This article, like so much of your work, is thoughtfully written. What I struggle to understand, and what chaps my shorts--and probably yours too--is how the Democratic elite can continue to SAY they care, while supporting and executing policy that, obviously and categorically, does not result in better outcomes for those people about whom they claim to care. That type of sleight-of-hand, while simultaneously enjoying overwhelming support from the people they crap on, is worthy of psychological study. And massive derision, particularly from the President of Aintblackistan.
Even when I was young and single, I thought vouchers (the precursor to Charter schools) made sense. I remember the fury of a colleague whose father was a principal. How dare I support something that undermined public schools? I couldn't wrap my head around their thought process because I stupidly thought it was about the kids. I went from a well-funded public system to a Catholic high school. The Catholic School was relatively poor. The teachers didn't dress well, but the education was better. Not for me, as I was a lost cause for many years, but it was for the other kids who worked hard. Anyone who reads about the education received by early civil rights leaders will know their schools were poorly funded, but they still received a classic liberal education, including subjects such as Greek and Latin. Kids are kids, and as long as the educational environment is stable, they can thrive. We do not need to import IT people from other countries. Google and others should be shamed to funding schools to create their own talent pool.
And this was years ago and his student population was mostly white working class. So this is nothing new and not about race. It is all about protecting funding. Every industry dies when it forgets the purpose for which it was created.
This is so true; I hope more and more parents wake up to this truth. We need to call on our state legislators to do the right thing and ensure equal education opportunities for all. Thank you for all that you do to keep us all informed.
My wife is an educator. From our discussions about school, most parents say they care but they don't do anything to help the educators. I accuse them of wanting the educator to teach and raise the child. The administrators at the schools have goals they need to meet; code for make sure all those kids pass the test given at the end of the year. It's not important if they actually learned anything. The schools are financially rewarded for hitting their numbers. Students get passed on and the beat goes on. Until parents understand the true importance of getting an education, and being apart of the solution, children will continue to be the cattle pushed closer to the slaughter house of life every year. Your article, as always was well written.
The elites hate the idea of not just charter schools, but any school for the peasants that expects and receives commitment and hard work from the students. The better educated, the more likely one will become a self-supporting and independent professional, electrician, nurse, mechanic, etc. I know of a country not too long ago growing out of the "3rd world country" status where the government elite were not happy when math scores in public schools started going up "too much." They then cut back on math education, like San Francisco and other places have done. As a woman born in 1960, I am very familiar with the hostility from many men (and women) when trying to educate myself in certain areas. Back in the day, the lunatics tried to block women from any education, skill or trade that had the potential of a good income. That same manipulation is now happening to all of us.
There is so much evidence of the truth in what you share here, but I am puzzled as to why this is so. Who benefits from keeping the poor kids down? I shy away from conspiracy theory because of the difficulty in identifying who 'they' are. Is it primarily the teacher's unions....for self preservation? But teachers are working in both traditional public and charter schools, so it isn't jobs entirely. Are some charter school teachers unionized? If so, do those schools also outperform traditional public schools? I'm encouraged to see some progress in schools for inner city kids, but there is still so much to be done. Thanks for shining another light on an ignored problem.
I's not just poor kids being kept down. Consider that the goal of government schools is to produce compliant "citizens" and give the minimal training leaders of industry are looking for in bottom rung employees. Let me state there are many great teachers, but there's also lots of swill (including administrators). Government schools have become a giant jobs program, and jobs means votes to protect those jobs. The government benefits by having more of the under-educated populace on low wages and dependent. Consider also that keeping other children down means less competition for the children of the policy makers. Then there's the eugenics lunatics who believe some ethnicities don't need to be educated. I went to Montessori kindergarten and 1st grade (64-65), public school (2-5, 7, 8), private secular (9) and Catholic (10, 11), finishing at an adult high school. I can state unequivocally that the only good year in public school was 4th grade with an outstanding teacher. The Montessori, secular and Catholic were all excellent, and while there were cliques at the Catholic school, it was kept in check by staff, unlike the chaos and bullying in the public schools. If I could change one thing about government schools, it would be to reduce the size of the schools which seem to be designed as prison institutions run by gangs. The gangs and bullies (including bullying teachers) LOVE huge schools where they can spread their disruption. Then there's the hostility towards excellence as shown in mixing children of vastly different abilities in one classroom. It helps none of the students and I believe it's purposely designed to lower the bar on all students to produce mediocrity.
I became friendly with LAUSD teachers who laid off because of the vax requirement. They couldn't understand why their union didn't back them. I told them to follow the money. Teacher pensions are some of the biggest. Who ever controls the pension has immense power. Power that I assume rivals many government heads.
