Hi All
Please grant me a small rant... Here is another interesting map for you. It is supposed to show the "return on investment" (ROI) for schools in the United States, where data is available, based on per-pupil spending and scores on achievement tests. Some states, such as Montana and Massachusetts, did not have data available to be included (or perhaps they did not release it for the study). The New York City school system is not included, even though most other districts in the state are. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/01/educational_productivity/ The take-away I got from this map was that, in 2 areas I am familiar with, Southern California and the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the high ROI districts are in the more well-to-do suburbs while the low ROI districts are where the less affluent families, often with children who are English language learners, and/or living in unbelievably stressful circumstances. Los Angeles is one of these, with the lowest possible ROI. Yet, I know, first hand what the teachers are doing in Los Angeles. And, while some of them are definitely not effective, most are dedicated, hard working educators. With very limited resources, they have to deal daily with the kinds of problems teachers in the suburban districts can only have nightmares about... classroom shootings, lock-downs, child labor, children having children, astronomical drop-out rates ... and the list could go on and on. You name it, it will be there, and common. These children are in as much need of help as any others, anywhere else in the world. Yet we all tend to look outside our country for projects where we can feel good about helping needy children. Sorry for the rant.... I know others have said all this before, but not enough of us see it, and sometimes I too, tend to forget it. Caryl
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