How Liberal Policy Keeps Black Kids From Succeeding

[Chris]

A bit ago we argued about education, whether centrally-planned federal or locally set standards were better. The problem with federal standards is they depend on a few elites who cannot possibly know the students and their circumstances. Locally controlled schools, following a Jefersonian model, can now and be responsible to students and their families. A good example is charter schools. Here is a description by The National Alliance of Charter Schools.

We can argue theory till the cows come home, but, wait, they have come home as Walter Williams, citing the research of Thomas Sowell, shows in How Liberal Policy Keeps Black Kids From Succeeding. The results are impressive. --The topic is not black kids but local vs federal schools.

What do you think of the proposition that no black youngsters should be saved from educational rot until all can be saved?

Black people cannot afford to accept such a proposition. Actions by the education establishment, black and white liberal politicians, and some civil rights organizations appear to support the proposition.

Let’s look at it with the help of some data developed by my friend and colleague Thomas Sowell.

The Nation’s Report Card for 2017 showed the following reading scores for fourth-graders in New York state’s public schools: Thirty-two percent scored below basic, with 32 percent scoring basic, 27 percent scoring proficient, and 9 percent scoring advanced. When it came to black fourth-graders in the state, 19 percent scored proficient, and 3 percent scored advanced.

Sowell compared 2016-17 scores on the New York state ELA test. Thirty percent of Brooklyn’s William Floyd elementary school third-graders scored well below proficient in English and language arts, but at a Success Academy charter school in the same building, only one did.

At William Floyd, 36 percent were below proficient, with 24 percent being proficient and none being above proficient. By contrast, at Success Academy, only 17 percent of third-graders were below proficient, with 70 percent being proficient and 11 percent being above proficient.

Among Success Academy’s fourth-graders, 51 percent and 43 percent, respectively, scored proficient and above proficient, while their William Floyd counterparts scored 23 percent and 6 percent, respectively, proficient and above proficient. It’s worthwhile stressing that William Floyd and this Success Academy location have the same address.

Similar high performance can be found in the Manhattan charter school KIPP Infinity Middle School among its sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders when compared with that of students at New Design Middle School, a public school at the same location.

Liberals believe integration is a necessary condition for black academic excellence. Public charter schools such as those mentioned above belie that vision....

[midcan5]

As is usually the case Sowell misses the plate and is out as usual. Charter schools are run like Catholic schools used to be run, they only accept so many students and if you don't perform you are out. Catholic schools today have a hard time doing that now as they need the monies. The problem with America's is so obvious, even Sowell should have figured it out. One's neighborhood home taxes support the schools and that is why the well to do have better schools. Plus America does not value education as say Finland does. This apologetic nonsense gets old and really kinda stupid. Full disclosure, our grandkids go to good schools because our children live in upper class areas. Get real people, American values get lost in these nonsense pieces by ideologues of the right.

[Chris]

As is usually the case Sowell misses the plate and is out as usual. Charter schools are run like Catholic schools used to be run, they only accept so many students and if you don't perform you are out. Catholic schools today have a hard time doing that now as they need the monies. The problem with America's is so obvious, even Sowell should have figured it out. One's neighborhood home taxes support the schools and that is why the well to do have better schools. Plus America does not value education as say Finland does. This apologetic nonsense gets old and really kinda stupid. Full disclosure, our grandkids go to good schools because our children live in upper class areas. Get real people, American values get lost in these nonsense pieces by ideologues of the right.

All Sowell did was the reasearch to show charter schools do better than public. Some of the reasons you mention are actually good reasons they succeed, but not the only one. As for local monies supporting, did you miss the point tht the charter schools researched are in poor areas? By the time you get to America doesn't value education you've wondered so far off topic I won't bother to respond.

[Mister D]

As is usually the case Sowell misses the plate and is out as usual. Charter schools are run like Catholic schools used to be run, they only accept so many students and if you don't perform you are out. Catholic schools today have a hard time doing that now as they need the monies. The problem with America's is so obvious, even Sowell should have figured it out. One's neighborhood home taxes support the schools and that is why the well to do have better schools. Plus America does not value education as say Finland does. This apologetic nonsense gets old and really kinda stupid. Full disclosure, our grandkids go to good schools because our children live in upper class areas. Get real people, American values get lost in these nonsense pieces by ideologues of the right.

This again...

No, local taxes only pay for schools in certain areas. Schools in districts and cities with poorer tax bases are funded by the state and the feds. Better still, urban schools often spend more per pupil than suburban schools. Even better, did you Finland spends less than we do?

This is your brain on ideology.

[Mister D]

Is the progressive left so wedded to this canard about school spending that they will simply ignore the facts?

[Boris The Animal]

NYC schools pay roughly between $15 and $20K per student yet yield piss poor results. Here in my hometown, the range is between $10-$15K and yet we're only able to graduate a paltry 50%.

[jimmyz]

Vocational Arts needs to be added back into schools. Teach the kid to weld, repair diesels, masonry or plumbing and watch that kid succeed, build a family and prosper.

[Dr. Who]

I'm not sure that we can draw empirical conclusions at this point:

https://www.publicschoolreview.com/b...der-performing
https://www.manhattan-institute.org/.../R-MW-0218.pdf

Please read both links.

[Chris]

I'm not sure that we can draw empirical conclusions at this point:

https://www.publicschoolreview.com/b...der-performing
https://www.manhattan-institute.org/.../R-MW-0218.pdf

Please read both links.

No, explain first.

[Dr. Who]

No, explain first.

No. Read the links. They can't be distilled into a paragraph or a single conclusion.