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Proficiency of Black Students Is Found to Be Far Lower Than Expected
New York Times ^ | November 9, 2010 | Trip Gabriel

Posted on 11/09/2010 10:24:07 AM PST by lbryce

An achievement gap separating black from white students has long been documented — a social divide extremely vexing to policy makers and the target of one blast of school reform after another.

But a new report focusing on black males suggests that the picture is even bleaker than generally known.

Only 12 percent of black fourth-grade boys are proficient in reading, compared with 38 percent of white boys, and only 12 percent of black eighth-grade boys are proficient in math, compared with 44 percent of white boys.

Poverty alone does not seem to explain the differences: poor white boys do just as well as African-American boys who do not live in poverty, measured by whether they qualify for subsidized school lunches.

The data was distilled from highly respected national math and reading tests, known as the National Assessment for Educational Progress, which are given to students in fourth and eighth grades, most recently in 2009. The report, “A Call for Change,” is to be released Tuesday by the Council of the Great City Schools, an advocacy group for urban public schools.

Although the outlines of the problem and many specifics have been previously reported, the group hopes that including so much of what it calls “jaw-dropping data” in one place will spark a new sense of national urgency.

“What this clearly shows is that black males who are not eligible for free and reduced-price lunch are doing no better than white males who are poor,” said Michael Casserly, executive director of the council.

The report shows that black boys on average fall behind from their earliest years.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: achievementgap; africanamericans; arth; bellcurve; billcosby; blacks; dontsayit; education; racist
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To: lbryce
Too much hip slop rap crap. Blsck culture is going to have to develop a respect for intellectual achievment or they're going to be stuck where they are.

When an idiot like Jesse Jackson is seen as a hero while Clarence Thomas is scorned it is a sign of a very big problem.

I worked for a company owned by a black man for several years. He is also a good friend. One day he told a black customer he couldn't jump right on a request, he was headed to the school his kids attended to help with a project. The customer told him, "no one did crap like that when we were in school". My friend told him "damn straight, but it's about time we started".

All of his kids are doing great.

221 posted on 11/11/2010 3:18:11 AM PST by SWAMPSNIPER (The Second Amendment, A Matter Of Fact, Not A Matter Of Opinion)
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets
I have a sister who taught math and science in Massachusetts middle schools for years.

When she was studying for her master's degree, I happened to be at her house one day. Because I'm a better typist than she is, she asked if I could type one of her papers for her.

I happened to leaf through one of the books she had included as a reference and was horrified to see that the "expert" author emphasized that teachers should expect classroom disruption by black students since their culture encouraged such behavior and attempting to correct it was a repudiation of black culture and so was, of course, racist.

222 posted on 11/11/2010 5:09:22 AM PST by Madame Dufarge
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To: Tired of Taxes

I’m discussing inherited intelligence. What makes anyone think that everyone starts off with an equal amount?

I’ve had my own kids study hard and not learn things that were easy for me. They worked harder and had more resources than I did, but the results were not equal. In languages, I studied hard for 6 years - 7th grade thru HS - and the only reason I didn’t flunk was that the teacher needed students to keep her job. Later, I met guys in the military who learned to speak acceptable Japanese in a week.

We aren’t all equal. We are born with limited ability to learn some types of things. It is painfully obvious that we are not all born equally intelligent.


223 posted on 11/11/2010 5:42:47 AM PST by Mr Rogers (When an ass brays, don't reply)
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To: Mikey_1962
Something has changed, and it is not a sudden appearance of low IQ's. But it does coincide with the sudden appearance of teachers unions.

What are you talking about? NEA was founded back in 1850 or so. AFT the beginning of 1900's.

But it does coincide with the widespread availability of marijuana.

224 posted on 11/11/2010 6:09:20 AM PST by ladyjane
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To: Mr Rogers

Why is the heritability of intelligence is such a threatening concept to some?

Genetics plays an important role in areas such as beef and milk production, timber and crop production and show dog breeding. Athletic ability and physical traits in humans clearly have a genetic component.

Yet somehow we are to believe that genes affect all these characteristics *except* intelligence?


225 posted on 11/11/2010 6:39:06 AM PST by ladyjane
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To: ladyjane

“Why is the heritability of intelligence is such a threatening concept to some?”

I see two groups taking exception to the idea. One group with more muscles in their legs are insulted to be thought of as inferior to those with more muscles in their heads, regardless of reality. They do know those with the head muscles are more likely to rule, and they resent it. Another group that demands equal outcomes is threatened by challenges to the ideology of their agenda.


226 posted on 11/11/2010 8:21:23 AM PST by TexasRepublic (Socialism is the gospel of envy and the religion of thieves)
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To: ladyjane
What are you talking about? NEA was founded back in 1850 or so. AFT the beginning of 1900's.Yes but they did not have the right to collectively bargain.

Even California outlawed Teacher's Unions until Jerry Brown became Governor.

227 posted on 11/11/2010 8:59:11 AM PST by Mikey_1962 (Obama: The Affirmative Action President. He's shovel ready!)
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To: ladyjane; Tired of Taxes

We can breed Border Collies for herding and intelligence, but in humans, genetics have no impact on intelligence.

Riiigghhhttt!

I had a Border Collie who had never seen a sheep until she was middle aged...on vacation, she met a friend’s range sheep (about 30 being kept in a pasture for a day just off the range), and she immediately rounded them up and pushed them thru a gate. She KNEW what to do without ever having seen it done. But behavior and intelligence have no basis in genetics. How odd!


