Don't blame Bush or bias: Just teach kids [FL liberal blames parents -- and, defends Jeb!]

The Orlando Sentinel ^ | June 3, 2003 | Mike Thomas

[summer]

Mike Thomas

Don't blame Bush or bias: Just teach kids

Published June 3, 2003

...Black communities destroy black schools. Too many parents don't get involved in their children's education. So the kids don't care. The good teachers burn out trying to get them to care. And so they leave. That attitude goes right up the system.

"This ain't a black thing," said Bishop Victor T. Curry, former president of the Miami-Dade NAACP. "This is our children's thing."

I'd suggest he use proper grammar, but Ernest Page might accuse me of being culturally biased.

...The people who did not prepare the families are the parents. And the punitive measure they inflict on their children is a lifetime of poverty.

The kids who failed the FCAT may be victims, but they aren't Jeb Bush's victims. Their fate was sealed when they entered first grade not knowing their letters and numbers, which was long before Bush got to Tallahassee....

...At what point do we tell black kids that being 60 percent or 70 percent as good as white kids isn't good enough? The only racists I see in this debate are the ones who think black kids are too stupid to pass the test....

As for Bush's FCAT critics, they need to come up with better solutions than promoting inferiority and blaming the nearest Republican for it.

Mike Thomas can be reached at 407-420-5525 or mthomas@orlandosentinel.com.

[summer]

Wow! Mike Thomas -- liberal turned swing voter, as he wrote in his column that he voted GOP, for the first time, when he voted for Gov Bush in Nov 2002 -- has really come out swinging in defense of Gov Bush here!

[summer]

Also see this Juine 9, 2003 Orlando Sentinel article, concerning teachers visitng low income kids in FL -- and a principal who found the money for this program by eliminating an assistant principal position --

Traveling teachers bring reading to kids' homes

An excerpt from above article:

Gov. Jeb Bush, who has made improved standardized reading scores a major state goal, was intrigued by the On the Road to Reading program.

"I love it," Bush wrote in an e-mail to the Orlando Sentinel. "I think we need to have a culture of innovation."

[summer]

Juine = June

[summer]

FYI. :)

[summer]

I just love it when Gov Bush promotes American know-how and innovation:

"I love it," Bush wrote in an e-mail to the Orlando Sentinel. "I think we need to have a culture of innovation."

[chachacha]

Bishop Victor T. Curry, former president of the Miami-Dade NAACP

You "BISHOP" need to get your head our of the sand and the flock you preach to need understand you are their enemy. You can scream all you want about the black community and its inherent problems. However, black children are not born stupid.

They are encouraged to walk with a limp, talk a brainless language, wear rediculously sloppy clothes, rags on their heads, bald and, rebel against all authority.

And you and you sheep want to blame the whole world for your failures.

What's it going to take to wake you up

[summer]

This bishop tried to start a boycott in FL, and when I last saw the poll on his radio show site, it was overwhelmingly AGAINST the boycott he proposed. The days of getting traction by blaming others for these community and family failures are just over. Period. At least in FL.

[summer]

FYI. A GOOD READ!

[RAT Patrol]

Wow! Let me add that education cannot be purchased like memory for your computer or something. It's developed through personal effort (free) and quality resources (which frequently costs less than gimicky or politically motivated resources).

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Wonderful post, summer. Thank you for staying on top of this - and keeping us informed.

*FCAT success is triumph for entire family [Ex-homeless, Hispanic teen scores high on FL Math Test] ^
*FCAT Scores Among Blacks, Hispanics Up Considerably (Where's the Bias?) ^
*(Jeb) Bush: FCAT scores up in every grade but 10th ^

[CaptRon]

I can imagine what his inbox will look like in the morning. A dose of truth does not go down well with race-baiters.

[JoeSixPack1]

I never trusted Mike Thomas even when he makes sense as he does here. Every purple moon or so Thomas comes up with a winner, but watch him closely and he'll let you down with gusto!

As far as what he says, it is about time!!

The children of the poverty class need weaning. The milk needs to be soured and votes for handouts stopped.

Who was it that made the quote referencing a population that can vote themselves other peoples money is doomed......???

[looois]

I'm do not mean to criticize the FCAT. However, I copied the online 3rd grade test. There were two reading stories. The first was about a black boy and an elderly black lady who was his neighbor. The second story was abouts stingrays.

I thought the reading comprehension question were just a little bit difficult. They are looking for main idea, etc., but often the student has to "think" what the story was about rather than see a sentence which states the main idea. You would think with a multiple choice test you would get all objective questions, but some are not.

The math is not 7+1, 6-2, or 6*8, but rather actually word problems. I can only remember in grade school that I hated word problems! Give me the concrete math problems and I can work them. Word problems always scared me to death!

