Trump has used violent language many times in the past--predicting riots, violence in the streets, etc., if he did not win/or if the country did not support the Big Lie. No normal person uses "bloodbath" to describe a financial or manufacturing crisis. Oh, wait a minute ...
Trump praises the violent insurrectionists he calls "hostages"--you know, the ones who stormed the capital with guns, flagpoles, etc., and caused deaths while threatening to hang the VP. At his latest rally in GA, he played these criminal convicts singing the national anthem while Caudillo Trump (aka Captain Bone-Spurs) gave an imitation of a military-style salute--a sickening and treasonous sight. By the way, I thought he didn't like people who "got caught"?
It's really getting hard to choose among the visuals, because most of them are great. I was with the majority on all but the first one, as I picked the Electric Ave. No Outlet one there.
Using "illegal" as a shortened descriptor of a person whom is in this or any other country without first following the rules of immigration to that country is acceptable and doesn't dehumanize them at all. It simply describes their status as a person who violates the rules of entry. Whether or not the person has been arrested or convicted either in their home country or here is immaterial to their immigration status here. If the person was granted, let's say a driver's license or registered for military service or received a diploma in their home country does that make them documented here? This reminds me of homeless v unhoused. In that discussion unhoused is used as a more gentle way of describing a person who lives on the street whether sleeping in a doorway, a tent under a bridge or in a sponsored shelter. Common useage of the word home doesn't mean (to me at least) any of those three situations. Any such unfortunate individual is homeless and using unhoused as a descriptor to soften their situation is disengenuous.
“Do you want elementary school teachers to greet their kids, “hi you fuckers now take a seat.” Or when applying for a job, do you ask “ I hear you motherfuckers have a job opening?” Or a patient in a hospital setting “Sorry but your tests tell me you are fucked royally!”
No but I also wouldn’t want the teacher addressing his students or the job seeker addressing her potential co-worker with an insult that isn’t a swear word. Like “ idiots ” or the doctor saying “ sorry but your tests tell me you are doomed.” The scenarios you set up are much more about
wrongly insulting others or dealing callously with an issue than about “ swear” words.
I don’t really think the swearing makes it worse. It’s just that society deems the swearing inappropriate and worthy of firing. Think about a high school teacher addressing one student as “ hey you motherfucker take your seat” vs “ hey you fat mouth breather, take your seat”. The kid would likely find the second much more worse than first.
"Secret sauce?" As a 45 year educator, it's the parents. Give me a student with good parents and I can work miracles; give me a student without these parents and it's going to be a struggle. Of course outliers for both exist, but a strong home-school connection via the parents is so important.
I come at it from a parent and parent group point of view. One big factor in increasing better test scores and just better study habits is parent help and support.
But there appears to be no measure of “parent support” when testing for improvement in say reading levels.
So a good teacher with a strong parent group will likely show good improvement. This same good teacher probably working a little harder without much support will show less improvement. What is wrong with this teacher…nothing. We just are not measuring or considering all relevant variables in testing outcomes.
I am a veteran and get thanked for my service every once in awhile. I think we should also thank long term teachers and educators for their service.
I think of the parent role more broadly. Kids have better prospects and do better in school if their parents: a) talked, read, sang, played with them from day one; b) taught them good social skills, discipline and self-discipline, and respect; c) taught them the importance of education, hard work, and set an expectation of achievement; and d) provided every possible opportunity to learn and grow outside of school. This type of parent will also properly engage with teachers to attain the best outcomes. Parents that are not willing or able to do these things will have poorer outcomes. Parents that are able to place their children in schools with other parents that are predominantly of the same mindset will do better.
I agree with everything you said except for your last sentence. Students don't require an exclusive, sheltered environment to be successful. The social skills and work ethics they're raised with at home do not diminish from attending schools with diverse populations. The experience gained from engaging with these populations better prepares them for life after graduation.
I agree up to a point. In schools that are dangerous, or where every class is disrupted, or where the teachers and administration have to spend all of their energy on the troublesome students then their experience is diminished. Also, students are affected by peer attitudes. Where the prevailing attitude is that education is futile, only of interest to elites, or irrelevant there is a drag on strivers, versus the impetus of the opposite environment. Similarly, where the there are many students that are well prepared and striving, with teachers that have time to challenge them then the students will have more opportunity to excel. There are many public schools that fill the bill in both the city and suburbs.
Totally agree with you Marc, it's all about the family culture of support for education and parental involvement.
The inner city girl we fostered through her junior year of high school told us that she had never done homework in her life and that no one had ever attended a parent-teacher conference at her school. She read at about a 3rd grade level and could not even do the 2's multiplication table. When we would visit her mother in the rehab facility, it was very apparent that there was very little support for education other than staying out of trouble at school. Despite our best efforts, it was sadly difficult to see much prospect of self-sufficiency for this young lady.
The other inner city young man we mentored through the Boys Hope program struggled the first year when he transferred from an inner city public school to Loyola Academy. The second year he won the school award for the most improved student, and he graduated with honors and a full scholarship to Drake University. The secret sauce for him? It was a mother who was very involved and demanding of the effort he put forth to his studies, as well as the immense work and dedication of this young man himself. I'm happy to say that he graduated Drake and now has a very good job in a career field. (But would he have done as well academically if he was not in an environment surrounded by other motivated students with engaged parents? I believe the odds are against it.)
