Detroit parents want teachers, officials jailed over low test scores

[random3434]

I think every parent should home school, that would solve everything, don't you think?

It would make the parents responsible for their child's education, no tax dollars would be spent on education, and we could use that money to fund more weapons and studies on global warming!

Its' a win-win.


Unless anyone else has some better ideas?

I already told you my idea.

And I still think it's a good one.

I agree 100% Mani. You should post it again for those that don't know what you're talking about. It really is genius and I honestly think it would work for a lot of these kids that others just want to "throw away."

 

[Missourian]

There are only two variables in this equation...the teachers and the students.

It's not like chemestry or computer sciences where money is required for equipment and hardware.

All you need to teach math is a piece of chalk and an eraser.

So either the students are so unruly that the educational process falters...

Or the teachers are not teaching.

Class size may be an contributing factor, but not the actual cause, considering two thirds of the class are failing.

 

[chanel]

There are three parts Missourian. Parenis must get their kids to school and see that homeworki is complete. They must communicate with the teacher and inspire the child to be successful. A piece of chalk is no substitute for praising a good report card. The single biggest factor contributing to the success of private schools is parental involvement. And many of the teachers aren't even certified.


But Detroit's problems are an example of the type of corruption that goes on in many of these large urban districts:

But DPS's problems go beyond the type that sank GM and Chrysler. Wide-scale corruption has depleted district coffers, which held a $103.6 million surplus as recently as 2002. In June, Mr. Bobb's new team of forensic accountants found DPS paychecks going to 257 "ghost" employees who have yet to be accounted for. A separate Federal Bureau of Investigation probe in May led to the indictment of a former payroll manager and another former employee on charges of bilking the district out of about $400,000 over four years.

Detroit Schools on the Brink - WSJ.com


Stealing from children? These people should go to jail.

 

[random3434]

There are three parts Missourian. Parenis must get their kids to school and see that homeworki is complete. They must communicate with the teacher and inspire the child to be successful. A piece of chalk is no substitute for praising a good report card. The single biggest factor contributing to the success of private schools is parental involvement. And many of the teachers aren't even certified.


But Detroit's problems are an example of the type of corruption that goes on in many of these large urban districts:

But DPS's problems go beyond the type that sank GM and Chrysler. Wide-scale corruption has depleted district coffers, which held a $103.6 million surplus as recently as 2002. In June, Mr. Bobb's new team of forensic accountants found DPS paychecks going to 257 "ghost" employees who have yet to be accounted for. A separate Federal Bureau of Investigation probe in May led to the indictment of a former payroll manager and another former employee on charges of bilking the district out of about $400,000 over four years.

Detroit Schools on the Brink - WSJ.com


Stealing from children? These people should go to jail.

That is insane. That makes me so angry. Again, what are your ideas? Chalk and a blackboard just won't cut it anymore I'm afraid.

There are other urban districts that are making some drastic changes to their schools with success. When I get home I'll provide some links, I'm at a Toyota Dealership right now waiting on my car.

 

[xotoxi]

I believe that if a near majority fail a test, there is a good chance that the test is the problem...

That's possible...unless that same test is passed by the majority in another school.

 

[mal]

I think every parent should home school, that would solve everything, don't you think?

It would make the parents responsible for their child's education, no tax dollars would be spent on education, and we could use that money to fund more weapons and studies on global warming!

Its' a win-win.


Unless anyone else has some better ideas?

I already told you my idea.

And I still think it's a good one.

I agree 100% Mani. You should post it again for those that don't know what you're talking about. It really is genius and I honestly think it would work for a lot of these kids that others just want to "throw away."

Who's Advocating "throwing away" these Kids?...



peace...

 

[Charles Stucker]

I think every parent should home school, that would solve everything, don't you think?

No good, I've met too many Spaniards.
Sorry, channeling the Princess Bride.
I have met too many "home schooled" students to have any illusions about the efficacy of most parents in that regard.
Homeschoollers who think Auschwitz is a German word for when you hit your thumb with a hammer (Ow, sh*#&!), or that the Magna Carta is a PI's automobile (Oh Magna)

Home Schooling will only be an answer if we want to have a perpetually disenfranchised segment of the population which breeds the educated folks into oblivion. A mass of ignorant buffoons can ruin a democracy; though with education at its current level we have just such occurring.
The solution is to force parents to take accountability for their children, return to traditional teaching methods, and fail students who do not measure up.

 

[Modbert]

That is insane. That makes me so angry. Again, what are your ideas? Chalk and a blackboard just won't cut it anymore I'm afraid.

