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As I've previously stated, I can't provide these #'s yet. I started this thread to obtain opinions or #'s that could help solidify my opinion. The articles you've referenced have been interesting. But nothing has swayed me from my initial opinion that this can be a very positive thing. It's one of the most innovative ideas I've heard and Arne Duncan (CPS leader) is strongly behind it. I am also waiting for a more detailed financial analysis to come out. I'm sure we'll start to see more #'s as the competitive bidding process moves along.
I would also like to see what happens with the students who graduate from these boarding schools. It's not enough to say that 72 percent go on to four-year colleges. Only 63 percent of full-time students in four-year colleges actually earn their undergrad degree within 6 years. Do graduates of these boarding schools match that (surprisingly low ) percentage?
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Are there specific points in this article to which you are referring? I've been studying educational issues recently because 1) my own young children are now in the system and 2) DH and I are business leaders who are trying to figure out how to best contribute toward improving public education (we are Chamber of Commerce members and own a Chicago co. that employees public school graduates).
School spending has increased 52 percent during the analysis period, more than twice the rate of inflation during that same period, but achievement levels have remained flat or dropped.
The same competency level required for success in first year college-level courses is now the same level of competency required for entry level jobs out of high school.
Employers find that far too few high school grads are able to meet the basic proficiency requirements for entry level jobs.
Business leaders would like to see our schools nurture more top talent.
Community colleges report that large percentages of students have to take remedial classes before they can even begin to take college credit courses.
Chicago suburban schools, on average, adequately prepare only 27 percent of high school grads for first year college-level courses.
School spending has increased 52 percent during the analysis period, more than twice the rate of inflation during that same period, but achievement levels have remained flat or dropped.
The same competency level required for success in first year college-level courses is now the same level of competency required for entry level jobs out of high school.
Employers find that far too few high school grads are able to meet the basic proficiency requirements for entry level jobs.
Business leaders would like to see our schools nurture more top talent.
Community colleges report that large percentages of students have to take remedial classes before they can even begin to take college credit courses.
Chicago suburban schools, on average, adequately prepare only 27 percent of high school grads for first year college-level courses.
I know about and agree w/ all of the above points. This is why it is hard to find employees w/technical aptitude for our business. This is why I moved my kids to, arguably, one of the better suburban gifted programs and I also continue to supplement math instruction. But my question is this: How do these issues relate to the building of inner city boarding schools? Wouldn't boarding schools solve some of these problems?
I know about and agree w/ all of the above points. This is why it is hard to find employees w/technical aptitude for our business. This is why I moved my kids to, arguably, one of the better suburban gifted programs and I also continue to supplement math instruction. But my question is this: How do these issues relate to the building of inner city boarding schools? Wouldn't boarding schools solve some of these problems?
The issue is cost and taxpayer funding in relation to the public education systems' efficacy.
Two school board members from different school districts quoted in the article readily admit that the focus in public school systems is on acquiring increasingly larger amounts of funding, and not at all on improving student outcomes.
I, too, think Oprah needs to step up to the plate on this. If she can build a boarding school in Africa, she can build and fund one (or 2, or more! ) right here under her nose. No more walking (riding in the limo ) past the problems right here in the city that made her. She needs to put her money where her 'Angel Network' mouth is - right here in Chicago!
The issue is cost and taxpayer funding in relation to the public education systems' efficacy.
Two school board members from different school districts quoted in the article readily admit that the focus in public school systems is on acquiring increasingly larger amounts of funding, and not at all on improving student outcomes.
That is also my ?. What is the long-term total cost impact of a public boarding school? Could these schools actually be less costly for taxpayers in the long-run? Can these schools be successfully financed w/ a combination of public, private, and corporate funding (similar to charter school funding)?
I moved out of the city of Chicago because of the horrific public schools - some of the worst in the nation. With high failure rates, gangs, shootings, etc., many inner city schools are in a state of emergency. I recently read a proposal for the creation of Chicago public boarding schools:
I'm starting to think a network of publicly-funded city boarding schools may be a good idea. It would have high upfront/construction costs but in the long run could improve the educational level of future generations, improve the job force/industry, reduce gang/crime costs, reduce welfare costs, etc.
Many inner city kids think school is the safest place to be and would be happy to stay there longer (even live there). Many struggling city parents (who may be single, homeless, unemployed, with multiple kids, etc.) would welcome the idea of their child attending a boarding school that can offer them better safety and education.
