Public Schools (Goals 2000, and such.)

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> From: Ronald J Bowden <flatfoot@juno.com>
> To: higher-fire@prairienet.org
> Cc: kathy@juno.com
> Subject: Re: Public Schools (Goals 2000, and such.)
> Date: Thursday, August 22, 1996 7:48 AM
> 
> It is amazing a program with such short-comings that you describe is able
> to produce graduates that out-test every public school and match or
> exceed other private schools at graduation.  
Under what criterion?  What *are* the numbers?  I have heard this before,
and would be interested to know.

> Graduates routinely read at
> speeds of over 600 words per minute with retention of 94% or better after
> using the ACE Readmaster program.  
Graduates from public education do so routinely also, but what does
routinely mean?

>Honor graduates are required to
> fulfill 270 units minimum (which is a years work more that the required
> amount in California) and score at least 1200 on the SAT).  
Honors courses in comparison to the minimum in public education is apples
!= oranges.

>ACE students
> are routinely accepted at most major universitites due to their SAT
> scores.  
Good!  I was turned down from a university even though I scored a 1340
(public school even!) on my sat.  My GPA was 2.54 (oops! guess I shouldn't
have smoked all that dope!  *hindsight 20/20 for you too?*)

> The curriculum, which is now in its third edition is
> supplemented by Video Interactive Courses on CD in many subjects.  
Suffice it to say that I think that teachers should *teach*, not let the
kids be baby-sat by hellevision's cousin.
> It is
> used in over 7000 schools in over 120 countries and has been developed
> with over $50,000,000.  
No amount of money will produce a good program, look at welfare, look at
public education.  We've spent Jillions (heh. thought of that myself) on
both.  Does either of them work on a large scale?  

Remember, our salvation was developed without money (just to prove money
ain't everything).

> Seems to me like someone somewhere just might
> have found the inefficiencies that you describe if they were in fact a
> problem.  Oh, yes, it has only been used for 25 years as of this year.

I never intended to say that ACE is a *bad* program, it just has, in my
eyes, some deficiencies (and my wife, who graduated from an ACE school,
agrees with me!).  I think that paces should be re-tested 6-8 months after
the completion (with a lower passing score) to ensure that the pupil does
not just "cram".

I think that teaching should reflect the real world.

For instance:

how often has your employer asked you:  if 7x(3x + 12x) = 1000 what is x?
how often then do real world problems come into effect-- what is the pitch
of this roof?  How do you balance a checkbook?  etc.

Brad's math program would teach basics at earlier ages, and from then on,
nothing but word problems!!! (and feel free to use your calculator) with
drills on the basic skills on a regular basis.
I am also a proponent of a semi-classical education.  I wish that my mother
had forced me to learn Latin, music, art, etc.
Literature and bible study stressed.  Literature, I feel, helps open the
mind, and helps to bring understanding of others.  Bible study would be
considered imperative, "Thy word I have hid in my heart..."

Brad

> 
> On Wed, 21 Aug 1996 16:05:54 -0700 "Bradley E. Young" <byoung@spry.com>
> writes:
> >The ACE program is taught at our church school.
> >
> >I feel like it promotes short term memory retention, and "cramming" 
> >for
> >tests.  I do not feel that these are appropriate educational 
> >techniques.
> >
> >Paces are relatively short (weeks) and then the pre-test and test.  
> >After
> >the test, you are not required to retain the knowledge for further 
> >tests.
> >
> >That being said, it is a relatively good program, and I would rather 
> >send
> >my kids there than public education.
> >
> >Brad