Class 13: “Reducing Inequities in Education” by UC Berkeley Professor Reich

[@tonyk4615]

The summer after I graduated college and before I left for grad school I was working in a factory for some extra money. Two older ladies asked me what I was doing after the summer break and I told them I was going to grad school to get my PhD. They asked how I was going to pay for it and I told them I had a fellowship, so no tuition and a monthly stipend for living expenses. One woman was furious that her tax dollars were going to pay for my education so I could get a better job than her. Her friend said wait a minute-he’s going to be doing biomedical research, and end up paying more in taxes than both of us combined during his lifetime. A perfect illustration of the view of education being a personal vs society investment.

[@DestinBeachImages]

Interesting. I have noticed people (in general) have become very competitive and focus on short term gains without realizing there are so many connections in our society. A researcher may also discover something to save her life too. What's that worth ?

[@frederickfred2714]

An appropriate education and training that fully utilises your natural abilities so both a good investment personally and for your community and for the country in which you live as a resource for the government to benefit from..an uneducated person living in your country is a wasted resource..human beings can be a valuable resource or a wasted resource if a country does not invest in their health .well being and traing..if a country does not invest in its human resources then it will at some point fail..

[@jegerslvjegers5380]

​@@frederickfred2714Exactly. Being ruthlessly pragmatic - it usually is much cheaper to repair, than to buy new. That is why your healthcare example is so great. USA with its bad education, healthcare and policies will drastically lose a vast majority of "native" citizens and will be forced to depend on immigrants or child labor to fill the gaps (why do you think they relaxed those regulations). Covid just accelerated it.

[@jasonleelawlight]

Paying more tax down the road per se doesn’t mean it’s a society investment and a good thing. The trickle down economics has the same trait, and so is subsidizing an international conglomerate with tax money in order to gain monopolistic market power and pay more taxes down the road. Whether or not it’s a good thing solely depends on the “positive spillover”, that is how much help you can provide to the society with your gained knowledge and skills BEYOND your personal income.

[@DestinBeachImages]

I have always been surprised at how many times what other people call "useless classes" have made a dramatic impact on my career, business, and personal life. There is no such thing as useless education. The art of the lecture is still very much appreciated. I have learned much from this series.

[@peter3932]

If you had a good experience good for you. But don’t force education down my throat, or make me pay taxes, for something that doesn’t work for me. Saying all education is useful means that you have no standard regarding it and anything would be acceptable.

[@frozenheart7133]

Sam is your son!! I really disbelieved it but I’m glad it sparked me to revisit your channel to see youd posted the rest of the series 😊

[@mathsinger]

Trade schools may not promise great wealth, but they can promise a decent living with lower educational bills. No matter how many people go to college, there will always be jobs that need to be done that don't require higher education. These jobs should pay a living wage.

[@boombot934]

Thank you❤🌹🙏, professor Robert Reich👍. You're amazing person and teacher😊

[@brianmoore6327]

Great video! Definitely no easy answers. One thing is for sure, if it’s PUBLIC Education there should be no difference in the quality of education for any K-12 education. What we have now is massive inequality to the point that it’s like being in a completely different country if you are in some areas.

[@lornacairns8475]

It has been said that Equal access to a well-funded, FREE public education is the great equalizer. What does it say about a society that has all but destroyed the public education system and handed it over to unequal access to for-profit education?

[@dangerouslycheeky3746]

A child doesn't just learn at school, what is happening in the home?

[@leighwarre2495]

