Progress Report

*According to Pearson's Education Firm, in their global report on education, the United States places 17th in the developed world. Finland ranked the highest, followed by South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.

*According to PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), who compares the knowledge and skills of 15-yr.olds in 70 countries, ranked the U.S. 14th for reading skills, 17th for science skills and 25th for mathematical skill. The report on the U.S. reveals we have fallen behind in the percentage of 15-yr.olds who are enrolled in school, ranking third from the bottom, above only Mexico and Turkey. The report also shows only eight countries have a lower high school graduation rate than the U.S., and as far as college graduates, the U.S. has slipped from 2nd to 13th.

*In 1966-67, of the 1.4 million students who took the verbal section of the S.A.T., a score of 700 or better, was achieved by 33,000... In 1986-87, of the 1.8 million students who took the verbal section of the S.A.T., a score of 700 or better was achieved by less than 14,000 students.

*In a recent Newsweek poll, 30% of the U.S. citizens didn't know who the vice-president was, and almost 50% of the U.S. citizens could not describe the Bill of Rights.

*According to the Oklahoma Council of Public Affair's civic education poll for public school students, 77% didn't know George Washington was the first President; couldn't name Thomas Jefferson as the author of the Declaration of Independence and only 2.8% actually passed the citizenship test. Along similar lines, the Goldwater Institute of Phoenix did the same survey, and only 3.5% of the students passed the civics test.

*According to Gallup Polls, on the eve of the Iraq War, 69% of American's thought Saddam Hussein was responsible and/or involved in the 9/11 attacks. After four years, that number didn't even decrease by 50%.

*The Global Education study places 16 other industrialized countries higher than the U.S. in science and 23 other industrialized countries higher than the U.S. in math.

*According to the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress, 68% of public school children do not read proficiently by the time they finish the 3rd grade; the U.S. News & World reported that barely 50% of students are ready for college level reading.

*Of the 21 countries participating in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, American high school seniors did better than only 2 countries- Cyprus and South Africa.

*According to the National Endowment of the Arts, 40% of Americans under the age of 44 did not read a single book, fiction or non-fiction, over the course of the year. The proportion of 17 yr. olds who read nothing (unless required by school) doubled just between the years of 1984-2004.

*MSNBC posted that of the high school seniors who took the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress, only 13% showed academic performance in American history.

*According to Common Core, only 43% of high school students knew the civil war was fought sometime between 1850-1900, 25% of high school students thought Christopher Columbus made his famous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean after 1750, only 60% of high school students knew WWI was fought between 1900 and 1950 and 33% did not know that the Bill of Rights included freedom of speech and religion.

*According to the National Geographic Society, one of their surveys revealed only 37% of Americans between the ages of 18-24 could find Iraq on the map and 50% couldn't find the state of New York.

     Based on the above mentioned statistics and numbers, one could argue that America is becoming "dumbed-down." Of course, look at what successive generations have been arguing and stating for years on end. Statistics are just indicators. Rarely do people challenge the sources of statistics, data or the information presented. One could spend their entire lives assessing, comparing and arriving at conclusions based on that information and it's sources. In short, people look for data to support their way of thinking. So, in our search for Truth, what do we think?...

     One could definitely argue, based on statistics, that people are, in fact, becoming more dependent, and less self-reliant. This opinion could easily be supported based on current trends in the country. Common sense would dictate, that with the birth and growth of technology, one doesn't have to be as self-reliant as his ancestors. Obviously, with evolution, we gain both advantages and disadvantages. Our modern society simply traded one set of problems for the other. We have advanced in some areas, but we have definitely fallen short in others. Solutions may have been provided for past generations, but in turn, problems have been created for future generations.

     People often wonder, are we better off with technology? This is a double sided question. People back their opinions on average life expectancy numbers, population numbers etc., but does that really encompass the Truth? Haven't our problems just increased at the same rate overall? Are we, as humans, capable of evolving as fast as technology has? We could use our advances to solve a number of issues, yet we don't. In fact, a lot of our problems are easily solved, but controlled by other factors- on purpose. Have we used technology to our advantage, or proportionally disadvantaged ourselves at the same time?

