Ann Arbor schools: New state report cards highlight need to address achievement gap
With 27 of its 33 buildings on the state of Michigan’s new Focus schools list, Ann Arbor school officials said this designation only further highlights the need for the achievement and discipline gap plans the district is implementing.
The Michigan Department of Education released its school report cards Thursday indicating annual yearly progress (AYP) and unveiling three new designations for schools in addition to meeting AYP: Focus schools, Reward schools and Priority schools.
All of Ann Arbor's elementary schools, including Eberwhite, pictured here, are on the state's list of Focus schools.
AnnArbor.com file photo
Jan Ellis, communications director for the MDE, said the Focus schools list serves to “shine a light” on an issue that may be present at a school and “give officials the opportunity to address it and identify those students affected to provide additional instruction and support.”
“The lists are not meant to be punitive,” she said. “They are meant to inform and should be viewed as a snapshot of what is going on inside the school.”
None of Washtenaw County’s schools appeared on the Priority schools list, which replaced the Persistently Lowest Achieving list. Last year, Lincoln, Ypsilanti and Willow Run high schools all made the PLA list.
There were 280 schools in Michigan designated as Reward schools, either for high student achievement or for overcoming the traditional barriers to student achievement. Ann Arbor’s Community High School; local charter school Central Academy; Dexter’s Bates and Cornerstone elementaries; New Beginnings Academy, also a charter school; and Saline High School and Harvest Elementary School in Saline all were dubbed Reward schools from Washtenaw County.
Ellis said the new school designations were part of the state’s requirements under the No Child Left Behind flexibility wavier it recently was granted by the federal government.
But while Ellis said the lists should not be viewed as a grievance, Ann Arbor school board Vice President Christine Stead said she fears the lists will incentivize schools to ignore personalized instruction and other education strategies targeted at helping unsuccessful students achieve and instead focus on simply “reducing the variation” among student performers.
Stead said if the state is going to have to ignore the aspects of student performance outside the classroom, such as poverty, ethnic background and culture, family life and more, “then the easiest approach would be to stop pushing our high performing students.”
Stead said schools that have a specific “gifted and talented” program for top students were excluded from falling into the Focus category because it was assumed the program was contributing to the performance disparity among pupils.
Additionally, there are restrictions in funding for Focus schools, she said. About 10 percent of schools' Title 1 funding must be put toward a plan to close the achievement gap as a result of making the list.
Ann Arbor Public Schools spokeswoman Liz Margolis said the district is confident that it already has strategies in place to address the issues brought forward in the way the state now designates schools, and it will remain driven to close the gap and to push students to their maximum potential.
“Our achievement data hasn’t changed,” she said, stating the only thing that has changed in how the MDE labels schools.
Stead said with the new cut scores for the Michigan Merit Exam and the Michigan Educational Assessment Program that went into effect this year, the district anticipated its achievement gap “would look worse.” She personally did not expect the state’s new report card to make it look quite so bad, she said.
Ann Arbor Public Schools issued a media release in response to the MDE’s school report cards. It stated in the 2010-11 academic year, nine AAPS juniors scored a perfect 36 on the ACT, more than 50 seniors scored a 750 or above on the SAT, and 80 percent of the class of 2011 was enrolled in college immediately after high school graduation.
“Clearly AAPS students succeed,” the news release said. “The Focus school designation does not mean that these schools are failing. On the contrary, AAPS schools are succeeding. But as AAPS has acknowledged there are areas of achievement that we will continue to address to ensure success for all of our students.”
Look up how each school in Washtenaw County faired in the state's report card using the Detroit Free Press' database.
Download the new lists here:
- Focus schools
- Reward schools
- Priority schools
- Complete top-to-bottom list
Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.
Comments
babmay11
Sun, Aug 5, 2012 : 2:50 p.m.
It's a complicated issue. I think the standardized testing is a good thing if 1) you are measuring what is most relevant to achievement, and 2) you use it to target, individualize, and improve instruction. You HAVE to measure performance somehow. I think the focus needs to shift mainly to a metric that would show % change over a year. Yes, a minimum level of competency should also be measured, but if you have low performers who are brought up quite a bit, and high performers that continue to rise, that is far more important than some minimum cutoff. Family life and parental involvement are the number one issues, but that doesn't excuse teachers from being measured or doing their jobs. If you only want high performers, go teach at a private school. Schools can only do so much, but they can make the time they have with students productive, and not just give up on them when it is tough. You never know when someone is going to blossom, and every kid you can help that way is worth it.
abc
Sat, Aug 4, 2012 : 5:20 p.m.
