Just T
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Jun 26, 2014 1:20:09 GMT
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Post by Just T on Aug 11, 2015 22:56:03 GMT
Yesterday, there was a discussion on the Bernie Sanders thread about "white flight" in major cities. I won't rehash all of that, but on that thread, I wrote about the St. Louis community where I spent a great deal of my childhood and how it was a nice, working/middle class community that seemed to quickly deteriorate in the 80s and 90s. The community, Spanish Lake, is in the north county suburbs of St. Louis, not far from Ferguson, which was also a nice middle class community years ago.
Yesterday evening, I was on facebook, and saw a post on my newsfeed from a group I belong to called I Grew up in Spanish Lake. Someone posted asking about a documentary that had been made several years ago about Spanish Lake and its decline. I had never heard of it, so I watched a trailer and an interview with the two men who made the documentary (one of them grew up in Spanish Lake). I was intrigued, so this morning, I found the documentary on Amazon. It’s called “Spanish Lake” if you are interested in watching it.
Anyway, I was very surprised by some things I have learned, and I’m only about halfway through it. It gives a whole new view of “white flight” and some of the complex reasons it happened in St. Louis, but I think the things it presents and discusses can probably be applied to other cities where the same thing happened. It really isn’t as simple as “blacks moved in so whites moved out.”
The documentary begins in the 1800s when this small community was the first military outpost west of the Mississippi and goes through the early 1900s when it was a very rural farming community. In the 1950s, young families began moving out of the city into the suburbs. At that time, it started as a family-oriented community of middle and working class families. The homes were small but the neighborhoods were safe. It grew through the 60s, and then events happened that almost foretold its downfall.
In the 60s when President Johnson declared “War on poverty” in America, he also formed the Housing and Urban Development agency (HUD)with the goal being to clean up American city slums. In order for cities to receive HUD funding, they had to apply with a plan for affordable housing for the poor and minorities. Apparently, according to this film, that is when cities began building large housing projects, such as Cabrini Green in Chicago and Pruitt Igoe in St. Louis. As many people know, those housing projects were a huge failure. Pruitt Igoe became crime riddled and fell into disrepair, and I remember when it was demolished.
Unfortunately, Pruitt Igoe’s 2800 apartments housed people with nowhere to go, and the north suburbs of St. Louis were the “perfect” place.
First of all, Spanish Lake had no government, no mayor. It also had a large amount of apartment buildings, more apartments than any zip code in the St. Louis metro area. This is where things get interesting, an downright sad.
First, the first black congressman from STL was elected, and his district included north STL and north STL county. He decided that the more rural setting would be better for poor people than the city streets. And there was an over-abundance of affordable housing in Spanish Lake and other north county communities.
Real estate companies began buying homes and “steering” black families toward them, whether to buy or rent. Many were turned into Section 8 housing. Then, when a black family would buy or rent a home, the real estate agents would go around to all the neighbors, knock on their doors and tell them “a black family is going to move in across the street/next door. You may want to sell your home now because in 5 years, it may not be worth what it is now.” Sometimes, within days of simply finding out a black family was moving in, homes up and down the street would be put up for sale. (I learned this is called “blockbusting” and was quite common, not just in St. Louis.
As large numbers of poor families moved in, the schools became so over crowded that gymnasiums and cafeterias were sectioned off into classrooms, which caused even more people to leave.
I heard some shocking statistics. In 1980, which is when I lived there, the population was over 80% white. By 1990, it was only 42%, and now, it is only 11%.
Something else I found really quite disturbing is that while all of these poor minority families were being “steered” as it was called, into Spanish Lake, there is not one social service agency there. There also is no public transportation into the city, no real jobs in Spanish Lake, so the poorer residents were in essence isolated from the services and jobs of the city.
I’m sorry this has gotten so long. I just find it all very fascinating, and I have often wondered what exactly happened to the place I grew up, and why it happened so quickly. I recently drove through my old neighborhood, and my old house is boarded up. I drove through some neighborhoods where the “rich” kids who I went to school with lived, and I was so shocked by the condition of those neighborhoods now.
At times, the documentary was hard to watch as some people made some very racist comments that I found disturbing. However, I think the producers did a good job of interviewing a real cross section of people, both black and white. They interviewed a few older folks who still live there, an attorney who grew up and still lives there, and so many others. Maybe I enjoyed it so much because they showed so many places I remember going and hanging out when I was younger. I also like how many of those they interviewed made it clear that it wasn’t the color of people that drove them away, it was the poverty.
