20/20 Episode tonight: "STUPID IN AMERICA: HOW WE ARE CHEATING OUR KIDS"
Daniel MacIntyre
from http://www.abcmedianet.com/pressrel/dispDNR.html?id=010606_01
"STUPID IN AMERICA: HOW WE ARE CHEATING OUR KIDS" WITH JOHN STOSSEL
AIRS ON "20/20," FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2006
Are kids in the United States being cheated out of a quality
education? American high school students fizzle in international
comparisons, placing well behind countries, even poorer countries like
Poland, the Czech Republic and South Korea. American kids do pretty
well when they enter public school, but as time goes on, the worse
they do. Why? School officials complain that they need more money, but
as John Stossel reports, most of the countries that outperform us
spend less per student than we do. There are many factors that
contribute to failure in school, but according to some, foremost is
the government's monopoly over the school system, which means that
most parents don't get to choose where to send their children. In
other countries, choice fosters competition, and competition improves
performance. Stossel questions government officials, union leaders,
parents and students. He also examines how the educational system can
be improved upon and reports on innovative programs across the
country. "Stupid In America: How We Are Cheating Our Kids" with John
Stossel airs on FRIDAY, JANUARY 13 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC
Television Network.
So are American students stupid? "No, we're not stupid...but we just,
we could do better," says one high school student. Another tells
Stossel, "I think it has to be something with the school, 'cause I
don't think we're stupider..."
Stossel questions how much success there can be under a government
monopoly school system. Kevin Chavous, Former D.C. City Councilman and
Education Reformer, tells Stossel the schools will never improve
unless there is competition, "[with] all the well intended designs and
programs du jours, unless there is some competition infused in the
equation...., then...they know they have a captive monopoly that they
can continue to dominate."
School officials complain they need more money, but do they really?
American schools spend about $10,000 per student, totaling $250,000
plus for a class of 25. Where does that money go? Stossel asks South
Carolina school official Dolores Wright, "How much money would be
right?" Wright answers, "...Oooh. Millions. And it would really make
it right...The more, the better."
Some say another stumbling block is that the public school system is
a union dominated monopoly. In Stossel's hometown of New York City, a
teacher who sent sexual e-mails to his 16 year old student was not
fired because the union's rigid contract makes it very hard to fire
any teacher, even dangerous ones. Only after six years of expensive
litigation were they finally able to fire him. Joel Klein, Chancellor
of New York City's schools, tells Stossel, "I mean we've had sex
cases. Acknowledged sex cases... you can't fire him." The teachers
union has so many protections written into the contract to make sure
principals don't fire unfairly, or play favorites, that principals
rarely even try to jump through all these hoops to try to fire a bad
teacher.
Stossel shows how well students do in Belgium's free school choice
system -- because the money is attached to the student, the principal
has to please the parents. And that makes a world of difference. ABC
News gave part of an international test to students in Belgium and
students in New Jersey. The Belgian students did much better than the
New Jersey students.
Stossel offers that American kids deserve the benefits of competition
too, to give them access to schools that are as good as the other
products and services we have in life. Yet the system does not allow
parents and kids a choice - in most states children can only attend
the public school for which they are zoned. Kids of the privileged can
escape the bad school because they can afford to move to good school
zones, or attend private schools. Stossel visits South Carolina, whose
Governor wanted to change that but got voted down by other politicians
and public educators.
"0/20" is anchored by Elizabeth Vargas and John Stossel. David Sloan
is the executive producer.
--
Daniel
( Blogging at http://key-words.blogspot.com/ )
"When the solution is simple, God is answering."
Albert Einstein
--
Daniel
( Blogging at http://key-words.blogspot.com/ )
"When the solution is simple, God is answering."
Albert Einstein
"STUPID IN AMERICA: HOW WE ARE CHEATING OUR KIDS" WITH JOHN STOSSEL
AIRS ON "20/20," FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2006
Are kids in the United States being cheated out of a quality
education? American high school students fizzle in international
comparisons, placing well behind countries, even poorer countries like
Poland, the Czech Republic and South Korea. American kids do pretty
well when they enter public school, but as time goes on, the worse
they do. Why? School officials complain that they need more money, but
as John Stossel reports, most of the countries that outperform us
spend less per student than we do. There are many factors that
contribute to failure in school, but according to some, foremost is
the government's monopoly over the school system, which means that
most parents don't get to choose where to send their children. In
other countries, choice fosters competition, and competition improves
performance. Stossel questions government officials, union leaders,
parents and students. He also examines how the educational system can
be improved upon and reports on innovative programs across the
country. "Stupid In America: How We Are Cheating Our Kids" with John
Stossel airs on FRIDAY, JANUARY 13 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC
Television Network.
So are American students stupid? "No, we're not stupid...but we just,
we could do better," says one high school student. Another tells
Stossel, "I think it has to be something with the school, 'cause I
don't think we're stupider..."
Stossel questions how much success there can be under a government
monopoly school system. Kevin Chavous, Former D.C. City Councilman and
Education Reformer, tells Stossel the schools will never improve
unless there is competition, "[with] all the well intended designs and
programs du jours, unless there is some competition infused in the
equation...., then...they know they have a captive monopoly that they
can continue to dominate."
School officials complain they need more money, but do they really?
American schools spend about $10,000 per student, totaling $250,000
plus for a class of 25. Where does that money go? Stossel asks South
Carolina school official Dolores Wright, "How much money would be
right?" Wright answers, "...Oooh. Millions. And it would really make
it right...The more, the better."
Some say another stumbling block is that the public school system is
a union dominated monopoly. In Stossel's hometown of New York City, a
teacher who sent sexual e-mails to his 16 year old student was not
fired because the union's rigid contract makes it very hard to fire
any teacher, even dangerous ones. Only after six years of expensive
litigation were they finally able to fire him. Joel Klein, Chancellor
of New York City's schools, tells Stossel, "I mean we've had sex
cases. Acknowledged sex cases... you can't fire him." The teachers
union has so many protections written into the contract to make sure
principals don't fire unfairly, or play favorites, that principals
rarely even try to jump through all these hoops to try to fire a bad
teacher.
Stossel shows how well students do in Belgium's free school choice
system -- because the money is attached to the student, the principal
has to please the parents. And that makes a world of difference. ABC
News gave part of an international test to students in Belgium and
students in New Jersey. The Belgian students did much better than the
New Jersey students.
Stossel offers that American kids deserve the benefits of competition
too, to give them access to schools that are as good as the other
products and services we have in life. Yet the system does not allow
parents and kids a choice - in most states children can only attend
the public school for which they are zoned. Kids of the privileged can
escape the bad school because they can afford to move to good school
zones, or attend private schools. Stossel visits South Carolina, whose
Governor wanted to change that but got voted down by other politicians
and public educators.
"0/20" is anchored by Elizabeth Vargas and John Stossel. David Sloan
is the executive producer.
--
Daniel
( Blogging at http://key-words.blogspot.com/ )
"When the solution is simple, God is answering."
Albert Einstein
--
Daniel
( Blogging at http://key-words.blogspot.com/ )
"When the solution is simple, God is answering."
Albert Einstein