According to an article in today's Newsday, almost one-third of all NYC high school students are on a six-year track to graduate high school. This is great. Under Bloomberg-Klein tutelage, this is down from 44%. Still, too many kids left behind! Suburban and wealthier schools are doing better. Could this be attributed to smaller classes and better resources???? Could it be that suburban parents have more money available that allows them to hire private tutors? I have a friend in Hewlett whose son is a resource room kid with lots of problems. He has small classes. Because of this, his teachers always have time to contact his mom about potential problems. His school has on-line learning systems which can enable his teacher to check work done from remote areas. Not only don't NYC kids have access to this, teachers don't have access to in school computers. My school has a staff of over 300 teachers plus paras, school aides, etc. Our teacher center has FOUR computers!
To help NYC school kids stop lagging behind we need small classes. We need better resources and we need curriculum that are better suited to the needs of our students. Not everyone is meant for college and we have to stop pushing everyone in that direction.
4 comments:
Amen.
And I'm learning just how much we need to stick together. Tonight in class was an emotional, but needed, expereince of community building sharing. I blogged about it.
One of my sons is definitely not college material. He's finding his way in the world of fast food, learning how to be a manager. It may not be the most exciting job in the world (at least, in my estimation), but for him it's what he can do--and do well. I think that's the key: doing well. If we teachers can guide students toward what they can do well, then we have done our job--and done it well.
I agree. One of my duaghter'f good friends starting working in Wendy's during high school. She never liked college, came back home and continued her job. She is now a manager and has a job with great benefits and a good salary.
This is totally true in every state I've lived in- CA, OR, and TN. There are a variety of niches to be filled in society, and some require other skills besides a college education.
I feel like a college education is useless, but just a necessary step to take to get your job of choice. I have friends who majored in history in college and are now consultants, and still after a year have no idea how to do their jobs, but can still recount details of World War II. I wonder how much better they would be at 22 if they starting consulting after high school?
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