Bill Gates: My Plan to Fix The World's Biggest Problems • Hacker News Board

Re: Bill Gates: My Plan to Fix The World's Biggest Problems

#71

Post by specialist » Sat, Jan 26, 2013, 6:17 PM UTC

SoftwareMaven wrote: post #59

specialist wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with what you say. What bothers me about the Gates Foundation is their education agenda. Their priorities reflect a naive reductionist worldview akin to Rudyard Kiplings' Just So Stories. MEASUREMENT I'm confounded by the emphasis on Taylorism ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_management ) and privatization, and by extension the emphasis on teacher performance. Make a list of all things wrong with pub…

I don't necessarily disagree with much you wrote, but this piece about corporate charter schools, Alas, free market means monopoly, not more parental choice. seems like it came out of nowhere. Since charter schools entered my area, my kids have gone from two choices, the local high school and a gifted program for engineering students at a local college, to many choices, includes a performing arts school, a science an…

Thanks.

Yea, that was quite the leap. I see privatization equated with competitiveness all the time. (As those the bidding process isn't an insider rigged game, but that's whole 'nother issue.)

I'm pleased that charter school led to greater diversity and choice in your district. Like they say, YMMV.

In the reports I've read, charter schools have been selectively admitting students, cherry picking, excluding the low potential, aptitude students. Reinforcing inequity.

Whereas public schools have to take all students. Different rules, same scoring system. Very unfair.

In my district, we've had short-lived "magnet" programs and schools. They're hugely popular with students and parents. Teachers seem like them too. District administrators hate them. Non standard. Must be closed down. Taylorism redux.

Two of our low income high schools have hugely popular magnet programs. My friends that teach at those schools say that it creates a class (caste) system, like two schools in one. The smart, rich, mostly white students in the gifted programs. The rest in the remedial programs. The two groups rarely commingle. (I used to volunteer in the classroom, I've seen this firsthand.)

I find that so weird. So much wasted potential.

Whatever the current situation, there's huge money being poured into our local pro-charter school campaigns. So whereas our district foolish tried to culled diversity, maybe we'll eventually get it with new charter schools. That'd be ironic.

Thanks for replying.

Re: Bill Gates: My Plan to Fix The World's Biggest Problems

#72

Post by yummyfajitas » Sat, Jan 26, 2013, 6:17 PM UTC

specialist wrote: post #44

ilaksh wrote: post #23

Feedback and data related to your actual goals is key to achieving anything, and of course education and health should be targeted, but a bigger underlying problem is the structural inequality causing a constant lack of resources for many countries and communities. The fact that Mr. Gates ignores this leads me to believe that he thinks that the grossly unequal distribution of resources is the result of some process t…

I agree with what you say. What bothers me about the Gates Foundation is their education agenda. Their priorities reflect a naive reductionist worldview akin to Rudyard Kiplings' Just So Stories. MEASUREMENT I'm confounded by the emphasis on Taylorism ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_management ) and privatization, and by extension the emphasis on teacher performance. Make a list of all things wrong with pub…

The only measure of teacher performance is student achievement. But with so many factors beyond the control any teacher or group of teachers, it's patently unfair to judge teachers.

This is why you use VAM rather than simple test scores. You build a statistical predictor of how a given group of students should perform, measure how they actually perform, and the teacher's score is (actual - predicted).

The outsourcing of education is just a way to divert money meant for the classroom towards cronies.

Employees of public education system are the cronies you speak of. Consider the recent presidential election - the education industry funneled $21M to the candidate who wanted to spend more money on public education.

http://www.opensecrets.org/pres12/select.php?ind=W04

Re: Bill Gates: My Plan to Fix The World's Biggest Problems

#73

Post by DLWormwood » Sat, Jan 26, 2013, 6:19 PM UTC

technoslut wrote: post #51

dos1 wrote: post #31

I don't get the negativity in this thread. Bill Gates is trying to solve hard problems and people here are complaining. Sure, they may not be the problems that you think are most important, and I'm sure the foundation is making missteps along the way and wasting some money. But his message in this article is a good one I think: > The process I have described—setting clear goals, choosing an approach, measuring result…

>I don't get the negativity in this thread. Bill Gates is trying to solve hard problems and people here are complaining. I respect Bill Gates and think his cause is noble but they are partly childish because of the idealism and the hopes to cure disease. ilaksh's post on this thread is part of the reason why though I wanted to reply to your post instead of doing so to his. It will be far more controversial though. Da…

> The natural question I asked is "Why are you having kids you can't afford?" The question wasn't asked during the piece and it's something that isn't asked worldwide.

You are misusing the word “natural” there…

It could be from no access to contraception or abortion, either due to lack of wealth or social precepts? Social mores that disparage men who don’t have kids? Lack of biological and statistical understanding of how sex and procreation are related?

Even in the West, it was only until recently (the Enlightenment, maybe?) that the notion of “choosing to have children” even existed. It was either considered an uncontrollable instinct or something influenced by divine providence, with the actual question of sexual behavior being dodged outright.

Re: Bill Gates: My Plan to Fix The World's Biggest Problems

#74

Post by DanBC » Sat, Jan 26, 2013, 6:23 PM UTC

krie wrote: post #5

The biggest problem is resource depletion and overpopulation. Overpopulation will be "fixed" through starvation and death. Resource depletion will leave the current young and future generations with far less extravagant lives. Adding to the overpopulation through vaccination programmes und su weiter is a misstep.

Resources are depleted by rich westerners. These are not the people dying from starvation.

Re: Bill Gates: My Plan to Fix The World's Biggest Problems

#75

Post by Alex3917 » Sat, Jan 26, 2013, 6:23 PM UTC

dos1 wrote: post #31

I don't get the negativity in this thread. Bill Gates is trying to solve hard problems and people here are complaining. Sure, they may not be the problems that you think are most important, and I'm sure the foundation is making missteps along the way and wasting some money. But his message in this article is a good one I think: > The process I have described—setting clear goals, choosing an approach, measuring result…

"Bill Gates is trying to solve hard problems and people here are complaining."

If you actually look at KIPP (the main education reform that Bill Gates advocates), it seems more like an effort to basically enslave low-income minorities rather than a real attempt to improve education. I think there is actually pretty good reason to complain about this.

Re: Bill Gates: My Plan to Fix The World's Biggest Problems

#76

Post by yummyfajitas » Sat, Jan 26, 2013, 6:23 PM UTC

specialist wrote: post #71

SoftwareMaven wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't necessarily disagree with much you wrote, but this piece about corporate charter schools, Alas, free market means monopoly, not more parental choice. seems like it came out of nowhere. Since charter schools entered my area, my kids have gone from two choices, the local high school and a gifted program for engineering students at a local college, to many choices, includes a performing arts school, a science an…

Thanks. Yea, that was quite the leap. I see privatization equated with competitiveness all the time. (As those the bidding process isn't an insider rigged game, but that's whole 'nother issue.) I'm pleased that charter school led to greater diversity and choice in your district. Like they say, YMMV. In the reports I've read, charter schools have been selectively admitting students, cherry picking, excluding the low p…

...hugely popular magnet programs...creates a class (caste) system, like two schools in one. The smart, rich, mostly white students in the gifted programs. The rest in the remedial programs...So much wasted potential.

How so? It sounds as if the students capable of handling high level work are receiving it. Similarly, the students needing remedial help are also receiving it.

Would it be better if students who can't do long division were dropped in a calculus class, or students who are capable of doing calculus were bored re-learning long division?

What is the potential you believe is wasted?

