'Algebra for none' fails in San Francisco

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Apr 17, 2023, 6:21 AM UTC

40yearoldman wrote: post #253

praxulus wrote: post #32

I live in Seattle, not San Francisco, but we have some similar issues with our schools. I'd really prefer to send my son to our local public schools, but if they aren't challenging him appropriately then my wife and I obviously aren't going to just give up on his education. We'll either pay for extracurricular enrichment like the person in this article, move to a wealthy suburb, or send him to a private school instea…

> That's a much worse outcome from an equity lens Bingo, that is the issue, everybody is worried about equity. You can't have it, we need meritocracy, equity is just cruel and unusual punishment to future. It is a recipe for driving society to the lowest common denominator. You should demand proper education or your money back. (Side note, this is what we will get 10x with free college, and the guaranteed loans have…

Post by desertrider12 » Mon, Apr 17, 2023, 6:23 AM UTC

georgeecollins wrote: post #243

testfoobar wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wealthy suburbs are cutting advanced classes too. Palo Alto Unified School District is dropping dual-enrolled Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra (classes taken after AP Calculus BC). https://www.paloaltoonline.com/square/2023/03/29/cancellatio...

My kid is on this track exactly and I think it is a joke that some kids take multivariable calculus or linear algebra in high school. Enrichment and AP has become an arms race for the upper middle class to get their kids into good schools. Realistically, if you are STEM major you probably are going to have to retake these classes anyway. And if you aren't you probably won't need them. I know some kids are really exce…

Post by staunton » Mon, Apr 17, 2023, 6:30 AM UTC

pigsty wrote: post #174

macspoofing wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Today we are graduating an unacceptably large numbers of functional illiterate kids from high school. If a kid graduates high school and they are functionally illiterate, that illustrates neglect by parents over many years. It has nothing to do with the academic background of said parents or whether they themselves can read or write. It has nothing to do with the state of public education, or the quality of teachers…

The kid is the one in class choosing not to read. Parents can be destructive influences on kids, but kids also do have free will and destructive influences amongst their peers who they choose to associate with. It’s a compounding problem and each time we assign blame to one (1) thing, we’re leaving other causes untreated and not making the problem better at all.

Post by staunton » Mon, Apr 17, 2023, 6:33 AM UTC

NoMoreNicksLeft wrote: post #117

jschveibinz wrote: post #2

Argh this grinds my gears. It’s the education SYSTEM that is wrong. We are working with a 150 year old way of educating kids that does not apply to our culture today. Kids aren’t going to work on the farm or in a factory. They need the math!!! For courses like algebra, etc. kids need support at home from parents. When that support isn’t available (for whatever reason), don’t water down the content for goodness sake.…

What percentage of children are capable of learning "the math" under ideal conditions and circumstances? What percentage of children are capable of learning "the math" in practical conditions and circumstances? What is the distribution of ideal ages for children to learn "the math" in practical conditions and circumstances? What happens when those ages (for most) don't line up with the various social factors that wil…

Post by diordiderot » Mon, Apr 17, 2023, 6:43 AM UTC

elzbardico wrote: post #93

sp332 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the idea is that if it’s important to rich parents, they will grudgingly fund education for everyone. But as long as they have these outlets where they can just educate their own kids and leave everyone else behind, they will.

The rich will always have those outlets, and nobody is going to take them away from them, because they have the power. Now, with the disappearing middle class, "just call them the rich, and make them pay for it" has been the default for a long time.