Before we blame teachers, parents, lazy ,disrespectful students, should we look at the curriculum first? In the rush to "raise the bar" to make students college and employable, are we asking students do do things that they are not developmentally ready to do? I get puzzled when I hear parents talk about homework for kindergarten students. At 5 years of age isn't it more reasonable to expect them to learn to follow directions and speak kindly to each other. How to take turns and patience when standing in line. How to take turns and group dynamics. Should formal academics take a step back in the earliest grades and the joy of learning by exploring your world become the norm? Learning can be fun and part of your everyday world and not just an assignment to be finished before bed. The formal academics would build on this natural curosity.
Somargie
Sat, Aug 4, 2012 : 2:52 a.m.
Wow, just another label form the MI Dept of Education. Maybe now they will release the monies they've taken from public education which causes schools to be labeled Focus or Priority for... 1. Full-time ELL/ESL students per school bldgs (most schools have to test students who have no English language, even if it's their first day of school, most ELL/ESL teachers serve 2-3 schools with students receiving an hour or less a week); 2. Full-time SPED teachers/support/classrooms (unlike charter schools which stats/reports have shown, public schools/classrooms have students with autism, emotional problems, disabilities, cognitive issues, & they have to be tested on academic standards regardless of their abilities, most SPED teachers (resource rooms) serve 2-3 schools with little support for students or teachers. In addition, AAPS only have 1 EI designated at elem. levels. ) 3. Full-time Social Worker & nurses (nurses serve 5 schools, spending 1 day only at each school & Social Workers at least 2-3 schools). Full-time in this area would greatly help homeless students, behavioral issues of students, medical & other family issues in collaboration with teachers. 4. Follow the example of successful states...18 Kindergarten students per class at Title 1 schools & 20 at others. 1st -5...a limit of 22, with a full-time aide for classroom with Autistic, EI and other severely cognitive challenge students. 5. home visits, language/education/family/job support for families.
skfina2
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 8:51 p.m.
@Danielle, could you please verify Christine Stead's statement about schools that have gifted and talented programs being exempt from the Focus list? I work at a school with such a program, and we are on the list. Thanks!
KeepingItReal
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 7:01 p.m.
Want to studny why their is a persistent achievement gap, visit your local libray any given day of the week either during the school year, during breaks and during the summer months and check out the demographics of the patrons. Go to a football game in the fall or a basketball game in the dead of winter and check out the demographics of those in attendance. If you want to see parent involvement, which every study I've read on students achievement list parent involvement as one of the most critical variables in student academic success...yet I've not seem anything in the Superintendent "Achievement Gap" and/or "Discipline Gap" plan that address this issue. As a community and school system, we seem to want to dance around this issue to the extent that nothing ever gets accomplished. Until and unless we address this critical variable (parent involvement), we will continue to struggle with this issue and with each new superintendent, there will be new plans to address it.
J. A. Pieper
Sat, Aug 4, 2012 : 10:14 p.m.
You have it right! As a teacher, what students do I see at the library when I am there? The Asians, and the other students I see are the ones with INVOLVED parents! When I start reading to my students, who comes into class within a couple of days and shares that they got the read aloud book from the library? The INVOLVED parents. KeepingitReal, please continue to share these ideas, teachers are not giving up, we just can't compete with families who have every game system at home, along with many games, but not one book!
anotherannarborite
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 5:20 p.m.
