What the Oklahoma Students Did Not Know

by Pa Rock
Former Educator

Yesterday I noted that high school students in Oklahoma and Arizona had done very poorly on a citizenship test that (one would hope) even their parents could have passed. Today I came across a very good web site that got into the nuts and bolts of exactly what the students did not know.

Jeff Hoard is a freelance writer and researcher who lives in the woods of British Columbia (that's in Canada, kids). He states that in his spare time he searches for signs of "Idiocracy." Not surprisingly his searches led him to the story on the citizenship survey of Oklahoma students. The information that follows was pulled from Jeff's blog, The Idiocracy Index.

The question on the survey that drew the highest percentage of correct answers from the 1,000 students who were polled was this: What ocean is on the east coast of the United States? Sixty-one percent (610 students) were able to correctly answer that it was the Atlantic Ocean. Presumably, some had actually been there.

The question that garnered the least number of correct responses was this: How many justices are on the Supreme Court? Only ten percent (100 students) knew that nine justices sit on the Supreme Court. That was probably the toughest question on the survey, but a new justice was recently appointed to the Court, stirring a lot of news about the Court and its structure and balance, so more students should have gotten that right. (Are we watching too much Survivor and not enough news programs?)

The other questions went like this:

What is the supreme law of the land? Twenty-eight percent (280) knew that it is the Constitution.

What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution? Twenty-six percent (260) correctly answered that those amendments are collectively known as the Bill of Rights.

What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress? Survey says: The Senate and the House. Twenty-seven percent (270) of the students got that correct.

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? The author of that critical document in our history was Thomas Jefferson. Only 14% (140) of students knew that answer.

There was an upsurge of correct answers on this question: What are the two major political parties in the United States? Yet, even on something that basic and well known, less than half of the students surveyed knew that those two political parties are the Democrats and Republicans. Forty-three percent (430) answered correctly.

We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
Just 11% (110) knew that the correct answer was six.

Who was the first President of the United States? Twenty-three percent (less than one in four) knew that George Washington was our first President. Come on guys, he's on the dollar bill!

Surprisingly, at least to me, more of the students knew who is in charge of the executive branch than knew the father of our country. Twenty-nine percent (290) answered correctly that the head of the executive branch is the President.

Here is another interesting way to look at the results of this survey:

Of the 1,000 students who were polled, 46 got none of the answers correct, 158 got only one answer correct, 246 got two answers right, 265 (the highest concentration) correctly answered three questions, 177 managed to answer four right, 80 got half correct- five out of ten, 22 got six right (the passing point), and six proved to be real scholars by getting seven correct. None of the 1,000 students who took the survey got more than seven out of ten correct.

So what is the problem? Why did a thousand high school students in Oklahoma do so badly on a test covering what should be a very basic part of their political and historical heritage. The answer is complicated. A lot of really talented people can't afford to teach and have to take jobs in industry or other economic sectors to feed their families. Schools are running so scared of test scores that they concentrate heavily on teaching the test, to the detriment of all other knowledge. Parents are working longer and harder, often both parents, leaving children unsupervised and homework unchecked. And the whole world appears to be angry. It is so much easier to stand around and yell than it is to roll up your shirt sleeves and begin to fix problems.

Knowledge itself is also being pushed under the church bus. Sarah Palin tells people that dinosaurs and people walked the earth at the same time - she's seen pictures! Places like Kansas and Texas go crazy trying to push science out of textbooks and replace it with Creationism, whatever the hell that is. (People who want their children to go to competitive universities and become medical doctors want real science taught in classrooms. People with serious illnesses and injuries - even fundamentalist Christians - want to be treated by people who have been educated in real science.)

Education will get back on track in this country when teaching salaries are high enough to attract really good teachers away from business and industry. Education will begin to recover when school districts start putting more books in their school libraries, books open to a wide range of real life, and quit allowing small-minded moralists to roam through the stacks and haul books that offend them off to community bonfires. Education will start to mean something again when we revel in ideas and encourage students to step outside of their comfort zone and see what this big world is all about.

Education will have arrived when the spelling bee attracts the same enthusiasm as homecoming, when the honor roll is as anticipated as the football starting lineup, and when every child is praised by their parents for what they have learned in school - every day. It's within reach and well worth the effort.

A Tale of the Antichrist

by Pa Rock
Religious Muckraker

Late last night I fell onto my comfortable sofa, picked up the remote, and began channel surfing. Soon I came across something on History International that looked promising, a special on the Antichrist. Well, I thought, this should be good for a few grins.

The grins quickly turned into guffaws and belly laughs when the program, obviously several years old, turned to a fundamentalist religious leader for commentary. Their expert on the Antichrist was the Colorado holy man who founded the New Life Mega Church and related businesses, Reverend Ted Haggard. Yup, former meth user and "cured" homosexual Ted Haggard. Who better to speak on the insidious nature of sin and the threat that it poses to God's Chosen?

Brother Ted lost his luster and his flock when a male prostitute outed him in 2006, reporting that the mischievous minister had paid him for man-on-man sex on numerous occasions. Not only did the hooker blow (poor choice of verbs) the whistle on God's gift to Colorado Springs, he also let the world know that the fundamentalist icon who preached the importance of males heading households, had himself taken the position of the woman in their sexcapades. (Brother Ted was a bottom - who'd a thunk it?) The prostitute, who was far more honorable than his client, further admitted that he had been purchasing meth for the fast-talking preacher.

