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I grew up in the WCPSS and received an education decent enough to get me into Appalachian State University and graduate with a degree.
I have a 1.5 yr old daughter now (am starting to think about schools) and have been reading many many posts on this site as well as speaking with people in person and I was wondering this...
What makes the WCPSS so much better (general opinion...im not saying that it IS better) than other surrounding school systems? Aren't the basic education requirements the same across the state? Is it the teachers? The facilities? The extra stuff?
and secondly, With all the current turmoil over the new WCPSS board and the re-assigments, etc. are the other surrounding counties looking more and more attractive?
I believe the primary source of a school's quality is the quality of the students they receive, which is determined in large part by the economic status and educational attainment of their parents.
I believe the primary source of a school's quality is the quality of the students they receive, which is determined in large part by the economic status and educational attainment of their parents.
I believe the primary source of a school's quality is the quality of the students they receive, which is determined in large part by the economic status and educational attainment of their parents.
So by school quality as you refer to it above, do you mean
1) a schools with better scores
2) or do you mean that the higher the SES of a students family the higher education that one can be expected to be taught at a school?
Or both or neither of these? Just wondering if you could clarify for me. Thanks!
OP, yes the state has a set of curriculum standards are that suppose to be taught in each grade and course. And yes the state has a pacing guide that all teachers are suppose to follow. So technically everyone who take Algebra I should be studying the same concept around roughly the same time.
But in terms of academics I do think (have no proof or research showing such) that at least in elementary that there might be a variation of how much is taught outside of the what the states requires. It is probably very school specific (as some schools have more kids who are ready for school in K than others) and I also think it's class specific. So it's not necessarily a district to district comparison.
But I also think that kids are there to learn how to learn and learn how to get along with a diverse group of people and work together with them. And IMHO if the majority of the kids come from the same SES then they don't learn how to work with people outside their SES. This isn't measured in test scores, but it is a skill that I think is valuable.
I think each of the districts in the area have their strong points and their weak points. You just have to decide what is important for your children to learn. Because each district has weak points .... even CH/C which on paper and in terms of test scores is the "best" in the state.
So by school quality as you refer to it above, do you mean
1) a schools with better scores
2) or do you mean that the higher the SES of a students family the higher education that one can be expected to be taught at a school?
Or both or neither of these? Just wondering if you could clarify for me. Thanks!
I believe that many measures of school "quality" - generally various scores or objective measures - are often much more a measure of the quality of the input they receive (the students) rather than what the schools are able to do with those students. (In other words, many students would perform about as well at any given school they go to.)
So by school quality as you refer to it above, do you mean
1) a schools with better scores
2) or do you mean that the higher the SES of a students family the higher education that one can be expected to be taught at a school?
Or both or neither of these? Just wondering if you could clarify for me. Thanks!
OP, yes the state has a set of curriculum standards are that suppose to be taught in each grade and course. And yes the state has a pacing guide that all teachers are suppose to follow. So technically everyone who take Algebra I should be studying the same concept around roughly the same time.
But in terms of academics I do think (have no proof or research showing such) that at least in elementary that there might be a variation of how much is taught outside of the what the states requires. It is probably very school specific (as some schools have more kids who are ready for school in K than others) and I also think it's class specific. So it's not necessarily a district to district comparison.
But I also think that kids are there to learn how to learn and learn how to get along with a diverse group of people and work together with them. And IMHO if the majority of the kids come from the same SES then they don't learn how to work with people outside their SES. This isn't measured in test scores, but it is a skill that I think is valuable.
I think each of the districts in the area have their strong points and their weak points. You just have to decide what is important for your children to learn. Because each district has weak points .... even CH/C which on paper and in terms of test scores is the "best" in the state.
Perhaps the best real world measurement is how much are people willing to pay for it. In the case of schools how much are people willing to pay for a house so their kids can be in a specific school clusters attendance zone. For the most part we value things in our society based on what people are willing to pay for it.
I believe that many measures of school "quality" - generally various scores or objective measures - are often much more a measure of the quality of the input they receive (the students) rather than what the schools are able to do with those students. (In other words, many students would perform about as well at any given school they go to.)
Thanks for the clarity. I agree with this too.
Outliers (book by Malcolm Galdwell) makes an interesting point about the achievement gap. He claims one reason for the achievement gap is that wealthy families will always have the means to continue learning when the school day & school year ends. These families provide enrichment for their kids through many means that poorer families can't afford, don't have access to, or just aren't aware of.
