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Turning Around a School District By Fighting Poverty (npr.org)
New submitter gomezedward40 writes: Through her unconventional focus on addressing poverty, Superintendent Tiffany Anderson has been credited with rapidly improving the school district of Jennings, Mo. NPR reports: "The school district of 3,000 students has taken unprecedented steps, like opening a food pantry to give away food, a shelter for homeless students and a health clinic, among other efforts. 'My purpose is to remove the challenges that poverty creates,' she says. 'You can not expect children to learn at a high level if they come in hungry and tired.' That unconventional approach has had big results. When Anderson took over in 2012, the school district was close to losing accreditation. Jennings had a score of 57 percent on state educational standards. A district loses accreditation if that score goes below 50 percent. Two years later, that score was up to 78 percent, and in the past year rose again to 81 percent, Anderson says. She points to a 92 percent 4-year graduation rate, and a 100 percent college and career placement rate."
The schools and the kids do NOT fail because of poverty! Some of the poorest districts...and even some of the poorest nations can have some of the best performing students.
The REAL truth...the truth that nobody wants to tackle...is the area outside of the classroom! Look at the stats for the kid who grows up in a single parent household - deplorable! Look at the stats for the cases where the parents do not care about their child's performance - deplorable. The kids are fat - not the school's fault - look at what the parent(s) are doing at home - stress, unemployment, drugs, etc.!
Why don't people face the facts? The truth is - the West has come to its end in trying to implement a "non-intrusive, non-religious" set of solutions for things like single parent homes, drug addled homes, etc.!
Am I offering a solution? NO, but, I think it is high time we start talking about the REAL causes of the problems!
...sadly, these politicians refuse to look at the studies that show poverty is the leading factor and instead want to channel public school funds to companies that donate to their campaigns.
You wrote "company" when you should have written "union," as in "teachers union."
Fourteen of America’s 25 Biggest Campaign Donors Are Unions
You do know that teachers unions have been fighting tooth and nail against charter schools, school choice, and other measures that have been helpful in raising student achievement?
Blue Civil War: Knives Drawn in Education Fight
much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
I would say the failure is yours. I doubt the assertions he made, and the claims of influence are nonsense. If anything he probably has things backwards, and you probably join him.
much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell