6 Baltimore public schools where not a single student tested "proficient"

[Anonymous]

This is what happens when women crank out babies when they are not even able to support themselves. When you subsidize a behavior, you encourage it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is what happens when women crank out babies when they are not even able to support themselves. When you subsidize a behavior, you encourage it.

Yes, what a plush life those poor women and their children lead in Baltimore. It's a wonder we don't all quit our jobs, liquidate our bank accounts, and move to a rental on W. North Avenue.

[Anonymous]

OP, did you pick up this story directly from Fox News Baltimore or another source merely citing Fox Neews Baltimore? Because it appears that there are no other primary sources for this story.

The first year that PARCC was administered, a large majority of students in MoCo also failed to earn a 4 or 5 on PARCC. I guess MCPS is almost as bad as Baltimore City Schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Wrong. As a society we have spent TRILLIONS of dollars on the war on poverty. All it has done is create a leeching dependent class of people that breed more leeching depending children.
I think we need to cut off all aid for 1.5 generations and let nature correct itself.

I hope that you don't consider yourself a Christian.

Are you? Should we all pray for less gun downs and illiterate kids? Can't be the parents fault. It can't be the inner city mentality's fault. Can't be the child's fault. Can't be the school systems fault?

DP... as a Christian, this is really sad to read. I think there's plenty of "fault" to go around, but, do we just turn our backs on kids? Doesn't this just become a cycle of poverty and crime? You will end paying for incarcerating these kids when they get older, and the cost to incarcerate someone is much more than spending the tax dollars on preventative measures like quality preK, childcare and such. You are very shortsighted and only care about punishing people rather than helping them. That's the antithesis of the message of Christ.

I like what this one nun said... [paraphrasing] if you don't want to use tax dollars to help feed and educate kids, but you are against abortion, then you are pro-birth, not pro-life, and I question your morality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And this ladies and gentlemen is the democrat base.

IF they vote.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting the mom's comments, placing blame on the teachers. If my children tested as not "proficient" every single year, I would not be blaming all those teachers. If most of the men in my son's family were gunned down, I would move. These kids have terrible, terrible home lives.
It is not surprising they are basically illiterate.
The only surprising thing about this article is the boy going to college. How can he possibly pass college courses?

There are some success stories. However, if you examine the college stats, many are accepted but leave around the 2-year mark. This is national. Entering college is bullshit. It's all about academic stamina, and our public schools have watered down the rigor.

I speak from experience. It's scary, and I'm willing - as a PS teacher - to go private with my own children if I have to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This investigative report is depressing.

http://foxbaltimore.com/news/project-baltimore/6-baltimore-schools-no-students-proficient-in-state-tests

It is 2017. How can Baltimore public schools still be so bad?

How many more generations of kids will go without an education before we, as a society, say enough is enough?

Because we, as a society, don't want to commit the resources to the things that would actually improve the chances of children born to poor black parents in cities (actually of children born to poor parents of any race in rural, suburban, or urban areas), and then we blame the schools for our own failure as a society.

How do we fix this specific problem in Baltimore?

I've got nearly two decades of antipoverty advocacy under my professional belt, and I don't have the answer...so I'm guessing you don't either, pp.

It's not the schools or the teachers. It's the students. And more directly: it's the way they've been raised. Their upbringing and home environment don't typically prioritize education and respect for authority. Just to clarify: there are outliers; not all the kids have parents who have checked out. But if none of the kids are proficient, then that says something that cannot be ignored.

Housing advocates will say the families just need housing. Food advocates will say they just need nutritious food. Kids obviously need both, but that won't improve test scores. Poverty advocates will say they need money. True, but that won't improve test scores.

Why are your kids thriving, DCUM? Think about everything you do to engage your kids, including setting expectations and boundaries. Parenting makes a difference. The home environment makes a difference. The neighborhood makes a difference. The cultural norm makes a difference.

Google the hot mess of a failed experiment by Zuckerberg in the Newark public school system. In short: fancy schools with cool technology and fabulous teachers can't fix the problems created at home. Sad, but true.

So what's the solution? I'm not sure. But I think we would have less people living in poverty and struggling academically if people delayed childbearing until their mid-20s...ideally equipped with at least a HS degree, a stable job, and a partner. All the research and data points to that, but unfortunately there's no way to legislate such things---and I haven't seen a US-based program that incentivizes such things (Africa has some programs that pay girls to prevent childbearing and continue their education).

