Posted on 12/12/2006 7:19:09 AM PST by TitanicMan2003
Superintendent of Grand Rapids Public Schools Bernard Taylor is looking for ways to improve after an instructional audit showed high rates of failure in high schools.
The audit shows more than 50 percent of students at all four high shools did not meet district standards on writing assessments. Also, more than 65 percent of freshmen are failing classes.
(snip)
Other numbers in the audit indicate the number of freshmen with a grade point average below 2.0 increased and more than 40 percent of high school students missed more than 10 days of school in core classes.
Taylor said he won't blame anyone, adding the purpose of making these findings public is to be transparent and solicit community help.
"I'm going to put it out there," Taylor said. "People will respond or they won't. My purpose was not to point fingers or assign blame, (but to) look at what we need to do and figure out how we're going to get there."
Parents want to know how the situations will be fixed.
(Excerpt) Read more at woodtv.com ...
"Taylor said he won't blame anyone,"
Probably because he's to blame. Heads need to roll.
Maybe they need to bring back the King James Version of English, and the King's Bible.
Thomas Sowell's "Inside American Education" documents numerous ways teachers attack parental authority.
Teachers have asked third-graders, "How many of you ever wanted to beat up your parents?"
In a high school health class, students were asked, "How many of you hate your parents?"
Fire all the teachers...hire new ones.
Dump the curriculum
More evidence of an over-supplied school administration.
I guess you are not familiar with Baltimore City schools. I read the article and yawn. Baltimore City schools have a 19% truancy rate, and that is its strong point.
...in a prepared statement from the NEA.
(snip)
Parents want to know how the situations will be fixed.
Maybe start by being parents?
They're all spending too much time pushing Amway products.
Wouldn't it be refreshing to hear about all the concerned parents jumping in and asking "How can WE help to improve the situation?" Not holding my breath...
If Taylor needed to see this report before he knew the problem existed as was this bad, he needs to be fired, or recalled.
BTW, would this be called a hard hitting expose on WOOD TV?
;-)
There are scads and scads of Christian schools in the area, in addition to many, many home-schoolers. So one could argue the public schools are filled with those left behind.
Not likely that many of these "students" have a clue about Amway.
They've probably never heard of Ada, where Amway is headquartered.
They probably do know about "pushing" though.
Obviously, they need to lower the standards. (/sarcasm)
Taylor's relatively new... this is his first year there. However, he made some comments recently that offended the teacher's union (first to blame) and Heaven help the superintendent that offends parents (next to blame) and the school board hired him and could probably terminate him (next in the list)... so by this point, you run out of people to blame.
Honestly, GRPS has been a mess for years. Now, should I be ashamed of having graduated from one of their schools, or proud that I was one of the few who managed?
MGY
The attitude toward education begins at home. If the parents don't value education, neither will the kids.
"Throw more money at the problem," will be the final solution.
Actually, I was thinking more about the teachers! :)
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