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I agree with a lot of the responses here. Quite frankly, I think kids from violent households that normally would make CPS take the kids away, should be put into government funded boarding schools instead. Disinterested, and/or abusive parents will keep them down for generations. If you can remove them from their parent's/parents' extreme neglect, I think the poverty and inner city violence program can be solved. These kids need a positive environment from an early age, and most are not getting that. I think doing this is far better than the alternative; parental policy modeled after China's
I guess SNAP benefits can then be used for Cheetos and soda, just the way Big Food lobbies intended.
Contributing to the obesity epidemic, which disproportionately affects the poor. Perhaps WIC and food stamp benefits should be reduced for those receiving free meals at schools so parents can't buy all that crap food.
...at some point, pumping more money into public schools is not going to solve issues created in part at home.
The United States already spends more money per student than any other country except one. Obviously money is not the problem. Dysfunctional parents and a union dominated teaching system just as obviously are the problem.
Which is why many edu-formers want government funded/sponsored univeral pre-k. To take the kids out of their crappy parents hands, and teach them what's what.
To pump more money into union coffers so they can give it to Democrats is the actual driver behind this.
Kindergarten is not enough. Head Start didn't work. We need "real" reform. Got to get those kids away from the parents. White kids hear a million more words by the time they're 5 over what black kids hear. Take 'em from the parents at the earliest time possible and put them in government run schools.
That'll fix it.
No all black kids are not read to. I am a black mother and read to my kids. My mom was a poor teenaged, single black mom and she read to me too.
But in general, I do believe that too many black people do not take early interactions seriously with their babies - preschool aged and I do feel that there should be high quality pre-k services for all kids starting at least at 3 years old.
I have shared with others before and I'm sure on this forum, that due to the high poverty levels and extreme work hours and stress faced by black people in my grandmother's generation, that many parents of black children, even middle income black parents, raise their children with what I call "poverty parenting." They don't see the importance of early interaction with their kids academically and I will admit that in many ways, I don't do a lot of the things highlighted in the actual report. I don't do crafts with my kids for instance. I also don't play with them. I think kids should play with other kids - not adults and I hate crafts, but I did read to my kids nearly every day (at least 6 times per week on average) from birth with my daughter and from aged 2 with my son (he would not sit and listen to a book until then but I did read to him as a baby until he was around 9 months and started throwing books or tearing up paper ones lol). We also do activities together like the zoo and museums and various classes at all sorts of placed and I made them write in a journal starting in toddler hood, mostly they just drew pictures and wrote letters and told me about what they were drawing. My daughter is 6 now so I don't read to her anymore. She is on a 3rd grade reading level so I make her read at least a chapter of a book every day. Luckily she likes to read for pleasure so she reads more than what I tell her to read. My son is 13 and I also make him read and write summaries of what he reads everyday. My daughter still does her journal and she can write really well now. They also are required to do math 5 times a week Mon-Fri, even now while school is out. Son does khanacademy and the 6 year old does addition and subtraction worksheets.
But I know way too many black parents who dont' really provide any academic stimulation. Also, many who don't make a lot of money, work crazy shifts and they are just too tired to interact with their kids after work and I feel this is the major contributor to these ills for black parents. I am lucky that I have always worked a regular shift Mon-Fri. Most of the black parents I know don't and they work very physically demanding jobs for the most part. I do know quite a few professional black parents, but most that I interact with in my own family work in manufacturing, either in production or a supervisor/management roll and they just work all the time and are exhausted. My older brother told me he fells like his whole body is sore when he gets off of work and he works most weeks about 60 hours per week.
In summation, I do think that more active parenting needs to be heavily pushed in black neighborhoods. Just reading to kids from baby to 3 is a start and would be an improvement IMO.
No all black kids are not read to. I am a black mother and read to my kids. My mom was a poor teenaged, single black mom and she read to me too.
But in general, I do believe that too many black people do not take early interactions seriously with their babies - preschool aged and I do feel that there should be high quality pre-k services for all kids starting at least at 3 years old.
I have shared with others before and I'm sure on this forum, that due to the high poverty levels and extreme work hours and stress faced by black people in my grandmother's generation, that many parents of black children, even middle income black parents, raise their children with what I call "poverty parenting." They don't see the importance of early interaction with their kids academically and I will admit that in many ways, I don't do a lot of the things highlighted in the actual report. I don't do crafts with my kids for instance. I also don't play with them. I think kids should play with other kids - not adults and I hate crafts, but I did read to my kids nearly every day (at least 6 times per week on average) from birth with my daughter and from aged 2 with my son (he would not sit and listen to a book until then but I did read to him as a baby until he was around 9 months and started throwing books or tearing up paper ones lol). We also do activities together like the zoo and museums and various classes at all sorts of placed and I made them write in a journal starting in toddler hood, mostly they just drew pictures and wrote letters and told me about what they were drawing. My daughter is 6 now so I don't read to her anymore. She is on a 3rd grade reading level so I make her read at least a chapter of a book every day. Luckily she likes to read for pleasure so she reads more than what I tell her to read. My son is 13 and I also make him read and write summaries of what he reads everyday. My daughter still does her journal and she can write really well now. They also are required to do math 5 times a week Mon-Fri, even now while school is out. Son does khanacademy and the 6 year old does addition and subtraction worksheets.