First - I grew up with first generation college parents, I have extensive college myself, but my family is poor enough to get reduced lunch (though we don't because school lunches here are of poor nutritional value - another story in itself). I work part time only so I can parent more. I am a single parent. We have always lived in poorer neighborhoods. Homelife is very different for children of middle-class educated parents and those that are not. The kind of conversations, the exposure to vocabulary, the value of education, the extracurriculars, the purchase of tutoring and other educational services, the discussions about the student's future, the homework help, ect. Schools that successfully bridge that homelife gap provide these services at school. Additionally, in districts where families with more to offer educationally, offer that to fellow students that don't have that at home. I don't see that here except perhaps a bit at the elementary level. I did see that at my prior school district, where 90% of high school grads went on to college or trade school, many being first generation. My older daughter's class's salutorian came from a single mom, non-high school grad family. But she had friends whose parents helped her out considerably. Also, the counselors and teachers helped her from manners in pre-school to college applications her senior year. Clearly, as evidenced by Ann Arbor's statistics, just being in the same classroom with high acheiving students is not enough for students from families with low educational acheivement.
janejane
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 5:12 p.m.
Years ago, my three children had to spend countless hours learning Cemral math....somebody's pet project from a U of M thesis, no doubt. Not only was Cemral dropped from AA schools, it was never seen any where else. It robbed my children from learning necessary mathematics, and impacted their college years. Thanks again for standing on your heads to be different AA public schools.
J. A. Pieper
Sat, Aug 4, 2012 : 10:20 p.m.
Oh, but the AAPS school system considers itself on the cutting edge of every curricular area! They are challenging their students with college level text books at the high school level, never getting through half of the book! I remember Cemral math also, and is the current Everyday Math any better? Districts around the country are dropping it, but AAPS just signed up for the next edition, but aren't even buying their classrooms a teacher edition!
a2cat
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 3:26 p.m.
My plan: Stop spending billions (trillions?) on all of the standardized testing. A few tests at critical times in development is plenty. (Saying that testing improves education is like saying you can fatten cows by weighing them.) Then, take that money and get class sizes down. All of the studies show that every type of learner benefits from smaller class sizes. And every student deserves this individual attention! I am confident that creating high standards and then giving teachers the resources and time to teach them (and time to evaluation and give productive feedback), achievement will soar. And let teachers teach!! Don't force innovative teachers to standardize too much. Let them fly... don't bring them down. Teaching only to get a certain score on a test does nothing to help creativity and imaginative problem solving. With the current trends of higher class sizes, less money available for education, attacks on teacher unions, and more standardization, I worry for education in America. And the achievement gaps will only get worse.
Angry Moderate
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 4:49 p.m.
Oh please. People don't fail to score at least "at grade level" on standardized tests because they're too busy being "creative" and "solving problems." People fail those tests because they can't read or do basic math properly.
A Voice of Reason
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 1:57 p.m.
The achievement gap is not just between black and white, but is really between those who learn easily regardless of the teacher (or parents can reteach them) and those who do not. I know many white affluent children in the bottom 30%. Face it, the teaching is not good (and I am not saying the teachers). The teachers needs to change and make sure the kids learn vs. doing it the way they always have. Books are old and outdated. School does not really start until after the MEAP. The first two weeks of schools are spent --well, not learning. Private schools have homework and books the first day of class. Subs. are not trained- and teachers are always at meetings or IEP's, plus 13 days of vacation, are in the classroom maybe 80% of the time. Things need to change.
Unusual Suspect
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 4:11 p.m.
I need to get a private investigator to find out what my wife is doing during her 13 vacation days, because she's not at home. Did you mean to say, "holidays?"
Billy Bob Schwartz
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 3:16 p.m.
Beth....You have said it perfectly!
Beth
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 2:59 p.m.
What? 13 days of vacation? Try 3 personal days - and teachers often use these to get themselves or their kids to medical appointments. Sick days are not "vacation". Subs are indeed trained - many are teachers, waiting for a job opening. Those who are not certified teachers do still receive both online and in-person training. Are you suggesting that IEP's aren't important? I think a lot of parents with special needs students would disagree with that. And I don't know what school your children attend, but in my experience the kids have books and homework from day 1. and believe me, it is NOT the teachers who favor the MEAP....
sh1
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 2:27 p.m.
Where do you get the information about public schools in your second paragraph? Please share sources, since you are not describing any Ann Arbor school I know.
John Turck III
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 1:26 p.m.
For me, any measurement of student achievement is based first on the support and guidance from HOME, then from the schools. If parents truly value education and behave accordingly, students will most often respond accordingly. Given a motivated student body, any school will rise in the ranks, fueled by parental support, energized by eager learners, and equipped with a faculty which can focus on the core education mission.
