'Round back 2000, Dallas ISD worked out a deal with a private school company called CEP. All of the students who were 2 years behind (or more) in one or more core subjects - English, Math, Science, etcetera - and/or who were being 'excused' from school for having brought knives, guns, drugs, etcetera - they would all go to this school. Sometimes because their parents volunteered them, but usually because a judge demanded it.
Now, Texas has a standardised testing system. Under that testing system, each school was expected to have a certain percentage of their students pass the standardised test. If a certain percentage failed to pass, then that school could be taken over by the state government. If enough schools were taken over, the school district itself could be taken over by the state government. (Wilmer-Hutchins ISD) It's embarrassing and costly when that happens. Politicians lose their jobs and thus lose their kickbacks.
CEP had a large percentage of the Wilmer-Hutchins ISD population attending it. It also had a significant percentage of certain Dallas middle and high schools attending it, until the kids were old enough to drop out legally.
I'll give ya three guesses as to the racial makeup of the population of CEP, first two don't count. It was a kind of win/win - take all the kids that are disruptive, behind, and that make white folks nervous about their children and white politicians nervous about their jobs, funding, and kickbacks, and CEP was the perfect band-aid for all of it.
They talk a great deal about how well those children who went there advanced in the core subjects. They do not talk about how angry those children - and their parents - are about being held in what was effectively a microcosm of the prison system, except without the violent offenders being segregated from the rest of the population. They don't talk about the number of kids who went on to get GED's, nor the number of kids for whom secondary school was just not a realistic option. (Borderline mentally retarded kids with severe attention and behavioural issues).
They also don't talk about the fact that the 'teachers' do not have teaching accreditation (only a bachelor's), and do little actual teaching (only supervising) and that some things that could never happen in public school happened in CEP classes (posters put up by teachers instructing children that the Bible is historically accurate, along with the Ten Commandments. Teachers leading student prayer).
Politics in Dallas is highly racially driven. We have a majority Hispanic population in Dallas and some suburbs, a very large African-American population in Dallas proper, and teh rich white folks all live in high-rise condos, gated communities, or the suburbs and telecommute or drive SUV's two hours a day.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-22 01:29 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-22 02:11 am (UTC)Fuckwits.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-22 02:11 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-22 02:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-22 07:42 am (UTC)Well, then you'll just /love/ this -
Date: 2006-11-22 04:47 pm (UTC)Now, Texas has a standardised testing system. Under that testing system, each school was expected to have a certain percentage of their students pass the standardised test. If a certain percentage failed to pass, then that school could be taken over by the state government. If enough schools were taken over, the school district itself could be taken over by the state government. (Wilmer-Hutchins ISD) It's embarrassing and costly when that happens. Politicians lose their jobs and thus lose their kickbacks.
CEP had a large percentage of the Wilmer-Hutchins ISD population attending it. It also had a significant percentage of certain Dallas middle and high schools attending it, until the kids were old enough to drop out legally.
I'll give ya three guesses as to the racial makeup of the population of CEP, first two don't count. It was a kind of win/win - take all the kids that are disruptive, behind, and that make white folks nervous about their children and white politicians nervous about their jobs, funding, and kickbacks, and CEP was the perfect band-aid for all of it.
They talk a great deal about how well those children who went there advanced in the core subjects. They do not talk about how angry those children - and their parents - are about being held in what was effectively a microcosm of the prison system, except without the violent offenders being segregated from the rest of the population. They don't talk about the number of kids who went on to get GED's, nor the number of kids for whom secondary school was just not a realistic option. (Borderline mentally retarded kids with severe attention and behavioural issues).
They also don't talk about the fact that the 'teachers' do not have teaching accreditation (only a bachelor's), and do little actual teaching (only supervising) and that some things that could never happen in public school happened in CEP classes (posters put up by teachers instructing children that the Bible is historically accurate, along with the Ten Commandments. Teachers leading student prayer).
Politics in Dallas is highly racially driven. We have a majority Hispanic population in Dallas and some suburbs, a very large African-American population in Dallas proper, and teh rich white folks all live in high-rise condos, gated communities, or the suburbs and telecommute or drive SUV's two hours a day.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-06 01:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-06 01:31 am (UTC)But I do have kittens and sloths.