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All these cliques will not matter once someone has reached their 30s and 40s and spent several years in the adult working world. The only thing that matters is graduation, preparing for your chosen vocation , making something of yourself and make a decent contribution to society no matter what race you are.
I think integration will happen very quickly because the elementary students are assigned seating at lunch.
Problem solved...
It sounds to me like a few people trained in these types of things have already thought things through. After all, this has happened in millions of districts for 50 years, so in all likelyhood "Handling Integration SE387" is a class PhD's in eduction take.
If so, why don't they hire black professional educators?
I suspect it's because they have a difficult enough time getting rid of teachers due to unions and tenure and the added fear of discrimination lawsuits.
I think Obama's plans to mandate teacher employment as performance based will open up the doors for more minorities in suburban school districts.
I thought I explained that rather clearly in my previous post. Please re-read it.
1.5% in 2007. I estimate it's at 7% now. That's how I came to my 5.5% increase over two years.
That's not the case in the suburbs of Pittsburgh that are experiencing this right now. Perhaps you're not familiar with the Pittsburgh area. Penn Hills is the suburban school district that has a larger percentage of minorities. It's real estate values declined, or didn't increase as they should have. That's an example I brought up to figure out how to avoid that happening in these other districts. Another area with a higher minority rate is Monreoville, but that's not a school district I'm discussing.
The school districts I'm focusing on for this discussion are all of the school districts in the greater northern suburbs. I'm using one for the specific percentage increase as an example. The other districts are experiencing increases at various rates higher and lower. The northern suburban districts are not areas that traditionally had a high percentage of minorities. So I guess what's happening here can't really be compared to what has happened where you live based on your example.
I think you are missing my point. Usually, there is some factor that contributes to a quick jump in demographics like that. For instance, in the Buffalo area, there is a district next to the highly Black East side of the city there by the name of Cleveland Hill in the Northwestern part of the town of Cheektowaga. It is a district that had a quick jump in Black students that was larger than the one you are mentioning. I believe part of that was due to the closest city HS was closed down and many people for that city neighborhood moved to the adjacent suburban district. Here's some information about the change in the demographics: Cleveland Hill High School, Cheektowaga New York / NY school information and ethnic makeup
Also, are there any apartments or homes in these school districts where there is a higher concentration of these newer students? Do they tend to come from a similar part of the city? Why are the Northern suburbs of the area "different" than the other suburban areas in the Pittsburgh areas in regard to tension?
I think you are missing my point. Usually, there is some factor that contributes to a quick jump in demographics like that. For instance, in the Buffalo area, there is a district next to the highly Black East side of the city there by the name of Cleveland Hill in the Northwestern part of the town of Cheektowaga. It is a district that had a quick jump in Black students that was larger than the one you are mentioning. I believe part of that was due to the closest city HS was closed down and many people for that city neighborhood moved to the adjacent suburban district. Here's some information about the change in the demographics: Cleveland Hill High School, Cheektowaga New York / NY school information and ethnic makeup
Usually doesn't apply to the changes currently happening in Pittsburgh metro area.
It has been occurring slowly for decades. Now it's flourishing so to speak.
IMO it's happening because the time and environment is right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ckhthankgod
Also, are there any apartments or homes in these school districts where there is a higher concentration of these newer students?
Not really. Pittsburgh's suburbs are rather unique because new developments often didn't replace old houses. Newer housing developments were built on empty farmland not far from the city. As demand became higher, random new houses were built on individual lots. Houses are intermingled together and old farm house will be right next to a new 400k house. Low income, middle class, and upper middle class housing is patchworked together. It's not uncommon for occassional shack type houses to be scattered throughout everything. There's even the random upper class house in neighborhoods that aren't upper class. Quite frankly, that's what I like about the Pittsburgh metro area. It's nice that people of all income levels live together in a majority of the suburban regions. Some suburban school districts have a larger representation of wealth than others but most have a blend of all economic levels.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ckhthankgod
Do they tend to come from a similar part of the city?
That's always been the norm. Most inner city students come from similar parts of the city. Pittsburgh proper isn't very big.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ckhthankgod
Why are the Northern suburbs of the area "different" than the other suburban areas in the Pittsburgh areas in regard to tension?
You're reading too much into my posts. There is no tension. This discussion was about how to avoid potential tension.
I never said the Northern suburbs are different from other suburbs of Pittsburgh.
I'm only discussing what is happening in the Northern suburbs because that's the area of the county I know best.
I think Obama's plans to mandate teacher employment as performance based will open up the doors for more minorities in suburban school districts.
Teaching is a weird profession and this is not a good thing. For example, just because you graduate at the top of your class doesn't mean that you get a job. It also doesn't matter where you went to school. In other fields grades and the quality of your undergraduate education make a difference. I don't think this matters too much in education. Even the most qualified teachers coming out of school have to sub for years to break into a district. You would think that the top districts would hire teachers from top schools but they hire them from Slippery Rock etc. I don't care if that is a "top" education program. With the amount of money that we pay teachers and the low cost of living we should be able to recruit nationally. The Rock just doesn't compare to the better schools.
Frankly, why would a intelligent black student with great grades want to get into teaching when companies are fighting each other to employ that student. Companies are light years ahead of school districts in promoting diversity.
Teaching is a weird profession and this is not a good thing. For example, just because you graduate at the top of your class doesn't mean that you get a job. It also doesn't matter where you went to school. In other fields grades and the quality of your undergraduate education make a difference. I don't think this matters too much in education. Even the most qualified teachers coming out of school have to sub for years to break into a district. You would think that the top districts would hire teachers from top schools but they hire them from Slippery Rock etc. I don't care if that is a "top" education program. With the amount of money that we pay teachers and the low cost of living we should be able to recruit nationally. The Rock just doesn't compare to the better schools.
The reason this happens is because, for better or worse, schools are locally controlled. In Pennsylvania, we have 501 school districts, some with as little as 300 students in the entire district. Hiring decisions are made by locally elected school boards, who are not required to have any training in running schools, or running anything, for that matter. These local school boards tend to look toward hiring teachers with ties to the school district in some way; again, for better or worse, believing that such teachers will have a more vested interest in the school, its history, its legacy, etc...
"Outsiders" with top educations are not what most school board directors are looking for. They're more likely looking for someone who can "fit in" and continue the local traditions. It's what makes it difficult for an out-of-state graduate to break into the teaching profession in this area. There are large numbers of local newly minted teachers graduating each year from our teachers' colleges. Add in the fact that PA teachers have strong unions and are consequently paid well in comparison to a lot of states, the attractiveness of our low cost of living, and you can see where we are.
All of this is not making a value judgment on the situation - one can argue both sides as to whether this is good or bad.
Pittsburghers in this forum know the Pittsburgh area school districts.
I already posted that I wouldn't identify specific districts and why I wouldn't.
I already posted that this is happening in all suruban areas at various stages.
I simply chose the Northern districts because I can talk more intimately about them.
For people to have an idea of what school districts you are referring to. I did notice that the first ring Northern suburban schools actually have pretty high to relatively high percentages of Black students.
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