"Race discrimination has locked minorities into poor neighborhoods with failing schools for generations: As a result, blacks, as a group, continue to perform less well on written exams than other races."

People often throw around comments about students attending failing schools without actually knowing anything about these “failing” schools.

I teach in a low-performing high school with a large percentage of poor students. Currently, I am spending a lot of time congratulating seniors of all ethnicities – African American, African, white, Asian, Indian, Pacific Islander, American Indian, etc. - on their acceptance into highly selective colleges. These students have worked hard to earn high GPA’s and SAT scores and deserve every opportunity they get.

Many of the students who perform well come from very supportive and encouraging families who clearly value education, even if the parents themselves have not gone to college. Other high-achievers, however, grew up in abusive homes or in foster care. One “star” is currently living in a group home for teenagers.

It is true that the number of black and Latino students at the top of their graduating class does not mirror the percentage of black and Latino students in the school. Can this be blamed, however, on our “failing” school when so many others have succeeded? Our students have access to diverse and dedicated teachers, technology, field trips, counseling, tutoring, and many other measures of support not necessarily offered at more affluent schools. Would a student with a number of risk factors (poverty, abuse, etc.) be any more successful if s/he attended a school in a rich neighborhood? Would a dedicated and driven student with supportive, wealthy parents suddenly begin to fail if s/he were enrolled in my high school?

Instead of off-handedly blaming “failing” schools, my experience has taught me that it is more useful to look at the combination of risk factors and support measures that contribute to individual students’ successes or failures. Of course, that is a long and complicated conversation.

Listen lillytoo, none of what you're saying here plays into the victim/race card mentality, and it won't be tolerated. What you're saying implies that those who work harder do better, and we just can't have any of that.

Get with the program: blacks are poor, poorly educated, and can't be trusted to help themselves. They must be GIVEN breaks. They must be GIVEN money.

And if you can't see how it's your fault as a teacher, that black people don't do well, well that must be because you're a racist. Sorry.

Thank you, lilly! I graduated from an inner city school and got an excellent education, which allowed me to send my children to top performing suburban schools, and I can testify that it was my schools that really performed. At my children's schools, the students performed, and the schools coasted on their achievements.

But, lilly, the schools make such convenient scapegoats. And teachers are such readily available targets! Putting the onus on the parents, or, God forbid, the kids, themselves? That just hits too close to home. How dare you! I'd rather fulminate about "society" and toss more money at it to prove my concern. Why, I might even get re-elected under such a scheme!

Lilly:

It is true that the number of black and Latino students at the top of their graduating class does not mirror the percentage of black and Latino students in the school. Can this be blamed, however, on our “failing” school when so many others have succeeded? Your students have access to diverse and dedicated teachers, technology, field trips, counseling, tutoring, and many other measures of support not necessarily offered at more affluent schools. Would a student with a number of risk factors (poverty, abuse, etc.) be any more successful if s/he attended a school in a rich neighborhood?

It sounds as if your school is well funded. Schools in Detroit are not. You may not be able to blame the schoools in this situation; but, I doubt you can blame the single or the parents of those who are struggling to get by.

Would a student with a number of risk factors be more successful elsewhere? Not sure as the schools in the inner cities have been located a way from resources available in affluent suburbs. Where do you teach . . . in general.

Run... I teach in California. We are definitely not over-funded, although we recently received a large grant to improve opportunities for our students. This grant has allowed us to hire more teachers, counselors, etc. and has made a difference for many of our students. However, in the first year of the grant, despite the added resources and dedicated teachers, our test scores went down. It has been very disheartening. Before receiving this grant, there were still many students who, despite everything working against them, were successful. Something else is going on here. Is it early childhood opportunities? Parents? A student's general character and work ethic? Access to opportunities outside of the classroom? Is it possible that the added funding did make a difference at my school, but for some reason this difference did not register on our students' test scores? I guess my point is that some of our students succeed despite going to a poor, underfunded school. Why? And why are so many of our students still failing, despite access to increased resources? These are complicated questions, and I object to making blanket statements that blame lack of success on "failing schools."

Hi lilly:

My brother (his wife is an assistant principal) teaches special ed students in near Stockton and I am aware of the situation. Fortunately, he has been there many years.

Incompetence has been the rule for the city and its schools. The situation with Detroit (I am near Ann Arbor) schools is fraught with ill conceived plans, thievery, lack of leadership, etc. All at the expense of the students attempting to get an education. The second school superintendent brought up from Atlanta (Collins) was fired (2nd for this person) for lack of performance before the system was taken over by the state and a manager assigned to it. Dozens of schools were closed and/or consolidated dues to to much capacity. The graduation ratio out of Detroit is horrible. The state is cutting student aid again. A one mil increase in city taxes translates in hundreds of dollars of taxes for a resident which can be duplicated at a far less increase in places like Birmingham, Rochester, etc. Property values in the city are far less than than the surrounding areas.

As a result, the schools in Detroit suffer from a lack of funding. The situation is made worst by a shrinking Michigan economy even though we are the busiest import/export port for Canadian/US commerce. It will be years before Detroit ever rises from the ashes having been duly ignored by Dems and Repubs.

Many things impact a student and I will not go into a ton of detail here as it would take much time and space to do so. I will direct you to several sources though. Pick up Dr. John Gilligan's "Violence: Reflections on A National Epidemic." This 40 page report outlines many issues faced by minorities and majority children and well worth the 1 hour read. Tom Hertz's "Understanding Mobility in America" <link> If you have not heard Dr. Elizabeth Warren speak, I would direct you to this: <link> "The Coming Collapse of The Middle Class" as presented at Berkley. Reading and listening to these sources I believe may give you better insight to what is happening with children today, the enormous stresses placed upon them by society, and where "we" fail.

As IWonder came from an inner city school, my entire life was spent in city schools also. Teachers do have an impact and I can tell you of three who had such an impact upon me. A Sophomore English teacher who walked with a strange gait holding his paralyzed right arm in front of him. An Ichabod Crane looking gentleman who taugh us how to read Shakespeare. A freshman Algebra teacher who took the time to listen to a family's problems and spent time with a student. A college freshman English Prof who became a friend while in school and overseas. If you do not believe you have an impact, you do for years to come.

Building a school filled with students takes more than one semester. I am sure there is one small increment of improvement you can hold up and acknowledge? Maybe you are not measuring them? Have you done an analysis of the issues? Pareto to point the way? Dot plots of where the scores lie? Collecting of the data to stratify and analyze? Don't always believe the experts and "go see for yourself." The answers may be in front of you.

I am glad you took the time to respond. If I can be of service, please let me know.