In a message dated 2/24/2012 6:20:14 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, wil.p...@comcast.net writes:
I just wish it could be so for public school poor children of color. I suspect that parents who send their children to parochial or other fee-based school are, for any slice of the population you care to choose, more interested in and supportive of their childrens' educations than their counterparts whose kids go to public school. And the more so as you descend the socio-economic ladder. Certainly it's true that, at some point the parents couldn't afford the fee-based school, so exclude these people from the above point ... or we'll find ourselves debating the question of motivation to apply for admission to then provide the parental guidance needed to succeed in charter schools (which, come to think of it, we already are). So let's not blame the schools (as bad as they are) without recognizing that parents' roles are probably more important that teachers'. The parents' efforts to improve the Lea School is a good example of what can be done. It's obviously not at the level of Penn Alexander yet, but it seems to be a lot closer than it was a few years ago, and getting closer all the time. Al Krigman