228 posted on 11/11/2010 9:00:02 AM PST by Mr Rogers (When an ass brays, don't reply)
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To: ladyjane
What are you talking about? NEA was founded back in 1850 or so. AFT the beginning of 1900's.

Yes but they did not have the right to collectively bargain.

Even California outlawed Public Unions as until Jerry Brown became Governor.

229 posted on 11/11/2010 9:00:17 AM PST by Mikey_1962 (Obama: The Affirmative Action President. He's shovel ready!)
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To: lbryce

Well at least we know have proof that the liberal programs worked. They have successfully positioned Blacks to be enslaved again.

Now they will continue on the rest of us.


230 posted on 11/11/2010 9:02:28 AM PST by surfer (To err is human, to really foul things up takes a Democrat, don't expect the GOP to have the answer!)
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To: Mr Rogers
But behavior and intelligence have no basis in genetics.

Oh but they do - for animals. Not for humans though.

In humans, intelligence is not affected by genetics.

You didn't get the memo? LOL

The entire IQ genetics thing is so absurd it's hard to believe people can even argue about it.

231 posted on 11/11/2010 9:16:40 AM PST by ladyjane
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To: Mikey_1962

I am not a big supporter of unions. To the contrary. But I can’t blame teachers (and their unions) for failing to teach reading and math to slugs who are sound asleep in class - when they even show up for class.


232 posted on 11/11/2010 9:19:24 AM PST by ladyjane
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To: Mr Rogers

Somebody posted this picture yesterday showing a Border Collie herding sheep. For some reason it totally broke me up.

http://theorstrahyun.blogspot.com/2009/07/wake-up-sheeple-trevor-sheep-knows.html


233 posted on 11/11/2010 9:25:09 AM PST by ladyjane
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To: ladyjane
I once saw a supposed scientist on TV explaining that we have no evidence that animals (except humans) feel pain. That is the ignorance of the educated, which allows books to substitute for the obvious.

And thanks for the picture. This was our Border Collie watching our youngest:


234 posted on 11/11/2010 10:51:59 AM PST by Mr Rogers (When an ass brays, don't reply)
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To: Mr Rogers
I’ve had my own kids study hard and not learn things that were easy for me. They worked harder and had more resources than I did, but the results were not equal.

Mr. Rogers, what are you saying here? Do you believe they inherited a trait that renders them less intelligent than you are? Or, would it be more logical to conclude that something else was the reason?

Listen, my own children don't go to school. They never did. And I can trace almost everything about them to something in their environment or to an actual physical reason. I found out those first few years are crucial; everything to which a child is exposed at that age influences him for a long time. So, what might seem innate is not necessarily so. It probably traces back to the child's experiences in the early years.

But, the brain continues to develop. The type of thinking I see here on this thread is like shrugging, "Oh, well, I can't do it," and then giving up.

235 posted on 11/11/2010 11:44:57 AM PST by Tired of Taxes
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To: Tired of Taxes

“Do you believe they inherited a trait that renders them less intelligent than you are?”

Of course. My son worked very hard in school, had more resources than I ever had, and struggled to get a C in easy classes. I had fewer resources, rarely studied, and got As in calculus and physics. My youngest daughter, OTOH, read at the 12th grade level in 3rd grade.

We breed dogs for intelligence - or we can, if we choose. Or we can breed them for behaviors, or inherited abilities. Border Collies were bred to become what they are today. Those that didn’t measure up were culled. I obviously am NOT suggesting that for humans, but in theory humans could be bred for traits just as dogs are - not outside the range of their abilities as a species, but for more consistent placement within the range of the species ability.

Arabians are also bred for alertness and inquisitiveness. And when riding them, I understand why other horses are NOT bred for those traits - but the point is we CAN breed for them.

Why is it possible to breed for intelligence in dogs and horses, but every human is born equal? It doesn’t make sense.


236 posted on 11/11/2010 3:15:57 PM PST by Mr Rogers (When an ass brays, don't reply)
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To: Mr Rogers
Again, if you reread my posts, you will find that I NEVER said "every human is born equal." What I've said again and again is that there's no solid evidence that IQ is inherent, unless there's some kind of disability.

If a student is struggling with his studies, there's either a biological reason, an outside influence, or both. Agreed?

If your position is that the reason is biological, then to support your position, you'd have to identify what that biological reason is. For example, there are real disabilities that affect a person's learning ability. If you cannot identify a disability, then you don't know if the reason is biological or environmental, and you're only jumping to a conclusion by assuming it's biological.

237 posted on 11/11/2010 11:03:03 PM PST by Tired of Taxes
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To: Mikey_1962

I find that number a little hard to believe, frankly. I wonder if that’s implying reading on a fourth grade level or simply reading.

I was reading 300+ page books in fourth grade for fun. Did that mean I read with an adult’s comprehension? Absolutely not.


238 posted on 11/15/2010 5:29:47 PM PST by CaspersGh0sts
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To: TexasRepublic

I HATE how they use such poor grammar.It drives me nuts.Where you at?,He do,she do,you dumb,you is dumb,etc.I guess they don’t mind sounding ignorant.


239 posted on 11/23/2010 2:11:24 PM PST by POWERSBOOTHEFAN (Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.)
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