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U.S. Students Struggle With Reasoning Skills
sciencehabit writes "The first-ever use of interactive computer tasks on a national science assessment suggests that most U.S. students struggle with the reasoning skills needed to investigate multiple variables, make strategic decisions, and explain experimental results. The results (PDF) are part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress that was given in 2009 to a representative sample of students in grades four, eight, and 12. What the vast majority of students can do, the data show, is make straightforward analyses. More than three-quarters of fourth grade students, for example, could determine which plants were sun-loving and which preferred the shade when using a simulated greenhouse to determine the ideal amount of sunlight for the growth of mystery plants. When asked about the ideal fertilizer levels for plant growth, however, only one-third of the students were able to perform the required experiment, which featured nine possible fertilizer levels and only six trays. Fewer than half the students were able to use supporting evidence to write an accurate explanation of the results. Similar patterns emerged for students in grades 8 and 12."
Perhaps it has a little something to do with the fact that we're doing anything but teaching our children how to read. I'm sure they can tell you all about the first homosexual trans-gender american Indian activist farmer and how/why he/she is so important to our country. And when asked "why do we have to teach our children this hippy bullshit instead of hard math, English and science?" You'll get a vapid, nebulous answer like "It's for the good of the American people you insensitive jerk!". And then I'm expected to twist my perspective to think that learning to read isn't as important as teaching tolerance, acceptance and eventually pride in the people that our parents would have found morally repugnant. So to hell with reading! We need to know more about how the evil Europeans made so-much-worse the lives of the nomadic, cannibalistic, tribal war having, no wheel inventing, no medical, no road having, no written language having American Indians.
K-12 should be about learning how to become a scientist. Everything else can flow though that. Right now we're turning out complete idiots that can't read or write, have no critical thinking skills, no idea what the scientific method is or how to balance a check book. But I'm sure they can all tell you who MLK Jr. is. We need to get our priorities straight by kicking out the 1984 style political brain washers in the school. School is not there so you can train a wave of brainless leftists to vote for your party in the next election cycle! And I would be just as upset if the rightists were doing the same thing.