There are other urban districts that are making some drastic changes to their schools with success. When I get home I'll provide some links, I'm at a Toyota Dealership right now waiting on my car.

Sure won't. Doesn't help either when you got thirty kids to a classroom and expect the teacher to work individually with each student.

If that's not asking for magic, I'm not sure what is.

 

[Missourian]

There are three parts Missourian. Parenis must get their kids to school and see that homeworki is complete. They must communicate with the teacher and inspire the child to be successful. A piece of chalk is no substitute for praising a good report card. The single biggest factor contributing to the success of private schools is parental involvement. And many of the teachers aren't even certified.


But Detroit's problems are an example of the type of corruption that goes on in many of these large urban districts:

But DPS's problems go beyond the type that sank GM and Chrysler. Wide-scale corruption has depleted district coffers, which held a $103.6 million surplus as recently as 2002. In June, Mr. Bobb's new team of forensic accountants found DPS paychecks going to 257 "ghost" employees who have yet to be accounted for. A separate Federal Bureau of Investigation probe in May led to the indictment of a former payroll manager and another former employee on charges of bilking the district out of about $400,000 over four years.

Detroit Schools on the Brink - WSJ.com


Stealing from children? These people should go to jail.

That is insane. That makes me so angry. Again, what are your ideas? Chalk and a blackboard just won't cut it anymore I'm afraid.

There are other urban districts that are making some drastic changes to their schools with success. When I get home I'll provide some links, I'm at a Toyota Dealership right now waiting on my car.

Dang Blackberry...although I have solved the link problem...compose your post in notepad while searching and copying links in the browser, then copy the whole thing into USMB.

 

[Modbert]

Detroit Parents wanting teachers jailed is ridiculous by the way. Think of the precedent that would set.

 

[xsited1]

I think every parent should home school, that would solve everything, don't you think?

It would make the parents responsible for their child's education, no tax dollars would be spent on education, and we could use that money to fund more weapons and studies on global warming!

Its' a win-win.


Unless anyone else has some better ideas?

That actually would solve a lot of problems. In Arkansas, the Public School system offers resources for home schoolers. (Here's some info: Arkansas Department of Education | About ADE). When I first inquired about it years ago, their position was that home schooling was inadequate. Of course, once it became public knowledge that they were wrong, they decided to jump on the bandwagon.

 

[PoliticalChic]

I think every parent should home school, that would solve everything, don't you think?

No good, I've met too many Spaniards.
Sorry, channeling the Princess Bride.
I have met too many "home schooled" students to have any illusions about the efficacy of most parents in that regard.
Homeschoollers who think Auschwitz is a German word for when you hit your thumb with a hammer (Ow, sh*#&!), or that the Magna Carta is a PI's automobile (Oh Magna)

Home Schooling will only be an answer if we want to have a perpetually disenfranchised segment of the population which breeds the educated folks into oblivion. A mass of ignorant buffoons can ruin a democracy; though with education at its current level we have just such occurring.
The solution is to force parents to take accountability for their children, return to traditional teaching methods, and fail students who do not measure up.

Standardized test results for 16,000 home educated children, grades K-12, were analyzed in 1994 by researcher Dr. Brian Ray. He found the nationwide grand mean in reading for homeschoolers was at the 79th percentile; for language and math, the 73rd percentile. This ranking means home-educated students performed better than approximately 77% of the sample population on whom the test was normed. Nearly 80% of homeschooled children achieved individual scores above the national average and 54.7% of the 16,000 homeschoolers achieved individual scores in the top quarter of the population, more than double the number of conventional school students who score in the top quarter.

A Harvard University (MA) admissions officer said most of their home-educated students "have done very well. They usually are very motivated in what they do." Results of the SAT and SAT II, an essay, an interview, and a letter of recommendation are the main requirements for home-educated applicants. "[Transcripts are] irrelevant because a transcript is basically a comparison to other students in the school."
HSLDA | Homeschooled Students Excel in College

Recent statistics from The College Board and the American College Testing Program (ACT) indicate that home schoolers are exceeding the national average test scores on both the SAT and the ACT college entrance exams. In 1999, the 2219 students who identified themselves as home schooled students on the SAT test, scored an average of 1083 (verbal 548, math 535), 67 points above the national average of 1016. A perfect SAT score is 1600. Also in 1999, 3616 home school students taking the ACT scored an average of 22.7, compared to the national average of 21, a perfect score being 36.
College-bound Home Schoolers Make Headlines (HSLDA | National Center News)


"Everything I did was only possible because my parents were dedicated and loving enough to homeschool my sister and me. My mother, a former Montessori teacher and author of several children’s books, took the time to instruct us every day. Aside from textbook lessons, she had us perform many exercises designed to stimulate our creativity."
HowStuffWorks "Homeschooling and College"


The data kind of makes you look like an "ignorant buffoon," doesn't it?

