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High Schools Are 1.0 in a 5.0 World, Gates Says | |
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| Time: 00:00 EST/05:00 GMT | News Source: Yahoo News | Posted By: Chris Hedlund | ||
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Addressing the nation's governors, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (news - web sites) delivered a scathing critique of U.S. high schools Saturday, calling them obsolete and saying that elected officials should be ashamed of a system that leaves millions of students unprepared for college and for technical jobs. Gates was speaking as the invited guest of some of the nation's most powerful elected officials, at a National Governors Assn. meeting devoted to improving high school education across the country. "Training the workforce of tomorrow with today's high schools is like trying to teach kids about today's computers on a 50-year-old mainframe," said Gates, whose $27-billion Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (news - web sites) has made education one of its priorities. | ||
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| #1 By 135 (209.180.28.6) at 2/28/2005 9:20:16 AM |
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What's Gates complaining about? He got his tax cut didn't he?
Tax cuts take higher precedence than education. Sheesh! |
| #2 By 10022 (24.39.227.107) at 2/28/2005 10:15:09 AM |
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at the rate Bill Gates gives away money, do you really think tax cuts matter to him?
If anything it probably just pisses him off to see his money spent so badly by government when he could do a much better job at it! I say let Bill be tax exempt! Let any one that wants to be a big time philanthropist be tax exempt (what are they afraid of compitition? That he could do a better job at helping people by using good judgement, reason and purpous?) $ |
| #3 By 9589 (66.57.197.203) at 2/28/2005 10:16:28 AM |
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It appears that the 47 governors that attended the meeting largely agree with Gates, sodablue. What's your take on the state of high school education?
Mine is that both my sons attended public schools, but were in so-called gifted programs. For this reason, they attended what can only be described as almost a separate high school within the high school they attended. It consisted of AP and Honors courses as well as enriching seminars and field trips. It is because of this tracking that they were both able to not only attend top colleges, but excel upon going to them. Nevertheless, none of the biology or chemistry courses had labs and my younger son couldn't take AP physics his senior year because there wasn't a teacher qualified to teach the course. Computer courses were non existent above how to use Office, etc. as were the general availability of computers in the classroom. Their opinion is that they had to struggle the first year at college to make the grade because there were large gaps in what they were expected to know. So to recap, Gates is right. If my kids were less talented and their mother had not spent a great deal of time creating the environment for success both at home and at school for them, they would have received a mediocre education at best while attending the same high school. I think that there ought to be competition in education. One way to get there is through vouchers. |
| #4 By 9589 (66.57.197.203) at 2/28/2005 10:21:48 AM |
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Kevn84, help President Bush make the tax cuts permanent including the elimination of death taxes and this will ensure that Gates can give his money away where he sess fit and you and I can too!
Plus, it will cause a lot of bright people that are presently accountants and tax lawyers to do something productive in our society. |
| #5 By 13030 (198.22.121.120) at 2/28/2005 10:41:02 AM |
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#1: Tax cuts take higher precedence than education.
I think education is primarily the responsibility of the state. If the federal tax cuts hurt education in your state, then I suggest contacting your local elected officials and having them jack up your state income tax, sales tax, or property tax, whichever are applicable for your state. Each state can have as good of an education system as it wants as long as the residents are willing to sacrifice for it. Sodablue, since this is such a sensitive issue for you, I assume that you or your partner donate time or money to your local schools rather than just complaining about it... |
| #6 By 13030 (198.22.121.120) at 2/28/2005 10:47:28 AM |
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I think Gates is pretty much right on. I don't think things are ever as dire as people say, but corrective action now will be easier than later.
It is the responsibility of the parent to nuture the child. It is also the responsibility of the student to learn outside of school. This post was edited by ch on Monday, February 28, 2005 at 10:47. |
| #7 By 19992 (164.214.4.31) at 2/28/2005 12:16:37 PM |
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#5 I have to disagree. Education starts at home. Parents have to get their children interested in learning. All the tax dollars in the world won't help if the kids don't want to learn.
#6 said I don't think things are ever as dire as people say You're right, they're probably worse right now. The state of the American education system has slipped constantly over the years. Books I had to read in middle school (7th grade) are now pushed to HS and many of the old high school books I had to read are now considered to difficult for the students to comprehend. |
| #8 By 13030 (198.22.121.120) at 2/28/2005 12:27:36 PM |
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#8: I have to disagree. Education starts at home.
That's what I said in my second post. #8: Books I had to read in middle school (7th grade) are now pushed to HS... Sounds like the signs of a poorly managed and under funded school district. This post was edited by ch on Monday, February 28, 2005 at 12:28. |
| #9 By 19992 (164.214.4.31) at 2/28/2005 1:20:29 PM |
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#9 Sounds like the signs of a poorly managed and under funded school district.
