How US Schools' Culture Stifles Math Achievement

Zarf writes "I'd like to file a bug report on the US educational system. The New York Times reports on a recent study that shows the US fails to encourage academic talent as a culture.'"There is something about the culture in American society today which doesn't really seem to encourage men or women in mathematics," said Michael Sipser, the head of M.I.T.'s math department. "Sports achievement gets lots of coverage in the media. Academic achievement gets almost none."' While we've suspected that the US might be falling behind academically, this study shows that it is actually due to cultural factors that are devaluing the success of our students. I suspect there's a flaw in the US cultural system that prevents achievement on the academic front from being perceived as valuable. Could anyone suggest a patch for this bug or is this cause for a rewrite?"

Comments

Get rid of religion

[mozumder]

It's the reason people are so against.. reason.

Let's be proactive about it, too. Let's start with children, by teaching them that religion is a problem, instead of a solution. Let's treat religion as a mental disease like schizophrenia. Let's go ahead and remove the first amendment "freedom of religion" clause and actually make religion illegal and dangerous.

Nothing good has come from religion that can come without religion.

It's totally culture

[Henry V .009]

Just remember everyone, it's culture. And our lousy school system. Genes have nothing to do with it. Asians and Eastern Europeans, and for some reason their descendants in America, have a far better mathematical culture than we do. As the study says,

it is only USA-born white and historically underrepresented minority girls who are underrepresented, underrepresented by almost two orders-ofmagnitude relative to Asian girls educated in the same school systems

For God's sake, everyone, you're racist if you think this is genetic! Okay, it's not the school system, but it's still the culture. It has to be.

Re:Duh

[Proudrooster]

Sarah Palin has made it clear that Joe-Six-Pack only needs to count to SIX! Also, hockey mom's don't need much math since the scores at hockey games are usually in the single digits.

Re:The Problem is Negroes

[ja]

You guys really allow Afro-Americans at universities these days? Wow, that's progress ...

Re:Answer: Money

[Chris Tucker]

The stench of Randroid droppings is thick in the air, tonight.

It's all the fault of:

The Unions
The Liberals
The Democrats
The Socialists

(Choose as many as apply. Bonus points for suitable quotations from Atlas Shrugged and/or The Fountainhead. Triple points for quotes by Milton Friedman, quoting Atlas Shrugged and/or The Fountainhead.)

"I'm trapped on Gilligan's Island, but I'm not paying any INCOME TAX!"
                                                Mary Ayn Rand

Re:Duh

[nog_lorp]

Oh, I almost forgot. FUCKING EXECUTING PEOPLE is very enlightened and nigh unheard of in feudal states yore! Freedom to be killed by the government!

Re:Sorry right wing but I have to do it...

[cbreaker]

If it were up to "your kind" of conservative, the US would look like India: Extremely wealthy people live in high society and everyone else lives in dirt huts.

Getting the government out of education would put the final nail in the middle-class coffin. I mean, how would you expect people with low incomes (which is most of us) to possibly send their kids to school K through 12 when they can't even afford to send their kids to a two-year technical school after high school?

I got to think you just DON'T GET IT.