Feds give GA $19 million for lowest performing schools (Atlanta: how much, home)

[northwinds]

Feds give Georgia $19.2 million to help low-performing schools *| ajc.com (http://www.ajc.com/news/feds-give-georgia-19-1386642.html - broken link)

Great news.....instead of giving my tax dollars to the highest performing schools so they can continue to produce citizens who will contribute to society, invent things to move mankind forward, etc....we drop millions more into the lowest performing schools, 14 of which are in the Atlanta Public School System. The APS already has one of the highest expeditures per pupil in the U.S. Now we get to create a new "jobs program" within the APS and other failing school systems so everybody's cousin can get a job.....meanwhile in five years the test scores will be the same or worse....what a great way to run a country....

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by northwinds

..we drop millions more into the lowest performing schools, 14 of which are in the Atlanta Public School System. The APS already has one of the highest expeditures per pupil in the U.S. Now we get to create a new "jobs program" within the APS and other failing school systems so everybody's cousin can get a job.....meanwhile in five years the test scores will be the same or worse....what a great way to run a country....

No one can say that, northwinds. This could be just the thing to turn these 14 schools around.

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by arjay57

No one can say that, northwinds. This could be just the thing to turn these 14 schools around.

Doubtful. I watched NJ spend $8 billion on building new schools in the bad districts, on top of diverting tons of state tax dollars to those districts, and they're still ****-poor performers. Money isn't the answer- holding parents accountable for making sure their kids attend school, are properly nourished, and have a solid environment at home is the only solution. Until the mentality of the parents changes, the kids will still fail, regardless of how much money you throw at the schools.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Doubtful. I watched NJ spend $8 billion on building new schools in the bad districts, on top of diverting tons of state tax dollars to those districts, and they're still ****-poor performers. Money isn't the answer- holding parents accountable for making sure their kids attend school, are properly nourished, and have a solid environment at home is the only solution. Until the mentality of the parents changes, the kids will still fail, regardless of how much money you throw at the schools.

There's some truth in that. Here in the city of Atlanta we spent $1 billion on physical plant during the past 10 years alone. We have the best paid teachers in the state. A lot of the students get free lunch and breakfast and after school snacks. I have watched them help themselves as my grandkids stand by and don't get anything because they don't have money, or I have to pay for it. Some of the even get free golf, tennis or karate lessons.

A lot of private foundations have big poured money into the low performing schools too. In short, they have all the tools and teachers and facilities that money can by.

At some point the students need to start using those advantages. Do you work in class. Do your homework at home. The parent at home needs to take responsibility for seeing that it's done properly.

There's no magic to elementary school. Kids in my day went to an old building with steam heat and leaky widows. We had broken down desks and books that were worn out and falling apart.

None of us though twice about it. We didn’t feel deprived. We were just there to learn and we had all the basics for that.

[northwinds]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Doubtful. I watched NJ spend $8 billion on building new schools in the bad districts, on top of diverting tons of state tax dollars to those districts, and they're still ****-poor performers. Money isn't the answer- holding parents accountable for making sure their kids attend school, are properly nourished, and have a solid environment at home is the only solution. Until the mentality of the parents changes, the kids will still fail, regardless of how much money you throw at the schools.

Way too much reality for a single post......

[gtcorndog]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Doubtful. I watched NJ spend $8 billion on building new schools in the bad districts, on top of diverting tons of state tax dollars to those districts, and they're still ****-poor performers. Money isn't the answer- holding parents accountable for making sure their kids attend school, are properly nourished, and have a solid environment at home is the only solution. Until the mentality of the parents changes, the kids will still fail, regardless of how much money you throw at the schools.

This.

Throwing money at the problem is not the answer. The problem with these schools lies with the family situation of the children.

[K'ledgeBldr]

Originally Posted by northwinds

Feds give Georgia $19.2 million to help low-performing schools *| ajc.com (http://www.ajc.com/news/feds-give-georgia-19-1386642.html - broken link)

...what a great way to run a country....

You got that S#!T right!
More earmark/porkbelly dollars that our "representatives" feel we need- when it's quite obvious that they are not listening to their constituents (why do these people keep getting re-elected?).

Originally Posted by arjay57

No one can say that, northwinds. This could be just the thing to turn these 14 schools around.

Wishful thinking!

[brownhornet]

Originally Posted by gtcorndog

This.

Throwing money at the problem is not the answer. The problem with these schools lies with the family situation of the children.

Right on cue

[gtcorndog]

Originally Posted by brownhornet

Right on cue

So you think throwing more money at the problem is the solution and that the breakdown of the low-income family structure isn't a significant factor in these low achieving schools? What part do you contest?

[onemanarmy]

Originally Posted by gtcorndog

So you think throwing more money at the problem is the solution and that the breakdown of the low-income family structure isn't a significant factor in these low achieving schools? What part do you contest?

Let's hear your solution for a change, obviously we can all agree to a certain extent, money ALONE will not change some of these children's future. However, money is where the change starts, primarily with the poor.

How do you hold parents accountable? How do you hold students accountable? What about educators, you and I, or even society? Should we wash our hands with them, feed the children to the wolves, act is if poverty doesnt exist and it isn't cyclical? Your solutions will inevitably fail, so don't bother trying, many brighter people than you and I have tried and failed, but all we do is complain about what doesn't work.

Let us all play offense, because we have no solutions, we don't have to defend.

I say we, because I'm sometimes guilty of what I'm accusing you of, but I have learned when it comes to the poor and less fortunate, we have to keep trying, until we succeed, so any solutions?