Sunday, August 01, 2010

Schools are doomed to damnation

A California newspaper complains:
Sandra Nichols: Why 1,000 schools are doomed to damnation ...

In its infinite wisdom, the California Board of Education has approved emergency regulations and deemed the 1,000 schools utter failures from which parents can rescue their kids via "open enrollment," transferring them to other schools.
This is damnation? Any parent ought to be able to transfer his child out to another school. California law allows such transfers, and the tax money goes with the child. Someday, being forced to attend a particular state school may be seen as a human rights violation. Everyone should have a choice.
Students in more affluent school districts with well-educated parents have distinct advantages over students in poverty-stricken communities. Library cards, computers, Internet connections, ...
Library cards are free to all residents, even the illegal aliens. Students with computers and internet connections in the home have been shown to get lower grades in school.
Look at the schools on the list of 1,000 and you will find schools impacted by the real culprit, poverty. ... Public schools do not have entrance exams. They are open to all. There will always be children who learn slower and achieve less. This is a reality we can't ignore.
No, the public schools are not open to all. Students often have to attend an assigned school, and cannot transfer to another public school.

Yes, poor students will do worse in school, on average, no matter what. So? Is that a reason to block poor students from transferring to another public school?

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