But I know way too many black parents who dont' really provide any academic stimulation. Also, many who don't make a lot of money, work crazy shifts and they are just too tired to interact with their kids after work and I feel this is the major contributor to these ills for black parents. I am lucky that I have always worked a regular shift Mon-Fri. Most of the black parents I know don't and they work very physically demanding jobs for the most part. I do know quite a few professional black parents, but most that I interact with in my own family work in manufacturing, either in production or a supervisor/management roll and they just work all the time and are exhausted. My older brother told me he fells like his whole body is sore when he gets off of work and he works most weeks about 60 hours per week.
In summation, I do think that more active parenting needs to be heavily pushed in black neighborhoods. Just reading to kids from baby to 3 is a start and would be an improvement IMO.
To pump more money into union coffers so they can give it to Democrats is the actual driver behind this.
Actually this idea is a reputable one and is common practice in countries that have large refugee populations like the UK and France in particular.
The kids, by being removed from the bland, non-stimulating home environment and placed into a high quality education center at 2.5 to 3 years old, end up much better in the long run than similar poor American children.
Even though the OP spoke of primarily black parents, the source of the article mentioned that poverty in and of itself is a contributor to academic negligence. Poor people just don't place a priority on these sorts of social interactions with their babies and toddlers. Putting those kids in a high quality, age appropriate learning center environment is a way to give a boost to poor kids.
And FWIW, I have a friend who is a teacher in England. She is American but married a UK citizen. Their kids started primary school, basically pre-k when they were 2.5 years old for free. It is a part of their public education system in their area. Many countries do this, including Finland, which is highly touted for their academic achievement over even the Chinese. France is well known for having one of the best preschool systems in the West. The preschool teachers in most cases have to have a PhD. Early education is vitally important. Investing more in our children is a good thing IMO.
I will also be honest and state that even though my mom did read to me and I was an advanced student from kindergarten up, I truly feel that the reason why I was well prepared for school, as was my hard working brother, was because our mom stayed home with us for the first 4 years of my life (my brother 5, he is a year older than me). Having a stable, active parent at home is important IMO. it doesn't matter IMO if the parents are married, mine were not, but having a loving, minimally engaged parent is important to kids. Even though my mom was 16 when my brother was born and 17 when she had me. She read to us every day. We had 3 square meals every day and we went to bed every day by 9pm. Reading, eating good meals, and getting adequate sleep are the primary factors IMO for kids performing well at school and research does back up that assessment. Crafts IMO, not so much lol.
parenting practices that impede children’s intellectual and behavioral development
single parenthood
parents’ irregular work schedules
inadequate access to primary and preventive health care
exposure to and absorption of lead in the blood.
Number 1, 3 and 5 especially are ones that I feel contribute specifically to black student performance. Also, what I mentioned above in regards to "poverty parenting." But I will make a clarification, that I grew up in a low income area of a city with a lot of poor whites and hispanics as well and they also had many of the characteristics shown within the report for #1 in regard to parenting practices. Poverty parenting is not only a black thing, but due to us blacks having a recent history where over 50% of us lived in poverty, I do feel that this phenomenon is more prevalent amongst black people.
Lead is also an important factor. I had lead poisoning as a child. Luckily my grandmother had me and my mom and brother come and stay with her in a new house that didn't have lead based paint after I had levels detected that indicated I might be harmed by lead. In my hometown, we have very older housing stock and lead is still an issue here and I am certain that due to poor people and especially black people living primarily in older housing stock with lead based pain, that that is a factor in decreased academic achievement. Our city has passed a lot of regulations recently about lead based paint and now that I have moved back and into an old house with lead based paint with my children, it is a huge concern of mine. Many poor, black people don't know the effect that lead poisoning can have on their children's academic progress.
Quote:
Originally Posted by InformedConsent
Yep. CPS schools are open all summer to feed kids free breakfast and lunch.
Practically all larger public school systems do a similar program in the summer. Where I live, the school system does it too and they feed everyone who comes.
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I thought diversity was a good thing? Why cant we accept that some people excell and some dont? Somebody must sweep the floor, take out the trash etc.
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