https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 28 Apr 2026 03:32:45 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049653 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 15:35:28 +0000 Orchid 2049653@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Interesting article but it does so little to make me confident in the public school system. I may have missed something but the main evidentiary support for the claim that, "public schools aren't failing" are that (1) in schools with less than 25% poverty rates, American students test higher in reading than all other countries, and (2) in Florida public schools are outscoring charter and magnet schools (not clear in what areas). Pretty slim evidence for a thriving public school system if you ask me.</p> <p>On other tests that are more meaningful to me, like creativity and problem-solving, the US is barely middle of the pack. Asian countries dominate in this regard (I wish I had time to find the Huff Post article about this). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049638 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 15:21:20 +0000 jedeve 2049638@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pinkcupcake: the state I grew up in was sadly very like that. The wealthy lived in one concentrated area and had the best public schools in the country. I grew up in a much poorer part of the state and my public school was awful. I have so many horror stories from it. They are fun to whip out at cocktail parties. :happy: (like the advanced English teacher who said it was more important to know the plots of stories than to read them so she just showed us movies. Or that we had no required reading the entire time in HS, minus two books. Or that we didn't offer physics or calculus. I had to go to another school, 45 min away to take those. And we had no AP classes either.)</p> <p>Then I went to college where most of the kids were from the wealthy part of the state. Only about 1/5 of the kids I went to school with went to a four year college. The differences on the quality of our education were vast. IMO, funding schools from property taxed is grossly unfair. It ensures that the wealthy have very good schools and the poor do not. And then the cycle continues. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049636 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 15:19:25 +0000 pinkcupcake 2049636@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: Honestly, I don't know too much about this issue so I kinda hesitate to post this, but I personally don't want to send my daughter to a school where only 30% of the kids are meeting the state standards for testing. I understand that test scores are not everything, but I do think that they are a measure of *something*. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049625 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 15:10:19 +0000 Mrs. Yoyo 2049625@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: Ha .... as a resident of TN, that all sounds sadly familiar. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049619 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 15:04:52 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 2049619@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: this is Utah, baby! Only mandates are that it's a right to work state and that gayz should not have workplace rights. Otherwise, drill baby drill and don't kill yourself as you ride your motorcycle without a helmet or concealed carry your gun! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049614 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 14:58:04 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2049614@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: gah! How is that even legal?? Do you not have mandated class size limits?? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049612 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 14:57:23 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2049612@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pinkcupcake: are you judging which schools are doing exceptionally well based on the test scores from that school? I would strongly suggest looking at the bigger picture and only basing a very small amount of your decision making on test scores. This article explains why I feel that way.<br /> <a href="http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Test_Scores_Say/" rel="nofollow">http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Test_Scores_Say/</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049571 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 14:21:55 +0000 pinkcupcake 2049571@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What an interesting article.</p> <p>I've been doing lots of research into our public schools since my daughter will be starting kindergarten in about 2 years (!!). Everything I've read so far indicates that the public schools in the wealthiest communities in our area are doing exceptionally well. The median home prices in those areas are in the $500K - $1M range. The schools in the not-so-nice parts of town? They're not doing too hot :(</p> <p>It's stressing me out. I want to send my daughter to the awesome public schools, but there's no way we can afford a home in that area... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049531 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 13:44:14 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 2049531@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JoyfulKiwi: ooh, well said! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049524 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 13:40:37 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 2049524@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: this is a great article!</p> <p>"The takeaway is simple. Our middle-class and wealthy public school children are thriving. Poor children are struggling, not because their schools are failing but because they come to school with all the well-documented handicaps that poverty imposes – poor prenatal care, developmental delays, hunger, illness, homelessness, emotional and mental illnesses, and so on."<br /> "The report concludes that “Nobody understands the challenges and shortcomings of American schools better than the people who have dedicated their lives to them.” Yet educators are rarely asked for their expertise. That snub is bipartisan – with Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo taking a combative stand against public school teachers in his recent inaugural address, and Republican Governors of Nevada and Texas establishing committees on education comprised solely of non-educators."</p> <p>I feel like the discussion of public schools today always come back to these two points for me. Politicians get more leverage out of blaming public schools and educators then they do from addressing the REAL issues. Trying to fix the inequalities of our economic classes is far harder than saying "teachers suck, am I right?!" </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049477 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 13:05:49 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 2049477@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Good article. Unfortunately schools in my area are seriously struggling. 40 kids in one kindergarten class with one teacher and one aide is a recipe for failure! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049475 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 13:03:54 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2049475@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Great points! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049466 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 12:52:47 +0000 avivoca 2049466@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks for posting this! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049460 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 12:48:40 +0000 farawayyama 2049460@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>There's an interesting book by Diane Ravitch on this, Reign of Error. I recommend it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049424 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 12:10:58 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 2049424@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Great article. Don't have time to post specifics, but some really great points made. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049263 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 09:07:45 +0000 MrsBananaGrabber 2049263@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Excellent article- thank you for posting it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/article-public-schools-arent-failing#post-2049260 Sun, 01 Feb 2015 09:05:15 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2049260@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Saw this article this week and thought I would share. I thought others may be interested in light of a previous thread this week. </p> <p><a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2015/01/30/5483360/public-schools-arent-failing.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2015/01/30/5483360/public-schools-arent-failing.html</a> </p>