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SWL, Below is an email I sent Walter concerning this story. THANKS for the post. Peace and love, George.

the "black kids can't compete" myth..... Or, "'Inner city' children can't learn"

What's the philosophy that gets that job done? School principal Gregory Hodge says: "You have to demand more of your students, while providing them with the structure to meet those demands. The more difficult the curriculum, the greater the likelihood your students will be successful.

Walter,
First, THANK YOU!! For writing about the abysmal thing called public education of today. It is stone cold EVIL!!

In Baltimore in the early 1990s, the Calvert Curriculum was used in two elementary schools {First the Barclay Elementary under Trudy Williams, and later, the Carter G. Woodson elementary} where the curriculum was used in a public school setting with "qualified" teachers. The children in both schools exceeded excellence. The Children at the Woodson school posted scores 39 POINTS above "the NATIONAL average" on a California Standardizes test. This in a system that finished close/if not to bottom of the national average. This in schools whose children were well over 90% black and "disadvantaged" {They recieved state subsidised breakfast and lunch which was the criteria for being "disadvantaged".}.

After these scores were posted, Nancy Grasmick's {Maryland's education C-zar} M.S.P.A.P. {Maryland State Performance Assessment Program} was administered. The SAME children finished close to the bottom of Maryland and even Baltimore public school scores.

IMHO, this don't make no sense A'-tall!! Unless, the "purpose" of M.S.P.A.P. was in SHOWING that these particular children were "disadvantaged". The deliberate ignoring of this by any media {With RARE exception} was phenominal! The deliberate ignoring of this by the N.A.A.C.P was even more astonishing. I got on talk radio, {BOTH "white" and "Black" stations}, and pointed this out time after time after time.... I caled then Congressman Mfume, and my own Congressman Wayne Gilchrest, numerous state and local lawmakers and N.A.A.C.P. Headquarters here in Baltimore to no avail. NO ONE who had the contacts would bring it up in conversation to the powers that be.IT IS DEPRESSING!!! Again, THANKS!!!

It is my fear that the "standardized" tests being engineered by the feds will be much like the M.S.P.A.P. considering that federal funding was used to implement the farce. The "the "black kids can't compete" myth..... And/Or, "'Inner city' children can't learn" statements are not merely myths, but stone cold LIES!!! And those that should DON'T CARE.

By the way, the Calvert Curriculum uses many books that are "out of copyright". ANYBODY can print them. EVEN the "state". Too inexpensive????? Peace and love, George.

M.S.P.A.P.:
A test for the most part made up of questions without answers. Subjective questions that could be answered wrong {"There is no wrong answer." according to educrats}, or graded wrong. Even depending I guess on whether the grader "got any last night". I understand it IS being phased out after so many children have been harmed.

Calvert Curriculum;
An over one hundred year home school curriculum used by parents overseas to teach their children. Parents from soldiers to diplomats used the curriculum and their children routinely excelled academically. Based in Baltimore.