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StumbleSUN EDITORIAL:
In need of a better future
State’s attitude toward schools, diversification shortchanges next generation
Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010 | 2:06 a.m.
This weekend the Las Vegas Sun’s Emily Richmond reported on the biennial survey by Nevada’s Education Department on student attitudes, and the survey’s results were troubling. For example, nearly one in five middle school students last year admitted to intentionally harming themselves, and nearly that many said they had gone hungry because of a lack of food at home.
The number of high schoolers who last year reported drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and using marijuana had all increased from 2007, as had the number of students who said they had stopped some usual activities because of feeling sad and hopeless.
Educators and analysts said the higher numbers are likely linked to the nation’s economic problems, which have deeply affected Nevada. Children are suffering right along with their parents. However, the effect of the recession on children will not necessarily be alleviated once the economy turns around. The state has been cutting education and other services that support children, and those cuts will have an exponential effect because Nevada has never had a large array of services, nor has it adequately supported education. As a result, students have struggled to thrive here.
That was evident in the latest survey of education in the nation. Education Week magazine graded the states and the District of Columbia on a number of criteria, including the quality of education and funding for the schools. Nevada was given a D-plus and ranked second to last in the nation.
One of the most troubling aspects of Education Week’s study was its ranking for a student’s chance for success, which used student performance and indicators of family stability to rate the states. In that category, Nevada finished last in the country with a D-plus.
Things could get worse. Gov. Jim Gibbons likes to talk about cutting budgets and happily has combated the state university system, demanding reductions. His plans for public schools haven’t been much better, as his latest proposals show signs of deep budget cuts. That is not a surprise. Many of Gibbons’ anti-government ilk would prefer if public education were done away with completely. What we’re seeing in Nevada is the slow bloodletting of the entire public education system.
Education is an important foundation for a successful society, and it is crucial for economic success. The Brookings Institution recently reported that cities in the region that are weathering the economy the best are those with better-educated populations. Education is also a key for diversifying the state’s economy, which is long overdue. The state has suffered in no small part because of its reliance on tourism and mining as the main economic drivers — and major sources of tax revenue.
Political leaders need to realize that what they do today will have a tremendous effect on future generations. It is beyond time for the state’s leaders like Gibbons to stop talking about the problems and start talking about the solutions. The state is in need of a fresh vision for the future, one that centers on building for the future and giving Nevadans, particularly its children, a reason to hope.
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There is one and only one resource that is absoluely vital, absolutely. Reading the above editorial is disgusting if in fact one out of five kids don't have enough food at home.
The education of Americans is the most crucial responsibility in this nation. We must stand up now and not take it for granted.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner and required studies like Latin, Greek and French and Spanish, Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, Chemistry, biology and physics and other higher mathematics must be made mandatory prior to college and students must be tested as to their progress. All students must be required to jog three miles in the morning except those who can't. Schools must be open all year not closed in summer. Schools must be teaching from 8AM until 4PM all year and hand 'em that brown bag dinner as they walk out the door heading home.
Banish pickle relish and ketchup as two servings of veggies as Pres. Reagan instituted. Put in oatmeal and kale and turkey breasts. NO hotdogs and mixed meat. Banish the teachers union. Leave no child behind as did AWOLBush.
When the U.S. starts looking at other nations as being more intelligent, better educated and edging the U.S. out of technology developments then we will have been beaten and there will no turning back. This will happen in 2020 if we don't act today. Learn. There's nothing worse than being out thought, out smarted and laughed at as an idiot. Ask AWOLBush how he felt in the White House after admitting to a C average at Yale. MIT would have kicked his skeleton out the first week due to that.
Comrads and Central Committee Members, READ, HEED or BLEED. Cocktails at Ellis Island at about noon.
We need to offer options other than the education bureacracy's poorly performing and increasingly out-dated factory-like "one size fits all" model. Each child should come with a "scholarship", more for those with special needs, that can be spent at any accredited public, private or charter school. There should be statewide testing every January, with average scores by school, grade & teacher posted on the internet. There needs to be more classroom hours and increased requirements, especially in math, science, and languages. The community college curriculum needs to be pushed down into the high schools so that students graduate with certification in some field (and yes, this will push up the academic requirements for elementary & middle schools). Inept teachers & insufficient funding may be problems, but the real problem is the system and those that run it. 2010 -- the time for real change!