Brother Ted has begged God's forgiveness, fixed things with his wife, given up meth, and been "cured" of his homosexuality. He has recently started on a rehabilitation tour in an effort to reclaim some of his fan base. But wouldn't you know it - just as the big tour bus started to roll, up popped another pesky accuser.

Grant Haas wasn't a prostitute, rather he was a troubled young man who turned to his pastor, Reverend Haggard, for counseling related to his gay tendencies. Ted didn't have to go cruising for sex, the vulnerable young man just walked right into his office. It didn't take the cunning minister long to ensnare the youth in his sexual web. "You know Grant," the solicitous and salivating older man told him, "you can become a man of God and you can have a little bit of fun on the side." Then the lad's spiritual advisor led him to bed.

Grant Haas reported the situation to the leaders of the New Life Church as the other scandal was breaking. Their response was to pay him $179,000 in hush money, also referred to as college expenses. When Mr. Haas recently became aware that Ted Haggard's star was beginning to rise again, he went public with his allegations. He didn't want others to go through the hell that has been his life for the past couple of years.

What impact did Haggard's deplorable actions have on the youth who had turned to him for help? Mr. Haas told CNN that he has attempted suicide four times, is drinking heavily, and is seeing a psychiatrist. Nice work, Brother Ted!

Ted Haggard is a gay man who is deeply troubled by his sexual passions. He has spent most of his life being openly critical and hostile toward people who are able to live their lives honestly. His religion has conflicted his life and made him a moral cripple. Yes, he is a sleazoid who used his money and position of authority for "a little bit of fun on the side." Ted Haggard is also a sad and deplorable character, one more reason to be cautious of those who feel they speak for God. Their "God" may be lying in wait to ready to spring forward at the dropping of their pious pants.

Brother Ted, thou art shameless!

Change is Coming

by Pa Rock

I have a couple of friends who were (are) Ron Paul supporters. I like libertarians because they have strong convictions and aren't afraid to speak their minds. In fact, I think that I would enjoy being an ornery libertarian if it wasn't for a few problematic issues: guns (they cause crime and not the other way around), taxes (they are a necessary evil, and every American should pay based on ability - including rich Americans and corporations), and immigration (no borders, no where - from North Pole, Alaska to the southern tip of Tierra del Fuego). Other than that, I would probably make a damn good libertarian!

One of these friends that I just mentioned recently asked me what kind of change was on the horizon if Obama gets elected. In my reply I prattled on about having national goals and policies based on intelligence and the public need, rather than being rooted in greed and vindictiveness like we've seen for the past eight years. I believe that a bright future awaits us if we have the courage to go forth and meet it.

In fairness, John McCain would bring change also, most of it positive - at least positive compared to the abysmal swamp that we've been mired in for the past eight years. But McCain has shed his luster. He is no longer the maverick that was putting his spurs to the Bush family eight years ago. He no longer rails on the crackpot Christian fundamentalists as being agents of intolerance, and he supports Big Oil and never-ending war. Now, in an attempt to form a winning constituency, he has thrown his tent open to all of the crap that coalesced eight years ago to put Dear Leader in the White House.

One can only hope that if McCain wins the presidency (and I think a snowball would stand a better chance of rolling across Phoenix in August) that a bit of the maverick survives somewhere deep in his gut. We keep hearing about what a mean little bastard he really is. Wouldn't it be fun if that personality came busting out the first time the boys at Fox News (excuse the oxymoron) tried to tell him how to run the war, or when Lou Dobbs started lecturing him how to construct the border fence? That McCain also needs to be the one who smites down the Christian fascists when they show up to select his cabinet members and federal judges.

If John McCain gets to the White House (Allah forbid!), my prediction is that we all will experience change, even those who thought that they were voting for Bush's third term.

It shouldn't be a question about change, because change will happen regardless of who wins. The question must be about direction and destination. Where do we want to go and how will we get there? We need positive change to tap into our great national potential, and only Barack Obama appears to be willing to go there.

Out and About in Arizona

A big red rose to the nice lady who carded me at a local Circle K before she would sell me a lottery ticket! It has been so many years since anyone asked to see my ID!

Super Bowl XLII is coming to town next weekend. Lots of locals are fluffing up their income by renting their homes out to the influx of football tourists. And these home rentals aren’t cheap! Today a car passed me that had a professional looking sign in the window saying “Rent your home for up to $10,000 per night for the Super Bowl.” I wonder if that includes breakfast!

A truck passed me a few minutes later and the young male driver, obviously responding to my Obama bumper sticker, yelled out his window, “F--- Obama!” Gotta love those Christian fundamentalists!

Later my little car took me to the Goodyear Flea Market. It was my first visit to this amazing marketplace. There were hundreds of vendors selling everything from art to plants, jewelry, books, and even parakeets! Food vendors were also in abundance peddling everything from kettle corn to cold beer. It was all very airy and clean – a great place to spend several hours with little chance of getting bored!

Tonight I was focused on the Obama victory in the South Carolina primary, followed by the season premier of Torchwood. All in all, it’s been a very pleasant day!