Douglas County, CO schools

[TonyR]

The conservatives who control the board have neutered the teachers union, prodded neighborhood elementary schools to compete with one another for market share, directed tax money to pay for religious education and imposed a novel pay scale that values teachers by their subjects, so a young man teaching algebra to eighth graders can make $20,000 a year more than a colleague teaching world history down the hall. Conservatives across the US see Douglas County as a model for transforming public schools everywhere.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/1...#ixzz2jhLzYbSy

[Garcia Bronco]

Math teachers should be paid the most for the simple reason that Math is universal. A prime number in China is the same as a Prime number here.

[Rohirrim]

The Koch Bros. again. "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?"

I find it counter-productive to put people who are opposed to science in charge of education.

[Garcia Bronco]

I'd bet you are right.

We're falling behind the rest of the world because we do not put the onus on the student. We nanny them too much and they grow up in many cases untested. We cater to the lowest-common denominator and I thank God everyday that I was blessed enough to get an education at a private school.

[Garcia Bronco]

The Koch Bros. again. "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?"

I find it counter-productive to put people who are opposed to science in charge of education.

I find that "science", like religion, is something people use to support their argument in the moment. If you truly believe in "Science" then you must acknowledge that many of our social programs violate the study of human behavior, which is a subset of biology.

[Rohirrim]

I find that "science", like religion, is something people use to support their argument in the moment. If you truly believe in "Science" then you must acknowledge that many of our social programs violate the study of human behavior, which is a subset of biology.

I meant specifically that the Koch Bros. are doing everything in their power to squash hard core, scientific evidence of global climate change while simultaneously purporting to stand for better education. It's complete and total bull****. What the Koch Bros. want is stupid people they can manipulate. They don't want "better" education. They want ideological education. Big difference. They know that anybody with even marginal critical thinking skills would throw their asses in prison.

[Pony Boy]

The conservatives who control the board have neutered the teachers union

Awesome, this is a good start.

[Requiem]

I find that "science", like religion, is something people use to support their argument in the moment. If you truly believe in "Science" then you must acknowledge that many of our social programs violate the study of human behavior, which is a subset of biology.

They have disciplines dedicated entirely to studying human behavior.

[BroncoBeavis]

I meant specifically that the Koch Bros. are doing everything in their power to squash hard core, scientific evidence of global climate change while simultaneously purporting to stand for better education. It's complete and total bull****. What the Koch Bros. want is stupid people they can manipulate. They don't want "better" education. They want ideological education. Big difference. They know that anybody with even marginal critical thinking skills would throw their asses in prison.

Hilarious you make the "politicized education" argument and then hinge it all on Global Warming.

You know, as a nation, we'd be far better off if our average kid new more about calculus than the latest Green flavor du jour.

Like I've said before... the fact that national teachers' unions have pro-abortion language in their platforms tells you everything you need to know about their educational goals.

[Requiem]

Back to the lefty vs. righty thing again when it should be about our children. It never ends.

[Pony Boy]

Math teachers should be paid the most for the simple reason that Math is universal. A prime number in China is the same as a Prime number here.

We all know the Head Football Coach (also the DriversEd instructor) will always make more than the Art teacher, it's just a matter of priorities.

[BroncoBeavis]

Back to the lefty vs. righty thing again when it should be about our children. It never ends.

It started as a lefty vs righty thing. They tipped that hand with language like "neutered"

In most circles, paying a teacher in an in-demand field more than one in another field of their own choosing isn't in any way controversial.

[Rohirrim]

Is it so much lefty/righty as it is the free market religion vs. critical thinking?

We should let the market decide which subjects are most important for our children to learn? Really? Why? Because the end product is to produce good worker drones? Jefferson thought that every school day should begin with an hour of music. WTF was he thinking? Music is worthless.

[Pony Boy]

Is it so much lefty/righty as it is the free market religion vs. critical thinking?

We should let the market decide which subjects are most important for our children to learn? Really? Why? Because the end product is to produce good worker drones? Jefferson thought that every school day should begin with an hour of music. WTF was he thinking? Music is worthless.

Not a bad idea to have an hour of music everyday but why does it have to be at school?

[BroncoBeavis]

Is it so much lefty/righty as it is the free market religion vs. critical thinking?

We should let the market decide which subjects are most important for our children to learn? Really? Why? Because the end product is to produce good worker drones? Jefferson thought that every school day should begin with an hour of music. WTF was he thinking? Music is worthless.

Ahh, you just can't separate your mind from that central-planning paradigm that's been proven time and again not to work.

Don't think of it as 'the market' deciding. You've loaded that phrase with subliminal meanings that aren't there.

Think of 'the market' as just parents. Who 90% of the time will make much better decisions for the children they love than a disinterested bureaucrat whose top two main concerns are politics and job security.

I might be inclined to send my kids to an hour of music a day. Or maybe one kid who's really into music, and then something different for the one who's more into art?

Let the parents decide which priorities they want their kids invested in. If all those newly minted music and art kids start tearing up the world, the world will follow.

Sure, it leave less one-size-fits-all indoctrination time for the State. But I think you said something unflattering about drones earlier. And I don't think a voter drone is necessarily any more valuable than a worker drone.