Billy Bob Schwartz
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 3:14 p.m.
Voice...outdated books are a result of lack of sufficient funding. Books are very expensive these days, and unless people are willing to pay for them.... Also, have you sat in on your kids' math classes and seen your kid texting Freddy or Glenda or otherwise fooling around? Does your kid ask for extra help from the teacher? Lots of questions. I'm just saying that you really don't know what your kids are doing when you are not there watching them. Have you stopped in to talk with the teacher? Have you gone to a School Board meeting and demanded more up-to-date textbooks? Etc. etc. etc. There are some poor teachers, but most people who go into teaching want kids to learn and will help when you point out a problem with your kid.
A Voice of Reason
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 2 p.m.
Sorry to disagree, but we full support our children and prioritize learning. We have to re-teach math to our child every night because the teacher is not good at being clear. Many parents are in the same boat. Those who can reteach, do. I see little support at school for learning--outdated books that are not clear, for a start.
Unusual Suspect
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 12:38 p.m.
Visit the homes of the students. Sure, then my wife won't get home until 8:00pm. That makes sense. Plus, what's the point of visiting the homes when the parents are never there? "Teachers are going to have to reach out to the parents that are not involved and explain what happens to their children if they stay uninvolved." This will not happen until things change and it becomes safe to do so. Currently, this can result in accusations of racism, because this uninvolved style of parenting is an accepted part of certain cultures. It is risky to even discipline certain children when they are disruptive, because the bad behavior and foul language are also seen as accepted parts of a certain cultures. It's allowed at home, and therefore to discipline these kids for it is to attack the parent. So to discuss this parenting shortfall and behavior with certain parents is to attack their cultural identity, and that puts that topic off limits. Teachers who have done this have found out it results in some very uncomfortable meetings with Human Resources administrators. Until dual-parent families and parental investment in a child's education becomes a norm in certain societies, there is very little teachers and the schools can do. The gap is not being created by the schools, it's being created in the home, and it must be fixed in the home. That won't happen until it's fixed in the culture. At this point I have become pretty much convinced that will never happen. A very famous, credible person with an Ed.D tried it from within one of these cultures, and he was crucified for it.
DonBee
Sat, Aug 4, 2012 : 2:40 p.m.
Yes sir - "NOT MY PROBLEM", "CAN"T SOLVE IT", "LET ME FOCUS ON THE KIDS I WANT TO WORK WITH" That is the usual response. Wonderful, just wonderful
sh1
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 12:25 p.m.
And, apparently, the district's plan to close these gaps is to stuff 30+ kids in a classroom.
DonBee
Sat, Aug 4, 2012 : 2:39 p.m.
sh1 - $4 Million increase in overhead in AAPS and $3 million to the sports program. That is 70 teachers that could be in classrooms this year that are not. Tell me about priorities in budgeting.
Angry Moderate
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 4:05 p.m.
sh1 - completely wrong. Trying reading the actual study from Tennessee. Or the one from Florida, or any of the others.
Unknown
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 3:16 p.m.
Class size makes a big difference because it's more "one on one time" with each student.
sh1
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 2:25 p.m.
Actually, longitudinal studies like the one done in Tennessee have proven that small class size increases student achievement. It also seems common sense that a teacher with 15 students can do more for them than a teacher with 30.
A Voice of Reason
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 2:01 p.m.
Size of classroom has little to do with achievement. Ask the education people at U of M to show you the studies.
DonBee
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : noon
Last year more than 1/2 of the children born in the US were born to single mothers. This means that the issue of uninvolved parents will get worse not better. In Detroit - 7 out of 8 children never learn to read. How is a parent from that system supposed to read to their children when they can't read themselves? Everyone wants to blame someone else. No one wants to take responsibilty. I have been watching Rocketship, a charter company with very high numbers of free and reduced lunch, single parent children. I don't know if it is a flash in the pan or something that actually works. BUT...we need to find a new model to help these children who come from single parent low income households OR we will an ever larger and larger low income group trapped by lack of education. We have done away with holding back students. We expect children to know more and more when they reach kindergarden (in my kindergarden - no one was expected to know the alphabet or to count to 10 - today you are not ready for kindergarden if you can't do both). Age grading is a factory system, passing children along by age to the next level is more like a factory then a education system. grouping children by subject, by ability is the only way to fix this problem - if you have not mastered the topic (e.g. addition) you don't move up. Teachers in my youth used to visit (physically) the homes of their students in the evening and talk to the parents. I don't know a single teacher today that makes that effort. I looked forward (even in kindergarden) to my teacher coming to the house. If we want a true parent/teacher partnership, then the teachers are going to have to reach out to the parents that are not involved and explain what happens to their children if they stay uninvolved. Most of them are NOT reading this blog, because they CAN'T - either they don't have a computer or they can't read
DonBee
Sat, Aug 4, 2012 : 2:38 p.m.