That was an outstanding article and reminds me of something my middle child told me when she was in college. She took a year off and was working fast food and said the local young people she worked with had no idea how to advance in life and what benefits might be available to do this. I thought back to high school and how, at least for me (a non-traditional female) back in the 70's, school guidance counselors were not much help. I believe a taxpayer investment in heavily advertised guidance counseling for young adults, including placing people in apprenticeships and trade schools, would help. This won't fix the environmental conditions one grows up in, but it would help those looking for a way out of poverty. I live in a rural, white, low income area. I see the generational problems of drugs, welfare, crime, etc. The only way to change the trajectory, imo, is for the children to see people model a different life.
A quality education is EVERY American kid's birthright and should be the covenant binding, us the past, to the future. There are multiple ways this birthright can be secured but one's inability to pay should not be one of them.
As one who grew up middle class, I totally agree. Many of the middle-class kids were the ones stuck in the middle back in the 70's. My mother (divorced family) didn't have the $ to send me to a 4-year school, and because of my father's income (middle class) I couldn't qualify for Pell grants, and the only way to get enough student loan to cover tuition was to go to school full-time, but I had to work full-time to pay the bills. I wasn't one of those who was smart enough to work full-time and go to school full-time. I ended up in a military career, which I don't regret, and I did get my GI Bill benefits. Then there's the people in trade schools and those out of trade school investing in tools. Biden's "loan forgiveness" program pretends these people don't exist and also asks nothing in return from those bailed out. It seems, at the minimum, a period of service (military or federal) would be required. I am firmly of the belief that if we are going to fund post K-12 education, then it needs to be in-state, include trade schools and cover EVERYONE. K-12 education funding and standards is a longer post!
Yep. Got my BS degree after Nam on the GI Bill. Graduated with a 3.49 GPA.
Started my education journey at a community College in Ohio.
Graduated 220 out of a high school class of 440. Never thought about or even considered college while in high school and the guidance counselors where crap.
This article, like so much of your work, is thoughtfully written. What I struggle to understand, and what chaps my shorts--and probably yours too--is how the Democratic elite can continue to SAY they care, while supporting and executing policy that, obviously and categorically, does not result in better outcomes for those people about whom they claim to care. That type of sleight-of-hand, while simultaneously enjoying overwhelming support from the people they crap on, is worthy of psychological study. And massive derision, particularly from the President of Aintblackistan.
Thank you. Yeah, there is a lot to analyze psychologically.
Another one to borrow: President of Aintblackistan! I wish I could come up with this kind of phrase.
😂
I hope you keep beating this drum loud and clear.
Even when I was young and single, I thought vouchers (the precursor to Charter schools) made sense. I remember the fury of a colleague whose father was a principal. How dare I support something that undermined public schools? I couldn't wrap my head around their thought process because I stupidly thought it was about the kids. I went from a well-funded public system to a Catholic high school. The Catholic School was relatively poor. The teachers didn't dress well, but the education was better. Not for me, as I was a lost cause for many years, but it was for the other kids who worked hard. Anyone who reads about the education received by early civil rights leaders will know their schools were poorly funded, but they still received a classic liberal education, including subjects such as Greek and Latin. Kids are kids, and as long as the educational environment is stable, they can thrive. We do not need to import IT people from other countries. Google and others should be shamed to funding schools to create their own talent pool.
People like that principal frustrate me. They care more about the school than the kids.
And this was years ago and his student population was mostly white working class. So this is nothing new and not about race. It is all about protecting funding. Every industry dies when it forgets the purpose for which it was created.
This is so true; I hope more and more parents wake up to this truth. We need to call on our state legislators to do the right thing and ensure equal education opportunities for all. Thank you for all that you do to keep us all informed.
My pleasure
Barack H Obama Magnet [not charter] University School in New Haven, CT. Sounds great, right? $21,119 per pupil spending.
8% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 17% scored at or above that level for reading.
How can parents accept this?
My wife is an educator. From our discussions about school, most parents say they care but they don't do anything to help the educators. I accuse them of wanting the educator to teach and raise the child. The administrators at the schools have goals they need to meet; code for make sure all those kids pass the test given at the end of the year. It's not important if they actually learned anything. The schools are financially rewarded for hitting their numbers. Students get passed on and the beat goes on. Until parents understand the true importance of getting an education, and being apart of the solution, children will continue to be the cattle pushed closer to the slaughter house of life every year. Your article, as always was well written.