As someone who worked in the NYC public education elementary system for nearly 3 decades, I have come to believe that the system is irreparably corrupt and broken. From what I hear and read from colleagues in other schools systems in the nation, that seems to be the case nearly everywhere. For starters, local and federal government seem to see education as the least worthy sector of investment -- it is almost always the first to experience budget cuts when a government needs to balance its spending. Surely this is a class issue as many of the elected officials who make these decisions are not sending their kids to public schools, nor were they likely to have been educated in the public schools themselves. Secondly, teacher training programs need to be designed differently, AND requirements to become a teacher need to be tougher. At the moment, in many places, all one needs is a bachelor's degree and the willingness to show up to work. That is unfair to all involved -- teachers, students and administrators alike. An unprepared teacher cannot possibly be effective, no matter who well educated or gifted a person may be --- to be an effective educator one needs so much more than simply having completed a degree oneself. Obviously we must pay a well-prepared teacher adequately to maintain a standard of living free from financial worry and stress. It's hard to show up to teach kids every day, when worried about being able to pay one's rent, or taking care of one's own family, or the future. The job is demanding enough, without the added burden of struggling with personal finances. When a teacher has been properly prepared -- and I personally believe all teachers should go through a masters program in education and also ideally, have a year of apprenticeship in the classroom of an experienced and effective senior teacher -- then they can become the kind of teacher that students need. Additionally, teachers need support: they need adequate supplies for the classroom, professional support from coaches, staff developers, and administrators. They also need respect -- so many teachers are treated quite poorly within the walls of their own school by the school and district administrators. Naturally this is wearying and demeaning. Ok -- so finally, we need realistic class sizes and other supports within a school to ensure that all students receive an education that is literally tailored to meet their needs -- cognitive, emotional, social and physical.

[@BluePatriotWinner]

I agree on every point. They are all necessary and reasonable.

[@trunoholdaway2114]

When I was a homeless teenager with no hopes of completing high school let alone going to college I spent a lot of time in the library. I remember coming across the obscure book about martial arts and one of the chapters was about how the way martial arts was taught had changed & that in turn changed martial arts. Masters had to be very selective with what they taught to who because ultimately they studied the human body not just how to beat people up. They knew that the knowledge they had was dangerous in the wrong hands. Talent and ambition weren't important, the master had a responsibility to society to understand his students character & internet. Money changed that relationship and the power balance was shifted to the wealthy students. Later in life I was lucky enough to become a counselor and I found the most challenging aspect of that career my colleagues. There were brilliant people who lacked the empathy to do the job well or even worse the people who chose psychology in college because they liked the idea of manipulating people and now find themselves in charge of mentally vulnerable people. I'm sure there are plenty of more examples of people choosing a career path for selfish reasons & mucking up the system in the real world.

[@leighwarre2495]

Did you actually find people who deliberately chose a career in counseling so that they could manipulate people? While I get that there are people who do indeed, strive to manipulate others in their personal lives, choosing a career solely on that potential seems very unsatisfactory and unrealistic. Does anyone confront these individuals if that is in fact true?

[@trunoholdaway2114]

@@leighwarre2495 Yes on many occasions: one guy explicitly said he was taking psychology classes so he could get better business deals and sleep with women, he ended up marrying into a wealthy family. Another woman openly admitted she was a narcissist and worked her way up the ranks, she was very skilled at getting what she wanted and whenever there were grants for training she would always maneuver herself to take advantage of that luxurious travel and per diem. If you're a truly empathetic person chances are you are going to burn out very quickly. It took a toll not only on my mental health but physical health. This just makes it easier for certain people to climb the ranks. If you're lucky your boss is lazy, in which case you end up taking on much more responsibility and burning out faster. In the worst case scenario your boss is a complete sociopath, which can manifest in greed, malice, or both. It's fulfilling work that's necessary for society but it also attracts certain types of people. There are many more stories than I can put here. I'm not sure what the solution to this problem is, some would simply blame capitalism. As for me I take what I learned and apply it to my every day life, I help people where I can even if it's not my current career.

[@NoraGermain]

Another angle to explore is military service as a trade or ticket into college in the US.

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

It saved me from the abject, _brutal_ poverty of my upbringing. It was the only out I had. But people will ride the populist bandwagon of deriding the military as a jobs program. And they're right. It just happens to be the most successful jobs program in US history. While I didn't manage to reconcile using my GI benefits to get a degree while serving and raising a family, I did get to pass them on to my son. This has effectively broken the poverty cycle in my family.

[@-Subtle-]

What a sick society if military service is the only way out of poverty.

[@Introverted_goblin_]

​@-Subtle- kids in poverty are recruited from more heavily due to lack of opportunities. A lower ASFAB score results in jobs that are inherently more dangerous and usually don't translate well into civilian life. (E.G. in 2005 you needed an 18 to qualify as an army infantryman. You needed a 92 or higher to qualify for military intelligence.)