Secret Sauce for Student Success? Parent involvement; student self-motivation; caring/competence/motivation of teachers; safe/secure environment. Well-funded, suburban school districts tend to have most of these bases well-covered. Urban, large-city school districts often do not. Parent involvement can be affected by many things - type of work/wage or salary level of parents (i.e. parent availability to children); presence of 2 parents (relates to the immediately preceding point); parental attitude towards education; etc. Children with parents in low wage, long hour jobs will simply not be available to be as engaged with their children's schooling. This is not the school district's (or principals' or teachers' or teachers' union's) fault. It just is. Student self-motivation can be affected by things like: availability of role models (of both human role models and job-type role models); sense of security of local environment. Note also that the most important influence on many of these factors is financial. Note also what is not: Race, ethnicity, immigration status, teachers' unions. (Most high-performing suburban school districts are also unionized.)
1. Parent involvement - the key ingredient, and a difficult one for schools to foster to parents who are resistant or unable.
2. Student self-motivation - great if you can get it, but not necessary if the parents value education.
3. Caring/competence/motivation of teachers - though this is a sliding spectrum, I've never met a teacher who didn't really care; burnt out, yes; but deep down, they all want the kids to succeed. Good parenting can overcome a weak or marginal teacher.
4. Safe/secure environment - in spite of the fears that are out there about school violence, the vast majority of schools are very safe.
5. Well-funded, suburban school districts tend to have most of these bases well-covered - as do most parochial schools
6. Urban, large-city school districts often do not - for some, yes, but again, the key is good parents, which suburban, parochial, and city select-enrollment schools have in abundance.
7. Parent involvement can be affected by many things - type of work/wage or salary level of parents (i.e. parent availability to children); presence of 2 parents (relates to the immediately preceding point); parental attitude towards education; etc. - I agree wholeheartedly, parenting is a full-time job, with two parents exponentially better than 1
8. Children with parents in low wage, long hour jobs will simply not be available to be as engaged with their children's schooling. This is not the school district's (or principals' or teachers' or teachers' union's) fault. It just is. - Again, I totally agree. The priority of education for parents is largely dependent upon the satisfaction of life's challenges for the parents. For many newcomer immigrant parents, this is generational in scope.
9. Student self-motivation can be affected by things like: availability of role models (of both human role models and job-type role models); sense of security of local environment - Very true, but many students from all socio-economic groups lack self-motivation; for my classroom, a motivated student is a luxury, not a necessity. Strong home-school bonds can overcome this.
10. Note also that the most important influence on many of these factors is financial. Note also what is not: Race, ethnicity, immigration status, teachers' unions. (Most high-performing suburban school districts are also unionized.) - Freakonomics (the podcast) states this as well. Perhaps this should be looked at as a solution.
from perplexity.ai, response to the Q 'what are the major contributing factors to student achievement?" -
The major contributing factors to student achievement include a combination of personal, social, and environmental elements. Factors that impact student achievement encompass various aspects such as:
Student Resiliency: The capacity to overcome adversity with the presence of protective factors like an unconditionally supportive adult and opportunities for mastery, self-efficacy, and recognition
Individual Student Abilities: Cognitive and metacognitive factors influence a student's ability to learn, including critical thinking opportunities, connecting learning to personal context, and providing options for learning autonomy
Health and Attendance: Motivational, physical, and affective factors like real-world learning with purpose, authentic inquiry and assessment, and health promotion play a role in student achievement
Developmental Differences: Readiness for skills development is crucial, emphasizing the importance of redefining achievement through various assessment methods that cater to individual learning goals and progress measurement
Parental Involvement: Parental encouragement, involvement in homework, volunteering at school, attending meetings with teachers, and setting high expectations significantly impact academic success
Socioeconomic Status: Socioeconomic indicators play a role in academic success, with middle-class and upper-class children generally achieving better grades compared to children from poorer families
Quality Childcare and Education: Quality early childhood education and childcare positively influence academic success by helping children develop socially, mentally, and emotionally
Nutrition: Adequate nutrition is essential for academic performance, with studies showing that students perform better on standardized tests when provided with breakfast on test days
School Attendance: Regular school attendance leads to more successful students, while frequent absences due to various reasons can negatively impact academic success
These factors collectively contribute to student achievement by creating a conducive environment that supports learning, growth, and overall academic success.
Regarding the election outcomes, I agree with all of EZ's predictions and cast my ballot accordingly in the races I could. I'm looking forward to seeing if he gets any wrong (maybe Harris or Reyes).
I have no problem using the term “illegal” to describe the alleged killer from Venezuela who entered the country illegally. I do object to the term being used, particularly by the right, to describe asylum seekers.
