Is it normal that is pisses me off that schools waste money?

I work in education and I completely agree with you that we waste money (like health care and government do too) but the need for better test scores is failing everyone. When educational authorities are funded according to their test scores, they seek a lower standard of test so that more people pass and they get more money. My friends work for institutions which set exams and I work for a university. We *know* this happens.

The problem isn't wastage, poor teaching, or bad students. The problem is a certain brand of capitalism that encourages dishonesty where dishonesty is profitable. This brand of capitalism is failing everyone but I feel especially strongly about it failing students because they're going to have to live with the consequences for longer.

Cutting sports? From what I hear, a lot of schools are cutting arts and music programs to pay more for sports.

A mason only has shitty bricks - So he can only build shitty walls. He asks his boss for better bricks, but the boss sais: "You can't even build a good wall, no way I'll give you better bricks".

Does that make sense to you?

Your school clearly made cuts in it's English department...

Anyone who lives in the US and would say this obviously does not know how expensive it is to run a school.

Better pay and better treatment for teachers as well as better classes and better legal protections (i.e. a teacher won't be sued for doing their job and protecting the rest of the class from a child whose parents refuse to see the reality of their child's behavior and not having to work in a building that is poorly maintained), might attract more talent into the public teaching field, just as it does in the field of private education. Believing in teaching and loving children won't change the fact that for many, it is a job that barely puts food on the table.

More teachers and more rooms to teach in would mean smaller class sizes which would mean more personalized attention to each and every student. How can a teacher be expected to be a wonderful educator when they have 1 hour to ensure that 30 children, all from different backgrounds and in different circumstances, are up to par with the state in their academic progress?

Not to mention the environment that they are in in some of these schools - children who were raised on the streets and in broken families who can't imagine a future for themselves that doesn't involve gang-banging, prison and drug abuse. For some of the working conditions that these teachers are expected to endure, all of the talent in the world can't compensate for the fact that they are being paid shit and given shit to work with and expected by society to practically "raise" children who barely have parents at home both physically and mentally.

We cut funding and add responsibilities. Maybe if every parent took an active role in the lives and education of their children as well as their discipline... maybe your argument would be valid but until teachers become teachers again and parents start acting like parents again, cutting teachers is not an option.

"Schools are failing. Solution? Well, obviously we should fire teachers. Everyone knows teachers are a detriment to quality education."

You think schools and teachers are given a lot of money? Wow you must not live in the United States.

The United States invest more per child than most OECD countries, yet they scored below average in the PISA tests.

I think it's not necessary a money issue but more to do with the education system and the view of education by students.

Other Western countries that generally perform better have scrapped the "learn from the textbook" system and have trained teachers better so they can proactively teach the students. Also performance based incentives have been implemented to encourage pro activeness in ensuring students are learning.

Money can't help here and teachers are powerless until parents decide to step in and take part in their children education. If a child can't read in the second grade that's the parents fault, I could read and write before I started school and I promise you I'm not exceptionally smart, just have a mother who sat with me and taught me.

I would say a hefty percentage of schools failure is because of shitty parenting the kids with bad grades are not usaly the good kids...

Teachers are underpaid and under appreciated. They are taking care of our children for us everyday, which should be the most important job, and therefore should be respected along side with firefighters, police, paramedics, doctors and other vital services.

Since they are taking care of our children and we want them to do the best job possible, then we should pay them fairly and have respect for how difficult their job is. People think having a few children to raise is a tough job, and it is, now try 20 kids.

I believe that education shouldn't just be blamed on the schools. Education is a working team of the teachers and parents. Homework should be worked on together, so that the child is getting what they need out of the curriculum. A parent can help supplement that by explaining things in a way they know their child will understand.

Another point to consider: Right now I'm currently enrolled in a private university, studying to get my bachelor's in Environmental Biology. I was going to be a Biology teacher for high school, but my adviser sat me down and explained to me why I shouldn't do that. He talked to me about the state that the public school system is in now, and how difficult it would be for me to not only get established, but in a good district as well. (Not to mention all the extra classes I would have had to take...)

So basically, these students getting their degree in education are spending thousands and thousands of dollars on a small slip of paper that says that they are qualified to teach, and then they don't hardly get anything out of it once they start teaching. Sure, experience is great, but paying back student loans from college is really friggin difficult.

Now to address some of the topic creator's concerns. Yes! Schools do need more money. It is proven that more technology and better learning material in the classrooms will help boost scores. One of the schools I used to go to went through an amazing change right in front of my eyes. Our principal had been fired because he couldn't do his job right, and a new one came into office. Our new principal was able to get multiple grants from the government to get more books in the classrooms, new computer labs, and a slue of other things. The scores literally sky rocketed from being the worst school in the county, to much higher.

At my college there is a 14:1 professor to student ratio. This is about the same as your Spanish teacher to student ratio. I can tell you right now, that this is actually much much better than cramming 30 kids into a classroom with one teacher. It gives students who might not normally speak up a moment to shine. You get that one on one with the teachers that makes all the difference.

For all the education they go through themselves to land a teaching is not worth the salary they get.

But they aren't given a lot of money. Many teachers pay out of pocket for things like glue.

Pretty obvious why the education system is failing.