Dr. Stat

Dr. Stat is a former Statistics Professor.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Don't teach the Bible in public schools

Christopher Ruddy (Don't teach the Bible in public schools) said, "Let's go back to the Bible in the classroom issue. Would you want public school teachers interpreting the Bible for your kids? In some schools teachers may promote the Bible because they are believing Christians. In other schools teachers with a secular humanist bent will undermine its legitimacy. The best place for faith to be taught to kids is in the home, church, and private schools."

Would you want public school teachers interpreting history for your kids? In some schools teachers may promote the a view of history that emphasizes the struggle for freedom and liberty and individual rights, together with a positive view of western civilization and the contributions of America. In other schools teachers with a socialist bent will undermine western civilization, denigrate America, and focus on issues of social justice and the benefits of socialism. The best place for history to be taught to kids is in the home, church, and private schools.

Would you want public school teachers interpreting literature for your kids? In some schools teachers may promote the classical literature because they believe it contributes to the development of the human spirit and timeless values. In other schools teachers with a secular humanist bent will use literature to undermine the noblest achievements of man and promote a pessimistic and defeatist attitude about modern and contemporary life, with a goal of eliminating the influence of religious belief and conditioning children for life under an all-powerful state. The best place for literature to be taught to kids is in the home, church, and private schools.

Would you want public school teachers interpreting mathematics for your kids? In some schools teachers may promote basic skills and fundamental knowledge that is useful in everyday life and serves as a base for advanced mathematical understanding such as our best scientists and engineers will need to have if we are to remain competitive in the world. In other schools teachers with a progressive bent will undermine the legitimacy of fundamental mathematical knowledge, if in fact, they understand it at all. They will teach fuzzy concepts and use of calculators and computers to do "advanced" tasks for which the students have no structural understanding. The best place for math to be taught to kids is in the home, church, and private schools.

Would you want public school teachers interpreting the sciences for your kids? In some schools teachers may promote understanding of a wide range of ideas and important issues, in some cases because whatever their religious beliefs, they believe that scientific thinking is best served by examining conflicting hypotheses rather than teaching current speculations as facts. In other schools teachers with a secular humanist bent will undermine free inquiry, and demand that students accept the currently-dominating views of what is legitimate science. The best place for science to be taught to kids is in the home, church, and private schools.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Fixing Math Education 3

Testing.

Whenever you mention testing, there are people who get up in arms with all kinds of objections. Testing isn't fair. Testing doesn't really measure what kids know/understand/can do. Testing is biased. Testing is racist. Testing takes time away from real education.

Yeah.

Well, math is, probably more than any other subject, amenable to testing, fair and unbiased. We need to have meaningful standardized testing that is not just "high-stakes" for schools but for individuals. There has to be a way to require a certain skill level be achieved in each grade or the kids don't pass. The students have to be personally responsible for achievement, and the teachers have to be responsible if their students don't pass. They need to contribute the extra time needed to get their students up to speed when they don't pass. The tests should be comprehensive up to each grade level, the questions should not be known in advance, and they should be changed every year. Let's put the students and teachers together on the same team, fighting together to beat the tests.