     The institutions of man are corrupt, which means man, at the foundation, is corrupt. As long as man is corrupt, so too will be his society. Education, has always been a subject of great debate. Perhaps we're teaching the wrong subjects in school? Perhaps we're teaching subjects in the wrong order? Perhaps we're not self-educating enough out of school? The quickest way to a healthy mind, is through a healthy body, but is that belief held and practiced by the majority? Experience plays a major role in the development of one's morals and ethics, so is this factored into our educations? What about our children's educations?

     Which classes do you wish you could have taken while in school? Would they include courses in any of the following: Common sense, Logistical Reasoning, Critical & Forward Thinking, Self-Reliance, Preparedness & Survival, How Debt & Money Really Works, Developing Codes, Virtues & Ethics to Live By, Balance & Moderation in Life, Time Management, Reciprocal Relationships, Spiritual Development & Awakening, A Practical Approach To Living Within Your Means, The Pursuit of Happiness, Civil Disobedience, Environmental Awareness, Knowing Thyself 101...

     The list of things we learn through experience is quite long. We can't really appreciate what we're learning until we realize how it really affects us. If we don't use it, we lose it. How much of our education do we really retain? I would venture to say those numbers are quite astonishing and embarrassing at the same time. Of that which we do retain, how much do we "willfully ignore?" Those statistics would indicate how "dumbed-down" we really are as a whole. For example, the World Health Organization and the Academy of Sciences state beyond a shadow of doubt, cell phones cause cancer, yet statistics on this blog state that over 50% of the views come from cell phones, as opposed to other devices. We know beyond certainty, the food we consume is starving and killing us, but how many of us are actually changing our eating habits? Statistics prove not a lot of us have for sure...

     It's ironic our level of understanding as we age. Certainty turns to uncertainty. The more we seem to know, the more we seem to "not" know. What we were once so confident about, later leads way to doubt. Knowledge alone does not indicate wisdom or understanding. What works on paper, does not necessarily work in "real" life. Theoretical knowledge is vastly different than practical application of that knowledge. It's been said by our greatest minds, that our real education comes after we unlearn all that we have learned. We were taught in science about the existence of solids, yet the more one studies the universe, the more we realize that solids are simply not evidenced here. Shouldn't our opinions, thoughts etc., mirror the same universal Truth?

     So how do we measure our levels of education today? Do we base those levels on the amount of worldly goods, possessions and power we gain? Do we measure it by the world's definition of success? Is it represented in popularity? Is a privately educated student "smarter" than a publically educated student? Is a person holding multiple degrees, smarter than a person with a G.E.D? Are there "common sense" statistics available to distinguish our levels of education in our society? Even with our level of education today, history reminds us that far less advanced societies fared better than we have. Are we truly "smarter" than previous generations? Are we even smarter than our pets? I'm sure a debate could be waged for either side of the opinion. Ignorance seems to be rather rampant these days...

     In conclusion, I have determined that I came into to this world knowing nothing, and I will depart from it knowing even less. In educating myself, I can inspire and educate others through example and create positive change in the world. True education exists not only in theory, but in the application of knowledge through experience. The education of others, strengthens the whole. The level of education in a person, lies not with pieces of paper or length of time in institutions, but the effect one's education leaves in his wake. Education is merely the gateway to possibility- the possibility of learned positive change. To deny an education, is to deny myself and the lives of others. One should continually educate themselves so their education lives, even after their death- for the lessons learned in education are realized afterwards by others, and seldom by ourselves. Perhaps it's time to review our "Progress Report..."


* "Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation." -John F. Kennedy

* "Education is the progressive realization of our ignorance." -Albert Einstein

* "In the end we retain from our studies only that which we practically apply." -Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

* "Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each." -Plato

* "The secret in education lies in respecting the student." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

* "Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity." -Aristotle

* "Education has opened many, many doors, there are still innumerable doors shut tight- unopened yet. Theses are the doors of the future. Perhaps one of my children will open one of these doors- I shall give him the key. For our children are the future..." -Unknown

   

Sources:
www.psychologytoday.com
www.gallup.com
www.americansforprosperity.org
www.endoftheamericandream.com
www.huffingtonpost.com
www.proverbia.com