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In any case, it would seem that closing the achievement gap would probably be easier if a school doesn't have to meet the same standards as other schools and can limit itself to one race, thereby eliminating a lot of tension.
A lot of people would cry racism at the thought of segregating schools again but I happen to think that this could be a good idea. I don't think it's a coincidence that black academic achievement began sliding downwards when forced school integration became law in the 50s.
And I'll go a step further and add that schools should also try separating the sexes in classes since boys and girls learn differently, and it would also take away a lot of unnecessary distractions.
Not all poor performing students are unruly in class and are cussing at teachers. A lot of the problem is a lack of study skills. I imagine if we compare the hours spent on studying and doing homework, well performing with poor performing kids would show massive differences
I read somewhere Black and Hispanic students watch about twice as much TV as White and Asian students.
When you starve inner-city schools of the money and give the money to the wealthy schools then what do you expect?
If this continues then African-Americans will have no choice but take to the streets.
The US has been throwing money at under-performing schools for generations and yet the achievement gap continues.
Quote:
Originally Posted by moionfire
Not all poor performing students are unruly in class and are cussing at teachers. A lot of the problem is a lack of study skills. I imagine if we compare the hours spent on studying and doing homework, well performing with poor performing kids would show massive differences
You are correct. It is an inconvenient truth but as I have stated before the problem lies within culture -
Professor Ogbu reveals in his research that middle-class black parents in general spent no more time on homework or tracking their children's schooling than poor white parents. And he said that while black students talked in detail about what efforts were needed to get an A and about their desire to achieve, too many nonetheless failed to put forth that effort.
'I would agree with Ogbu that there are youth cultural patterns and behaviors that are counterproductive for academic success,'' he went on, mentioning socializing in class and spending too much time watching television. ''But when they engage in those behaviors, they are not purposely avoiding academic success.''
Professor Ogbu passed away not too long ago. His research is spot on but not surprisingly the usual suspects instead attacked him instead of dealing with the conclusions of his research.
Quote:
Originally Posted by renault
The US has been throwing money at under-performing schools for generations and yet the achievement gap continues.
You are correct. It is an inconvenient truth but as I have stated before the problem lies within culture -
Professor Ogbu reveals in his research that middle-class black parents in general spent no more time on homework or tracking their children's schooling than poor white parents. And he said that while black students talked in detail about what efforts were needed to get an A and about their desire to achieve, too many nonetheless failed to put forth that effort.
'I would agree with Ogbu that there are youth cultural patterns and behaviors that are counterproductive for academic success,'' he went on, mentioning socializing in class and spending too much time watching television. ''But when they engage in those behaviors, they are not purposely avoiding academic success.''
Per the article, the highest funded school (which also has the highest poverty rate) receives $10,393 per pupil while the lowest receives $4,406. The highest funded school has about a 50% pass rate on end of grade tests. The lowest funded school has a 91% pass rate.
I'm glad they are attempting to close the gap, but clearly money is not the complete answer.
CMS spending: Bigger bucks go to poorer schools | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer Newspaper (http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/01/09/1962672/cms-spending-bigger-bucks-go-to.html - broken link)
That article gives a good overview of charter schools, but does not tell us who is running this particular school.
Quote:
Originally Posted by moionfire
Not all poor performing students are unruly in class and are cussing at teachers. A lot of the problem is a lack of study skills. I imagine if we compare the hours spent on studying and doing homework, well performing with poor performing kids would show massive differences
Quantity does not equal quality, especially with homework.
Quote:
Originally Posted by clb10
All we have to do is improve the infrastructure of inner city schools.
(New computers, new chemistry labs, assigned seating, new uniforms, assign an iPad for each student for EZ Internet research).
These things have been denied to them for far too long.
Yeah, that's all. You are incredibly naive if you believe that.
Personally as a parent of a Charter school student I believe it is because the teachers, administrators, and parents expect more of their students than the traditional public schools.
The teachers at my son's school are highly dedicated. Our day is longer. They only have 6 kids per class four days a week and on Friday they have 24 students per class, which is still lower than most classrooms in many urban schools. Our students start at the level they are currently at and work from there. They do not move on from any lesson unless they receive at least an 85% on unit tests. So if they get a 70% in math, they will have to re-do that chapter until they get an 85%. If they get an 80% in reading, they will re-do that unit until they get at least an 85%. One hundred percent of our kids passed our state's reading exam last year. Over 85% passed math and science. Our school is majority black, but we have about 3% white students. Our students also took the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Standards) because here in GA, proficiency in subjects and by grade level on the state test (CRCT) is not on par with other state's standards, over 80% of our students were on target according to the ITBS in math and over 90% in reading/language arts.
Also want to point out that a public Charter school is still public. They are usually not selective in a sense of that they only accept children from caring backgrounds or who are high achievers. The majority of our students at my son's school were below average last year. Half of his class was below grade level in reading and math (2 of them could barely read at all and they were in the 3rd grade). This year nearly all of them were either on target or above average due to the dedication of our teachers. Many of them lack involved parents. We do not have a large turn out at PTA but we do have a good dedicated group of around 30 families, which is more than what was in my son's neighborhood school that I pulled him from in 2nd grade and their student population was more than double the charter school. Even children from challenged backgrounds can achieve with the correct amount of dedication by teachers. Those parents who are lacking and do not do homework with their kids, we have a free after school homework lab where students are required to come if they continuously do not do their homework.
I also feel that in many traditional schools and even in some charter schools, people just do not expect much from black children, especially black boys. I saw evidence of this in another thread, people do not feel that black boys/men are capable of being high achievers and responsible men. If we expect them to be so and push them to excel, they will excel. My son is above average in all areas. He is in 4th grade and reads at an 8th grade level. He is very proficient in math and wants to be an aeronautical engineer, I am pushing him towards this. We should stop making excuses for this eduational gap and do what we can on all levels, especially as parents to ensure our children succeed academically. We also should require that all schools not just pass or promote children who have not mastered the necessary skills. This is what I see most in majority black schools, teacher who feel bad for the child or who felt that the child worked hard, they may have worked hard and put in a lot of effort but those children need to master a skill or they will be set up for failure due to this "generosity," especially by the middle school grades.
Also wanted to point out that at our school and probably at this school as well, we do have a pretty strict disciplinary procedure. We do not paddle/spank but there are certain levels of discipline and if a child continuously is disruptive they may be expelled from school. Too many public schools have to accept children who are way to disruptive for regular school and I do feel that we need to bring back the remedial schools that schools used to have years ago. I know when I was younger we had a specific school in our city where the "bad kids" went to, kids who didn't know how to act even with caring involvement from teachers and administrators. There is no reason why the bad seeds should be left amongst students with more potential. The remedial schools could at least attempt to teach a skill to those children and the children who want to learn will be left to excel.
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