IUBio

"Abductions" DO NOT exist :They are misinterpreted sleep phenomena

Norman Quisling norman_quisling at hotmail.com
Sun Apr 12 01:48:58 EST 1998


Pepijn Schmitz wrote:

> While I agree with you that generalizations are bad and should be avoided, it is
> a known fact that on average... the American population is a lot less educated than > most other countries. Plus,
> the education that they did receive is generally a lot worse than that in most
> other countries. 
[snip]
> Pepijn

Is it a known fact, or is it a case of different populations of students
being compared on test scores? What I mean is, the US has no system to
cull the student population of lower achievers, as many other countries
do. I don't know the specifics on how France handles their education
system, but I know at least some European countries have a competitive
system where more marginal students are shunted off to learn a trade,
and education is only guaranteed through age fifteen. Only the top
students stay on the academic track. 

In the US, students stay on whtever track they are capable of or desire
to. So our top students will include a broader range of abilities than
many countries. Also, don't forget, that it's a lot easier to get into
college here. Although there is competition to get into some colleges
and universities, in general, if you can do the work, a college
somewhere will take you.

I have three children with learning disabilities. They are all from
Romania, and because of their early life, have some hurdles to overcome.
However, they attend the same classes and take the same subjects as
other kids. And they take the same achievement tests. The only
difference is that the work they do is slightly modified. So if you are
comparing any age groups, unless you have the same range of abilities
present in all countries, you can't make these comparisons.

Don't forget about this little facet. If the Euros are so well educated
and sophisticated, why do they need the US to pull them out of the bad
situations they get themselves into every few years? Why are the French
so attached to communism and socialism, even though almost everyone but
Fidel Castro has recognized they are failed systems. And finally, why is
the US perpetually at the head of the pack, from a technological
standpoint? If you French were as well educated as you claim, you
wouldn't be mired in a perpetually stagnant economy, having to beg for
crumbs from the Germans. You would be out front.



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