Burbank closing/Superintendents KLRN forum (Houston: neighborhoods, elementary school, living in)

[heimerswt]

Originally Posted by Dube665

If thats the case then lets just close down all the old schools and bus all the kids from the south, west and east sides of town to the 100 million dollar schools on the Northside.

Please do this. In return, the kids experience 281 & "northside" 1604 traffic. That'll REALLY help the dropout rate.

Dude (Dube), the facilities don't make the student. I went to a school with no windows in the classroom, cinder-block walls, and it was surrounded by barbed-wire. The building was in an industrial district, and only 2 blocks from a strip club. One morning there was police tape around the entrance because people decided to spray the building with bullets.

Dropout rate of 0%

[lemonfresh]

Originally Posted by heimerswt

Dude (Dube), the facilities don't make the student. I went to a school with no windows in the classroom, cinder-block walls, and it was surrounded by barbed-wire. The building was in an industrial district, and only 2 blocks from a strip club. One morning there was police tape around the entrance because people decided to spray the building with bullets.

DING DING DING!

Exactly.

[cr1039]

Originally Posted by cr1039

http://www.unitedwaysatx.org/PDF-Word-Excel/REPORT%20TO%20COMMUNITY%20DATA.pdf

Chart 2.2 on page 11 is quite interesting.

Okay, I am going to push this on to page 2. Reason being, accroding to the data, students in lower income areas do not perform as well on the SATs.

While poor test performance does not equal a drop out rate, it is pretty interesting.

[Dube665]

Ok lets me honest it could be a cultural thing. I have a friend who graduated with honors from Kennedy HS and because shes female her parents did not let her go to college. They made her get a job and help with the bills at home. The line "Im the first person in my family to go to college" is not a phrase you hear from kids that go to Reagan HS.

Most kids whose parents didnt go to college usually dont go themselves unless they are self motivated because their family isnt going to push them to go. If your parents went to college and your grandparents went to college then going to college is the norm. Kids from the poor sides of town dont live with that reality.

Everyone keeps saying its not about where you live or what school you go to but for those who made it out of the bad schools you are the exception. I also read that its the kids fault for dropping out but what is causing them to drop out, thats what needs to be looked at.

I have to go back to my original point which was simply you have a better chance if you go to a weathlier school and thats not fair.

[lemonfresh]

Originally Posted by Dube665

I have to go back to my original point which was simply you have a better chance if you go to a weathlier school and thats not fair.

Better chance at what?

The EDUCATION is the same at all public schools.

Every student, every kid has the right to that education, the ones that choose not to exercise that right are the ones to blame for their own lack of education not the school.

You're right, the motivation behind going to school and getting educated isn't as in effect in lower income areas than it is in higher income areas but the fact remains it has nothing to do with the schools and almost everything to do with home environment and socio-economics.

[Dube665]

Originally Posted by lemonfresh

Better chance at what?

The EDUCATION is the same at all public schools.

Every student, every kid has the right to that education, the ones that choose not to exercise that right are the ones to blame for their own lack of education not the school.

You're right, the motivation behind going to school and getting educated isn't as in effect in lower income areas than it is in higher income areas but the fact remains it has nothing to do with the schools and almost everything to do with home environment and socio-economics.

Ok, so how do we get that fixed?

[lemonfresh]

Originally Posted by Dube665

[/b]

Ok, so how do we get that fixed?

If there were a quick and easy fix it solution it'd be used across the nation.

There isn't.

It's a long process and one that like the war on drugs is pretty much a lost cause.

Kids drop out from rich schools as well so again, the solution isn't money.

[SA's biggest fan]

1. Throwing money at public education has never worked. Ever.

2. Raising standards at the schools does help. When my son went to Jefferson (living with his mom), I was shocked to hear they didn't have homework. Why? The administrator I talked to said "They're not gonna do it anyway...". The next year, my son went to Reagan, and his grades actually improved with a tougher curriculum. As long as we lower the standards so that "No child gets left behind", we're going to have problems.

[barricade]

ok my turn.....I am a teacher in the inner city, here is my viewpoint

problems with our students

1) Parents most of our kids have parents who either dont care or are worse off then they are. 90% of my students com from a broken home.


2) students = money, this has to be the single worse part of our education system, our school district does everything possible to get students to school and keep them here, meaning all the riff raff stays in school distracting students who want to learn, and causing a problem for teachers who can not get rid of the student.

3) Students have no discipline - and know that they can get away with murder if they wanted to. On a daily basis in my school students walk out, cuss out teachers, fight and whatever else they want to do for the simple fact that they know they can get away with it.

4) No child left behind part II - our kids are not suppossed to fail, no one should make below a 50 and if a teacher has a failure percent more then 10% you are called in. kids can do nothing all year and still end up passing.

5) Special Ed. - in my school alone there are over 350 Spec Ed students who also know they can do very little to know work and still pass.

How to solve this? I dont know, but I dont get paid enough thats for damn sure!

[petrockmedia]

Originally Posted by Dube665

Ok lets me honest it could be a cultural thing. I have a friend who graduated with honors from Kennedy HS and because shes female her parents did not let her go to college. They made her get a job and help with the bills at home. The line "Im the first person in my family to go to college" is not a phrase you hear from kids that go to Reagan HS.

Most kids whose parents didnt go to college usually dont go themselves unless they are self motivated because their family isnt going to push them to go. If your parents went to college and your grandparents went to college then going to college is the norm. Kids from the poor sides of town dont live with that reality.

Everyone keeps saying its not about where you live or what school you go to but for those who made it out of the bad schools you are the exception. I also read that its the kids fault for dropping out but what is causing them to drop out, thats what needs to be looked at.

I have to go back to my original point which was simply you have a better chance if you go to a weathlier school and thats not fair.

You nailed it right there when you said if their parents went to college, and their grandparents, its more expected of you to go. Heres a funny reality. If you look at stats, you know who is more likely to go to college and drop out? According to the stats at the college I work at, its the so called wealthier kids. Why? Pressure to go, pressure to get a GPA of 4.0. You need to want to go, not be forced. Kids make their own decisions based on their teachings and their surroundings. Its basic parenting, and knowing your child enough to know when you are being a parent, or what they like to call helicopter parents. You have a family who expects you just to pass high school and not to college, whats the difference if they are on the south, north, east, west. Parenting knows no bounds, and young minds do not magically alter once they reach a certain loop in this city (410 or 1604).
Once again, I take issue with this simply because I was raised a certain way, but also was taught a certain way. It comes down to self hope, and dreams to one day do something with your life. Not everyone will think of college, and not everyone takes advantage of opportunities that come their way. but that is no way the fault of the teachers, and especially the district. Education is a business wether we want to admit it or not. And the districts plan to close down the school, in order to save money and put it towards other uses for children's education, how does that mean north side schools are better? Sorry but frustrations brings out the novelist in me

peace