I’m sorry this has gotten so long. I just find it all very fascinating, and I have often wondered what exactly happened to the place I grew up, and why it happened so quickly. And this is just one small community outside of one large city, and I found it very eye-opening. The film is $2.99 to rent on Amazon, and it really is worth a watch, I think. Even if you aren’t from St. Louis.
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Aug 11, 2015 23:08:17 GMT
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Just T
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,544
Jun 26, 2014 1:20:09 GMT
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Post by Just T on Aug 11, 2015 23:25:38 GMT
Thanks for posting that link. I will listen to it after I eat dinner.
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Post by SockMonkey on Aug 11, 2015 23:35:38 GMT
That was a fascinating episode. I listened the other day.
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AnotherPea
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Jan 4, 2015 1:47:52 GMT
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Post by AnotherPea on Aug 11, 2015 23:44:08 GMT
I listened to that podcast and was disheartened at the way it was presented. Too much like an editorial and not enough like an informative article.
It has been used to argue for integration. But it can't be since people CHOSE to send their children to better schools, at a great inconvenience to themselves. Parents like this are much more likely to have students that will do well academically as they've already shown that education is important to them. The biggest killers to a student's success in high school is apathy and lack of parental support. The children showcased in this segment have drive and lots of parental support.
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Post by BSnyder on Aug 11, 2015 23:47:44 GMT
I caught the last 1/2 of an NPR program about this a few weeks ago. Fascinating history providing interesting insights. Unfortunately, it seems like programs intended to give people a hand up or level the playing field often fail for the majority of those they were designed to help.
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Sarah*H
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Jun 25, 2014 20:07:06 GMT
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Post by Sarah*H on Aug 11, 2015 23:56:07 GMT
And yet besides the human interest part of the story, the data she cites numerous times shows that it works. Given what you've shared about your teaching experiences, however, I'm unsurprised that you didn't like the program.
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AnotherPea
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Jan 4, 2015 1:47:52 GMT
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Post by AnotherPea on Aug 12, 2015 0:34:29 GMT
And yet besides the human interest part of the story, the data she cites numerous times shows that it works. Given what you've shared about your teaching experiences, however, I'm unsurprised that you didn't like the program. What worked, for some of the children, was moving out of an impoverished area into a middle class suburb. It was less about race and more about economics.
And, as I stated before, using this as an example of what could work is flawed. It would not have worked nearly the same if you forced 1000 kids to go to the "white" schools instead of having families apply.
But the program fit nicely with the agenda it was pushing so to that end, it was well done. The sweeping, dramatic music and low, sad voices made it very compelling. My heart broke for the girls that told their stories, but that doesn't change the pure facts of the situation. THEY are the reason why they performed so well at their new school. It wasn't because some white children pulled them up to a higher standard. That premise is insulting in itself.
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Sarah*H
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Jun 25, 2014 20:07:06 GMT
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Post by Sarah*H on Aug 12, 2015 0:48:50 GMT
The data isn't based on this example, it's based on desegregation across the entire country from the 70's through the 90's. It's not ambiguous. It has nothing to do with sweeping music and sympathetic stories.
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Post by Peace Sign on Aug 12, 2015 2:14:45 GMT
Thank you for sharing. Will definitely watch this. I too find it fascinating.
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FurryP
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Jun 26, 2014 19:58:26 GMT
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Post by FurryP on Aug 12, 2015 2:33:56 GMT
Thank Op for the well-detailed overview of the film. It sounds very interesting. Love documentaries.
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Post by Peace Sign on Aug 12, 2015 17:06:27 GMT
Damn. I listened to that whole thing. My boys' home elementary and high schools are on academic emergency status. But since our district is so large, there are other options. And there's a lottery system too. But who wants their child's future to hinge on an educational lottery? It's crazy. I was able to lottery my children into a french immersion school within the district. Catholic schools are another option, but I don't do religion, especially mixed within a school setting. There has got to be a better way.
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Post by jonda1974 on Aug 12, 2015 17:19:13 GMT
Looking forward to watching this later. Thanks for posting it!
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Post by SabrinaM on Aug 12, 2015 20:07:04 GMT
I listened to that podcast and was disheartened at the way it was presented. Too much like an editorial and not enough like an informative article.
It has been used to argue for integration. But it can't be since people CHOSE to send their children to better schools, at a great inconvenience to themselves. Parents like this are much more likely to have students that will do well academically as they've already shown that education is important to them. The biggest killers to a student's success in high school is apathy and lack of parental support. The children showcased in this segment have drive and lots of parental support.
