As Arizona struggles to jump-start our economy and bring new growth and jobs to our state, economic recovery is not merely a discussion of tax incentives and subsidies or new government contracts and new industries.
While all of those components are important parts of the conversation, Arizona must make education a priority. If our schools are weak and colleges are falling short with students left behind, our economy will continue to suffer.
Earlier this year former Intel Chief Executive and Board Chairman, Craig Barrett, painted a clear picture for Arizona's leaders: "Quality education is extremely important to a place like Intel... Education cutbacks don't bode well for that." Barrett's comments are not alone.
Economic advisors around the country warn that if states do not invest in education, businesses will not invest in those states. The quality of life for a company's employees and their families is just as important as a new contract or tax incentive.
Arizona is faced with a choice: We can continue down the path of ignoring education - and fail to invest in our state's future - or we can commit to giving teachers and schools the resources they need to help our students succeed. We can invest in higher education and help Arizona universities compete for exciting programs, and we can thereby send a message to businesses around the country that Arizona is committed to building a strong quality of life and educational foundation to build their business.
As goes education, so goes the strength of Arizona's economy. Let's make the right choice, and make education a priority.
Michael Bankston, Ahwatukee
A_Rose_By_Any_Other_Name posted at 1:19 pm on Thu, Sep 15, 2011.
VofReason, I don't know about having more God in the classroom, but they sure as heck do need more discipline. Today's youth are the most undisciplined of any generation. They watch more television, play video games, and chat/text on their cell phones than they spend studying in school. When they are at school they just sit there and twittle their thumbs waiting for the bell to ring because no one can make them do a thing they don't want to, and their parents don't seem to give a darn.
A_Rose_By_Any_Other_Name posted at 1:07 pm on Thu, Sep 15, 2011.
Really Cerulean? You think our public schools are doing just fine? The United States has fallen to "average" in international education rankings released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. S. Korea tops the list.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/dec/07/world-education-rankings-maths-science-reading
Perhaps you meant that the US model was sufficient for your people?
And why not equal education for both sexes? I mean, whether you use the inferior US model or the highly rated S. Korean model, shouldn't it be equal?
VofReason posted at 1:07 pm on Thu, Sep 15, 2011.
Leon is right. More money doesn't equal more student success. Teachers used to teach 8 grades in one room classrooms that were supported by farming communities. I would venture that those kids likely learned more then they do today. One thing that was taught back then was God and morals and it guided everything else that was taught. Maybe they just need more God in the classroom.
Cerulean posted at 4:52 pm on Wed, Sep 14, 2011.
Exactly right NBTT, "the S. Korean model is segregated by sex." So - if YOU think we should follow the South Korean model then let the boys stay at school all day while the girls use the US model where we seem to be doing just fine!
NothingButTheTruth posted at 9:34 am on Wed, Sep 14, 2011.
Dale, perhaps you need to reread cerulean's and TeaPartyPatriot's comments.
Cerulean said, "My solution is to let the boys follow the South Korean model while allowing the girls to continue to achieve in the US model." Somewhat sexist if you ask me.
TPP said,"...separate education for sexes..." Now I don't see anything there about gender segregated classrooms.
What Cerulean said sounds like he's advocating for less schooling for girls and more for boys. Of course what Cerulean advocated for might necessitate segregation of the sexes do to the vastly different curriculum of US and S. Korean school systems. Also, I believe the S. Korean model is segregated by sex.
Dale Whiting posted at 11:16 am on Tue, Sep 13, 2011.
TeaPartyPatriot,
What makes you think Cerulean favors gender segregated classrooms? He merely cites to some information tangentially related. The major thrust of his comment is that students and behind them, parents need to be motivated to learn. Clearly that idea is right.
On this matter Leon may have a good point. We cannot buy a good education. Any of you read the article on student loan defaults? I had to work my way though college.
TeaPartyPatriot posted at 4:28 pm on Mon, Sep 12, 2011.
