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View Full Version : Whats wrong state of Oklahoma??? 75%


MisterE-NYC
09-18-2009, 06:42 PM
75 percent? Really? 75%. These numbers are shameful.

http://www.news9.com/global/story.asp?s=11141949

I love to hear everyone complain about all of this national junk, the administration, healthcare, jobs going over seas, wall street, and the list goes on. But before everyone gets so mad about that, do something for the state. Do you really think that with numbers like this anyone in the country listens to Oklahomans? This article makes me sad for Oklahoma.
Fix up the education in the state, then you will get respect from other states and politicians. Just goes to show no child was left behind...
But with 75% not knowing general information, it just makes Oklahoma look backward and uneducated. But on a funny note. 65% voted for McCain, 35% voted for Obama. Not to bring up old topics, but one set of the numbers are pretty close...

I guess it is no surprise that so many Oklahomans are Tea Partying, czaring, and calling socialism, Nazism, communism and everything in between. It is probably because the do not know what those mean. They just heard an entertainer on TV say some of these words, and they take it for truth, unable to think or research such topics. (this is a hit for anyone that takes Beck or his cohorts for truth. They are opinionated entertainers, not truth givers... oh, and same goes for lefties that believe Olbermann and his peeps shout the truth too. Entertainers are not News people... Make your own mind and own opinions, dont just follow what people that come from states that have better education systems say)

75 Percent of Oklahoma High School Students Can't Name the First President of the U.S.

Posted: Sep 16, 2009 1:17 PM EDT
Updated: Sep 17, 2009 11:30 AM EDT
News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Only one in four Oklahoma public high school students can name the first President of the United States, according to a survey released today.

The survey was commissioned by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs in observance of Constitution Day on Thursday.

Brandon Dutcher is with the conservative think tank and said the group wanted to find out how much civic knowledge Oklahoma high school students know.

The Oklahoma City-based think tank enlisted national research firm, Strategic Vision, to access students' basic civic knowledge.

"They're questions taken from the actual exam that you have to take to become a U.S. citizen," Dutcher said.

A thousand students were given 10 questions drawn from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services item bank. Candidates for U.S. citizenship must answer six questions correctly in order to become citizens.

About 92 percent of the people who take the citizenship test pass on their first try, according to immigration service data. However, Oklahoma students did not fare as well. Only about 3 percent of the students surveyed would have passed the citizenship test.

Dutcher said this is not just a problem in Oklahoma. He said Arizona had similar results, which left him concerned for the entire country.

"Jefferson later said that a nation can't expect to be ignorant and free," Dutcher said. "It points to a real serious problem. We're not going to remain ignorant and free."

Question % of Students Who Answered Correctly
What is the supreme law of the land? 28%
What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution? 26%
What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress? 27%
How many justices are there on the Supreme Court? 10%
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? 14%
What ocean is on the east coast of the United States? 61%
What are the two major political parities in the United States? 43%
We elect a U.S. senator for how many years? 11%
Who was the first President of the United States? 23%
Who is in charge of the executive branch? 29%

Pokes4Life
09-18-2009, 09:22 PM
Before we start point the finger at one state, I'd like to see reports on how much better or worse other high school students in other states did before we start ranting how this is the root of Oklahoma's problems.

JimBob
09-18-2009, 09:50 PM
Before we start point the finger at one state, I'd like to see reports on how much better or worse other high school students in other states did before we start ranting how this is the root of Oklahoma's problems.

Old news; this one's already had a public flogging on Rivals.

wood911
09-18-2009, 10:11 PM
We deserve a public flogging if that is truly representative of our education system. I just asked my 7 year old granddaughter (second grade) who the first president was and she told me George Washington. She added that Obama is the president now.
Without bragging too much, last year she was one of the top 2 in thre 1st grade in one of the two top grade schools in the state. See Schwartz Elementary.

I don't blame the teachers, somebody in the family has to care enough to encourage the children.

http://www.publicschoolreview.com/blueribbon_schools/stateid/OK

WyomingOSUAlum
09-19-2009, 07:52 AM
I love to hear everyone complain about all of this national junk, the administration, healthcare, jobs going over seas, wall street, and the list goes on. But before everyone gets so mad about that, do something for the state. Do you really think that with numbers like this anyone in the country listens to Oklahomans? This article makes me sad for Oklahoma.
Fix up the education in the state, then you will get respect from other states and politicians. Just goes to show no child was left behind...
But with 75% not knowing general information, it just makes Oklahoma look backward and uneducated. But on a funny note. 65% voted for McCain, 35% voted for Obama. Not to bring up old topics, but one set of the numbers are pretty close...

I guess it is no surprise that so many Oklahomans are Tea Partying, czaring, and calling socialism, Nazism, communism and everything in between. It is probably because the do not know what those mean. They just heard an entertainer on TV say some of these words, and they take it for truth, unable to think or research such topics. (this is a hit for anyone that takes Beck or his cohorts for truth. They are opinionated entertainers, not truth givers... oh, and same goes for lefties that believe Olbermann and his peeps shout the truth too. Entertainers are not News people... Make your own mind and own opinions, dont just follow what people that come from states that have better education systems say)


What were the scores for grammar and punctuation?

Lewis the Pike
09-19-2009, 10:56 AM
Easy answer, Oklahoma ran off all the immigrants with their recent bills. Without them raising the average for the citizenship test, the state average dropped.

quite logical if you ask me.

On a serious note, P4L, it doesn't matter what other states score. 25% knowing who George Washington is completely unacceptable.

