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Big changes would have to be across the board and they aren't going to happen. The administrations of various school districts will not make significant changes unless those changes are mandated by whomever controls the funding for the district. I think it's hopeless. I'm a realist, but saying changes in education are hopeless sounds so pessimistic. Unfortunately, that's reality. It's similar to my statement that unity between Caucasians and African Americans is hopeless. The chasm is too deep, too wide and has gone on too long to go away.
That is crazy. Maybe a homework club but longer school days for everybody?
I grew up in South America and my school days in my parochial school were 5 hours. 5 1/2 hours when you include lunch. When I moved to the US I was ahead of most of my classmates who had spend more hours in school. I was also not fluent in English so I had a major disadvantage. These were not a bunch of inner city kids, this was a suburban school in a wealthy area.
I don't think improving our education is as easy as "add more hours" It will provide more job security for teachers but it will drive students insane.
Here's a link to information on the school I'm talking about:
More hours make sense if the problem really is parents and home life. More hours at school means more hours with help available. If kids go home to parents who can't help with math or they don't have a computer, more hours can indeed make sense. I think you'd have to serve 3 meals a day to do this though.
Big changes would have to be across the board and they aren't going to happen. The administrations of various school districts will not make significant changes unless those changes are mandated by whomever controls the funding for the district. I think it's hopeless. I'm a realist, but saying changes in education are hopeless sounds so pessimistic. Unfortunately, that's reality. It's similar to my statement that unity between Caucasians and African Americans is hopeless. The chasm is too deep, too wide and has gone on too long to go away.
There are changes that can be made within a school that can have a big impact in education. I listed three:
Discipline enforcement
Holding students accountable
Administrators supporting teachers
I think working on these three could really improve education in any school.
There are changes that can be made within a school that can have a big impact in education. I listed three:
Discipline enforcement
Holding students accountable
Administrators supporting teachers
I think working on these three could really improve education in any school.
That will only work if you don't discriminate and have an equal number of all races getting punished.
That per the DOJ.
And that IS carried out at schools. I've seen it first hand. Toward the end of the year certain students get told to go to the library instead of ISS and there are no more suspensions after a certain date.
The AP told me his hands were tied and it is what it is.
In the example I gave of the charter using a model similar to this, the students served are former students of an inner city district so poorly performing that it was stripped of accreditation and had over half its school buildings shuttered.
I agree an after school model could help some students that don't have much support at home but to torture the rest of the students with longer school hours... I don't know.
It's something to think about. This new model seems to be working but I don't know if the ideal childhood is spending the whole day in school. I wish we could find better ways to allow those inner city kids to catch up but maybe longer hours is the only way once the damage is done.
NOOOOOOOOOOO. Discipline the kids who need discipline. Ridiculous.
I'm in schools with high numbers of "students of color" as well as them being in poverty.
Yes, a large number of "students of color" get in trouble more than White/Asian students.
But, as I posted, after a certain quota or date, these students are sent to the library to wait it out.
No ISS, no suspensions.
The DOJ "Dear Colleague" letter that went out to schools. It specifically states that students of color had higher discipline rates and the disparities in the numbers suggests racial discrimination.
I'm in schools with high numbers of "students of color" as well as them being in poverty.
Yes, a large number of "students of color" get in trouble more than White/Asian students.
But, as I posted, after a certain quota or date, these students are sent to the library to wait it out.
No ISS, no suspensions.
The DOJ "Dear Colleague" letter that went out to schools. It specifically states that students of color had higher discipline rates and the disparities in the numbers suggests racial discrimination.
1. State Standardized Tests
It's absolutely out of control and too overdone in the classroom. As a teacher, I don't need a standardized test to tell me how my students are doing. I work with them five days a week. I know who's struggling and who needs acceleration. I also think it's out of control that teacher 'worth' and 'pay' is reliant upon these tests. Politicians have their greedy hands in the pockets of these test makers, so unless teachers, parents, concerned members of the community rid these cockroaches from positions of power (in education), I don't see this obsession with testing ever ending.
2. Politicians
See above. The majority of people in charge of education at the state level have little to no experience teaching. They are more concerned about making themselves and their companies money than the minds and futures of our children. Party politics have absolutely ruined my state's current system of education.
3. Lack of Support and Respect
There are not enough support systems in place for teachers to do their job and teach each child without worrying how one parent may not like how things are run or how if I teach a certain way and don't get the test scores I want, will my administrators have my back? There are not enough administrators willing to stick up for teachers when test scores aren't perfect or a parent complains how things are being run in the classroom. It's like society has forgotten that teachers are professionals.
There are so many more things I could add to this list: behavior, salary, parenting, amount of time actually spent learning, etc.
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