Dumb and Dumber in Dallas

We live in an era where looks are more important than personality. Where intelligence is frowned upon. And where schools are not in the business of educating children but encouraging their self-esteem and other ego boosting ideas. So it doesn't surprise me one bit that the schools in Dallas, Texas have lowered the standards for grades.

Teachers and parents in Dallas, Texas, are angry about new grading policies that they say are dumbing down the district and pushing students through the system who haven't earned it.

One of the most contentious of the policies allows a student who fails a test to retake it, with the lower score being tossed out.

"Instead of setting high expectations and the high standards and holding them to that, we seem to be wanting to lower the bar and give them an excuse not to succeed," said Dale Kaiser, president of the National Education Association, the teachers union.

Dallas Independent School District officials refused multiple interview requests from CNN. But in interviews with CNN affiliates and in documents outlining the grading policy, district officials say the goal of the grading system is to emphasize learning, not failure.

Why should Johnny learn anything? You give him no reason to learn, he's going to pass the class whether he does anything or not.

The policy allowing failed test scores to be thrown out is just one of several changes to the grading policy that went into effect at the start of this school year.

Other grading policies include:

• For elementary and middle school students, only homework grades "that raise a student's average" will be recorded.
• Students must be given one opportunity to turn in homework assignments that weren't finished on time.
• Parents must be contacted before a teacher records a zero in the grade book.

What? No smiley faces and gold stars? And this is going to help students be prepared for the work place when and if they graduate? No. What this does is prepare students for welfare, for government handouts, for a belief of entitlement. This doesn't help any student learn.

A small committee of administrators and teachers wrote the new grading policy. The goal, they say, is to keep kids in school and prevent them from getting discouraged and dropping out.

"What we're really interested in is 'Are the children learning?' and if they're not, we need intervention immediately. This system does that," said Jerome Garza, a district school board trustee.

But teachers and parents say students who fail to perform or turn homework in on time need to learn there are consequences for such behavior. They worry this new system will create an atmosphere of mediocrity.

Try more an atmosphere of stupidity. And notice that not one parent was on that "committee". The district decided this insanity all by itself without notifying or input from any parent. And it is their children, not the administrators or teachers children.

The administration says that they can spot children with problems faster this way. How? A failing grade is the best indication of a problem with a child. The first time a teacher would see a child's grades falling past a certain level, a letter home (or call to the parents) would be sent. A meeting could be arranged and options for helping the child can be discussed. All this without administrators, psychologists, and other so-called child development experts getting involved. The cost is less and the the results are better.

So now Dallas has a system in place that rewards stupidity and laziness. In 12 years will the graduates of this system be able to work without such rewards? I doubt it.