Updated 5/29: On Sunday 5/27, Alexandria from Houstonist gave me some props in her "local blog roundup" post. Thanks! Also, in the comments section, I completed a thought that wasn't explained very well in the original post, so I suggest reading there as well.
Maybe it's because I'm not originally from Texas and I've never heard of closing underperforming schools before, but how does that help?
It sounds to me, that moving students to other schools would only shuffle underperforming students to schools that are currently performing at an acceptable rate, thus dragging down those schools scores.
Here's an idea, let's try reorganizing the staff. Move some (certainly not all) of the teachers that are able to excel in these tough situations out of the acceptable schools and into these schools. Let's hire more staff. Oh wait, that's right, our schools are cash-strapped because of extraneous, ridiculous overspending in other areas.
I never understood how or why education funding declines or remains stagnant. Seriously, the people in our schools will be taking care of you and I in 30-40 years; don't we want them to be the best possible people they can be? If we need to raise taxes for better education funding, then so be it, it's in everyone's interest. Generating more income would provide more staff, or at the very least, possibly a more qualified staff like they have at those fancy schmancy private schools.
Education is one of those things on which we should not be skimping. We’re already lagging in compared to other countries when it comes to how many engineers or scientists we’re churning out of our colleges.
In our society of billionaires, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Paul Allen, Michael Dell, and more familiarly Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Forbes & the Walton Family of Wal-Mart fame, why not throw a couple BILLION (each) at our education system. Meanwhile, here in Houston, Ken Lay’s widow is worried about unfreezing her dead husbands’ assets. Do you think if she does receive any of that money she will throw it back into these schools? I think not.
I don’t want to go completely off topic, but many of the people who are in these struggling schools may ultimately wind up fighting and dying in a war that throwing money towards doesn’t seem to be as big a conundrum for the government.
2 comments:
Throwing more and more money at school funding has not worked - ever. Schools in my town have the typical problem that all public schools have - 60% of school budget goes to management. Teachers receive less and management receive more. School board members go on wild spending trips under the guise of looking out for our schools and seeking information. $200. a night hotels don't do much for students.
Since you brought up that throwing money at schools has not worked, I'm curious to know what you think would work?
I would certainly agree with your statement about the money not being allocated and used properly.
I think the point I was trying to make was incomplete because I'd like to see more money going towards improving school grounds, hiring more staff (either part time assistants or full time teachers) and increasing the resources available to the teachers, whom also should be receiving more money as well.
Unfortunately, logic has gone out the window on numerous subjects in this country and education seems to fall into that category.
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