Wednesday, October 21, 2009

The New Untouchables

Original Article

We need get back to the basics. Build our future from the ground up.
I agreed that our K12 education need improvement. But I have to say that the way I look at education is quite different from the author.

The basic difference lay in the principle. Personally, I came to realize the the main point of education is to teach everyone to be responsible. The knowledge will come with it. The pure emphasis on knowledge is not going to achieve the revolution we need.

The indication of the fall of American is there for a long time. Let's just go back in time to when the immigration debate started. How many times you heard the arguments that immigrants steal the job from American? But do we ever questioning ourselves that for what reason, should we be paid more to do the same tasks? Back then, did anyone listen to the voice that we need to improve our education system so that we are producing workforces that can do others can't? Do you see what we are missing in our soul? Our arguments is all about them but not about us. Not about what the heavy lifting we need to do?

Even now, in the middle of a economic down turn, we are cried for more and more resources so we can improve our education. Aren't we follow the same path? Take a look at the world, which countries that spend more on education than we do. How much the best educated country spent on their education? Can you argue that we did not spend enough? Or maybe the real reason is that we do not know what the culprits are? We simply think that we have done nothing wrong. The reason we are not good is that Government did not provide us enough money.

Don't get me wrong, resource is helpful and it very likely will produce result. But does this guide us to the right direction? Sure! We can spend enough money so that there is a guardian for every student and most likely the test results will be better. But is this the right way to do it? Will our students ready to take the responsibility when guardians are gone? Are we sure this is the right way to do it if other countries can do it cheaper? Is this sustainable economically?

There are times I think we are looking at the wrong things. These days, politics are tauting more graduates and more higher education. But did anyone think about that maybe, just maybe, if we can improve our K12, we may not need send all the kids to higher education since they already posses the ability to meet the workforce requirement. It's the quality that counts. Not that piece of paper!

The other thing I like to point out is that from time to time, we, the American, are not very realistic. For example, in the higher ed, people are talking about critical thinking without being able to define it or measure it. Let along on how to teach it. There are also people that simply reject the standardized test without bothering to propose objective alternatives. There are also people that taut entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity while forgetting what Edison's idea of a genius.

Let me say this. We need get back to the basics. Build our future from the ground up.

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Recovery.Gov website is up

Original Article

Summary goes here!

Main body here

Monday, October 05, 2009

Cracks in the Future

Original Article

Summary goes here!
I agree that if the UC Berkeley is let down, it is a cracks in the future. But this is the result of a lot of our past activities.

We as a nation had slipped on our K12 education which lowered the education level of the whole nation. This results in the lower appreciation of education by the general public. We shouldn't consider this event a political event. Suppose all our citizen do appreciated the the contribution of our higher education, the government will have a hard time to lower its contribution to the higher education.

Personally, I don't think there is a quick fix to this problem. It is true that someone or the congress can weight in and backing the very best institution of the nation. But eventually, it's citizen's call where the money goes.

We need to improve the education of the general public first before things can turn around.

The root of our problem, to my opinion, is not the resource but the attitude or the atmosphere of our nation. To me, the most important thing in education is the responsibility.

College for $99 a Month

Original Article

Summary goes here!
I am so delight to read this article. It finally see the lights - the challenge to the accreditation system.

'If you don't do it, it will be done regardless of you.' After seeing the un-willingness of change of the traditional (regional accredited) institution.

For profits have fought this war via various means. University of Phoenix follows the regional accreditation requirement. Others join the National accreditation and fight through legislature to have their credit hours accepted by regional accredited institutions.

I would like to see how regional accreditation agencies reacted to this.