Reading, writing and politics!!!
Kansas City's African-centered education movement is now expanding into this town's High Schools according to The Star.
It's not that I object to the "movement" that much . . . Despite the fact that it's backed up by doctored and unreliable stats that show some mystical, magical improvement that is so far unseen in a pathetic school district that so many people are abandoning en masse.
Inherently, there's nothing wrong with African-centered education EXPECT that in Kansas City it's basically the manifestation of the systemic bigotry practiced by the African-American elite who run the district and have all but ignored the needs of their Latino students.
Let's not forget, never forget that the President of the KC School Board has paid out a large settlement when he endorsed discriminatory hiring practices. And, word around the campfire is that the a large scale effort to oust Superintendent Anthony Amato is already under way.
Still, the constant promoting of the African-centered education "movement" begs one question: Given that this program (which supposedly works wonders) has been in place for years, why are Kansas City schools still so shitty?
The answer is: It's not about education, it's about politics.
This "movement" is a way for the Black elite who run the district to send a message to everyone that the KC Missouri School District belongs to them . . . And only them.
And this isn't the point where I argue for Latino themed education (because that's silly and given that KC Latinos have a 50% dropout rate I'd be glad if they managed to master ANY curriculum) . . . Besides, the Latino students in the Kansas City Public School District already receive a real world education that is geared toward overall trends in the culture: As a group, Latino students in KC Schools are routinely left out, discriminated against and pushed aside in order to cater to a variety of public education fads like African-centered schools which stress politics over the mastery of simple skills and have subsequently resulted in the overall failure of the District.
posted by Tony Permalink
Segregation at its finest! This is a step back to the days of "separate but equal."
What are the three white kids left in the district going to do?
And why all the resistance from the KCMO district on the Independence scholl issue? Were they worried about all those white kids? Or were they worried about all that white money?
haha like the kc school distric was the model of intergration before this school
Like it or not the African centered schools have worked.
Despite the fact that it's backed up by doctored and unreliable stats that show some mystical, magical improvement
You can't have it both ways Tony. You use those stats (MAP scores, graduation data, etc..) to show that KCMO schools suck, then when those same stats show that one or two schools do well, you say the scores are meaningless.
Flippity floppity.
I personally don't think African centered schools are a good idea because of the message it sends (or is perceived to send) to whites and latinos. But academic wise, the kids in those schools do well.
If you ignore the stats that say African centered schools do well, then you should ignore the EXACT SAME STATS that show that district schools as a whole suck.
Judy the school district as a whole is what must be judged. And as a whole the KC school district is a complete failure. There will always be a few exceptions to every rule, but overall statistics are what matter not a few handpicked schools. and before you praise those exceptions you might want to see how many of those students go on to college and how they do i n higher learning. im not saying this is the case with the schools you are referring to, but often times Special schools dont grade traditionally like other schools. Which is why many kids come out of those schools and cant make it in college.
before you praise those exceptions you might want to see how many of those students go on to college and how they do i n higher learning
The same can be said when talking about suburban schools. "CASS county schools have great test scores, but wait before you praise them you might want to see how many of those students go on to college, etc..."
My point is people are quick to use standardized test scores to point out how bad the KCMO district goes. But, when those EXACT SAME test scores show a few bright spots, then all of the sudden everyone says the scores don't mean shit.
It's like whenever a KCMO school does good and pulls itself up, people just can't wait to kick it back down.
If good test scores are subject to a bunch of "ifs and buts" then why shouldn't bad test scores be subject to the same put downs?
Its unfair to say we only trust the scores when they show bad things. Either you trust them or you don't.
Every time a brother makes some progress, them man just wants to knock him back down.
it isn't 'special schools' or 'grades' that keep these schools perpetually underpreparing the students for college. Take a look at the differences in the teacher qualifications/turnover rates in KCMO school district as opposed to Overland Park, for example.
Teachers automatically assume that students in underprivledged areas CANNOT learn, so therefore they teach less (and slower) than school districts with better (read: Whiter) reputations. Its an unintentional retardation of teaching. Kids from all over the metro (regardless of school) have the same distribution of knowledge and ability to learn before kindergarden. The split in acheivement depends on which school they go to and how they are taught.
There's a normal distribution of stupid, no matter what you look like or what school district you go to. That implies that there is another factor at play here, and I think a big chunk of it is the perception that certain students simply can't learn.
I think a big chunk of it is the perception that certain students simply can't learn.
That is exactly what Tony's perception is. One school does well on standardized test. Instead of saying "good job". He says the test must be wrong because there is NO WAY these black kids could do good.
The same with anonymous at 1:03pm. The tests show this one school does good, so the test must be wrong or they change the bar and "good test scores aren't enough, we also need evidence on this and that."
In their eyes a KCMO school has to be TWICE as good as a white school in order to get any recognition.
Fucking racists. They are just as much of the problem as our incompetent school board is.
Anon 6:14pm thats bullshit. Tony just is simply saying the No Child Left Behind's "standardized" tests are obviously flawed. Have you read Freakonomics? It has a study on just how terrible these NCLB "standardized" tests really are.
If anything I have seen Tony fighting for KC students by calling out the obvious.
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