[BicoastalAnn]

There are a lot of different immigrant experiences, so it's hard to lump them all into 1. Overall it's probably harder for kids in the same way it's hard for any child to move cities and switch schools... beyond that, it's really about the parents' cultural background (how much they value education) and ability to be hands-on parents. I was a 1st generation immigrant, had to learn English and the whole bit while in school, and still did well - ended up majoring in English at a top 20 uni actually.

I would guess Sigequinox is on the money with his assessment... Bridgeport might be more diverse but it doesn't seem like an immigrant hotspot.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by BicoastalAnn

There are a lot of different immigrant experiences, so it's hard to lump them all into 1. Overall it's probably harder for kids in the same way it's hard for any child to move cities and switch schools... beyond that, it's really about the parents' cultural background (how much they value education) and ability to be hands-on parents. I was a 1st generation immigrant, had to learn English and the whole bit while in school, and still did well - ended up majoring in English at a top 20 uni actually.

I would guess Sigequinox is on the money with his assessment... Bridgeport might be more diverse but it doesn't seem like an immigrant hotspot.

Actually I know someone who taught in one of Bridgeport's high schools and the majority of their students were children of immigrants. They came from a variety of countries including Asia, the Caribbean, South and Central America, Europe and Africa. There are a lot more than you would think. Jay

[BicoastalAnn]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Actually I know someone who taught in one of Bridgeport's high schools and the majority of their students were children of immigrants. They came from a variety of countries including Asia, the Caribbean, South and Central America, Europe and Africa. There are a lot more than you would think. Jay

Wow, literally the majority? That is pretty surprising.

One of my friends is a teacher at an elementary school in the Bronx and he had some interesting observations there... One thing he said was the immigrant African kids would actually look down on the American-born black kids for being unruly and stuff. He said they were usually the most well-behaved and studious kids, because of their background. Their parents tended to take school very seriously because they saw it as a privilege.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by BicoastalAnn

Wow, literally the majority? That is pretty surprising.

One of my friends is a teacher at an elementary school in the Bronx and he had some interesting observations there... One thing he said was the immigrant African kids would actually look down on the American-born black kids for being unruly and stuff. He said they were usually the most well-behaved and studious kids, because of their background. Their parents tended to take school very seriously because they saw it as a privilege.

They actually said they were the majority of the students that "regularly" attend school. The problem kids don't bother to show up. Jay

[RogerAnthony]

I teach in Waterbury. I would say that 75% of my students have a language other than English as the language spoken at home.

[Beeker2211]

In Bridgeport, a ton of the families that speak English at home generally don't send their kids to Bassick, Harding, or Central. Mostly Kolbe or Prep.

[hucareshokiesrul]

Originally Posted by AMSS

That is ridiculous and rude. There will always be parents who don't do their job even though they may have motivated kids. All schools should be good neighborhood schools, but regional schools are a good way to take away local control, eliminate communities, and let more kids slip through the cracks. "Competitive" admissions lead to fraud and wil make for education for the elite only. The best thing to do is reach at risk kids and families even before that child enters school. Our suburban schools do a great job and city kids whose parents prioritize education do well. So it's not so much the schools as it is the citizens that need help.

What is the benefit of local control? From my experience, the main reason communities want local control is so that they can make sure their kids go to good schools while not having to worry about other communities' bad schools. Rich towns want local control so that they don't have to send their kids to the same schools as the poor towns.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by hucareshokiesrul

What is the benefit of local control? From my experience, the main reason communities want local control is so that they can make sure their kids go to good schools while not having to worry about other communities' bad schools. Rich towns want local control so that they don't have to send their kids to the same schools as the poor towns.

I don't believe that is entirely true. It is about accountability. Larger school systems tend to have less accountability for the quality of education being offered. There is a wider range of results in larger districts and it is harder to correct when there is an issue. There also is a certain amount of pride associated with each town having their own school district that you do not see in larger regional school districts. I think this is the real problem with American education. Jay

[hucareshokiesrul]

But larger districts are somewhat more protected against corruption because you have more people watching what's going on, and you're less susceptible to the whims of school board members who are far from being experts in education. My experience has been that smaller school districts are not as professionally run as larger ones and tend to hold top people less accountable because those people are popular in the community (a good ol' boy system) and it's difficult for interests opposing them to gain traction.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by hucareshokiesrul

But larger districts are somewhat more protected against corruption because you have more people watching what's going on, and you're less susceptible to the whims of school board members who are far from being experts in education. My experience has been that smaller school districts are not as professionally run as larger ones and tend to hold top people less accountable because those people are popular in the community (a good ol' boy system) and it's difficult for interests opposing them to gain traction.

I have to disagree with you. Most of the school districts in Connecticut are run by professionals. Even the smaller ones. The School Boards are made up of everyday local residents but that is the same in any school district. They are not professionals and do not claim to be. And they rely on the professional to guide them. Again I think that smaller to mid-sized school districts are better than larger regional ones by far. I think if you ask any educator they will agree. Jay