Raising the Standards

The standards of education in California need to be raised.

For too many students, the goal is to leave school and get out of it, and for many in high places, the goal seems mainly just to get them in and get them out, to make sure that they can pass a minimum standard and then get out.

This "minimum standard" is pathetic. The expectations for average high school students in the state seem pitifully low, and are frankly just sad. What's even sadder is that many kids are just fine with their deplorable expectations.

School is for learning, as in, "one goes there to learn." To obtain knowledge. It should be appreciated, it is a privilege. Not everyone in the world has access to it, and even  if they do, the quality varies greatly. Many students I've met seem to be under the impression that their education is some sort of unnecessary burden forced upon them, and they take education for granted. They take all that we have accomplished with our knowledge for granted. They just don't appreciate education and gathering knowledge as they ideally should.

If we are to continue to support and build the society which we have built and which many of you couldn't live without and which many of you cherish, education, knowledge, and reasoning need to be taken more seriously. If we are to improve it, we must do this. If we are to change it, we must do this. 

Since when is 60%  considered passing? Does a 60% truly mean that you understand what you are doing and that you have a solid grasp of the material? On multiple choice tests where students have the option of guessing if they do not know the answer, this 60% might just be the result of lucky guesses whereas the student's real score if they did not guess might have been a 40%. So no, a 60% bloody well doesn't mean you understand jack.

Having a good solid grasp of something should be defined not as 60%, but more like 80%. Reasoning and problem solving should also have their bars raised. Science and logic need to be taken out of the lab and into the wider culture, into the daily lives and minds of the laymen. The standards for our children need to be raised, because they cannot support, improve, or bring glory to this country without a higher standard being set.

We need to look for more than just being "mildly proficient" at simple high school math. You should not be allowed to get away with believing in bogus science and faulty reasoning as you go about your daily life. Everyone should be literate and have an tough command of the English language, as well as command of others. No one should be able to get away with not knowing their history.

At the rate we're going, it looks like people will not be expected to know better than this.

The standards need to be set higher. The bar needs to be raised.

Merely "getting by" is not enough. We must excel and succeed.