2008 TAKS scores, 30 districts, ranked by score and ranked by low income percentage (Dallas: how much, school district)

[unexpected]

One way to reduce this bias of TAKS scores and income:

When I get some free time, I want to plot the % of low income students versus TAKS scores.

Then, you should be able to come up with a good trend line of how a school should perform, given the % of low income students.

Schools that are above this trend line would be districts that would be doing a good job, schools that fall below this trend line would be districts not doing such a hot job.

This is crude and could definitely be improved upon, but I think it's an okay start.

[Lakewooder]

Originally Posted by tycobb2522

While agree with others that TAKS is not the final word, I definitely agree with you that it is amazing what some schools can do. What is even more amazing at what an embarrassment Dallas schools are.

Why do you say that? Haven't you seen the latest TAKS scores?

[needsomeinfo]

Originally Posted by PennyGWoods

I'll do that when you do the same for Highland Park.

not sure I understand your comment- I was just responding to a person wanting to know why scores by grade varied so widely, and I referred to the cheating problems they had, with some teachers changing answers to the right ones. it has nothing to do with high or low income.

[jpeagle21]

Originally Posted by compSciGuy

I went to different high schools, and will say that the teachers at the high ranking rich predominately white schools aren't any better than the districts and schools with the high percentage of low-income minorities. If anything there might be more good teachers that care at the low-income schools. However, that being said, ... it's the environment that's most important for most. The kids will see better and more difficult competition at the high income school. They will be in an environment where people go to good colleges and universities, where they have a much better shot at attaining more stable and secure lives. They may be making connections that will help them in life years into the future. It doesn't really matter if the teachers are great, if more than half the students are dropping out, where there's daycare for the high school teens who have babies, etc. I think after a little while that will get on most people.

CompSciGuy - It doesn't matter what the other kids do. Be a good parent to your kids and get involved with their lives and don't depend on the school to make them a good person. There are bad apples at any school....even Highland Park *gasp*! You might have more drop-outs at a low income school, while on the other hand, the kids in a wealthy district are throwing drinking/sex parties. Some kids at the low income schools might smoke pot, while some of the wealthy kids are high on extasy. I wouldn't want my kid involved in any of those. I went to a school where kids dropped out and you could find drugs if you wanted them, but my parents never even let that cross my mind. Not once was I ever asked "IF I was going to college", it was always "WHERE are you going to college?" BTW, there are teens who have babies at virtually all high schools. Sometimes you just don't hear about it....especially from a school that has a lot to lose from a smeared reputation.

Also, isn't there something to be said about going to a diverse school where you get to interact with people of all classes and races. I don't know if I would want my child in a school where everyone looked and acted the same.....like a little Stepford community. How is that preparing them for the real world?

Sorry, I had a little bit of a "soap-box" moment.

[Grainraiser]

You are spot on. You cannot send your kid to a great school and expect for him to be great because of the school. Parent involvement is everything and without it you could send him to Harvard and he would fell.

[Lakewooder]

I agree also. You need a little worldliness and street smarts and to make friends from different backgrounds, races and economic stations.

It's called, "the real world". And I don't mean MTV.

I highly value my public school days here in Dallas -- as you might know!

[loves2read]

cherry picking but this statement "it's the environment that's most important for most. The kids will see better and more difficult competition at the high income school..."
is not true in all instances---it is a generalization because you THINK there are not high performing students in borderline ISD--and believe me some of the districts with under 90 or 85% passing on TAKS have wonderfully bright students
check out the Paschal students who were Nat Merit Semifinalists--look at the IB grads at Bell and Trinity HS in HEB--so many of those students are as bright as any senior in Carroll or HP
my son taught in HP in the middle schools and he had big problem getting kids in 7th and 8th grade regular classes to care about school--they had no real desire to be in school--were trouble makers at times as bad as any jr high kids he had when he taught at a charter school...

the problem I had and other teachers at my school had was a real disconnect between what the admin and district say about policy/discipline and what actually happens--because most discipline is done by the vice principals--and either done by alpha or grade level--you are at the mercy of the AP that handles your referrals--
strong AP with consistent strong discipline--there is a learing curve and students learn eventually and stop screwing up
when you have an AP that is inconsistent, failed to have strong standards and administer just punishment--kids win--that is all there is to it...

If the state would just allow students to withdraw from school at 15-16 if they did not want to go -- so many discipline problems would leave--but the ISDs could not afford that...and frankly society could not afford to have them on the streets

but there are so many kids who do not want to be in school--school has failed them to certain extent and their parents and they have failed themselve
frankly they are the ones that are like a black hole drawing energy and time and money out of teachers, the ISD, other students and their parents to certain extent...

[PennyGWoods]

Originally Posted by jpeagle21

Sorry Penny, darling, but you are out of touch. You don't believe that Mesquite ISD is only 35% white? Have you been to Town East Mall lately? When they close down for the night it looks like the Mexico-US border crossing. I'm sorry to burst your bubble by pointing out that SOME lower-income districts can still do well on TAKS, but those are the facts. Deal with it.

You first. You're the one who apparently thinks that lower income kids doing well in school is some astonishing thing, and not something that has been a fact since day one. Your low expectations of the poor, the black and the brown are deliciously mockworthy. Next thing you know, you'll be getting the vapors at the fact that those brown-skinned Town East teens have jobs. Clutch the pearls!

Originally Posted by loves2read

and the reason so many WH students are going to Dallas ISD is that is the district the state paid to take them when WH was declared insolvent and lost accreditation

We're talking about before the death of WHISD (or I was, anyway).

my son taught in HP in the middle schools and he had big problem getting kids in 7th and 8th grade regular classes to care about school--they had no real desire to be in school--were trouble makers at times as bad as any jr high kids he had when he taught at a charter school...

Hee, well to counter that, my uncle did over 30 years at Roosevelt. Early in his career, he was passing out a test, and a student asked if they had to do the questions on the back. He said, "Do they do the questions on the back in Highland Park? Then you do the questions on the back." And any stupid question after that was always answered with, "Do they _________ in Highland Park?"

[loves2read]

Penny--thought you were referring to more current situation--sorry
my point about my son was you can't make generalizations or be too tied into stereotypes about education--he did not think he would have problems with motivation since those parents have HIGH expectations for the kids...

the problem with Dallas and Fort Worth and Arlington is that they are too big--when a district gets too many students/schools/administrators/parents/--too many whatevers--it is so easy for the day to day inefficient and non-productive, poor management and poor teaching to be glossed over or swept under the rug...
and that is one reason that HP and Carroll have stayed strong is that there is ONE high school and not that many others...not that much room to hide

[jpeagle21]

Originally Posted by PennyGWoods

You first. You're the one who apparently thinks that lower income kids doing well in school is some astonishing thing, and not something that has been a fact since day one. Your low expectations of the poor, the black and the brown are deliciously mockworthy. Next thing you know, you'll be getting the vapors at the fact that those brown-skinned Town East teens have jobs. Clutch the pearls!

It IS astonishing that they do well...it's awesome.....it's great....it's unbelieveable.

I lived a blessed life. I never had to worry about whether I was going to eat every night when I was a kid. I never had to have a job as a kid. I never had to take a standardized test in my secondary language.

I don't know if I could have done well on TAKS, even given my circumstances. Heck, I don't know if I could pass TAKS right now. I've seen a sample test, and it was tough. Some of these lower income kids have a lot to deal with at home and in life other than school, and still, many of them do well on TAKS. That was the whole point of my original post. It is amazing that a district with 50+ percent lower income can do well on TAKS. It is a compliment to these kids and these districts.