[KneelBeforeZod]

Hmm I had plenty of immigrants in my schools...Indians, Asians. Heavy accents, only spoke english for a couple years...yet the did great in all their classes and within a couple years of moving here their parents were buying houses. Wonder why some immigrants can't figure it out. (no I dont)

[anniegetyourgun]

Makes me wonder how "outstanding" they really were before accountability standards were imposed.

[Darkwolf377]

"What matters is that widely publicized state test scores and the federal No Child Left Behind Act have labeled the school underperforming"

I love how the writer, who I gamble would NEVER portray any kind of criticism of US actions in Iraq as leading to any actions that would harm our soldiers, seems to be saying that labelling these schools honestly is a bad thing because it stigmatizes them.

[skip_intro]

It doesn't matter that the Concord school once was honored as a California Distinguished School

And I could once wear size 32 Levis. So what.

[BullDog108]

I grew up in Concord/Walnut Creek in the 60s. When I visited the area last year I did not recognise it!

[technomage]

It doesn't matter that the Concord school once was honored as a California Distinguished School and has classes for gifted and talented students, a state-of-the-art technology program and even a psychologist on campus to support the kids.

The psychologist on campus should have been enough warning!

[KarlInOhio]

Is it the immigrants who can't figure it out or is it the race pimps who are trying to build up a constituancy?

I don't know whether English immersion or part English/part native language instruction is best for the first couple of years here is the best way. The race pimps "teach them in Spanish until they can get jobs as maids and gardeners" is far worse than the other two.

[Red Badger]

That's what NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND means! We wil leave no child behind in these underperforming school systems. So, THEY ARE LEAVING!...........simple enough, even a Californian can understand it......

[silverleaf]

"Some immigrants can't figure it out" because the PC crowd that runs the public school system holds their kids in ESL classes for years upon years. They spend half of every school day in another classroom, away from the mainstream and their native English-speaking peers. And many of the ESL teachers and staff, beyond speaking Spanglish, are NOT subject matter experts. Thus their core subject learning lags and the test scores fall. ESL is a recipe for failure, imho.

BTW- I adopted two non-English speaking kids, mainstreamed them into PreK within 6 weeks, and they were right up there with their peers within two months. Now after 2 years they are more fluent in English and their vocabulary is richer than most of their peers.

Ever notice that most well-learned folks, like diplomats and military officers abroad, when they want their kids to perform in a non-native langauge- go with total immersion and the kids handle it just fine?

[Jason_b]

I don't like this touchy feely no child left behind crap. It disappoints me that Bush would promote such garbage.

I want to see the Children who strive for academic excellence get ahead, the rest fall back ACT that gets Government out of Education so that competition can get back in.

[AppyPappy]

Many of the highest performing students at our local high school are immigrants.

[JustRight]

"As a result... lose per-pupil funding and the benefits of parents with the time and resources to get involved."

"Sometimes the better-educated parents take advantage of the school choice option."

There's a pattern there...parents...involved...educated... If I were planning to move to Mexico, you can make dang sure I would have my children learning Spanish before we moved, not just dumping them off and expecting the school to teach them.

[homeywhite]

I live a few blocks from this school and frequently walk the dog past it. From the outside the school appears normal with very normal kids.I have never seen any gang activity or violence. There are a large number of Hispanics. There are are also at least a half dozen or more severely handicapped kids who are pushed or walked around the school grounds and nearby streets by faculty or volunteers. These kids are being mainstreamed and the 6 or so kids I encounter can not even say dog when prompted by their caregivers. I don't know how many more there are on school grounds but if these kids are included in any testing data then the results will be pulled down some. It was policy to include them a few years back.
As for the Hispanic issue if it can be called that there are a number of streets with single family homes owned by Hispanics in that school district. Construction and improvements are a 365 day a year activity. The owners display a great deal of pride in their neighborhood. Does this imply that improved academic scores might be a generation away? This school is not in a poor section of town. The house next store is on the market for $1.2 million. Across the street is a home owned by Hispanics that could easily fetch $2.5-3 million if it was on the market. Nearby are two excellent Catholic High Schools - You may have heard of one of them, DeLaSalle, the number one high school football team in the country for about 3 or 4 years. This is just to give some of you a glimpse of the environment this school operates in. Parents generally have the economic wherewithal to move their kids if they so choose.If my kids were that age I would do what our younger friends do, send the kids to private schools.

[Alia]

I used to live near there. As early as the mid-90s, many of the schools had stopped regular math and science in the gradeschools. The war was on between phonics and "sight-and-memory". Reading? I've gotten to look at some of the "prize winning" books recommended for students -- THESE ARE UNREADABLE; no wonder the students are having trouble. PE? What PE? Diversity programs? PLENTY. Then we get to the "language" issues.... Some of the schools are watering down regular programs and teaching ALL students in "multi-languages" per session.. no wonder the student grades are not on par with where they should be. I wonder what the ratio of students on ritilin-like drugs is?

Sure, "politics" factors in.. but money talks louder. A lot of funds get "underwritten" in state to include a lot of BS, in order for the school to get funding. Gotta keep teacher union members employed, know what I mean?

[Junior]

Well, at least they'll have smaller class sizes...