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It's a neat idea but it rests on what I believe is a total misunderstanding of what education is. In supposed 'bad schools' - kids don't show up to class. Ther

It's a neat idea but it rests on what I believe is a total misunderstanding of what education is. In supposed 'bad schools' - kids don't show up to class. There's not much in the way of clubs to join, nobody joins them. Kids are bullied for even contemplating doing well. They are bullied on the way to school. Pulled into gangs. Totally absent an role models at all. Parents absent, living in very poor conditions, often one parent missing or in jail. They might knew very few who actually graduated from anything including HS, let alone College. The thought never crossed their mind and they see no point to it. There is literal violence in class. Kids pay little attention when they are there. The best school in the world can't 'fix' that. A 'good school' has conscientious parents who make sure their kids get to school, they live in homes erring towards happy, have the material they needs, parents who care about them, parents who inquire at least a bit. Some friends with talent, enough critical mass in activities that good non-academic clubs exist. An overall workable situation wherein teachers can teach. Some teachers are better than others, some schools better than others, but it's not really that. I would really support this 'rotation of teachers' concept because I suggest absolutely nothing would change and people would realize what the underlying issues are. FYI shipping kids from the ghetto, in smaller numbers, to 'decent schools' in the burbs actually seems to work, so long as the 'special kids' can avoid the extra violence they might face for being labelled as nerds by their peers in poor areas. As for MIT and donors, there is obviously a good discussion to be had about equality, and frankly I think everyone is open to that discussion, but the extremists shutting down discussion need to be stopped.

amluto 5y ago
You described a bunch of failings of the school and then said: > The best school in the world can't 'fix' that. I find that puzzling. A good school will not have most of those problems. Doing well when the kids coming in is hard but doable.
- jollybean 5y ago
  Yeah no ... I described failings in the students - or rather, that wouldn't say 'failings' so much as 'contextually, utterly not prepared, willing or able in any way'. "A good school will not have most of those problems." Because a 'good school' is full of conscientious and prepared students, raised by conscientious and prepared parents with jobs and stability. There is nothing a 'decent group of well meaning teachers' can do when 50% don't show up, 90% are literally years behind in reading and the curriculum, 50% are borderline illiterate, nobody pays attention or does any homework, students get violent in class, they are interested only in the most ridiculous artifacts of pop culture, even the students who might try are bullied, and there are zero role models in the lives of students, kids are neglected and abused and the students collectively could care one bit about learning. There is no possibility for 'education' to happen on those circumstances. Give them healthcare, parents stable jobs, 2 parents in stable relationship, stable family life, destroy the gangs somehow make them irrelevant, and watch grades magically rise without a single change to the school. We know this because when you take these kinds out of those stark situations and put them in regular suburban schools with teachers roughly the same credentials, they do reasonably well. Inner city school teachers are not crap, they're basically 1/2 social workers 1/2 teachers, totally undervalued.
  - jerojero 5y ago
    An area won't improve in one year because you switch teachers, and this problem is really socially whole. You don't just switch teachers, you need to inject money into the local economy, invest in public spaces (green areas, children's playgrounds, etc.). And of course, in education as well. But you gotta start regardless. We can't just shrug, though I feel like this problem is so complex it really requires a complete re-structuration of the way America handles its social structure. I don't think the USA is going to solve these problems without a complete 180 degrees change in how you view the world, and that won't happen until the empire has completely collapsed. In that regard, I have quite a grim view of the future of America.
  - 908B64B197 5y ago
    > even the students who might try are bullied, and there are zero role models in the lives of students Some schools allowed students to beat these odds and decide to give themselves a chance by being in an environment where they could succeed academically. Lowell was such a school here in SF [0]. Sadly, it became a target of a certain crowd and has now switched to a "lottery" system to admit, so the bullies have as much chances of getting in as the victims. [1] [0] https://youtu.be/DVMmT9k5rYk https://youtu.be/DVMmT9k5rYk [1] https://www.sfgate.com/education/article/sf-school-lottery-Lowell-High-15663889.php https://www.sfgate.com/education/article/sf-school-lottery-L...

amluto 5y ago

You described a bunch of failings of the school and then said: > The best school in the world can't 'fix' that. I find that puzzling. A good school will not have most of those problems. Doing well when the kids coming in is hard but doable.

jollybean 5y ago
Yeah no ... I described failings in the students - or rather, that wouldn't say 'failings' so much as 'contextually, utterly not prepared, willing or able in any way'. "A good school will not have most of those problems." Because a 'good school' is full of conscientious and prepared students, raised by conscientious and prepared parents with jobs and stability. There is nothing a 'decent group of well meaning teachers' can do when 50% don't show up, 90% are literally years behind in reading and the curriculum, 50% are borderline illiterate, nobody pays attention or does any homework, students get violent in class, they are interested only in the most ridiculous artifacts of pop culture, even the students who might try are bullied, and there are zero role models in the lives of students, kids are neglected and abused and the students collectively could care one bit about learning. There is no possibility for 'education' to happen on those circumstances. Give them healthcare, parents stable jobs, 2 parents in stable relationship, stable family life, destroy the gangs somehow make them irrelevant, and watch grades magically rise without a single change to the school. We know this because when you take these kinds out of those stark situations and put them in regular suburban schools with teachers roughly the same credentials, they do reasonably well. Inner city school teachers are not crap, they're basically 1/2 social workers 1/2 teachers, totally undervalued.
- jerojero 5y ago
  An area won't improve in one year because you switch teachers, and this problem is really socially whole. You don't just switch teachers, you need to inject money into the local economy, invest in public spaces (green areas, children's playgrounds, etc.). And of course, in education as well. But you gotta start regardless. We can't just shrug, though I feel like this problem is so complex it really requires a complete re-structuration of the way America handles its social structure. I don't think the USA is going to solve these problems without a complete 180 degrees change in how you view the world, and that won't happen until the empire has completely collapsed. In that regard, I have quite a grim view of the future of America.
- 908B64B197 5y ago
  > even the students who might try are bullied, and there are zero role models in the lives of students Some schools allowed students to beat these odds and decide to give themselves a chance by being in an environment where they could succeed academically. Lowell was such a school here in SF [0]. Sadly, it became a target of a certain crowd and has now switched to a "lottery" system to admit, so the bullies have as much chances of getting in as the victims. [1] [0] https://youtu.be/DVMmT9k5rYk https://youtu.be/DVMmT9k5rYk [1] https://www.sfgate.com/education/article/sf-school-lottery-Lowell-High-15663889.php https://www.sfgate.com/education/article/sf-school-lottery-L...