Let me just say it: It's a racial divide problem, more than anything. When people talk about under-performing schools, or students, they mostly mean the inner city schools, or the rural schools which are predominately black. NCLB only exacerbates the situation. Any criticism that fails to address this issue is hollow, and doomed to failure, or (worse) to perpetuating the racial division we have. The question becomes, how to attract good teachers to poor districts, and how to motivate students in those diatricts. I don't have the answer, but sneering remarks ablut LIBRULS doesn't help, either.

cliff


My friend is a public school teacher and teaches in a middle school (grades 4, 5 and 6) with a mostly black student population. He can hardly wait to retire. He worries for his physical safety and spends much of his time keeping students from either striking him or fighting each other. The parents, if they can be contacted, are of no help and end up blaming "whitey" for their children's school problems.

The black students who do want to get an education are ridiculed for acting "white" by their fellow students. IMHO, no amount of money spent on public education is going to educate students who feel this way and who do not respect their white teachers.

Mike