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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Your child's instructional day will be interrupted by countless episodes of disruptive behavior. The classroom culture will be tense as these children are frequently not engaged and well below level of the grade level material. Many of the  teachers will be on the spectrum of burnout. Lots of staff turnover. The school focus will be to raise those test scores and the curriculum will be focused entirely on that. The common denominator of rigor will be much lower. Your kid will look like a rock star to most teachers who appreciate that he does his work, doesn't mouth off, and makes an effort. Is this a good thing? Not really, because the perception is skewed. He won't be challenged. He will not be motivated and inspired  by other achievers, as they are not the norm. He will be involved in a close knit group of friends there, which is nice, but there are few options to make broader connections. School events are sparsely attended by the whole of the community.

Before the flamers start, yes, there are some  kids from low income environments who excel beyond all these characterizations, but it is not the norm.

Sincerely,

Someone who really knows......[/quote]

This “someone who really knows” has a very narrow knowledge of higher poverty schools.  
The answer to your question is that if you have a child who comes from a very supportive home, he will likely do quite well in school, regardless of the economic level of the other students.  Many Title I schools (which ARE Title I because of their high free and reduced lunch rates) have a student body that does well.  
I have taught in several of these schools.  I have not witnessed the “countless episodes of disruptive behavior.”  Quite the opposite, really.  Most of these kids are excited to be at school and quite eager to learn.  Do some students misbehave?  Of course.  This happens in ALL schools.  I won’t go through all of the pp.’s negative comments, but will point out a crucial point - the quality of your child’s teaching is most affected by the quality of the teacher.  It is the TEACHER that makes the difference.  So, you can have a GREAT teacher in a “bad” school or a BAD teacher in a great school.  
Title I schools do have additional resources and the teachers at these schools also receive additional professional development.  That is a plus. 
My advice is to visit the school in question.  Watch instruction.  Do the teachers seem to like what they do?  Do they treat the students respectfully?  Do the students seem happy?  Are the teachers supported by administration?  
Good luck with your child and his/her schooling.  [/quote]

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