DR at the bottom of PISA education ranking

[bob saunders]

There are many private schools in different parts of the country that do a reasonably good job. Obviously there are ones that don't. San Pedro de Macoris is a large enough city that there must be several quality schools.

http://www.laspalmas.edu.do/, Colegio los pininos, and Centro de estimulacion y desarrollo Psicopedgogico ( CEDEPSI) as well as the Adventist school. Have you checked all these private schools in San Pedro. I think there are around 200 private schools there. Ask a few of the dentists, doctors...etc where they send their children and why. You might be surprised at what is available.
you might not like the idea of sending the children to a religious school but I sent my children to Catholic schools in Canada and all three of them are unreligious, but did appreciate learning that aspect of living.

 

[sanpedrogringo]

Thank you Bob for taking the time to find and send me this very valuable information.

 

[bob saunders]

Thank you Bob for taking the time to find and send me this very valuable information.

No problem, most of us are here to help.

 

[bob saunders]

bob, your school is well known in the area as an excellent place to send kids. The simple fact that the school has grown so rapidly and student achieve so much is a testament to how you guys run it, and the dedication put into it daily.

Is it Sidwell Friends? No, but I doubt that's your mission.

It's a bright light in a dull wilderness.

You guys do a fantastic job at preparing kids with sound fundamental basics. Well done.

Your school is the Real Deal, and doesn't cost a small fortune to attend.

Thank you for your kind words.

 

[cobraboy]

Thank you for your kind words.

I'd replace the words "kind" with "accurate" in your quote, but DR1 has firmly banned such shenanigans...

 

[Wishing you well]

Thank you for your kind words.

You deserve it Bob, well done and please disregard the comments from cyber-bullies or rather the cyber-bully on this OP/board.

 

[Mauricio]

Meanwhile I read that the PISA survey was only conducted among students of public schools. Not a real representation of the educational system in DR then.*

 

[the gorgon]

Meanwhile I read that the PISA survey was only conducted among students of public schools. Not a real representation of the educational system in DR then.*

i am looking at some of the questions in this testing, and i am not surprised that the students from the DR fared as badly as they did. the school system is notorious for its inability to produce scholars in any meaningful numbers, and only really well prepared youngsters can cope with some of those tests. you make mention of the fact that only public school children participated in the testing, but i have not been privy to any data which concludes that the private school charges are that much better prepared than their public school counterparts.

 

[Mauricio]

i am looking at some of the questions in this testing, and i am not surprised that the students from the DR fared as badly as they did. the school system is notorious for its inability to produce scholars in any meaningful numbers, and only really well prepared youngsters can cope with some of those tests. you make mention of the fact that only public school children participated in the testing, but i have not been privy to any data which concludes that the private school charges are that much better prepared than their public school counterparts.

I agrrr, I looked at some questions too and it's not that easy.*

 

[arturo]

It is sad to say but private schools are only marginally better, primarily the physical facilities and didactic aids such as computers, textbooks, and science equipment. Educational standards and compliance with international accreditation requirements is available to private colegio parents who demand and actively pursue it. There is a systematic disinclination to improve standards. I think it's based in very old political policies and social customs that serve to maintain an uneducated and submissive population that sacrifices itself to the needs of small "grupito" wealthy ruling class. Real talk: the system has more in common with feudal Europe than it does with the developed world. Developed countries support it for access to cheap labor. "Globalization" is the accepted euphemism. Restricting education is an insidiously effective tool to maintain the order of inequity. It's common across Latin America and, as the statistics show, worst in the Dominican Republic. The 4% rule is a "wink and handshake" way to keep NGOs off the oligarchy's back.

In Dominican colegios, it's possible to get a quality education but it doesn't happen unless the parents insist and participate. The standard program is up to date tuition payments = passing grades. A quality education is virtually out of the question for families who can't afford more than the public escuelas.

Seeing as much of the 4% is being spent on school buildings (i.e. juicy contracts and kickbacks) and jeepetas and top-range smartphones for ministry officials, what's the big surprise?*

A relative who lives in a provincial town was impressed by the new school facilities and attracted by the prospect of the extended school day so they enrolled their child in the state school. By October they had already taken her out and put her in a private school, mainly because the school would close every time it rained.

 

[the gorgon]

I agrrr, I looked at some questions too and it's not that easy.*

Mauricio, i cannot visualize Dominican kids 15 years old being to handle that kind of testing. there is no way on earth that any meaningful amount of that stuff appears on local syllabuses, if there is such a thing as a school syllabus.

 

[arturo]

I really wish I could disagree with you but I can't. I've had some involvement in private colegios and my experience is your analysis is spot on.

i am looking at some of the questions in this testing, and i am not surprised that the students from the DR fared as badly as they did. the school system is notorious for its inability to produce scholars in any meaningful numbers, and only really well prepared youngsters can cope with some of those tests. you make mention of the fact that only public school children participated in the testing, but i have not been privy to any data which concludes that the private school charges are that much better prepared than their public school counterparts.

 

[the gorgon]

It is sad to say but private schools are only marginally better, primarily the physical facilities and didactic aids such as computers, textbooks, and science equipment. Educational standards and compliance with international accreditation requirements is available to private colegio parents who demand and actively pursue it. There is a systematic disinclination to improve standards. I think it's based in very old political policies and social customs that serve to maintain an uneducated and submissive population that sacrifices itself to the needs of small "grupito" wealthy ruling class. Real talk: the system has more in common with feudal Europe than it does with the developed world. Developed countries support it for access to cheap labor. "Globalization" is the accepted euphemism. Restricting education is an insidiously effective tool to maintain the order of inequity. It's common across Latin America and, as the statistics show, worst in the Dominican Republic. The 4% rule is a "wink and handshake" way to keep NGOs off the oligarchy's back.

