Thread: Education Industrial-Complex

We must do away with the absolutely specious notion that everybody has to earn a living. It is a fact today that one in ten thousand of us can make a technological breakthrough capable of supporting all the rest. The youth of today are absolutely right in recognizing this nonsense of earning a living.

We keep inventing jobs because of this false idea that everybody has to be employed at some kind of drudgery because, according to Malthusian-Darwinian theory, he must justify his right to exist. So we have inspectors of inspectors and people making instruments for inspectors to inspect inspectors.

The true business of people should be to go back to school and think about whatever it was they were thinking about before somebody came along and told them they had to earn a living.

- Bucky Fuller, 1970

Frank Zappa - "If you want to get laid, go to college. If you want to learn something, go to the library."

Originally Posted by DrB0b

Forget student loans. Forget private payment. Go back to restricted entry (based on ability) and competitive scholarships, at least that way only the best and brightest will get into university. If that were to happen a degree might actually be something worth having. A university should be a national resource, not a business, and education should be seen as something greater than just preparation for employment.

Unfortunately the kids who were not accepted, due to low grades, then start looking for a job. There doesn't appear to be many jobs for the young at all. Even bar tenders, waiters and arse wipers now need a degree. The unemployment figures then may rise, they of course could be massaged down by a competent governmant agency.

Originally Posted by Muadib

Ahh, more socialized services funded by the tax payer... No thank you.

Society is the winner from an educated population. As most degrees can in fact lead to more tolerant citizens, higher wages thus the government taxes increase and thus society can decide to spend the money where it wants. rather than being told by ALL governments we cant spend it on xxx because we nee to buy some more bombs, bullets and billion £ aircraft carriers. Because we have just created another group who we are very, very afraid of.

Originally Posted by Muadib

I can't imagine how bad colleges & universities would be if the government ran the show...

They are doing it now. Who decides the curriculum, who funds the research projects, who provides the scholarships? If not directly from government agencies the funds come from those companies permanently attached to the government teat.

Originally Posted by sabang

but ultimately it is an investment by society in it's own future.

Exactly.

Originally Posted by GooMaiRoo

In the USA, college degrees in accounting, environmental engineering, computer animation, nursing, education and pharmacology all come to mind.

Are you suggesting the in country educated applicants have a cheaper charge out rate, that selection is based on examination scores or is it the jobs you quote are already overseas because the job rate is cheaper overseas.

Of the listed occupations only two demand in country presence, nursing and, possibly, education. All the rest are global services which can be performed in Timbuktu if desired.

Originally Posted by barbaro

I think there are many benefits to getting a degree. Most of the benefits are not financial. I've always felt this way.

Agree, leaving the nest and experiencing a new environment allows children to turn into adults more easily/quicker. Unless mum and dad continue to force a childish behaviour.

A UK perspective.

The UK has adopted the same student loans system as the USA, I don't know if the EU in general have. Students pick and choose a degree, universities have expanded but focus, by management decree on foreign students, as the fees charged to them are much higher and hence more profitable for the university. This allows freedom of choice for the student to select a course they wish. Trying to persuade a child to select, what parents might perceive as, a better course is impossible. UK students are very aware of their status in law and will do as they please.

This can lead to poor study focus Now I believe some students change courses mid stream and receive additional "loans" to help cover expenses. There are also reports of students finding a "Financial resource"/sugar daddy who helps pay the students outgoings for personal favours.

When students leave university jobs are not always readily available for many reasons. The idea of selecting a job one knows will always be available, has gone along with the Dodo. As the student loan repayments only kick in, once a threshold salary has been reached, many students don't start repayment for a few years. This causes the interest on the loans to rise and makes the consequent repayment time longer. Ultimately what I was purchasing as a newly qualified student is very different to newly qualified students purchase know. Home creation is put back 5 or 10 years, household goods equally so. Credit ratings indicate outstanding student loans which can affect credit availability.

All good news for the politicians and bankers, society not so much. That's without the reduction in wage rates due to globalisation of production and massaged inflation figures.

Having said that I know newly qualified teachers, who work in UK tax payer funded schools, do receive assistance in a variety of ways. Cheaper mortgages, some loan reductions etc.

I've been reading about Common Core from educators, parents, and people in the "Education Industry."

IMO, Common Core will fail withing 4-9 years (hopefully sooner).

Some articles on Common Core.

What is Common Core?
http://www.corestandards.org/about-t...ked-questions/


Why Common Core will be declared a Failure:
Why the Common Core Will Be Declared a Failure - Top Performers - Education Week


Results are in: Common Core fails kids.
Results Are in: Common Core Fails Tests and Kids


The Trouble with Common Core:
Editorial: The Trouble with the Common Core

The Real Rational for Common Core and why it's failing
https://dianeravitch.net/2015/11/17/...it-is-failing/


A mother shows a math question to the community board:



This link below shows a brief video of David Coleman, the "architect of Common Core" instructing teachers on how to teach MLK's "Letter from the Birmingham Jail."

Many experienced teachers say Coleman would never last a minute in a real classroom.

It can take 6-8 days to teach the "Letter from the Birminham jail?

Video: http://vimeo.com/27056255