What is best-case for poor public kids that are several grade levels behind by 9th?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Best case for them would be remedial year of school in small groups, readily available contraception, full day, tons of positive role models (to reverse the trend where achieving is uncool as someone noted).
Minimize influence from parents and maximize external good influence, kind of like a boarding school maybe.

Holy god. You'd defend Native American boarding schools, too. Why is it only white parents get choice? Everyone else gets compelled as bad parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some kids end up like this due to poor or inconsistent education or to learning disabilities.

Many however, end up in this position because they just learn slowly. They aren't that quick to learn. Frankly they aren't that bright.

But everyone should be college and career ready.

Are you being sarcastic?

No, not "everyone" should go to college.

Yes, that was sarcasm. I'm a teacher and we are supposed to make sure all students are college and career ready whether they want to be or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many of these students, esp. inner city and poor rural are 3-5 grade levels behind by 9th. How do students like this succeed or are they already lost causes?

Way too much focus on poor kids. MOST public school kids in general are three grade levels off par by high school. Middle class families are clueless about this.

[Anonymous]

I think you have to look externally. Kids who are 3 grade levels behind may have many talents to contribute but the current economy undervalues those skilss on the job market and does not provide an adequate safety net.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of these students, esp. inner city and poor rural are 3-5 grade levels behind by 9th. How do students like this succeed or are they already lost causes?

Way too much focus on poor kids. MOST public school kids in general are three grade levels off par by high school. Middle class families are clueless about this.

I'm clueless about this. Can you elaborate please?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
"Or" would be better than "yes".

We really need to taker a closer look at what Germany's doing with their education system. We have pretty much outsourced much of our manufacturing and turned into a service society which consists of much lower paying jobs. In contrast, Germany retained a robust manufacturing and is very developed.

We would also have to look at the labor system in Germany (including the fact that unions are significant shareholders in public companies). That's a non-starter in a country that thinks unions are the cause of job losses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Best case for them would be remedial year of school in small groups, readily available contraception, full day, tons of positive role models (to reverse the trend where achieving is uncool as someone noted).
Minimize influence from parents and maximize external good influence, kind of like a boarding school maybe.

Holy god. You'd defend Native American boarding schools, too. Why is it only white parents get choice? Everyone else gets compelled as bad parents.

Are you talking about students of color only? I certainly wasn't!
Also, it's just one year, they are not taken away as kids and they are not forced. Kind of like a safe space for them. Maybe without the boarding even.

[Anonymous]

I am an elementary school teacher in a high poverty school and we have a lot of students who struggle. Sometimes when they're in middle school and high school they come visit and I get to see how they're doing. One such student came back this week. He was retained when he was in 2nd grade and struggled throughout school. He's a senior this year and I asked what his plans are for next year. He looked a little ashamed and said he is going to MC and will study how to be a mechanic. He's always been interested in that field but he has struggled in traditional classes.

I told him that I was so proud of him for identifying something he's interested in and is figuring out how to make a career out of it. It is sad that these kids are made to feel like a traditional 4 year college or university is the only socially acceptable path. It's also sad there aren't more options like the Edison program in MCPS. The school system needs to realize that plenty of kids want to learn how to take a path other than the one that is crammed down their throat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mandatory school until 17. Hold them back over and over. Summer school. There are no lost causes. Everyone can learn. Do not give these students a chance to give up on themselves.

We have the first thing you suggest in many places, and the second thing has been shown, over and over again, in research studies not to work.

[Anonymous]

Boarding school for poor kids sounds like a really inexpensive option. I'm sure the taxpayers can't wait to do that.

[Anonymous]

Ok not boarding school but somewhere they can be exposed to positive examples and shown their path (learning a trade or some such).

[Anonymous]

Seriously people. You want to fix this problem?
Birth control.
You can't imagine what kind of circumstances some of these kids are living in. They never sleep in the same place, no one is really in charge of them. They've never had a book read to them. They are being raised by other children, who were raised by other children.
The few exceptional kids make it out. The rest are punished for being average.
Yes, I can see why someone would suggest boarding school, but birth control is much simpler.

[Anonymous]

As a former social worker, literally <1% of poor families would send their kids to Sidwell, let alone off to boarding school. It's difficult to comprehend the parental stupidity and neglect.

Birth control and welfare reform is the only real way to tackle this. People that shouldn't have babies have the most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am an elementary school teacher in a high poverty school and we have a lot of students who struggle. Sometimes when they're in middle school and high school they come visit and I get to see how they're doing. One such student came back this week. He was retained when he was in 2nd grade and struggled throughout school. He's a senior this year and I asked what his plans are for next year. He looked a little ashamed and said he is going to MC and will study how to be a mechanic. He's always been interested in that field but he has struggled in traditional classes.

I told him that I was so proud of him for identifying something he's interested in and is figuring out how to make a career out of it. It is sad that these kids are made to feel like a traditional 4 year college or university is the only socially acceptable path. It's also sad there aren't more options like the Edison program in MCPS. The school system needs to realize that plenty of kids want to learn how to take a path other than the one that is crammed down their throat.

I was so stressed reading this, and then so thrilled for that young man! I hope he makes a fantastic career out of being a mechanic. He should be proud of himself, and we should all be ashamed that we made him feel ashamed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a former social worker, literally <1% of poor families would send their kids to Sidwell, let alone off to boarding school. It's difficult to comprehend the parental stupidity and neglect.

Birth control and welfare reform is the only real way to tackle this. People that shouldn't have babies have the most.

I work in a low income ES and so many of my former female students come back to visit pregnant by age 16 or so. Most of them want babies. They have no college plans so having a baby at age 15-17 is not a loss in their lives. It's what they are "good for." Their words, not mine. It is a cultural thing too.