In Dominican colegios, it's possible to get a quality education but it doesn't happen unless the parents insist and participate. The standard program is up to date tuition payments = passing grades. A quality education is virtually out of the question for families who can't afford more than the public escuelas.

brilliant observations. i have always said that Dominican educational standards are not woeful by happenstance. that is the way the political directorate wants them to be. schools are just effective day care centers, where the kids congregate during the day, allowing the parents to go to work. no member of the landed gentry wants an educated populace, with public intellectuals sitting at the village fountain and discussing sociology with curious onlookers. next thing you know is that Jose wants to know why his great grandfather was a cane cutter, and 100 years later, so is he.

 

[arturo]

Your school seems to be a very positive force. I only wish there were many more like it. I don't blame individual teacher or even institutions. As I wrote in another post, they are only part of an overarching political system aimed at exploitation. The system extends beyond the shores of the island. People like you are a step in the other direction. I'm humbled and encouraged by your efforts.

It is a shame you don't know more educated Dominicans. There are plenty. Our school is from 730am to 500 pm, except for the little ones who do a half day. pre-kinder (3 year olds) usually know their colours and the numbers from one to ten, plus the vowels Kinder (4 year olds) also usually know the basic shapes - square, triangle, rectangle and circle. They start to print the numbers and letters as well.

 

[bob saunders]

Mauricio, i cannot visualize Dominican kids 15 years old being to handle that kind of testing. there is no way on earth that any meaningful amount of that stuff appears on local syllabuses, if there is such a thing as a school syllabus.

Get a hold on some Dominican national tests. They are pretty challenging as well. Perhaps that is one of the reasons they have a very high failure rate. The problem for most private schools in the DR is that they (we) have to draw their teachers from the same stock of teachers as the public schools. There is the rare gem but most of these teachers are graduates of the public school system themselves. The expensive private schools can afford to hire foreign teachers or la creme de la creme of Dominican talent. There is nothing wrong with the syllabuses, the problem is most of the teachers have neither the education or the skill set to teach effectively.

 

[arturo]

There are many aspects of the Cuban social system that I can't abide. On the other hand, what it has accomplished through its emphasis on educational standards and literacy is an astonishing contrast to what we see in the other similarly undeveloped Latin American countries, including the Dominican Republic. Walk by a Cuban primary or secondary school and compare it to what you hear through the windows of the Dominican counterparts. The difference, which can be measured in hundreds of decibels of disrespectful din, says it all.

Changing a culture is far more challenging that teaching the Three R's.

I suspect the latter will be more easily accomplished after the former is altered.

Clearly many see a problem with the current public edumacational system in the DR, because there are so many fairly inexpensive private schools everywhere.

 

[the gorgon]

Get a hold on some Dominican national tests. They are pretty challenging as well. Perhaps that is one of the reasons they have a very high failure rate. The problem for most private schools in the DR is that they (we) have to draw their teachers from the same stock of teachers as the public schools. There is the rare gem but most of these teachers are graduates of the public school system themselves. The expensive private schools can afford to hire foreign teachers or la creme de la creme of Dominican talent. There is nothing wrong with the syllabuses, the problem is most of the teachers have neither the education or the skill set to teach effectively.

tell you what. i will make you a deal. i will get a hold of Dominican high school final exams. then you go get a hold of the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level, which is the test that is used in the British system. tell me which Dominican high school kids can pass the GCE.

 

[the gorgon]

There are many aspects of the Cuban social system that I can't abide. On the other hand, what it has accomplished through its emphasis on educational standards and literacy is an astonishing contrast to what we see in the other similarly undeveloped Latin American countries, including the Dominican Republic. Walk by a Cuban primary or secondary school and compare it to what you hear through the windows of the Dominican counterparts. The difference, which can be measured in hundreds of decibels of disrespectful din, says it all.

i read some working papers that deal with education systems in the caribbean and Latin America, and the data revealed that teachers in the Dominican Republic spend 20% of the time allocated for classes just trying to restore and maintain order, and that the students spend 18% of class time talking about issues not remotely related to schoolwork.

 

[the gorgon]

Get a hold on some Dominican national tests. They are pretty challenging as well. Perhaps that is one of the reasons they have a very high failure rate. The problem for most private schools in the DR is that they (we) have to draw their teachers from the same stock of teachers as the public schools. There is the rare gem but most of these teachers are graduates of the public school system themselves. The expensive private schools can afford to hire foreign teachers or la creme de la creme of Dominican talent. There is nothing wrong with the syllabuses, the problem is most of the teachers have neither the education or the skill set to teach effectively.

tell us about the library at your school, bob. i do not mean this facetiously, but i have my ideas of what schools here look like, and i want to be pleasantly surprised.

 

[CristoRey]

i am looking at some of the questions in this testing, and i am not surprised that the students from the DR fared as badly as they did. the school system is notorious for its inability to produce scholars in any meaningful numbers, and only really well prepared youngsters can cope with some of those tests. you make mention of the fact that only public school children participated in the testing, but i have not been privy to any data which concludes that the private school charges are that much better prepared than their public school counterparts.

So rich kids are getting a better education than the poor ones.. not surprising at all.