I begin to understand the position of todays professionals in education. I am sad.
Unusual Suspect
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 4:01 p.m.
Another idea this won't work: what male teacher is dumb enough to go to the home of a female student? Are you kidding? That's career suicide. Not in a million years. It's not even safe to "friend" them on Facebook.
J. A. Pieper
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 3:18 p.m.
Don Bee, not every single parent family is in the situation you describe. I never had a teacher visit my home as a child, but my parents knew what was going on in school before I got home. There were always consequences from both ends. I have been told by some parents that I can't tell them how to raise their child, so I am not sure I would feel welcome visiting their home. Oh, but if I am bringing their child a new winter coat, or a pair of boots, then I am welcome. I agree with the content of your post that the expectations related to learning are much higher than in the past, and maybe that is not the answer. Also, it is a shame that we rarely hold children back when they do not master what is expected. AAPS would not ever support retention, too many of the achievement gap kids would be involved. Who are you implying SHOULD take responsibility for the uninvolved parents and the struggles their children have in school?
Billy Bob Schwartz
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 3:05 p.m.
Bee...So a middle school teacher with, say, 167 students, should go visit each home HOW often? Just wondering? And are you suggesting that the school system should provide police protection for teachers visiting any home where there may be drugs and guns in the place and who knows what else. ? When I was a kid, this wasn't a huge issue. Life was much simpler, and expectations of good public behavior were much higher and supported and expected by society. Still, I never saw a teacher in my (upper middle class caucasian education-oriented) home. And everyone in my family went on to college, etc. etc. etc. There are huge issues outside of the schools that impact what kids bring into the schools. Yes, many parents can't read very well. No, that isn't an excuse. They need to convince their kids that THEY will read and learn and advance to a better life. At every level, parents can and do encourage kids to do well, regardless of the parents' situation. It's just that we need to remember the problems kids bring along with them, and try to address them, outside of the school as well as in it. Oh, and state testing is not the solution to anything but glam for the state officials.
Bulldog
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 2:32 p.m.
Kindergarten, with a t. Not kindergarden.
ViSHa
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 1:45 p.m.
I agree with most of what you say except for teachers visiting the home for many of the reasons "Unusual Suspect" mentioned. We know the home life and parenting is a huge part of the achievement gap but we also cannot just give up on these kids either and just say it's the parents fault. An education overhaul is probably needed but sadly, I just don't see that happening, especially when it is easier to blame the teachers and the successful kids who are "causing the gap".
Me717
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 11:51 a.m.
The schools can't change poverty and family situations but they can encourage these students to develop good habits by having and enforcing an attendance policy. AAPS chooses not to have and/or enforce an attendance policy. Stand outside any school, especially the high schools, and count how many students walk into school late. Look at the the high school data and see how many of these students are failing 1st and 2nd hours. AAPS could make a difference in the achievement gap immediately by enforcing an attendance policy.
Angry Moderate
Sat, Aug 4, 2012 : 11:25 a.m.
I don't understand where your information is coming from...why do you say that detention has no affect? It sure did when I was in high school.
Unusual Suspect
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 4:07 p.m.
Angry, I don't think there are consequences that will work. (What are the consequences by the way?) A phone call to home won't result in any change. Detention? Suspension? Those have no affect. I get the feeling there's nothing the school can for to a kid who's chronically late. Only the parent can improve that situation.
Angry Moderate
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 2:18 p.m.
Huh? Every high school has an attendance policy, including a consequence for being late in the morning.
ViSHa
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 1:38 p.m.
