4 ms·

That $600k is where a well-funded PTA steps in for many schools in well-off areas and is a big difference between seemingly similar schools. Wealthier parents

That $600k is where a well-funded PTA steps in for many schools in well-off areas and is a big difference between seemingly similar schools. Wealthier parents can afford to donate, which turns into a bunch of benefits.

chlvsl 7y ago
Detroit metro schools are funded multiple times that of other Michigan districts, with worse results. Money is not the main factor.
jtuente 7y ago
Just want to jump in here and mention that it doesn't even have to be a PTA, it could be any community organization focused on local student welfare and community building. The extracurricular programs at my school were/are heavily supported by the community and focus on student welfare.
dctoedt 7y ago
> Wealthier parents can afford to donate, which turns into a bunch of benefits. I live in (what has turned into) one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in my city. The elementary school has long been the envy of many. Not long ago I asked a long-time teacher from a nearby city, with whom I serve on a nonprofit board, what it was about that school that made young teachers want to work there — was it the additional funds from parents? Her response was no: it wasn't the extra funding, it was the parents themselves — educated, cooperative, involved.
- bsanr 7y ago
  You say that like two of the three aren't privileges afforded more consistently to the wealthy. In either case, the operative function is the wealth-hoarding behavior of the parents.
  - dctoedt 7y ago
    > You say that like two of the three aren't privileges afforded more consistently to the wealthy. Agreed; this is well-nigh indisputable. > In either case, the operative function is the wealth-hoarding behavior of the parents. This paints with too-broad a brush (and is needlessly confrontational). At what income level does earning money — in accordance with the rules that have evolved in society — become "wealth-hoarding behavior"?
peteretep 7y ago
Seems like the benefits being provided wouldn’t show up so often in a well-off area: free food and clothing bank for the parents, for example.

chlvsl 7y ago

Detroit metro schools are funded multiple times that of other Michigan districts, with worse results. Money is not the main factor.

jtuente 7y ago

Just want to jump in here and mention that it doesn't even have to be a PTA, it could be any community organization focused on local student welfare and community building. The extracurricular programs at my school were/are heavily supported by the community and focus on student welfare.

dctoedt 7y ago

> Wealthier parents can afford to donate, which turns into a bunch of benefits. I live in (what has turned into) one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in my city. The elementary school has long been the envy of many. Not long ago I asked a long-time teacher from a nearby city, with whom I serve on a nonprofit board, what it was about that school that made young teachers want to work there — was it the additional funds from parents? Her response was no: it wasn't the extra funding, it was the parents themselves — educated, cooperative, involved.

bsanr 7y ago
You say that like two of the three aren't privileges afforded more consistently to the wealthy. In either case, the operative function is the wealth-hoarding behavior of the parents.
- dctoedt 7y ago
  > You say that like two of the three aren't privileges afforded more consistently to the wealthy. Agreed; this is well-nigh indisputable. > In either case, the operative function is the wealth-hoarding behavior of the parents. This paints with too-broad a brush (and is needlessly confrontational). At what income level does earning money — in accordance with the rules that have evolved in society — become "wealth-hoarding behavior"?

peteretep 7y ago

Seems like the benefits being provided wouldn’t show up so often in a well-off area: free food and clothing bank for the parents, for example.