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Gotta share an experience with all of you that happened to me concerning local schools where I live:

The Arkansas State Supreme Court ruled that the state schools were entitled to "substantially equal curriculum, facilities, equipment and teachers."

But when I started questioning the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, I was shocked to hear the reasoning as to why some students in this state had trouble learning the three "r's" and I used the state SAT scores as examples, as does the state in determining who is and is not performing well...

Here is part of the email conversation:

Myself:

Do you think the SAT scores of a larger district have an impact on whether a small district should merge with a larger one or not if it came to the issue of consolidation?

Senator:

Honestly, I separate the issues of efficient use of public resources and achievement. Yes, many disagree, but my attitude is we need both, especially in a poor state like Arkansas. Can't afford either/or if we're to build a better future.

Myself:

So can I accurately say that test scores at this point are irrelevant?

Would you please elaborate on one of your previous statements:

"School-to-school comparisons are pretty worthless if you don't take the makeup of student populations into account."

Senator:

OK. On most recent 4th grade NAEP tests, 13% of AR 4th graders were proficient compared to nat'l. avg. of 20%. But if you break our scores down by race, 18% of AR whites were proficient, and only 2% of AR blacks were proficient.
No state does a poorer job of educating black children than we do. (It's on the web - Education Week - Quality Counts 2003 study). And if we're going to achieve my dream of closing the achievement gap, that's where we must do far better. We must set far higher expectations for those children, provide adequate, equitable resources, and get far better results.
SO..... to compare one school that's all white, affluent students, most of whom come from highly educated families, against another with all economically disadvantaged students just doesn't make sense. We can do far better for our black students - other states do.

Myself:

I have a very hard time accepting the statement that black students can't learn because they did not come from an affluent family. It does not take a nice pair of shoes and pretty clothes to engage the brain.

MONEY does not educate, and that seems to be where there is a great division among most Arkansans and those in the arena of politics. There are economically disadvantaged white students in poor areas of the state as well, and if they do not take the bull by the horns and put their minds in gear and make good use of school time, it is first the teachers fault for not guiding them in the beginning of their education and explaining how best to utilize that time, it is secondly the parents fault for not following up on how their child is performing in school, and thirdly, as that child grows and hopefully matures, if s/he still doesn't care to do homework and pay attention in class, it is his/her ultimate failure the child will have to deal with in life, and probably the state as well. But to take race and say that someone can't learn because of it is ludicrous.

You said that "We must set far higher expectations for those children...".

Isn't the expectation level the same for blacks as it is for everybody else???? Yes we should expect more, but how do you plan to get it?

Is it the state education system that is not performing, or is it the under acheiving students of Arkansas?

LOOK AT THE DATA, THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THE SAME SCHOOL BOOKS AS WHITE STUDENTS. Take Pulaski county schools as an example, what excuse do you give for them? Can't be because of low funding or underpaid teachers..................

An answer to that question would be appreciated. I would really like to know.

To take poverty and say someone is incapable of obtaining an education because of it is laughable, why don't you try that line on my Grandpa....

Thanks for your time.

Of course the answer to all education problems in the state of Arkansas is "more money"...

If you would like to read the entire email exchange on this subject, go to my webpage