In a surprising incident, 40% of students in schools in Baltimore, Maryland, failed a math test, prompting mixed responses on social media about responsibility for the results.
While U.S. education receives global attention that some spend exorbitant money to provide their children with access to American schools, the Baltimore High School Department's math test results reveal things that may not have been known before.
The test included 32 public secondary schools in the city, and the result was that students from 13 schools failed completely, representing 40% of the total high school students in government schools.
Not only did it stop at specific schools, but included the top five schools in the city, where only 11 percent passed, raising questions about who was responsible for these low levels.
An episode (25/9/2023) of the program "Shabakat" asked a question about who is responsible for the failure of students to pass the exam, and the responses varied between those who blamed the difficulty of the questions, and those who blamed them on the neglect of parents, while the school administration concerned blamed the lack of funding.
Activist Hamid Yesko defended the students, saying, "It's strange for them. "I think the teachers gave tough questions, thinking that all the students are descendants of Karl Gauss and Albert Einstein, and they can solve them easily."
Ryan went on to say that math is difficult in high school in American education, saying, "It's normal, math in high school is difficult, the lessons are stacked and overlapping and nothing is understandable. And the test if you like (to succeed) you have to eat the book to eat."
On the contrary, Judy blamed the nature of the curriculum and on parents as well, writing, "We expected this years ago. Our curriculum is nonsense. Not tolerating students with the consequences of their behavior and level of education is abhorrent. Parents have a responsibility for their children's education and behavior. We are making criminals instead of good citizens."
Mohammed al-Nuzaili quipped, "Is this because of the complexity of the teachers or because of the neglect of the students? Al-Khwarizmi is crying blood after this scene."
Project Baltimore said the city's schools are using funding to increase student achievement and that there has been progress in this regard compared to previous years, but at the same time said that this does not reduce or correct the chronic funding shortfall that has contributed to the current results.
In May, Baltimore schools received $1.7 billion from the government to develop their education programs over the next year, in addition to a $<> million post-pandemic grant.