Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Take a small conservative rural Texas town. One school. All the kids go there, all the kids.
One teacher for each subject per grade. Got the picture.
You still end up with the same statistics.....
-most of the kids on free/reduced lunch are minorities
-most of the kids failing the state tests are minorities
-most of the kids who think school is one big recess and suspension is a day off at Grandma's are minorities
It's not your segregated inner city schools. It's not your unions. It's not your bad teachers.
It's not lack of funding.
The problem is OUTSIDE of the school system and there is nothing the government can do about it.
You seem to think you plop a student in another school and *voila* that solves all your problems ?
I just gave you a real life example. The school does NOT make the student.
Of course not, but if we are going to provide public education, we should be doing it as effectively as possible. I think some kids are stuck in bad schools. I think creating competition between schools would provide incentive for improvement in teachers that is sorely lacking with our current system. Not a cure all. But it would help. Have you ever seen any of John Stossel's shows where he addresses this? Are you familiar with what they have done with LA schools after Katrina? The schools are also freed from some of the restrictions that our massive educational system operates under, which can be a good thing. Parents seem to like them.
“Here we are in the most prosperous nation, but millions of kids are getting a Third World education. And America’s minority children suffer the most,†Mr. Romney said in a speech to the Latino Coalition, a conservative Hispanic organization. “This is the civil rights issue of our era. And it’s the great challenge of our time.â€
"And he declared war on teachers unions, saying they “are the clearest example of a group that has lost its way.†He said Mr. Obama is too beholden to the unions to be able to reform the school system."
Take a small conservative rural Texas town. One school. All the kids go there, all the kids.
One teacher for each subject per grade. Got the picture.
You still end up with the same statistics.....
-most of the kids on free/reduced lunch are minorities
-most of the kids failing the state tests are minorities
-most of the kids who think school is one big recess and suspension is a day off at Grandma's are minorities
It's not your segregated inner city schools. It's not your unions. It's not your bad teachers.
It's not lack of funding.
The problem is OUTSIDE of the school system and there is nothing the government can do about it.
What does that have to do with anything? I'm failing to see the importance of that particular sentence. You begrudge a free lunch to kids?
You seem to think you plop a student in another school and *voila* that solves all your problems ?
I just gave you a real life example. The school does NOT make the student.
However, parental choice and thus their involvement does make a significant improvement. We had a thread on this a while back in regard to the Washington D.C. voucher program's student successes.
I agree but frankly the problems with the schools are a lack of discipline and the culture many of the students are coming from.
That's exactly what the problem is. Everyone is quick to blame the teachers and unions but in many cases it's the kids themselves and their parents. They show no respect for authority. And that is something that should be taught at home. It only takes 1 child to disrupt a class and then that whole class stops learning while the teacher deals with them.
I don't think some of you have a clue as to what teachers deal with these days. My daughter has kids that hit, bite, throw things and rips things off the wall. And these are kindergartners. She is not the only teacher who has this problem. It seems to be an epidemic of undisciplined kids. Teachers are there to teach but are they now expected to teach respect. Where is the parental role in all of this.
That's exactly what the problem is. Everyone is quick to blame the teachers and unions but in many cases it's the kids themselves and their parents. They show no respect for authority. And that is something that should be taught at home. It only takes 1 child to disrupt a class and then that whole class stops learning while the teacher deals with them.
I don't think some of you have a clue as to what teachers deal with these days. My daughter has kids that hit, bite, throw things and rips things off the wall. And these are kindergartners. She is not the only teacher who has this problem. It seems to be an epidemic of undisciplined kids. Teachers are there to teach but are they now expected to teach respect. Where is the parental role in all of this.
I think school choice can help a lot. Private schools have much more leeway than the public schools with regard to expectations for student behavior. They are free to discipline students if a parent chooses to send their child to that school. They can require better behavior if a parent chooses to send their child to that school. They can and often require school uniforms that generally promote a more respectful attitude, if a parent chooses to send their child to that school. They can kick out students who won't comply. This kind of enforcement isn't possible in the mandatory attendance public schools and everyone becomes complacent and bogged down with the beaurocracy of it all. John Stossel has done some really good shows on this and it is amazing what can be done with school choice. LA schools are flourishing under a school choice program with the private sector coming in. Parents are loving it. The teachers seem to like it too; although they forego the safety net of the unions, they seem to feel more freedom to do their job and find it more rewarding.
I think school choice can help a lot. Private schools have much more leeway than the public schools with regard to expectations for student behavior. They are free to discipline students if a parent chooses to send their child to that school. They can require better behavior if a parent chooses to send their child to that school. They can and often require school uniforms that generally promote a more respectful attitude, if a parent chooses to send their child to that school. They can kick out students who won't comply. This kind of enforcement isn't possible in the mandatory attendance public schools and everyone becomes complacent and bogged down with the beaurocracy of it all.
John Stossel has done some really good shows on this and it is amazing what can be done with school choice. LA schools are flourishing under a school choice program with the private sector coming in. Parents are loving it. The teachers seem to like it too; although they forego the safety net of the unions, they seem to feel more freedom to do their job and find it more rewarding.
You're describing a perfect world, a perfect school. So what becomes of these students that are kicked out. Where are they to go. And what is wrong with mandatory attendance. I think all schools have that. And how does that make them complacent? I'm all for school uniforms but not for the same reason. There are so many fights about clothing that I think an equal playing field would help that. But uniforms don't necessarily help with a kid's attitude. They are who they are.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