I have not listened to it yet, but plan to this evening. We just recently moved to this state a year ago. When I was first getting into subbing I subbed at 2 schools that had just that year become 100% free lunch and Title 1. Even if students didn't need the 100% free lunch, there was enough students at poverty level and "at risk" for the school to qualify. According to teachers and staff, they lost some students whose parents chose to send them to a non-Title 1 school. What they weren't prepared for were the number of students who enrolled BECAUSE they were Title 1/Free lunch.
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Post by Peace Sign on Aug 13, 2015 2:14:23 GMT
I listened to that podcast and was disheartened at the way it was presented. Too much like an editorial and not enough like an informative article.
It has been used to argue for integration. But it can't be since people CHOSE to send their children to better schools, at a great inconvenience to themselves. Parents like this are much more likely to have students that will do well academically as they've already shown that education is important to them. The biggest killers to a student's success in high school is apathy and lack of parental support. The children showcased in this segment have drive and lots of parental support.
Seriously you have no soul. You are an empty, unfeeling, cold person. Black families and poor families love their children and value education. They are just doing it with less resources and more obstacles. THATs the point. Yes, some will do remarkably better than others, and some will fail miserably. And some could care less. But the summary you came up with is heartless.
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Post by gryroagain on Aug 13, 2015 4:13:20 GMT
But the program fit nicely with the agenda it was pushing so to that end, it was well done. The sweeping, dramatic music and low, sad voices made it very compelling. My heart broke for the girls that told their stories, but that doesn't change the pure facts of the situation. THEY are the reason why they performed so well at their new school. It wasn't because some white children pulled them up to a higher standard. That premise is insulting in itself. .........
Sorry! I can't quote from my decrepit iPad 1.
Actually, the facts show that integrating schools IS what pulls up test scores. Of course student drive and parental input are big factors, but the school can't control those. It can control whether schools are 100% black or white. it might not be the popular thing (especially with white people in St Louis, apparently) but it does work. I guess it's just easier to blame parents or students or something else than do the thing that has been proven to be effective.
That TAL broke my heart. I couldn't believe the parents at the meeting- it was so ghastly, and heartbreaking.
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Aug 13, 2015 12:11:29 GMT
i think the facts about educational improvement during desegregation speak for themselves.
To listen to the parents at that meeting at Frances Howell and not feel something well that speaks volumes.
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Just T
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Jun 26, 2014 1:20:09 GMT
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Post by Just T on Aug 13, 2015 12:56:11 GMT
Sorry I didn't come back to this thread. The last time I looked at it, only a few people had responded and it was on page 2, and I forgot about it after that. I can't get the radio clip to play for some reason. I've tried a couple of times. I didn't realize it was about the Francis Howell school district until I saw this comment:
"To listen to the parents at that meeting at Frances Howell and not feel something well that speaks volumes."
Now that I know, I am not sure I really even want to listen to it. My kids are in Francis Howell--well, only my daughter now because my other kids are no longer in school. I don't want to listen to it because I don't think I can stomach it to be honest. If the audio is even half as bad as the explosion of racist hatred that happened on our district facebook page when this was happening, it will make my blood boil. It was so terrible, and I lost so much respect for people I actually liked before when I read the things they posted back then. I am assuming that what is on that radio clip is just as bad, but I can assure you, those attitudes are far from representative of everyone here. Plenty of people, including me, were completely horrified and outraged by the attitudes of those who were against the Normandy kids being bussed into our district. Reading the nastiness of some people was shocking to me, and I felt like we were back in the 1950s. Honestly, the only thing about the Normandy kids being brought into Francis Howell that bothered me was the huge amount of money the Normandy district had to pay FH, money that could have been better spent on improving their own district. At the time, I felt like Normandy would never get better when all of their money was going to send students somewhere else. It seemed counterproductive to me. The other thing that bugged the crap out of me is that one of the arguments that many people used against it was that bringing in "those kids" was going to somehow mean that our schools would become violent and drug infested. What a damn joke! First of all, nothing terrible happened, and second of all, there were fights and drugs at the high schools anyway. It's not like FH is some utopian, perfect district where kids are perfect and do no wrong.
