By kurt

January 6, 2010 2:45 PM | Link to this

How about we eradicate ALL preferential treatment ? Just as in the case of re-distributed tax money,with every winner there is a victim !! Justice is supposed to be blind also, and we don’t bend law to “atone” for the past.

By aaron

January 6, 2010 3:09 PM | Link to this

I agree with Kurt, but the reason there are so few “white American” students in these programs is because we cannot hack it. We have become lazy and our school systems are behind the rest of the world in Math and Science. Use facts, not outdated opinions you heard on fox news!

By Brainiac

January 6, 2010 3:28 PM | Link to this

Educate to Innovate. Does Obamer think we haven’t been doing that al along. How did we get a man on the moon? Sure wasn’t by sitting on our thumbs. Free tuition for math and science teachers but not everybody wants to be a teacher. As a matter of fact I know teachers who don’t want to be teachers any longer. The schools are pathetic. Lower grades are never going to make it due to parents out of the loop (by choice).

By Tom

January 6, 2010 3:50 PM | Link to this

If the problem is a shortage of teachers, wouldn’t the color of their skin be a non-factor? I’ve heard the same thing goes on in other areas like nursing scholarships.

By Squirrellygirl

January 6, 2010 3:54 PM | Link to this

Wow, these czars of Obama’s said the white people have to step down from positions of authority and let people of color and gays take over. And here it is. This is the new socialistic view, not so new, but new to us. I hope our tax money doesn’t go to these universities.

By KFodor

January 6, 2010 4:01 PM | Link to this

Before you can get students through STEM programs in college, you have to get them through basic STEM programs in Middle School and High School. This is where so many of today’s students fall far short. It’s great the college’s plan to promote these (actually WSU’s behind the 8 ball here - Central State’s had a committment to support STEM education for some time now), but you need to get kids interested in these fields early and let them develop interest early on - otherwise, they’ll never survive the college courses.

By Mike

January 6, 2010 4:36 PM | Link to this

You guys are all well off the mark. The reason most Caucasians don’t go into technical fields is because the work, study, and time isn’t worth the money. Most engineering majors graduate with 20% more credits than other majors and actually make less per hour than the average teachers salary. Yes it’s hard to believe but it’s true. Moreover in private industry engineers get treated like garbage and are always at risk of getting laid off or outsourced. It’s easier and more profitable to get an accounting or finance degree and live off of other peoples money than to constantly be under the thumb of management setting goals to come up with patents, lower cost and increase productivity.

By STEM Educator

January 6, 2010 8:54 PM | Link to this

Folks, Asian and Indian students dominate college STEM departments unfortunately because they are better prepared in primary and secondary schools. The perpetual dumbing down of High School curricula in the US has unfortunately allowed us to slip in the number of technically proficient students we send to universities. The current agreement seeks to reverse this by putting more qualified teachers in place and (hopefully) training more American STEM students - whether they are Caucasian, African American, Latino, Asian, etc.

By give me a break

January 6, 2010 9:48 PM | Link to this

A pledge to Obama?? This makes me ill. This pleadge should have been the MO amongst academia all along. Uh, news flash… Barry does not walk on water, nor should any pledges be made to him. He needs to keep the pledges he made to the American people. Wake up sheep.

By WRG

January 6, 2010 10:54 PM | Link to this

Americans schools use to be the best in the world, now we teach to the lowest common denominator. Anything we can do to improve our students math and science skill is good for our country. The rest of the world is moving forward into the 21st century while we seem to be moving back to the dark ages. I’m constantly amazed how many people think that the earth is only 6,000 years old. Is it any wonder that our country is falling apart. Our future rest on how well we educate our children. If we teach them fables then we’ll fail. If we teach them math and science (as well as history and the arts) then we at least have a chance to survive. PS: For those of you that insist on giving Ali Shan Mohammed Abdullah a hard time over his usage of the English language - give the man a break. First of all he speaks at least two languages - that’s more than most Americans do - so stop bitching until you can speak and write in his language as well as he does ours. Second, his language usage is better than most of the commenter’s posting on this thread; that’s because he speaks and writes in formal English, not local colloquialisms. Grow-up!

By Cynic

January 6, 2010 11:27 PM | Link to this

Some people interpret the Bible literally and others interpret the Declaration of Independence literally. The dumbing-down of American education began when government interpreted the phrase “all men are created equal” to mean that none can be allowed to excel, as this would be a sign of inequality. Then the diversity nazis insisted on lowering standards so that everyone could graduate. Now, to quote the notorious Rev. Wright, “America’s chickens have come home to roost.” We are now witnessing the result of liberalism run amok. Schools used to encourage studying, getting good grades, and suceeding. Now they just promote mediocrity. You got what you voted for, folks.

By Carl

January 7, 2010 6:05 AM | Link to this

They teach to the dumbest kid in the class. That way nobody gets there feelings hurt. Nobody gets sued for making kids think. Now you have the results of 50 years of this way of doing things.

By Squirrellygirl

January 7, 2010 7:48 AM | Link to this

How ‘bout equality for all including whites? Hmm Hmm Hmm Barrack Hussein Obama Hmm Hmm Hmm Sing Praises Oh Ye to the Prez of the U.S. He knows best what’s good for us so keep your mouths shut and pledge your allegiance to the flag of Obama. Hmm Hmm Hmm Sing u praises u fools.

