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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
June 3, 2009 / 11 Sivan 5769
Dumbest Generation Getting Dumber
By
Walter Williams
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an
international comparison of 15-year-olds conducted by The Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that measures applied learning
and problem-solving ability. In 2006, U.S. students ranked 25th of 30
advanced nations in math and 24th in science. McKinsey & Company, in
releasing its report "The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in
America's Schools" (April 2009) said, "Several other facts paint a worrisome
picture. First, the longer American children are in school, the worse they
perform compared to their international peers. In recent cross-country
comparisons of fourth grade reading, math, and science, US students scored
in the top quarter or top half of advanced nations. By age 15 these rankings
drop to the bottom half. In other words, American students are farthest
behind just as they are about to enter higher education or the workforce."
That's a sobering thought. The longer kids are in school and the more money
we spend on them, the further behind they get.
While the academic performance of white students is grossly
inferior, that of black and Latino students is a national disgrace. The
McKinsey report says, "On average, black and Latino students are roughly two
to three years of learning behind white students of the same age. This
racial gap exists regardless of how it is measured, including both
achievement (e.g., test score) and attainment (e.g., graduation rate)
measures. Taking the average National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP) scores for math and reading across the fourth and eighth grades, for
example, 48 percent of blacks and 43 percent of Latinos are 'below basic,'
while only 17 percent of whites are, and this gap exists in every state. A
more pronounced racial achievement gap exists in most large urban school
districts." Below basic is the category the NAEP uses for students unable to
display even partial mastery of knowledge and skills fundamental for
proficient work at their grade level.
The teaching establishment and politicians have hoodwinked
taxpayers into believing that more money is needed to improve education. The
Washington, D.C., school budget is about the nation's costliest, spending
about $15,000 per pupil. Its student/teacher ratio, at 15.2 to 1, is lower
than the nation's average. Yet student achievement is just about the lowest
in the nation. What's so callous about the Washington situation is about
1,700 children in kindergarten through 12th grade receive the $7,500 annual
scholarships in order to escape rotten D.C. public schools, and four times
as many apply for the scholarships, yet Congress, beholden to the education
establishment, will end funding the school voucher program.
Any long-term solution to our education problems requires the
decentralization that can come from competition. Centralization has been
massive. In 1930, there were 119,000 school districts across the U.S; today,
there are less than 15,000. Control has moved from local communities to the
school district, to the state, and to the federal government. Public
education has become a highly centralized government-backed monopoly and we
shouldn't be surprised by the results. It's a no-brainer that the areas of
our lives with the greatest innovation, tailoring of services to individual
wants and falling prices are the areas where there is ruthless competition
such as computers, food, telephone and clothing industries, and delivery
companies such as UPS, Federal Express and electronic bill payments that
have begun to undermine the postal monopoly in first-class mail.
At a Washington press conference launching the McKinsey report,
Al Sharpton called school reform the civil rights challenge of our time. He
said that the enemy of opportunity for blacks in the U.S. was once Jim Crow;
today, in a slap at the educational establishment, he said it was "Professor
James Crow." Sharpton is only partly correct. School reform is not solely a
racial issue; it's a vital issue for the entire nation.
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© 2006, Creators Syndicate.
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