[@greeneileen]

I enjoyed this lecture. It didn't touch very much on areas of particular interest to me like: homeschooling trends, multilingual education, and students with learning differences (one of the pitfalls of charter/voucher systems as they currently exist). Thank you for making your lectures available to the public.

[@yvonnefarrell1029]

Disconnecting property taxes from K-12 might help but who has proposed that? Charts were a bit unsettling this time seeing where oneself ended up considering the level of education one had. What a waste. This course is a great eye-opener; thanks Professor!

[@fazlirahman6122]

You are a great teacher.love from Pakistan 🇵🇰

[@marc-andredesrosiers523]

Consider listening to "Picture a Scientist", as there are huge gender issues in educational equity. Especially in STEM fields.

[@DanielEarth1]

The purpose of education is to teach HOW to think rather than WHAT to think.

[@jeffw991]

Yeah, Sam turned out just fine. 🙂

[@Rioichi4]

I just want to share: I graduated high school in 2013, altho it was supposed to be 2012. I went to the only public high school in my area, but it was a highly rated one. I was a straight A student, but I got mono my senior year and missed a good chunk of school. While my teachers thought I could make up the missed work in time, the school didn't want to risk my failure on their record and kicked me out. My junior year at this highly rated high school, 3 of my friends committed suicide and one died from alcohol poisoning. Why junior year? We were told that if we didn't get into a good college, we would (to quote my councilor) "live in a cardboard box for the rest of your life". Junior year was the year we had to choose which college we would be going to, essentially decide our entire future then and there. After high school, I went to the local community college, again the only one in the area. The plan was to transfer up. However, after 2 years, FAFSA decided that I had been taking too many "unnecessary" courses and cut my funding. Which made college impossible for me. I'm the only child of a single mother who worked 2 jobs and still lived below the poverty line, and the idea of student debt terrified me (and my mom) when there was no guarantee of a job after college. I'm very glad I didn't go into debt for college, because I've developed a disability that doesn't allow me to work. I can't afford *rent* on Disability, there's no way I could be paying student loans right now. But that's also why I've become so politically aware, and why I watch videos like this and try to share this kind of info. The richest country in the history of the world and I'm only surviving because I found someone else (my life partner) to pay my bills. Absurd.

[@challengerRT392]

Should education be considered a public good or be viewed as primarily a benefit to the investor, a fundamental question, Professor. By the way, I am hoping I don't go to my mailbox and see a tuition bill from UC Berkeley for your course!

[@michaelcottrell5979]

The government provision of K-12 education, while an obvious current expense, is an investment in the future as this cost will be more than recouped through taxation later on. Teaching critical thinking in grades K-12 is an excellent preparation for life's slings and arrows. Alas, common ground is increasingly hard to find as a poisonous political agenda has wormed its way into curriculum design, with Florida being a leading exponent of this trend.

[@lighttheworldonfire3364]

I know a parent that has a brilliant kid who has autism. They tried to get him into a very good private school nearby because it had 15 child classes instead of 30+ at the local school. Naturally he needed accommodations due to autism. The school they called made it as crystal clear as possible without presenting themselves as bias.... we want only obedient students that will give us no problems.... Luckily they found another, far less expensive, open school that really helped the kid. Smaller school growing with only a handful of kids per class. Like RR a lot. One thing though he never talks about is the 15% of the population that simple can do no job because they lack the intelligence. About an 87 IQ or less. The army won't accept anyone under 83 IQ (10% of the population) because it is counter productive. 87 is the cutoff for private. It is 45m people in the USA that just aren't smart enough to work. If you look at the stats 42m live in poverty. Correlation? But to his point without proper resources there is an 8-20 point IQ difference in a child. I was one of them. I am 132 IQ but almost failed high school. My parents bought me a cheap hard bed and I was always tired, I ate a big bowl of cereal in the morning, I suspect I had ADD. My parents didn't participate in school. They school didn't bother to notice how I kept scoring at the top in math in state assessments but having barely a "C" average. No one cared or bothered to wonder why. Now I run a small business, do my own investments, bought and sold property at the right time. My spouse and I will retire above average with plenty of money. I have enormous empathy for children. They simply don't know. If they come from a disadvantaged genetics and environment they don't know what they don't know to get ahead. Great video.

[@plainText384]

How is growing the collective knowledge and wisdom of humanity not a possible purpose of education?

[@susangoodell2454]

Lots to think about. Thanks for this.

[@hirokokurihara3956]

Would love to see the camera pan your audience to see the students, what kind of faces make up your class. A raise of hands for American-born would be interesting too.

[@hirokokurihara3956]

(and how many folx transferred from community colleges in CA?)

[@hirokokurihara3956]

@Hattie Lankford Not at all Hattie! I believe that Professor Reich's perspectives on education would support greater access and affordability for empowered people having experienced intersectional oppression. Just 2 years ago, 1 in 10 UCB students struggled with being unhoused...Anyway, it does matter "who" is in the room...any room. (just my opinion)

[@-Subtle-]

Most students in US colleges are public school students who are US citizens. This information is available for free online.

[@drusillawinters212]

Testing as oftrn as they did took time away from instruction, both time to test and time that you must spend to teach them how to take the test.

[@frankvazquez5974]

Actually, the educational intervention literature shows that a lot of these factors need not apply or influence academic outcomes (i.e. SES concerns).

[@donabeth4561]

Very much enjoying these lectures. But…a topic of discussion is getting university education and still living paycheque to paycheque because no one is really considered an asset just fungible. I experienced this as an RN in Ontario, Canada. Seen the same for other university degree programs. This is a NA problem.

[@JP-JustSayin]

The predictable effect of vouchers is to funnel public education dollars into private (read: religious) for-profit schools that will provide lower quality education (deficient sex-ed and science in particular), while enabling a wave of white flight out of traditional public schools (read: segregation). Lower and even middle class students will be harmed (for the benefit of the grifters that will be throwing up defective "private schools" left and right), and households that can already afford to send their kids to "real" private schools, ones that will deliver a quality education, will be getting a subsidy for doing what they were already going to do anyway. Super regressive, and borderline unconstitutional (if public funds go to religious groups).

[@lornacairns8475]

THIS is exactly what the Conservative Premier of Ontario is doing to our world-class education system. A huge part of his voter/donor base is special interest groups who expect him to pay them back by allowing them to rip our tax dollars out of public education to be handed over to for-profit schools. When he was elected he ran on the slogan of "Ontario is Open for Business". Ditto for our health care system. which he is determined to privatize. Our premier was previously on US tv including FoxNews declaring that he is (was) a Donald Trump admirer.

[@bolt5564]

If the voucher is too small to allow low income people to go to privet schools then it is a subsidy for the wealthy. However if the voucher is large enough that all students can take advantage of it, it can be an equalizer. The wealthy are going to attend privet schools if those schools are better than the public ones. I would like every family to have that same choice.

[@JP-JustSayin]

@@bolt5564 Nope, it's just a bad idea. Any help it would be to poor families would be way more than offset by the harms from white flight, religious grifters, and substandard curiculum.

[@bolt5564]

The government should subsidize degrees that pay well. We need more doctors and engineers, but we do not need to pay for someone else to get a degree in philosophy.

[@callous21]

Interesting the weekly earnings by educational attainments. I have some college but earn like a high school graduate. I wonder what types of jobs people get when they get some college but no degree

[@bolt5564]

I am going to guess that people who go to college are on average more driven than those who do not try. If this is the case then they are probably starting out with the same jobs, but getting raises and promotions sooner than their less motivated colleges.

[@TheNecessaryEvil]

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[@peterandrew2097]

Though his intellect is monumental

[@estelleharrington3866]

Many kids brains are being filled with learning that is mandated and they will never use.. each individual have different desires, strong points & goals. That is where the focus for study should come into play. Many children are labelled with medical learning disabilities instead of finding out how they learn best. Many children are commuting suicide out of boredom and bullying in school. Different types of schools for different types of learning & engaging with the world (earyh) we live. Consciousness & Energy!

[@brewsterlee4439]

Are transcripts of these classes available?

[@johnclifton5896]

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[@charlotteemma573]

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[@ameliamia3788]

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[@Veronica-bg6yd]

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[@AlbertLeon615]

I know Mrs Angela Cole Carr . She obviously brings a lot of experience in trading to the table but more importantly I think she is a tough person in an industry that demands clairvoyance.

[@maxjoseph4764]

I've really heard lot about Mrs Angela Cole Carr , please can I have her info

[@jimallen8186]

“Tests for the purpose of tests,” look into Cynefin.

