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It would be quite an odd coincidence for most of the "bad" schools to be located in poorer urban areas, and most of the "good" schools to be located in wealthier suburban areas.
Years ago, I went to both of these at different times in the same year. They're about one mile apart. I'm sure people will still try and turn this into a racial, economic or elitist issue. It's not.
At one of these schools the kids run wild, the teachers turn their backs to trouble and by middle school age a kid of any race that's not "affiliated" stands a pretty good chance of getting beat up on a given day. Some learning may occasionally take place. That is the kind of school that most people don't want to send their kids to. A good school is the opposite of this place.
At the other school, some of the really naughty kids might smoke cigarettes or even marijuana. There are a few fights - per year. Most of the students can read. There is racial, ethnic and economic diversity. This is an example of what most people are referring to when they say "good school."
If this is class warfare, sign me up for the draft.
It's a behavioral issue, rooted in economics. The schools you've cited are incredibly different in the socioeconomic makeup of their respective student bodies. However, I'd bet that there are hundreds of kids at Gaenslen that come to school ready and eager to learn and are not causing behavioral issues. If schools like Gaenslen were given the tools by the government to more easily get rid of their biggest problem students, then as I mentioned earlier the environment would be much more productive for everyone else--students, teachers, and parents. Schools like Gaenslen oftentimes have their hands tied in dealing with their worst students.
Years ago, I went to both of these at different times in the same year. They're about one mile apart. I'm sure people will still try and turn this into a racial, economic or elitist issue. It's not.
At one of these schools the kids run wild, the teachers turn their backs to trouble and by middle school age a kid of any race that's not "affiliated" stands a pretty good chance of getting beat up on a given day. Some learning may occasionally take place. That is the kind of school that most people don't want to send their kids to. A good school is the opposite of this place.
At the other school, some of the really naughty kids might smoke cigarettes or even marijuana. There are a few fights - per year. Most of the students can read. There is racial, ethnic and economic diversity. This is an example of what most people are referring to when they say "good school."
If this is class warfare, sign me up for the draft.
How is it NOT a racial or economic issue? Gaenslen School is 88% minority and 92% free and reduced meals students, while Shorewood is 67% white and 18% FARMS and is located in one of the Milwaukee's best educated and wealthiest suburbs. I can almost guarantee that if you simply switched the students (ie the Shorewood students went to the Gaenslen building and were taught by the Gaenslen teachers and vice-versa) not much would change. Gaenslen would still be a 'bad' school, Shorewood would be good.
Again, there is very little teachers can do with students who come from broken homes and whose parents can barely take care of themselves, let alone their kids. Compare that with kids who come from homes where they are read to on a regular basis, travel, go to museums, etc. and yeah, you're going to have different outcomes. It's not the schools controlling these outcomes.
Last edited by strawflower; 10-31-2014 at 07:23 PM..
Again, there is very little teachers can do with students who come from broken homes and whose parents can barely take care of themselves, let alone their kids. Compare that with kids who come from homes where they are read to on a regular basis, travel, go to museums, etc. and yeah, you're going to have different outcomes. It's not the schools controlling these outcomes.
Precisely, which is why parents who have the choice don't want their kids attending school with these types of students. Which is why there is simply segregation, instead of expecting schools to even out the odds and manage to teach those marginalized students at the same level as the privileged ones. It simply isn't possible and is too difficult to accomplish, the schools can only do so much, and realistically they can't be held responsible for equalizing the playing field for students from drastically different backgrounds. So you get the segregation, and while you may call it 'classist', in a way it is very natural, simply a product of the way the rest of our society is currently structured. As long as there's disparity between income levels, education levels, socioeconomic levels, housing prices, you will have the disparity in schools, it's only expected.
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