UGH. I want to listen to the radio show and I don't. LOL
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Sarah*H
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Jun 25, 2014 20:07:06 GMT
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Post by Sarah*H on Aug 13, 2015 13:25:47 GMT
The audio of the school board meetings is every bit as bad as you are probably imagining it. However, the experience of the main girl in the story when she actually went to Francis Howell was wonderful. She was welcomed and included, she has made friends and she has thrived. It's a really compelling story, don't be scared to listen to it just because of a few bad apples. (But of course, their concern was not about race! )
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Just T
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Jun 26, 2014 1:20:09 GMT
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Post by Just T on Aug 13, 2015 13:45:43 GMT
My girls' experiences were good, too. They were in high school, and they heard all the hullaballoo all summer about it, and I think they were expecting to walk into gang wars or something the way so many people portrayed things. My younger daughter, who was a sophomore, was scared to go the first day! It was so ridiculous. They were pleasantly surprised, and with a few exceptions, they mostly didn't even know who the Normandy kids were.
Oh, of course it wasn't about race! If I read that once, I read it a million times. "It's not because there black!" (mostly said with that bad grammar! LOL I did that on purpose). I know there were parents and families from Normandy who followed the FH facebook page once they decided to send their kids there, and I felt so bad for what they must have been thinking. Sometimes, they would chime in, but not often. I always wondered if they regretted their decision to send their kids here and worried about what they were getting them into.
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Post by craftygardenmom on Aug 13, 2015 14:41:21 GMT
My girls' experiences were good, too. They were in high school, and they heard all the hullaballoo all summer about it, and I think they were expecting to walk into gang wars or something the way so many people portrayed things. My younger daughter, who was a sophomore, was scared to go the first day! It was so ridiculous. They were pleasantly surprised, and with a few exceptions, they mostly didn't even know who the Normandy kids were.
Oh, of course it wasn't about race! If I read that once, I read it a million times. "It's not because there black!" (mostly said with that bad grammar! LOL I did that on purpose). I know there were parents and families from Normandy who followed the FH facebook page once they decided to send their kids there, and I felt so bad for what they must have been thinking. Sometimes, they would chime in, but not often. I always wondered if they regretted their decision to send their kids here and worried about what they were getting them into.
It's ironic to think that the Normandy parents were possibly even more nervous since they had historic pictures of the reception kids received when schools in the South integrated. While FH parents were thinking guns and drugs, the Normandy parents could just as easily been imagining the National Guard and racial slurs being hurled at their children as they got off the bus. SO glad none of that happened, and thank you for sharing your DD's experience.
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Post by jonda1974 on Aug 13, 2015 14:49:08 GMT
Was reading on Francis Howell, haven't had a chance to listen to the podcast yet. I can see both sides. I fully support school choice. I think it's the right decision. I think its shameful that Normandy has pushed their problem off on other schools though. Not the students transferring being the problem, but that the staff and teachers there are so inept at their jobs that they can't do anything to improve the school. I say expel all the trouble makers there. One infraction and they are expelled for the school year. Post security at the doors if they have to. Fire all the teachers because they obviously aren't any good, and hire quality teachers there. Then those poor kids wouldn't have to be on the bus at 5am to go to school.
I can also see the other side. Parents choose to move into specific neighborhoods because of the school system. Then to be told they have no choice, but to accept kids from a notoriously awful, violent location into their schools. I'd be concerned too. There would be no guarantee that only the good students would be coming to your school. That has nothing to do with race, it has to do with reputation. Normandy obviously has a notorious reputation. So no wonder parents didn't want the kids from those schools bringing its problems to their districts.
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Post by craftygardenmom on Aug 13, 2015 14:56:42 GMT
Fire all the teachers because they obviously aren't any good, and hire quality teachers there. Then those poor kids wouldn't have to be on the bus at 5am to go to school. With what money? It's nice to think that "quality teachers" (and administrators) would be found and then willing to work in the most notoriously rundown school around, but if there is no money to fund them, books, tools for teaching, resources for actually reducing crime around and within the school....it is a cycle we see around the country. I can only imagine the condition of the actual building. Until the state actually steps up and funnels more tax $ into that school, it will go on. Sad truth, as a taxpaying Mom of 2 in a great school district, even I admit it would be a "hard sell" to me why my tax$ shouldn't go into the district/schools we live in - but it's exactly my admittedly selfish thinking that keeps schools like Normandy and even the ones I subconsciously know near where I live are the "bad" schools, in this no-win situation. Something has to give, and it's terrible to know it's OUR country's kids who do. Until every person in the state says, I don't care what district or where those kids live, they should get a quality education, and hold their governor and government accountable for the whole state's test scores vs. their district's, very very little will or can change.