I don't see any racial bias in the test. I think it might be very, very difficult for the less than average third grader, however. I'm sure the FCAT 10th grade test is about the same, but have not looked at the online example or tried to mess with it.

Since the test is standarized, there is really not much one can say to criticize it as all the state, the state over, take the same test. So the degree of difficulty is going to be the same for everyone. The brighter students are going to score very well, and those who are best prepared. The only criticism I can give is that if I were a teacher, you would just about have to throw reading for pleasure out the window and teach the class to read looking for surprise questions that the test writer might be able to make up. That is, main idea, details, and all those skill objectives that come with taking a reading comprehension test. But it always causes me to ask, why does the test writer ask those eight questions the reader did not know? I'm sure I could dig out eight questions that the reader would know from the same passage. There in lies the bias of any reading test. Some of the questions might be considered "tricks" by the less than average third grade reader.

I do believe that basing whether a student graduates from high school on one test is putting too much faith in a written test. Graduation should be weighted. The FCAT should count so much, but not 100%. Class grades ought to amount to something and carry some weight. How ot weigh, I have no idea. Also, looking back at a students career in high school and awarding more points toward graduation should also be weighted in. I'm not saying playing on the football team should count a lot towards graduation, but activities such as that should be weighted in. There are lots of extra school activities after hours that students participate in, and if they knew it woud help toward graduation, more would participate rather than running out to their cars to kiss on some girls face or drive off to work. Teachers, themselves, can merely write up citations when a students excels at something, not just in the classroom, but in outstanding school and community service as well.

Graduating from high school has to be more than just the FCAT written test. You also need to look at the total person the student was, and became, during the high school years. I'm sure there are many other factors that could be weighted as well.

Perhaps, however, in the end, even a system such as this will not help those students in Florida who will not graduate because of low FCAT scores. But more incentives to graduate should be placed out there for the students.

[NonValueAdded]

Hold my coffee and read this alert???? Wow. Is it really possible? Are people FINALLY getting it? Is there some kind of a new "Bush effect" phenomenon? Is there really hope?

And in the Orlando Sentinel??? Mon dieu (no, wait, those are weasel words) Good grief!

[MeekOneGOP]

More bump images HERE !

[FreeManWhoCan]

Thank God for the Bushes. I'm lucky to have one in the White House and in the Governer's mantion. To all those punks who I see at the parking lots "booming your bass" on Weds. nights past 11PM when you should be home studying, to all those girls who skip school with the cool guy, when I see you at the BK hanging out with your friends on a school day, (Does your mother know where you are and what your friend keeps grabbing while you should be studying), to the parents that let their kids run around and not pay attention to their schooling, to the kids who had 5 to 7 chances to take this test, now you know that Mr. Bush IS serious.
What is the attitude now here in Miami? What have the kids told me?
"I BETTER STUDY HARDER NEXT YEAR BECAUSE I WANT TO GRADUATE."
"I DONT WANT TO FAIL."
"I DON'T WANT WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM HAPPEN TO ME"

Does Amwerica see this? Is this on the news? Mr. Bush you have done so much good for this state. My friend, a teacher says that even the kids are "respecting" her more than befroe. School is almost over here and the kids are already anxious about the next session. I was born and raised in Miami, and I have NEVER seen this kind of attitude before.

[windchime]

Thanks, summer.

[MeekOneGOP]

[summer]

...now you know that Mr. Bush IS serious. What is the attitude now here in Miami? What have the kids told me?

"I BETTER STUDY HARDER NEXT YEAR BECAUSE I WANT TO GRADUATE."
"I DONT WANT TO FAIL."
"I DON'T WANT WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM HAPPEN TO ME"

Does Amwerica see this? Is this on the news? Mr. Bush you have done so much good for this state. My friend, a teacher says that even the kids are "respecting" her more than before...

FreeManWhoCan, you sure did hit the nail on the head. I think one of the biggest and best changes to come out of all this is that kids are getting the message, even if their parents remain clueless, because the kids notice what is happening around them, with their peers. And where is the news media in reporting this?

Gov Bush has stood his ground, and believe me, there are teachers who ARE grateful. What teacher honestly wants to teach a class of 4th graders when not one kid is reading on a 4th grade level? How much better to have a class of 4th graders ready to read and do 4th grade work. Any honest teacher will agree with me here. It far more work for a teacher to be forced to teach to several different grade levels under the false premise all the students in a 4th grade class are ready for 4th grade. And, it is long past time that students put in more effort -- and realize without the effort, they are not moving ahead.

[summer]

RE your post #19 - BTTT. :)