Asylum seekers are on a 'parole' status pending a ruling on their asylum request. Many of those arriving in the last year have crossed the border illegally, surrendered to Border Patrol officers, claimed asylum, got a 'Notice to Appear' and were then released. If the claim is denied, then they are removed. At the end of 2023 there were about 2 million people in the US awaiting hearings on asylum claims. About 35,000 claims are approved each year. The administration has also used its power to grant about 800,000 people from selected countries 'humanitarian parole' and 'Temporary Protected Status' with a 2-year permission to stay and get a work visa. This was traditionally 6 to 18 months and used for refugees from natural disasters who were required to leave at the end of the period but has now been applied to asylum seekers. There have also been several groups of previous TPS grants that have been renewed multiple times, and they can be renewed indefinitely.
Sounds like you're all-in on steeply increasing the budget for new immigration judges to hear all of those asylum cases so they can be adjudicated one way or another. Biden has proposed just that in the new Immigration/Border Security bill.
Pre-covid, there was already a substantial backlog in the immigration courts, which I believe was two years. Adding immigration judges was proposed back then, and I supported it. There need to be more. I think the bill also provided for an expedited process. Both would help. But the bill also allowed for 4,000 people per day to enter the new process after crossing illegally. It is hard to see how these improvements would put much of a dent in the current backlog, if it is allowed to continue to increase at 120,000 people per month. The illegal border crossers are also 'jumping the cue' ahead of the several hundred thousand people that have applied for asylum through their home country US Embassy or requested an appointment through the new web site or are standing in line at a legal border crossing.
The threshold number is 5000 per day, at which point the border is closed to those above the 5000. The current rate of entry is 4000/day. Also, the administration added 6 US airports that would accept people entering for processing as a way to reduce the number at the border.
Pretty much agree on the elections, but I think it will be a "no" for the mayor's pet project. As for the SA race, beyond me why the county board chair & the Dems think their guy, who was Blago's chief of staff & a big deal at the DOT should be the SA. Hasn't been in a courtroom for years and would be more of the same as the incumbent., who will be a much better defense atty than she's been as SA.
I have thought all along it will fail because people see simply that there will be a higher charge somewhere and it will affect everyone down the line. Trickle-down taxes!!
to EZ re school choice - sorry, i missed your point - the point about which you refuse to get out of your chair and away from your computer, and learn more about school choice. so NLCPHS, per your research: 'U.S. News ranks North Lawndale 13,261th our of 17,680 high schools nationwide and Public School Review says it “ranks in the bottom 50% of all schools in Illinois for overall test scores '. accepting that there's no rationale for comparing its results to Stevenson HS, how about comparing its results to its peer grp - i.e., the attendance area CPS HS's on the west side of Chicago?
i hope you're not implying that funding attendance area CPS schools at the level Stevenson is funded would yield student achievement results remotely close to Stevenson's - that would be an opinion unsupportable by any evidence.
and if you're not going to get up off your *ss and go for a visit, how about looking at broader measures of HS success? how about graduation rates? how about college attendance rates? how about college graduation rates? compare those to a relevant peer grp.
you've become prickly to a challenge to justify your antipathy twd school choice - notice i haven't criticized CPS or CTU in this post - and yet you want to be spoon-fed the 'secret sauce' [if it exists] of the alleged efficacy of school choice vis-a-vis assignment to public/govt schools by attendance area.
attendance area public education in urban america isn't working, hasn't worked for many students for many years. teachers unions haven't helped, more funding/higher pay for teachers hasn't helped, 'school reform' has maybe helped a little, but not much. school choice at the very least engages parents/guardians in their children's education - and that always promotes student achievement.
i posed the following Q at perplexity.ai - does parent involvement in a student's education improve academic achievement?
and received the following A - Yes, parental involvement in a student's education has been consistently linked to improved academic achievement. Research shows that children whose families are engaged in their education are more likely to earn higher grades, score better on tests, graduate from high school and college, develop self-confidence and motivation in the classroom, and have better social skills and classroom behavior. Parental involvement plays a crucial role in supporting students' learning, boosting their motivation, and creating a positive and nurturing environment that enhances their academic success. Studies have highlighted the positive impact of parental involvement on student performance, emphasizing the importance of family engagement in education for long-term academic success
I'm asking you a very simple question -- what is it about attendance-area schools that's inferior to charter or private religious schools? What explains the different outcomes? That's the "secret sauce" question in long form. I've been to plenty of schools in my long career as a journalist and as a parent, and if all you're looking for is anecdotes, further visits are just fine. But if you want to build a case for specific policies or changes, you need to do more serious work than talking a few administrators, teachers and students. It's like asking me to explain health outcomes in different hospitals by "getting off my ass" and visiting the hospitals in question. The reasons that Hospital A might have better outcomes than Hospital B are numerous, complex and perhaps not as easily addressed as saying well, let's just allow Hospital B patients to come to Hospital A.
I think there are issues with measuring outcomes and assigning responsibility., in getting to the 'secret sauce'. There is a high incidence of absenteeism in the student population. If these students were removed (or assessed separately), I expect that would affect the outcome measure. Then one has to ask who is responsible for absenteeism and is that a problem that we expect the school to solve. How do we measure the success of students that enter an alternative school system after they are already well behind their grade level. Alternative structure, discipline, and sense of safety may improve their progress but still not overcome their educational deficit. So, is there a way to assess the population of students that spent their entire school life in alternative environments. Another area is how to segregate the effect of the parental role from the school environment and methods. And again, to what extent do we expect schools to rectify shortcomings in the parental role? Finally, is there a 'critical mass' of students that are positive towards education, within a school, that is required to boost aggregate performance? Or where a lack of will degrade aggregate performance? If so, how is that to be addressed?
