American Weirdness du jour: More Americans imagine that Obama is Muslim

[karlhenning]

There has been lamentation since, well, since I was in high school about the degrading of education in the US.  Is this rise in "confirmation bias" a next-generation problem of robust thought not being taught in the US public schools?

[DavidRoss]

There has been lamentation since, well, since I was in high school about the degrading of education in the US.  Is this rise in "confirmation bias" a next-generation problem of robust thought not being taught in the US public schools?

Good question.  It may be a "next-gen" problem, but it's certainly been a "previous-and-current gen" problem as well--witness darned near any dispute here or at CMG or what masquerades as thoughtful analysis these days in the NY Times and other mainstream media. 

[bwv 1080]

The US public school system is among the best in the world, everywhere else that is touted, like Japan, students are taught solely by rote in order to score highly on college entrance exams, which determines your station in life.  Kids are not taught to think or analyze.

My 10YO daughter's public school education so far has been far superior to mine

[karlhenning]

Good on her, Steve!

[Bulldog]

The US public school system is among the best in the world,

If that's the case, the world is in big trouble.

[karlhenning]

♫ Let me edu-tain you!

[Todd]

There have been people lamenting the decline of education not just for decades, but for centuries.  I'd have to do some digging through some of my books, but I remember reading a quote lamenting the decline in educational standards at Oxford or Cambridge (I can't remember which).  The quote was from the 16th Century. 

Education can certainly be improved, there's no doubt, but it's not all terrible.  My son will be starting high school next week, and he will be going to a special public school focused on science and technology and limited to kids who tested well and had a high GPA.  The school has impeccable stats: it has a 100% graduation rate (the only one in the state) and 98% of students go on to get bachelor degrees.  There are three or four other specialized "magnet" schools where I live as well.  No such public schools existed when I went to school. 

Unfortunately there are teachers who have come right out and complained that such schools even exist; rather than support such endeavors, some teachers say they should be shut down and the resources spent on the standard public schools.  One said so directly to my wife.  Much better, I suppose, to encourage mediocrity.  No doubt a counter-argument is that all students are treated more equally.  I'm not sure treating all students equally poorly is a laudable goal.

The biggest challenges in education as I see them are raising the overall standard of teaching and ensuring that poorer districts are better served.  This is where things get terribly political. 

[DavidRoss]

The biggest challenges in education as I see them are raising the overall standard of teaching and ensuring that poorer districts are better served.  This is where things get terribly political.

See Washington D.C.

Your prescription left out the single most important factor in student success: parents who care.

[Todd]

Your prescription left out the single most important factor in student success: parents who care.

Yes, but how to formulate public policy to affect that? 

[DavidRoss]

Yes, but how to formulate public policy to affect that?

Aye, there's the rub. 

[Scarpia]

Yes, but how to formulate public policy to affect that?

There are certainly countries (i.e., in Asia) where education is valued much more highly than in other countries (i.e., in Latin America).   Our immigration policy does not seem to take any account of this, since the barriers to immigration that must be surmounted by an Indian with a Ph.D. in electrical engineering appear to be more formidable than those that apply to a Mexican with a 6th grade education.

[Todd]

Our immigration policy does not seem to take any account of this, since the barriers to immigration that must be surmounted by an Indian with a Ph.D. in electrical engineering appear to be more formidable than those that apply to a Mexican with a 6th grade education.

Yes, but if you let in one highly qualified PhD, where will it all stop?

[Scarpia]

Yes, but if you let in one highly qualified PhD, where will it all stop?

That's the tricky part.  Some people claim those PhD's need to be kept out to protect jobs for American engineers and scientists.  Companies have to prove that they can't find an American Citizen to fill a job before applying for a Visa for a foreign worker.  It turns out it is easier to open research centers overseas instead.  If you think that Indians only work in call centers run by US companies you would be mistaken.   Increasingly advanced hardware and software engineering is done overseas rather than in the US.  The latest trend is that US employees are being told that they have to relocate to India in order to keep their jobs at companies like IBM.  Of course, the US has limitless demand for Mexicans to mill around the Home Depot parking lot trying to get day laborer jobs.   

[Todd]

That's the tricky part.

My reply was ironic.  Immigration policy is a mess, and the fact that we haven't come up with something sensible for the most highly skilled and desired workers indicates how bad it is.  I don't worry too much about jobs for PhDs; their unemployment rate is pretty close to the frictional rate of unemployment.

[Szykneij]

The truth is out! Obama is really a cactus!

http://www.theonion.com/articles/poll-1-in-5-americans-believe-obama-is-a-cactus,18127/

[karlhenning]

Thanks, Tony! I saw that, and thought of this thread, too : )

[Xenophanes]

The truth is out! Obama is really a cactus!

http://www.theonion.com/articles/poll-1-in-5-americans-believe-obama-is-a-cactus,18127/

Omigod!! A Kenyan cactus!!

[DavidRoss]

Omigod!! A Kenyan cactus!!

AKA the thorn tree (nasty spines!).

[Daverz]

Nat Hentoff, the long-time Village Voice writer on jazz, about the controversy:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/08/26/pols_clueless_on_ground_zero_mosque_106904.html

http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1009/08/lkl.01.html

"O'BRIEN:  Will you turn down money from people who, say, give money to Hamas? 

     RAUF:  Absolutely. 

[...]

RAUF:  I condemn everyone and anyone who commits acts of terrorism.  And Hamas has committed acts of terrorism.  "

Hentoff is full of shit as usual.

[karlhenning]

http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1009/08/lkl.01.html

"O'BRIEN:  Will you turn down money from people who, say, give money to Hamas? 

     RAUF:  Absolutely. 

[...]

RAUF:  I condemn everyone and anyone who commits acts of terrorism.  And Hamas has committed acts of terrorism.

(* pounds the table *)