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I have to say though, that this phenomena is a suburb thing. I grew up in a very well to do part of NYC. NO PARENT would ever say some of the rubbish that I hear from the upper middle class suburban folks. Modesty goes a long way in life, but I guess that is not the status quo.
You do realize that NYC is one of the most competitive places for parents getting children into *the best* schools.. There is currently competition to get into the right preschool so that your child will get into the *right* university.
Thanks cava and maf763. Its disturbing and curious. I can even hardly imagine that parents reading this that do fit the criteria, dare to answer this post.
I have to say though, that this phenomena is a suburb thing. I grew up in a very well to do part of NYC. NO PARENT would ever say some of the rubbish that I hear from the upper middle class suburban folks. Modesty goes a long way in life, but I guess that is not the status quo.
There seems to be absolutely no correlation between success in life and the schools or school district. Ultimately dont we all want kids to be a success at whatever it is they are going to apply to?
An individuals performance and support system seems far more relevant to that notion. Granted I can see this applying for 'out of the norm' kids that are really academically, athletically focused and need further stimulation, thus going to specialized schools for math wizards etc. But again , they are not the status quo.
I am glad I am not the only one that sees it.
Actually, since you don't have any kids, you don't see squat--no matter how many class warriors validate you. Since what you know about parenting and school districts can fit inside a smallish thimble, allow me to clear matters up for you.
School districts mean a great deal. Anybody who tells me that there's no correlation between school system and preparation for higher education is smoking crack. In my own metro area, all you have to do is look at the varying percentages for graduating classes needing remediation upon entering college, i.e., remedial classes in math, English, etc.
In some school systems in my metro, the remediation rate for graduating seniors entering college is north of 60%. In the school system where my children attend, it's around 3%. Care to tell me that there isn't a difference in the education a child receives in the two school system? I'll say that you're full of baloney.
And hell yes it's a class thing, but not for the reasons you think. Upper income classes in this country are largely that way for a reason, not that way by coincidence. They are that way because the parents have likely valued education in their own lives and entered careers where education is important. They likely are heavy readers and regard education as a lifelong process, rather than something to do for twelve years of one's life and then forget for the remaining sixty. That means they place a great deal of emphasis on education for their own children, and back up that commitment by attending parent-teacher night, dashing off e-mails to a teacher to learn why a kid's grades have begun to sag, and actively seek additional help when needed. Compare that to a blue-collar or working-class neighborhood where education ends at age 16 or 18, and it ought to be clear: It's not about differences in income level--it's about differences in culture and what each culture values.
Further, the classroom experience is markedly different. Whereas an inner-city school not only has to deal with a far less involved group of parents, it also has to devote far more of its time dealing with the social dysfunction of its student body's families. Ask any inner-city school teacher about the glorified social work that takes up so much of the day, time that simply can not be devoted to teaching the core curriculum.
What's more, parents in better school districts are not only more involved in their children's education, but they back it up with their wallets, voluntarily shouldering higher property tax rates to pay for better teachers, better facilities, and better programs.
So tell you what. When you actually start spawning kids, why don't you check in with us and tell us how your putting your theory to practice? Tell us how much you're enjoying your kids being enrolled in an inner city school district and what a fabulous education they're getting. Because until you've actually put your money where your mouth is, I'm not sure how you have the right to judge the motivations of others.
You do realize that NYC is one of the most competitive places for parents getting children into *the best* schools.. There is currently competition to get into the right preschool so that your child will get into the *right* university.
You werent supposed to be successful!!! City-data said the schools you went to would have predicted you being a complete failure in life lol
Great points!
Yup, lol.
I have lots of fellow grads who didn't do much after high school.
The same is said for a fellow friend who went to a higher performing high school. Great grades and all but some flunked out of community college or had to take remedial courses.
You do realize that NYC is one of the most competitive places for parents getting children into *the best* schools.. There is currently competition to get into the right preschool so that your child will get into the *right* university.
Yes I do realize that, I grew up in it. In the Upper West Side, back in the 80s and early 90s, this whole debacle NEVER existed. There was no coffee talk between parents and this subject. You went to whatever PS your neighborhood was located. Or you sent your kids to catholic or private school. But on the whole no way.
For the record, I never said I went to school in NYC.