Fair points. I would say anecdotes from in-person experience is a good way to build an intuition about what makes a difference in education, but then, yes, more should be done using statistics on a larger sample of data.
Do you think CPS attendance are schools are inferior to non-charter non-attendance area schools run by CPS?
As a matter of public policy non-attendance are schools take resources away from attendance area schools regardless of whether they are run by CPS or privately. Why should it make any difference?
fair enough - although i believe i answered your question in my earlier post.
first, let's take private religious schools out of this conversation, for now. i'm not supporting public funding of private religious schools.
i'll try to summarize. i believe - and the research appears to support - that parental engagement/involvement [or lack thereof] plays a signficiant role in student achievement. parents of charter school students are highly engaged in finding, applying for, etc, a good school, maybe the right school, for their child[ren] - unlike parents of children in CPS attendance area schools. charter school parents are also more engaged with the school after their child commences attendance.
i am not suggesting that parental engagement is 'THE secret sauce' that would make charter school education, at the margin, superior to attendance area school education. i'm saying that, if there is a recipe for a 'secret sauce' [your term], that one ingredient of that secret sauce is greater parental involvement.
and while i am not opposed to the unionization of teachers - a number of the Chgo charter schools are now unionized - i do believe that unions' first priority is the protection of the interests of their members [not the students and their achievement]; and that union work rules militate against student achievement. so another ingredient to the 'secret sauce', at least in non-union charters.
OK. You want to starve the public schools and divert taxpayer money to pay for religious education/indoctrination and for "home schooling." Why not just say so instead of advancing convoluted and unconvincing rationales for your view?
Your charming "get off your ass" comment reminds me of all the people who told me that I ought to go to South Africa to see "the real situation" before I opposed apartheid,
you're incorrect - you've made an allegation unrelated to fact. i do not support public funding for private, religious schools. i do support charter schools - which are public schools. i support an expansion of charter schools, with adequate quality-of-education and access controls, because minority, low income parents deserve school choice, just as the upper middle class has school choice. the well-to-do have the income &/or assets to live wherever they want to, and send their kids to whatever shools they want to.
as far as 'starving the public schools', CPS spent ~$18000 per pupil [taxpayer funding] for the 2020-21 school yr [certainly has increased since then], accd'g to https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/illinois/districts/city-of-chicago-sd-299-110570. how's that working out? if you think more taxpayer money for CPS will improve student achievement, i have to disagree - and i'd like to see the source[s] that support your position.
'Chicago’s public charter schools do NOT take money from local district schools. Chicago Public Schools is required to contribute roughly the same amount of funding per charter school pupil as per district school pupil — in other words, public education funding simply follows the student.' https://chartersforchange.org/funding-facts/. also, from the same source, 'Chicago’s public charter schools must divert operating budget funding toward facilities and rental costs, whereas CPS schools do not. This translates into a massive funding loss for charter schools ...'. charter schools must fund-raise the difference.
Guesses: I agree with all of Zorn's picks (though I have zero opinion on congressional races that are not my own, which is Danny Davis), except I will guess, with no polling knowledge if there is any, that Burke will lose. I tend to think the primary electorate in Cook County has become super-progressive, and Burke does not fit that mold. I voted for her, so this means I win either way.
I was working the election on Tuesday so couldn't comment on election predictions (too busy!) and now it's too late for my guesses because we know the results EXCEPT for Cook County State's Attorney. I do think Burke will eke out a win but it is very close. Burke was very popular in suburban Cook County, Harris in the city. I think the suburbanites may get their way (I personally voted for Burke, I didn't want another Preckwinkle-hand-picked candidate).
Trump has used violent language many times in the past--predicting riots, violence in the streets, etc., if he did not win/or if the country did not support the Big Lie. No normal person uses "bloodbath" to describe a financial or manufacturing crisis. Oh, wait a minute ...
No need to wait a minute. You are correct. No NORMAL PERSON uses …..
Trump praises the violent insurrectionists he calls "hostages"--you know, the ones who stormed the capital with guns, flagpoles, etc., and caused deaths while threatening to hang the VP. At his latest rally in GA, he played these criminal convicts singing the national anthem while Caudillo Trump (aka Captain Bone-Spurs) gave an imitation of a military-style salute--a sickening and treasonous sight. By the way, I thought he didn't like people who "got caught"?
It's really getting hard to choose among the visuals, because most of them are great. I was with the majority on all but the first one, as I picked the Electric Ave. No Outlet one there.
