Is Populism a threat to Democracy?

[Loren Pechtel]

... the general Republican approach is to destroy the public education system and thus leave the poor uneducated, ensuring there's no path up for them.

It sounds almost like conspiracy theory to suggest that the GOP actively tries to keep the under-class uneducated and with poor cognitive skills. BUT, how else can one explain the persistent refusal of many GOP Congresscritters to provide adequate funding for Head Start? Head Start is a relatively inexpensive program with major benefits:

Research has shown that children who participate in Head Start programs experience positive impacts on their cognitive, social, and emotional development that can extend into adulthood.

Keyword: Participate

Pros and Cons of Head Start Program - EducationalWave

The Head Start program, introduced as a cornerstone initiative to provide equitable early education opportunities, has been a subject of extensive

www.educationalwave.com

Additionally, the program faces obstacles in fostering adequate parental involvement, which is crucial for reinforcing the learning and development of children enrolled in the program.

Oops, we have a huge confounder: parental involvement. That by itself is a huge factor in how kids turn out.

Measuring Effectiveness: Challenges in assessing the long-term success of the program raise questions about its impact.

Does it even actually work?

I am not saying it's no good. I'm saying that we don't have evidence that it is good. And in the social sciences things without good evidence very often turn out to be false. (It's not that I'm against trying to help, it's just I strongly suspect this is yet another meaningless attempt to solve an intractable problem.)

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Can you name any country to the right of us that does better?

Singapore.

Gini: Worse
Education and medical: I haven't looked in a lot detail but it looks like both appear to do well by failing the hard cases.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

... the general Republican approach is to destroy the public education system and thus leave the poor uneducated, ensuring there's no path up for them.

It sounds almost like conspiracy theory to suggest that the GOP actively tries to keep the under-class uneducated and with poor cognitive skills. BUT, how else can one explain the persistent refusal of many GOP Congresscritters to provide adequate funding for Head Start? Head Start is a relatively inexpensive program with major benefits:

Research has shown that children who participate in Head Start programs experience positive impacts on their cognitive, social, and emotional development that can extend into adulthood.

Keyword: Participate

Pros and Cons of Head Start Program - EducationalWave

The Head Start program, introduced as a cornerstone initiative to provide equitable early education opportunities, has been a subject of extensive

www.educationalwave.com

Additionally, the program faces obstacles in fostering adequate parental involvement, which is crucial for reinforcing the learning and development of children enrolled in the program.

Oops, we have a huge confounder: parental involvement. That by itself is a huge factor in how kids turn out.

Measuring Effectiveness: Challenges in assessing the long-term success of the program raise questions about its impact.

Does it even actually work?

I am not saying it's no good. I'm saying that we don't have evidence that it is good. And in the social sciences things without good evidence very often turn out to be false. (It's not that I'm against trying to help, it's just I strongly suspect this is yet another meaningless attempt to solve an intractable problem.)

You mean solving the ills of poverty is too hard to use a single solution, therefore we shouldn't do this?

Head Start has been shown to help at lower ages, so in the lower grades, it is helping the teacher who aren't teaching children who can read short books and those who can't tell what the alphabet is. Head Start is about the absolute basics. The question you should be asking yourself is if Head Start is working at the very early level grades, how do we use that to help these kids in the subsequent grades.

Yes, having parents at home that can help and are adequate at supplementing their education is very beneficial for children. However, my sister (and likely many many others) isn't anywhere near as smart as I am, and she is a single working parent. That doesn't mean she (and they) isn't trying like I am.

 

[Jarhyn]

... the general Republican approach is to destroy the public education system and thus leave the poor uneducated, ensuring there's no path up for them.

It sounds almost like conspiracy theory to suggest that the GOP actively tries to keep the under-class uneducated and with poor cognitive skills. BUT, how else can one explain the persistent refusal of many GOP Congresscritters to provide adequate funding for Head Start? Head Start is a relatively inexpensive program with major benefits:

Research has shown that children who participate in Head Start programs experience positive impacts on their cognitive, social, and emotional development that can extend into adulthood.

