quote: unless you take it back that far, and even farther, teaching about Imhotep and the blacks who beat Columbus by 2000 years across the Atlantic, you aren't going to understand.
So in order to fix the problem we have to lie to our kids?
If they crossed the Atlantic, then they did--but I haven't seen anything more than a few fragments of evidence. At best we're talking "up in the air", not "absolutely".
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I spent 10 years covering education for a newspaper in a small county in northwestern North Carolina. Out of 110 school systems in the state, that county's ranked constantly in the top 10 school systems in SAT scores and end of grade testing.
With a total county population of only 22,500 folks, the county received only the bare standard per student funding from the state and never received any emergency funding. The county government was also never able to provide more than the supplemental funding dictated by the state for the schools budget. Teachers only received roughly $500 a year in supplemental funding.
The school system also wrestled with the difficulty of large numbers of students that were the children of migrant workers who had English as their second language. While the migrant workers' children scored lower in the county they still scored remarkably higher than statewide levels for ESL students.
The testing scores between blacks and whites show no real statistical differences.
Why?
The first was a school system wherein teachers, administrators and staff were selected because of their commitment. Many were also selected because they had originally come from the county. In short, the employees (from principals to teachers to janitors and bus drivers) were invested in the schools and the communities. Everyone took ownership of the education of the kids.
They also, as policy, made parental involvement a necessity. Parent teacher conferences aren't voluntary, but mandatory. The teachers would work around the parents' schedules to make time for these meetings. In discipline situations, principals backed up the teachers and spoke frankly and directly with the parents.
And I have never, ever heard of any case since the integration of the schools there of any racial bias. Never even a hint. Handicap children have been mainstreamed at least since the 1970s (when I was a student there).
Guidance counselors were also active for students from kindergarten through high school and active partnerships were sought between the school system and the local community college, plus nearby Appalachian State University.
Also, equal emphasis was placed on providing high school students with both vocational and advanced placement classes, many students taking both.
Sports are encouraged and everything is offered. Students can even take classes in scuba diving (at the Middle School indoor swimming pool).
Okay, someone's going to say, if they were so poor how come they have an indoor pool? Actually that was built with donations from the community. To raise most of the funds, the superintendent of schools pledged to run a marathon (26 miles in the NC mountains... pretty rough) and if he made it, the pledges from businesses and individuals would be made. He made it in about five hours. That's dedication from a 45 year old fellow.
But in the end, that's what it takes to make good students and get good results: dedication. Parents, teachers, administrators, support staff, the community and the students themselves.
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