Education Reform Consensus Grows on Fixing Urban Schools

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There are so many good school out there and teachers who do their damnest to help their students. I agree with Brittania, start putting some responsiblity on the students and the parents. We do our best. If the student isn't in school, how can we teach them. If parents are not reinforcing the importance of education at home, it is a lost cause...

Christy of PA 11:33AM February 12, 2010

ugh...i was searching th internet for measures that ARE being taken ti fix the problem... i cant find a website on what people ARE doing to fix it. i can only find websites on statistics and how people THINK they can fix the problem...but what ide love to know is...what ARE they doing...ummmm can any1 help me here? or should i pick e new topc for my project

alexis r of CO 11:22AM October 08, 2009

"In a land where education opportunity is supposed to be the great equalizer, the average black or Hispanic 12th grader in the United States today has the reading and math skills of a white eighth grader."
-Cognitive skills have been proven to be higher in whites than blacks. Get over it. You know its true. You've seen the studies. This may be as good as it gets.
"None of the speakers at the rally fell back on tired nostrums to excuse the poor performance of minority students or to justify the need for new spending. Not a single civil rights leader said that disadvantaged students are too burdened by poverty to perform well in school. They did not say that the solution to the achievement gap was to shower new money on urban schools. Nor did anyone suggest that achievement tests were inherently unfair to minority students and should not be used under the No Child Left Behind."
-This is a welcome change.
Act to hold schools, principals, and teachers accountable for student performance. In fact, this generation of school reformers believes that schools should be more accountable for student learning, not less.
-Bullsh*t! Just another excuse. Learning requires an inherant skill set. Some pick it up faster than others. Like basketball, some learn the fundamentals easily, while others have to practice 3 times longer and harder just to keep up.
If the under acheivers cant learn in a traditional setting, then a different setting needs to be found. If they need to go to school 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, then so be it.
Holding schools, principals, and teachers accountable for for the above mentioned students performance is like holding a basketball coach accountable, for his team of dwarfs loss, to an NBA team.

michael curr of NY 12:30AM February 04, 2009

For education to reform parents, need to reform. At my school, we have a saying "Parents send us the best kids they have." This is true. Students are not at the root of the problem, their parents are. If parents are concerned about their children's education then the children will be concerned about what they learn. The greatest thing the government can do to reform education is to make parents responsible for the education their children receive. Does this leave the school system and teachers off the hook; of course not. Teachers, administrators, and the system must do their job. As important as teachers are and as much impact we can have on our students it cannot compare to the impact that parents have on their children. When parents believe, they do not need to do anything to support the school or the teachers they are showing their children that your teacher is solely responsible for your grades and your learning. Kindergarteners are now entering school without knowing their letters, how to count, shapes, or colors. There is no home training. The problem seems to be worse among the minority children. When these children enter school, they are already behind. They will probably never catch up. I am tired of the national government telling teachers and school systems that we do not do enough to encourage student success and achievement. That it is the teachers fault that the achievement gap exists. There is no responsibility placed on the students and the parents. Children will do as much or as little as they are allowed to do. If we want our school system to change then we need to change the way we are raising our children.