The district isn't poorly funded to be certain. The school district I live in is incredibly well funded. As far as poor management goes, I'm sure that plays into the problem a bit, however, this problem is not localized to my area alone. I've got friends across the country who report similar stories. I don't claim to have the best answer to the problem, but something needs to be done. As a first step I'd suggest we start getting rid of 'tolerance' programs in the schools and start focusing on educating the kids. |
| #10 By 13030 (198.22.121.120) at 2/28/2005 2:06:38 PM |
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#10: As a first step I'd suggest we start getting rid of 'tolerance' programs in the schools...
I fully agree! Tolerance just postpones the problem until someone else has to deal with it. |
| #11 By 3653 (63.162.177.143) at 2/28/2005 4:41:17 PM |
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I'll say it again, I would support raising my taxes by 200% if I thought for one minute that it would result in better end results for the kids. I remain unconvinced it will.
The only way to make the education system better is to privatize it and get some competition going... pay the GREAT teachers a GREAT deal of money, and identify and push forward the gifted children. |
| #12 By 135 (209.180.28.6) at 2/28/2005 5:04:06 PM |
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jdhawk - We already have competition... kids can go to different schools if they feel their current school is failing. We started doing this in Minnesota about 10 years ago, and it's part of the NCLB act. It doesn't make any difference.
ch - I do find it interesting how some keep claiming our school system is falling apart, and at the same time average SAT scores are higher than ever. Gates is talking about something different though. happyguy - You're right. Education starts at home. Even so, I'd suggest we stop criticizing schools and start spending more time encouraging them. I think right now today the schools are attacks from every corner. We've got wingnuts whining about evolution, and science and how they shouldn't be taught in the schools. Then we got nutcakes whining about religion and how it shouldn't be talked about. Then we got every other kook whining about something. and meanwhile all we really care about is that little johnny can read and write. csmac3144 - I don't think you understand... Our nation is already floundering, and it's not a result of high tax rates. Tax rates have nothing to do with this, it's all about spending priorities. mooresa56 - "The only way to make the education system better is to privatize it and get some competition going... pay the GREAT teachers a GREAT deal of money, and identify and push forward the gifted children. " And where are you going to get the money for your wonderful mecca? The problem I have with Republican privitization proposals is that they are nothing more than a scheme to take my tax dollars and hand them out to corporations who are then unaccountable for their expenditures. I've seen this happen over and over again. In Iowa they outsourced maintenance of rest stops to a private company, and in 10 years time the buildings were so rundown they had to be replaced. When given a choice between my ownership of something, and someone else owning something... I'd rather own it myself. You want to go private... go ahead. Just don't steal my tax dollars to fund it. |
| #13 By 13030 (198.22.121.120) at 2/28/2005 5:05:58 PM |
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#12: You seem to be making the standard socialist case.
lol... Oh, if you only knew me! I'm as moderate as they come. I'm not advocating increasing taxes. I merely stated that education is within a state's domain and if the citizens (such as sodablue) of a state believe that federal tax cuts are gimping education, then they need to turn to their state legislators to take care of the problem. I am a strong advocate for the smallest possible federal government. I believe that the Founding Fathers drafted the Constitution to protect the common interests of states, but that most issues were to be governed by the state. The rise of controls, such as the Uniform Commercial Code, were kludged onto a pure idea to facilitate interstate commerce and relations. We now have a society with people that believe the federal government should babysit all of us. |
| #14 By 9589 (66.57.197.203) at 3/1/2005 7:19:29 AM |
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#14, the NCLB doesn't presently apply to high schools. President Bush has recommended that it apply to them and is garnering support in congress to pass legislation to do just that.
Also, both the NEA and state and local systems are fighting the NCLB because it does what it intends and you seem to agree needs to happen - provide competition in schools. |
| #15 By 3653 (63.162.177.143) at 3/1/2005 12:19:00 PM |
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sodablue -
"kids can go to different schools if they feel their current school is failing" As jdhawk pointed out, this is not true for high schools. "And where are you going to get the money for your wonderful mecca?" Simple. I just want the money (dollar for dollar) that I/me/myself/mooresa56 currently spend on the public system. I'm not asking YOU/sodablue/theotherguy to pay a single penny for MY kid. "In Iowa they outsourced maintenance of rest stops to a private company, and in 10 years time the buildings were so rundown they had to be replaced." And I have a dozen similar stories with local SCHOOLS that were NEGLECTED from maintenance and fell apart far too prematurely. So, don't even suggest that this is somehow a privitization phenomenon. Who AUTHORED the contract with the private truck stop maintenace company? The government! Who was tasked with ENFORCING the contract with the private truck stop maintenance company? The government! And how exactly are you not blaming the government for the ill-kept rest stops? |
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