I am sure it has gotten/will get worse with the bus cuts.
nekm1
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 11:47 a.m.
what does this have to do with anything? ( ethnic background and culture )...isn't everyone born with a brain, and either has or hasn't the desire to perform? what is the old saying? Excuses are like.........everyone has one!
sh1
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 12:28 p.m.
You are oversimplifying a difficult problem. Data shows that kids come to Kindergarten with an existing gap, just because of experiences or lack of experiences and language acquisition in their first few, formative years.
hadit
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 10:23 a.m.
Yes, we need to find out how we can measure up to the Asian students.
Commoncents
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 3:54 a.m.
So wait, we can't just throw money at the problem ? Either way, we all know that's what'll happen.
crayzee
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 3:37 a.m.
What is refreshingly different about this state report as compared to the way the Ann Arbor schools have traditionally looked at this issue is that the issue of race is missing from the state report. It is simple: the gap between the top and bottom performers. In the Ann Arbor schools, it is treated as a white/black race issue when in fact both the top and bottom performers come from many ethnicities.
Sue
Sun, Aug 5, 2012 : 1:27 a.m.
I believe a big part of the problem is that schools do not insist that every student learn, speak and write correct American English. Many kids have become very lazy in both their speech and writing/typing habits, they don't enunciate their words correctly, they omit the end of words, they don't use the letter "s" to show ownership or plurality, they don't spell correctly and they don't know the difference between the meanings of words that sound the same such as their, there, and they're or to, too and two. Poor verbal/writing skills make people appear uneducated and lazy, and typically represents those at the bottom of the intelligence pole the most. It also represents many who will end up in low paying jobs, living in poverty, having babies and on welfare, or involved in illegal activities to make money.
ViSHa
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 1:48 p.m.
I agree, AAPS does seem to like to make it a race issue and ignore the socio-economic component. Not all white people are rich and not all black people are poor, but AAPS seems to think otherwise.
Dog Guy
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 1:40 a.m.
It is extremely difficult to teach the fatherless.
Sue
Sun, Aug 5, 2012 : 12:03 a.m.
That may be somewhat true, especially for boys, but I think better to be fatherless than to have an abusive father like many others have had. A lot of kids who don't have dads living at home or involved in their lives have other adult males serving as role models or mentors such as a stepfather, a grandfather, an uncle, a youth pastor, a teacher, or a "big brother" that can help fill that void and give direction. Even knowing about famous fatherless people who did not let it defeat them can be a big self esteem booster for kids who feel like their father leaving was their fault somehow. It's important that kids do not accept defeat or to use their situation as an excuse for failure. They need to realize it is up to them whether they succeed in life or not, and they need to know that nobody can stop them if they are determined and put forth the effort to make it. It empowers kids to know they are responsible for their own lives regardless of anything or anyone else. There have been many people that grew up without fathers who have been successful and excelled in life.; http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?publicationSubCategoryId=86&articleId=818079
Stan Hyne
Sat, Aug 4, 2012 : 6:43 a.m.
That was a choice someone made
Basic Bob
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 1:37 a.m.
The only things that will raise our scores is to run off the underachievers. No subsidized housing, no homes in a price range where single working parents can afford it (unless they make over $150k). Scores are sure to go up. Also reduce the staff assigned to helping children with issues so their parents will get frustrated and put them in a different school. That will also help. Perhaps we can put all those families (if you can call them that) into the same schools separate from all the above-average families. But that wouldn't be very progressive, would it?
Sue
Sat, Aug 4, 2012 : 11:20 p.m.
My husband and I made far less than $150k and we lived in a mobile home park when our kids were in school, but we were very involved with their education and extracurricular activities and kept a close eye on them and their friendships. Our daughter graduated in the top of her class, was selected as the DAR for her school, excelled in band and sports, she worked her way through college and is now a registered nurse working in a hospital. Our son graduated from high school, started college and is also working. He is going into engineering. There may be some connection with how much a family makes and how well their kids do in school, but some of us with lower incomes have our priorities in order and take the responsibility of parenthood very serious, so that is not a fair way to determine who can go to a certain school. I do think however that education beyond 8th grade should be considered a government funded privilege, not a right or mandatory. And in high school, if kids aren't going to cooperate with the teachers and put forth the effort to learn, then they should be suspended until they decide to do what they're supposed to in both behavior and school work. If they get three strikes, they should be out for good and can pay to finish their high school education if and when they decide to. Why should teachers have to try teaching kids who don't want to learn or behave in class, especially when it counts against them and the school if the kids fail? But if there are kids who are really trying and just need extra help, they should be able to receive free tutoring, and it should even be mandatory for kids who are failing.
