83% of America's Top High School Science Students are the Children of Immigrants

[Mott the Hoople]

They're still Americans. The decline science education we're seeing is really generational. That is to many millennials are to big of pussies to study science cause they might have to work. So before we panic about not having enough people with STEM education to meet demand in the US let's explore some facts.

#1. That's true every where. There is no country on the planet where supply isn't outstripped by demand.
#2. The U.S. Has more people with a BS/BA degree or higher in Science, as a percentage of their population, than any nation.
#3. That drops to #4 in the world at ages 25 to 35. Still the US has the largest for any large nation.
#4. Not all science degrees are equal. Where the U.S. Struggles competitively at the elementary and high school level it excels at the college level where the U.S. Has the most rigerous science programs in the world. Only the U.K. Compares in the degree of rigour in science education.
#5. U.S. Science is focused at the primary and secondary level on fact retention to meet demands of standardized test and not science process. This discourages a lot of young people. At the college level the opposite is true. The focus is on science process.
#6. Parents in the U.S. are indifferent about their kids focusing on science.

So it's not all gloom and doom. If we do more to encourage science education and retain our qualitative superiority then we should maintain our quantitative superiority.

 

[leaningright]

Nothing new. The American family unit is broken. Immigrants value education, and hard work. Americans are entitled.

Let me just say that I couldn't agree more with the bolded. While problems with family contribute I think the bolded is the core problem...from value placed on education to a sense of entitlement. There are precious few native born Americans who value education. Fewer yet are so inclined to put the necessary work into pursuing STEM fields. If it comes easy, fine, but most aren't willing to put out the effort to make it happen for themselves if indeed it takes effort. Can't interfere with my selfie time or YouTube video watching.

My foreign exchange students are amazed at the lack of math knowledge over here. These exchange students are looked at as Math Gods because they can do math so much "easier" than so many of the other kids. I try to make it a point to highlight why that's so. The conversation goes kind of like:

"Minsu, how did you lear to do math so well? Did you just wake up one day and Lear how to do it?"

"No. I went to school and learned."

"What happened if you didn't learn your multiplication facts when you were 8 (for most kids worldwide 7-8 is the age they learn them)?"

"We didn't get to advance to the next level."

"What about when you had to learn how to handle (+ - x /) fractions?"

"If we didn't learn it we didn't get to move on with the rest of our class"

I could go down the list. Basically, if learning is not achieved advancement is not rewarded. Until we get back to this we are spinning our wheels. Here's another one for you that goes to the sense of entitlement that I feel is shared by our kids and their parents:

In our school there is a program where churches and individuals in the area buy school supplies for all the kids. It started that the local Indian tribe (my Choctaws) bought them for the Choctaw children. Because no one can be different a group of parents started taking buying supplies for the rest of the students, you know, so everyone would be equal. This has been happening for about 10 years now. So when the kids are needing a notebook they just go to lady who distributes them. A couple of years ago supplies ran short for some reason. A girl was needing a notebook but there weren't any. A day or two later the teacher noticed the girl was still "borrowing" paper and asked her when she was going to get her own notebook. She said her dad told her that he bought her a notebook when school started (in August) and that the school could provide her with one now (it was December). No thought of, "My kid needs paper to do her work on." Just the thought, "Have that school give my daughter a free notebook."

I don't think I'm being melodramatic by saying that I fear for our future.

 

[leaningright]

They're still Americans. The decline science education we're seeing is really generational. That is to many millennials are to big of $&@#%s to study science cause they might have to work. So before we panic about not having enough people with STEM education to meet demand in the US let's explore some facts.

#1. That's true every where. There is no country on the planet where supply isn't outstripped by demand.
#2. The U.S. Has more people with a BS/BA degree or higher in Science, as a percentage of their population, than any nation.
#3. That drops to #4 in the world at ages 25 to 35. Still the US has the largest for any large nation.
#4. Not all science degrees are equal. Where the U.S. Struggles competitively at the elementary and high school level it excels at the college level where the U.S. Has the most rigerous science programs in the world. Only the U.K. Compares in the degree of rigour in science education.
#5. U.S. Science is focused at the primary and secondary level on fact retention to meet demands of standardized test and not science process. This discourages a lot of young people. At the college level the opposite is true. The focus is on science process.
#6. Parents in the U.S. are indifferent about their kids focusing on science.

So it's not all gloom and doom. If we do more to encourage science education and retain our qualitative superiority then we should maintain our quantitative superiority.

