We have followed the continuing failure of the public school systems in cities like Detroit and Washington D.C. where students are graduating without basic skills or ability to compete in the new economy for valuable jobs. Instead, they are left without any meaningful chance to break the cycle of poverty that often holds them in a stagnant social strata. The most recent review of Detroit demonstrates just how badly we have failed these children. The 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress tests published by the Department of Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics shows that 96 percent of eighth graders are not proficient in mathematics and 93 percent are not proficient in reading. This is the result despite spending approximately $14,743 per student in the school system.
The situation nationwide is not particularly gratifying with only 33 percent of public-school eighth graders scored proficient or better in reading in 2015 and only 32 percent scored proficient or better in mathematics. However, that is still an astonishing contrast to Detroit.
With only 4 percent of students proficient in math and 7 percent proficient in reading, the Detroit school officials have utterly failed in managing the system. Moreover, the dismal performance of the schools matches the a long history of corruption and incompetence in other areas of government in Detroit. On every level, public officials have failed the voters of the city to deliver the most basic services. Yet, there is no move to remove these leaders and officials in gross for what they have done to this once great American city.
The next lowest city was Cleveland where officials only achieved an 11 percent scoring proficiency in reading and 8 percent in math Among the rogue’s gallery were also Baltimore and Fresno (tied for third worst with only 13 percent scoring proficient or better in reading and 12 percent in math) and Philadelphia ranked fifth worst with only 16 percent scoring proficient or better in reading while Los Angeles ranked fifth with 15 percent in math.
What is equally depressing is that Detroit is failing a current population of 48,905 students. That is roughly 50,000 students who are being released into a world without the skills needed for success. As I have said before, this is the real crisis in our country. We will continue to see a downward spiral in the economy and crime unless we overhaul our public educational system. Otherwise, these children will be trapped in a poverty cycle that they cannot realistically escape.
I understand that many of these kids are coming from broken homes or extreme poverty that makes the task far more challenging for the schools. However, these statistics are still an utter disgrace for any system and show massive budgets being spent without minimal and measurable success. I am not one who looks to public voucher systems as the solution. I still believe in public education and I have sent my kids to public schools. I believe these schools play an important role in our democratic systems in raising future citizens. We cannot fail in this basic task as a nation and remain a viable and successful country in the increasing challenging global economy. These scores reflect a permanent underclass where these children are finished before they even start to make their way in life.
“Our constitutional system doesn’t depend on brilliant leaders. “Enlightened statesmen,” as Madison wrote in Federalist 10, “will not always be at the helm.” Our system is based on individual rights, safeguarded by well crafted, ultimately democratic institutions. While we always hope for wise leaders, our Constitution works in their absence by filtering the wisdom of the people through those institutions.”
https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/foreign-policy-the-constitution/?utm_campaign=imprimis&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=23378374&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9s8LAhfSv2FNt6quSRtW3jaEYzbaHCBp-uphAiNJojLZy8tEL7VmJZR9TL3N3LzgjmLWqe8kWfne2gWCi9nP0jqZaWhQ&_hsmi=23378374
The Benefits from Marriage and Religion in the United States: A Comparative Analysis
Linda J. Waite and Evelyn L. Lehrer
Popul Dev Rev. 2003 Jun; 29(2): 255–276.
Don’t be a science denier, Jeff.
I agree that public schools reflect the community it serves.
I also believe that a lot of these failing inner city school systems are too big, and they need to be broken down into smaller systems with complete autonomy.
Phil S. – there is some literature that a school should be no larger than 300 students. That way the principal knows each student by name and can great them at the door each day. However, only charter schools are that size and smaller. The average public high school in my area is 4000 students.
Religiosity, Reading and Educational Achievement among Jewish Students in Israel
International Journal of JewishEducation Research, 2014 (7), 29-67
The Effects of Religious Commitment on the Academic Achievement of Black and Hispanic Children
Urban Education November 1999 34: 458-479
Seriously. Read the bio of Dr. Carson. Imagine his life without his strong mother and engaged teachers.
@Doglover
Hilarious.
There are few restrictions to abortion on demand.
Your argument makes no sense.
The problem is capitalism? The means of producing wealth is to blame for how that wealth is spent? That’s like saying the reason the kids can’t read or do math and the credit cards are maxed out is because Dad and/or Mom earn income in the workplace.
When this nation ignorantly abandoned the rule of law for the rule of men we set ourselves on a course to cultural and financial ruin. The answer to this is not to be found in the imagination of some politician espousing a philosophy of more government. This progressive experiment of creating an administrative state that will solve all problems has produced the exact opposite result. Fortunately we still have a segment of our population unwilling to relinquish their remaining independence to the state. After 100 years of progressivism’s failures; under both Republican and Democrat administrations, wouldn’t it be reasonable to consider the guiding principles that led to our constitution? With human nature being the unchangeable feature of any society, wouldn’t it make sense to trust the design of the constitution over the designs of those ready and willing to ignore it?
The education system has been failing all around for decades but especially in poor inner city environments. Unless you are fortunate enough, or rich enough, to be able to send your child to a private or charter school….or live in a wealthy community, your child is getting cheated and not getting a decent education.
As a person who has hired and interviewed people for positions, I was appalled at the ignorance of the applicants, some of whom had even obtained college degrees. They couldn’t write, do math and were abysmally ignorant of history, much less of geography. Furthermore, they mostly had no interest in learning anything and were complacent in their ignorance. It was worse than shocking.
Common Core will only further the ignorance and guarantee more failed and ignorant students. It was designed to do this. This is the purpose of Common Core. Lower everyone to the lowest level. The smart and capable are crushed under this system.
