Why are Boston Public Schools so bad? (Cambridge, Somerville: 2014, neighborhood)

[stanley-88888888]

in 'waiting for superman' they make mention that the charter for most public schools that were designed pre-ww2 is to make students competent for the blue-coller work force like factory work. it was the responsibility of private schools to prepare students for college-prep.

I understand that standardized testing is a barometer for tracking progress of students but a lot of federal, state, municipal aid is dependant on the outcome of the tests.

I remember in school we would spend time going over tactics of taking the test. so for 2 months before the test there were practice exams each week which would take about the whole class time (50 minutes). strategy like, since a wrong answer was something like -10 points but a skipped question was like -5 points the teacher would say to skip it if you had no idea but it was worthwhile to guess if you can eliminate 2 of the choices. after that I became really good at filling in circles but there wasn't any real learning going on. my idea is we could've used the time for independent study so the student can waste an hour on whatever their interest was (music, art, computer programming)

[stanley-88888888]

Originally Posted by pennyone

Nowadays, it's no longer necessary that one goes to the Ivys school or Stanford to have a successful life or career. I went to Brown, but many of my colleagues who went to state schools are just as smart and capable as I am.

Many of those schools with immigrant kids are great schools. The immigrant children have a harder time with MCAS tests because they have a language barrier to overcome, not because they don't want to learn. It's not so black/white as you described. Many immigrant kids do want to succeed, but they need help that goes beyond the traditional standard curriculum. Here is where a school with many immigrant kids may not help a child who does not need remedial help like ESL. The resources are flowing to help the immigrant kids, while non-immigrant kids get forgotten. That's where the problem is....but AP classes can solve the problem.

i agree, not very many low-income students have the funds to participate in a regatta:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAT#Cultural_bias

[kingeorge]

There are always three waves into great school district (or private schools around here).

First happens in kindergarten and first grade. Second around middle school. Third, last one obviously, in high school. It works like a clockwork.

Parents will tell you that as much as they were in favor of staying in their neighborhood and local schools, and sincerely trying to make it work, eventually they realize that in is not worth screwing kids because of it. It is only matter when they decide to throw in the towel: first wave, second wave....It rarely doesn't happen with those that can afford better. And this is the most important fact. If you can afford to move, or seek better opportunities for your kids, you will, eventually. Which leaves those most financially and academically vulnerable to fend for themselves is less than ideal system.

Novice parents do it all the time. It is very naive to be making definite calls on school system with year or two limited exposure. And, many parents talk the good talk, but then do not walk the walk at all, and friends disappear almost overnight, since there is no incentive to stick around, unlike in school districts with great reputation. Eventually everyone is out for themselves, even if you held hands in kindergarten (or throughout elementary school) singing same tunes.

I am happy, however, that things are improving, and wish everyone best experiences with schools, wherever you are. Kids are our future, and they benefit from improved BPS, SPS etc..And so we all do as a society.

[UKWildcat1981]

My dad went to an inner city High School in the Bronx and graduated from Columbia and Harvard Medical School and worked at the Brigham, Jewish people have a work ethic like Asians and value education not saying all blacks and Latinos don't but not as much as the Asian and Jewish cultures.

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by UKWildcat1981

My dad went to an inner city High School in the Bronx and graduated from Columbia and Harvard Medical School and worked at the Brigham, Jewish people have a work ethic like Asians and value education not saying all blacks and Latinos don't but not as much as the Asian and Jewish cultures.

Way to stereotype! How old is your dad? NYC public schools were very different 50 years ago.

[Whatsnext75]

i kind of get tired of hearing about how wonderful Boston Latin and Latin Academy are-not everyone has the opportunity to go to those schools.

[semiurbanite]

Originally Posted by kingeorge

There are always three waves into great school district (or private schools around here).

First happens in kindergarten and first grade. Second around middle school. Third, last one obviously, in high school. It works like a clockwork.

Parents will tell you that as much as they were in favor of staying in their neighborhood and local schools, and sincerely trying to make it work, eventually they realize that in is not worth screwing kids because of it. It is only matter when they decide to throw in the towel: first wave, second wave....It rarely doesn't happen with those that can afford better. And this is the most important fact. If you can afford to move, or seek better opportunities for your kids, you will, eventually. Which leaves those most financially and academically vulnerable to fend for themselves is less than ideal system.

Novice parents do it all the time. It is very naive to be making definite calls on school system with year or two limited exposure. And, many parents talk the good talk, but then do not walk the walk at all, and friends disappear almost overnight, since there is no incentive to stick around, unlike in school districts with great reputation. Eventually everyone is out for themselves, even if you held hands in kindergarten (or throughout elementary school) singing same tunes.

I am happy, however, that things are improving, and wish everyone best experiences with schools, wherever you are. Kids are our future, and they benefit from improved BPS, SPS etc..And so we all do as a society.

Interesting, can you elaborate? Which urban neighborhood were you raising kids, and during which years, when you experienced this? Or, is this just here-say from people that moved to your town from urban areas? If it's the latter, surely you do realize that living where you do puts you at the receiving end of people leaving the city and creates confirmation bias. Whereas where I live, its the opposite - I am surrounded my the majority that are sticking around and i suppose biased the other way.

I don't disagree that this exodus has happened in the past, and still does to an extent, but improvements like we are seeing happening in some urban districts has never occurred in the past. Secondly, the desire to live in these neighborhoods is much higher than at any point in my 20 years here. It's really just the wave that hit Arlington in the 2000s - professionals moving closer to the city and as a result improving the schools, is moving even closer toward the city center. Remember - Arlington was a "townie town" too not too long ago. How is Somerville so different? If anything, the change here will happen and at much more accelerated rate being surrounded by a combination of gentrification (for better or worse) and a super-high concentration of PHd-educated parents.

These things reach a tipping point - and you can see it happening here right now. It starts out with parents saying "ill do preschool then move to the suburbs". Then in preschool you meet other families with kids in the early years of elementary schools and you hear things that directly contradict your presumptions about the schools. Then you say "ok i'll stay for kindergarden and see how it goes". 8 years ago i'll bet alot of those families left due to the schools. Today, from first hand experience - I can tell you that if they leave it's because they can't afford enough space - not because of the schools.

Welcome to what is an unparalleled societal shift toward living in urban centers - it was really just a matter of time.

[CaseyB]

My daughter and son-in-law lived in Davis Sq. until a year ago. When we would visit them, if it was warm, we'd leave the screen door open to their porch. At night, 9 maybe 10 o'clock or so, you'd hear kids out screaming in the street. These kids looked to be 8 or 9 years old, and they were running through the streets unsupervised. Every other word was the "F" word.

First, they decided that their kids would have to go to private schools. Then they decided that a better and easier solution would just be to move to a nicer town.

It's not the lower income I object to. It's the behavior of these kids. What kind of parent would want their own kids associating with that?

[Dm84]

That's what 10 year olds do...regardless of where they live lol

[UKWildcat1981]

Originally Posted by Dm84

Way to stereotype! How old is your dad? NYC public schools were very different 50 years ago.

Facts back this up plus I guess Jews and Asians don't count as minorities because they excel in school according to blacks