I agree with a lot of this. Wish I could be as confident about our future.

 

[FUCK THE POLICE]

Blah blah blah blah. Oh everyone gets school supplies now! They aren't restricted by the wealth of their parents?!! THE HORROR! HOW DARE ANYONE THINK WE'RE EQUAL!

You're part of the problem with this nation, LR. You're selfishness and greed is why we aren't great and can never be great. Because you demand that the poor be treated like subhumans, and that poor children be denied access to education, so that you can feel special. Because you're a piece of hick trash, you need someone to look down on. You don't feel right unless you have a black or something that you feel is lesser than you. You refuse to be equal with other human beings.

 

[FUCK THE POLICE]

I fear from our children, that they're exposed to fanatical fascist anti-egalitarians, anti-freedom monsters like you. Our children should be protected from any Trump supporter, Trump supporters should be banned from all teaching positions. They are cancer.

 

[FUCK THE POLICE]

Special snowflakes like you, who feel ENTITLED to a superior, umerited status to other human beings, are why we are failing.

 

[leaningright]

Blah blah blah blah. Oh everyone gets school supplies now! They aren't restricted by the wealth of their parents?!! THE HORROR! HOW DARE ANYONE THINK WE'RE EQUAL!

You're part of the problem with this nation, LR. You're selfishness and greed is why we aren't great and can never be great. Because you demand that the poor be treated like subhumans, and that poor children be denied access to education, so that you can feel special. Because you're a piece of hick trash, you need someone to look down on. You don't feel right unless you have a black or something that you feel is lesser than you. You refuse to be equal with other human beings.

You have misread or not read at all that post. The point was not that school supplies are provided. It started as a good thing. I don't have a problem with that. The problem is that now kids and parents have come to expect them, AND not appreciate them. My FE students are appalled when they see the pencils and broken pieces of pencils strewn across campus. That's a problem. I have the same kids who require a writing utensil every day even though they're all given an ample supply at the beginning of school.

So many of us in the US do not appreciate what was done to make us the nation we are. And when that happens we are ripe for destruction.

Edit: I want to mention also the desire to provide for all kids when the Choctaw tribe started doing this was by parents of kids who could comfortably afford school supplies. They had to answer why the Choctaw kid got supplies and their kid didn't and they didn't like doing it. In 30+ years of teaching, not one kid in need has ever gone without supplies (or clothes or winter coats or shoes) while going through our small school. Teachers like me have seen to that.

 

[Ralph]

You have misread or not read at all that post. The point was not that school supplies are provided. It started as a good thing. I don't have a problem with that. The problem is that now kids and parents have come to expect them, AND not appreciate them. My FE students are appalled when they see the pencils and broken pieces of pencils strewn across campus. That's a problem. I have the same kids who require a writing utensil every day even though they're all given an ample supply at the beginning of school.

So many of us in the US do not appreciate what was done to make us the nation we are. And when that happens we are ripe for destruction.

Edit: I want to mention also the desire to provide for all kids when the Choctaw tribe started doing this was by parents of kids who could comfortably afford school supplies. They had to answer why the Choctaw kid got supplies and their kid didn't and they didn't like doing it. In 30+ years of teaching, not one kid in need has ever gone without supplies (or clothes or winter coats or shoes) while going through our small school. Teachers like me have seen to that.

A "typical" leftist.....accusations and hate directly spoken or communicated in the direction of someone they don't agree with POLITICALLY SPEAKING. How do they accuse and attack? By demonstrating they use the exact same tactics and traits they are attempting to belittle you about all without providing any objective evidence whatsoever that their accusations are truth and their attack is justified for any other reason than political hate.

FUNNY AS HELL. Communists are the most stupid and gullible people on earth because they think the STATE can do for them what they can't do for themselves...make them equal to people they are jealous and envious about in relation to why those people are more successful, they "feel" that the world owes them and they should never have to work hard and sacrifice to accomplish anything at an individual level. Never accepting the reality that its FREE WILL that keeps holding them back not the successes or failures of others.

And the SOCK that attacked you....actually thinks they are clever by hiding behind another persona when their true ID is revealed by the words they present not the one of many FACES that all liberals attempt to hide behind while spewing the anger and hate within. ...they know if they spoke to someone's face while someone was looking directly upon them they would have to back those words up with something other than BS. The typical Leftist. Back Biting Cowards....attempting to make others believe they are brave....in the little world between their ears.

