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One of the things I've been trying to do lately is understand the pro-city mindset. Althought I have lived in the city all my life (New Orleans and philadelphia), I'm pro suburbs. I started the thread about the dislike for the homogenous suburbs. I've gotten some pretty interesting feedback on the topic. I don't agree at all with the stance that pro-city have on homogenous suburbs, but atleast I have a better understanding on their mindset. Next topic I want a view point on is school system. For all the people against suburbia, please defend the public school system. In major cities like new york, philadelphia, LA, atlanta, new orleans (I call it major because its my hometown), detroit, and etc., we see that the public school systems are struggling. If I'm a parent, and I can't afford private schools, and maybe my child can't get into the magnet or charter schools, why is it better to move the city, if the suburbs MIGHT offer better education opportunties. LET ME BE CLEAR, I DO NOT BELIEVE ALL SUBURBAN SCHOOLS ARE BETTER THAN CITY SCHOOLS, I just want pro-city people to defend the public school system if they have such disdain for suburbia. Let the debate begin.
They move to the suburbs. A lot of Catholic schools are surprisingly inexpensive, however.
I realize that people move to the suburbs. I'm asking pro-city people to defend the city in regards to the public school system. If I cant afford, private, or catholic schools, or i can't get my kid into a magnet or charter school, tell my why the city is still a better option if the suburbs offer better education opportunties.
I realize that people move to the suburbs. I'm asking pro-city people to defend the city in regards to the public school system. If I cant afford, private, or catholic schools, or i can't get my kid into a magnet or charter school, tell my why the city is still a better option if the suburbs offer better education opportunties.
Its not. The city is great for many people except for when it isn't. The hypothetical you're coming up with is one of those cases. For many other hypothetical situations, the city is great.
Its not. The city is great for many people except for when it isn't. The hypothetical you're coming up with is one of those cases. For many other hypothetical situations, the city is great.
I could say that this hypothetical situation is more reality and fact, than it hypothetical, but then I would have to look links to prove my situation is factual. Explain to me why people hate on the suburbs if this situation is reality for alot of families.
I could say that this hypothetical situation is more reality and fact, than it hypothetical, but then I would have to look links to prove my situation is factual. Explain to me why people hate on the suburbs if this situation is reality for alot of families.
LET ME BE CLEAR, I DO NOT BELIEVE ALL SUBURBAN SCHOOLS ARE BETTER THAN CITY SCHOOLS, I just want pro-city people to defend the public school system if they have such disdain for suburbia. Let the debate begin.
Once upon a time when the majority of decently paid people lived within the Cities... and those cities had that level RE and Income tax resources to work with... the CITY school systems as a whole were far superior to any other option. It was fairly common for families from the outlying areas to pay tuition that allowed their children to attend the big city schools.
When you added in the specialty schools these systems were able to offer (academic, technical, gender based, etc) the advantage was even more obvious and even more significant. What they didn't do well... was racial integration or feel good support for student populations that couldn't (or wouldn't) keep up academically.
In the wake of 1950's integration efforts, and block busting, and the natural desire to have more room, as well as the opportunity the new road systems offered to commuters into those cities and elsewhere for work...
more and more families with the option to choose relocation to the suburbs... chose relocation to the suburbs.
When these middle class families left the Cities... among other things, like functional family units, they took the income and RE tax money needed to successfully operate a large municipal school system with them leaving behind the lowest end of the middle class and the lower classes who didn't have the choice to leave nor the resources to do much of anything else in the best interest of their children.
The net effect of all this is that the suburban school systems began to surpass the general quality available from most city school systems. Today it's a rare suburban system that isn't far superior to it's neighboring city. But very few of these suburban school systems today come anywhere close to doing the good job that the city school systems they neighbor used to provide.
hth
Last edited by MrRational; 12-06-2011 at 06:41 PM..
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