does any of you know of the level of mathematics teaching in the former soviet union (or Hungary) during versus after the communist periond? I suppose state control over education can be both effective or ineffective, dependent on the quality of those controls. I for one had good and inspiring teachers, but the mathematics studies were scary (so I took chemistry). A continuing education, after joining the workforce, would be a plus. As my dad used to say, (pun ..) mathematics and religion share the property that they are inward focussed, not observing the outward world, like the sciences. (end pun) Wouter. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Eugene Salamin" <gene_salamin@yahoo.com> To: "math-fun" <math-fun@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2003 7:24 PM Subject: Re: [math-fun] NY State math exam flap
So NY state responded to the high failure rate by canceling the test. So what about the students who passed? Do they have to take the exam over again? The nature of the public school system is that the curriculum is dumbed down to the level of the stupidest students.
The liberal news media is always concerned that the system fails the students of lesser ability, but for some strange reason they just couldn't care less about the more gifted students achieving their own potential. A while back the New York Times had a flaming liberal named Richard Rothstein who wrote a column on education. This Rothstein fellow presented as a reason to oppose vouchers that gifted students would be able to leave the worst schools, and thus no longer be available to serve as role models for poorer students. I expect that Mr. Rothstein was told to shut up and put his red flag back in the closet until the time is right to wave it.
Perhaps the fundamental cause of the educational crisis is not the details of the curriculum, or the details of the test, but rather the monopolistic nature of state controlled public education.
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