Using "illegal" as a shortened descriptor of a person whom is in this or any other country without first following the rules of immigration to that country is acceptable and doesn't dehumanize them at all. It simply describes their status as a person who violates the rules of entry. Whether or not the person has been arrested or convicted either in their home country or here is immaterial to their immigration status here. If the person was granted, let's say a driver's license or registered for military service or received a diploma in their home country does that make them documented here? This reminds me of homeless v unhoused. In that discussion unhoused is used as a more gentle way of describing a person who lives on the street whether sleeping in a doorway, a tent under a bridge or in a sponsored shelter. Common useage of the word home doesn't mean (to me at least) any of those three situations. Any such unfortunate individual is homeless and using unhoused as a descriptor to soften their situation is disengenuous.
“Do you want elementary school teachers to greet their kids, “hi you fuckers now take a seat.” Or when applying for a job, do you ask “ I hear you motherfuckers have a job opening?” Or a patient in a hospital setting “Sorry but your tests tell me you are fucked royally!”
No but I also wouldn’t want the teacher addressing his students or the job seeker addressing her potential co-worker with an insult that isn’t a swear word. Like “ idiots ” or the doctor saying “ sorry but your tests tell me you are doomed.” The scenarios you set up are much more about
wrongly insulting others or dealing callously with an issue than about “ swear” words.
Agree that the scenarios are about wrongly insulting others, and using swear words make it that much more egregious.
They reflect a little more anger and meanness than “idiot” or “doomed”.
So yes, it is about swear words and how they are more inappropriate in everyday usage.
I have had a teacher address me “Okay, you clowns take your seats”… not so nice. I have never had a teacher say “Okay, you fuckers take your seats.”
In the first example, no issue, teacher kept his job and on we went. In the second example, if it happened, I wonder if the teacher loses his job?
The degree of insult is increased by using a swear word.
I don’t really think the swearing makes it worse. It’s just that society deems the swearing inappropriate and worthy of firing. Think about a high school teacher addressing one student as “ hey you motherfucker take your seat” vs “ hey you fat mouth breather, take your seat”. The kid would likely find the second much more worse than first.
Yes, my point exactly. Society deems swearing inappropriate.
And yes , you can use non swear words to make inappropriate remarks as well.
Let’s see “fat mouth breather” versus “motherfucker”, both are way out of bounds.
Which name would the kid “prefer”???. I will go out on a limb here and say neither.
My kid would say do not call me either name and I would be worried if he said “Well, I prefer motherfucker.”
If I called you both these names, one I expect you would reject both names outright and two indicate to me my ignorance in using either expression.
And finally, yes in many situations, swearing makes it worse.
"Secret sauce?" As a 45 year educator, it's the parents. Give me a student with good parents and I can work miracles; give me a student without these parents and it's going to be a struggle. Of course outliers for both exist, but a strong home-school connection via the parents is so important.
Edward, totally agree with you.
I come at it from a parent and parent group point of view. One big factor in increasing better test scores and just better study habits is parent help and support.
But there appears to be no measure of “parent support” when testing for improvement in say reading levels.
So a good teacher with a strong parent group will likely show good improvement. This same good teacher probably working a little harder without much support will show less improvement. What is wrong with this teacher…nothing. We just are not measuring or considering all relevant variables in testing outcomes.
I am a veteran and get thanked for my service every once in awhile. I think we should also thank long term teachers and educators for their service.
So Edward Fee, thank you for your service!
I think of the parent role more broadly. Kids have better prospects and do better in school if their parents: a) talked, read, sang, played with them from day one; b) taught them good social skills, discipline and self-discipline, and respect; c) taught them the importance of education, hard work, and set an expectation of achievement; and d) provided every possible opportunity to learn and grow outside of school. This type of parent will also properly engage with teachers to attain the best outcomes. Parents that are not willing or able to do these things will have poorer outcomes. Parents that are able to place their children in schools with other parents that are predominantly of the same mindset will do better.
I agree with everything you said except for your last sentence. Students don't require an exclusive, sheltered environment to be successful. The social skills and work ethics they're raised with at home do not diminish from attending schools with diverse populations. The experience gained from engaging with these populations better prepares them for life after graduation.
I agree up to a point. In schools that are dangerous, or where every class is disrupted, or where the teachers and administration have to spend all of their energy on the troublesome students then their experience is diminished. Also, students are affected by peer attitudes. Where the prevailing attitude is that education is futile, only of interest to elites, or irrelevant there is a drag on strivers, versus the impetus of the opposite environment. Similarly, where the there are many students that are well prepared and striving, with teachers that have time to challenge them then the students will have more opportunity to excel. There are many public schools that fill the bill in both the city and suburbs.
Totally agree with you Marc, it's all about the family culture of support for education and parental involvement.
The inner city girl we fostered through her junior year of high school told us that she had never done homework in her life and that no one had ever attended a parent-teacher conference at her school. She read at about a 3rd grade level and could not even do the 2's multiplication table. When we would visit her mother in the rehab facility, it was very apparent that there was very little support for education other than staying out of trouble at school. Despite our best efforts, it was sadly difficult to see much prospect of self-sufficiency for this young lady.
The other inner city young man we mentored through the Boys Hope program struggled the first year when he transferred from an inner city public school to Loyola Academy. The second year he won the school award for the most improved student, and he graduated with honors and a full scholarship to Drake University. The secret sauce for him? It was a mother who was very involved and demanding of the effort he put forth to his studies, as well as the immense work and dedication of this young man himself. I'm happy to say that he graduated Drake and now has a very good job in a career field. (But would he have done as well academically if he was not in an environment surrounded by other motivated students with engaged parents? I believe the odds are against it.)