 

[chanel]

i suspect that some of these neighborhoods and certainly the high schools are pretty dangerous. We can't expect that the best and brightest teachers would be willing to take that risk when they can get another job in a suburban district. I wouldnt do it.

 

[PoliticalChic]

i suspect that some of these neighborhoods and certainly the high schools are pretty dangerous. We can't expect that the best and brightest teachers would be willing to take that risk when they can get another job in a suburban district. I wouldnt do it.

And who could blame you.

The real question, it seems to me, is how any school board, government or any authority can allow those prepetuating the 'dangers' to remain in proximity???

Why aren't laws and the criminal codes applied to schools?

What kind of statement is this attitude making about folks who live in these neighborhoods, that they are all criminals, and are not capable of being schooled?

 

[random3434]

Here is an interesting read for those that care:

Improving Urban Schools: Leadership and Collaboration - Mel Ainscow,Mel West - McGraw-Hill Education

 

[Charles Stucker]

The data kind of makes you look like an "ignorant buffoon," doesn't it?

Not really.
Home schooling is, despite having very small class sizes and obviously involved parents, not really doing much better than the travesties of public schools.
At least according to the source you used.

How do home schooled children compare to public schooled children with parents who actively take part int heir child's education?
I'm confident that if we looked nationwide at students with concerned parents we would similarly find better performance. Not just better than the average public school student, but better than the average home schooled student.

 

[random3434]

If the parent is educated they are most likely going to be successful in homeschooling their children. There are so many programs out there for home schooled children now, it's not like it was years ago.

What worries me are the uniformed/ignorant/uneducated parents who pull their children out of school because the teacher is treating little Betty Sue or Jason unfairly and they know what's best for their kids.

I have several friends who home school and their children are bright, well behaved, and involved in a lot of community activities. But then again, they are middle class educated people. What we need to do as a country is figure out how to help these children who DO NOT have those advantages, instead of just giving up on them.

 

[PoliticalChic]

The data kind of makes you look like an "ignorant buffoon," doesn't it?

Not really.
Home schooling is, despite having very small class sizes and obviously involved parents, not really doing much better than the travesties of public schools.
At least according to the source you used.

How do home schooled children compare to public schooled children with parents who actively take part int heir child's education?
I'm confident that if we looked nationwide at students with concerned parents we would similarly find better performance. Not just better than the average public school student, but better than the average home schooled student.

Instead of being "confident" how about you do some research, provide some data before you smear those millions of us who homeschool.

After all, research is what we teach our children to do.

 

[chanel]

I imagine what's key is that all interested parties be on the same page (pardon the cliche). But generally there is a huge disconnect from top down. My biggest gripe is attendance. It is impossible to have a continuity of learning when students only come to school a few days a week. And that is out of my control. Yet when I mention truancy enforcement to the higher ups, I am insulted by comments like "maybe if you made learning fun, they'd want to be here". My students are 18-20 years old. Fun for them will never include the classroom. Sheez.

 

[Maple]

Detroit -- Impassioned parents demanded jail time for educators and district officials Saturday following the release of test scores that showed fourth- and eighth-graders had the worst math scores in the nation.

City students took the National Assessment of Educational Progress test this year, and 69 percent of fourth-graders scored below the basic level in math and 77 percent of eighth-graders scored below basic.

The Detroit scores on the progress test were the lowest in its 40-year history. The sample of students included 900 of Detroit's 6,000 fourth-graders and 1,000 of the district's 6,000 eighth-graders.

Sharlonda Buckman, CEO of the Detroit Parent Network, called for jailing and civil lawsuits against anyone in the city's educational system that is not doing his or her share to help properly educate children.

"Somebody needs to go to jail," she said in a tearful address to 500 parents gathered Saturday for the organization's annual breakfast forum. "Somebody needs to pay for this. Somebody needs to go to jail, and it shouldn't be the kids."

Detroit Public Schools Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb told the crowd the test scores weren't the result of children who were incompetent or parents who didn't care. He blamed the scores on the district not doing its job.

Detroit parents want DPS teachers, officials jailed over low test scores | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Comments?

Just when I think there would be nothing that would ever surprise me again, and here it is. Do ya think, that maybe the parents of these kids should be jailed because without parental supervision and good parenting those teachers don't have a snow ball's chance in hell of teaching those kids anything.Because I do.