The Denver Post - Grads fall shy of state hopes

This is why other countries are kicking our asses in terms of generating more scientists and mathematicians. 

 

At Metropolitan State College in Denver, half the new freshmen don't meet upcoming state requirements for the number of high school courses needed to get into public colleges and universities.

At the University of Northern Colorado, 22 percent of the freshman class fall short of the requirements. And among Colorado State University freshmen, the figure is 17 percent.

The first minimum college-entrance standards weren't scheduled to go into effect until 2008.

But state officials were so alarmed at the number of freshmen - some 3,000 this fall - who wouldn't meet the standards were they in place now that last month they relaxed the requirements to let school districts catch up.

Not up to snuff?  Who gives a crap, we'll pass you anyway's.

"One hundred percent of our kids graduate from high school," he said. "It's not in our business to, in my mind, make sure students just go to a four-year college. That's not the only path."

No one sees a problem with this?  100% of students graduate?  Sure, it's a nice statistic to tout, but you're just creating idiots and giving them the false sense of accomplishment.

This is why I continue to see kids right out of high school who are complete idiots.  They have no preparation for the real world in terms of math, science, basic English skills, or even correct spelling.

For Christ's sake, I get resume's on my desk in Microsoft Word format that have misspellings in them.  Word comes with a spell checker!  These people simply cannot compete on the world stage if they don't have basic skills and knowledge of things around them.

 

They also worry about 2010, when even tougher college-admissions policies come on line that require students to have taken one year of a foreign language and four years of math.

Many school districts already admit they will not be ready.

 

They have 2 full years to get ready and they admit they won't be ready now?  What kind of preparation do they need so that they CAN be ready?  We devote billions of dollars a year towards education and frankly, I think we're being screwed.  We're simply not getting a good value out of it.  We continually see children graduate from grade to grade who haven't passed the tests that were placed in front of them to move onto the next grade. 

I assume that my older readers know of someone or at least have HEARD of someone who was held back a grade or two?  Try hearing about it today.  You simply don't.

So either the teachers and faculty start failing kids that truly aren't ready for the next grade, or start losing funding.  I'm tired of my hard earned tax dollars going for state of the art schools (we've opened up several in the last 5 years with massive amounts of equipment, teachers, and huge buildings) and not having kids who are at least semi competent to run a McDonalds drive through. 

Put it this way, if you paid $70,000 for a new sports car, and the blinkers didn't work, the engine sputtered, and it's 0-60 time was in minutes, you'd feel ripped off and want your money back.  So how is it any different when it comes to educating our children? 

I constantly see propositions during election time for this tax or that tax to go towards paying for schools.  It's a feel good idea but we never get to see actual results.  Instead we're all greeted with people asking for more money, over crowded schools, laughable text books, and idiotic ideas like giving all students ipods.

So it's high time we started telling teachers and principals that if the student isn't up to snuff, they repeat the grade.  If they quit school, then they'll learn the very hard way that jobs that pay well require an education.  If it's your child that's failing, step up as a parent and get involved with their school work.  Help them out, hire a tutor, do whatever it takes to make them smarter.  If it's your child that's failing, don't blame the principal or the teacher, how about, you know just for a change, you blame the one person who's responsible for them failing: the student.

 

Travis

travis@rightwinglunatic.com