Do these people have to regurgitate this stuff to stay alive or what?
Reminds me of some mother birds (or Alicia Silverstone) who chew up food for their young and regurgitate to them so they can survive.
It's like they're 3 fries short of a Happy Meal or something.
How many ways can you tell the same, lame story bout "diversity"?
Also, how in the world are they going to mix the poverty or skin colors? What if fewer new students sign up for magnets?
Good God these people are dense. The old, "we gotta mix 'em so we can bury the problem(s) is still their solution.
Pathetically and perpetually stupid
For CMS, a wake-up call on trust
By Peter St. Onge
Associate editor, Editorial pages
We’ll be hearing a lot in the next year about what’s good for our children in schools.
We hear that every time Charlotte starts talking about which of those children go to which of those schools.
This time, the conversation is about diversity, and it’s an important discussion for not only our children, but our community.
But it’s also a conversation about trust. Here’s one example:
Last week, Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board officials approved a proposal that would expand transportation options for families of magnet students. The plan, which will cost $6 million and perhaps more, would theoretically increase magnet participation, which would theoretically increase diversity in CMS schools, which could theoretically help narrow the district’s nagging achievement gap.
There’s nothing wrong with that. School districts like CMS rely a lot more on theory these days, because that’s about all we have left as we look for new ways to help struggling schools. Expanding magnet schools is one such initiative, and while the $6 million busing plan has its flaws, in itself it’s a worthy path to pursue.
There’s another proposal out there, too, that could help students. It has more research behind it, and also more results. It would cost less than $6 million, probably a lot less.
That plan involves letting the 40,000 or so CMS high schoolers come to school an hour later, instead of the current dawn-breaking 7:15 a.m. bell. Science says this is a good idea, because early high school times interfere with the circadian rhythms of adolescents.
Studies, which we’ve written about here for years, show that it works for school districts.
It’s why several large districts have moved or are moving that direction. Parents from across Mecklenburg County, including some who participated on a CMS task force, have long asked CMS to do the same. (So has the Observer editorial board.) CMS doesn’t dispute the science or parents’ willingness to make a change. Officials have said, however, that CMS can’t afford to start spending the millions of transportation dollars it saved a few years back when it changed the bell schedule.
Except now, the district apparently can afford a significant transportation expense for magnets.
Let’s recap: CMS now is able to spend $6 million on a worthy plan that could help a targeted demographic of struggling students. CMS doesn’t want to spend a lot less than that on a worthy plan that could help high schoolers across the district, including that targeted demographic.
In fact, CMS hasn’t seriously studied the start time issue, to see what the costs actually would be. It is, one school board member said, “not a priority.”
That’s shortsighted, pragmatically and otherwise.
The pragmatic: As CMS dives into its discussion about diversity, it will need buy-in from parents across Mecklenburg, especially if integration involves anything more than expanding magnet programs.
Some might say that the district could approach integration the way the county approaches bond packages – you get a better response to the overall plan if it includes something for everyone.
But this is about more than offering the reluctant a carrot.
People understand, some more grudgingly than others, that CMS needs to focus more of its efforts and resources on low-performing schools. The new magnet busing plan is part of that emphasis.
There will be other parts, too, and the discussion we have about them will inevitably touch on something larger – that we should think about what’s best for the community as a whole, not just our child.
That’s true, but that’s also where trust comes in. If CMS wants families to believe that we’re all in this together – and that it wants all children to improve – it should be willing to entertain proposals that accomplish exactly that.
This time, the conversation is about diversity, and it’s an important discussion for not only our children, but our community.
But it’s also a conversation about trust. Here’s one example:
Last week, Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board officials approved a proposal that would expand transportation options for families of magnet students. The plan, which will cost $6 million and perhaps more, would theoretically increase magnet participation, which would theoretically increase diversity in CMS schools, which could theoretically help narrow the district’s nagging achievement gap.
There’s nothing wrong with that. School districts like CMS rely a lot more on theory these days, because that’s about all we have left as we look for new ways to help struggling schools. Expanding magnet schools is one such initiative, and while the $6 million busing plan has its flaws, in itself it’s a worthy path to pursue.
There’s another proposal out there, too, that could help students. It has more research behind it, and also more results. It would cost less than $6 million, probably a lot less.
That plan involves letting the 40,000 or so CMS high schoolers come to school an hour later, instead of the current dawn-breaking 7:15 a.m. bell. Science says this is a good idea, because early high school times interfere with the circadian rhythms of adolescents.
Studies, which we’ve written about here for years, show that it works for school districts.
It’s why several large districts have moved or are moving that direction. Parents from across Mecklenburg County, including some who participated on a CMS task force, have long asked CMS to do the same. (So has the Observer editorial board.) CMS doesn’t dispute the science or parents’ willingness to make a change. Officials have said, however, that CMS can’t afford to start spending the millions of transportation dollars it saved a few years back when it changed the bell schedule.
Except now, the district apparently can afford a significant transportation expense for magnets.
Let’s recap: CMS now is able to spend $6 million on a worthy plan that could help a targeted demographic of struggling students. CMS doesn’t want to spend a lot less than that on a worthy plan that could help high schoolers across the district, including that targeted demographic.
In fact, CMS hasn’t seriously studied the start time issue, to see what the costs actually would be. It is, one school board member said, “not a priority.”
That’s shortsighted, pragmatically and otherwise.
The pragmatic: As CMS dives into its discussion about diversity, it will need buy-in from parents across Mecklenburg, especially if integration involves anything more than expanding magnet programs.
Some might say that the district could approach integration the way the county approaches bond packages – you get a better response to the overall plan if it includes something for everyone.
But this is about more than offering the reluctant a carrot.