By (Another)Mary

January 7, 2010 7:56 AM | Link to this

As a retired aero engineer and mother of two - who have already been through the education system - I particularly relate to what Mike and Carl are saying. Schools and colleges enthusastically ability group and reward scholarships to athletes, but balk at funding gifted ed programs and grouping, rewarding and training students with high academic abilities. When it comes to academics, financial need becomes the main focus. Meanwhile, children of professional athletes are offered full scholarships. Most school districts and colleges spend much more money on developing exceptional athletes than they do developing exceptional students of high academic ability. Businesses, politicians and our society also reward athletes more than they reward scientists, engineers and doctors. Do you ever see pictures of or group tours for top engineering talent or math students being paraded through the White House for a photo op? Then we wonder why we have conflicted our youth on what talents and efforts our culutre values.

By Julie

January 7, 2010 8:12 AM | Link to this

Why does it have to be a diversity issue? Why don’t they just offer incentives to ANY student that makes the effort and puts in the hard work? I’m so sick of the US trying to make everything a racial issue. Do the damn work and quit your whining. Also, I’m sending emails to UD and OS about the diversity issue. They need to act like leaders and not make everything racial.

By Doc Jim

January 7, 2010 8:42 AM | Link to this

I taught at the public high school level for eight years in the Dayton area. I taught a general course and an advanced course. For the general course, we were told to teach to the lowest level student. The curriculum was dumbed down and the course was made as easy as possible to pass. In the advanced course, the curriculum was much more rigorous. However, most students (but certainly not all) were extremely lazy. When their grades slipped, parents would come in to make excuses and ask for “extra credit assignments” rather than owning up to their poor parenting and son/daughter’s laziness. The point here is that people in numerous other countries, especially Japan, China and India have a more stringent work ethic and are held responsible for their actions. In the U.S., we are taught about equality and everyone should be equal. This is good for solving the racial problems that continue to purvey our country. However, it is destroying our educational system. When it comes to intelligence, we are not equal.

By Doc Jim

January 7, 2010 8:48 AM | Link to this

(Another)Mary: I agree with you. Look at who our children look up to in society: actors, athletes, celebrities. Why on Earth do we honor movie stars and athletes on publicized live national television events (Oscars, Heisman Presentation, Emmys, etc.) with trophies and prizes? Are they more valuable to our society than doctors, teachers, police officers, fire fighters and others? I want to see an award presentation for these people. We are trained to honor movie stars and pro athletes instead of society’s true heroes.

By A Science Teacher

January 7, 2010 9:20 AM | Link to this

I have been teaching high school science for 30 years. I have taught from the lowest level classes to college prep classes. The biggest challenge that I face every day is dealing with parents who will not demand hard work and academic discipline from their children. As soon as their child earns a low grade (anything below a B+), they expect the teacher to make exceptions for their child, offer extra-credit to their child only, or for the teacher to otherwise change his/her teaching style to benefit only their child. Today’s parents are the most irresponsible parents to ever inhabit this planet and they are raising a generation of lazy, unmotivated children who will be a burden on society for the rest of their lives.

By Squirrellygirl

January 7, 2010 9:30 AM | Link to this

If we are all paying taxes, that money should be distributed fairly, not pick people out because of their skin color. That’s not fair at all. And to ignore higher scores just to get people of color in there isn’t fair either. We will never excel as a country until we drop the race card and treat everyone equally. Apparently all that extra schooling didn’t help these university people with their commonsense.

By dale1

January 7, 2010 10:24 AM | Link to this

The US schools teach math and science as good as other countries. The issue is you can go K-12 and take very minimal math and science classes. You can take advanced math and science in any school but the kids today are taking the easy way out and their parents let them get away with it. I agree with the science teachers’s posting 100%

By Tom

January 7, 2010 10:46 AM | Link to this

What a bunch of dodos!

By Tim

January 7, 2010 10:46 AM | Link to this

A major problem is the dumbing down of American education and schools putting more emphasis on special needs and the lower performing student population. When my children were in kindergarten excited about learning and already reading well and doing math at the 4th grade level, I visited a Springboro School principal to see what would be offered to my two kids the following year to encourage their love of learning and continue their growth at the level that they were at, Mr. Johantages told me “Frankly we are more concerned with those in the lower 25% and getting those test scores up so bear with us now,but in 4th grade there are gifted opportunities.” I was apalled that this administrator felt it was ok to ignore or sacrifice bright children for the struggling population. You can bet I pulled my kids from that school system, started homeschooling them, and now as high school juniors both are attending a local college full-time, on the dean’s list, and pursuing their dreams of careers in STEM professions. I tell you this for encouragment. Sometimes parents have to take control of their children’s education so we can make up for our failing American public education system.

By concerned teacher

January 7, 2010 4:49 PM | Link to this

The key is “no student left behind”… In other countries, the students who don’t wont to do anything or aren’t qualified to do anything are sent out to work in a field and are just forgotten about. We have to educate everyone… that is why are test scores are lower… we test EVERYONE! They don’t.

By roulette

January 7, 2010 7:57 PM | Link to this

Damn, that sound’s so easy if you think about it.

By truco ruleta

January 11, 2010 11:17 AM | Link to this

Great idea, but will this work over the long run?

By joey

January 29, 2010 8:30 AM | Link to this

Once again Barack Obama to the rescue. I am amazed we have gotten along in this country for so many years without him. The government school systems have dummied down the expections of the students to meet the needs of the lower students.In doing so they forgot the gifted students and to challenge their abilities. Students learn to take the easy road because that is what they have done for 12 years. Another problem is finding good teachers/professors even at the college level with well written textbooks. I have a son in engineering and his biggest complaint is the professors…they don’t want to be there and don’t want to teach.