Public School Experiences

High School Graduates Not Prepared for Work

In a previous post we looked at research about how public schools don’t prepare kids for college. Due to the fact that very few high school grads are college-ready, it makes sense that not all kids go to college. That’s fine, not all humans need college. However, most high school graduates also aren’t prepared for work. [...]

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Democratic School Benefit – Zero Arbitrary Homework

I remember homework. Barely. I didn’t do much of it when I was in elementary through high school. I thought it was boring and a waste of time. Plus, after sitting all day at school, the last thing I wanted to do was sit some more. I did all my college homework by the way, [...]

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What really constitutes a failing school?

President Obama has been fairly outspoken about what he thinks of schools in America, noting at various speeches that “Four out of five schools will be labeled as failing.” Along those same lines, last year, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told Congress No Child Left Behind (NCLB) would end up labeling about 82% of all [...]

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How useful are standardized tests?

I’m not a fan of standardized testing. It’s not very useful and a great time waster in my opinion. Mostly though, it really bothers me that some people (some school staff and some parents) use these tests to make snap judgments about our kids abilities. Why not get to know a kid instead and allow [...]

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The Many Flaws of No Child Left Behind

I’m not interested in my son attending a school that follows No Child Left Behind. And if you want a child who is able to problem solve and think creatively, you shouldn’t want your kid at a No Child Left Behind school either. In case you’re unclear about how No Child Left Behind works, or [...]

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Are you smarter than a 10th grader?

Well, or at least, are you smart enough to pass a typical public school standardized test tailor made for a 10th grader? Apparently not everyone is. According to an awesome Washington Post piece, When an adult took standardized tests forced on kids, a fella on the school board of one of the largest school systems [...]

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What do public school students think of democratic education?

Turns out, many public school students don’t think democratic education is realistic or very beneficial. That’s contrary to research, which shows that democratic schools have many benefits for youth, but nevertheless, most public school students simply don’t seem to believe that democratic education could work. Which brings us to one of the biggest benefits of democratic [...]

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Signs your kid should be fired from school

Lately I’ve been trying to figure out how come some parents allow their kids to languish in an educational system that’s so obviously a bad fit for their child. In my opinion, if your child’s educational experience isn’t beneficial for your child or if it’s making your child miserable, it makes total sense to try [...]

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Bullying builds character – at least according to public schools

When this school year kicked off, my friend’s daughter, let’s call her Bella, was attending a public school. Bella experienced bullying right off the bat. Kids in her class were calling her names and tossing racial and homophobic slurs at her for days on end. Bella told her teacher, but nothing happened to make the bullying [...]

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Do Conventional School Systems Encourage Bad Parenting Behavior?

Public school has always bothered me, but in the last few weeks I’ve seen a few things that have pushed me over the edge. For example, recently, I’ve seen the following… 1. Parents spewing violence and arbitrary consequences: The main reason I’ve been so upset about school lately is the following experience… A writer friend [...]

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Public School Experiences

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