Baltimore leads the nation. (low income, crime, how much)

[bawlmer]

Baltimore is no. 2 (second to Detroit) in high school drop-out rate. This is especialy interesting since the two bordering counties are near the top. Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County have graduation rates of 81.4 and 70.2 percent. Baltimore graduates 38.5 percent of high school students.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/educati...tes_x.htm#grad
Standby for a wave of excuses.

[nickluva]

Originally Posted by bawlmer

Baltimore is no. 2 (second to Detroit) in high school drop-out rate. This is especialy interesting since the two bordering counties are near the top. Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County have graduation rates of 81.4 and 70.2 percent. Baltimore graduates 38.5 percent of high school students.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/educati...tes_x.htm#grad
Standby for a wave of excuses.

You just compared a cash strapped minority-majority city with second rate and neglected schools nobody cares about versus two wealthy suburban majority white counties with well funded and nice schools. Did you think the graduation rates were gonna be high in the first place? It's a shame how the federal goverment can waste all this money on worthless wars and building more prisons but can't kick money to cash strapped inner cities with little or no middle class base simply because of the simple fact that there's a majority-minority population.

Cities like Baltimore need money thrown to it to improve schools and increase recreational oppurtunities to give the youth the same oppourtunities as their suburban counterparts. With better schools you get some of the middle class base back who actually want to live in the city but want to put their kids through good schools. You also balance out that gap between rich and poor. Since most rich people put their kids through private schools the majority of Baltimore City school system is compromised of kids from low income minority families whom the government(city,state, or federal) has never really cared for so the schools get neglected and money goes to other things.

You keep neglecting a class of people and prevent them from learning and keeping them poor. Add that to the fact that right outside of these schools the government does little to nothing to stop traffiking drugs into these communities these schools are located in because they see it as profit YOU GET CRIME AND VIOLENCE. Sorry to say this but once white flight happened to Baltimore the government got it's priorities messed up and stopped caring about the schools and the community and everything went to crap. The government doesn't care about minorities especially poor ones.

[emsgoof]

Yep, good excuse... still an excuse. Doesn't answer the question though. Problem starts at HOME with the PARENTS not caring, and passing that on to their children. It doesn't make a difference about how much money the government pours into the system. If the parents don't make their kids go, then the kids won't go.

[bawlmer]

Here's where that argument (excuse) falls apart: According to the National Center for Education Statistics the school districts mentioned in my post spend the following amounts per student, Anne Arundel: $10,567, Baltimore County: $10,682, Baltimore City: $10,707. So, money, even in a supposedly cash strapped city doesn't seem to make the difference, since the City is spending more per student than the other two districts. Must be something else. Have you heard any public officials stressing, as a major policy initiative, addressing the failure of kids in Baltimore to finish school? All you hear about is the homocide rate. As sad as it is, homocides effect only a couple of hundred residents each year. Not that that is not terrible, but there are 87,000+ kids in the Baltimore City Schools. Hmmmm here's a thought, instead of politicians grabbing headlines talking about homocides, maybe if the drop out rate was addressed, it would, over the long term, have an impact on the homocide rate. That would take long term, futuristic thinking. An awareness of outcomes and consequesnces. Not something Baltimore is known for.
Search for Public School Districts - District Detail for Baltimore City Public Schools

[barante]

In the 1970s I remember doing some work in Highlandtown. I found it fascinating that the dropout rate was incredibly high among white kids attending Patterson High School. And it was particularly devastating during the final year of high school. The kids were alienated and dropped out just months before graduation.
In those days, almost anyone could get a job at a broom factory in Canton and that's what they did.

[nickluva]

Originally Posted by emsgoof

Yep, good excuse... still an excuse. Doesn't answer the question though. Problem starts at HOME with the PARENTS not caring, and passing that on to their children. It doesn't make a difference about how much money the government pours into the system. If the parents don't make their kids go, then the kids won't go.

This isn't anything new. The middle class started to leave this city 50 years ago. It's been nothing but low income for quite some time now. These so called kids parents have also been neglected. The majority of them don't have jobs and have been hooked on drugs that the government allows to flow into these areas like water. Hardcore drugs messes up a person's priorties so these parents care more about getting high rather than sending their kids to school or caring how well they do in school. As a kid growing up in these poverty stricken areas. Walking down the street you see things like drug dealers on the corners making money, pimps, prostitues and stick up kids robbing people. Alot of these kids in the hood don't even have a father so they look up to these so called mentioned people as father figures. It's instilled in these kids heads that it's cool to make money fast so they rather listen to these so called people than goto some second rate underfunded schools with outdated everything. Now you see why the dropout rate is high?? You don't see this type of **** out in Anne Arundel county. Your gonna need way more than $10,000 per pupil to even start to try to fix this problem. These communities around the city just need to be paid attention to period. They've been neglected for so long as a whole. But that's another topic i'm sticking with the schools.

[TuborgP]

Originally Posted by nickluva

You just compared a cash strapped minority-majority city with second rate and neglected schools nobody cares about versus two wealthy suburban majority white counties with well funded and nice schools. Did you think the graduation rates were gonna be high in the first place? It's a shame how the federal goverment can waste all this money on worthless wars and building more prisons but can't kick money to cash strapped inner cities with little or no middle class base simply because of the simple fact that there's a majority-minority population.

Cities like Baltimore need money thrown to it to improve schools and increase recreational oppurtunities to give the youth the same oppourtunities as their suburban counterparts. With better schools you get some of the middle class base back who actually want to live in the city but want to put their kids through good schools. You also balance out that gap between rich and poor. Since most rich people put their kids through private schools the majority of Baltimore City school system is compromised of kids from low income minority families whom the government(city,state, or federal) has never really cared for so the schools get neglected and money goes to other things.

You keep neglecting a class of people and prevent them from learning and keeping them poor. Add that to the fact that right outside of these schools the government does little to nothing to stop traffiking drugs into these communities these schools are located in because they see it as profit YOU GET CRIME AND VIOLENCE. Sorry to say this but once white flight happened to Baltimore the government got it's priorities messed up and stopped caring about the schools and the community and everything went to crap. The government doesn't care about minorities especially poor ones.

http://www.eiaonline.com/districts/Maryland.pdf

And with Thornton Baltimore City has done even better since 2004. This per pupil expenditure differential is funded with tax dollars generated state wide. Baltimore has great challenges but money is not the only answer. With the economy tanking increased dollars are not going to be forthcoming. That is the problem with reliance on government and not self reliance. It didn't always use to be this way. MLK would cry if he walked down the boulevard named after him.