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The part that struck me was how the article discussed that "throwing money" at underperforming schools doesn't work; yet, the reason Gorman is doing the principal program is so he can win money.
Next thing you know, he'll be threatening to close these schools that have supposedly improved so much in the hopes that taxpayers and concerned community members will throw more money at him.
A major percentage of resources is funneled to the lower performing schools while the higher performing schools make do with less and less each year. Yet another reason why we left CMS this year. UGH.
"The higher performing schools make do with less and less each year..." A major percentage? Schools in the poorer parts of the city ahve next to NOTHING! Have you been in them? The bare neccesities don't even last the school year. Then go to a look at the giant screen above the football scoreboard at Providence HS or the Smart Boards in every elementary room in South Charlotte? Those things were purchased by the PTAs of those schools. The schools in the middle and upper middle class areas of the city have SO much more than the poorer schools. The reasons for this are complicated and vary from school to school but at the end of the day, the lower income kids ALWAYS get less.
A major percentage of resources is funneled to the lower performing schools while the higher performing schools make do with less and less each year. Yet another reason why we left CMS this year. UGH.
I have the same feeling as well from what I have been hearing, can you provide more info to back that up? I am not sure the examples I heard, but they were enough to make me feel this way.
As more and more well-to-do parents leave CMS the 'more respected' schools will have much less. Those parents will not continue to donate to a system with such waste. Higher level classes will continue to have huge numbers of students as administrators know those students will do o.k. either way. One 'technology' high school in CMS had hundreds of thousands of dollars of new computers - just a few years later can you guess their condition? CMS will continue to throw money at poor performing schools and more and more will opt out of public school. Until the parents of every student are involved and each and every student is actually held accountable things will get worse. I am so thankful my son graduated last spring!
By the way - someone always gets less. Nobody ever said life was fair - better learn that while you are young.
Last edited by Charlotteborn; 10-12-2010 at 06:19 PM..
Reason: spelling
@ chuckles34 - I am aware of the positive influence of the PTA's ...imagine, parents who actually get involved...shocking, right? And please don't tell me that not everyone can afford to give - giving takes many forms, not just funds. FYI - the "Smart Board in every room in S. Charlotte schools" is a bit of an exagerration. But even if it wasn't, so what? Aren't parents SUPPOSED to do the best they can for their kids??
@ rdub1968 - I should have prefaced my comment by saying that this is just my own experience with CMS and conclusions I've drawn after seeing the budget, listening to teachers in both low performing and high performing schools.
@ Charlotteborn - Exactly. And CMS and the schools are playing the role of parents - even when the parents WANT to be involved, but especially when they do not. When CMS will not listen to the parents even on fairly minor things, what will happen to their voice on the major items?
As more and more well-to-do parents leave CMS the 'more respected' schools will have much less. Those parents will not continue to donate to a system with such waste. Higher level classes will continue to have huge numbers of students as administrators know those students will do o.k. either way. One 'technology' high school in CMS had hundreds of thousands of dollars of new computers - just a few years later can you guess their condition? CMS will continue to throw money at poor performing schools and more and more will opt out of public school. Until the parents of every student are involved and each and every student is actually held accountable things will get worse. I am so thankful my son graduated last spring!
By the way - someone always gets less. Nobody ever said life was fair - better learn that while you are young.
I have to say that my son goes to PSE (as did my older boys) and we have the best of the best because the parents assist and continue to assist in providing it to our school. They all have smart boards and now are intergrating smart tables into the classrooms. The parents raised the monies for these things. We care very much about the education of our children and are really thankful to be surrounded by a community with the same values. I post because our enrollment and donations continue to go UP. I know a lot of my neighbors opt for private middle and high, but when you can have an elementary school performing like PSE (and other CMS schools as well) most don't want to drop 20K on K-5.
We fundraise, the parents are involved, if a teacher needs and CMS won't provide it, the parents do.
I have to add that my middle son left PSE to go to a magnet that met his special interest. While it is a VERY different environment, so far I have to say he loves the specials and electives and I hope he thrives like he was thriving at PSE. It takes MUCH more involvement for us because he gets lost on the shuffle of the 'underperformers'. They know he will pass the EOG's, so why give him extra attention when he could really going above and beyond what they are teaching, when the minimum will get the numbers they need? That is frustrating. PSE has so many high performers (99% pass the EOG's) that no one gets lost, higher performers are catered to and being hard working is rewarded.
It is not all doom and gloom within CMS. We have a lot of good schools, a lot of good teachers, and a lot of potential. I just hate that underperforming schools bring our image so far down to outsiders. I have a very good friend who teaches at an inner city school and she said she has had contact with two parents ALL YEAR LONG! She said a lot of her kids have no food outside of school hours and have some stories to tell about what goes on in the home. These are problems that have no easy solutions...
Last edited by jordysmama; 10-13-2010 at 11:39 AM..
We fundraise, the parents are involved, if a teacher needs and CMS won't provide it, the parents do.
This is the primary reason it is successful. If the parents aren't interested in being involved, no amount of money will fix the problem. That is a good success story.
We are in Fort Mill schools, and the Principal told my wife there are hundreds of volunteers for that school alone. He came from another district where there were only 5 volunteers or so, and it was a very poor performing district. I think parent involvement is what makes the district a great one, and it seems to be proven in FM.
I don't have numbers for CMS, but things could be turned around if it started in the home. I wonder how many of those parents at the CMS meeting last night weren't involved until the threat of closing the school was upon them.
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