Reinventing education: Bill Gates takes a controversial stance for school reform

by confuzzled dude Fri Mar 21, 2014 8:52 pm

"Computer genius, billionaire, philanthropist and—education visionary?

Stepping out of the world of computers and into the classroom, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is wielding his capital and celebrity to support his latest passion project: national standards for more rigorous math and English language arts and literacy programs in schools through the Common Core Standards Initiative."

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/power-players-abc-news/reinventing-education--bill-gates-takes-a-controversial-stance-for-school-reform-221244760.html?vp=1

by confuzzled dude Fri Mar 21, 2014 8:59 pm

"You are making history, Bill and Melinda. You have now reached a new level of notoriety. You two can now be known in history books as the American billionaire couple — with your seat on Air Force One and 80 senators in your pockets — who are forcing 5 year olds to sit behind a computer screen taking a Common Core MAP test for 5 hours. As the richest couple in the world, you have the hubris to think you have that right?"

Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates

by confuzzled dude Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:23 pm

May be he has a point.. The Smartest Kids in the World

"Compared with other countries, U.S. students are terrible at math, even the ones who go to the most expensive schools. We probably do not teach it correctly. In 2009, U.S. teenagers ranked twenty-sixth on the PISA math test, seventeenth in science, and twelfth in reading. We ranked second in the world in just one thing, spending per pupil."
Reinventing education: Bill Gates takes a controversial stance for school reform Education-test-results-intl

Reinventing education: Bill Gates takes a controversial stance for school reform Education-test-results-intl

by MaxEntropy_Man Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:52 pm

confuzzled dude wrote:"You are making history, Bill and Melinda. You have now reached a new level of notoriety. You two can now be known in history books as the American billionaire couple — with your seat on Air Force One and 80 senators in your pockets — who are forcing 5 year olds to sit behind a computer screen taking a Common Core MAP test for 5 hours. As the richest couple in the world, you have the hubris to think you have that right?"

Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates

most school teachers need a swift kick up their backsides. kudos to mr and mrs gates.

by Kris Sat Mar 22, 2014 4:09 am

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:
confuzzled dude wrote:"You are making history, Bill and Melinda. You have now reached a new level of notoriety. You two can now be known in history books as the American billionaire couple — with your seat on Air Force One and 80 senators in your pockets — who are forcing 5 year olds to sit behind a computer screen taking a Common Core MAP test for 5 hours. As the richest couple in the world, you have the hubris to think you have that right?"

Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates

most school teachers need a swift kick up their backsides. kudos to mr and mrs gates.

>>>I think we need to go up the ladder too and find every fool who decided this dumbing down was a great idea. Even stranger than this was the attempt at catch-up at some of the public schools locally where kids have been thrown topics in math rather haphazardly to grapple with. These guys are losing the game. I am glad Gates is getting involved.

by MaxEntropy_Man Tue Mar 25, 2014 5:33 pm

i hope gates looks at some of the idiocy associated with common core. i had to deal with problem solving approaches like these that the school insisted on when my kids were younger:

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/common-core-parent-facebook-post-indiana-school-181841158.html

my solution was to ask my kids to completely ignore the methods they were using in class and use the more straightforward approach. i also put them in a rigorous russian math school, a supplementary math program outside of school. eventually i just pulled them out of the public school and put them in a charter school which had a more sensible program. the public school approach to math is just getting weirder and weirder with much idiocy like this yahoo article. i am not surprised this parent is frustrated.

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Reinventing education: Bill Gates takes a controversial stance for school reform

Reinventing education: Bill Gates takes a controversial stance for school reform

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Re: Reinventing education: Bill Gates takes a controversial stance for school reform

Re: Reinventing education: Bill Gates takes a controversial stance for school reform

Re: Reinventing education: Bill Gates takes a controversial stance for school reform

Re: Reinventing education: Bill Gates takes a controversial stance for school reform

Re: Reinventing education: Bill Gates takes a controversial stance for school reform