Secret Sauce for Student Success? Parent involvement; student self-motivation; caring/competence/motivation of teachers; safe/secure environment. Well-funded, suburban school districts tend to have most of these bases well-covered. Urban, large-city school districts often do not. Parent involvement can be affected by many things - type of work/wage or salary level of parents (i.e. parent availability to children); presence of 2 parents (relates to the immediately preceding point); parental attitude towards education; etc. Children with parents in low wage, long hour jobs will simply not be available to be as engaged with their children's schooling. This is not the school district's (or principals' or teachers' or teachers' union's) fault. It just is. Student self-motivation can be affected by things like: availability of role models (of both human role models and job-type role models); sense of security of local environment. Note also that the most important influence on many of these factors is financial. Note also what is not: Race, ethnicity, immigration status, teachers' unions. (Most high-performing suburban school districts are also unionized.)
You make some great points, Jay.
1. Parent involvement - the key ingredient, and a difficult one for schools to foster to parents who are resistant or unable.
2. Student self-motivation - great if you can get it, but not necessary if the parents value education.
3. Caring/competence/motivation of teachers - though this is a sliding spectrum, I've never met a teacher who didn't really care; burnt out, yes; but deep down, they all want the kids to succeed. Good parenting can overcome a weak or marginal teacher.
4. Safe/secure environment - in spite of the fears that are out there about school violence, the vast majority of schools are very safe.
5. Well-funded, suburban school districts tend to have most of these bases well-covered - as do most parochial schools
6. Urban, large-city school districts often do not - for some, yes, but again, the key is good parents, which suburban, parochial, and city select-enrollment schools have in abundance.
7. Parent involvement can be affected by many things - type of work/wage or salary level of parents (i.e. parent availability to children); presence of 2 parents (relates to the immediately preceding point); parental attitude towards education; etc. - I agree wholeheartedly, parenting is a full-time job, with two parents exponentially better than 1
8. Children with parents in low wage, long hour jobs will simply not be available to be as engaged with their children's schooling. This is not the school district's (or principals' or teachers' or teachers' union's) fault. It just is. - Again, I totally agree. The priority of education for parents is largely dependent upon the satisfaction of life's challenges for the parents. For many newcomer immigrant parents, this is generational in scope.
9. Student self-motivation can be affected by things like: availability of role models (of both human role models and job-type role models); sense of security of local environment - Very true, but many students from all socio-economic groups lack self-motivation; for my classroom, a motivated student is a luxury, not a necessity. Strong home-school bonds can overcome this.
10. Note also that the most important influence on many of these factors is financial. Note also what is not: Race, ethnicity, immigration status, teachers' unions. (Most high-performing suburban school districts are also unionized.) - Freakonomics (the podcast) states this as well. Perhaps this should be looked at as a solution.
from perplexity.ai, response to the Q 'what are the major contributing factors to student achievement?" -
The major contributing factors to student achievement include a combination of personal, social, and environmental elements. Factors that impact student achievement encompass various aspects such as:
Student Resiliency: The capacity to overcome adversity with the presence of protective factors like an unconditionally supportive adult and opportunities for mastery, self-efficacy, and recognition
Individual Student Abilities: Cognitive and metacognitive factors influence a student's ability to learn, including critical thinking opportunities, connecting learning to personal context, and providing options for learning autonomy
Health and Attendance: Motivational, physical, and affective factors like real-world learning with purpose, authentic inquiry and assessment, and health promotion play a role in student achievement
Developmental Differences: Readiness for skills development is crucial, emphasizing the importance of redefining achievement through various assessment methods that cater to individual learning goals and progress measurement
Parental Involvement: Parental encouragement, involvement in homework, volunteering at school, attending meetings with teachers, and setting high expectations significantly impact academic success
Socioeconomic Status: Socioeconomic indicators play a role in academic success, with middle-class and upper-class children generally achieving better grades compared to children from poorer families
Quality Childcare and Education: Quality early childhood education and childcare positively influence academic success by helping children develop socially, mentally, and emotionally
Nutrition: Adequate nutrition is essential for academic performance, with studies showing that students perform better on standardized tests when provided with breakfast on test days
School Attendance: Regular school attendance leads to more successful students, while frequent absences due to various reasons can negatively impact academic success
These factors collectively contribute to student achievement by creating a conducive environment that supports learning, growth, and overall academic success.
Regarding the election outcomes, I agree with all of EZ's predictions and cast my ballot accordingly in the races I could. I'm looking forward to seeing if he gets any wrong (maybe Harris or Reyes).
I have no problem using the term “illegal” to describe the alleged killer from Venezuela who entered the country illegally. I do object to the term being used, particularly by the right, to describe asylum seekers.
Asylum seekers are not undocumented or in the country without legal permission or authorization. I agree with you.
