Comments on: Big Cities Battle Dismal Graduation Rates

Report: Less Than 50 Percent Of High School Students Graduate In 17 Of U.S.'s Largest Cities

[dogsoul]

....yeah, I dunno - most of the home schooled kids I''ve seen are socially inept. Then again, most parents who home school their kids are pretty wierd themselves - so there''s really no telling whether home school kids are screwy do to parenting, environment, genetics or some combination therein...

[wangbang]

lovegetpeace, what your three children should have asked you was "How come our father is so dumb he got laid off and can''t find another job?" Not everybody gets laid off because of outsourcing. The smart ones, even if they do, can land on their feet. The dumb ones belly ache and cry as if having a high paying job is a birthright.

[dogsoul]

"My point is why even bother to go to school and break your brains during the best years of your life for a Master of Science degree like me when those jobs are going out. Nobody can say when they are coming back. "

What''s funny is that this is not all that different from what all the textile & industrial plant workers said when the computer science revolution occurred...

[dogsoul]

"But, just in case the NeoCons bring up Vouchers, please remind them that the Bush Administration commissioned a study of Public Schools versus Private Schools and found public schools do a little better."

Typical liberal response - when in doubt, simply make stuff UP... and claim some bogus study backs your assertions... Anyone with half a brain knows full well private schools sh*t all OVER public schools with half the funding...

Why that is is another matter - but denying what is patently observable & repeating it ad nauseum until your liberal sheeple flock start muttering the same tag lines might work to promote your ridiculous falsehoods.... but it doesn''t make it true.

[lovegetpeace]

Folks,
To fix our shameful and embarrassing education system, we need to change our greed and lazy culture and more recently outsourcing.

Last year, I was laid off becoz my high-tech and high-pay professional job with the same corporation of 12 years got outsourced to India.

My three children asked me what careers should they pick that will not be outsourced. My immediate answer was "any job where the worker must be here to perform." My children reply was "Great! Construction and we don''t need to go to school for that."

My point is why even bother to go to school and break your brains during the best years of your life for a Master of Science degree like me when those jobs are going out. Nobody can say when they are coming back.

[excoachken]

Bikermom: Glad that your daughter has Miss America potential-------as far as you know, but geographical isolation almost inevitably develops alienation from peers and guess who she will blame for that 15 years from now after two divorces? But, do enjoy her perfectness while it lasts.

[dogsoul]

"The best thing I did for my daughter was pull her out of public schools that teach to pass the state tests. At the age of 11 she knows more than her peers..."

So I''m assuming then that she can pass the state tests - with flying colors. Lots of teachers complain about ''no child left behind'' because, well - it forces teachers to be - gulp - accountable to some standard. Now if the standard is no good or somehow OFF - fine, change the standard... but the entire concept that something''s wrong simply because it demands specific results? Because it doesn''t allow you to teach what YOU think is important or how YOU think kids should learn??? Look - MY experience with teachers is that most of them - not all - but most chose teaching as an escape from having to make it out there in the ''real world''. After all, they''ve been training for that job since kindergarten & the unions offer a nice little cocoon of huge job security (tenure - what a joke), great pension & benefits, summers off & let''s face it... after a couple years you pretty much have your lesson plan down... and the pay is not bad either - they all think the rest of us are millionares or something... point being, teachers should NOT be allowed to do things ''their OWN way'' because if the rest of American Industry were as effecient & competent as American Teachers.... we''d be a third world country...

[lovegetpeace]

Folks,
I am amazed that NeoCons have not cry out vouchers for Private schooling here.

But, just in case the NeoCons bring up Vouchers, please remind them that the Bush Administration commissioned a study of Public Schools versus Private Schools and found public schools do a little better.

Enjoy surfing: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/15/education/15report.html?ex=1310616000&en=abe96106c55b306f&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

[joyous88]

why not, what did you expect?

after 12 years of republiCON neglect

[rudy654-2009]

Say thanks to the "No Child Left Behind Act" or a.k.a. No Teacher Left Standing Act.

[bikermomx2]

excoachken...sorry to mention that she does get a ton of social development. Either through church, community service, field trips with other home school children, and community center sports. She by no means is ''sheltered'' but get it that their are some strange people that home school! She is up on all current events and has taken in interest into the political campaigning that is going on. I''m fortunate to have such a great kid!

