S.T.E.M. and Charter Schools - Good for the country, or a scam?

By: Centinel

It’s another election year and we will start hearing politicians spouting platitudes. One of the most popular of these is S.T.E.M and Charter schools. Over the next few months, we will take a look into what STEM is and how charter schools work. Basically, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Math. Establishment politicians and educators want to drive students into STEM.
We will do some research on this trend and point out its basis on false studies and cooked numbers. United States students don’t score well on international tests, never have - and these tests are not good predictors of our national success. Successful Countries work cultures are non-hierarchical and merit-based. In summary, a well-rounded education is the best. No matter how strong your math and science skills are, you still need to know how to learn, think and write. The shabby genius is hidden in the back room. Consider the stereotype of a computer genius to get an idea of how the real world works. The person who can communicate, write reports and think critically, generally supervises the genius in the back room and makes the big money. STEM is nothing new. Did you know there have been five boom-bust cycles in sixty years of supposed shortages of scientists and engineers? Each lasting ten to fifteen years? Every cycle follows a predictable pattern, and the current cycle is following the same pattern. And, did you know that STEM ties to immigration policy? We did not either. What about Charter Schools? Did you know many have closed due to corruption and misappropriation of funds? Public-private partnerships deserve scrutiny. Many Charter Schools are perfect examples of crony capitalism 101. Some make the argument that they take much-needed funds from the public school system.

Do Charter Schools educate better than public schools?
Not really.

We will answer these questions in articles over several months challenging talking points you may hear.

The corruption is shocking.