Baltimore schools have zero students proficient in math | Hacker News Reader

Baltimore schools have zero students proficient in math

foxbaltimore.com

42 pointsgeorgecmu19 comments

Hate to be so dramatic, but some school administrators should probably go to jail for this. Zero students in 23 schools? That’s insane. You can go to jail for committing fraud on your taxes. What are the consequences for ruining thousands of kids education? Some school leaders should be made an example of

For what crime exactly?

Fraud

Lol what fraud? These people have never guaranteed that they would turn these children into world-beaters. They'll say these are underfunded schools and that you're attacking the people who actually showed up to help these kids.

I can’t imagine the state grade level standards are even that high, so this is even more grim. From what I’ve gathered, mathematical standards in USA schools is notably lower than Asian countries like Korea, Singapore, Russia.

From the graph is looked like the highest percentage was 36%. So only 36% testing as proficient was the best district? If so, what an absolute disaster.

Another one of those “how on earth is the richest country on earth this bad?” moments.

> Another one of those “how on earth is the richest country on earth this bad?” moments.

I don't know how long this has been going on but I suspect that the effect of systemic deficiencies in education take years or decades to surface.

Meanwhile Asian kids are all learning math really intensely. What does this portend for US competitiveness over the next 15-20 years....this problem exists probably outside of Baltimore too...

Wasn't it that those Asian kids who learn math competitively do it to emigrate to the US so in the end it's a net benefit to the US either way regardless if its internal education system is falling apart?

Also, being competitive at math doesn't really help you or your country if your country isn't insanely wealthy to take advantage of those locals who are competitive at math by funding cutting edge companies and research.

I'm from a post communist country which leads Europe in medals at STEM Olympiads and it has near zero effect at making the country's industry competitive internationally as those medalists get swooped up by ivy league colleges and top US companies that pay several times what's they can make here. If they were to stay here it would be useless as there's no money to fund top local companies that can compete with what the US already offers.

As long as the US economy stays Numero Uno, managing to outbid every other country for top talent, it will have no shortage of talent to stay competitive internationally, regardless of the state of its own education system.

You haven't been to Asia recently, have you? :)

I, unfortunately, can't help you with your problems in your post-communist country. Whichever it is -- I'm sure it's size is comparable to Korea and or Japan, but it lacks the productive output of those two East Asian countries. And let's say that at the end of World War 2, all of these countries had equal opportunities.

So it's not a good example.

Back to my point.

Asia is becoming insanely wealthy -- and very, very fast. East Asia is already there, and so are places like Singapore. Also wealthy economies are not zero sum games. As wealth distribution equalizes, everyone suddenly has access to the same online courses from Stanford, the same iPads, the same this and that.

As the US starts to fall behind, it won't be interesting for people to immigrate to the US. They will want to stay home where their friends and family are.

Finally it's not an optimistic statement when you have given up on your own people and suggest that your country's STEM problems will be solved by bright people coming from outside the country. That seems to be just delaying the inevitable slide backwards.

I'm all for the US being competitive and so on, btw. But things in Asia (and India) are REALLY speeding up. Don't be the ostrich here.

Maryland has pretty good education achievement statewide

Title should be that “23 Baltimore schools have zero…”

As it’s written it’s just plain wrong.

HN removes numbers from the beginning of titles to avoid clickbait. Sometimes it doesn’t work out.

Does a lack of qualification necessarily imply "all"?

Not necessarily no, but it can do, hence ambiguity is introduced that was not there in the original title.

Well, it could still be read as "There are Baltimore schools which have zero students proficient in math." Not sure why you're taking issue with it, really. The idea that even a single school could have zero students proficient in math should be shocking.

Discussion about accurate titling can sit alongside, it doesn’t have to get dragged into a discussion about the main topic.

The entirety of the "maga" movement should be absolutely and vehemently rallying against this - its impossible to be "great" if a large chunk of your schools aren't teaching very basic maths.

Jokes aside, y'all doomed. Ok, maybe not all jokes aside, but the sentiment holds. Be worried.

It is, but the media will never cover it so you won't hear about it.

Okay, but what other social justice goals are the math teachers achieving? That's far more important than preparing students for success and advancement. If the teacher is using all the right pronouns and engaging in active gender justice, that's what matters.

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