No Child Left Behind?

College Confidential Community
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<p>Our school is left behind. Let's put it as simply as that.</p>

<p>** The Statstics **
But, if you want to go into the details, here's the stats:</p>

<p>We start out with 1800 freshmen annually. We end up with 450 seniors graduating, with only 125 getting into a four-year university (or intending to, rather). From this 125, about 70-80% get into a CSU or a lower-tiered UC (which is still good). The remaining few go to private colleges.</p>

<p>Which, isn't bad. I guess.</p>

<p>** Retention, Dropout, and Graduation **
But what about the retention rate, the dropout rate, and the graduation rate? Our test scores are going down by the year, and well.. I want to hear your opinions and thoughts on how to change the trend. </p>

<p>How do you get a school that is about 5,000 kids, which is more like a security zone rather than a center of learning, and change it (obviously not overnight) to the point where a majority of the students meet the requirements and graduate?</p>

<p>I see 20, 22 year olds still sitting in classes, simply because they refuse to do the work. Yet, our administrators can't kick them out of the school (unless they pass a certain age, 22 is a rare exception). </p>

<p>There are complaints of lack of funding floating around -- it's not the lack of funding, its the misappropriation of funds. Our school is Title I, and is under a variety of other programs as well. They say that the students don't learn because there isn't enough money.</p>

<p>I say hooey. I say they don't learn because they don't want to learn.</p>

<p>I see how they operate every day. They sit back in the classes, being disruptive, while the small minority that actually want to study -- can't. They raise hell, fail tests, never show up for class, wander through the halls and through the school, and ditch. </p>

<p>There are fights every day. The suspension rate is higher than the graduation rate, and quite frankly, I'm getting sick and tired of it.</p>

<p>I'm not saying this to complain. I want to find a solution. I'm leaving in a year -- change really wouldn't affect me. But I believe in the whole school legacy thing, and want to leave a school with traditions -- the way it used to be.</p>

<p>Our school was built in the 1870s. It once was the height of academia in Los Angeles. Now it struggles to survive. The state threatens to take over, accreditation is at risk. Teachers and students clash, teachers and teachers clash, administrators and teachers clash, and administrators and students.. well, there's no clash, but just disciplinary problems.</p>

<p>** RE: Standardized Testing **</p>

<p>Bum bum bum -- the dreaded requirement that determines whether we pass or fail under the NCLB act.</p>

<p>Well, we had like.. a 50% pass rate for the California High School Exit Exam. Which, they were proud of last year.</p>

<p>But..</p>

<p>The CAT 6 scores were just.. yuck..</p>

<p>I think the average is like 15-20th percentile. Depending on the subject area.</p>

<p>** RE: Socioeconomic Diversity .. or lack thereof **</p>

<p>Our school is seriously lacking in socioeconomic diversity. My AP Bio teacher says that the only way to change the current school situation is to get an accurate cross-section of the area surrounding our school (a fairly affluent area).</p>

<p>Ever heard the term, "the other side of the tracks?" One side is the rich side and the other side is the "wrong side of town?" .. Well, to put it mildly, we are the tracks! Many of the more affluent kids in our neighborhood go to schools like Harvard-Westlake, Notre Dame Academy, or Granada Hills HS (a good public school).. </p>

<p>A majority of our school is low-income. 66% of the school, I believe is on the low-income program, (it may be higher, or lower, I don't have EXACT statistics), and about the same percentage is ELL (English Language Learners). </p>

<p>Obviously, there are a myriad of problems that I haven't introduced yet. But I am looking for a solution. Right now, our administration is on the defensive, trying to stave off state-takeover. It's time to go on the offensive, and change things at my school. Help me help make change!</p>

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<p>It would seem that Republicans hired George Orwell to think up names for their policies. Whoever makes up these names sure has a fun job. No Child Left Behind: indeed!</p>

<p>When they get around to drafting young people into the army, they'll probably call it the Jobs for Everyone Act.</p>

<p>Mission Accomplished!</p>

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<p>18 more days to accomplish the mission.</p>

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<p>The whole concept of "no child left behind" just bugs me in alot of cases! I can understand a learning disability, but for kids who don't care.... which many of them are... I don't see that we need to be pouring money and resources into them. The focus should be on the kids who want to learn and need more resources/money to help further them. I don't know... in one sense I feel that if you can't keep up you should be left behing because as soon as you graduate high school you will fall behind because the real world isn't going to catch you. BUT then I scold myself for being so egotistical/arrogant/elitest... yes, we should want the best for everyone, but basic concepts of economics tell us that it is not possible.</p>

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<p>Welcome to the inner city money dump which is called public high school. In Cleveland, the graduation rate for seniors is a whopping 35%, while the money spent per student is still one of the highest in the state. Blame it on what you will, poverty, race, but the real problem is the morality of this country with no real parents to raise these poor bastards who are on a one way track to prison. We need to rebuild the family before we even get to the schools.</p>

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<p>tlaktan, what high school do you go to?</p>

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<p>For privacy concerns, I'd prefer not to state.</p>

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<p>"No Child Left Behind" is leaving EVERYONE behind! Rally to get rid of this legislation!</p>

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<p>^^You honestly think that after posting that much someone couldn't find out what hs it is?</p>

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<p>They probably could. I'd just not prefer to state, anyway.</p>

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<p>No Child Left Behind may not be perfect, but it seems like a first step to creating accountability for school administrations and teachers. In a business, if your area of responsibility is failing to meet its objectives, you'll eventually be fired. Successful businesses won't let underperformers last in a position for more than a year. Unfortunately, school administrators and teachers rarely come to work in the morning worrying about their prospects for continued employment. A little worry is a good thing. Unfortunately, NCLB doesn't do much about the teachers union problem; try firing a teacher for anything other than major misbehavior. Being boring or having limited command of your subject isn't "cause".</p>

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<p>I'm not trying to criticize No Child Left Behind. I'm a firm supporter of the President and his initiatives, but it needs to be extended. There a need for both additions and subtractions to it. It does, of course, need to be modified. </p>

<p>The teachers union, IMHO, is waay too strong. Every year I hear the same old political rhetoric coming from them: "No new standardized testing! Get rid of standardized testing! More funds, less war! etc.," Since when did these types of unions (i know, this is US History 101) turn from protecting the employee to screwing ** US (the children) ** over?</p>

<p>Let me state an example. Teachers LED a student walk-out during the War on Iraq DURING school time, triggering a lock-down situation. The students were at the park across the street; in the meantime, we were sitting on our butts, thinking there was a shoot out or something.</p>

<p>What happened to them? Pat on the back. Nothing too serious. One teacher was suspended for like three days.</p>

<p>Three-day-suspension for disrupting the peace, and intentionally (this was all planned and publicized) putting students in direct violation of California law and in danger (our street is near a very traffic-heavy area)..</p>

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<p>Taffy's Solution: change the drinking age so that it goes like this:</p>

<p>you can drink if:
a) your 18 and have a high school diploma
b) your 21</p>

<p>watch the grad rates climb :D</p>

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<p>i think they'd just make fake diplomas, which are even easier than fake IDs. plus people can pass for 18 much easier than they can pass for 21, so indirectly it'd make for even more teenage drinking</p>

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<p>everybody that looks under 40 gets carded here... on your drivers liscense you could have a little hologram diploma :) i was not suggesting people carry their diploma in their wallet :D</p>

<p>in the future everything will be run from a central location, so instead of scanning a card, you just plop your thumb down in front of the cashier and all ur info pops up, including age. the future is coming, ah!</p>