Posted on 12/12/2006 7:19:09 AM PST by TitanicMan2003
Superintendent of Grand Rapids Public Schools Bernard Taylor is looking for ways to improve after an instructional audit showed high rates of failure in high schools.
The audit shows more than 50 percent of students at all four high shools did not meet district standards on writing assessments. Also, more than 65 percent of freshmen are failing classes.
(snip)
Other numbers in the audit indicate the number of freshmen with a grade point average below 2.0 increased and more than 40 percent of high school students missed more than 10 days of school in core classes.
Taylor said he won't blame anyone, adding the purpose of making these findings public is to be transparent and solicit community help.
"I'm going to put it out there," Taylor said. "People will respond or they won't. My purpose was not to point fingers or assign blame, (but to) look at what we need to do and figure out how we're going to get there."
Parents want to know how the situations will be fixed.
(Excerpt) Read more at woodtv.com ...
You repeat yourself.
L
Probably, except that GRPS is so horribly mismanaged that there is no money. The neighborhoods go up in arms if they try to close one of the half-or-third-full schools, and they just got a millage increase a little while ago (good luck getting a second). They'll either have to find real solutions or let the situation fester. I'm exprecting the latter.
MGY
We dont want their kids to be "like whitey". Reading books makes you like whitey.
Wouldn't it be refreshing to hear about all the concerned parents jumping in and asking "How can WE help to improve the situation?" Not holding my breath...
Most of the ones that really care have already pulled their children out of socialized education.
Students are failing across the country yet, teachers are paid more then ever in history.
They say they need more money.
What should we do?
In your job, you have pay for performance.....right? Do the same thing with teachers. Break the unions and demand that the teachers perform. Right now, it's called dumbing down our kids. These kids are the future of this country......demand that the schools fix it.
Not from that area, can only speak to what happens when parents want to get involved in my area. Nothing. The system seems to deliberately exclude parents. Nearly all inquires to teachers regarding homework assignments/testing/performance are ignored or not adequately addressed. Parents that are insistent, are viewed as meddlers, called "helicopter parents" for hovering around where they are not wanted. Screw public school.
De-unionize the schools, allow local school boards to hire principles, allow principals to fire bad teachers. Pay teachers based on ability not time served, pay teachers on a curve. Get rid of the federal level education hacks and return to state and local level. End the pension system in place. Hold Univ boards accountable possible by public election.
Unions don't allow many teachers to even attend football games any longer so teacher - student interaction at social events with parents is good. I wrote a piece a long time ago on 10 things we need to do. I'll have to go back through the files.
" demand that the teachers perform."
Problem is in a lot of districts staffing is very difficult as it is. The reason they take bad teachers is because nobody else wants the job. A lot of NC schools are like this. Upping the bar will just mean empty classrooms. It is a spectacularly complex problem that will take a generation of good leadership to solve.
Grand Rapids is in Michigan. Let's not forget the powerful Teachers Union and MEA which controls Michigan's public education. Michigan has the highest teacher pay (behind Alaska) in the Country. Inner city schools (like Grand Rapids) suffer the most but suburban schools are just slightly better.
Same with the Cincinnati Public Schools. They are a mess.
The leadership has not emerged in 200 years. Its not going to emerge today either. There is a sub set of people who will at all costs keep their children suppressed. They are easy to spot. You are not able to overcome this mindset. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton speak DIRECTLY to these people. We need to cut welfare and social give away and let the chips fall. Lets get by this. You can only beat a dead horse for so long.
Quick - lower the standards and give that school some more money!
Statr by cleaning out all those Muslims. They will ruin your state soon.
The problem here is not so much with the teachers
but the eroded community. When you have 20% truancy it
says alot abouth the community as a whole.
MI needs alot of cleaning out. the caNADian trash gov, the socialist senators, the detroit congressman that makes the senators look moderate..
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