Brittania Morris of GA 8:04PM February 03, 2009

February 3, 2009
I believe there are many fine teachers, principals and administrators that are working very hard to help in reforming the nation's schools. It seems to me that there are two possibilities that could help "Turn the Tide" in the nation for this generation. Working to reform the public schools and universities or enacting school vouchers.
I think we have to face a few facts before we can successfully enact the right changes that are necessary. My understanding is that Cook County Prison, (Chicago, IL) has approximately 10,000 inmates and they use a system called "hot bedding." This means that one inmate sleeps eight hours on a bunk, gets up and the next sleeps eight hours and the next. At this present time there is not a state in this nation that is not dealing with overcrowding in the prisons. They say the definition of insanity is to continue the same things you have been doing and think your going to get any different results than you have been getting.
There will always be some people that believe it is best to continue on the same path or even return to the paths of teaching "safe sex" which have regularly been taught in most public schools for much of the past two generations.
It seems obvious to me that the systems of the past couple of generations have not brought about the desired results for human behavior. If it is our goal as citizens, the faith community, business community, parents, and educators to develop well rounded and successful students it seems obvious to me that we must stop, reassess the direction the nation has been heading and make appropriate changes or adjustments.
It is simply my opinion, that for a student to be well rounded entails more than just academics. Many educators are working very hard to instill integrity, decency and thoughtfulness in students as well as strong academics. If people have not been in the public schools recently they may not realize that there are many fine young people and there are also some young people that come from troubled backgrounds and those students can make an educators job very difficult at times.
For students to be successful I believe it takes the families, educators, faith community and community members working together and not against each other, as can sometimes be the case. It is also most helpful when the media, press, music artists, actors et cetera try and present a positive message that uphold and promote decency and integrity. I believe that most people that make millions of dollars have worked very hard to acquire what they have. I also don't mind saying I believe they should pay their fair share of the taxes so that educators, (as well as fire fighters, police officers, the military et cetera) can have a fair and decent standard of living.
I believe if people are willing to work together and bring needed changes by concerning themselves more with finding solutions than assessing blame the future is very bright!

Deborah Solomon of MO 2:43PM February 03, 2009

Someone needs to protect our children from these reformers. I'm sure they mean well (as does Mort, the real estate guy who owns a newspaper)but they, like Mort, know nothing about education or what's really going on in schools. The best thing Joel Klein has done for New York City is make private school parents feel good about their decision to opt out of the public system. His alleged gains are nothing but smoke and mirrors.

NYC Teacher and Parent of NY 10:55PM February 02, 2009

You want better students and respectful, disciplined, thoughtful children? Try working on the real issues:
1. Be a good role model as a parent. Be responsible and self disciplined yourself.
2. Don't toss them the car keys on their 16th birthday. 18 is young enough to start driving. Withholding the car keys will; lower teen pregnancies and STDs, cut down on gang violence, reduce the use of drugs and alcohol, curb teen violence, save lives from auto accidents, gives parents more control over harmful "friendships" and provides more time for outdoor recreation and homework. And, for you Global Warming worriers - all those teens driving aimlessly around just adds to traffic congestion, pollution and green house gas. This idea is a "real" panacea.
3. Nix the T.V... 90% of T.V. is just vile, hedonistic waste. It's not cool - just stupid. As long as they are living under your roof censor what they watch - use discretion in your viewing habits as well. Remember, "Garbage in - garbage out."
4. Teach your kids about God... Children will figure out pretty fast that, without that ultimate authority, morality, good and evil, right and wrong are simply subjective "value judgments" and therefore nothing has any real meaning. There is no honor or purpose in a nihilistic world.
5. Get a "Net Nanny" on their computer. There is a lot sludge out there - No point in gunking up their minds. Computers are a wonderful tool, but their "dark matter" can consume a young person.
6. As much as you can, keep your kids close to you and a wary eye on their friends. Remember Eddie Haskell? Low life pollution you don't need.
7. Talk with your kids - communicate with respect and affection.
8. Edit and control their "entertainment". Hollywood should not be the source of your children's "world view". Remember, "Garbage in - garbage out."
9. Encourage your kids to pursue studies that interest them. Life shouldn't be about test scores, artificial criteria and programmed learning. These types of goals lead to facile thinking not logic and intellectual maturity. Encourage new ideas, areas of interest and unique educational opportunities. Open, but disciplined minds are best.
10.Finally, offer more carrot than stick, a helping hand and not a fist, the loving encouragement of a parent - not the nags and prods of a jailer.
Remember, much of the real "stuff" of education takes place at home, and without that parental foundation schools can't accomplish much.

