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LeBron James' STEM-Based School Is Showing Promise (goodnewsnetwork.org)
Last year, NBA superstar LeBron James opened an experimental school that focuses on teaching a STEM curriculum to students who have a higher probability of failing academically or dropping out of school. The New York Times is now reporting that "the inaugural classes of third and fourth graders at [the I PROMISE School] posted extraordinary results in their first set of district assessments. Ninety percent met or exceeded individual growth goals in reading and math (Warning: source may be paywalled; alternative source), outpacing their peers across the district." From the report: The students' scores reflect their performance on the Measures of Academic Progress assessment, a nationally recognized test administered by NWEA, an evaluation association. In reading, where both classes had scored in the lowest, or first, percentile, third graders moved to the ninth percentile, and fourth graders to the 16th. In math, third graders jumped from the lowest percentile to the 18th, while fourth graders moved from the second percentile to the 30th.
The 90 percent of I Promise students who met their goals exceeded the 70 percent of students districtwide, and scored in the 99th growth percentile of the evaluation association's school norms, which the district said showed that students' test scores increased at a higher rate than 99 out of 100 schools nationally. The students have a long way to go to even join the middle of the pack. And time will tell whether the gains are sustainable and how they stack up against rigorous state standardized tests at the end of the year. To some extent, the excitement surrounding the students' progress illustrates a somber reality in urban education, where big hopes hinge on small victories.
The 90 percent of I Promise students who met their goals exceeded the 70 percent of students districtwide, and scored in the 99th growth percentile of the evaluation association's school norms, which the district said showed that students' test scores increased at a higher rate than 99 out of 100 schools nationally. The students have a long way to go to even join the middle of the pack. And time will tell whether the gains are sustainable and how they stack up against rigorous state standardized tests at the end of the year. To some extent, the excitement surrounding the students' progress illustrates a somber reality in urban education, where big hopes hinge on small victories.
The numbers aren't staggering, but often the exponential growth from last to bottom tenth, sixth, or third is a more important improvement threshold than the move from 70 t0 80, or, 80 t0 90 percentile.
The radicle comes before the tree.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
There are many examples of schools that succeed with low-income students. The problem is they are neither scalable nor sustainable. They are not scalable because they require talented teachers and principals. There are not enough of them to go around.
They not sustainable because the teachers burn out.
The late teacher's union leader, Al Shanker said it best: "programs that are doomed to succeed and be forgotten."
The school system and its idiocy are what's responsible for a lot of teacher burnout. Dealing with that ugly machine is enough to suck the life and joy out of anyone.
Iâ(TM)m also worried that the name behind the school has more of an impact than the teaching style. Iâ(TM)m sure many if not all the kids felt forgotten in the grind of public school, and this school is making them feel special then by that account more receptive to learning.
When you call somebody a fake Conservative you have to capitalize the 'C'.
I went looking for that quote and could not find it. Can you point me to your source?
Is that a passive-aggressive way to communicate that you don't like the parent's post but can't find anything in it to actually argue with??
Make the world a better place. Kill yourself.
the heritability of intelligence,
I think most liberals are able to believe that g factor is 40-80 heritable and that g factor accounts for like 50% of intelligence; While still not drawing a bunch of racist conclusions about race and intelligence.
Even if somehow we discovered that genetics are entirely responsible for racial differences in IQ, it shouldn't matter so much to people. How useful would that information be to 99% of the people constantly talking about it on the internet?
Right now you can pick a random american and know there is a 50% chance they're above average. Then you'd be able to look a subsection of people and know it's only 45%?
Like how is that helpful to most people other than an excuse to be a dick? Why do you care?
I'm embarrassed. I got the quote from a friend (now deceased) and now can't find it also.
... currently being tested on humans.
Actually, according to this administration, "science is a Democrat thing". So, no.
Ezekiel 23:20
Try to have a rational discussion with a liberal about GMO, the heritability of intelligence
Well, as a biology-challenged conservative, you obviously can't do anyway, so...
Ezekiel 23:20
And since these are black people, whitey doesn't WANT to pay for THEIR children to be educated, so you retain the MORONIC stance of local house prices defining the school budget. This keeps the poor illiterate and powerless. Since the systemic problems that kept going even into the 21st century ensured that blacks were more likely to be poor, and the massive inertia to removing poverty from your family if you don't have an education FIRST, this is not just a black problem, but it DOES massively disproportionately affect black people.