Keyword: Participate

Pros and Cons of Head Start Program - EducationalWave

The Head Start program, introduced as a cornerstone initiative to provide equitable early education opportunities, has been a subject of extensive

www.educationalwave.com

Additionally, the program faces obstacles in fostering adequate parental involvement, which is crucial for reinforcing the learning and development of children enrolled in the program.

Oops, we have a huge confounder: parental involvement. That by itself is a huge factor in how kids turn out.

Measuring Effectiveness: Challenges in assessing the long-term success of the program raise questions about its impact.

Does it even actually work?

I am not saying it's no good. I'm saying that we don't have evidence that it is good. And in the social sciences things without good evidence very often turn out to be false. (It's not that I'm against trying to help, it's just I strongly suspect this is yet another meaningless attempt to solve an intractable problem.)

You mean solving the ills of poverty is too hard to use a single solution, therefore we shouldn't do this?

Head Start has been shown to help at lower ages, so in the lower grades, it is helping the teacher who aren't teaching children who can read short books and those who can't tell what the alphabet is. Head Start is about the absolute basics. The question you should be asking yourself is if Head Start is working at the very early level grades, how do we use that to help these kids in the subsequent grades.

Yes, having parents at home that can help and are adequate at supplementing their education is very beneficial for children. However, my sister (and likely many many others) isn't anywhere near as smart as I am, and she is a single working parent. That doesn't mean she (and they) isn't trying like I am.

I personally tend to be of the opinion that in districts with "low parental involvement" "involved educators" are especially important.

You don't get educators with the skills or the interest to be involved without spending MORE money in those districts specifically on educational staff.

Of course this would involve the need not just for social workers too, but new kinds of social worker, equipped not merely to be "involved" but well trained and educated and under massive oversight and given the same power as "the uncle or aunt" that a teen can live with because their parents are just too shit to care.

 

[BH]

... the general Republican approach is to destroy the public education system and thus leave the poor uneducated, ensuring there's no path up for them.

It sounds almost like conspiracy theory to suggest that the GOP actively tries to keep the under-class uneducated and with poor cognitive skills. BUT, how else can one explain the persistent refusal of many GOP Congresscritters to provide adequate funding for Head Start? Head Start is a relatively inexpensive program with major benefits:

Research has shown that children who participate in Head Start programs experience positive impacts on their cognitive, social, and emotional development that can extend into adulthood.

Keyword: Participate

Pros and Cons of Head Start Program - EducationalWave

The Head Start program, introduced as a cornerstone initiative to provide equitable early education opportunities, has been a subject of extensive

www.educationalwave.com

Additionally, the program faces obstacles in fostering adequate parental involvement, which is crucial for reinforcing the learning and development of children enrolled in the program.

Oops, we have a huge confounder: parental involvement. That by itself is a huge factor in how kids turn out.

Measuring Effectiveness: Challenges in assessing the long-term success of the program raise questions about its impact.

Does it even actually work?

I am not saying it's no good. I'm saying that we don't have evidence that it is good. And in the social sciences things without good evidence very often turn out to be false. (It's not that I'm against trying to help, it's just I strongly suspect this is yet another meaningless attempt to solve an intractable problem.)

Education is a problem that can't be fixed. They key is parental support and involvement. With both parents working and working long hours and late shifts it is very difficult for them to find the time and or energy to really participate in their children's education. Also, I hate to say it, but a lot of adults are themselves severely lacking intellectually speaking. They could not do much for their kids even if they tried. I taught school for a short while in Dallas TX and it taught me a lot about the world and its problems.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

... the general Republican approach is to destroy the public education system and thus leave the poor uneducated, ensuring there's no path up for them.

It sounds almost like conspiracy theory to suggest that the GOP actively tries to keep the under-class uneducated and with poor cognitive skills. BUT, how else can one explain the persistent refusal of many GOP Congresscritters to provide adequate funding for Head Start? Head Start is a relatively inexpensive program with major benefits:

Research has shown that children who participate in Head Start programs experience positive impacts on their cognitive, social, and emotional development that can extend into adulthood.