R.L. Schaefer of CA 6:46PM February 02, 2009

I have always respected Mr. Zuckerman's comments. And I don't disagree with him here.(Except I'm not too sure that the white parents are all that attentive to their childrens educational level.) Something needs to be done in our K-12 schools or the country is going down the toilet.
On-line schools sounds good to me. However I'm 82+ and my old brain and experience tells me that it will work only if the Parents are really interested.
Also, I believe that the Parents should be somehow held responsible for insuring that their children go to school and learn. An early start would help.Reading to children is almost a must.
CHILDREN SHOULD LEARN TO READ IN 1ST OR 2ND GRADE. OTHERWISE THEY ARE AT A DISADVANTAGE AND WILL NEVER MAKE IT.
Perhaps I am too old to know. I believe that too much emphasis is placed on College Education. I believe that it too often does these young students a disservice.
If you want it bad enough, you don't really need student loans or a Govt. handout.
I know too many people, including myself, who worked their way through. Four of them have earned Masters degrees while working and raising families. And if you are thinking about employment, I also know many who only needed a foot in the door and were smart enough to go to the top.
I don't know but perhaps the Kindergarten, First Grade and Second Grade teachers should be the highest paid.

Frank Little of CA 5:03PM February 02, 2009

There are no bad schools, only undisciplined students and uncultured parents.
Schools and teachers can present material, but while you can lead a student to knowledge, you can't make him drink. Blaming schools and teachers for poor student performance is a dead end. Take reading, the primary skill which is the key to most additional learning. How can a student be a good reader if his parents don't introduce him to libraries at an early age and apply some discipline on TV watching? Reading is a parental responsibility. How can you learn math without the discipline to sit down and work out homework exercises? How can you talk about inner city schooling when political correctness makes it taboo to talk about, say, Hispanic illegal alien culture which results in anchor children dropping out of high schools at rates often greater than 50%? The reason the kids of the 50's were such great students was probably discipline and regimentation, which might not be good for the psyche, but was good for education. Kids today are taught to have great self-esteem no matter how stupid they are. That is why they can do things like starting sentences with small letters and using grammar that would make earlier generations cringe with embarrassment.

Luther of IL 4:16PM February 02, 2009

Online public schools can be part of the solution for our nation’s education system. Half of all high school students are expected to get some or all their education online by 2019 according to a 2008 Harvard Professor’s study. Online public schools across the country are growing at a phenomenal rate, and are staffed with certified teachers, many with masters degrees. Online schools save money overall because the student/teacher ratios can be much higher. Online K-12 schools are fully funded by the states than have them but require no funding from local property taxes, so the property tax money received by local districts can be used to support fewer students at the traditional schools. Like spokes on a wheel, use the "brick and mortar schools" as instructional remote sites to the online public school. A full curriculum often is much more extensive than can be offered by traditional schools because it serves a much wider student population. Because a high percentage of online students perform all their work at home, less transportation and building infrastructure is needed to be funded. For those who want or need the traditional education, with direct teacher face-time and delivered at a set pace, they would get it, For students who just need a computer terminal for one or more courses and can’t stay at home, and perhaps want a teacher for occasional support, they would get it. While some traditionalists would lament the loss of some social interaction, and the elimination of snow days, there are some major benefits to online schools. Online students work at their optimum pace, are not subjected to bullying, sexual attacks, and negative peer pressure. Online schools can reduce drug and alcohol use, and dropout rates, and make it easier for those who have dropped out, to return. Online schools allow for student mobility during family trips, illnesses, and emergencies thus helping them keep up to speed. Online schools also are a partial solution to violent urban schools. The curriculum works well for advanced students as well as those needing special assistance, and can be designed to allow advanced students to take more classes. Online schools also can incorporate some of the very advanced course material from schools such as MIT’s Open Courseware high school program. With online schools, there are fewer distractions, and much of the course material is interactive. Grading and feedback in some courses often are instantaneous. Online chat sessions and webcast lectures help students connect with the teacher and other students. Online public school may not be for everyone, but it more closely allows “funding the student” than what currently is institutionalized. Many teachers also benefit because many can administer their classes from home. This certainly is a paradigm shift in how to look at education. Once a quality online school system is in place, rural areas with can combine their natural environment with top notch educational opportunities. I’m experienced with online high school because my boys attend one. We’ve done homeschooling and traditional schools, and an online school works best for us.

Randy Dutton of WA 3:20PM February 02, 2009