by Michael Bailey | Feb 18, 2018 | Education, Society and Culture |
When a gunman killed 20 first graders and six adults with an assault rifle at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, it rattled Newtown, Conn., and reverberated across the world. Since then, there have been at least 239 school shootings nationwide. In those episodes, 438 people were shot, 138 of whom were killed.
The data used here is from the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit that began tracking school shootings in 2014, about a year after Sandy Hook.
Gunshot Victims in School Shootings
The shootings have taken place at sporting events and in parking lots, cafeterias, hallways and classrooms.
A shooting took place Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., about an hour northwest of Miami. As of Wednesday night, 17 people had been killed and the number of people injured was unknown.
Sixteen of the 239 shootings shown below can be classified as mass shootings, events in which four or more people are shot.
On average, there have been about five school shootings each month, including episodes that were not mass shootings.
by Michael Bailey | Jan 17, 2017 | Education |
What’s up with the half school days here?
Not one to miss an opportunity to recite yet another “When I was a kid….” story, I have to say how annoyed I am with the public school system here in CT. I also can’t miss another opportunity to clarify that I am not a native Connecticutian, or whatever they call themselves here. Nothing I guess.
So the schools here let out at 1:45-2:00pm. What?! I mean, WHAT?!
Is this considered a full day of education in this state? Holy crap. When I was a kid in grade, middle, junior, high, I was in till 3:00-3:30p. Every day. Sometimes. Sometimes. On the rare occasion, we’d get out at 2:30 or 2:45. Wow. Was that great. We lived for those short/er days. But here in CT, god forbid the buses aren’t fully loaded, half out the school driveways by 1:50p.
It would be one thing if US reading scores and aptitudes were good compared to other countries, or just to ourselves. But they aren’t. And worse, kids today are more hampered by useless cultural distractions, and dangerous influences once they get out of a classroom than ever before.
Tax payers are hit enormously with education tariffs in the towns and states where they live regardless of whether they have children or not. Meanwhile, these states and towns have cut back the educational standards for children who need more dedication from municipalities and states. Not less. Parents should know this already when they see their kids done for the day barely after 2pm, only to hop on a skateboard for two hours or waste time in a Froyo store. The schools cut the days to save money, but still lobby for higher taxes. And in the end, what is the net benefit to the kids? What’s the upgrade, if the time is less? A new projector screen? Some re-flooring of the gym floor. Come on, man. That’s what fundraising and benefits are for. There can be no upgrade, if time is slashed. Time is the upgrade. Hence, time is also a downgrade.
Here’s an older article written in 2011 addressing the problem the way I see it. It still applies. Yes.
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/is-your-school-day-too-short/
Another from 2010, but (what a surprise) its still relevant. Unfortunately.
http://educationnext.org/time-for-school/
