My local public school district (NMUSD, California, Costa Mesa & Newport Beach) has a few schools underperforming under NCLB, but indications suggest that its only efforts are to duck the real issues by:
a) Publicly blaming the problem on the high Mexican population of these schools (“statistics do not show Mexican and white kids in ‘problem’ schools to perform worse than Mexican and white kids statewide”).
b) Sending parents the legally required bilingual notes stating their right to request a school change, but adding written assurances that the schools are just fine and an expression of confidence that they will not use their right.
c) Minimizing statistics of bullying and sexual harassment in Mexican schools by blaming victims and snitches, whereas white schools focus on uprooting these practices.
d) Proactively offering transfers from a Mexican school to a white school when parents escalate problems.
Efforts to reform Mexican schools seem to be haphazard, at times reduced to changing the leadership to gain a few years while the new directors establish their (poor) record. Perhaps this is because unlike their white counterparts, Mexican parents tend to work long hours, be poorly educated, and be fearful of governmental institutions. As long as white parents denounce sloppy school management and squeaky wheels get the oil, white schools will get better services.
With about a decade of cumulated experience of my sons in schools of both types, my only solace is to tell them that the deliberate mismanagement they have witnessed is nothing compared to the military’s.
Love,

Public schools are in crisis, particularly those in urban areas but generally across the board.  Unfortunately, this news trickles out because of the widespread secrecy in the system.  Of course, administrators will refer to this as respecting the privacy of their students, but its much more than that, arising from fear that schools will lose funding if students perform badly on standardized tests. 

If any of you have children in public schools, have you ever asked to see your child’s standardized test?

Our policies are set by people who have never had to earn anything by the sweat of their brow. In fact these people do not sweat. Well except when they work out in their private gyms with their private trainers on their private estate reached by their private jet and maintained by their private staff ... usually a different color.

Now how on earth can anyone expect such people to understand anything about public education, or poverty, or the working poor, or the hopelessness of knowing no matter what, you will never get ahead?

These folks, by virtue of their birth have escaped that reality. Not because they work harder or think better or even comprehend anything ... look at our president ... but just because of an accident of birth. These are the folks that make the decisions that develop the policy that keeps the majority down so they can continue their life-style unmolested.

And right behind them are the few left in the Middle Class who “walk for a cure” and “pray” for an end to war. Both activities accomplishing nothing, except to put more money into the pockets of the “establishment” who need so little and always get so much more.

And what’s all this got to do with education anyway?

Everything.

These folks like to believe people are poor because they don’t want to work. They never make the connection between the food on their plate and the waiter that brought it. Or the new shoes on their feet and the hands that made them. Come to think of it not wanting to work is an easy philosophy for them to grasp, since they certainly don’t want to!

These are the “something for nothing” folks and the last thing in the world they are going to do is take a close look at the end result of their self-indulgence. Why should they?

We believe every line thrown at us, whether it’s from the preacher up there, or the TV commentator down there. We treat these folks like they are somehow more important. We run to their beckon call, buy their superior attitude, watch there goings on like it makes any difference and follow their Stock Market like it matters to us.

And the really poor and the really disadvantaged just keep on keepin on.

So what’s the answer?

If I knew that, I could patent it and be rich like them.
Kidding of course ... although it would be nice to have the answer.

But I know one thing for sure. Electing one of their hand-maidens, or courtiers to be president wont likely change much.  Which leaves us with a clear choice between Kucinich and/or Paul, and EVERYBODY else!

If our votes happen to be counted that is.

Most Constitutions of the individual States guarantee their citizens the right to an education. The Constitution of the United States places Constitutional power in the hands of the States above the control of the Feds. So the first BIG mistake we made was allowing a Federal Department of Education to be created.

No Child Left Behind, an Act “To close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice, so that no child is left behind.” sounds good ... but who created it? The same folks who control everything else. They are real good at making things sound good, without really doing any good, except to give them more power and control. No Child Left Behind is not truly designed to educate, only to “account” and lay blame.  As far as the least advantaged among us are concerned ... the law is unworkable. Therefore the law becomes just one more tool in the arsenal that the “born privileged” have to make sure the “wrong” people don’t invade their territory.

By the way, Sharon Scranage, “generational poverty” IS NOT A CULTURE!
It’s a TRAP!
Maybe you ought to try it some time.

another ‘space filler’ article. i’ve heard this stuff for at least a generation. why is poverty generational in the u.s.?

why is the entire education system in ‘generational poverty’ ?

And the American attack on education continues.

The easiest way to answer a question is to turn the question around.  It’s simple and controversy will ensue, however it is easy and realistic. I love the KISS philosophy. (Keep It Simple Stupid)

So I suggest the opposite approach.  Instead of what causes “generational poverty” and the issues of dealing with this “phenomenon”.  The more pertinent question is: What causes “generational riches”?  Therein lies the answer.

I believe the euphemism is “ Think out of the box”.  And if you haven’t figured it out yet, do what the “creepy little monkey” in Disney’s Lion King tells Simba to do as he tries to find himself. He admonishes Simba to: “Look harder.”

92667 by Phx Teacher on 8/06 at 6:09 pm

Very valid point. The current thinking seems to be a 1 size fits all approach, with the emphasis on college bound students.
What about the mechanics, carpenters and other trades type folks who will never go to college?
They should have some instruction on the basics in English, History and the sciences, but expecting them to learn Shakespeare seems like a wasted effort.
Canton TX, population 3500 just built a performing arts center at the High School. Shop and Ag classes (this is farm/ranch country) are ignored, but we have a tutu factory as some locals call it.
‘Course, that ain’t nothing to one district in Northern Tarrent County; they built an indoor football field. Yup, Cowboys have practiced there at times.
And your average Texas HS football coach makes about half again (good ones get nigh on to double) what the best qualified teacher makes. First things first, right?

Remember!!!  Politicians just give lip service.  They don’t work in the over loaded class room.  Sort of like they don’t work the front lines of a war.  So, they don’t understand that there is only so many hours in a day to prepare your curriculum, teach it to the students, deal with absent parents and then deal with test scores that don’t really reflect the teaching ability of an individual teacher.

Like the teacher astronaut about to go into space said, being an astronaut is no harder than teaching.  And I believe that. 

Go volunteer in the class room.  Spend time helping, and then make your decision whether or not that teacher is doing a good job or not.  I’m sure you will find that elementary and high school teachers have some of the most difficult, stressful jobs as a result of all of the legislation passed over the past several years.

Isn’t it amazing that we pay congressmen more to SERVE us than we pay teachers to work with our own children?

Texas was saddled with NCLB and no money to put it into effect. Tax cuts is way more important than educating kids. ‘Sides, the rich can afford private schools.
It’s main focal point here, the TAKS test is now being phased out as being unproductive. A process, whole heartedly endorsed by the Shrub is deemed unproductive? Who woulda thunk?
Back in the ‘50’s (1950, smarty, not 1850) we had year end tests that, when coupled with the term tests during the year, showed if you had made enough progress to pass to the next grade.
But when Junior, the class clown, didn’t pass, Mommy raised hell, saying the poor baby would need counseling to live a normal life after that shame.
So, here comes social promotions. Just show up often enough and you pass, dumb or smart.
That’s why the calulacting register came to be; too many clerks couldn’t add and subtract enough to make change. But, they were high school grads.
Most teacher’s would advocate going back to the end of year test, along with the 6 weeks tests, to determine if a child has learned enough.
‘Course, that does put all the GOP owner’s of the testing companies, reading books and the consultants out of business. Oh well.