It's fuck all to do with the parents. It's YOUR fault, because YOU don't want to pay for "other people's children". And if racist, you DEFINITELY don't want to pay for black people's education.
YOU need to change how education is funded.
If you have a problem with helping black people, know that the vastly greater number of whites means that PER HEAD you will be helping vastly more white people that blacks. It gets media attention for a black issue because of the disproportionate effect. But it affects many many more white people.
The biggest obstacle for low income, inner-city students, whom are cognitively capable, is that they enter the school system at 5 or 6 not even knowing their alphabet, or how to tie their shoes. The parents will often drop their kids off and if the kid is sick you can’t even find the parents. They deliberately give bullshit contact phone numbers because “that’s their free time“. They don’t give two shits about that kid except for the first and the 15th of the month. The school districts that implement an early start program, basically half-day preschool, have a better chance of getting these kids up to speed before they enter the primary education levels. And since they either feed them breakfast or lunch, it also guarantees they get at least one real meal a day.
Disclaimer: my wife was an elementary teacher for about eight years and primarily worked at inner-city schools.
"What they should stop teaching is partisan ideology." If you are going to define partisan ideology as anything you don't agree with, then yes they'll continue to teach it. Everything is not politics no matter how many strawmen you construct doing it.
I am an Akron resident. Lebron does dozens of good works for this city and shys away from publicity and credit for most. His foundation is a source of good for the children of this city an example is him gifting the all the elementary aged children in the city a christmas gift so that they all have something to open on christmas. Does this make the news? No... he does this because the man genuinelly wants to help and elevate the children of this city....another example gives the all the students in aps a full ride scholarship to akron university. Say what you want but he is a better man than you hope to be.
The problem is Science in particular became a partisan ideology. Because many of the scientific studies show results that may conflict with the effectiveness of the steps taken to follow an ideology.
Conservatives who's core base are Religious and the Wealthy Class. Will reject science that goes against the words in the bible, or what will make it harder to run a business as usual. Normally they reject science that says "This is bad"
Liberals who's core base are Academics and Working Class. Will reject science that has a literary history of warning about it, or which is back by big businesses. Normally they reject science that says "This is good"
This makes sense as Conservatives have the gut instinctive to keep things as they are (If it ain't broke then don't fix it). So when Science points to something they have lived their life thinking it is perfectly fine now saying it is bad, makes them uncomfortable.
This also makes sense for Liberals as they have the gut instinct to change things and make them better. The status quo means stagnation, so when science says something that has been made is fine and safe, there is little room to make it better.
So if a Science class is teaching the man made global warming, evolution, vaccines, genetic modification they are not trying to be partisan, but the partisans are applying their rejection to the science thinking it is not me that is wrong, but the whole institution.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
What has Trump done to earn my respect? He has consistently said and done things that in my core find cruel and evil. This is with growing up in a Conservative Household, and having many of my values based on Conservative values.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Respect is earned. Not enforced.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Economics is not really science. Science is something developed by scientists, and scientists usually try their shit on lab rats first.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
That's how the school system works. Students also spend 90% of their time on the 10% of subjects they're bad at, while the workplace reality would require you to do the opposite. Nobody wants to hire someone that's mediocre at everything, what I want is someone who excels at the one thing I need him for, while I don't give a shit about how he fares in the things I'm not interested in.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Womens Studies? Is that the new politically correct term for the courses where you learn how to be a good homemaker?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Progressives don't object to keeping things the same, we just want to verify assumptions are backed with accurate data. What assumptions are being carried forward that are based on bad (intentionally?) data and then used to form a basis for keeping the status quo?
For example.
Cheap storage VM.
So, what specifically has he actually said - in context - that you find "cruel"? Go ahead. Taking out-of-context quotes from left-wing web sites doesn't count.
Do you have ESP?
A Scanning Tunneling Electron Microscope school?
-- Cheers!
yes, Lebron is contributing a lot of money and effort to this school. But it is a public school. Personally, I believe his public support is as important as the money he is providing. But there are those locally that do not feel that way.
The point being though, he did not start this school. It is a public school. He is helping to support and promote it.
Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time
Art != Science. Let the art students go to art school.
median household income rose? Citation please. All the news outlets not run by right wing nutjobs are saying that REAL INCOME as compared to cost of living, has been stagnant for the past 16 years.