Translation:
Raise taxes, raise taxes and, of course raise taxes.
It if funny that they love taxes except when it comes to the taxing of the Greenspuns businesses. When that was proposed they sounded like Republicans talking about how that would hurt the economy.
Hypocrites!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Excessive government spending on nonproductive areas of the economy shortchanges our children's future. Not only do we leave them with less wealth, we leave them with a big bill to pay back our extravagant spending.
PS, from 1959 to 2007, Nevada's education spending per pupil went up 169% - and that is above inflation. We spend more and get less in return. Same is true for higher ed. Its time to put some competitive pressure on them to perform.
If the prices could come down from the companies who provide services, books, school supplies,etc, to our students and our school districts could tighten down on their waste, we could probably be able to give our students more AND give our teachers a pay raise, lord knows they deserve it.
"Education is an important foundation for a successful society"
Education is important BUT, we did fine for 100 years with out the concept of the modern PUBLIC SCHOOL. We did fine for about 150 years with out the centralized bureaucracy that continues to grow in the modern public school. We did fine for 200 years without the federalization of public education.
Also, there are 56 studies comparing private schools to public schools on issues like "tolerance" and "civic knowledge." 33 find that private schools do a statistically significant better job than public schools. Only 3 find that public schools do a better job. So if education was important for a successful society -- especially a successful republic, you wouldn't want to put your money on the modern public school.
Gibby is consistent with his rant. If Gibby had his way, there would be NO public schools in Nevada.
His "free trade" beliefs, in his mind, will work for all situations......its all about competition. If you don't think so, just ask Gibby!
I wonder if Gibby attended a public school or a private school....maybe he was "home schooled."
He has to be related to the "blockhead" in Carson City who believes that the less money we spend on education, the better... "birds of a feather.."
The biggest roadblocks to successful education in Nevada are Governor Paranoid and Parental involvement.
Some parents send their kids to school and inspect what the expect, and these children for the most part find a way to thrive.
If Governor Paranoia would come out of his bunker and begin to work with and lead the parents of students in our poor performing schools he might find ways to cut the budget that are meaningful.
The preponderance of "blame" goes to the parents. Governor Paranoia is only interested in his re-erection. It is a toxic mix.
Apparently Gibbons is satisfied keeping the public dumb. That is why people of his ilk keep getting elected. They are involved in the consistent dumbing down of our society to try to keep us down and quiet. Thank you Governor Gibbons for selling our future out before they even have a chance.
El Lobo,
I'd support public schools if they worked. They don't work well. So I want a system of education that works. I don't know about you, but I'm not satisfied with the status quo. But, who knows, maybe you like having public schools where less than 50% of African American and Hispanic students can read at grade level by the 4th grade.
While you ponder that, maybe you can point to a situation where a monopoly provided a great service at a low price?
Patrick_R_Gibbons writes: "from 1959 to 2007, Nevada's education spending per pupil went up 169% - and that is above inflation."
What people fail to realize is in the early 1960s children with mental and physical handicaps were not educated in public schools. Such children were (usually) housed in facilities for the "mentally retarded" or kept at home. In the late 1960s there began a movement to educate these children in the public school system.
Today the facilities for the "mentally retarded" are closed, and the children given opportunities to live more "normal" lives, to include public education. However, it is expensive to educate these students in public schools because the class sizes must be kept small and frequently individual students require their own adult aide.
Some of the increase in the cost of public education is the result of educating students with mental or physical disabilities. The additional cost must be kept in mind when looking at the increase in cost from 1959 to 2009.
Glob,
The biggest growth in student with learning disabilities is SLD - not severe disabilities. In fact, according to Dr. Jay P. Greene of the University of Arkansas, the slight increase in severe mentally handicapped children (do to better technologies at saving children at birth) can not account for that massive increase in spending.
Furthermore, private schools already educate 1.5% of all mentally handicapped kids and do so for less than the public schools.
Would not the natural progression of a completely unregulated free trade system be a monopoly?
Gibby said....
"Furthermore, private schools already educate 1.5% of all mentally handicapped kids and do so for less than the public schools."
WOW! That's amazing.....what is that, 3 kids out of every 200 mentally handicapped kids.