People understand, some more grudgingly than others, that CMS needs to focus more of its efforts and resources on low-performing schools. The new magnet busing plan is part of that emphasis.
There will be other parts, too, and the discussion we have about them will inevitably touch on something larger – that we should think about what’s best for the community as a whole, not just our child.
That’s true, but that’s also where trust comes in. If CMS wants families to believe that we’re all in this together – and that it wants all children to improve – it should be willing to entertain proposals that accomplish exactly that.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/peter-st-onge/article45047139.html#storylink=cpy
It seems the only thing CMS read in it's own outside consultant magnet school report was the "chapter" on bus stops. Bus stops appear to be the one and only Magnet School of America "suggestion" CMS is going with.
ReplyDeleteI fail to see a correlation - whatsoever - between magnet school bus stops and high school start times in terms of "trust". Huh? Anyone who trusts CMS when it comes to student assignment has been living in a cave the past 40 plus years.
Besides Ann, Eric Frazier seems to be the only CO staff member that has any insight into the topic of student assignment without offering yet another round of regurgitated solutions. Eric gets the certain armageddon that will occur if CMS tries to jerk around the suburbs without their input or buy in.
I think CMS just ought to go ahead and add 100 more half-ass magnet programs at D and F schools and then scratch their heads 7 years from now when they suddenly realize this approach didn't work either. I think the suburbs could agree with this plan vs. a major overhaul of school boundary lines - which hasn't and won't solve the problem either. I fail to see how the last major power grab of certain zip codes by "middle ring" schools (while booting less desirable zip codes out to the wayside) solved a damn thing.
Shamash is right. Breaking the behemoth that CMS is into smaller independent parts is really the only approach that hasn't been tried that might be a possible achievement gap solution. And breaking CMS up (with separate school boards, superintendents, etc.) is something that won't ever happen in our lifetime.
Ann used to allow my Facebook "name", but has since "unfriended" me.... LOL...
DeleteI guess she didn't like the facts I was posting to her left slanting comments and that of her leftist friends.
Funny how they made magnet parents use drop points to save money, but all of a sudden found $6 million dollars to bus students system-wide in the name of diversity.
1. "People understand that CMS needs to promote MORE of its efforts and resources on low-performing schools".
ReplyDeleteHuh? It seems to me that CMS promotes almost ALL its efforts and resources on low performing schools. Did I miss something?
2. ".. that we should think about the community as a whole, not just our child".
Huh? Where was "the community as a whole" when CMS jerked around my learning disabled son twice in a four year period? Did I miss something?
3. "As CMS dives into the discussion on diversity, it will need buy-in from parents across Mecklenburg especially if integration involves anything beyond expanding magnets".
Huh? CMS is now only 30% white and almost 60% impoverished thanks to all those other integration plans that involved things beyond expanding magnets. Did I miss
something?
4. "If CMS wants families to believe we're all in this together - and that it wants all children to improve - it should be willing to entertain proposals that accomplish exactly that".
Huh? Here's a proposal. How about limiting and improving magnet schools that actually are working, reducing and eliminating magnet schools that aren't working, and then assigning children to their closest neighborhood school which would provide stability and free up buses to get kids to high school an hour later? Did I miss something?
5. "... you get a better response to the overall plan if it includes something for everyone".
Huh? That "something for everyone" includes a ridiculously ill thought out plan to add an elementary performing arts magnet in south Charlotte that clearly can't and won't attract families from this area of town while denying them the magnet programs they really want. I'm willing to bet the farm that a vast majority of south Charlotte parents would vote for an IB magnet and a STEM magnet before an elementary performing arts magnet in an area that is already saturated with quality and successful arts offerings. Did I miss something?
What happens when you have nothing left but high poverty, underperforming schools?
DeleteAnyone?.... Anyone?... Buhler?....Buhler?...Anyone?
Just wait till ya'll read CMS' latest enrollment report.
ReplyDelete"The community as a whole" is becoming even less white and less black with almost 25% of "the community" having ditched the system for other options. We're no longer talking about a "whole" pie anymore but one that continues to be eaten away by misguided policies and a changing demographics. And what a surprise that "projected" numbers where a 1/3 off. They were 85% off when my small neighborhood got screwed to relieve "overcrowding" at Providence High keeping in mind that South Meck is now the most overcrowded high school in the district with no relief in sight.
And the gnashing of teeth and the wringing of hands continues...
The way I see it, the best case scenario is keeping and accepting things the way they are or going ahead with some major diversity driven student assignment overhaul which will ultimately result in a higher percentage of low-performing schools that equal every other urban city in America at which point "the community as a whole" will be one and the same and the desire to heard cats will come to an end.
Honestly, CMS is headed for the crapper.
DeleteLynn Wilson is right.
Once you get this much dysfunction in a school district there is no way you can stir the pot to make it better.
All you do is worsen the few high performers out there and force people who care to leave, resulting in even worse overall performance.
I've seen this ALL my life.
Nothing is really different now. Same game, same basic players.
You know, I actually don't have much problem with the reasoning in this article.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that the "found" the money for "diversity" but not for much of anything else.
Whether the later start time is the best use of that money is another matter, but I can see where they SHOULD consider other options.
I'm not convinced that later start times is the CURE for what's wrong with most of the kids, but it might make a small difference for a few.
Which is better than NO difference which is what they usually strive for and, if lucky, actually achieve.
In reality, though, they usually just make things worse.
No difference would be an improvement most of the time.
It's like my doctor tells me about my health...
Well, at least you aren't getting worse, and at your age, that's doing pretty well.
It's not like I don't respect the brilliant "diversity" of white academias from Harvard, Yale and Brown, but do they really represent the average white working Joe Smoe who simply wants their child to have a fair shot at the American Dream?
ReplyDelete