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My kids go to magnet schools, one of which is quite far away in a section of Raleigh I would hesitate to go to at night. I have to believe having high achieving students in the same school as low income kids is a very good thing. I could not imagine the one school my child attends in that section of Raleigh having 90% low income kids. Perhaps their test scores aren't greatly improved or maybe they still don't go to college, but on the other hand, maybe they will not join a gang, or maybe they choose a life with different values from being around high achieving kids. I would think this would be even more true of low income kids bussed where the majority of kids are high achieving. The more you are around any group of people, would you not start acting that way too?
Also, the magnet schools my kids attend are far away and I am not an involved parent. Having my kids attend a school closer to home would probably not change my involvement (just because of other obligations). The whole argument that low income parents are not involved because the school is far away is probably not true. From my experience, once the kids get to middle and high school, the amount of parental involvement goes way down for all parents. I put my kids on a bus and it really doesn't matter if they are going 2 miles or 15 miles. I don't go to the school and any communication I have with teachers is through phone calls or email. How is a low income parent any different from me if their child is bussed 15 miles to a high achieving school?
My kids go to magnet schools, one of which is quite far away in a section of Raleigh I would hesitate to go to at night. I have to believe having high achieving students in the same school as low income kids is a very good thing. I could not imagine the one school my child attends in that section of Raleigh having 90% low income kids. Perhaps their test scores aren't greatly improved or maybe they still don't go to college, but on the other hand, maybe they will not join a gang, or maybe they choose a life with different values from being around high achieving kids. I would think this would be even more true of low income kids bussed where the majority of kids are high achieving. The more you are around any group of people, would you not start acting that way too?
Also, the magnet schools my kids attend are far away and I am not an involved parent. Having my kids attend a school closer to home would probably not change my involvement (just because of other obligations). The whole argument that low income parents are not involved because the school is far away is probably not true. From my experience, once the kids get to middle and high school, the amount of parental involvement goes way down for all parents. I put my kids on a bus and it really doesn't matter if they are going 2 miles or 15 miles. I don't go to the school and any communication I have with teachers is through phone calls or email. How is a low income parent any different from me if their child is bussed 15 miles to a high achieving school?
This begs the question of whether our taxes are used to educate our children or perform a social experiment that has been tried ad nauseum with the same result?
That is not a benefit. (He said with a straight face.)
It is a setting. There may be benefits accrued with proper administration.
Truly, academic achievement and social growth are the desired benefits.
Securing a place at the table of prosperity is a benefit.
Gaining the tools required to compete in the world is a benefit.
Stretching the bounds of awareness is a benefit.
The benefits of economic diversity may be reasonably found in development of empathetic understanding that all of us do not have the same advantages and the opportunity to mingle with people who have higher expectations and goals in life.
Does bussing accomplish those benefits, or to paraphrase John Edwards, does bussing fail to moderate the existence of "Two Wake County School Districts?"
Do kids who travel many miles from home have the same support at home for their schools as kids who attend school close to home?
Unless graduation rates, academic achievement, college attendance are raised across the board, measurable positive accomplishment of the mission of learning is questionable.
avoiding high poverty concentrations in schools is a huge benefit IMO
This begs the question of whether our taxes are used to educate our children or perform a social experiment that has been tried ad nauseum with the same result?
you're isolating one result. there are other results of avoiding high-poverty concentrations.
the same people that support the former board will be the first to stand up and shout "see, our inner city public schools are failing! every kid fails!" then, the next thign they'll advocate is vouchers so that governmentmoney can be paid to churches and private schools
I don't know how anyone can criticize the likes of inner city schools in say DC and then advocate for duplicating them here, and the same people do exactly that
you're isolating one result. there are other results of avoiding high-poverty concentrations.
the same people that support the former board will be the first to stand up and shout "see, our inner city public schools are failing! every kid fails!" then, the next thign they'll advocate is vouchers so that governmentmoney can be paid to churches and private schools
I don't know how anyone can criticize the likes of inner city schools in say DC and then advocate for duplicating them here, and the same people do exactly that
For the most part, it is not government money, it is tax payer money.
As far as the plight of inner city schools, it sounds like you would rather mask the problem than find a solution.
I can't comment on vouchers, but I know that it won't solve the poor state of inner city schools.
BECAUSE IT IS!!! That's why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It just seems like someone should be able to articulate or document a tangible benefit, possibly related to educational achievement although that area has already been discounted as to merit or value.
Last edited by MikeJaquish; 01-10-2012 at 02:30 PM..
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