The Institute (協会)

Anthony, how dare you think that minorities don't need the downwashing of "whiteness" in order to learn and succeed! [/sarcasm]
Well written essay. What I'd like to see more people calling out the underlying racism behind the ideas that adding more white kids makes school better. White kids fail, too. You are completely right: it isn't about the racial mix in schools, it's all about the performance of the schools, themselves. And frankly, more money or accountability isn't the solution: it's a radical change in educational philosophy, a de-centralization of the system, and a renewal of parental ownership. The Supreme Court's recent decision is definitely a step down that path.

i've heard of low-performing students, but what exactly is a "low-performing school"? Does the school skip school? Does the school not know how to add or subtract? or how to conjugate verbs? i suspect that in most cases, a low-performing school is a school that is made up a low-performing students. i think both sides of this education debate often provide simple answers to a very complicated social problem: liberals say "more money, more integration" while conservatives advocate for "more school-choice, merit pay." But it seems to me that the most crucial element is parental involvement. Of course, conservatives often affirm this, but exactly how is this going to happen? Government cannot coerce this. And in the case of minority children in our nation's inner-cities, this is an uphill battle. The overwhelming majority have only one parent, who probably has very little education, little access to knowledge/resources, and if they work, don't have much time because much of it is spent keeping a roof over their family's head and food in the cupboard. Don't get me wrong, i am as strong a proponent of vouchers or other forms of school choice as anyone, but not because i think it will completely revitalize education in the inner-cities. Rather, it will save a few minority kids who actually want to learn, and whose parents actually care, by removing them from their peers who don't want to learn and don't have parents who care. In short, the government cannot create a parental culture that values education and demands academic excellence. Perhaps Big Brother and Big Sister programs are the answer. i don't know...