The wealthy in Chicago, versus elsewhere (school, teachers, work)

[Aleking]

such a dumb thread, really incredible even by the standards here

[oak317]

[quote=JacksonPanther;34866839]

Originally Posted by nana053

The problem is that no one knows what to do. There are some efforts, but who knows if they will be effective.
[\QUOTE]

Wrong. I know what to do, but no one has the will to implement anything I would discuss.

Start with enforcement of a "No kids before the age of 30" policy... Because a lot of the problems we face are because of stupid kids thinking they can raise a child. As a society we discourage it, but the teen pregnancy rate in this country is still too high although it has dropped dramatically over the years.

Steven Levitt argued that abortions in the 70s were responsible for reducing crime in the 90s. Kind of a similar argument - if the people who would commit crime aren't born then there would be less crime.

According to this website, the teen pregnancy declined by 25% during 2000-2008. That's definitely progress though we'll have to wait ten more years before we see the results.

Even so, in 2008 the teen pregnancy rate in Chicago was 57% higher than the national average. The ethnic groups with the highest rates are blacks and hispanics.

So yeah, working on the problem of teen pregnancy could be an effective way of reducing crime. I think it's very much a cultural issue, and sex education in schools might not be the most effective solution. Perhaps it would help if Chicago's best athletes advocated contraceptives and planned parenthood.

[oak317]

Originally Posted by Aleking

such a dumb thread, really incredible even by the standards here

Sure, say what you want. My post was ridiculous. But it also elicited information. So even if my post was ridiculous, it was more constructive than your one-liner.

That is to say, my (ridiculous) thread-starter is better than your thoughtless, vapid insult.

[Aleking]

this is just banal city v. city rambling for people on the spectrum. Click user - find all posts by and you have a history of similar threads.

[oak317]

Originally Posted by Aleking

this is just banal city v. city rambling for people on the spectrum. Click user - find all posts by and you have a history of similar threads.

I worded my post in the wrong way (I think I've admitted that two times now). But I was trying to get a sense of how much the city deals with its problems - not just its taxes and economy, but the problems that affect the poor and not the wealthy. This is a perfectly natural post for a twenty-something trying to decide where he wants to live, especially considering I didn't grow up in the city.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by Suburban Mom of 2 Kids

So, there are a myriad of efforts going on within the city of Chicago to help the root cause of many of these issues....

Charter schools. The tribune just published (within the last 3 months) an extensive article describing the history and funding of charter schools in the comunity. This is a significant source of funding, support and creativity (agree or disagree with the concept...you have to appreciate the creativity) in this realm to provide an alternative solution to quality education within the city.

But, charter schools have failed.

The truth about charter schools: Padded cells, corruption, lousy instruction and worse results - Salon.com

Many charter schools not measuring up in new report card data - Chicago Tribune

More than two dozen schools in some of the city's most prominent and largest charter networks, including the United Neighborhood Organization (UNO), Chicago International Charter Schools, University of Chicago and LEARN, scored well short of district averages on key standardized tests.

In two of the city's oldest charter networks, Perspectives and Aspira, only one school — Perspectives' IIT Math & Science Academy — surpassed CPS' average on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test, taken by elementary schoolers, or the Prairie State Achievement Examination, used in high schools.

At Shabazz International's DuSable Leadership high school on the South Side, just 7 percent of students met state standards on the PSAE. A few miles south, nine out of every 10 students at CICS' Hawkins high school missed the state benchmark.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by nana053

But, charter schools have failed.

The truth about charter schools: Padded cells, corruption, lousy instruction and worse results - Salon.com

Many charter schools not measuring up in new report card data - Chicago Tribune

There are successful charter schools and too often the vitriol of sites like Salon is easily disputed...


USA Today is more balanced -- Charter school experiment a success: Our view


PBS has some good info too -- Closing the Achievement Gap . Charter School FAQ | PBS


I am sure there all kinds of Charter Schools run by the same kind of corrupt insiders that milk the city for things like parking meters that are horrible but even the most rabid supporters of radical libertarian principles would likely denounce those... And then there is a whole other level of "warfare" pitting the forces of organized labor against the free market advocates -- https://blog.heartland.org/2014/03/n...arter-schools/


With appropriate oversight charter schools generally are the best way forward in the short term for families stuck in terrible situations -- How to safe guard charter schools

[Longford]

Originally Posted by oak317

When I walk around the Old Town Triangle I see a lot of people in cashmere sweaters driving BMWs. These people appear top-of-the-food-chain in Chicago, and yet I wager a good proportion of them are living off trust funds. From appearances alone, from the noise they generate and the way they crowd sports bars, I highly doubt any of them take up philanthropic causes. I doubt they ever think of the problems in the city, or feel compassion for the victims of violence.

Sounds to me as if you're a bit judgmental, for someone who doesn't know the city well.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by chet everett

There are successful charter schools and too often the vitriol of sites like Salon is easily disputed...


USA Today is more balanced -- Charter school experiment a success: Our view


PBS has some good info too -- Closing the Achievement Gap . Charter School FAQ | PBS


I am sure there all kinds of Charter Schools run by the same kind of corrupt insiders that milk the city for things like parking meters that are horrible but even the most rabid supporters of radical libertarian principles would likely denounce those... And then there is a whole other level of "warfare" pitting the forces of organized labor against the free market advocates -- https://blog.heartland.org/2014/03/n...arter-schools/


With appropriate oversight charter schools generally are the best way forward in the short term for families stuck in terrible situations -- How to safe guard charter schools

I have friends who have worked in Charter schools. Charter schools that do have better test scores have them because they *counsel out* kids who need extra help or who are behavior problems. Then these kids return to the public school and are counted in the *bad* stats.

Charter schools are a lie promoted by corporations with no real stake in helping our kids.

[chet everett]

With out getting into too many details, it may be appropriate to find another placement for students that need specialized behavioral help or even those that are not meeting the performance standards of a particular charter school.

While it is a fact that some families do seek out charter schools for reasons other academics, under the way that Illinois has created the guidelines for charter schools they don't have to accept every child. Ideally there would be more schools that specialize in kids that have behavior issues or otherwise are not making progress, but that does not make a charter school "bad".

The same sort of tactics, of saying "corporations are evil" is the sort of nonsense that idiot politicians like Blago used to get re-elected. I suppose it works for folks that just don't know better, but that in itself says a whole lot about just how gullible people have become...