Posted on 02/01/2005 12:17:40 PM PST by KneelBeforeZod
Oak Grove Middle School has low state test scores, and for many parents -- and teachers -- that's all they need to know.
It doesn't matter that the Concord school once was honored as a California Distinguished School and has classes for gifted and talented students, a state-of-the-art technology program and even a psychologist on campus to support the kids.
What matters is that widely publicized state test scores and the federal No Child Left Behind Act have labeled the school underperforming, giving parents a reason to leave. Enrollment has dropped from 915 last year to 750, and the parents of another 180 students have requested transfers by the fall. The act also has figured in the loss of 40 teachers in recent years, Principal Lorie O'Brien said.
SNIP
"I'm not prejudiced, (but) the school became English-as-a-second-language, " she said. "You would be taking my kids from a great environment to a ghetto environment where they're struggling with other needs ... The test scores at Oak Grove are terrible."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Makes me wonder how "outstanding" they really were before accountability standards were imposed.
I love how the writer, who I gamble would NEVER portray any kind of criticism of US actions in Iraq as leading to any actions that would harm our soldiers, seems to be saying that labelling these schools honestly is a bad thing because it stigmatizes them.
And I could once wear size 32 Levis. So what.
Should have spent more on good teachers and fired the psychologist.
I grew up in Concord/Walnut Creek in the 60s. When I visited the area last year I did not recognise it!
The psychologist on campus should have been enough warning!
I don't know whether English immersion or part English/part native language instruction is best for the first couple of years here is the best way. The race pimps "teach them in Spanish until they can get jobs as maids and gardeners" is far worse than the other two.
We have the same problem in Memphis. A lot of the problem lies with the leadership in this city.
LOL so true !!!
I still can..........on one leg......
Sadly, most districts have school psychologists. Talk to any psychologist and they'll tell you, it's one of those jobs which is looked down upon most by those in that profession. Every profession has these bottom-of-the-barrel jobs that others in the profession hope they never have to take.
I went to a HS that was a California Distinguished School... We were tops within 50 miles in SATs, state tests and admits to top schools.
Then a few years later, one of the sketchiest schools in town got the same designation...thats when I knew it had become one of those "berets for the whole army" type programs.
"Some immigrants can't figure it out" because the PC crowd that runs the public school system holds their kids in ESL classes for years upon years. They spend half of every school day in another classroom, away from the mainstream and their native English-speaking peers. And many of the ESL teachers and staff, beyond speaking Spanglish, are NOT subject matter experts. Thus their core subject learning lags and the test scores fall. ESL is a recipe for failure, imho.
BTW- I adopted two non-English speaking kids, mainstreamed them into PreK within 6 weeks, and they were right up there with their peers within two months. Now after 2 years they are more fluent in English and their vocabulary is richer than most of their peers.
Ever notice that most well-learned folks, like diplomats and military officers abroad, when they want their kids to perform in a non-native langauge- go with total immersion and the kids handle it just fine?
Yeah, your points are basically what I sent to the author of this article...
ESL classes are just a way for democrats to control more people (in their minds)
It will take years of failure before the dems stop promoting that crap. Then they'll just abondon it and say repubs caused it to fail
I live in Concord and Monument Street is called little Mexico. I won't even stop at a store around there because the street and parking lots are filled with guys loitering.
Also, the police were stopped from stopping anyone in that neighborhood for expired tags because they were accused of racism.
I want to see the Children who strive for academic excellence get ahead, the rest fall back ACT that gets Government out of Education so that competition can get back in.
Many of the highest performing students at our local high school are immigrants.
"Sometimes the better-educated parents take advantage of the school choice option."
There's a pattern there...parents...involved...educated... If I were planning to move to Mexico, you can make dang sure I would have my children learning Spanish before we moved, not just dumping them off and expecting the school to teach them.
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