[pleikumud]

The solution is to eliminate public, government-run schools at all levels, K-12 and up. Get the Federal, State and local governments out of the education business. This eliminates about 50-60% of local and state taxes, reduces taxes on all real estate, including apartment buildings, and puts money in the pockets of education consumers to purchase education. Complete freedom of choice. If you don't like XYZ Education Co., send the kid to a different school. Truly competitive, shop for price, quality and content.

[Sterco]

Whitey's fault

[nmh]

"The lawsuit cites a consistent gap between black and white high-school graduates in Pinellas County. The class failure rate is more than twice as high among blacks. Discipline problems are 39 percent more frequent than with white students. "

Well when you have 70% of black children born out of wedlock, no one home to supervise what's going on and that included NO discipline, is it ANY wonder there is a problem?

[Ninian Dryhope]

"Crowley said the white-run school system allowed his son to fall behind."

He has a good point. After all, blacks do so very well in those black-run educational systems in the big cities. The youths just need those role models, you see.

[cyborg]

"Public education, to me personally, is specifically set up to dumb us down," said William Crowley, who filed the lawsuit.

** Well sir if you had any imagination, you'd homeschool your child if that's how you feel. There are lots of parents doing this right now.

[nmh]

I'd LOVE to see that!

In this particular situation, I'd say it's more about the breaking down of the family and this race trying to blame others for the results of the family disintegration. 70% of all black births are out of wedlock ... guys don't hang around ... so that leaves mom ... working and not being around. This scenario is not reserved for blacks. It knows no race although blacks have the highest percentage of this problem.

[Ninian Dryhope]

""The facts are overwhelming and not just in Pinellas County, but nationwide, there is a high failure rate of black students across this country," Crowley said."

And not just across this country, either, but across the world, since blacks do less well academically in countries as socially advanced as France, Britain, and Canada as well. Need to use Occam's razor on this one.

[cyborg]

Public schools as they stand today are pure poison for young black children. People on both sides have stereotypes of black children that will hamper them. One side thinks they need their help and the other side believes they're too stupid to educate.

[geezerwheezer]

This is going to open up a real can of worms, and snakes!! I do not blame the man for wanting a really decent education for his children, nor should anyone stand in their way trying to achieve this. That being said, the problems foisted on public education by governments tying to be "nannies" is staggering. In the black community we have rampant drug cultures, out-of-wedlock births,high unemployment, crappy schools, no parental involement, high crime rates, and a welfare state that has fostered most of this. We have the same thing in the white community too, just not the same percentages. Until we grab hold of the problems involved, and find mutually acceptable solutions and standards, we will continue to bastardize our educational system and continue to fail our people.

[Buffettfan]

[["The facts are overwhelming and not just in Pinellas County, but nationwide, there is a high failure rate of black students across this country," Crowley said]]

Is it maybe because they are too busy glorifying gangstas like fiddy cent, snoop dog, and trying to live the gangsta lifestyle rather than hit the books and studying? You can only blame so much on whitey.

[nmh]

One critic argues it's not the school's fault that black students are not learning.

"To suggest that the school district can somehow uniquely single out black kids and give them inferior educations while giving other kids a better education is kind of ludicrous," said Ward Connerly, head of the American Civil Rights Institute.

---

Ah, someone sane involved with this. I LOVE Ward Connerly. He tells it like it is. BTW, he's .... dare I say it ... black!

[Republic If You Can Keep It]

"Public education, to me personally, is specifically set up to dumb us down," said William Crowley

Actually, it's set up to dumb EVERYONE down!

Vouchers, vouchers, vouchers.

[NonValueAdded]

Is William Crowley on the School Advisory Council at his child's school? Does he even have a child in school? Is he on the PTSO? Is he a registered volunteer? Has he volunteered to mentor a child? Did Willie look at the home situation of the children he feels are being failed? He could get a pretty good first order impression from how they were dressed for school. Ask them to show you their homework, Willie. Or is Willie just looking at some statistics, came up with "whitey's fault" all on his own and filed the suit?

[IronJack]

The class failure rate is more than twice as high among blacks. Discipline problems are 39 percent more frequent than with white students.

Given this set of facts, how many different (and specious) conclusions can different groups of people come up with?

Furthermore, how incompetent is the judge who gives such specious conclusions any judicial weight?

[NonValueAdded]

School ping

[Sam Cree]

I agree with the free market solution. On a lot of levels.

I happen also to agree with Crowley the the system is designed to dumb down the students. Does the article say what his suit wants done to "fix" the system?

When my kids were in public school in Florida, one thing that stood out between black and white students is that on back to school nights (meet the teacher nights), there was a lot more participation by white parents than by black parents.

[RoseyT]

A little off topic, but I've been meaning to ask about this for awhile.
I've been considering a lawsuit against my kids' school. I believe they should be provided with a bilingual education.
Why are my children, who only speak English, not being provided with the opportunity to learn Spanish? The kids who are bilingual will end up with more job opportunities.
Think we'd have a case?

[Nomorjer Kinov]

The solution is to eliminate public, government-run schools at all levels, K-12 and up. Get the Federal, State and local governments out of the education business. This eliminates about 50-60% of local and state taxes, reduces taxes on all real estate, including apartment buildings, and puts money in the pockets of education consumers to purchase education.

Government does not shrink.

Eliminating the excuse for the taxes will not eliminate the taxes. It will free up the money so governments can address "unmet needs" (anything which aids in reelecting politicians). We are stuck with this education mess.

[Roccus]

So long as the black community disdainfully looks on good comportment and studiousness as "acting too white," this problem will never be solved.

[nicolezmomma]

My daughter goes to a 'fundamental' public school in the heart of St. Petersburg (Pinellas County) where the riots were a few years ago.

What is the difference with a 'fundamental' school to a regular public school? Required mandatory parental involvement and student behavior standards. This system has been used to attract the rich kids to the poor neighborhoods. There is a lottery, though if the child is a minority, the waiting list is shorter.

Here is the only difference between a fundamental public school and a regular public school:

* Parents must attend monthly PTA meetings

* Parents must sign homework each night. There is homework M-Th as well as some weekends

* Discipline rules for the kids

* Dress code for the kids

* Cannot be late to school

There are no exceptions to these rules. The elementary and middle schools she attended are in the top 10% of all Florida schools. Now the parent in this suit may have a leg on his arguement because the better teachers sign up for these schools since they don't have to deal with discipline problems and are attracted to parents who are required to be involved.

However minorities have no problem getting into these schools and benefiting from the excellent education.

[YOUGOTIT]

The solution, which the left-wing democrats are fighting is to give them vouchers so they can go the school of their choice.

It has been the policy of the democrat party to keep people uneducated and poor so they can buy their votes. So far it has worked, but I believe that people want to be free and educated and make their own decisions in life. To do this they need education, and not for the government run schools which cannot do their job.