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Name: Pamalicious

Comment: Love the article, the statistics are overwhelming and sad to say the least. Only 29% of black students scored at proficient or advanced level of English.....why am I not surprised. We as a people need to wake up. We complain about other nationalities coming here and taking over, the numbers speak for themselves...those that speak English as a second language are excelling those that were born and raised here. Parents, we need to do more. Become more involved. If not, the children born here are going to be on the outside looking in.

Name: MzTee

Comment: Very good article. The statistics for black children in California are just sad. I agree with Pamalicious in that the parents need to become more involved and hold the schools accountable for better educating their children. As a Cali native with friends who have taught in some of the worst districts in the state, many of them have told me horror stories about the lack of parental involvement and how the parents BLAME the teachers for the underperformance of their children. Saying things like, "Well, you're the teacher. Teach him." Wake up people, educating children is a collective activity. Yes, the teachers must teach in the classroom and the parents, extended family, etc. must reinforce what is taught in the classroom as well as teach valuable life lessons outside of it. We must become participants in our children's educations because it is apparent the divide between the have and have nots is growing wider. And the best way to equip our children for success is to ensure they receive a decent education.

Name: Train

Comment: The parent's not only have to step up but more importantly the kid's as well. How in the hell can black kid's score low in english when they speak english???

Name: Rennie

Comment: You make some interesting points as to who is responsible for the failure to perform on the standardized tests administered in the state of California, but I'm trying to understand the scope of the comments about about amount spent per student annually and teachers salary. Firstly the number you quoted for ammount spent per student is grossly misleading. That is a simple number that divides the educational budget with the number of students. State educational administrators, district administrators and all support staff salaries are included in that number. And while they are integral the education process they are the highest paid and least important in this process. As a teacher who has worked in the Compton Unifed School District and now Los Angeles to make the commentary that California teachers are some of the highest paid in the states is completely insane. Especially considering the cost of living in the state. Teachers are notoriously underpaid period so if you equate level of education with comensurate salary then teacher are more educated that all attorneys when you consider a teaching credential and masters degree.

Name: Rennie

Comment: Unfortunately Black children do not speak english. And they are immersed in a culture where no one speaks proper english ie. parents, television, peers. They have no definitive reading materials at home and few have anyone who hold them accountable to speak proper english, much less force them to pursue a means to expand their vocabulary. Also your example of Amistad school is intriguing however those that enroll in those schools are usually motivated or have someone who is knowledgeable enough about the educational system to identify that is what that specific child needs. Motivation is huge, or lack thereof in how effectively a child is educated. You are more than welcome to come on down for a visit and see the vestiges of No Child Shall Be Left Behind as well as the environment during testing. By the way, excuse the previous typos I was in hurry, on a conference period and the period was going to end.

Name: domer

Comment: Interesting Rennie. You question the numbers quoted, but don't offer any numbers to dispute them AND you never answer the question: How much money does it take? I did a little research and found that more than 50% of the state spending in CA goes to education. Again how much money does it take? And if as you claim most of that money goes to administration then perhaps we have too many cooks. As for teacher salary...I guess I came upon the same figures as the author. California teachers are the highest paid in the nation. But even if they were not, it doesn't answer the question: how much money does it take? Students that are home schooled are not taught by teachers with masters degrees and all that high falutin' edumication. Still they continually score higher than public school children on standardized tests and college entrance exams. Studies show that there is no corelation between good teaching and how many degrees a teacher has. Finally, you take a shot at no child left behind. I am no big fan of No child, but your statement might lead one to believe that things were better before no child. The numbers I pulled up (including the statement referred to by JCP) say different. According to the california department of education students (black students in particular) did worse on the tests PRIOR to no child. As a school teacher I am curious to hear your response to the questions raised here.

Name: oldschoolbrother

Comment: As a parent myself, the school day does not end at 3:30pm. After school you should spend time with your child going over homework, not on the net trying to get a date or on the couch asleep. Parenting is a 24/7 job. Disconnect cable TV, monitor internet access, on the weekends go to the book store and library. That is what needs to be done, there are many free resources that are not used. How many black kids have library cards or even know how to find a book? You would be shocked. My kids used to get called "nerds" or "acting white" but guess what, they are in honors classes while the kids who called them names are a year or two behind. Money is being wasted and year after year our kids are the ones who are subjected to internal strife about $$$$$. Black and Hispanic parents are to blame for this mess but we will reap the rewards very soon when our kids are unable to find work at decent wages when they reach college age. It is a shame to see this happen but again as a parent watching my kids grow up and now looking back, it was not easy but the payoff is what counts. Your kids should come first, not the club or having parties. JMO.

Name: dcdouglass01

Comment: Remedies for our secondary public education system: (1) Slash administrative staff by half (2) No computers for pre-high schoolers; keep computer/high school student ratio low (3) Reduce extra-curricular options (4) With some of the savings from 1, 2, and 3, increase teacher salaries; periodically test teachers (directly or indirectly) for competence, and (5) Increase parental involvement. Bottom line: if improvements aren't made soon, prepare to build many more prisons and watch the U.S. inmate population---already the highest in the civilized world---shoot for the 3 million mark.

Name: SpelmanRho

Comment: I'm curious, why no computers for pre-high schoolers ? In NC we used computer lab time to play games to re-inforce the grammar/math/reading comp we learned. Also isn't high school a little late for someone to be learning how to use Word ? I was using the computer to write reports in the 5th grade and I'm 29. I can only imagine that the expectations are even higher now.

Name: Kofi

Comment: Rennie, I feel you on this one. Actually, the science of education (pedagogy) is more complex than rocket science. Schools are reflective of the larger society. The problems, drugs, abuse, overworked parents, violence, etc all come into a classroom. It's strange that we bytch and moan about teacher salaries (appox. 35K) but say nothing about prison guard salaries (avg. 80k) We take away school counselors, nurses, music, PE and slash funding for students. JCP told another neocon lie. CA is about 23rd in state spending per pupil. In the last decade we built 17 new prisons but built 1 new university. (lets you know where are spending priorities are) The poorest schools are penalized the most when they don't improve test scores. They need the most money and resources.

Name: Rennie

Comment: I didn't refute, I clarified, I was looking for Mr. Philips to expound upon his usage. I questioned the scope of the numbers and how they relate to educating students. I didn't mind the figure about money spent per student, but detail those figures show what actually is converted in to the classroom environment. They created No Child Shall Be Left Behind and under fund (see the 100 million taken by Arnold from the educational budget) it consistently yet still hold students accountable to the standards in it in the same manner. It created the high school exit exam and claims of improvement in scores yet does not include the number of students who test out. Meaning didnt pass the test in high school there by which don't recieve a diploma but are no longer included in the failure statistics because they are no longer enrolled. I was supposed to test over 150 students at my school post graduation, only 4 returned. It doesn't take in to account improvement in scores only a mean level score, so while your school may show marked improvement if it falls short of the mean level score it is still graded unsatisfactorily. And be clear prior to it schools were in quandary, but trust me it (NCSBLB) is not the solution. No where did I say that teachers education level guarantees they are the more effective teachers, so for you to make that statement is absurd. I simply stated a societal standard that rewards level of education with a higher salary in every other facet of society but education. You cant keep qualified motivated teachers because they can't afford the lifestyles they are trying to educate their students about. And I don't know where you teach, but where I am it is overcrowded, year round, lacking books (even though they just passed a law quaranteeing that we have them), classroom supplies, support staff, facilities and I can go on and on. Where are your solutions Domer? Where are Joe's? What is your proactive stance to education? Is is multi-teired and multi-faceted to reach all students and their repsective situations as Kofi suggested.

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