The ACLU is at it again. It is suing Palm Beach, FL schools because the graduation rate is 73%. It thinks it should be higher.
Lisa Carmona is a parent who has signed onto the lawsuit. She
believes her son has a constitutional right to a good education and that it’s the school’s responsibility to make sure that six years from now he’s in a cap and gown with his friends.
Most state constitutions do guarantee a “good education.” Here in New Jersey, the words “thorough and efficient” are the guiding words that cost the government billions of dollars each year and is the basis of the Abbott decisions. So, I have no particular issue with the first part of Ms. Carmona’s statement.
It is the second part that is troubling. Why is it the school’s responsibility to ensure that her son attends school?
This is emblematic of what is going on with public education. All eschew responsibility and pass it onto the schools. Schools are burdened with tasks it is incapable of accomplishing. They are designed to teach academics, not put the child in the building. Shoot, most districts even provide a vehicle that will pick up your child and deliver him back home. That isn’t enough for the likes of Ms. Carmona. In this case her responsibility is to ensure her child is dressed and at his bus stop. She refuses to accept that responsibility.
An education system cannot overcome the breakdown of the family, and the social fabric that surrounds children daily.
How true. I have a lengthy post sitting here that I haven’t gotten around to sourcing and completing that says the same thing. Fred said it far more succinctly than I.
No Child Left Behind, the federal legislation that spends billions of our tax dollars is predicated upon the existence of an education gap. The mandates in the law are to close that gap . . . or else.
But ask any teacher and he will surely talk to you about the importance of the student’s family in his educational success. While it is not news, the interaction between parents and their children is one of the greatest predictors to student success. Many formulate this in how much a child is read to at home. Yes, reading to children is important. But so is talking to children. It seems common sense, I know, but my adulthood has been a lesson in that common sense is not as common as one might think.
It is easy to take a hard traditionalistic line on such matters. If parents don’t/won’t care for their children, why should I as a taxpayer be responsible? I am not hear to dispel that line of thought.
But I will relate an observation I made on Wednesday morning . . .
I dropped Beetle off at her school. I walked her into her classroom, spoke briefly with her teachers, leaned over and encourage my little girl to have a good day, and then kissed her. I turned to leave. Beetle rushed toward me and asked for a hug. I picked her up high, kissed her, and told her I loved her.
While all this was going on, one of her classmates looked on. I have learned about this girl previously. She does not come from a home like ours. Her parents did not come on the field trip last week. This little girl stood right behind Beetle and looked at us longingly.
I don’t know what was going on in her head, but it is easy to project that she had not seen a parent take this kind of interest in a child recently. That is easy for me to do for I see such children about six years later. The gap is present in fourth grade; it begins long before that.
Why does a march against gangs happen on Father’s Day? How about honoring Dad instead? . . . TwitterLocal is pretty kewl. Here is the feed for Millville and 20 miles out . . . I am getting old. My students had physical education today. Whilst picking them up, I took a couple swings with the “Nerf” covered bat. I swung so hard on the second pitch I hurt my wrist. Even so, the ball slammed off the far wall. My students were impressed. I’ll pay for this for a few days, I am sure . . . Haven’t been watching The Factor much recently. The more air time Dick Morris gets, the less I am inclined to tune in. He’s been wrong with his analysis throughout the campaign. Why does this john still get a platform? . . . Not that I am following this at all, but the headline caught my attention. “Because of this case, I have been financially crippled,” McGreevey told the judge. Oh please. The divorce hasn’t harmed you, your corrupt nature has affected your earning power. I am fine him not paying his wife millions. She seems to want servants, helicopters, and the like. But “the Gay American” should be forced to pay a certain percentage of his income, just in case he is not playing it straight in the trial. History says it’s a fair bet he isn’t . . . Hey, Sen. Obama, I understand your use of sweetie. I use sweetheart several times a day. Of course, I say it to nine- and ten-year old students . . . Just in case anyone thought government does not overstep its purview, check out what New Jersey is pushing through the legislature. Citizens apparently no longer have the right to not purchase health insurance . . . Oh, I can’t believe suing is going to help Carla Katz with the union . . . I have to say I agree that the NJ DOE should seek to recoup squandered tax dollars from school districts who misused the funds . . . FWIW, playoff hockey is exciting . . . Forget closing the state parks. I just found $143 million to cut from NJ’s budget. This money comes with no strings attached. I thought Corzine got rid of the Christmas tree fund. I guess not. Really, Garden State voters: how long are you going to vote for corruption? . . .
This past week my students and I read the book A Very Important Day that chronicles many New York City families’ trip downtown in a snow storm for their citizenship ceremony. We learned that to become a citizen of the United States that petitioners need to have lived here for five years (legally), speak English (so they don’t run us over on the road), take a test, and pledge an oath of loyalty.
We also spoke how most of us are what a supplemental book we read called Auto-Americans because we were born here or born to American citizens. As such, we do not need to jump through the hoops of learning about the United States. It is assumed we know these things. Perhaps that is an assumption we should not make.
For instance, if one wants to be President of the United States, shouldn’t he be able to pass the test that naturalized citizens are expected to pass? I think that is fair for a basic level litmus test. If the president cannot answer these questions, I think it is fair to say he is deficient in the requisite knowledge to lead the country.
Check out question #97. It states:
Why does the flag have 50 stars?
The answer is, of course, any of the following:
because there is one star for each state
because each star represents a state
because there are 50 states
Contrast those acceptable answers with the answer the presumptive Democrat candidate gave yesterday:
I’ll pay for this for a few days, I am sure . . . Haven’t been watching The Factor much recently. The more air time Dick Morris gets, the less I am inclined to tune in. He’s been wrong with his analysis throughout the campaign. Why does this