I still haven't reconciled how I feel about this, but I do acknowledge that it exist.
Outliers (book by Malcolm Galdwell) makes an interesting point about the achievement gap. He claims one reason for the achievement gap is that wealthy families will always have the means to continue learning when the school day & school year ends. These families provide enrichment for their kids through many means that poorer families can't afford, don't have access to, or just aren't aware of.
I still haven't reconciled how I feel about this, but I do acknowledge that it exist.
That is a reality of life in both education and other areas of life. Parents with means who care about their kids and their kids future will use their wealth to give their kids a competitive advantage. I did it and my friends and neighbors did it and those of lesser means either didn't care or didn't have the resources. We hired tutors, we hired private coaches, we sent them to specialized camps. I had opportunity to watch a wide range of parents raise their kids and to interact with them in the process. The role of the parent can't be understated.
However here is a reality of education that is unfortunate but oh so true.
It is a challenge in a good school system for a child to rise above the level of their parents education. Especially in math. ESPECIALLY IN MATH. A good school system and teacher provides their students with academic experiences outside of school (homework etc). The person available to help the student with their homework is as important as the teacher during the day. The engineer parent is far more able to help their child with challenging math home work especially Algebra 1 and above. Just imagine Calculus then the drop out parent. If the affluent parent can't provide the assistance they hire a tutor. Do the research. Gifted and Talented students get more homework/enrichment because they will do it and complete it successfully. Teachers are challenged to give homework to low income students who aren't motivated and have little parent support at home. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen but it is more often a futile effort. The more motivated students you have with academic and financial support you have at home the more competitive and challenging the academic environment. We have a number of outstanding colleges and universities in the Triangle. Lots of university staff with lots of kids who can use the university resources. Don't you think those kids have one heck of a competitive advantage? It is about the end game and the end game is very competitive. For many parents and kids it is about college admission and scholarships and those are finite. If you want your kid to get the thick letter from the college saying they have been accepted then you do what you can to put them ahead of the others. If you are willing to accept the rejection letter as the final outcome then you might not do as much. It is every parents decision and some are much better gamers then others. Hmmmm who do you want your kids to be friends with? The eventual winners or the also ran's or the never left the starting blocks? The debate in Wake today is as much about this as it is anything else.
I cant rep you TuborgP. It would be an understatement to say I like reading your posts. You summarize complex issues very simply and seemingly devoid of emotion.
Coming from a first generation asian immigrant household we always have homework at home not necessarily from school. Infact homework from school was always supplemented by work that the parent came up with. I think it is also a cultural thing that some communities place a lot of emphasis on academics from an early age. I am still not sure if it is advantageous in any way but it sure doesnt hurt when not extreme.Also I think a lot of them would send their kids for tutoring even if that have to work another job or have to eat at home for the next few years.In short make educating their kids a high priority task.
I cant rep you TuborgP. It would be an understatement to say I like reading your posts. You summarize complex issues very simply and seemingly devoid of emotion.
Coming from a first generation asian immigrant household we always have homework at home not necessarily from school. Infact homework from school was always supplemented by work that the parent came up with. I think it is also a cultural thing that some communities place a lot of emphasis on academics from an early age. I am still not sure if it is advantageous in any way but it sure doesnt hurt when not extreme.Also I think a lot of them would send their kids for tutoring even if that have to work another job or have to eat at home for the next few years.In short make educating their kids a high priority task.
Thank you for the complement. The educational work ethic of Asian students is phenomenal and the commitment to supporting their children by Asian families is wonderful. There are some outstanding American school districts that are well known in some Asian countries and our targeted by immigrants as a destination point. One need only go to a graduate school commencement at a top American University with a sizable international population and you will see how Asian students dominate (in proportion to their numbers) in the sciences and most importantly intellectual and property law. Hmmmm beating us in developing the scientist and engineers to discover and create it and also developing the lawyers to steal or protect it. You better run and hide Google.
Now back to Wake education and moving America forward in the 21st century.
It is becoming clear that any efforts in diversity are worthless in the world of 2010 much less the world of 2040 which will be peak earning years for today's students. Let us not worry about their future world let us instead focus on preparing them for the world of 20-40 years ago that so many of us enjoyed much better. Let us bring back manufacturing jobs and teach them how to make furniture and we shall prevail once again.
Perhaps the new board will bring back furniture carpentry and upholstering.
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