[@pauldow1648]

These are 'feely' math and statistics calculations that have no place in Florida math textbooks . Or so governor desantis thinks (he doesn't do feel).

[@faceluckcell9484]

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[@michellecd4722]

"I'm not blaming anybody, I'm just sharing with you the data"...lol, yes and the data is quite elitist! lol. Thanks, Professor!!!

[@CynthiaSchoenbauer]

I don't like giving money to religious schools! I was raised in them and I barely survived. They sucked out my entire personality and made me "a good person". By forty I sunk into a deep depression. Yuk!

[@yvonnefarrell1029]

Don't give up; God isn't giving up on you.

[@Soniaganhi]

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[@Olivia-zy1lq]

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[@Olivia-zy1lq]

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[@Olivia-zy1lq]

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[@Olivia-zy1lq]

Tell her I referred you 👆

[@altrag]

One big problem with the voucher system that no amount of balance within the schools will fix: Transportation. Its great if a poor kid can get into a good school halfway across the city, but if they have no way of physically getting to the campus on a daily basis, it's not a particularly useful accomplishment.

[@-Subtle-]

Vouchers are smoke and mirrors. That poor kid won't be able to go because they just upped the tuition. They aren't doing it for poor kids, they're just stealing tax dollars and giving it to private and religious schools and so the rich can pay less.

[@bolt5564]

Have city busses take students to these schools for free.

[@altrag]

@@bolt5564 I really hope that's just overly subtle sarcasm! I can't imagine too many parents being willing to put their 6 year old on a regular city bus, especially in the US where public transportation has a less than stellar reputation thanks to its own issues with chronic underfunding.

[@bolt5564]

@@altrag i know people who's kids get on school buses that then go to transfer stations where the kids must change busses. These kids must do this from the first grade. While it is not a perfect solution it is better than the status quo. If you are curious it is the Louisville school system.

[@altrag]

@@bolt5564 School buses are very different from regular city buses. School buses cater explicitly to kids (they're not going to allow any random drunk weirdo to get on) and the driver is (at least in theory) practiced at dealing with a bus full of kids. By the time the kids get to high school its not as big of a deal, but we're talking about elementary school kids here. Allowing them to the end of the block unsupervised is generally considered a little negligent and you're suggesting we send them across the city on their own. Now to be sure the negative image of public transit that most Americans has is not entirely founded - but its not entirely unfounded either. Now sure you could suggest having school buses that drive around all over the city rather than their current relatively contained routes, but that's going to be an absolutely massive taxpayer expense when may of those buses will only have the 1 or 2 kids that choose a school that far away riding on them. You'd never get that approved by city councils or whatever other funding body. Which means it would have to be privately funded and we're back to the original problem that the proponents of school vouchers claim to be solving: allowing students from "poor" neighborhoods to attend better schools. Of course the proponents are lying anyway - their only goal is to get more taxpayer money into their own pockets - but even their propaganda falls apart under the most basic of scrutiny. The transportation issue is one I mentioned because I haven't seen it brought up at all really, but that doesn't negate any of the other better-publicized problems with the school voucher idea.

[@jamesspero5884]

Based upon political events over the last years i have to conclude that our educational system has failed miserably at teaching students about American democracy and what it takes to be a good citizen living in our democracy.

[@bayjh]

Parental permissiveness, together with increasing economic need for two parents to work started to degrade the elementary school system in the late 1970s. Just an empirical observation.

[@lornacairns8475]

NOPE. The relentless drive to privatization is to blame. Systematic buying of politicians who facilitated privatization is to blame. Privatization 101: UNDERFUND, create chaos until the system is broken. and parents demand that it needs to be fixed. Hand it over to private capital to "fix".

[@bayjh]

@@lornacairns8475 Can both be true?

[@fightthepower4648]

KZbin video: "Global Declaration of Independence - Fight the Power"

[@ichwerdegelesen]

Dear prof. Reich, I have been feeling so terribly sorry for you having had this terrible experience of yours with your early education teacher when you were only three years old! Kindly, allow me to provide you with the feedback I observed you having been one of the most polite people, certainly, gentlemen, I have got to experience throughout my whole life! I am 46 years now.