The elites hate the idea of not just charter schools, but any school for the peasants that expects and receives commitment and hard work from the students. The better educated, the more likely one will become a self-supporting and independent professional, electrician, nurse, mechanic, etc. I know of a country not too long ago growing out of the "3rd world country" status where the government elite were not happy when math scores in public schools started going up "too much." They then cut back on math education, like San Francisco and other places have done. As a woman born in 1960, I am very familiar with the hostility from many men (and women) when trying to educate myself in certain areas. Back in the day, the lunatics tried to block women from any education, skill or trade that had the potential of a good income. That same manipulation is now happening to all of us.
There is so much evidence of the truth in what you share here, but I am puzzled as to why this is so. Who benefits from keeping the poor kids down? I shy away from conspiracy theory because of the difficulty in identifying who 'they' are. Is it primarily the teacher's unions....for self preservation? But teachers are working in both traditional public and charter schools, so it isn't jobs entirely. Are some charter school teachers unionized? If so, do those schools also outperform traditional public schools? I'm encouraged to see some progress in schools for inner city kids, but there is still so much to be done. Thanks for shining another light on an ignored problem.
I's not just poor kids being kept down. Consider that the goal of government schools is to produce compliant "citizens" and give the minimal training leaders of industry are looking for in bottom rung employees. Let me state there are many great teachers, but there's also lots of swill (including administrators). Government schools have become a giant jobs program, and jobs means votes to protect those jobs. The government benefits by having more of the under-educated populace on low wages and dependent. Consider also that keeping other children down means less competition for the children of the policy makers. Then there's the eugenics lunatics who believe some ethnicities don't need to be educated. I went to Montessori kindergarten and 1st grade (64-65), public school (2-5, 7, 8), private secular (9) and Catholic (10, 11), finishing at an adult high school. I can state unequivocally that the only good year in public school was 4th grade with an outstanding teacher. The Montessori, secular and Catholic were all excellent, and while there were cliques at the Catholic school, it was kept in check by staff, unlike the chaos and bullying in the public schools. If I could change one thing about government schools, it would be to reduce the size of the schools which seem to be designed as prison institutions run by gangs. The gangs and bullies (including bullying teachers) LOVE huge schools where they can spread their disruption. Then there's the hostility towards excellence as shown in mixing children of vastly different abilities in one classroom. It helps none of the students and I believe it's purposely designed to lower the bar on all students to produce mediocrity.
I became friendly with LAUSD teachers who laid off because of the vax requirement. They couldn't understand why their union didn't back them. I told them to follow the money. Teacher pensions are some of the biggest. Who ever controls the pension has immense power. Power that I assume rivals many government heads.
An interesting article that neatly dovetails with what Mr Coleman is saying.
https://apnews.com/article/318c9dbd5a01f5d9dd6e57198549dd5f
I was one of the kids who through luck, pluck and serendipity went from the lowest quintel (ADC/welfare) to the upper quintel.
To do so, I was lucky to be able to jump high enough to grab the bottom rung of the education ladder.
That was an outstanding article and reminds me of something my middle child told me when she was in college. She took a year off and was working fast food and said the local young people she worked with had no idea how to advance in life and what benefits might be available to do this. I thought back to high school and how, at least for me (a non-traditional female) back in the 70's, school guidance counselors were not much help. I believe a taxpayer investment in heavily advertised guidance counseling for young adults, including placing people in apprenticeships and trade schools, would help. This won't fix the environmental conditions one grows up in, but it would help those looking for a way out of poverty. I live in a rural, white, low income area. I see the generational problems of drugs, welfare, crime, etc. The only way to change the trajectory, imo, is for the children to see people model a different life.
Indeed. Well Said!
A quality education is EVERY American kid's birthright and should be the covenant binding, us the past, to the future. There are multiple ways this birthright can be secured but one's inability to pay should not be one of them.
As one who grew up middle class, I totally agree. Many of the middle-class kids were the ones stuck in the middle back in the 70's. My mother (divorced family) didn't have the $ to send me to a 4-year school, and because of my father's income (middle class) I couldn't qualify for Pell grants, and the only way to get enough student loan to cover tuition was to go to school full-time, but I had to work full-time to pay the bills. I wasn't one of those who was smart enough to work full-time and go to school full-time. I ended up in a military career, which I don't regret, and I did get my GI Bill benefits. Then there's the people in trade schools and those out of trade school investing in tools. Biden's "loan forgiveness" program pretends these people don't exist and also asks nothing in return from those bailed out. It seems, at the minimum, a period of service (military or federal) would be required. I am firmly of the belief that if we are going to fund post K-12 education, then it needs to be in-state, include trade schools and cover EVERYONE. K-12 education funding and standards is a longer post!
Yep. Got my BS degree after Nam on the GI Bill. Graduated with a 3.49 GPA.
Started my education journey at a community College in Ohio.
Graduated 220 out of a high school class of 440. Never thought about or even considered college while in high school and the guidance counselors where crap.