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Deleted
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May 17, 2024 1:17:51 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2015 15:04:25 GMT
One of our local grocery chains has a loyalty card where a % goes back to local organizations -- many of them are our schools. My friend last night just posted the coolest thing on FB. She called our local district (10+ HSs and who knows how many elems and MSs) and asked which school had the most need. We live on the "nicer" side of the district and honestly our schools need NOTHING. As a matter of fact I would almost say our schools have too much! So she put out a call on FB to have us change our link to this one elementary school that needs much. I just wish I had thought of it before. On my next trip to the store I shop at every week, I am going to change my link so that school gets my %.....
So if you live in an area with little need, see if you by chance could do the same thing and help sponsor schools nearby that are in great need.
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Post by jonda1974 on Aug 13, 2015 15:26:49 GMT
Fire all the teachers because they obviously aren't any good, and hire quality teachers there. Then those poor kids wouldn't have to be on the bus at 5am to go to school. With what money? It's nice to think that "quality teachers" (and administrators) would be found and then willing to work in the most notoriously rundown school around, but if there is no money to fund them, books, tools for teaching, resources for actually reducing crime around and within the school....it is a cycle we see around the country. I can only imagine the condition of the actual building. Until the state actually steps up and funnels more tax $ into that school, it will go on. Sad truth, as a taxpaying Mom of 2 in a great school district, even I admit it would be a "hard sell" to me why my tax$ shouldn't go into the district/schools we live in - but it's exactly my admittedly selfish thinking that keeps schools like Normandy and even the ones I subconsciously know near where I live are the "bad" schools, in this no-win situation. Something has to give, and it's terrible to know it's OUR country's kids who do. Until every person in the state says, I don't care what district or where those kids live, they should get a quality education, and hold their governor and government accountable for the whole state's test scores vs. their district's, very very little will or can change. Teachers do get a tax incentive for teaching in low income schools. At least I think they still do. Tax payer dollars go into those schools. Test scores are the worst way to gauge successful education. It's why our education system is in such a mess. Until the Feds get out of education and leave it to the states we will continue to see it be a mess. You are right though, it is a vicious cycle. The schools need property taxes to get funding, but the property values in these areas continue to decline because no one wants to live there, because a large enough percentage of the population is unsavory and criminal to make it unlivable. So people move away, and eventually some of these same problems follow them and the cycle continues somewhere else. So then the people in those neighborhoods move away to get away from the problems coming in, and maybe they move back into the previous neighborhoods because housing costs are now so low, and they end up bringing up the quality of life in those neighborhoods, making them safer, bringing in more tax dollars, and they get vilified for gentrification. It's a no win situation. I wish we could send criminals to an island and forget they exist lol. JK, only hardened criminals. like to Antartica or something.
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Sarah*H
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Post by Sarah*H on Aug 13, 2015 16:37:07 GMT
The Problem We All Live With, Part Two
The second half of the TAL episode is up now and is about a community (Hartford) where integration is successfully happening. I'm only halfway through it but the whole time I thought "I want MY kids to go to those schools."
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Aug 13, 2015 17:45:19 GMT
With what money? It's nice to think that "quality teachers" (and administrators) would be found and then willing to work in the most notoriously rundown school around, but if there is no money to fund them, books, tools for teaching, resources for actually reducing crime around and within the school....it is a cycle we see around the country. I can only imagine the condition of the actual building. Until the state actually steps up and funnels more tax $ into that school, it will go on. Sad truth, as a taxpaying Mom of 2 in a great school district, even I admit it would be a "hard sell" to me why my tax$ shouldn't go into the district/schools we live in - but it's exactly my admittedly selfish thinking that keeps schools like Normandy and even the ones I subconsciously know near where I live are the "bad" schools, in this no-win situation. Something has to give, and it's terrible to know it's OUR country's kids who do. Until every person in the state says, I don't care what district or where those kids live, they should get a quality education, and hold their governor and government accountable for the whole state's test scores vs. their district's, very very little will or can change. Teachers do get a tax incentive for teaching in low income schools. At least I think they still do. Tax payer dollars go into those schools. Test scores are the worst way to gauge successful education. It's why our education system is in such a mess. Until the Feds get out of education and leave it to the states we will continue to see it be a mess. You are right though, it is a vicious cycle. The schools need property taxes to get funding, but the property values in these areas continue to decline because no one wants to live there, because a large enough percentage of the population is unsavory and criminal to make it unlivable. So people move away, and eventually some of these same problems follow them and the cycle continues somewhere else. So then the people in those neighborhoods move away to get away from the problems coming in, and maybe they move back into the previous neighborhoods because housing costs are now so low, and they end up bringing up the quality of life in those neighborhoods, making them safer, bringing in more tax dollars, and they get vilified for gentrification. It's a no win situation. I wish we could send criminals to an island and forget they exist lol. JK, only hardened criminals. like to Antartica or something. Not around here.. there is no incentive to teach in underperforming schools. But Normandy SD did just what you suggested.. fired all the teachers..and then hired some back. But that is not the answer. Most of the teachers are good, caring professionals, if the answer was as easy as that it would be fixed. Its complicated, it has to do with resources at school, and support at home, and access to food, and health care. Many of the problems in St. Louis and many other cities has to do with systemic racism, like redlining which was prolific in this area. Education and educators bear the brunt of societies ills, and until we say that supporting children, regardless of who the parents are, ensuring every child has access to food, health care and education we will just continue to perpetuate these issues.
