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It's not money and it's not the teachers and it's not the curriculum.
The problems are deeper than that. These kids are in school for what 8 hours a day. The other 16 is where they need help and I don't know the answer either. What goes on at home and how they are taught at home is how they grow up. They bring home/neighborhood into the classroom everyday.
And all the Dept of Education does is lower the bar so these kids can pass.
No Child Left Behind should grade and report the conduct of parents, not just the schools. Maybe we should go so far as to give individual parents a report card. There would be at least some shame involved if your community knew you were failing your child's education.
The obvious answer is more parental involvement. Better parents. Involved parents. Parents who make their kids, and their kids education a priority.
But I don't have a clue how to fix it.
As a society, we've bent over backwards the last 20-30 years so no one gets their feelings hurt & everything must be fair. Pregant, unwed mothers aren't shamed. Kids call adults by their first names - at the request of the grown ups. It's okay, even revered, to be a single mother. No more valedictorians - lest someone get their poor wittle feelings hurt.
It's a frickin' mess.
But when it comes to specifics in the black community, and why black kids score consistantly lower, ya got me. Are crappy parents more prevlant in the black community? I dunno.
I'd love to hear and particpate in open dialogue without having it turn into a racial firestorm. Do black parents PARENT differently? Is there a difference between the interaction that a white mother has with her toddler and a black mother and her toddler? Do all cultures read to their children equally? Why do Asian students typically score highest? Does one culture simply value education MORE than others?
Because even when everything else is seemingly equal - why is there such a difference in scores? Is it simply the expectation that black boys won't perform as well - a self fullfilling prophecy?
The first thing you need to do if you going to have an honest discussion about this issue is STOP THINKING ABOUT BLACK AMERICANS AS A MONOLITHIC GROUP. There are Black Americans that are C.E.O's and executives. You have Black Americans that are running their own multi-million dollar businesses. You have Black Americans that are doctors, lawyers, journalist, artist, accountants, judges, military officers, engineers and other professionals. You have Black Americans in the suburbs and you have Black Americans that live in the inner city. They each have different social and economic dynamics that they are dealing with.
And yes you've touched on something very important. If you were to look at more successful Black Americans in the business and professional arena there is a fundamental difference in how much they value education compared to a Black American that may have grown up in an inner city neighborhood to parents that did not value education, with relatives that did not value education and with friends that did not value education. If NOBODY that you are exposed to values education. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO VALUE EDUCATION?
Also there tends to be a tremendous amount of negativity when it comes to issues associated with Black Americans and not a lot of positive. The fastest growing income demographic among Black Americans are those between the income brackets of $40,000 to $74,999 and over $75,000 but most people don't even know this. Also the percentage of Black Americans below the poverty rate is 24.9%. There has been a significant reduction in the Black Poverty rate in the 50 years. Let's get away from this thinking that all Black Americans are poor. It simply isn't true.
Also strides have been made in education:
Percentages of Black Americans over the age of 25 with bachelors degrees or graduate degrees
Now what does this all mean? Between 1960 and 2000 the number of Black Americans over age 25 increased by a factor of 2.19 (in other words the population more than doubled). However the percentage of college graduates increase by a factor of 4.69. In other words The percentage of college graduates increased twice face as the population rate. This also does not include Black Americans that have associates degrees or attended some college. When those people are combine with those with bachelors and graduates degrees 40.5% have either attended or graduated from college. This is compares to 51.8% of the overall population that have either attended or graduated from college. The difference is the overall population has a higher percentage of college graduates (24.4% vs. 14.3%).
Demographers say much of the college enrollment gains reflect the nation's rapidly changing demographics, in which 43 percent of all students in K-12 are now minority. But the recession, too, is adding to the increases as more high school graduates -- primarily Hispanics -- enroll immediately in college rather than take their chances in the labor force.
Among the findings:
--Freshman enrollment of Hispanics in higher education jumped by 15 percent in 2008, compared to 8 percent for blacks, 6 percent for Asians and 3 percent for whites.
So granted we have a problem with a sector of young people that do not value education but let's not act like the sky is falling on the entire population of Black Americans.
