Almost every single school has very high pass rates for Caucasian literacy and math and even the Hispanic population and LEP do just about as well (Are there a lot of Hispanics in AR? If not, that stat could look better than it is if there are not enough to count) The glaring stand out problems are blacks and poor kids.
Here is the problem we face in our school and I'm sure we are not unique. NCLB says we have to offer extra tutoring and assistance outside the school hours for kids in failing categories. Our school does--and we offer transportation door to door. But, the kids refuse to stay and the parents refuse to make them stay. The teachers try to make the time fun with refreshments, a short break, a reward day once a month, tons of one-on-one time (the ratio is about 2.5 kids to 1 teacher). We offer before school and after school---the kids have their choice. There are even Saturday sessions. The teachers that do the program are paid quite well by the hour and all are there because they want to be. In short, on paper the program looks inviting and rewarding. The problem? The kids won't come.
So now, schools are over a barrel. The horse won't even come to the water, much less drink it. There is simply no way teachers at a school teaching math and reading can compete with the TV, video games, playing on a computer or shooting hoops. We can't do it. So when these kids fail the SOL's again, we will be back to the drawing board of how to get them to come. The next step is to do the extra tutoring during their elective time, but no one is keen for that either. What would you rather do if you are failing math already? Do more math or art?
It's a catch-22 and damned if I have an answer for it. When the kids fail the tests, it hurts the schools right away, but it doesn't hurt the kids until they are juniors in high school. Then in VA, these become barrier tests to graduation. But, try telling that to a 6th or 7th grader. 11th grade is too far away.
But back to this situation in AR, good luck to them. This is not a matter of teaching to the test, it is probably a matter of teaching them to do math and to read when their culture tells them that both are unimportant, there are no books in the home, the TV and radio are never off, and their gods are Tupac and P. Diddy.
Understand though that the suggestion of "just teach them during school hours" won't help. NCLB clearly states that the school must offer EXTRA and ADDITIONAL hours over and beyond the normal school core day. And just offering is not enough, we must show that the kids are coming and using the federal funds. Having 10 teachers paid at over $40 an hour to work with a few kids does not show good stewardship of fed funds and it will come back to bite sooner or later.
Arkansas has one of the fastest growing populations of illegals in the country. Tyson imports them by the busloads.
"The problem? The kids won't come."
Likely government solution: Keep the parents too ignorant and spiritually barren to understand or be responsible for adequately providing for, disciplining and supervising their children. Enter the government "saviors" as more or less permanent guardians of all minor children, with parental involvement only by permission and within certain specified guidelines. Then they could be indoctrinated 24/7 and those pesky parental units would be out of the way altogether, and what without the need for day care, just think of how much more time they would have available to work...to accommodate the higher tax burden for the "privilege" of having the "compassionate" government relieve them of the responsibility of child-rearing.
Sound preposterous? Perhaps; but then so did homosexual marriage, as recently as 5 years ago.