,
including 5,700 Americans.
76
percent of American students lag behind, falling to 31st place in
overall scores among the 35 OCED nations in 2015 testing ranking 24th
in reading; 25th in science; and 40th in math…high school
graduates are not adequately prepared for their first year of college!
The
educational system our Founding Fathers created provided vast opportunities for
millions throughout our history. But in
recent years, the effectiveness of that education has deteriorated. The reason for the decline, according to
Susan Jacoby, author of The Age of
American Unreason, has been a comprehensive ‘dumbing down’ of American
education which has been steadily declining for decades by a combination of
forces including the triumph of video culture over print culture; the erosion
of general knowledge, and ARROGANCE about that lack of knowledge.
I
would further add to that a lack of parental involvement and over-reliance on
the use of computers and electronic devices plus a lack of discipline in the
classroom.
The
deficiency of America’s education systems is evident beyond just the subjects
of reading, science and math. A
staggering number of young people are geographically illiterate, and great
percentages are unaware of constitutional rights that have been vital to
America’s success.
“Dumb
as a box of rocks” is how most of my generation view some of this generation
when they cannot even tell you who won the Civil War. Watching old episodes of Jay Leno’s
“Streetwalking” or Fox News’ Waters
World amazes us when young people are asked basic questions such as who
the vice president is or who fought our War for Independence and the subjects
are unable to answer. Just what are they
teaching in school today or more importantly, how are they able to successfully
progress through each grade and graduate?
Another
recent test, for example, showed 37% of young Americans could not located
Louisiana on a map; 48% could not find Mississippi. On a world map 75% could not find Israel and
47% were not able to locate India!
In
regard to our First Amendment and the rights it guarantees, 52% did not know it
guaranteed Freedom of Speech. Nearly 85% did not know that it
guarantees Freedom of Religion!
Nearly
74% had no idea there are three branches of government! Just what are they teaching in schools?
Many
American adults who lack formal education beyond high school have trouble
locating and comprehending everyday information. Nearly 95% failed one or more complex tasks
such as understanding credit card offers or comparing two newspaper editorials
with contrasting economic evidence.
My
wife who manages a small business located in several cities encounters problems
with adults on a weekly basis. She finds
adults who are seemingly challenged to perform even basic tasks including
filling out a check properly or how to input an entry code or how to replace a
lock properly [even though they just removed it]. She often complains about something that
seems to be in short supply…plain old common sense.
Examples
of mentally impaired adults abound behind the wheel of vehicles as well. Each snow season we see folks who cannot adequately
remove snow from their windows or navigate a sharp turn by slowing down enough
on an icy road without hitting another driver or folks who forget to turn their
headlights on when dusk arrives. It’s
been said that at any given time 50 to 55% of all drivers are distracted with
either food a beverage or drugs and/or alcohol or lack of sleep. [Opioid abuse now accounts for more deaths
than shootings or alcohol].
As
my mother once quipped, the masses are asses and they prove it every day. What makes this particularly troubling is
stupid people are easier for politicians to control and we see plenty of evidence
every day.
When
I traveled the country on the public lecture circuit my fellow speakers often
lamented the lack of ambition among people in this nation, especially compared
to many immigrants. Those who did seek
out learning opportunities were called the “five percenters.” That represented the percentage of adults on
average which our experience found who tended to be ambitious.
In
sales the old joke was “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it
drink.” That seems to apply to many
humans as well. Below you will find a
link to free courses that you can take advantage of or share with others.
1300 Free Online Courses from
Universities-Links to Other Free Courses
What about
you? Got anything interesting to share?
Bruce, the Poor Man, free thinker, social critic
& cynic
"The average man does not want to be free.
He simply wants to be safe."
-- H. L. Mencken
He simply wants to be safe."
-- H. L. Mencken
A Final Note…
Contributors and subscribers enable the Poor Man Survivor to post 150+ free essays annually. It is for this reason they are Heroes and Heroines of New Media. Without your financial support, the free content would disappear for the simple reason that I cannot keep body and soul together on my meager book sales & ecommerce alone.
Special Offer for our Readers
72-hour Emergency Meal
kit that's being offered contains 16 total servings of such delicious meals as
Blue Ribbon Creamy Chicken Rice, the always-loved Granny's Homestyle Potato
Soup and the stick-to-your-ribs breakfast favorite Maple Grove Oatmeal.
This kit normally sells for $27, plus shipping and handling and
is rated 4½ out of five stars by customers.
While supplies last, these kits are available for only $21.95
and that includes Priority Shipping [we were force to increase prices due to
another round of USPS price hikes]. Go here for this deal:
Additional
Resources
How to Survive the War on the Middle Class
14 of the best reports I’ve assembled on protecting your
freedom-Download link.
Support
our efforts by shopping my storefront…
>>Want to improve your brain? Learn how here:
Nurturing
neurons with green tea…Sipping
two cups of green tea daily revs the flow of oxygen
and nutrient-rich blood to your brain 25%, staving of brain aging, and boosts
your focus, concentration and short-term memory 18% or more, say Mt. Sinai
School researchers. The credit goes to
an antioxidant in green tea, EGCG which is proven to also help keep your heart
young.
You Have a 16-Cylinder Brain-Learn How to Use it &
Re-Awaken the Genius Inside You!
I know everyone is short on time in this hectic world so I’ve kept this
PDF short and to the point with links to expert how-to articles and guides
including:
·
How to Increase Your Intelligence
·
6 Step Brain Exercise Steve Jobs Used to
Boost Creativity
·
6 Simple Habits to Boost Your Intelligence
·
The Best Vitamins to Increase Brain
Function
·
How a Harvard Brain Specialist Keeps Her
Brain Healthy
·
A Review of the Top 10 Brain [Limitless]
Pills
·
How to Protect Your Cognitive Function
A
Smoking Frog Feature, Shallow Planet Production
3 comments:
The average high school curriculum was twice as difficult in the 1920s as it is today-the level and quality of literature was far superior. I'm convinced that reading is superior to tablets in terms of memory retention also. Kids today are coddled...who the hell would have put up with 'safe spaces' at any time during the past 2,000 years?!
We agree-people do seem to be getting dumber. I blame schools and people's addiction to shiny objects. As your series on robotics pointed out - our future is shaky as AI will likely take over everything.
I have a hard time finding qualified workers for my business. So many kids today can barely read. I wonder how they were allowed to graduate?
Post a Comment