California's Achievement Gap Needs Solutions Based on the Problem

A real rise in scores will only happen when other factors are addressed.

Always, the focus is on schools and teachers. Always the solution presented is to spend more money. Other states, other countries spend less and get better scores.

Will there ever be a move to hold parents and student accountable? I would think it axiomatic to address other parts of the educational equasion.

It is time there were consequences for students and parents who are irresponsible. Here are a couple of ideas I've never seen addressed with this topic.

1. If your child has under a 2.0 GPA, they become ineligible for a drivers’ license.

2. Your driver’s license is suspended if a GPA drops below a 2.0.

3. Parents lose their child tax credit for kids that fail classes repeatedly. Or require that same amount of money go to tutoring their child.

It's not about money. It should be about making education something valuable for those who generationally could care less.

"It was more than a little interesting to hear that Superintendent O’Connell and his staff are taking a seminar on race and privilege from featured speaker Glenn Singleton. That may be beneficial."

No, that won't be beneficial. Many districts have drunk the Singleton cool aide. None have anything positive to show for it. Singleton is just another consultant who wants to sell something, and it's not something that helps kids learn.

I tend to agree with you about Singleton. That is why I found is so interesting that the top staff at CDE were taking a seminar from him.

Why the achievement Gap will never significantly close…

http://www.slate.com/id/2178122/entry/0/
http://psychology.uwo.ca/faculty/rushtonpdfs/PPPL1.pdf

No doubt, there is money to be made from perpetuating the problem. The "Achievment Gap" is no different.

Reminds me of my own Department meetings. Everybody puts in his, or her input. Its discussed using up time, we'll ask for more funding, and the end result will be little resolution of problem.

Educators will argue for more funding. Same things for as long as I can remember. Tax payers, amongst others will continue to demand more accountability for where their money is spent. There simply is no more money for schools.

Meanwhile, high school scores will continue to plateau, new teachers will be harder to attract, and drop out rates will remain about he same.

I forsee schools will either push more kids through dumbing down their programs, or continue to graduate high schoolers who can barely pass the exit exam.

And you and I will continue to get them in college, many unable to do the most basic of work.

No new solutions to address the problem. What's the definintion of insanity?

Its the parents that are the problem. Until parents step up and take responsibility for their child's education they will under perform. I hear a lot of talk about commitment to education in low income areas but I don't see many parents really taking the lead to insure their child is educated. Most teachers I know in low income neighborhoods work very hard everyday to help the children but it is the lack of support from parents that frustrates their efforts more then anything else.

Sean: Hense why I made the intial suggestions in this blog.

The main reason scores remain low, is not from the efforts of teachers and schools. Nor is it about dumping more money into a system.

Its about changing how many 'low-income' or underperforming students value education. Or more specifically, on the expectations transfered from their parents.

Accountability works. Applying it to parents and students only balances the equation. It is another avenue which will raise scores AND not break the bank in the process.

Unfortunately, perpetuating the problem is more profitable for unions, and other special interest groups. It's easier then actually taking steps to solve the problem.

Sorry, Angeldecoys, "accountability" is a rubbish concept. As retired high school English teacher and a school board member in Hemet, I lament that so many Democrats and folks of good will have bought into the so-called "accountability" concept. All the suggestions and insight shown above simply don't matter--you've got it all wrong. There are two main issues here: (1) the dumbing down of ALL America, not just California, is a function of television's impact and the subsequent lack of influence of print medium and reading newspapers, magazines, and books; and (2) the invasion of floods of non-English speaking latino immigrants, caused by Reagan Republicans' desire to have cheap unskilled labor flood the nation, has brought predictable tailspins to school achievement. To improve the schools TODAY, totally eliminate the STAR and NCLB testing programs. The notion that "schools fail" is silly. Our teachers are slaving to get their unprepared children to perform to unrealistic standards. The schools exist to give families and their children opportunity, and they do that, very well. It's a cost society must pay. Our elitist views are so very short-range--many immigrant children will become our state's future leaders, despite every roadblock legislators and the public will put before them today. How short-sighted we are! What you have today is what we'll get tomorrow, and we should embrace it, not hide from it. Our problem is legislators and pundits who have politicized the schools instead of dealing with their burdens today which they have caused! In the public's view our children are hip-hop worthless trash, and it's sad. Our culture has painted them that way, and most folks are amazed when I tell them how hard our devoted teachers work and how well our students respond. There is a huge disconnect between comments such as those above made by mainly well-intentioned folks who should know better and reality. SO: kill STAR and NCLB testing totally, so our teachers can get back to teaching instead of preparing students for rote test-taking which is so unlike the education they will need in later life, never mind for college-level performance. It's time to accept that our society has changed, and that our legislators have abandoned the schools for rote-memory work, discredited generations ago, which will further alienate our young people. Support your public schools, California! They're doing more that YOU are to build a better future for the state and our children and communities.

Gregg.

Suggesting that NCLB, STAR testing, high school exit exams, or any other test be scrapped is ludicrous and unlikely. If you’re on the school board, you know this already. If you think it is ever going away, you’re part of the problem. The trend is to go the other direction micromanaging classrooms even more.

The days of handing a teacher a book and telling them to have fun are over.

Accountability does work. I've never suggested schools and teachers aren't doing their parts. They do plenty, and increasingly are getting blamed for factors out of their control.

No amount of money poured into the system is going to correct the inadequacies of these kids pushed through the system. No amount can correct for students who do not take the initiative in their own learning, and parents who settle for mediocrity.

My suggestion is that we hold accountable parts of the education equation not ever addressed. That is a value we can correct and direct our attention towards.

As my wife and I both teach college students, we directly see the results coming out of high school. It is abysmal, and those are with students who want to learn.

So Gregg, other than scrapping tests which is highly unlikely, what suggestions would you make? Remember, there is no more money to spend so let us hear the ideas that do not include spending more money.

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Arben
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