Money thrown at the problem in the form of increasing “public” school funding, might just as well be flushed down a toilet. Yes YES. Poverty and a lack of interest from parents or contemporary friends is also a huge barrier. I don’t know what the solution to his can be. Changing generations of devolution is going to be very very hard.
Dr. Ben Carson is a prime example of what is right and wrong with the educational system in the inner cities. He is a brilliant person who was extremely lucky to have support and was able to escape the trap that has been set for inner city children and for minorities everywhere. http://www.biography.com/people/ben-carson-475422 In other circumstances it is difficult to imagine what might have become of him.
It is heartbreaking to think how many like Dr. Carson could have been successful yet are stuck in the swamps and in living in despair. They are smart enough to know that they have been cheated but have been brainwashed to blame the wrong sources or even blame themselves.
Unless we drastically change the ‘public’ education system we are dooming not only these children to a life of poverty and frustration, we are dooming our entire society.
Please leave the fictitious “god” out of this discussion KCFleming and wlindsaywheeler. This problem has nothing to do with believing in a mystical sky god. It has everything to do with the environment in which the kids are growing up in, particularly their home life. It does not matter how much money you spend on schools if the childs home life is a mess with parents who don’t care about their education. When parents leave the job of educating their kids to the schools exclusively, you get exactly what is happening in Detroit. Dictating that the kids pray to some made up supernatural being is not going to improve their education. In fact it will do the opposite because they praying will take up time that they should be learning.
My parents sent me to a private catholic grade school and high school where 20% of my day was wasted with religious nonsense. I can only imagine where I would be with 20% more education. I hated religion classes then but was unable to express that to my parent who were firm believers. I grew up in the suburbs where the home lives of the kids were pretty good. It didn’t matter where you went to school, you still got a good education. The inner city kids did not fair so well. It had nothing to do with “god”.
One problem is that women know when their offspring are likely to be mentally damaged – as a result of rape, fetal alcohol or drugs, poverty, living in highly stressful conditions, many other reasons. Yet half of the US population are misogynists who will not allow abortions and will not pay to manage those whom the mother knew could not thrive successfully as they grew up.
As a mother, this story makes me want to cry. What can a kid do with that as a jumping off platform for life?
This illustrates that spending more money is not a panacea. If you don’t fix what’s broken, smacking it with a pile of money won’t make a difference.
If what we’re doing in Detroit et al isn’t working, then stop repeating the same experiment seeking a different result. Look around for inspiration. The true story behind “Stand and Deliver”, as well as Harlem Children’s Zone, proves that being poor does not have to bar you from success. My own father struggled mightily to graduate from college. At one point, he had to sell his books to buy food and used the textbooks in the library. But he did it.
These kids have a free public education, and that education had better be a solid one.
This is one of the reasons why I vehemently oppose tenure. Why should any kids be sentenced to suffer with a poor performing teacher that will not improve? One of the moms at my son’s charter school pulled her kids out of class because the teacher was a bully. Her son cried and hated to go to school, and went from an A student to way behind. The teacher told her that since she was tenured, she was welcome to complain all she wanted. Nothing she did would make a difference. Lots of parents complained about her, and it didn’t matter. Those kids were doomed to have her as a teacher, possibly ruining education for them, permanently.
We can’t even replace any failing Detroit teachers for the same reason.
All kids deserve a good education, and Detroit is not providing it. So try something else. We need to approach this problem from all sides – the educators, administrators, and students.
In addition to providing tutoring and safe after school activities, these kids also need motivation. Being studious is frowned upon in some of these low performing schools. Those are the kids who get made fun of. We need a paradigm shift in that attitude. Because like that girl with the cell phone in that video, you can lay a free education out like diamonds in front of students, and if they don’t want it, they won’t benefit.
And, we’re only @ the half century mark in LBJ’s plan.
The Moynihan Report was buried by LBJ. It is clear LBJ did not care what his War on Poverty would do to black people. He called the bills creating the welfare state his “nigger bills” that would “keep blacks voting for Democrats for a century.” Yes, the man who created the culture now killing black people and voting 90% Dem was a racist. Facts be a mofo.
“..to hear.”
“What do you recommend to help kids who…”
The left’s prescriptions have completely failed.
The answer I have the left does not want to here.
The Moynihan Report (1965) showed the problems of the welfare state.
Now it’s far worse.
It is going to take generations of traditional family structure, religion, discipline, and welfare reform to fix the problem.
But that ain’t going to happen.
I predict more of the same from the left, and Idiocracy marches on.
Nick and KC,
I am in complete agreement that it is not a matter of throwing more money at the problem. The issues of the kind of poverty is what I was addressing. Lincoln was poor but he did not have to deal with a lot of the garbage that kids in inner cities deal with. His stepmother fostered his love of reading.
Saying, well, Lincoln was successful so they can do it, is unfair. Both he and Ben Carson (who lived in more similar circumstances) had good mothers who were supportive, stable, and valued reading (even if they themselves could not read).
What do you recommend to help kids who have witnessed and felt violence or were sexually abused, have drugs and alcohol surrounding them, who eat non-nourishing foods that make learning and behaving extremely difficult, or go from family to family in foster care?
Should prisons require parenting classes for all prisoners who have born or fathered children? Should there be more private charities helping teen mothers be better parents?
Should schools require kids to learn to garden?
randyjet
1, November 3, 2015 at 8:51 am
The basic problem is capitalism which explains why money spent on poverty programs or federal spending goes astray.
If you think the problem with capitalism is that government is ineffective and wasteful wait until you see the alternatives.
Education is and should be a local problem. If the scores in Detroit are horrible than Detroit needs to solve the problem.