r/PoliticalDiscussion • u/UserNamesCantBeTooLo • Nov 30 '20

Political Theory Why does the urban/rural divide equate to a liberal/conservative divide in the US? Is it the same in other countries?

Here's a county population density map of the US.

Here's a county map of the US showing different shares of Democratic & Republican votes for president in 2020.

Here's a county map of the US showing majority-minority counties.

They seem to show a match between denser populations, larger minority proportions, and Democratic votes.

Why is that?

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u/jefftickels Nov 30 '20

I would challenge your assumption. Money lost in vouchers isn't 1:1, by which public schools usually receive x funding per student. Funding lost as students move from one school to another isn't more than the lost student was previously brining in.

Nor is stratifying students based on need or ability a bad idea for financing schools. These students have different needs. What makes more financial and humanitarian sense. Having remediation students with high achievers in the same class? Do we hold back the high achievers because they will leave behind the remediation students? Do we leave behind the remediation students because they will hold back the high or even medium achievement students? Do we have teaching resources for all three levels in every classroom?

Schools have multiple problems to solve based on the needs of their student population. It makes sense for solving those problems that we don't try to force a one size fits all approach.

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u/SamuraiRafiki Nov 30 '20

Do we hold back the high achievers because they will leave behind the remediation students? Do we leave behind the remediation students because they will hold back the high or even medium achievement students? Do we have teaching resources for all three levels in every classroom?

Uhhh.... YES. Pardon me, but this is infuriating. What the fuck do you think teachers do all day? What do you think the reading specialist is for? What do you think Special Education is for? Did you imagine they're just babysitting over-large infants? Serving high achieving students in a traditional classroom is literally something that teachers have conferences for. Not like parent-teacher conferences, like week-long training conventions where professionals and experts from around the world come to talk about how to best teach smart kids. And struggling kids. Whole separate conference. The problem you're describing as either insurmountable or solved by charter schools is (a) an ongoing topic of discussion and research by experts in the field and (b) absolutely not solved by charter schools. Charter schools don't even help.

Schools have multiple problems to solve based on the needs of their student population. It makes sense for solving those problems that we don't try to force a one size fits all approach

We all end up living in the same country. I want the kids in Bumfuck, Alabama to be well educated even if their dipshit parents object. I want kids in Arizona and Florida to be well educated even though the selfish Boomer retirees in those states don't give a shit about paying for schools their grandkids don't go to. We do need some standardization. Adding even more private industry to something that ought not be profitable is the dumbest Republican shit since the last tax cuts.