Unusual Suspect
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 12:48 a.m.
Ask any teach and - if they trust you not to repeat and get them in trouble - they'll tell you the problem is the parenting of the lower performers. Sometimes this is due to laziness, but other times there are legitimate reasons, such as a runaway father leaving the mother to work two jobs, resulting in very little time to help with schoolwork. But this will never be discussed in any forum where it can do any good, because it's a taboo subject. Also, perhaps the achievement gap would be helped if a couple certain kids in my neighborhood would spend a little more time with homework and a little less time with pot and spray paint.
ViSHa
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 1:59 p.m.
It is ironic that it is a taboo subject (and I believe you), yet whenever there is a story on AA.com that highlights the success of someone who beat the odds of this type of upbringing (see Marcus Buggs), it is no longer taboo. People get warm and fuzzy reading these stories. I wonder why some of the methods that are used to help kids like Marcus Buggs at Roberto Clemente can not be employed at the other schools? I believe there are a lot of people in the AAPS community who want to help these kids, but some guidance is necessary from the schools.
ChrisW
Thu, Aug 2, 2012 : 10:11 p.m.
The Ann Arbor School District is full of both over and underachievers. The trick is how to fix the latter without screwing up the former. They've been trying for decades and don't seem to have solved the problem. It's clear by 3rd grade which students are going to underachieve so the problem needs to be fixed at the elementary level.
J. A. Pieper
Thu, Aug 2, 2012 : 11:54 p.m.
Chris, it is obvious when the children are in Kindergarten, our teachers know the "achievement gap" kids within the first month. Every teacher I know works their fingers to the bone for their students, but as Macabre Sunset continues to state, their has to be some responsibility on the part of the parents. Unfortunately, in the federal No Child Left Behind law, the parents aren't considered stake holders, hence teachers are always blamed.
Macabre Sunset
Thu, Aug 2, 2012 : 10:26 p.m.
Why blame early elementary teachers? The problem is in parents not preparing their children for school, and not supporting education once they're in school. Until you fully invest in the concept of having your children educated, you shouldn't be surprised when they score poorly on standardized tests. It's mystifying to me why our government continues to blame the teachers and continues to invent these Orwellian measures of anti-success.
dotdash
Thu, Aug 2, 2012 : 9:50 p.m.
It is fatuous to suppose that all kids will do equally well -- just like assuming all will be the same height or have the same foot size. The fact that there is a large gap between the upper 30% and lower 30% may speak more to how well the upper 30% are doing than how badly the lower 30% are doing. Good grief.
Sue
Sat, Aug 4, 2012 : 10:35 p.m.
I'm betting that most of the kids who are at the low end have parents who don't help them with homework or even make sure they are doing it because they don't feel it's their responsibility or they just can't be bothered.
Macabre Sunset
Thu, Aug 2, 2012 : 9:18 p.m.
So, 10% of our tax money goes to fixing something that can't be fixed unless you stop teaching the top 30% of the students. I'm ashamed that our so-called "educators" aren't fighting this idiotic measure of success tooth and nail.
Billy Bob Schwartz
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 2:44 p.m.
If the so-called educators fight it, not only do they lose jobs, but they have to read whining on a2.com about how the thug unions are at it again. How do they win?????
ViSHa
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 2:01 p.m.
Fighting this idiotic measure is probably a guaranteed job loss. I don't fault the teachers for that.
sh1
Fri, Aug 3, 2012 : 12:48 p.m.
What do you want the "so-called 'educators'" to do?
Barzoom
Thu, Aug 2, 2012 : 8:32 p.m.
It's easy....Just dumb down the high achievers, raise property taxes, and pat ourselves on the back for doing such a good job. Maybe we'll get on another top ten list.
Angry Moderate
Thu, Aug 2, 2012 : 7:40 p.m.
We should raise property taxes and spend several million dollars on out-of-town "achievement gap consultants." That will surely fix the problem.