School shootings from the 1700's to present day in the US

[gman1868]

How accurate is Wikipedia?
I don't know, but it gives a starting place for further investigation.

List of School shootings in the US from 1700 to present date -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_shootings_in_the_United_States

List of "notable" US school attacks per Wikipedia -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_shootings_in_the_United_States#List_of_notable_U.S._school_attacks

A friend reminded me that background checks began in 1998, I believe. It seems that since background check have begun, school shootings have increased. Do background checks actually accomplish anything worthwhile or useful other than creating more bureaucracy and the additional spending taxpayer money? The thought process on background checks, just like "public school education", seems to be the more it fails, the more money and resources get thrown at it as it continues to fail at an even higher pace.

[St. Olaf]

Public schools are failing because they are being starved to death by politicians who want the government out of the school business. It's a rather blatant and shameless endeavor that's been going on since Reagan, his "New Federalism" and his famous "Ketchup is a vegetable" statement.

Public schools also have the problem of unfair funding in that schools in poor neighborhoods get less money while actually needing more.

For public schools to do better funding must be changed so that it's not based on the property values in the school district--which is why many inner city schools are falling apart and populated only by kids whose parents can't afford to move out of there.

That's not equal opportunity for education and it's a huge problem and a failure of America's basic principles of equality and fairness.

Hope that helps the misunderstanding on education.

Background checks are failing due to a lack of information sharing, cooperation, organization and execution.

It doesn't help that they fail to prosecute those who illegally attempt to buy guns and are caught by background checks, either.

Much of this is also driven by a lack of funding......it costs money to do all this stuff....and certain people keep going around perpetrating the myth that "government is broke."

Once we get off that continuing distortion of the truth and start funding important programs, I suspect things will get better. Unfortunately, that's going to take quite a few years.

[Heffay]

Are public schools failing? I seem to recall test scores and graduation rates going up.

[St. Olaf]

Ask the kids in Detroit, for one example.

[Heffay]

Ask the kids in Detroit, for one example.

I'm talking overall.

[St. Olaf]

I don't think "Overall" means much when there are so many "Detroits."

[Heffay]

I don't think "Overall" means much when there are so many "Detroits."

Fine. Fix the Detroits. But it doesn't mean "public schools are failing" when overall we're doing better than we ever have.

[sansooshooter]

Yea we cant put a cost on education
What is a ball park dollar amount we should pour into education?
My entire life I have heard its not enough money

.

[Heffay]

Yea we cant put a cost on education
What is a ball park dollar amount we should pour into education?
My entire life I have heard its not enough money

That's the big issue. Money doesn't fix the problem. Competition will though.

[jdege]

Public schools also have the problem of unfair funding in that schools in poor neighborhoods get less money while actually needing more.

I'm afraid that's simply not the case.

Our highest per-pupil spending is in our failing inner-city districts.

[tt3]

Getting rid of tenure might help the schools...

[St. Olaf]

Public schools also have the problem of unfair funding in that schools in poor neighborhoods get less money while actually needing more.

I'm afraid that's simply not the case.

Our highest per-pupil spending is in our failing inner-city districts.

As I said, they get less while needing more.

These are some of the oldest schools in the nation, so maintenance costs are far higher. In addition to that, you have to pay employees far more to work in the inner city, thus costs are far higher.

Those schools are dangerous.

Spending is high, but not anywhere near high enough to provide an equal education.

[Cavscout]

As far as mass shootings occurring more often, I think there is general decay of society progressing at the moment. Most people seem to think the same.

Christianity has been removed from public schools to a huge extend, and thus morals/values/ethics are not being taught like they used to be. You could do that and have zero effect on society, but it's having a great effect. Parents haven't taken up the slack, simply sending their kids to school every day to HAVE them taught instead of having to teach the kids themselves. Good values/morals/ethics are not being discussed and self-awareness has to be at an all time low. Kids are constantly dressing up like freaks as a call for help/attention because they don't know "who they are."

So parents, stop thinking they will be taught this stuff in public schools. They also need more than one source to help ensure they become a balanced individual. Yes, a mother AND a father, so consider staying together long enough to raise your kids. Shared custody? Never saw anything effect a friend's emotions as bad as shared custody did. Way to put a kid in the middle of an emotional tug-of-war.

So, morals used to be taught in the form of religion, but that has stopped. Unlike what many Christians believe, good morals/ethics/values doesn't come from believing in a deity, it comes from having been taught them. They do a good job, with 10 simple generally-accepted laws and a book full of examples, but with that structure removed, you have to fill the void with other laws and lessons/examples.

But hey, I'm a 22 y/o godless heathen that went to large public schools in a reliably liberal state. I doubt that leaves me with any cred.

[DoxaPar]

My entire family is made up of teachers - my wife, my mom, all my aunts and uncles.

They never complain about funding being too low. They complain about crappy parents, crappy teachers who suck the system dry and can't be fired, discipline issues with the kids that either can't be addressed by the school or won't be addressed by the parents.

Money won't fix our schools. They have gone the way of every institution liberals have taken possession.

[Cavscout]

Yes, but that's another issue.

My school experience: why even bother getting a HS diploma? One kid, a vegatable, got one, who can't think or speak. The Spec Ed kids got them, and they did their dumbed down lessons in a separate location without completing half of it.

Our school system: like a squad, but with three wounded.