Christmas Gifts From The 2015 PISA Exam

The 2015 PISA Exam results are in.  And with Christmas being right around the corner, Americans are lucky that Santa won’t see the scores.  Because if Santa had any idea about where America ranks in Science, Mathematics, and Reading many Americans would be getting a lump of coal this Holiday.

Although Christmas lore indicates that it is bad children who will receive a lump of coal, the 2015 PISA Exam results lead one to infer that it is American parents who have been naughty and should be the recipients of a stocking full of the charcoal colored mineral consisting of fossilized carbon.

BAD MOM AND DAD

Why should mom and dad get a lump of coal?  It’s simple because when it comes to the educational preparation of American children most parents range from naïve to pathetic.

Upon reading the words naïve and pathetic, I’m sure that some parents will take exception with my position.  I freely admit that I too am saddened to have to use harsh and indicting words.   Nevertheless, I stand by my words and will happily provide evidence for my declarations.

Each school day, millions of American parents send their children, the future caretakers of the Nation, off to school without any idea about how well their children are being educated.  Daily parents freely outsource their children’s academic preparation in a manner contrary to practically every other aspect of their lives.

In general, parents know more about the grade of gasoline they put in their car than the quality of their children’s education.  In most homes, parents know more about their social media accounts than their child’s academic standing.

NAÏVE AND PATHETIC

Some parents gullibly put their trust in failing schools and second-rate school leaders.  Even where a school has a long public history of failure and/or downward educational trends, far too many parents trust foolishly.  For these gullible parents, if the school prints we are a “high quality” school on their website or the school’s P.T. Barnum says the school is “great” it must be so.

Often it is the parent who should be better equipped to help their children succeed who is a worse educational caretaker than the gullible parents.  For example, instead of examining what the 2015 PISA Exam results mean for their children, the “should be better-equipped parents” are regularly over consumed by the self-importance of their own life to make sure that their children meet or exceed global proficiencies in Mathematics, Science, and Reading.

I know parents have lots to do.  Being a parent is extraordinarily demanding.  After all, who in the world can be expected to find the time to investigate the likelihood that a child will be college and career ready when there is so much fake news to read on Facebook?

GIVE A GIFT THAT LAST A LIFETIME

This Christmas give your child a gift that won’t end up at Goodwill before the start of next school year.  This Christmas give your child any and/or all the following lifetime gifts:

• A parent who knows how to measure college and career readiness for every grade level;
• A parent prepared to ask meaningful questions about the quality of their school;
• A parent qualified to examine the subject matter mastery of a teacher;
• A parent skilled in detecting grade inflation and bogus graduation rates;
• A parent aware of the intentional limitations and inherent conflicts of state academic assessments;
• A parent who knows which college majors rank the highest for entry level pay;
• A parent who knows the job forecast for the next 5, 10, 15, to 20 plus years;
• A parent who knows the countries with the greatest employment needs;
• A parent who has the insight to steer their child towards a career with little likelihood of being eviscerated by robots;
• A parent unconditionally committed to the highest possible educational outcomes; and
• A parent who zealously advocates for the unlimited potential of ALL children.

NAUGHTY OR NICE

If you are a parent, you get to select between two educational choices this Christmas.  The first option is to be nice and make up your mind not to let your parenting ranking fall precipitously like the USA on the 2015 PISA Exam.

I’ve provided you with a list of things to do.  It’s up to you now.  You can raise your ranking by giving your child the gifts that may provide them with the chance to exceed their wildest academic hopes and career expectations.

The second option is much less attractive.  You can be naughty – remaining naïve to pathetic in your approach to educational parental engagement.  However, consider this a final warning particularly for the gullible and lethargic parents.  Not only will you substantially reduce the possibility that your child will be able to contribute to the social fabric of the Nation but you will assuredly discover on Christmas morning that your stocking is filled with coal.