tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post5690608347665508881..comments2024-01-04T05:57:26.735-06:00Comments on Education Policy Blog: Hosted by the Forum on the Future of Public Education: American public schools - still unequal (and racist) after all these yearsCraig A. Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160288758906798678noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-68177467930436830132011-06-04T10:05:31.662-05:002011-06-04T10:05:31.662-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Scarletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14862852714408386780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-31130057996918646512011-05-14T02:16:22.711-05:002011-05-14T02:16:22.711-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.trailmarkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09817212585071822213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-87747588109275591812010-01-17T16:33:52.568-06:002010-01-17T16:33:52.568-06:00Racism. Sure. That's it.
I imagine some peop...Racism. Sure. That's it. <br /><br />I imagine some people feel a warm glow of moral superiority when they make ugly accusations of others. But as the writer says, the problem keeps getting worse. It keeps getting work because this way of seeing is also a way of being blind, and it will never work.<br /><br />When all decisions are made by the state and equality is the only measure that anyone remembers--when we are all unfree and captive--we will still find that we are not equal.<br /><br />This folly has dominated our politics for a long time. It's all some people know.mluhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14604542562679056038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-43683347507221537422010-01-17T15:26:05.367-06:002010-01-17T15:26:05.367-06:00Thanks for opening this discussion, Ken and Christ...Thanks for opening this discussion, Ken and Christopher, because it lies at the heart of the arguments about how best to "fix" failing schools. Most people assume that students who live in poverty also attend grossly underfunded schools; in fact, discrepancies in school funding (how much per pupil and how the money is generated) are so vast, between and within states, as to make comparisons--how much money yields what outcomes?-- close to pointless.<br /><br />I live near Detroit, a district recently highlighted as having the worse NAEP scores in the country. Detroit is neither a poor district nor a wealthy district in Michigan, a state that has taken great pains to try to equalize school funding without enraging the white suburbs which have traditionally supported their schools generously, or leaving rust-belt urban schools with no resources. There is no perfect formula, but lately the legal watchword for ed funding has been "adequacy."<br /><br />It's not a bad word. It does point to the idea that money is necessary but insufficient to make the kinds of reforms that might actually start moving indicators in the right direction (graduation rates, satisfaction, and a range of other measurable outcomes, in addition to statewide assessments). Moving the indicators is complex, as factors (employment, health, transience) interact in non-linear and unpredictable ways.<br /><br />The problem with playing with the inputs = outcomes equations (every economist's favorite game) is that there are tons of examples of schools where the inputs are in the top percentages and the outcomes are substandard. There are also places where inputs are low and outcomes high (Utah springs to mind here). You can rush to judgment ("let's take away the money since it doesn't help")--or you can figure out what, precisely, does move the needle for the kids who need the most assistance.<br /><br />There's an undertone of disparagement, rather than hope and commitment, in some of the work I see on funding and reform. I'm curious, too: what do other people see as the answer to providing enough funding to make real change?Nancy Flanaganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00047575960944913289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-19371564089596030912010-01-17T11:27:59.218-06:002010-01-17T11:27:59.218-06:00Christopher - it cannot simply be a matter of co...Christopher - it cannot simply be a matter of comparing total dollars. It depends on how those dollars are applied. And there is a huge cost incurred in constant turnover of teachers, which is often a problem in inner city (and thus heavily minority spending) schools.<br /><br />As far as New Jersey, they have made major strides in closing the gaps compared to some other states, even as they have a long way to go. I would strongly suggest you read that portion of Darling-Hammond's book.teacherkenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02225551101423123044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-51801240269106172482010-01-17T11:13:14.057-06:002010-01-17T11:13:14.057-06:00The story about South Carolina's stagnant syst...The story about South Carolina's stagnant system is maddening and shameful. I wonder, though, is the emphasis on inputs that you highlight the best path to closing the achievement gap? Take a look at this presentation: http://www.tilsonfunds.com/Personal/TheCriticalNeedforGenuineSchoolReform.pdf<br />Pages 115-120 talk about the impact of money. School systems like Atlanta, DC, New Jersey and Cleveland have some of the highest per pupil expenditures in the country, and some of the worst outcomes. The correlation between spending money and higher outcomes seems to be weak. I'd be curious to hear about how you interpret this data.Christopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03365201371659621196noreply@blogger.com