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Old 01-30-2008, 09:50 PM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
1,654 posts, read 7,334,049 times
Reputation: 949

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bravo35223 View Post
I am glad to hear that Norwood is on the way up and glad that people like yourself are committed to it. It has some grand old homes...I hope for your continued success - honestly.

In my line of work, (software business) - I work with Police Departments, therefore I have a higher average crime awareness than the average citizen.

I am a suburbanite who would LOVE to see the renaissance of the City of Birmingham and downtown. I lived on the Southside as a young collge graduate and loved it. So don't get me wrong, I am not completely prejudiced against the City. We need for our city center to be vibrant, growing and strong.

Unfortunately, this is not the case and we see it in the newspapers frequently. The city school system continues to shrink, the mayor has damaged the city greatly in terms of his lack of leadership and the city council is extremely ineffective.

This is why the population of the city of Birmingham continues to shrink....the classic flight to the suburbs.

The suburbs in the meantime can be extraordinary - among the finest in the U.S. Each is autonomous with total control over its police, fire, schools and zoning. If someone is moving into the Birmingham area and they have children in school - I will not back down from strongly recommending that they do NOT live in the City of Birmingham.

ByeByeMI - asked, "What are good areas for families?"

Well from a family standpoint, where the quality of education is of high importance - I recommend the suburbs. Their schools are so clearly superior I don't even need to start with the statistics.

I hope Chris Cooper wins the mayoral race. He is a Yale University educated attorney who is a partner in one of Birmingham's most respected law firms. If he is elected, I predict the city will turn around. He will LEAD....

We DO have some good trends in the City limits. The condo boom is good. If both the Lear Tower and City Federal fill up, then we'll add over 1000 residents then and there....and I hope so much that this occurs.....
Well, wouldn't an influx of people moving back into the city help? If everyone flees to MB or Vestavia then change is never going to come.
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Old 01-31-2008, 11:53 AM
 
247 posts, read 1,106,678 times
Reputation: 124
Default Mobile Doesn't Have Terrible Public Schools

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bravo35223 View Post
Mobile has terrible public schools. I have known at least 30 people who grew up there and each had to pay $9000 a year to educate their children in private schools.


Mobile is a major seaport and its economy is not as diversified as Birmingham's.
While I agree with the poster that Birmingham would probably be the best place with your fields, Mobile doesn't have terrible public schools.

Yes, there are some bad ones, true. They are from low income areas and this is really hard to turn around the scores there. I mean, these kids might be living in a home with a crack addict for a parent. It would affect your ability to learn.

People send their children to private in Mobile because it's a social thing.

It's complex, It's such a strong pull to do that that I myself have moved my remaining children as well to one of the big three private schools. Because you start to feel left out when all of your friends and neighbors are going to a certain school. Everyone literally acts like,"Poor you, going to public school." Cotillion and other activities are planned around the big three private. Your kids will be left out unless you are in those schools.

Also, it's a hassle to get in the good public schools; you've got to arrange a transfer or apply to a lottery system for a magnet school. The good ones are usually in suburbia and I don't want to live there. I'm personally tired of dealing with it. I'd rather pay all that money for a good reputation of a private school. I have been pretty happy at our private school. They really cater to you, which I definitely wasn't getting from public!

I did a lot of research, checking scores,etc. and people don't realize that certain Mobile public schools have higher math/reading scores than the most expensive private schools.
It's not like private schools publish their scores as public schools must.
THat's why I initially chose public. Most of my friends have never checked or compared test scores because it's not an academic thing for them.

It's purely a social decision for them. They want their children to go to school with others from the same socioeconomic background as them. But people don't feel comfortable admitting this, so it's "the public schools were terrible!"

My oldest is about to graduate from Murphy High, an inner city public school that has won many awards for providing a first class academic environment. My child made in the high 30's on the ACT and has many full scholarships that we are sifting through now, trying to decide where to go. Although Murphy is inner city (50%/50%), their International Baccalaureate program attracts upper middle class students. I'm glad my child had the opportunity to be around kids from different socioeconomic groups.
Since I have my children in two different types of school, I know that those Murphy International Baccalaureate kids could intellectually take on any of the private schools. Routinely, Scholars' Bowl is won by one of the various public schools such as Baker, Murphy or Davidson.

So obviously, this isn't a "terrible" education. I wish the people of Mobile would be honest about it, instead of making those who might choose public feel bad about their decision. Although mine are now in private for social reasons(and I admit it!!), I applaud anyone who is in public. We have had a lot of good teachers, about 4 had Ph.D's!
You are getting a great education!
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Old 01-31-2008, 05:00 PM
 
Location: The city by the bay(Mobile,AL)
90 posts, read 401,061 times
Reputation: 38
Downtowndoll I`m so happy that yo commented on that . The schools that are in low income neighborhoods hav imroven greatly. Huntsville city schools wanted Harold Dodge to run there program and Huntsville has one of the best programs in the state and does not need any help, but why they wanted harold doge. Because he and a group of others fliped the states largest school sytem. I rember reading about 37 Birmingham city schools were being closed that is a lot, but I know that things are looking up for B-ham city schools because of the new leadership. There were public school officials from South Carolina who heard about the changes in Mobile County`s school sytem. They took a trip to Mobile and visited a number of schools and brought back all of the info they needed for there school sytem. They could have chosen any other school sytem in the state such as Hoover,Huntsville,Baldwin County.Shelby County, Madison city schools etc. The officials from South Carolina chosed Mobile !!! Mobile county public shool sytem covers the whole county it would be rediculis if every school in the county scored low wouldn`t it ? The schools that the officials from South Carolina visited were in low income areas they could have chosen any school in the county, but to have a child that lives in a low income enviroment who is not as privillaged to increase there scores shows a lot . Thats what caught there Attention and other schools sytems around other parts of the nation who looks at Mobile as a success.

All of my facts comes from Al.com
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