JFKjr Posted yesterday at 02:09 PM Posted yesterday at 02:09 PM On 4/28/2025 at 10:50 PM, The Frankish Reich said: I hate to admit it, but he's right. Colorado, my state, take a big bow ... you are the nation's leader in 8th grade reading proficiency. 35% of our 8th graders score proficient or better. Wow. Only 65% of our kids are failing at the most basic skill. Give us a medal or something. Or move to Mississippi and crow about your 22% rate. It all sucks. I guess the question I'd ask is how many of those students have English as a second language. That would be a big impediment to educational achievement. Obviously the younger you are when you learn English the better you'll do, but a lot of this might just be reflective of the reality of a language barrier. The rest of the kids may be doing fine, although teachers have their hands full dealing with those with limited English skills AND a lot of mainstreamed kids who have behavioral issues. I don't envy the teachers their job challenges! It's also why I don't think they should be rewarded based on the test scores of their students. A lot of that is out of their control. They should be well compensated for doing a difficult job. 1
K D Posted yesterday at 02:14 PM Posted yesterday at 02:14 PM (edited) 32 minutes ago, All_Pro_Bills said: Somebody told me a while back that you can tell a lot about a person's situation by how much time and effort they spend thinking about the future. Generally, people well off or wealthy spend a lot of time worrying about the future vs. focusing on the present. The poor on the other hand, do not. A lot of the education problem has to do with the culture of poverty. People that value education are people that think a lot about the future. If you've got a decent job and a stable home life you're in a good position to do that kind of thinking. Those White and Asian households that you mention where education is deemed important provide that environment. A lot of black and hispanic households provide this kind of environment too. These are homes that produce the most proficient students and learners. These people learn that putting in the work in the present produces gratification and results in the future. The ability to defer gratification and rewards is a trait almost every single successful person in any field of work share. But if you're working poor or live at or below the poverty level, no matter your race and national origin, its hard to focus on the future when the present is a struggle for survival. In those circumstances, putting a lot of time and effort focusing on the future is not only a waste of time but can hinder the ability to survive under the present circumstances. You can't defer gratification and results or worry too much about the future, you need results and money now to survive. That these people need results now, not later, should be obvious because there may not be a later for them. Who makes more money? A family with both parents or a single parent household? There, we just solved the entire reason why black America is an endless loop of failure. Now what are we going to do about? Oh nothing, cool. You can't even talk about it because it's racist to even mention this. But it's not just poverty, it's culture. Asian Americans put a huge emphasis on education. My family members were poor farmers and came to America and were dirt poor here too but it opened up more opportunities which I was able to take advantage of. I was the first in my family to graduate college etc etc. Each generation you push your kids to do better than you had it. Black families have been in America for longer so what's their excuse? Culture Edited yesterday at 02:17 PM by K D 1
Doc Posted yesterday at 02:16 PM Posted yesterday at 02:16 PM 1 minute ago, JFKjr said: I guess the question I'd ask is how many of those students have English as a second language. That would be a big impediment to educational achievement. Obviously the younger you are when you learn English the better you'll do, but a lot of this might just be reflective of the reality of a language barrier. The rest of the kids may be doing fine, although teachers have their hands full dealing with those with limited English skills AND a lot of mainstreamed kids who have behavioral issues. I don't envy the teachers their job challenges! It's also why I don't think they should be rewarded based on the test scores of their students. A lot of that is out of their control. They should be well compensated for doing a difficult job. That's what I've been saying about people not assimilating when they come here. They stay in their enclaves and don't bother entering the melting pot. I once had a Spanish-only speaking patient and I can get by pretty well, but she said something I didn't understand and actually had the balls to ask me "why don't you know Spanish?" 2 minutes ago, K D said: Who makes more money? A family with both parents or a single parent household? There, we just solved the entire reason why black America is an endless loop of failure. Now what are we going to do about? Oh nothing, cool. You can't even talk about it because it's racist to even mention this. But it's not just poverty, it's culture. Asian Americans put a huge emphasis on education. My family members were poor farmers and came to America and were dirt poor here too but it opened up more opportunities which I was able to take advantage of. I was the first in my family to graduate college etc etc. Black families have been in America for longer so what's their excuse? Culture When 3 out of every 4 black children are born to a single mother, you have a gigantic problem. And as you said, no one's addressing it because it's considered racist since "that's their culture"...that came about in just the last 40 years. 1
K D Posted yesterday at 02:19 PM Posted yesterday at 02:19 PM 8 minutes ago, JFKjr said: I guess the question I'd ask is how many of those students have English as a second language. That would be a big impediment to educational achievement. Obviously the younger you are when you learn English the better you'll do, but a lot of this might just be reflective of the reality of a language barrier. The rest of the kids may be doing fine, although teachers have their hands full dealing with those with limited English skills AND a lot of mainstreamed kids who have behavioral issues. I don't envy the teachers their job challenges! It's also why I don't think they should be rewarded based on the test scores of their students. A lot of that is out of their control. They should be well compensated for doing a difficult job. You are acting like this has never happened in the history of this country. Pretty much everyone here is an immigrant. My grandparents came here speaking zero English. You assimilate and learn the language. It's part of the deal. Which is why we need to close the border to those that have no interest in becoming American. I get upset when I see commercials on TV in Spanish. If they want to speak Spanish there are plenty of other countries they can migrate to. Let them go there.
Big Blitz Posted yesterday at 08:24 PM Author Posted yesterday at 08:24 PM Gavin Newsom's California is planning to implement a new "Grading for Equity" program at @SFUnified schools. This program will: -Eliminate homework -Eliminate weekly tests -Allow for late assignment hand-ins -Allow students to skip class without affecting grade -Make getting an "80" an "A" -Allow students to pass with as grade as low as "21"
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