The Education Wars: High School Exit Exams

I have ALWAYS been opposed to these "standards" for high school graduation, which are always geared towards college, because they force more students who are not interested or capable to go on to college to drop out.

Now we have critics who bellyache the already ridiculous standards are being jettisoned so more kids can graduate.

The fact is most kids should not be pointed towards college anyway; there needs to be more emphasis on vocational training.

The whole point of "exit exams" and "standards" is to CREATE a larger dropout population so that there is a ready pool of cheap labor for employers. Never mind the increase in the prison population, welfare, and other programs.

I wrote on a discussion board this:

We had "career clusters" in addition to college preparation courses, so that students could train in office work, welding, auto mechanics, carpentry, and other fields. You know, useful fields for those students not inclined to go to college.

But of course vocationally-trained high school graduates are not what the privatizers want. They want a cheap labor pool of those kids who can't cut college-level coursework and so they are forced out of school altogether or have to get GEDs, which are not valued by these same privatizers.

I saw through this "standards" crap way, way back in the late 1970s-early 1980s when "compentency" exams were first instituted on high school students. The "standards" would NEVER be good enough for these "reformers"; they would simply move the goal posts.

You are now seeing little kids being forcefed algebra concepts in elementary school and fullblown algebra in middle school--LONG before many students can handle it because of cognitive thinking/abstract thinking issues. This difficult subject is being taught some three to four years EARLIER than when I was going through school (fullblown algebra was taught in 10th grade and above). This was a way I believe to "track" kids years before they entered high school, much less what they did beyond high school.

In other words, the "standards" crap is one way of creating a permanent underclass in our country. This was more a political and economic goal than an educational one.

If You Want To Know Why Public School Systems are Mess Up,

look no further than the Texas education commissioner, Robert Scott, who has imparted words of wisdom for employers in that state:

State Education Commissioner Robert Scott said businesses in Texas should quit hiring school-age dropouts to force those teenagers to either remain in school or continue their education elsewhere, such as through an online program.

"We need a commitment from businesses in this state to not hire kids who have dropped out of school," the commissioner said, contending that such an employment ban would go a long way in curbing the state's high dropout rate.

"It would send a powerful message to these kids to stay in school. It would be better for them, better for businesses and better for the state in the long run," Scott said.

Scott said he is seeking cooperation from the Texas Association of Business, whose president, Bill Hammond, criticized Scott and the Texas Education Agency earlier Thursday for severely underreporting the number of dropouts in the state. TEA officials said their numbers are accurate.

New figures on student dropouts and high school graduates will be published today when the education agency releases new performance ratings for all school districts and campuses.

Yep, screw the kids over and let them turn to the lucrative self-employment sector called crime.

Unbelievable. How do these people get into positions of power?

The Education Wars

Businesses must be pleased as all get-go the number of students quitting school early (at least in NYC) is going up.

That's what the purpose is of forcing students to take college-type courses long before they are ready, such as teaching high school-style language arts in early elementary grades instead of teaching them the skills and forcing algebra on middle school and younger students. These kids end up in special education, where they shouldn't be, and many eventually leave school altogether and thus provide businesses with cheap labor.

Miscellanous.

An airport employee did a good deed and helped save a baby's life by not allowing a family to board a plane.

The baby had seizures and was saved just in time.
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A woman exacted revenge on a pit bull.
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So what if there's bitching among "progressive" bloggers? Most people don't read the things anyway, and besides, for those who do, it gives more attention to the offenders.
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Billionaire assholes like Bill Gates and Eli Broad are happy as clams this country is now creating a serf class of high school dropouts.
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One-time classmates of mine are trying to raise enough money for their grown son's liver transplant.

It's sad when our health care system is this messed up there has to be fundraisers.
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