education commentary

Another commentary on Vermont Tiger. For the questions click here.

question 1: There needs to be some dollar amount allotted to the student. If enrollment goes down, money goes down, people get laid off. That's life. Also, the topic of health care is inextricably tied to the increase of education costs. No valid solution can be made without creating a solution that stabilizes health care costs.

Question 2: I don't really care what Tennessee or Missouri spend on their students. We Vermonters will value the education of our children the way we value it. BUT we do need to get control of our spending. It is unsustainable and must be remedied. 1. Decouple healthcare from the rapacious insurance market. It is not a free market and should not be given the respect of one. (Yes, like our roads and our military, let's socialize it) 2. Eliminate the requirement to attend the last two years of high school. For anyone spending time in a modern high school, there are enormous amount of hours that are completely wasted, where nothing is learned and nothing is done. It is a waste of time. It is a waste of human energy. Many students are ready to work and be a part of society by the time they are 16. Let them. Provide centralized schools for the ones who are academically motivated and who want those last two years to prepare for their life. We will eliminate 1/2 the student population for the last two years of school. Plus, academically motivated students are much easier to teach and exhibit many less behavior issues which would allow much higher student to teacher ratios.

question 3. Are you kidding me? This question is so myopic. Let's just not teach them anything about the world, because they might want to see it. If people want to leave, let them. Vermont is not an easy place to live. While young people are leaving Vermont, older boomer baby types who complain about school taxes and wind turbines are moving in. The gentrification of Vermont. You can't talk about one without the other. (oh yeah, is there any study on young Vermonters who move away and then RETURN?)


Although I accept your general point of declining educational expectations, the Kansas test is bunk for two reasons and here is a good explanation why: http://www.snopes.com/language/document/1895exam.asp
I think the real reason is television and marketing, but that is a story for another day.

And please, quit ranting against the arm-waving psychobabble when 2/3's of your post is just that.