[@estelleharrington3866]

It's the Dam Cost!!!!!!

[@Danielgbest]

Berkeley landlords get a big chunk of educational costs there today

[@pwhales264]

*🔥**#B1**-**#ADOS**-**#FBA**-**#FREEDMEN**-**#REPARATIONS**🔥*

[@derekmiller8564]

We can't transit to solar power without GAS, OIL AND COAL. WE DEPEND ON OIL. WE mine, ship and process with GAS, OIL AND COAL.

[@belmiris1371]

Means testing is a mistake. It's too easy to reduce them later. You want the rich people's lobbyists on your side.

[@peter3932]

A lot of good information here but still kind of a disappointment. There was a little bit of nuance but it was lacking in some areas. Here's a long comment since I have no life: At 5:50 he mentions that early American educators justified public education based on preparing citizens for democracy, rather than economic concerns, but I think he exaggerates the point. Horace Mann in the 1830s and 40s used preparation for the workforce as an important justification for public education. And contrary to Reich's claim that preparation for the workforce was only a major factor in the last 20-30 years or so, the high school movement from 1910-1940 was driven to a major extent by economic factors, with the rise in white collar jobs at the time. In the section at 13:54 he mentioned that there are large disparities between those with more education vs those with less but never explores this deeply. Those who are more educated, could for example, be just smarter, harder working, or more privileged in general, which is actually driving the wage differences, rather than the impact of the education itself. It's particularly disappointing that this isn't fully expounded upon because it's a very important topic when it comes to education disparities. At 26:30 he way oversells the promise of pre-k. Yes, there are studies that show dramatic gains. But there are also studies showing that pre-k actually makes students worse. So maybe high quality pre-k can make a big difference in some circumstances, but I doubt we can confidently say we could scale up such a program to achieve those giant positive results among the broader population. If this was as great as he said it was, countries probably would've already recognized pre-k as a silver bullet by now. 52:28 he mentions the property tax myth which needs to die. Yes, schools get a lot of funding from property taxes. But what he doesn't mention is that since 1970 states (and to a lesser extent the federal government) have taken action to lessen inequalities between schools. So a school in a poorer area will get more money from the state to make up for the less they're getting from property taxes. Yes, there are big disparities in school funding, but at this point it's more of an urban vs. rural and state by state thing than a rich vs. poor thing. The way he talks about it is misleading and plain wrong. Then there are things not explicitly mentioned but should've been: School funding: he doesn't talk about our long history of increasing funding and not really getting better performance. We spend 2-3x as much on schools as we did in 1970 but 12th grade scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), our "nation's report card" have barely budged. Certainly this could've warranted a mention in this discussion. I'm not saying funding doesn't matter at all, but the way he talks about it is off-base. Relatively small impact of schools: Schools don't impact students much. I guess he had 12 lectures before this, which I didn't watch so maybe this was implied. But most student achievement is determined by out-of-school factors. This has been known since the 1960s with the Coleman report, and is the main reason why schools haven't been able to do much about inequality. This should probably be the main conclusion of this lecture. Could schools do more to foster equal opportunity or outcomes? Yes, and I agree with Reich on vocational education. But we can't depend on education as the "great equalizer".

[@bolt5564]

I am curious about the pre-k effectiveness. Could you point me to one of the studies that shows it is not effective?

[@thevine2010]

The UC Regents and CalPERS (California pension system) bet on the market with hedge fund managers at the helm during the Great Recession and it was the students that had to foot the bill. Still do to this day.

[@-Subtle-]

If you have a problem with pensions, demand one from your job rather than demanding that they be taken away from those that earn and paid for them.

[@thevine2010]

@@-Subtle- What do you think the strikes last year were for? I'm blaming the hedge fund managers. A incompetent investor can make money in a decent economy, a good investor can make money in a bull OR bear market, but a great investor can make money in a sideways market (little fluctuations). Someone has to pay for their mistakes.

[@edwinamendelssohn5129]

The premise of equal outcomes is faulty. Lacks logic

[@callous21]

Get a part time job at Walmart and get a free degree

[@leyniaLip]

Concerning an apology from you again today to students who are graphophobes, I feel certain that you know your students well enough to make the comment. Therefore I find it appalling that college students are so unfamiliar with graphs as to be afraid of them or uncomprehending. This is one more commentary on the quality of our education.

