Our greatest national asset is our children. Why aren’t we taking better care of them?
Below are the results of a Texas public school district’s $14,380 investment per student. The district’s name has been redacted to avoid infuriating parents and grandparents.
You will notice 60% of elementary students can’t read and 68% can’t add and subtract.
It doesn’t get much better at the high school level.
The district functions more as a children’s day care center than an education center of excellence.
Could this be why Charter and Private Schools are growing in popularity?
Test Scores at XYZ Independent School District
SOURCE: Public Records
“40% of elementary students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 32% tested at or above that level for math. Also, 33% of middle school students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 29% tested at or above that level for math. And 46% of high school students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 16% tested at or above that level for math.”
“XYZ Independent School District spends $14,380 per student each year.”
Unfortunately this district is not an outlier. (See article HERE)
Teachers at XYZ Independent School District
“99.6% of teachers are licensed, and 92.8% have three or more years of experience. The student-to-teacher ratio is lower than the state average, at 13:1. The district has 7 full-time counselors on staff.”
FROM A FORMER SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT
I am all for letting them leave the public school if they think they can do better elsewhere but only if they can’t come back when they find out Mom and Dad don’t know any math past the fifth grade level (in homeschool), that the private school doesn’t give them a shot at a division I athletic scholarship, or they don’t like the nuns beating the shit out of them or the priests…ahem..”ministering” to them at the parochial school. Right now, many of them leave for charter schools only to find subpar education exists there too. Damn, it’s almost like they are taking it with them! Over about the past 50 years or so they’ve done tons of research on what makes kids successful in school. Shockingly, nearly all studies have found the same two factors – parental support and personal responsibility. Private schools generally do better academically because the kids have parents with the means and the desire to support them and kids in any school who take responsibility for their own education do better everywhere. My Mother held me responsible for my grades. I can’t remember one time when she went to the school to complain about the curriculum. I am not absolving the school here from responsibility but when shit goes wrong with your school or community then get your ass in there and fix it rather than bitching and whining and recreating the same mess somewhere else. The best private schools aren’t super crazy about school choice because they don’t want those poor black and brown kids like DISD has, nor do they want their parents. I pay super high property taxes on two properties in Texas and the bulk of it is for schools. Now, my “conservative” fellow Republicans want me to give them a government handout so their kids can go to All Saints or Fort Worth Country Day. I am not interested, thank you, just like I wouldn’t be interested in my tax money paying their country club dues because they don’t want their kid swimming in the city pool. Can you tell I am passionate about this?