[Anonymous]

You don't think that housed, fed, non-poor kids would do better in school -- however you measure it, including test scores -- than kids in families housing insecurity or homelessness, food insecurity, and a chronic lack of money for needed things?

You don't think that people would be better parents if they didn't have to deal with housing insecurity or homeless, food insecurity, and a chronic lack of money for needed things?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This investigative report is depressing.

http://foxbaltimore.com/news/project-baltimore/6-baltimore-schools-no-students-proficient-in-state-tests

It is 2017. How can Baltimore public schools still be so bad?

How many more generations of kids will go without an education before we, as a society, say enough is enough?

Because we, as a society, don't want to commit the resources to the things that would actually improve the chances of children born to poor black parents in cities (actually of children born to poor parents of any race in rural, suburban, or urban areas), and then we blame the schools for our own failure as a society.

Really? What do you think we should be doing that we are not? What resources exactly do you think would make a difference here?

1) provide safe housing. Do you know Freddy gray was poisoned by lead as a child from unsafe public housing. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/investigations/bs-md-lead-poisoning-gaps-20151213-story.html

2) year round public school that starts at 8am and ends at 8pm, providing 3 meals a day, school, tutoring, clubs and sports.

[Anonymous]

The only way to correct this problem would be to institute mandatory boarding school to remove these kids from their homes and neighborhoods where education is not only not valued, but mocked.

[Anonymous]

Thug Life

[Anonymous]

and people say sending your children to PGCPS is abuse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This investigative report is depressing.

http://foxbaltimore.com/news/project-baltimore/6-baltimore-schools-no-students-proficient-in-state-tests

It is 2017. How can Baltimore public schools still be so bad?

How many more generations of kids will go without an education before we, as a society, say enough is enough?

Because we, as a society, don't want to commit the resources to the things that would actually improve the chances of children born to poor black parents in cities (actually of children born to poor parents of any race in rural, suburban, or urban areas), and then we blame the schools for our own failure as a society.

How do we fix this specific problem in Baltimore?

I've got nearly two decades of antipoverty advocacy under my professional belt, and I don't have the answer...so I'm guessing you don't either, pp.

It's not the schools or the teachers. It's the students. And more directly: it's the way they've been raised. Their upbringing and home environment don't typically prioritize education and respect for authority. Just to clarify: there are outliers; not all the kids have parents who have checked out. But if none of the kids are proficient, then that says something that cannot be ignored.

Housing advocates will say the families just need housing. Food advocates will say they just need nutritious food. Kids obviously need both, but that won't improve test scores. Poverty advocates will say they need money. True, but that won't improve test scores.

Why are your kids thriving, DCUM? Think about everything you do to engage your kids, including setting expectations and boundaries. Parenting makes a difference. The home environment makes a difference. The neighborhood makes a difference. The cultural norm makes a difference.

Google the hot mess of a failed experiment by Zuckerberg in the Newark public school system. In short: fancy schools with cool technology and fabulous teachers can't fix the problems created at home. Sad, but true.

So what's the solution? I'm not sure. But I think we would have less people living in poverty and struggling academically if people delayed childbearing until their mid-20s...ideally equipped with at least a HS degree, a stable job, and a partner. All the research and data points to that, but unfortunately there's no way to legislate such things---and I haven't seen a US-based program that incentivizes such things (Africa has some programs that pay girls to prevent childbearing and continue their education).

Very well stated. I think if you offer free and easy access to birth control in inner cities it might help. Paying very poor kids to graduate HS is not a bad idea. We either pay for it now, or pay for it later in the form of more welfare or paying to keep them in prison.

Zuckerberg probably has enough money to pay for that.

[Anonymous]

Birth control wont help much. Many girls get pregnant on purpose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't think that housed, fed, non-poor kids would do better in school -- however you measure it, including test scores -- than kids in families housing insecurity or homelessness, food insecurity, and a chronic lack of money for needed things?

You don't think that people would be better parents if they didn't have to deal with housing insecurity or homeless, food insecurity, and a chronic lack of money for needed things?

The research isn't clear. There's an old study in MoCo that placed families entering the homeless systems into housing in two areas: a good area, and a not so good area. The families that were housed in the better area fared better overall (shocking, right?). But don't forget: the other families were housed, provided income support, job training, etc. too...but their kids didn't actually do better. Why? Bad neighborhood. Which translates into expectations and cultural norms. So, how do you fix the Baltimore situation...when the problems are endemic to most of the city and generations old? It's not as simple as providing housing vouchers and food stamps...which many of the students already have.