 

[Sailor]

You have misread or not read at all that post. The point was not that school supplies are provided. It started as a good thing. I don't have a problem with that. The problem is that now kids and parents have come to expect them, AND not appreciate them. My FE students are appalled when they see the pencils and broken pieces of pencils strewn across campus. That's a problem. I have the same kids who require a writing utensil every day even though they're all given an ample supply at the beginning of school.

So many of us in the US do not appreciate what was done to make us the nation we are. And when that happens we are ripe for destruction.

Edit: I want to mention also the desire to provide for all kids when the Choctaw tribe started doing this was by parents of kids who could comfortably afford school supplies. They had to answer why the Choctaw kid got supplies and their kid didn't and they didn't like doing it. In 30+ years of teaching, not one kid in need has ever gone without supplies (or clothes or winter coats or shoes) while going through our small school. Teachers like me have seen to that.

That is outstanding leaningright. You are a good man.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

I agree with a lot of this. Wish I could be as confident about our future.

The kids are alright. I think our nation has a great future and when I talk to most young folk under 30 I become very hopeful for our future. That feeling is usually crushed by a 1 minute conversation with Skidmark.

 

[leaningright]

The kids are alright. I think our nation has a great future and when I talk to most young folk under 30 I become very hopeful for our future. That feeling is usually crushed by a 1 minute conversation with Skidmark.

LOL...

 

[Mott the Hoople]

I fear from our children, that they're exposed to fanatical fascist anti-egalitarians, anti-freedom monsters like you. Our children should be protected from any Trump supporter, Trump supporters should be banned from all teaching positions. They are cancer.

In other words you're afraid they may become like you.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

You have misread or not read at all that post. The point was not that school supplies are provided. It started as a good thing. I don't have a problem with that. The problem is that now kids and parents have come to expect them, AND not appreciate them. My FE students are appalled when they see the pencils and broken pieces of pencils strewn across campus. That's a problem. I have the same kids who require a writing utensil every day even though they're all given an ample supply at the beginning of school.

So many of us in the US do not appreciate what was done to make us the nation we are. And when that happens we are ripe for destruction.

Edit: I want to mention also the desire to provide for all kids when the Choctaw tribe started doing this was by parents of kids who could comfortably afford school supplies. They had to answer why the Choctaw kid got supplies and their kid didn't and they didn't like doing it. In 30+ years of teaching, not one kid in need has ever gone without supplies (or clothes or winter coats or shoes) while going through our small school. Teachers like me have seen to that.

You never had Skidmark as a student.

 

[iolo]

Yes, is real socialist countries people like you have nothing unless you are part of the ruling class.

As you know, there are no real socialist countries, only pretend ones, as with Christian countries. There are capitalist classes based on exploiting craps like those who give you your orders, mug.

 

[iolo]

There's a great meme/cartoon, it shows this couple on a date and the girl says "I'm a socialist" and the guy trying to impress her says "great, I don't understand economics either".

Well I do, child, and my wife has a Cambridge degree in the subject. Mug!

 

[cawacko]

Well I do, child, and my wife has a Cambridge degree in the subject. Mug!

Child? I know terms mean different things in different countries but is that your attempt at an insult?

With the socialist b.s. you spout your understanding is quite hidden then. And we have dozens of PhD economists from top schools in the U.S. who work for the Fed who can run amazing math models but still lack real world financial sense

 

[Mott the Hoople]

Child? I know terms mean different things in different countries but is that your attempt at an insult?

With the socialist b.s. you spout your understanding is quite hidden then. And we have dozens of PhD economists from top schools in the U.S. who work for the Fed who can run amazing math models but still lack real world financial sense

None of whom have ever gone to prison or crashed the worlds economy either.

 

[cawacko]

None of whom have ever gone to prison or crashed the worlds economy either.

Props if you were purposefully making that last portion of your sentence ironic.

 

[iolo]

Child? I know terms mean different things in different countries but is that your attempt at an insult?

With the socialist b.s. you spout your understanding is quite hidden then. And we have dozens of PhD economists from top schools in the U.S. who work for the Fed who can run amazing math models but still lack real world financial sense

It is a bit like understanding theology - it doesn't imply agreement. When I use 'child' I am being patronising to people who pontificate about things like socialism of which they have been kept totally ignorant. Such people are not grown up.

 

[tsuke]

did it say how many of them were illegal immigrants?......

they really should start making a distinction