"Governments have been dominated by the corporate entities and citizens have ceased to matter in public policy" true in
Guess what? if you take an interest in your child's education, if ANYBODY takes an interest in your child's education, their scores will increase. All you need to do is show you care, daily, every day, and they will learn better/faster/more because they will be incentivized to learn... any moron should understand this, much less persons of average or better than average intelligence!
"Governments have been dominated by the corporate entities and citizens have ceased to matter in public policy" true in
There are lots of examples of faulty scientific "conclusions" being taught as fact. Primordial soup is still being taught as the origins of life despite being wholly rejected by the scientific community for many reasons. The same principles which were rightfully used to discredit intelligent design as pseudo science are not being applied to Primordial Soup.
Knowledge = Power
P= W/t
t=Money
Money = Work/Knowledge so the less you know the more you make
Aminos can be formed in primordial soup, but both left hand and right handed aminos are created equally. For amino chains (protein) to occur, a high concentration ~ 90% of a particular side of 20 different aminos must be present. There are no know natural phenomenons that can separate left handed and right handed aminos for all the different aminos required to create protein. It is one of the last major pieces in explaining the origins of life yet most people have no knowledge of this. That is what makes the claim of primordial soup being the origin of life intellectually dishonest.
Knowledge = Power
P= W/t
t=Money
Money = Work/Knowledge so the less you know the more you make
After handing out the biggest corporate tax cut / windfall in history, of course the economy is doing well. But the flip-flopping foreign policies, trade wars, war on immigration, threatening to withdraw from NATO, handing Ukraine to Russia - all of that must be giving corporations pause about investing, especially internationally.
Shit, with that corporate tax cut alone - if everything else was stable, the DOW would be at 30K by now. But everything is unstable (from the top down). So yes, I agree, the economy is doing well. Could it be a whole lot better? Hell yeah.
The biggest obstacle for low income, inner-city students, whom are cognitively capable, is that they enter the school system at 5 or 6 not even knowing their alphabet, or how to tie their shoes.
How is that a problem? It is normal here (not US) for kids to enter school with widely different skills and maturity.
But if they are "cognitively capable", they soon catch up to their ability level. Something else is going on.
From observation, I don't believe it makes much difference whether the parents have the time or will to help them at home. Correlation, not causation.
Some combination of nature and the culture of the broader community, not just parents.
Sad to see "inner-city" used as a euphemism. Here in Australia, without the same race problems, the inner-city schools are some of the best in the state.
Not up there with the leafy-suburb private schools, but the public high school that covers the city centre is one of our better ones.
inner-city is not a euphamism for race. there are equal number of white/black in the inner-city schools. Inner-city schools are people that live in areas that are mostly zoned industrial. This means the housing is fairly inexpensive. Why its inexpensive is because its not exactly the nicests areas. Crime is fairly high and safety is a serious concern. The areas are usually dilapidated / run down. What they have in common is that the kids are disadvantaged, but its not always because they just drew the short straw. In at least half the cases, they are disadvantaged because the parents are only keeping the kid because it gets them more stipends. They often rarely take care of them, there are social workers permanently assigned to the school system in order to handle the number of cases of neglect. In many cases heroin addiction is the cause of the kids being in this situation. What money the parents make gets spent on heroin instead of food and clothing. If it wasnt for certain programs that require the money to be spent on actual food items like WIC and EBT, these kids would be splitting a can of soup between 4 kids. It has nothing to do with race. Its about, in half the cases, self-imposed poverty because the parents have a serious heroin problem.
btw how the hell can you claim austrailia doesnt have race problems. I was in perth on a port visit on the USS Abraham lincoln. While in port I had a cabbie get out of his car and chase an aborigonie (spelling) out of the park where he was sleeping. He yelled 'get the hell out of here blackie!'. That doesnt exactly scream no race problem.
Ah yes, the old liberal mantra of maximally expending resources on those who, at best, hope to rise to mediocrity... gosh, it's so hard to figure out why public education is fucked and kids are failing to adapt to meaningful roles in the workforce. Maybe instead if pushing STEM on kids that have no hope of competing in the field, he could've opened a trade school and actually given these kids a future... but that just wouldn't have been as buzzworthy.
Celebrity Physicist Michio Kaku is opening a string of basketball camps.
OK: I literally walked into a classroom where the young teacher was telling the students: "The Democrats wanted slaves during the civil war. In today's world, it's flipped, now the Republicans want black people to be slaves again."
that's a direct quote. That's teaching ideology.