Re: Bill Gates: My Plan to Fix The World's Biggest Problems

#77

Post by specialist » Sat, Jan 26, 2013, 6:23 PM UTC

SoftwareMaven wrote: post #64

specialist wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with what you say. What bothers me about the Gates Foundation is their education agenda. Their priorities reflect a naive reductionist worldview akin to Rudyard Kiplings' Just So Stories. MEASUREMENT I'm confounded by the emphasis on Taylorism ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_management ) and privatization, and by extension the emphasis on teacher performance. Make a list of all things wrong with pub…

On the firing, my first real job almost didn't happen. It was for a government contractor and another group was trying to slot its bad apple into the position. She was minority woman who was often found sleeping on the job, hanging out for hours in the women's restroom, etc. As a minority woman in a government job, she was impossible to fire. It wasn't until the politics settled that I could be hired. The real questi…

I'm personally quite content to pay people to stay home.

I got to layoff the under performers on my team. Productivity soared. The whole time, it would have been cheaper for me to pay them to go away.

More seriously...

Humans are hard wired to punish cheaters. It can go wrong. But preventing it is also counter productive. My hope (optimism) is that with greater transparency, we'll have better feedback loops, to better identify and mitigate the cheaters.

Re: Bill Gates: My Plan to Fix The World's Biggest Problems

#78

Post by gesman » Sat, Jan 26, 2013, 6:26 PM UTC

Dear Bill Gates. Here's yardstick to measure residual value of your efforts: If you'd stop doing whatever you're doing, will the world continue benefit from your past efforts for ages to come?

Compare "buying food for the hungry" and "teaching the man to fish" - which effort carry more residual value?

You developed DOS, and then Windows. Even when you stopped - the world continued rolling with your software and building more and more great stuff on top of it. Even Ballmer with all his powers couldn't derail your past efforts.

Dear Bill Gates, please stop taking consequences for causes, stop fighting with shadows. See where you can turn on the light so it will shine when you'll be long gone. Money + creativity goes the long way. It's time to add creativity. You can do that! You can do that!

Re: Bill Gates: My Plan to Fix The World's Biggest Problems

#79

Post by paganel » Sat, Jan 26, 2013, 6:31 PM UTC

reasonattlm wrote: post #26

So far as I'm aware, the Gates Foundation does nothing in regard to the world's biggest problem, which is aging. Aging kills the most people, causes the greatest amount of suffering, causes the greatest loss of wealth and capital, falls most heavily on the poor without access to palliative medical technologies, etc, etc. http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2002/12/death-is-an-outra... You'll see a number of mainstream…

> So far as I'm aware, the Gates Foundation does nothing in regard to the world's biggest problem, which is aging

I'd say aging and, yes, death are two related things that have helped us evolve from organic Carbon molecules to a species that is thinking of colonizing other planets in the Solar system. And I also do believe that if "we" as a species (or an evolved species based on our own) ever are to go beyond our Solar System we would only do that if we let this process of evolution continue.

To say nothing of the fact that you cannot have a non-dying and increasing in numbers species such as ours without resorting to eugenics. Eugenics is bad.

Re: Bill Gates: My Plan to Fix The World's Biggest Problems

#80

Post by kenjackson » Sat, Jan 26, 2013, 6:31 PM UTC

Alex3917 wrote: post #75

dos1 wrote: post #31

I don't get the negativity in this thread. Bill Gates is trying to solve hard problems and people here are complaining. Sure, they may not be the problems that you think are most important, and I'm sure the foundation is making missteps along the way and wasting some money. But his message in this article is a good one I think: > The process I have described—setting clear goals, choosing an approach, measuring result…

"Bill Gates is trying to solve hard problems and people here are complaining." If you actually look at KIPP (the main education reform that Bill Gates advocates), it seems more like an effort to basically enslave low-income minorities rather than a real attempt to improve education. I think there is actually pretty good reason to complain about this.

Huh? I've heard complaints about KIPP, but never anything about any sort of metaphorical enslavement. Could you expand?