I was wondering what other cities have tried this and what was the outcome? Do you support paying for city boarding schools? Why or why not?
It sounds very Orwellian to me.
I don't understand why we can't go back to the concept of putting your kids up for adoption if you can't afford to raise them.
When I was in kindergarten, only 5 years old, I could tell who were the bad kids, the troublemakers, from the good kids. My instinct for that was present at an early age. Whatever damage had been done to these kids, was done by their parents and home environment BEFORE they got to elementary school. The damage had already been done. The effects of this damage would show in a boarding school as well because as Muhammad Ali once said, "the problem is not in the place, it's in the PEOPLE. The people make the slums." You will find that in time, these boarding schools would become nightmares because the problem is not the place.
LexusNexus, I think this may be true of a small number of people, that they are born ornery, or damaged by severe treatment before the age of five. But most people have both good and bad tendencies and parents who are doing their best with what they have, even if they have very little and have made bad choices in their lives. I do not think it is at all clear by the age of five or even fifteen whether or not a person will grow up to be a productive citizen, because the capacity of an individual to make rational judgements, which happens in the frontal lobe of our brains, is not fully formed until about the age of 25. Our society and culture play a large part in helping people along their paths toward expected behavioral outcomes. As a society I believe we owe it to the youth to give them the best shot at education no matter who their parents are or how well or poorly they were treated before the age of five. We should do it for them because it is the right thing to do and serves the dignity of humanity in general, but also because the foundation of democracy and civilization itself rests in a city, state or country having an educated population. It is in the best interest of every American to ensure that our school systems are addressing the needs of all youth, including those from poor communities because the net benefit has been shown to reduce crime, increase productivity and increase the tax base, which further supports the development of people and communities. This kind of a positive feedback loop enhances the collective abundance of a community with less tax burden placed on individuals.
I want to share an experience with you to demonstrate how pliant the judgement is of a 15 year old boy. My boyfriend and I are both in our mid 40s and in community economic development. Two days ago on the way to a meeting we were robbed at gun point in a parking lot by a 15 year old boy. When the boy asked me to give him what was in my purse I told him he was welcome to have my phone, my cash and my cards, but I asked him not to take my computer because I do community economic development and all of my work is in the computer. He handed my computer back to me and told me he wanted me to keep it because of the kind of work that I do. He apologized profusely for holding us up and explained that he had children at home he needed to feed, which I ascertained were probably his siblings. When he asked for our pin numbers my boyfriend suggested that since it was cash he really needed, we might go to the cash machine and take the money out for him. That way he could have the cash, which is not traceable, and we would not have to replace our cards and ID. He agreed to this and we all went to the cash machine together at the liquor-lotto store on the next block. My boyfriend took out the maximum daily allowance and gave it to him. As he was giving us back our cards and IDs he apologized again for robbing us and reiterated that he needed to provide for his family. He told us that what he really needs is a job, that he would be willing to work off the money that he took from us if we would hire him. He then gave me his first name and phone number and asked us not to call the police.
We have not yet called the police. For now we have called a local pastor we know who is creating programs in the same neighborhood regarding on-the-job-training and after school activities. We plan to get this young man into one of these neighborhood programs, but I fear that it will not be enough. There were other, older boys present at the liquor-lotto store that day who could not hear our conversation, but who seemed to be amused with the situation and might have put the boy up to it. At one point one of them, in passing by the three of us, call the boy a "puppy." So I wonder if a neighborhood program will be enough of an influence for this young man with these older kids around on a daily basis. However, I don't think sending him to the penal system would serve as justice for this boy, and certainly not for
This experience has led me to this discussion about the boarding schools of Chicago. I have heard good things about at least one of the Chicago city boarding schools having a 100% graduation rate and high placement rates for college. I am looking into the topic as an alternative schooling arrangement for kids like our young hold-up-man whose character is still clearly forming and who is open to the influences of the older kids and adults around him. I would be interested in arranging the development of such a school in Detroit if there is a model out there showing significant positive results. For now it may be just a dream, but I would very much like to get this particular boy out of the neighborhood and into a good school.
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) percentage?
) right here under her nose. No more walking (riding in the limo 
) past the problems right here in the city that made her. She needs to put her money where her 'Angel Network' mouth is - right here in Chicago!