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pudgygroundhog
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Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Aug 14, 2015 1:18:31 GMT
Was reading on Francis Howell, haven't had a chance to listen to the podcast yet. I can see both sides. I fully support school choice. I think it's the right decision. I think its shameful that Normandy has pushed their problem off on other schools though. Not the students transferring being the problem, but that the staff and teachers there are so inept at their jobs that they can't do anything to improve the school. I say expel all the trouble makers there. One infraction and they are expelled for the school year. Post security at the doors if they have to. Fire all the teachers because they obviously aren't any good, and hire quality teachers there. Then those poor kids wouldn't have to be on the bus at 5am to go to school. I can also see the other side. Parents choose to move into specific neighborhoods because of the school system. Then to be told they have no choice, but to accept kids from a notoriously awful, violent location into their schools. I'd be concerned too. There would be no guarantee that only the good students would be coming to your school. That has nothing to do with race, it has to do with reputation. Normandy obviously has a notorious reputation. So no wonder parents didn't want the kids from those schools bringing its problems to their districts. I don't think it's easy to just hire quality teachers for a number of reasons. Regarding the influx of the Normandy kids into Francis Howell - the thing that struck me was that 1000 out of 4000 students decided to transfer at quite an inconvenience to themselves. My assumption wasn't that there would be an influx of violence and discipline problems, but that these are kids who choose to go to a better school and wanted an opportunity to thrive. That shows that they and their families value education - those are the types of kids you want, no matter where they come from. I can understand concerns about an influx of 1000 kids into your school. We recently had a small shuffling in our school district (and all are fine schools) and people got really bent out of shape (some I think were valid reasons, some were just resistance to change in general). If my school was suddenly taking in 1000 students I would have questions about class size, teachers, space, etc., but the way those parents were talking at the town hall meeting was just shameful. Just T, thanks for sharing about your experience. It's interesting to hear from somebody who was directly involved.
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pudgygroundhog
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Aug 14, 2015 1:19:34 GMT
Most of the teachers are good, caring professionals, if the answer was as easy as that it would be fixed. Its complicated, it has to do with resources at school, and support at home, and access to food, and health care. Many of the problems in St. Louis and many other cities has to do with systemic racism, like redlining which was prolific in this area. Education and educators bear the brunt of societies ills, and until we say that supporting children, regardless of who the parents are, ensuring every child has access to food, health care and education we will just continue to perpetuate these issues. This is an excellent point. It's hard to teach when kids are coming to school with so many other issues. Improving education also means improving other aspects of these kids' lives.
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Post by Peace Sign on Aug 14, 2015 12:45:46 GMT
Most of the teachers are good, caring professionals, if the answer was as easy as that it would be fixed. Its complicated, it has to do with resources at school, and support at home, and access to food, and health care. Many of the problems in St. Louis and many other cities has to do with systemic racism, like redlining which was prolific in this area. Education and educators bear the brunt of societies ills, and until we say that supporting children, regardless of who the parents are, ensuring every child has access to food, health care and education we will just continue to perpetuate these issues. This is an excellent point. It's hard to teach when kids are coming to school with so many other issues. Improving education also means improving other aspects of these kids' lives. This one reason why I love the head start program. In columbus we are expanding pre-k offerings at most of the elementary schools. I know statistics show that head start doesn't make a long term difference, but I would think it makes a big difference in the short term.
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