Asylum seekers are on a 'parole' status pending a ruling on their asylum request. Many of those arriving in the last year have crossed the border illegally, surrendered to Border Patrol officers, claimed asylum, got a 'Notice to Appear' and were then released. If the claim is denied, then they are removed. At the end of 2023 there were about 2 million people in the US awaiting hearings on asylum claims. About 35,000 claims are approved each year. The administration has also used its power to grant about 800,000 people from selected countries 'humanitarian parole' and 'Temporary Protected Status' with a 2-year permission to stay and get a work visa. This was traditionally 6 to 18 months and used for refugees from natural disasters who were required to leave at the end of the period but has now been applied to asylum seekers. There have also been several groups of previous TPS grants that have been renewed multiple times, and they can be renewed indefinitely.
Sounds like you're all-in on steeply increasing the budget for new immigration judges to hear all of those asylum cases so they can be adjudicated one way or another. Biden has proposed just that in the new Immigration/Border Security bill.
Pre-covid, there was already a substantial backlog in the immigration courts, which I believe was two years. Adding immigration judges was proposed back then, and I supported it. There need to be more. I think the bill also provided for an expedited process. Both would help. But the bill also allowed for 4,000 people per day to enter the new process after crossing illegally. It is hard to see how these improvements would put much of a dent in the current backlog, if it is allowed to continue to increase at 120,000 people per month. The illegal border crossers are also 'jumping the cue' ahead of the several hundred thousand people that have applied for asylum through their home country US Embassy or requested an appointment through the new web site or are standing in line at a legal border crossing.
The 4000 number is being used out of context. What it means is the US must close the border if that 4000 per day number is reached - no if and or buts
The threshold number is 5000 per day, at which point the border is closed to those above the 5000. The current rate of entry is 4000/day. Also, the administration added 6 US airports that would accept people entering for processing as a way to reduce the number at the border.
I agree with your election guesses. But I'm rooting for Ray Lopez.
I am, too. I'm guessing he and Cunningham are fairly similar in how they'd rule but sure, it's high time for some more diversity on the court.
Pretty much agree on the elections, but I think it will be a "no" for the mayor's pet project. As for the SA race, beyond me why the county board chair & the Dems think their guy, who was Blago's chief of staff & a big deal at the DOT should be the SA. Hasn't been in a courtroom for years and would be more of the same as the incumbent., who will be a much better defense atty than she's been as SA.
I agree with all of your primary predictions except one. I think Bring Chicago Home will fail.
Interesting. If it loses, the result will be quite a blow to the mayor.
I would have agreed several hours ago, but reports are that voter turnout is "shockingly low", which bodes well for passage.
I have thought all along it will fail because people see simply that there will be a higher charge somewhere and it will affect everyone down the line. Trickle-down taxes!!
to EZ re school choice - sorry, i missed your point - the point about which you refuse to get out of your chair and away from your computer, and learn more about school choice. so NLCPHS, per your research: 'U.S. News ranks North Lawndale 13,261th our of 17,680 high schools nationwide and Public School Review says it “ranks in the bottom 50% of all schools in Illinois for overall test scores '. accepting that there's no rationale for comparing its results to Stevenson HS, how about comparing its results to its peer grp - i.e., the attendance area CPS HS's on the west side of Chicago?
i hope you're not implying that funding attendance area CPS schools at the level Stevenson is funded would yield student achievement results remotely close to Stevenson's - that would be an opinion unsupportable by any evidence.
and if you're not going to get up off your *ss and go for a visit, how about looking at broader measures of HS success? how about graduation rates? how about college attendance rates? how about college graduation rates? compare those to a relevant peer grp.
you've become prickly to a challenge to justify your antipathy twd school choice - notice i haven't criticized CPS or CTU in this post - and yet you want to be spoon-fed the 'secret sauce' [if it exists] of the alleged efficacy of school choice vis-a-vis assignment to public/govt schools by attendance area.
attendance area public education in urban america isn't working, hasn't worked for many students for many years. teachers unions haven't helped, more funding/higher pay for teachers hasn't helped, 'school reform' has maybe helped a little, but not much. school choice at the very least engages parents/guardians in their children's education - and that always promotes student achievement.
i posed the following Q at perplexity.ai - does parent involvement in a student's education improve academic achievement?
and received the following A - Yes, parental involvement in a student's education has been consistently linked to improved academic achievement. Research shows that children whose families are engaged in their education are more likely to earn higher grades, score better on tests, graduate from high school and college, develop self-confidence and motivation in the classroom, and have better social skills and classroom behavior. Parental involvement plays a crucial role in supporting students' learning, boosting their motivation, and creating a positive and nurturing environment that enhances their academic success. Studies have highlighted the positive impact of parental involvement on student performance, emphasizing the importance of family engagement in education for long-term academic success
the sources for the answer - https://www.aecf.org/blog/parental-involvement-is-key-to-student-success-research-shows ; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321534238_Parental_Involvement_and_Students_Academic_Achievement_A_Quantitative_study ; https://www.positiveaction.net/blog/impact-of-parental-involvement ; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3020099/
I'm asking you a very simple question -- what is it about attendance-area schools that's inferior to charter or private religious schools? What explains the different outcomes? That's the "secret sauce" question in long form. I've been to plenty of schools in my long career as a journalist and as a parent, and if all you're looking for is anecdotes, further visits are just fine. But if you want to build a case for specific policies or changes, you need to do more serious work than talking a few administrators, teachers and students. It's like asking me to explain health outcomes in different hospitals by "getting off my ass" and visiting the hospitals in question. The reasons that Hospital A might have better outcomes than Hospital B are numerous, complex and perhaps not as easily addressed as saying well, let's just allow Hospital B patients to come to Hospital A.