Why not treat young men and women equally Cerulean? Are you against women getting a proper education? A woman could end up being the next Einstein. Advocating separate education for sexes is not unlike treated races differently. Are you a racist as well as a sexist?
Cerulean posted at 12:51 pm on Mon, Sep 12, 2011.
I searched 'South Korean Education' and my first hit is a report generated by the South Korean Ministry of Education.
Some of the report sounded interesting, in that they separate male/female students. In the US, some studies indicate that male achievement in academics may be dragging down national average scores. Other studies suggest that girls and women do better in segregated classrooms.
But when I read the following about the South Korean model;
“A typical day finds high schoolers studying before school begins at about 8:00 A.M. Classes run for 50 minutes each, with a morning break and a 50-minute lunch period. The afternoon session resumes at about 1:00 P.M., and classes continue until about 4:00 or 4:30, followed by the cleaning of the classroom.
Students return to the school library to study or attend private schools or tutoring sessions until between 10:00 P.M. and midnight. They return home where they may have a snack, listen to music, or watch television before going to bed. Elementary and middle school students have similar but somewhat less rigorous days with shorter hours and more recreational activities.
My solution is to let the boys follow the South Korean model while allowing the girls to continue to achieve in the US model.
http://asiasociety.org/education/learning-world/south-korean-education
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/06/22/the-new-segregation-debate.html
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2006/01/29/the-trouble-with-boys.html
Leon Ceniceros posted at 12:08 pm on Mon, Sep 12, 2011.
What many of us Parochial Kids don't understant is how a Nun or a Sister back in the 1940's and 1950's could teach students with just a text book, a piece of chalk and a chalkboard. These Nuns and Sisters didn't have AA's, BA's or even MA's yet they managed back then to teach at one grade level higher than the Public School teacher did.
I was looking at the Arizona AIMS scores for 8th Grade Math for the years 2007, 2008,2009, 2010 and 2011. They all showed an increase in Math Profieciency as the years went on. Now we all know that because the State of Arizona Constitution requires a Balanced Budget...that hard working tax-payer funds have been dwindling and less and less monies is in the Kitty to go to the Schools.
Why then is....LESS MONEY FOR SCHOOLS....LESS MONEY TO HIRE TEACHERS FOR SCHOOLS...LESS MONEY FOR RAISES IN TEACHER'S SALARIES...LESS MONEY PERIOD IN THE .."EDUCATION POT"................................PRODUCING BETTER AND BETTER RESULTS WITH MORE STUDENTS PER TEACHER ???
IT APPEARS THE ...TEACHER ACCOUNTABILITY...UNDER THESE MORE SCRUTINIZED LOW-BUDGET TIMES....ARE THE REASON THAT ...OUR ARIZONA KIDS ARE DOING BETTER AND BETTER IN SCHOOL.
IT APPEARS THAT ..."THROWING MONEY AT THE PROBLEM"...WAS NEVER THE ANSWER TO...."WHY JOHNNY CAN'T LEARN"....BUT ......WHY JOHNNY'S TEACHER COULDN'T TEACH WAS THE ..............PROBLEM.
MAYBE IT'S TIME TO KICK... DR. PHIL... OUT OF THE CLASSROOM AND PUT IN.......JUDGE JUDY.
NothingButTheTruth posted at 11:24 am on Mon, Sep 12, 2011.
Absolutely correct when you say education should be our number one priority. I could not agree more with that statement. To suggest that throwing more money at an ineffective school system is the answer is incredibly stupid. Until America is willing to take a look at how other successful countries are able to properly educate their children and make the needed changes to be successful, I say education has more than enough money to do the job they are currently doing which is babysitting at best. Television is a better educator than our school system as it stands today. You want to know what works? Research the S. Korean school system. They produce the best minds in the world today and at a fraction of the cost per capita than America does. Don't throw more money at an antiquated system that doesn't work anymore. It may have worked well when kids needed basic math and science and English skills and 3 months off to go work the family crops, but in today's world it is a joke.