'Learning pods' threaten to widen the privilege gap in Bay Area schooling

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | July 28, 2020 | Andrew Chamings

[artichokegrower]

"This is the worst."

"Our kids won't ever catch up."

"What do we do?"

Parents' text threads and mom's groups blew up as soon as the news was made official.

After months of speculation and worry, Oakland families received confirmation on July 10 that the 2020-21 school year would not be a normal year. The 40,000 students under the school district's jurisdiction would not be returning to in-class learning at the start of the coming semester.

[artichokegrower]

"Based on what I’ve seen online, the learning pod movement appears to be led by families with means, a large portion of whom are white. Paradoxically, at a time when the Black Lives Matter movement has prompted a national reckoning with white supremacy, white parents are again ignoring racial and class inequality when it comes to educating their children,"

Damn innovative, self reliant, responding to a crisis, white people. Must pass laws to prevent them from coming to the aid of their children.

[ctdonath2]

Then allow school vouchers.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

In the market place of ideas, the first to mention race is the racist.
-@bagster188

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Individualism is a threat to the collective!

[VAFreedom]

no big deal, home school for the win.

[Bon of Babble]

Schools are already screwed up in the Bay Area - students are assigned to schools according to their race.

One of my family members lives in the city, the elementary school is across the street but the youngest was assigned to a school across town in an area of Section 8 housing.

They wonder why white parents are fleeing the schools?

[Stosh]

Over a half-century ago, an educator at the University of Chicago came to the conclusion that parental attitude towards and involvement in the education of their kids was among the (if not specifically the) key factor in their success in school. This trend is just another manifestation of that.

From Wikipedia, in reference to “the Coleman Report”:

“The report is commonly presented as evidence that school funding has little effect on student achievement, a key finding of the report and subsequent research. It was found as for physical facilities, formal curricula, and other measurable criteria, there was little difference between black and white schools. Also, a significant gap in the achievement scores between black and white children already existed in the first grade. Despite the similar conditions of black and white schools, the gap became even wider by the end of elementary school. The only consistent variable explaining the differences in score within each racial group or ethnic group was the educational and economic attainment of the parents. Therefore, student background and socioeconomic status are more important in determining educational outcomes of a student. Specifically, the attitudes of parents and caregivers at home and peers at school of students toward education. Additionally, differences in the quality of schools and teachers, has a small positive impact on student outcomes. The report led to extensive further research. Modern research has led to similar conclusions.”

[bk1000]

“ Paradoxically, at a time when the Black Lives Matter movement has prompted a national reckoning with white supremacy,...”

Reckoning, my lily white behind. I will not lower myself to elevate another. Step up, or sit down. I won’t keep you down, but don’t expect me to raise you up.

[sanjuanbob]

Because of “teachers” , government schools will be relegated to the poor and disadvantaged. Students, for the most part, will become future minimum wage earners. The Department of Education should be eliminated.

[PGR88]

many Bay Area parents have decided to take a do-it-yourself approach to learning by hiring a tutor and forming a 'learning pod.’

These people are effectively homeschooling anyway. Why not just cut the cord completely with the social-engineering, lowest-common-denominator, political public schools?

[libstripper]

The bit about lower income families not being able to afford the digital resources to participate really gets to me, with their kids wearing often wearing $300 sneakers and carrying $500 iPhones. After all, a perfectly functional PC only costs about $500.

[organicchemist]

For centuries, all that was needed to learn math was a blackboard. Folks who learned that way know a lot more than current “advanced learning techniques” have afforded.

Course it’s nice if your teacher can count past ten. If you have a learning pod, that can be assured

[sasquatch]

IF the school system hadn’t gone from one of the top in the country in the 50’s to near the bottom now, this problem wouldn’t exist. Sol’n... raise taxes and give the money to the unions and pension plans. There; done.

[PapaBear3625]

The only consistent variable explaining the differences in score within each racial group or ethnic group was the educational and economic attainment of the parents.

Parental attainment correlates strongly with parental IQ.

[BookmanTheJanitor]

There are still white kids in the Oakland public schools?

[JimRed]

Learning is acting white anyway. Your (black) kid taking an interest in doing well in school may get him a beatdown and worse.

[roadcat]

There are still white kids in the Oakland public schools?

One of my daughters lived in Oakland for some years, before moving to Texas. Almost all white neighborhood with yuppie stores, theaters and ice cream parlors. In the hills. She commuted down through the flatlands to her job in nearby Emeryville ten minutes away. The flatlands were black infested, and I always feared for her living in Oakland. There were numerous car-jackings around MLK blvd. Thankfully she isn't raising her daughter there.