I went school in middle class suburbia in NJ during the school year. My parents did not want to me going to school in the city.
There are going to be exceptions to every rule but the worst districts in our state have a 48% graduation rate, the best have 99-100%--which district is producing better students?? Yes, of those 48% some are going to go to Harvard, etc. but of the 52% that aren't going to graduate-many of them are going to end up in places like the state pen. THIS is why people care about education and being in a good district.
There are other factors too-like resale on your house. Buying a house in a bad school district will directly reflect on your homes appreciation and resale value. You will also experience higher rates of crime in areas where schools are poor. There is a direct correlation between lack of education, poverty level and crime.
Yes I do realize that, I grew up in it. In the Upper West Side, back in the 80s and early 90s, this whole debacle NEVER existed. There was no coffee talk between parents and this subject. You went to whatever PS your neighborhood was located. Or you sent your kids to catholic or private school. But on the whole no way.
For the record, I never said I went to school in NYC.
I went school in middle class suburbia in NJ during the school year. My parents did not want to me going to school in the city.
So which is it? You either grew up in New York or you grew up in a nice, cozy New Jersey suburb where you got a nice suburban education in a nice suburban school district. And now you're railing at it.
Actually, since you don't have any kids, you don't see squat--no matter how many class warriors validate you. Since what you know about parenting and school districts can fit inside a smallish thimble, allow me to clear matters up for you.
School districts mean a great deal. Anybody who tells me that there's no correlation between school system and preparation for higher education is smoking crack.
cpg,35223,
I never said anything about the correlation between school system and going on to college or higher education? Reading comprehension classes are in order.
I was making a point about success in life as an individual, not some Borg collective of data points to prove a point.
I DO think that there is validation in sending a child to a good school district. The premise of my post was about the parents obsession never ONCE mentioning the child or the childs well being. As far I know, I grew up happy, because I grew up being a kid, not some academic machine that was set up for college prep courses.
So which is it? You either grew up in New York or you grew up in a nice, cozy New Jersey suburb where you got a nice suburban education in a nice suburban school district. And now you're railing at it.
cpg35223,
Yikes! This is borderline bullying. No, I dont need to defend any part of my personal life, which you have clearly decided to characterize based on what little facts I have presented. There is clear distinction between an observation that I made regarding the "best school districts" obsession, how it coincided with my own life and then seeing if others feel the same.
Clearly there are some posters here that seem to agree on the whole with the premise that obsessing about a good school district as a parent will simply not yield success for a child when they grow up.
What I do see, is that if one were to expose a child to a high level of academia through life, the chances are that this positive aspect will be absorbed and translated into going to a very good university etc. However that was not my point which I made clear. My point was that for all the obsession for a parent to go through and then see children that had nowhere near the same experience, albeit poorer or what not, still have gone on to be someone.
Now if you are going to use statistics to make your point, then you would be correct. Most lower performing schools drop out of school etc. However again, when I speak about good parents being there for their kids, it seems almost irrelevant where the kid goes to school, unless the kid is whiz kid where special attention is required.
There are going to be exceptions to every rule but the worst districts in our state have a 48% graduation rate, the best have 99-100%--which district is producing better students?? Yes, of those 48% some are going to go to Harvard, etc. but of the 52% that aren't going to graduate-many of them are going to end up in places like the state pen. THIS is why people care about education and being in a good district.
There are other factors too-like resale on your house. Buying a house in a bad school district will directly reflect on your homes appreciation and resale value. You will also experience higher rates of crime in areas where schools are poor. There is a direct correlation between lack of education, poverty level and crime.
golfgal,
You make great points and yes the statistics show as always. But again this isnt my point. My point is that its far easier to look at poorer areas and say, "yes that is why they never graduate" poor in life poor in school. Total failures.
I am talking specifically about parents that give a darn about their kids in these poorer areas, which statistics will NEVER show. Guess what? Out of the 48% graduation rate, there are 48% that graduated. No one cares about talking about that.
If you are an involved parent, regardless of how much money you have at home, how in the world can a parent say that these statistics matter when they know full well, the other 51% probably have more to do with the kids not caring at all.
Why? The parents may not care, they come from a stressful environment etc. You can all pull all the stats you want for the negative aspects of it. Its just far too easy to just write down stats to state a case.
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