Keyword: Participate

Pros and Cons of Head Start Program - EducationalWave

The Head Start program, introduced as a cornerstone initiative to provide equitable early education opportunities, has been a subject of extensive

www.educationalwave.com

Additionally, the program faces obstacles in fostering adequate parental involvement, which is crucial for reinforcing the learning and development of children enrolled in the program.

Oops, we have a huge confounder: parental involvement. That by itself is a huge factor in how kids turn out.

Measuring Effectiveness: Challenges in assessing the long-term success of the program raise questions about its impact.

Does it even actually work?

I am not saying it's no good. I'm saying that we don't have evidence that it is good. And in the social sciences things without good evidence very often turn out to be false. (It's not that I'm against trying to help, it's just I strongly suspect this is yet another meaningless attempt to solve an intractable problem.)

You mean solving the ills of poverty is too hard to use a single solution, therefore we shouldn't do this?

Head Start has been shown to help at lower ages, so in the lower grades, it is helping the teacher who aren't teaching children who can read short books and those who can't tell what the alphabet is. Head Start is about the absolute basics. The question you should be asking yourself is if Head Start is working at the very early level grades, how do we use that to help these kids in the subsequent grades.

Yes, having parents at home that can help and are adequate at supplementing their education is very beneficial for children. However, my sister (and likely many many others) isn't anywhere near as smart as I am, and she is a single working parent. That doesn't mean she (and they) isn't trying like I am.

You say "has been shown to help"--but note the problem of "challenges in assessing the long-term success". That sounds an awful lot like "we can't actually show any success".

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Education is a problem that can't be fixed. They key is parental support and involvement. With both parents working and working long hours and late shifts it is very difficult for them to find the time and or energy to really participate in their children's education. Also, I hate to say it, but a lot of adults are themselves severely lacking intellectually speaking. They could not do much for their kids even if they tried. I taught school for a short while in Dallas TX and it taught me a lot about the world and its problems.

I think the problem is more on the low end. The high end they might not have the time but generally can throw money at it.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

... the general Republican approach is to destroy the public education system and thus leave the poor uneducated, ensuring there's no path up for them.

It sounds almost like conspiracy theory to suggest that the GOP actively tries to keep the under-class uneducated and with poor cognitive skills. BUT, how else can one explain the persistent refusal of many GOP Congresscritters to provide adequate funding for Head Start? Head Start is a relatively inexpensive program with major benefits:

Research has shown that children who participate in Head Start programs experience positive impacts on their cognitive, social, and emotional development that can extend into adulthood.

Keyword: Participate

Pros and Cons of Head Start Program - EducationalWave

The Head Start program, introduced as a cornerstone initiative to provide equitable early education opportunities, has been a subject of extensive

www.educationalwave.com

Additionally, the program faces obstacles in fostering adequate parental involvement, which is crucial for reinforcing the learning and development of children enrolled in the program.

Oops, we have a huge confounder: parental involvement. That by itself is a huge factor in how kids turn out.

Measuring Effectiveness: Challenges in assessing the long-term success of the program raise questions about its impact.

Does it even actually work?

I am not saying it's no good. I'm saying that we don't have evidence that it is good. And in the social sciences things without good evidence very often turn out to be false. (It's not that I'm against trying to help, it's just I strongly suspect this is yet another meaningless attempt to solve an intractable problem.)

You mean solving the ills of poverty is too hard to use a single solution, therefore we shouldn't do this?

Head Start has been shown to help at lower ages, so in the lower grades, it is helping the teacher who aren't teaching children who can read short books and those who can't tell what the alphabet is. Head Start is about the absolute basics. The question you should be asking yourself is if Head Start is working at the very early level grades, how do we use that to help these kids in the subsequent grades.

Yes, having parents at home that can help and are adequate at supplementing their education is very beneficial for children. However, my sister (and likely many many others) isn't anywhere near as smart as I am, and she is a single working parent. That doesn't mean she (and they) isn't trying like I am.

You say "has been shown to help"--but note the problem of "challenges in assessing the long-term success". That sounds an awful lot like "we can't actually show any success".

Please re-read (read?) my post. Maybe you'll notice where I'm not disagreeing with the assessment and suggesting a modification. Maybe you won't. I'm not responsible for that.