Old 10-04-2009, 07:15 AM
ilbegone ilbegone is offline
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Besides the racial bias towards "Latinos" (regardless of national origin or legality of residence) in our school system, there are tons of other problems associated with the unassimilated or uncaring.
I'm not sure exactly what the apples versus oranges are in some of this discussion.
Mr Aceves and other like minded people want to throw more money at whatever the problem is, and in self interest concerning employment they have a further reason to deplore the recent cuts.
However, I believe that classroom education, for the most part, consumes over 60 cents out of every dollar in California. I believe in Texas, it's around 50% of the same dollar. And Texas has a higher graduation rate than California.
Both have a high ratio of Latinos in the schools, and I believe the schools which have those high ratios have a high drop out rate in both states.
Where are the apples and oranges here?
Quote:
According to Larry Aceves, a retired schools superintendent who is running for state Superintendent of Public Instruction, the information on graduation rates put out by the state is far from accurate.
"I don't want to paint everything with a broad brush," he said, but speaking generally, the way schools count how many students graduate from high school is "not an accurate process."
Aceves said he believes the official graduation rates suggest California schools are doing better than they really are.
"I think we're giving ourselves credit for more than is due," he said. "We don't have an accurate way of learning what happens to kids when they don't show up. We need to have a system that says if a child doesn't come back, every effort is made to find out what happened." 9-27-09
http://www.chicoer.com/lifestyle/schools/ci_13431762
Quote:
Aceves notes that the job of superintendent is an increasingly political, high-profile position that must answer to business leaders, parents, teachers, students and the community at large. Finding men and women with the personality and stamina to take on so many challenges is no easy task.
http://www.cftl.org/pressroom_clipvi...c_12_11_06.php
Quote:
The future for leadership in public education looks bleak,” said Wes Smith, 37, superintendent of the Cascade Union Elementary School District in Anderson, near Redding. “A lot of experienced people are retiring, and a lot of people who are qualified don't want the job. But if we want to have great schools, they demand and deserve great leadership.”
And, in spite of the performance of Franklin-McKinley under Acevas' stewardship,
Quote:
In 2005 Larry was awarded the Association of California School Administrators Marcus Foster Memorial Award. In 2001 he was named Santa Clara County Superintendent of the Year as well as Catholic Charities’ Top Community Partner.
What happened? Aceves will say that it was a lack of funding.
Quote:
While the dropout rate for Santa Clara County is about 15 percent, for Latino students it is 26.6 percent, also higher than the state's.
Local teachers were at a loss to explain why Silicon Valley's Latino and African-American students are doing worse than their peers in other parts of the state.
Weis said educators must radically rethink classroom instruction and replicate the strategies that appear to be succeeding: working with students in small groups, making sure students never fall behind and bringing families into the conversation.
"We need to change the way we are teaching," Weis said. "The fact that we are least effective with our fastest-growing demographic does not bode well for the future. It's the No. 1 issue of this decade."
Alum Rock and Franklin-McKinley, along with 10 other districts in Santa Clara County, are now on the PI list. If they don't improve, they face a possible state takeover of their schools. 2009
http://www.individual.com/story.php?story=106951955
Forty years of Chicano studies