There is ON AVERAGE about a 15 point difference in IQ between black people and white people, and that is largely due to genetics.
Of course, if you say that you'll be called a racist.
I have been a called a racist more than once on this board. However, I do not think that the intellectual potential is that different between the races. I have known some brilliant people of color, and every single day I meet hoards of white people who are dumber than a rock. There have been AfricanAmerican surgeons, engineers, even astronauts, IIRC. The truth of the matter is that ALL OF HUMANITY uses only 10 percent of their brain's potential. Therefore, there is more than sufficient grey matter to propel any human, including blacks, far beyond the stratosphere of our current intellectual levels.
The problem lies with culture, culture, culture. And while I admit that the culture of the AfricanAmerican, speaking in generalities, does not put the same value on traditional education, and perhaps they do not fare a well intellectually because of that, I can assure you that the white race is catching up. (or is it down?)
I have been a called a racist more than once on this board. However, I do not think that the intellectual potential is that different between the races. I have known some brilliant people of color, and every single day I meet hoards of white people who are dumber than a rock. There have been AfricanAmerican surgeons, engineers, even astronauts, IIRC. The truth of the matter is that ALL OF HUMANITY uses only 10 percent of their brain's potential. Therefore, there is more than sufficient grey matter to propel any human, including blacks, far beyond the stratosphere of our current intellectual levels.
The problem lies with culture, culture, culture. And while I admit that the culture of the AfricanAmerican, speaking in generalities, does not put the same value on traditional education, and perhaps they do not fare a well intellectually because of that, I can assure you that the white race is catching up. (or is it down?)
20yrsinBranson
I didn't just make that figure up. The difference is pretty well settled now. (Although there is a difference of opinion on what "IQ" means). The question of how much of the difference is inherited and how much is environmental is debated.
Google "race and IQ" and look at the post 2005 stuff from credible sources. There is, on average, one standard deviation between the group IQ's in the U.S.
I didn't just make that figure up. The difference is pretty well settled now. (Although there is a difference of opinion on what "IQ" means). The question of how much of the difference is inherited and how much is environmental is debated.
Google "race and IQ" and look at the post 2005 stuff from credible sources. There is, on average, one standard deviation between the group IQ's in the U.S.
There is an awful lot of controversy on the subject of Intelligence Quotient. Science has grown a lot since it was devised back in 1912 (source Wikipedia), and we understand a great deal more about how people learn and how information is assimilated and utilized by the brain. IQs are outdated and inaccurate. And it DOES NOT portend a person's ability to be smart or innovative or successful.
Both Einstein and Edison had low IQs and yet they revolutionized the world and Ted Bundy was a genius. You see?
There is an awful lot of controversy on the subject of Intelligence Quotient. Science has grown a lot since it was devised back in 1912 (source Wikipedia), and we understand a great deal more about how people learn and how information is assimilated and utilized by the brain. IQs are outdated and inaccurate. And it DOES NOT portend a person's ability to be smart or innovative or successful.
Both Einstein and Edison had low IQs and yet they revolutionized the world and Ted Bundy was a genius. You see?
20yrsinBranson
Actually, a lot of what you said is not true, especially toward the end.
IQ does correlate well with being smart, innovative, and successful.
Einstein's IQ was 160, I've found different reports on Edision, as high as 180.
It would be a nice world if there were no IQ difference between races, but thats not the case.
There are a lot of questions about the accuracy of IQ, and the tests can only be considered accurate within about 18 points. You can guess an IQ of 100 and be within the standard of error of the vast majority of the population.
However, it is entirely accurate that there is a difference in general in academic performance - certainly does not apply to all, but in general. There are a variety of factors that contribute to that.
There is ON AVERAGE about a 15 point difference in IQ between black people and white people, and that is largely due to genetics.
Of course, if you say that you'll be called a racist.
I read a study on that - that had to do with James Watson and head sizes. (I think ... it's fuzzy and I should get to googling.)
But basically, in general (and there are ALWAYS exceptions) but Asians were smarter than Whites who in turn scored better than African Americans, confirmed by MRIs & circumferance measurements ... and thus, the race with the biggest noggin was the smartest.
I need to find out where I read that at ...
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