[excoachken]

One thing for sure. Hiding your kids from reality by home schoolin'' is not the answer. Isolated kids who can''t deal with the realities of society become the Jeffrey Dahmers of society. Kids need other kids to learn with, in order to put lessons into perspective.

[bikermomx2]

This is all the more reason why I home school!! The best thing I did for my daughter was pull her out of public schools that teach to pass the state tests. At the age of 11 she knows more than her peers...she knows about her american heritage and takes pride in singing our national anthem at the top of her lungs, she knows about community service, and she knows how to add, subtract, multiply, save money...she takes art, music and makes quilts for the homeless. She knows enough yoga to teach a class! Parents can''t leave it up to the public school system to teach them...parents need to step up the process and step up their expectations of their children!!

[samthetvcat]

--"Weaver said the gains were partly because of after-school and weekend tutoring, coordinated literacy programs in the district''s elementary schools and bolstered English-as-a-second-language programs."--

I didn''t grow up in the inner city but as somebody with a learning disability, this is SO close to my heart - I''ve been on the receiving end of tutoring and I''ve been on the giving end of tutoring and when you''re falling behind personal help can make ALL the difference.

Sometimes it''s hard to find well organized programs to match oneself up with a kids who need help . . . it''d be great if one of the Presidential candidates looked into forming a database to match kids up with volunteers to make it easier. You would think it''d be easier, but for some reason it''s not . . .

[apprxam]

That''s a good one, Marc!

[apprxam]

Detroit graduates 24% of its student. That''s a moral embarrasment that should give pause to every American, and being that Detroit is only 14-16% white, I''d guess that most of those failing are black. Yes, white, latino and Native American students can fail, but Detroit''s problems are manufacture and not completely a result of slavery or even that of recent segration. The persuit of intergration was distracting and betrayed millions upon millions of black student for four generations. Most important, in Detroit, Baltimore and other "chocolate" cities bad black leadership is the cause. Culture, bad habit and latchkids in the inner-city shouldn''t be disregarded, but poor planning by black "leaders" (Ray Nagan) has done more damage then the Klan ever could.

[marcpcbs]

Dude, your argument is soooo irrelevant and irrational.

Posted by closethippy1 at 02:36 PM : Apr 01, 2008

There%u2019s always some druggie that thinks that poisoning millions of kids with pot is a small thing. I wonder how he makes his money?

[apprxam]

Detroit Public Schools announced a new plan Monday in which five school buildings will be broken up into smaller schools with a maximum of 450 students in each of the smaller schools. Three of the five school buildings are high schools.


What does this mean? They are just containing bad schools and it''s system into smaller packages. These student need to be broken up divided by:

1)trouble makers and those who are not

2)students who want to learn and those who do not

3)higher grade students and poorer grade student

4) those with high parental involvemnet 4 those without

Forcing these children to compete, as does everyone else''s children, is the only way to improve their standing educationally. As of now, there is no proving ground for urban, black children and dropping out is the cure these cities have in absolving themselve the hard work of throwin darts at a small target.

[closethippy1]

Posted by marcpcbs at 02:20 PM : Apr 01, 2008

Dude, your argument is soooo irrelevant and irrational.

In any event, is it a wonder that many companies are bringing in immigrants and moving jobs overseas when American kids can hardly read, write or even talk.
I know this white guy in his 20''s at work who wears his baseball cap in reverse and you have to listen very hard to him to understand what he''s talking about.
When I go to a site where people interact like Yahoo Answers, for example, I''d say 80% of the questions asked by American youngsters are hardly legible.
Even by those who rail against pot use.
Compare their English to the English of other youngsters in that site and you can tell American kids couldn''t care less about their own language.
All of this is the result of living in a country where everyone is on their own regardless of their health needs.
A country whose government job is to make more and more and more demands of teachers while less funds are given to them to accomplish those tasks.
Right now the Governor of Florida, for example, is demanding schools to make sure every student exercises 30 minutes a day.
The teachers are trying to tell the good Governor that with all the requirements they have to fullfill there''s hardly time for anyone to exercise.
But that''s what Republicans are good for: To give everyone hell for the sake of it.
That''s the only way they fell they''ve accomplished something.
The b.astards.

[marcpcbs]

Because schools get paid as per attendance and graduation, many of the schools are giving away grades as an act of self-preservation. We can only go by the results of SAT scores today. A High School Diploma means very little. If you are involved in hiring at all you will know what I mean.