I think there are issues with measuring outcomes and assigning responsibility., in getting to the 'secret sauce'. There is a high incidence of absenteeism in the student population. If these students were removed (or assessed separately), I expect that would affect the outcome measure. Then one has to ask who is responsible for absenteeism and is that a problem that we expect the school to solve. How do we measure the success of students that enter an alternative school system after they are already well behind their grade level. Alternative structure, discipline, and sense of safety may improve their progress but still not overcome their educational deficit. So, is there a way to assess the population of students that spent their entire school life in alternative environments. Another area is how to segregate the effect of the parental role from the school environment and methods. And again, to what extent do we expect schools to rectify shortcomings in the parental role? Finally, is there a 'critical mass' of students that are positive towards education, within a school, that is required to boost aggregate performance? Or where a lack of will degrade aggregate performance? If so, how is that to be addressed?
Fair points. I would say anecdotes from in-person experience is a good way to build an intuition about what makes a difference in education, but then, yes, more should be done using statistics on a larger sample of data.
Do you think CPS attendance are schools are inferior to non-charter non-attendance area schools run by CPS?
As a matter of public policy non-attendance are schools take resources away from attendance area schools regardless of whether they are run by CPS or privately. Why should it make any difference?
fair enough - although i believe i answered your question in my earlier post.
first, let's take private religious schools out of this conversation, for now. i'm not supporting public funding of private religious schools.
i'll try to summarize. i believe - and the research appears to support - that parental engagement/involvement [or lack thereof] plays a signficiant role in student achievement. parents of charter school students are highly engaged in finding, applying for, etc, a good school, maybe the right school, for their child[ren] - unlike parents of children in CPS attendance area schools. charter school parents are also more engaged with the school after their child commences attendance.
i am not suggesting that parental engagement is 'THE secret sauce' that would make charter school education, at the margin, superior to attendance area school education. i'm saying that, if there is a recipe for a 'secret sauce' [your term], that one ingredient of that secret sauce is greater parental involvement.
and while i am not opposed to the unionization of teachers - a number of the Chgo charter schools are now unionized - i do believe that unions' first priority is the protection of the interests of their members [not the students and their achievement]; and that union work rules militate against student achievement. so another ingredient to the 'secret sauce', at least in non-union charters.
OK. You want to starve the public schools and divert taxpayer money to pay for religious education/indoctrination and for "home schooling." Why not just say so instead of advancing convoluted and unconvincing rationales for your view?
Your charming "get off your ass" comment reminds me of all the people who told me that I ought to go to South Africa to see "the real situation" before I opposed apartheid,
you're incorrect - you've made an allegation unrelated to fact. i do not support public funding for private, religious schools. i do support charter schools - which are public schools. i support an expansion of charter schools, with adequate quality-of-education and access controls, because minority, low income parents deserve school choice, just as the upper middle class has school choice. the well-to-do have the income &/or assets to live wherever they want to, and send their kids to whatever shools they want to.
as far as 'starving the public schools', CPS spent ~$18000 per pupil [taxpayer funding] for the 2020-21 school yr [certainly has increased since then], accd'g to https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/illinois/districts/city-of-chicago-sd-299-110570. how's that working out? if you think more taxpayer money for CPS will improve student achievement, i have to disagree - and i'd like to see the source[s] that support your position.
'Chicago’s public charter schools do NOT take money from local district schools. Chicago Public Schools is required to contribute roughly the same amount of funding per charter school pupil as per district school pupil — in other words, public education funding simply follows the student.' https://chartersforchange.org/funding-facts/. also, from the same source, 'Chicago’s public charter schools must divert operating budget funding toward facilities and rental costs, whereas CPS schools do not. This translates into a massive funding loss for charter schools ...'. charter schools must fund-raise the difference.
Awww....I guess women top court justices are not diverse enough for you anymore.
Like Anne Burke? (Indicted Alderman Ed Burke's wife?)
What's that supposed to mean?
Guesses: I agree with all of Zorn's picks (though I have zero opinion on congressional races that are not my own, which is Danny Davis), except I will guess, with no polling knowledge if there is any, that Burke will lose. I tend to think the primary electorate in Cook County has become super-progressive, and Burke does not fit that mold. I voted for her, so this means I win either way.
"Do you want elementary school teachers to greet their kids, 'hi you fuckers now take a seat.'"
No, of course not, but, speaking as a high school teacher....
I was working the election on Tuesday so couldn't comment on election predictions (too busy!) and now it's too late for my guesses because we know the results EXCEPT for Cook County State's Attorney. I do think Burke will eke out a win but it is very close. Burke was very popular in suburban Cook County, Harris in the city. I think the suburbanites may get their way (I personally voted for Burke, I didn't want another Preckwinkle-hand-picked candidate).