THE CARTEL MOVIE: EDUCATION + POLITICS = $$$
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14 years 6 months ago #1
by lioneltrainguy
THE CARTEL MOVIE: EDUCATION + POLITICS = $$$ was created by lioneltrainguy
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www.thecartelmovie.com/cgi-local ... t.cgi?g=27
The Crisis | Only 35 percent of American high school seniors are proficient readers. Only 23 percent are proficient in math. Nationwide, only 74 percent of ninth graders graduate within four years—and that number drops to about 50 percent for black and Hispanic students. Twelve percent of American high schools are “dropout factories”—schools where less than 60 percent of freshmen even make it to their senior year. It comes as no surprise, then, that America lags far behind other developed countries when it comes to schooling: Among large industrialized countries, America ranks last in educational effectiveness—despite spending the most.
The conventional wisdom says that our schools could be dramatically improved with better funding. If we would only “invest in education,” the argument goes, our children would have a better future—particularly in urban areas, where leaky roofs, under-qualified teachers, and outdated textbooks are all too common
And so the last few decades have brought an explosion of education spending, enthusiastically approved by local school boards and state legislatures and generally supported by taxpayers. That’s the moral cover under which our public school system wastes and steals billions of dollars every year.
New Jersey offers a dramatic instance of this corruption and improvidence. After New York, no other state spends as much per pupil—but the Garden State has very little to show for its investment. Spending can exceed $400,000 per classroom, and yet only 39 percent of the state’s eighth-graders are proficient or advanced readers, and only 40 percent of its eighth-graders are proficient or advanced in math. Of new high school graduates attending the state’s community colleges, nearly 80 percent require remediation. More than three quarters of New Jersey’s high schools have been warned that they may be placed on the state’s list of failing schools. And the problem is not one of inadequate funding: Some of the worst schools receive—and squander—the most money.
This costly, unconscionable failure forms the subject of The Cartel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our failing schools won't reform themselves. The will to change has to come from you. Here are some things you can do:
Support school choice
Learn about charter schools, vouchers, and other educational alternatives—and support the efforts of groups such as the Alliance for School Choice, New Jersey's Excellent Education for Everyone, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the Center for Education Reform, and the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice.
Defend the rights of minority children to attend excellent schools
Learn about the vital work of organizations such as the Black Alliance for Educational Options and Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options (Hispanic CREO). Join their networks.
Get involved at the local level
Find out how your community's schools are doing. Support charter schools in your area. Go to school board meetings. Speak up. Run for local office or even start a charter school.
Be an engaged parent
Know what your children are studying in school. Make sure they do their homework. Get to know their teachers. Attend parent-teacher conferences and school events. Join the PTA.
Spread the word
Tell your friends about The Cartel — and about school choice. [/size]
www.thecartelmovie.com/cgi-local ... t.cgi?g=27
The Crisis | Only 35 percent of American high school seniors are proficient readers. Only 23 percent are proficient in math. Nationwide, only 74 percent of ninth graders graduate within four years—and that number drops to about 50 percent for black and Hispanic students. Twelve percent of American high schools are “dropout factories”—schools where less than 60 percent of freshmen even make it to their senior year. It comes as no surprise, then, that America lags far behind other developed countries when it comes to schooling: Among large industrialized countries, America ranks last in educational effectiveness—despite spending the most.
The conventional wisdom says that our schools could be dramatically improved with better funding. If we would only “invest in education,” the argument goes, our children would have a better future—particularly in urban areas, where leaky roofs, under-qualified teachers, and outdated textbooks are all too common
And so the last few decades have brought an explosion of education spending, enthusiastically approved by local school boards and state legislatures and generally supported by taxpayers. That’s the moral cover under which our public school system wastes and steals billions of dollars every year.
New Jersey offers a dramatic instance of this corruption and improvidence. After New York, no other state spends as much per pupil—but the Garden State has very little to show for its investment. Spending can exceed $400,000 per classroom, and yet only 39 percent of the state’s eighth-graders are proficient or advanced readers, and only 40 percent of its eighth-graders are proficient or advanced in math. Of new high school graduates attending the state’s community colleges, nearly 80 percent require remediation. More than three quarters of New Jersey’s high schools have been warned that they may be placed on the state’s list of failing schools. And the problem is not one of inadequate funding: Some of the worst schools receive—and squander—the most money.
This costly, unconscionable failure forms the subject of The Cartel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our failing schools won't reform themselves. The will to change has to come from you. Here are some things you can do:
Support school choice
Learn about charter schools, vouchers, and other educational alternatives—and support the efforts of groups such as the Alliance for School Choice, New Jersey's Excellent Education for Everyone, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the Center for Education Reform, and the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice.
Defend the rights of minority children to attend excellent schools
Learn about the vital work of organizations such as the Black Alliance for Educational Options and Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options (Hispanic CREO). Join their networks.
Get involved at the local level
Find out how your community's schools are doing. Support charter schools in your area. Go to school board meetings. Speak up. Run for local office or even start a charter school.
Be an engaged parent
Know what your children are studying in school. Make sure they do their homework. Get to know their teachers. Attend parent-teacher conferences and school events. Join the PTA.
Spread the word
Tell your friends about The Cartel — and about school choice. [/size]
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