Lewis the Pike
09-19-2009, 11:05 AM
By the way, has anynone seen the movie Idiocracy??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0yQunhOaU0

Pokes4Life
09-19-2009, 11:34 AM
Easy answer, Oklahoma ran off all the immigrants with their recent bills. Without them raising the average for the citizenship test, the state average dropped.

quite logical if you ask me.

On a serious note, P4L, it doesn't matter what other states score. 25% knowing who George Washington is completely unacceptable.

I agree it's unacceptable. I can't defend the results, but MrE's rant said that these results were because we're a conservative state and that's what's wrong with conservative values. I would wager that most states would actually achieve the same results which means it's not about MrE's issues with our state and more about the education system as a whole.

wood911
09-19-2009, 02:16 PM
I was totally disgusted by the results so I have been asking everybody I know just to see if I could validate those results. So far, out of some 40-50 people I have not met anybody that didn't know. I'd be interested to know where the results came from. I'm not saying it 's not true, just saying I can't prove it.

WyomingOSUAlum
09-19-2009, 04:12 PM
We deserve a public flogging if that is truly representative of our education system. I just asked my 7 year old granddaughter (second grade) who the first president was and she told me George Washington. She added that Obama is the president now.
Without bragging too much, last year she was one of the top 2 in thre 1st grade in one of the two top grade schools in the state. See Schwartz Elementary.

I don't blame the teachers, somebody in the family has to care enough to encourage the children.

http://www.publicschoolreview.com/blueribbon_schools/stateid/OK



Just for grins, I asked my son who our first president was. He answered correctly. My son is 8 years old.

Verb
09-19-2009, 06:43 PM
I think the problem is poverty. Oklahoma is a poor state, and many students come from homes with limited or no books and printed materials. Kids from homes that don't read have far more problems in school.

Vulgar Display of Orange
09-19-2009, 09:24 PM
Is anyone really surprised? Of course it is the fault of the democrats in the state house, but with the way our state treats our schools (voting down school bonds, etc.) is any one really surprised that our state remains largely uneducated? Brought to you by Carl's Jr.

Poke2000
09-21-2009, 01:10 AM
I think the problem is poverty. Oklahoma is a poor state, and many students come from homes with limited or no books and printed materials. Kids from homes that don't read have far more problems in school.^^This^^

I'm also curious how the results would breakdown geographically within the state. Every single HS student I know (and I know several), has been able to answer the question correctly. Like wood911, I'm not saying it's not true, but so far, I'm just not seeing it. So, maybe it's from another part of the state (SE, perhaps. . .)

legelegel
09-21-2009, 01:30 AM
Sounds like we have a lot of smart-ass high school students in Oklahoma who just acted like they didn't know the answers.

mejake007
09-21-2009, 05:43 AM
sooo...who WAS the first prez?

Pokes4Life
09-21-2009, 06:43 AM
sooo...who WAS the first prez?

Herbie Hancock

jakeman
09-21-2009, 08:21 AM
sooo...who WAS the first prez?

If you trot out John Hanson, everyone is going to be pointing at you and snickering.

So, don't.

wood911
09-21-2009, 11:20 AM
I think the problem is poverty. Oklahoma is a poor state, and many students come from homes with limited or no books and printed materials. Kids from homes that don't read have far more problems in school.
I'm not sure Oklahoma is any poorer than a lot of other states. We are tenth on the poverty list but we are #1 on the cost of living list. Do they take those things into consideration when looking at poverty? Is it better to be poor in OK, TN or California, NJ? Being poor anywhere is no fun, but I have no idea where I would want to be if I were under the poverty level.

http://www.top50states.com/cost-of-living-by-state.html

http://www.statemaster.com/graph/eco_per_bel_pov_lev-economy-percent-below-poverty-level

PokeNBeans
09-22-2009, 06:54 AM
You mean to say that 75% of students in the Government run education system can't answer the question?

smoothW
09-22-2009, 09:44 AM
Sorry, I have to blame the parents. They are first and foremost when it comes to ensuring their children learn. Schools are not just a daycare to drop your kids off. It’s up to the parents to push their kids and read to them at a young age.

I heard a coworker one day yelling at a principle on the phone about his kid. Come to find out his kid started a fight and my coworker was upset his child got to many days of suspension. Unfortunatly this is the approach I see parents taking now a days.

PokesFanatic
09-22-2009, 01:42 PM
Are civics questions asked on standardized tests? I'm thinking not many, if at all. These days teachers are held to task over test results, due in no small part to NCLB, and so guess what...standardized tests are what is taught. That which gets rewarded gets done.

It has very little to do with public v. private, poor or rich. 75% of the whole of polled schoolchildren couldn't identify George Washington as our nation's first president.

FloridaPoke
09-22-2009, 03:31 PM
The real problem is that our elected leaders do a fine job of representing their constituency :)

BigBadBen
09-22-2009, 03:54 PM
Are civics questions asked on standardized tests? I'm thinking not many, if at all. These days teachers are held to task over test results, due in no small part to NCLB, and so guess what...standardized tests are what is taught. That which gets rewarded gets done.

It has very little to do with public v. private, poor or rich. 75% of the whole of polled schoolchildren couldn't identify George Washington as our nation's first president.


Exactly.

Teachers are being told "Teach To The Test". It drives Mrs BBB absolutely nuts.

smoothW
09-22-2009, 05:04 PM
Does Oklahoma have a standard test. Living in Texas I hear about the TAKS test all the time (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, taken every 3 years).