I was reading the NY Times and came across an article about how bad the school systems are getting and not just the ones in MD so I decided to blog about it.
The article is about the many schools in the US that are not up to educational standards and it starts by talking about CA. It said with the No Child Left Behind Law that is now up for renewal in Congress that drastic measures are going to have to happen in the schools that are doing poorly, such as teachers and principles getting fired, closing schools down and handing them over to private firms, a charter operator, or the state itself, or a major overhaul in governance.
It is predicted that 6,063 public schools in CA will be declared in need of restructuring in 2014 when the law requires universal proficiency in math and reading.
The law is currently "branding" many schools as failing but not enforcing drastic changes from them. This causes many parents to become angry with the school system.
Under the Now Child Left Behind Law, a school that is declared a low preforming school for 3 years in a row must offer its students free tutoring and the option for them to transfer.
And after 5 years the schools are treated as irredeemable and its prescribed that they start over with a new structure, new leadership and teachers. It also gives the school the option to reduce school size or change who is in charge of hiring.
The article even has a blurb about MD. It said in MD 49 schools in Baltimore have fallen short of achievement targets for 5 years or more.
I am surprised that more schools are not preforming at that low level in Baltimore. As someone who has lived in Baltimore City my entire life and luckily has never had to go to a public school, I really hate the school system and I know it hurts more people than it helps.
Drastic restructuring of the school system needs to be done so the people who have no other option but to go to these schools can have a chance of having a good future because as of today very few do.
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2 comments:
Amy and I were talking today about how bad the school systems are in Ohio, and she asked my if they were any better in PA. The Ohio school system is seriously messed up and Pa's is ok, but I feel like education everywhere is going downhill, including higher education. My mom's been a school teacher for about 30 years and she doesn't like the No Child Left Behind Law. She thinks the people who write these laws should have to spend a week in the classroom.
This is so sad and it boggles my mind. I guess I just don't understand much of people's thinking today.There are few things in my mind that are more important than education, healthcare being one. What happens to a society when its citizens are no longer educated? When people have become so lazy and apathetic because their lives are comfortable? Why don't more Americans take an active role in democratic society? As Winston Churchill faously said, "democracy is the worst system except for all of the other systems." Why are Americans apathetic about protecting and safeguarding their way of life and enabling their children to do the same? Where did we get so far off track? And how?
I assume it is the affluence of our country that allows so many people to not care about the real issues of our society.
It seems that so many law makers are out of touch with reality. I don not understand why American people are not holding their representatives and law makers responsible! If you don't, who will?
But I have to say that many people including students do not respect teachers. I am here to help each student learn as well as they can. If students do not get an A they are unhappy- less interested in the feedback, they just want an A. Who cares abiut the grade? Can you do what you need to/want to do? That is the important part. Students fight teachers, administrators fight teachers, people at large say "if you can't do, teach." And it is a demanding job the salaries of which do not even keep pace with inflation.
Equally problematic though is the promote incompentency mode of operandi; if teachers suck at teaching promote them to principle.
Who is going to take a stand? Do the right thing? Who looses when everybody wins?
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