Victim Of The Feminist Revolution – School Children?

Am reading Super Freakonomics tonight after swimming at the “Y”.  Consider this:

In 1960, about 40% of female teachers scored in the top quintile of IQ and other aptitude test, with only 8% in the bottom.  Twenty years later, fewer than half as many were in the top quintile, while more than twice as many in the bottom.

Between 1967 and 1980, U.S. test scores fell by about 1.25 grade-level equivalents.

Jeepers.

10 responses to “Victim Of The Feminist Revolution – School Children?

  1. Or victim of how we don’t pay teachers enough to lure more people into the profession who can make more money doing something else.

    • Or victim of how we don’t pay teachers enough to lure more people into the profession who can make more money doing something else.

      Or that. But you’d be hard pressed to defend that position when teachers work 9 months a year and are offered protection from termination by the unions.

  2. Pino, I’m having a little trouble making the connection you infer, but Scott makes an important point.

    Anyway, the issue isn’t whether teachers work hard enough. The issue is do we want our kids educated or not? Will it cost more to do it right? Then let’s frackin do it. And let’s incent more men back to the classroom. They’ve largely abandoned the profession – perhaps because we’ve demeaned it for so many decades.

    Who, other than the mission-driven, wants to be a teacher when you are called names and blamed for societal failures?

    • Pino, I’m having a little trouble making the connection you infer, but Scott makes an important point.

      Back in the day there were only a few occupations available to women; teaching being one of them. As such, when an intelligent woman wanted to work, she had but a few choices. As I pointed out from reading the book, the teaching profession collected many more of the smartest women than it does today. In other words, the smart women of today are choosing other professions rather than teaching.

      And the smarter someone is, the better they do whatever job they are in.

      In other words, a smart pizza delivery kid will be a better pizza delivery kid than one who scores low on IQ and other aptitude tests. Same with concession clerk at the movies or a grocery store manager or, even a teacher.

      Anyway, the issue isn’t whether teachers work hard enough.

      Many do. Many don’t.

      The issue is do we want our kids educated or not? Will it cost more to do it right? Then let’s frackin do it.

      I agree.

      I maintain that the best way to do this is to incent the brightest people back into the profession. And the way to do that is to:

      1. Pay the very best dramatically more money
      2. Remove the barriers for professionals who wanna become teachers.
      3. Fire the poorest performing teachers.
      4. Eliminate tenure.

      • In other words, the smart women of today are choosing other professions rather than teaching.

        By the way, later in the book they talk about the fact that more women are doctors. And that female ER doctors are better than male ER doctors. So, while the victims of smart women leaving teaching are our kids, the rewards are that more people live due to those women becoming doctors.

      • Okay, I get it. I’m one of those liberals who does not support the teachers’ unions. It hurts me to say that but they’ve been very complicit in protecting bad teachers.

        I agree with your four points. I’d add allow teachers some discretion re discipline in the classroom. I also think we could examine and maybe upend some counter productive things – like making teenagers get up at 6am so they can get the bus and make it there by 8am.

        Let’s lengthen the school year. Ours in the USA is one of the shortest in the developed world.

        I hear that in Singapore, they pay their senior civil servants soemthing like a million bucks a year – and they do a damn good job which of course is vvery good for Singapore..

        All that said, I have no problem with asking more of schools and teachers . . . we acknowledge that most kids are on their own all day and only see parent or parents after work. So let’s make up for that deficit – like in Singapore, let’s deal with our realities and do what’s best for the larger community.

        • I’m one of those liberals who does not support the teachers’ unions. It hurts me to say that but they’ve been very complicit in protecting bad teachers.

          Good for you!

          I’d add allow teachers some discretion re discipline in the classroom.

          Me too. Let it be subject to the experts; the teachers.

          I also think we could examine and maybe upend some counter productive things – like making teenagers get up at 6am so they can get the bus and make it there by 8am.

          Yes, HELL YES!! Innovate everything!

          All that said, I have no problem with asking more of schools and teachers . . . we acknowledge that most kids are on their own all day and only see parent or parents after work. So let’s make up for that deficit – like in Singapore, let’s deal with our realities and do what’s best for the larger community.

          Next time I’m in Florida I’ll buy you a beer.

          • Isn’t it great when a libertarian and a liberal agree on something 100%! I think that means there’s truth in there.

  3. More money for teachers is not the answer. There is no amount of money that will convince truly qualified professionals to put their best effort into teaching disrespectful and rowdy students. I can understand that some students have learning difficulties, but there is no excuse for bad behavior. The public needs to stop giving those brats excuses for their lack of manners. When we start demanding that students conform to our high expectations, the best and brightest adults will be breaking down the doors to get teaching jobs at public schools.

    • More money for teachers is not the answer. There is no amount of money that will convince truly qualified professionals to put their best effort into teaching disrespectful and rowdy students.

      I don’t totally agree. I left the profession after 1 single year because I saw that I would never make more money than the oldest teachers. And I was going to be better than almost all of them.

      When we start demanding that students conform to our high expectations, the best and brightest adults will be breaking down the doors to get teaching jobs at public schools.

      Yes. We cannot expect our schools to be our daycares, our community food bank, our churches and our parents.

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