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Scores decline again for 13-year-old students in reading and mathematics (2023)
251–260 of 320 posts
Re: Scores decline again for 13-year-old students in reading and mathematics (2023)
#252Earlier quoted context omitted.
Or look at corporations + elites constantly attacking children for the last 40 years (pushing school vouchers, school choices, attacking teacher unions, politicizing school boards). Who do you think suffers when elites attack public education? It's always the children. Fun fact: Silicon Valley elites are big proponents of school vouchers because, like their hatred of American labor, they also hate public schools and…
> Who do you think suffers when elites attack public education? It's always the children. Exactly. And who benefits from a less educated, less aware populace? The answer is pretty clear: look at who is benefiting right now!
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Re: Scores decline again for 13-year-old students in reading and mathematics (2023)
#253Much ink has been spilled in the comments already, but as a child of the 80s, computers were a class, and not a lifestyle. If I had gone through school with what's available today, I doubt I would have done as well as I did. Most things were handwritten, I learned cursive, and computer class was Oregon Trail and basic programming essentially. Looking back, I don't think Chromebooks, iPads and the like would have been…
Oh how I hated having to learn cursive when I was in school. What an utter waste of limited instructional time that could have been better spent on mathematics or science or touch typing or creative writing or literally any other subject. If some students really want to learn calligraphy then make it an art elective but don't torture the rest of us.
touch typing is about as useful as … (whatever is the most useless thing). science? I spent years in science classes from elem all the way through uni, physics, chemistry, thermodynamics, you name it, about as useful to me (and 99.6% of my classmates) as russian I learned along the way too. cursive is art and everyone needs a little art. my kid goes to private school and non-cursive is practically forbidden (you are allowed to print of course but not a single student does, it is beautiful getting to read what my kid writes when I get my friday folder :) )
Re: Scores decline again for 13-year-old students in reading and mathematics (2023)
#254Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Averaged across the general student population, there was no statistically significant correlation between a school’s spending levels and its students’ academic performance in 27 of the 28 academic indicators used in the model. In the only category that did show a statistically significant correlation — seventh-grade math — the impact of spending more was very small. https://www.mackinac.org/S2016-02#results
This analysis is rather weak, just a linear regression with 2 variables it seems. I'm not saying there's a direct link of school spending and academic performance but this is barely trying. Your average undergrad could've made a better study.
Could you link an alternative study?
Re: Scores decline again for 13-year-old students in reading and mathematics (2023)
#255Much ink has been spilled in the comments already, but as a child of the 80s, computers were a class, and not a lifestyle. If I had gone through school with what's available today, I doubt I would have done as well as I did. Most things were handwritten, I learned cursive, and computer class was Oregon Trail and basic programming essentially. Looking back, I don't think Chromebooks, iPads and the like would have been…
Isn't the available learning material better than it has ever been? As a 30-something, basic AI uses completely blow my mind. It has never been this easy to be curious, because there is a machine in my pocket that reduces the cost of finding answers to nearly zero. I can point my phone at a painting and dig as deep as I want into its subject, artist, movement and so on. It's a real world Pokédex. Then there are count…
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Re: Scores decline again for 13-year-old students in reading and mathematics (2023)
#256Earlier quoted context omitted.
Chronic absence is up and truancy is down according to this report. Not really what I’d expect for phone use—both should trend flat or up. I wonder if there’s a way to validate the hypothesis that post-shutdown, some of the cohort that would have missed a day here and there now see school as optional and miss more days. Overall, the reported effect is sad and should be addressed. These are people’s lives.
Chronic absence numbers are misleading. We all know that they are just placeholder stats for other factors and we should focus on those. My 3rd grade daughter was unlucky with various illnesses and missed about 12 days this year (so far). I got a letter from her principal attempting to guilt trip me for her "Chronic absence". I wrote an angry response (in retrospect it was too angry since he had no choice about the l…
> in retrospect it was too angry since he had no choice
Imho you did the right thing. Everyone has a choice.
I did the same (but instead of an email it was an angry speech, face to face), with the exact same question (if they would prefer my sending sick children to school). My child's grades were fine, too. Haven't received any letters after that.
Re: Scores decline again for 13-year-old students in reading and mathematics (2023)
#257Earlier quoted context omitted.
Covid doesn't explain the drop from 2012 to 2020 though, as the tests were administered Fall of 2019 and therefore pre-Covid.
The decrease from 2012 to 2020 was much less and generally not statistically significant. Further 2012 was the all time high, you'd expect some regression to the mean.
> Further 2012 was the all time high
It's an all time high because it started declining after that. You'd expect some regression, but you don't expect it to fall back to 1980s levels.
Re: Scores decline again for 13-year-old students in reading and mathematics (2023)
#258Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've just been assuming it's all gotten way, way worse over the last 20 years or so, too. One of the main things keeping it even slightly in check was local newspapers and TV stations with actual reporters. Those are all gone, either shuttered or snapped up by huge companies that fired most of the staff and are milking them for the last money they can provide, or using them to distribute propaganda (e.g. Sinclair), a…
I remember hearing David Simon, creator of The Wire, predicting this (fall of local news enabling unchecked corruption). Here's an article on it from nearly 20 years ago: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/mar/27/david-simon-wi... > "Oh, to be a state or local official in America over the next 10 to 15 years, before somebody figures out the business model," says Simon, a former crime reporter for the Baltimore Su…
Corruption is not new- in fact looking at US history it appeared to be the norm. Tammany Hall, railroad barons, the Prohibition, Standard Oil. There were just a brief few decades after WW2 when it slipped into the background.
Re: Scores decline again for 13-year-old students in reading and mathematics (2023)
#259Earlier quoted context omitted.
No one has discussed that lack of rigour in public education anymore. In my neighborhood the kids don't have homework until grade 7. Literally not a piece of homework came home from grade 1-6. While I am not saying give kids more homework for the sake of work -- you do need to have some rigour. There was a movement about 10 years ago to let kids be kids and have lots of free time for exploration etc, remove competiti…
Much of the homework assigned at my local public high school is repetitive busy work. I'm not surprised that students don't care. And some of it is a completely worthless waste of time, like literally making little arts and crafts projects that would be more suitable for elementary school. I know that teaching is a tough job but it seems like a significant fraction of them are putting in the least possible effort.
Math, reading and writing are all accomplished by repetition and building muscle memory.
The adults in the room saying you don't need that in order to learn are doing a disservice to the next generation.
There is also a lot of busy work but again work and being able to do work, sustain focus requires the development of that skill and muscle. Especially in this day and age where everyone is vying for your attention.
Re: Scores decline again for 13-year-old students in reading and mathematics (2023)
#260[flagged]