[@jean-pierrevanmeir5075]

US the Best Universities? with foreign students probably... May I suggest some ironical shows such as The Problem with "The College Experience" or New Rule: The College Scam (Real Time with Bill Maher). The point of view: why should somebody pay for the "ticket to heaven" for you? Well that is not the issue... Free education is not a stand alone problem... It is par t of a social problem which affects the community: free health care, free education , unemployment benifits and other issues as part of the redistribution policies . So I will choose to support a brilliant mind to get a PhD , because in the future HE will contribute to my health care or other benefits more than I will never do... Yes public funding to college education has dropped... but not in such a way that college fees are 5 times higher that 20 years ago...

[@robertbullock9554]

Standardized tests are not culturally biased! Either you have it or you don't. We are not created equal, only under the law.

[@chrury]

Reich mentions (perhaps obliquely) in the video that different countries have different standardized tests. This implies that different groups of people write the tests for their countries. Each of those groups will structure their test differently based on what they and their society / government deem important. Not just in the content of the tests but also in the weight grading of those tests. The differences MAY be minor but it's not easy to tell because we don't have an international standard. Even in the United States, we have the SAT and the ACT. In general, if a test taker does well on one they will do well on the other. But the two tests focus on the tested skills differently. I suggest that if standardized tests are not culturally biased; they are at least culturally INFLUENCED because humans in a culture write the tests for their target use and group.

[@1948DavidB]

Equality under the law has only been a cultural lie to serve as opiate to people in general. Never has been true. No desire exists in U.S body politic for it to be true. Trump, scores of others, would not have been elected. I come from the slums, now a PhD, so I have no personal grilpes.

[@robertbullock9554]

@Hattie Lankford - On the contrary, Miss Lankford. I hold a B.A. as well as an M.A., but was a law school drop-out. Not Berkeley nor the Ivies, but I think impressive, nonetheless! As well, I am from the working- to lower-middle class but it was worse for me as a young adult because I had a financially neglectful father and a supportive, loving mother but a stepfather who contributed nothing toward an education, just food and shelter. Never realized until early middle-age that I was basically raised in poverty! One would never have dreamed it by looking. So, I'd say I have what it takes and I certainly don't care what you think, Missy. And there were many middle-class blacks at my university who did well also. I am sure their parents worked hard to move into nicer city areas. Tired of hearing how these people are "stuck" in ghettos. Sounds conservative, which I am not, but pull yourselves out of the gutter! May not be prestige, but a bungalow in a safe, clean neighborhood beats street murders all of the time.

[@elinope4745]

Tests and standardized tests are not the same thing, standardized tests have some standards that they are meeting so that they are uniform. Such things are standardized to specific cultures, especially as pertains to sections on those cultural norms.

[@lornacairns8475]

Standardized testing is a money-making farce that is used specifically to undermine public education and allow for-profit schools to get their hands on your tax dollars. Real learning is sacrificed by needing to teach to the test. Countess hours are wasted learning the latest format and jargon that the "newest" tests use. Additionally, the scores for each school include every student who attends, not just those working at grade level. The voucher system has made sure that struggling students are more highly represented in some, probably public, schools than others. Finally, standardized tests measure one set of questions at one instant in time. they do not reflect how much any one student is truly progressing. I once taught in a school where most of the kids entered with zero English and very few experiences. it was amazing to watch their progress. By the end of elementary school they were excellent and eager students. BUT as a whole, their grade 3 test scores were still lagging. The excellent teachers who had not only skillfully taught subject matter but also had to "teach to the test" were berated and the impression was that the school offered a low-quality of education. Entirely untrue.

[@tptp5118]

Matthew 6 Treasures in Heaven 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Do Not Worry 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you-you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.l

[@robertbullock9554]

Superficial mini-course.

[@estelleharrington3866]

The brain is not fully developed until the age of 18 to 21 yrs of age. Learning should begin at 18. Life Experience should be 1 to 18 or 21.

[@michellecd4722]

That's only the frontal lobe part of the brain which solidifies executive functioning which then deteriorates in the years after 30 so this is actually not accurate. Learning is rapid during youth & prior to age 5 as mentioned & researched, particularly languages.