Patch blog/Steve Latz crossing the line? archived
campbell29 said:
There have always been myths here regarding the schools and the demographics therein that have been used to justify the performance of the schools here compared to some of the neighboring districts...There is the always popular "the schools are getting whiter" because younger families tend to be white.
FWIW, the schools getting "whiter" as a whole is NOT a myth. Go to http://www.nj.gov/education/data/ and compare the district racial demo from 2000-01 with 2010-11 enrollment. It's rather shocking.
In 2000-01, there were 2641 white students and 3234 black students.
In 2010-11, there were 3088 white students and 2562 black students.
And this trend seems to be accelerating.
The key question in my mind is, why are so many black students fleeing the district? Is it just economic pressure of living in an increasing wealthier and tax-stressed district leading to families moving out? Or are more and more black families here opting not to send their kids to SOM schools? If the latter, why?
It could be some of both Xavier. We have known several black families, or families with one black parent, who opted to send their kids to private. Of course people can have many different reasons for that -- even problems with level 3 classes as JPP mentioned -- but problems at Columbia HS have also been mentioned (bad influences, anti-intellectual culture in some circles, even bad dress/no dress code).
As for younger students, it could simply be the very high price of housing in our district up to late 2008 that accounts for a lot more white students in our elementary schools (though we'd have to look at the race-income data again across our district to see if that has shifted; I recall a study years ago saying that in SO, black families were on average a bit wealthier than white families). So no simple answer is likely here, but I would bet this trend reverses a bit with kids born to families moving to the district post Nov. 2008.
As for younger students, it could simply be the very high price of housing in our district up to late 2008 that accounts for a lot more white students in our elementary schools (though we'd have to look at the race-income data again across our district to see if that has shifted; I recall a study years ago saying that in SO, black families were on average a bit wealthier than white families). So no simple answer is likely here, but I would bet this trend reverses a bit with kids born to families moving to the district post Nov. 2008.
RVM said:
nan said:
Have any of you calling for Steve Latz to apologize read this piece on the "Bounds of Civil Discourse?" There is nothing civil about it and It's way more offensive than anything said by Lisa Davis. In fact, based on some recent MOL posts about people moving to our community waiting for the demographics to change, Ms. Davis might be right on the money. It seems, we need the CCR more than ever.
Perhaps we should double their funding. There is a lot of work that needs to be done around here.
Write them a check.
Oh wait, that's not your style.
Huh? Care to explain?
kareno said:
nan said:
Perhaps Lisa Davis should have sent that email out to the entire community instead of only 19 people.
This speaks for itself. Keep spinning in circles, nan, and you help no one, especially not the students, or the school district and the education it offers.
Sadly, you have no solution for the achievement gap. I wish you did. Then our schools would be better serving all our children, and we could move on to greater challenges, or better yet, the students could. I don't have the solution either. No magic. Perhaps we could learn, alongside the Superintendent, that there is no single solution to such a complex problem. He is trying lots of stuff, all at once, certainly meaning well, if not implementing well. And really, at the end of the day, what you don't understand is that all we have are the well-meaning people, you know, the teachers, the administration, the BOE, the parents, the community (everyone, especially Rusty Reeves, who felt compelled to speak up), and the coming together of these people to determine problems/hindrances and propose solutions/interventions, so we can give our children, each one unique, what they need to face the future, most specifically on their own terms. It is understanding that we need to work together, because the solution isn't monolithic, not even the same for every student, and even a moving target over time, and our schools won't arrive independently at a satisfactory fix. It will take much more.
So how did Rusty Reeves' negative remarks about single African American mothers bring us together or help our school district educate children better? Does anyone think this what we need to focus on in South Orange Maplewood?
nan said:
So how did Rusty Reeves' negative remarks about single African American mothers bring us together or help our school district educate children better? Does anyone think this what we need to focus on in South Orange Maplewood?
We need to focus on the "deep structure" of the achievement gaps in our schools. I'm willing to consider the possibility that institutional racism is a factor, and I'm willing to consider other possible factors, because I think that it's important to identify them so that they can be addressed. Absent contradictory evidence, why close off an avenue of inquiry? Our primary focus is the quality of education for all kids, right?
kmt said:
nan said:
So how did Rusty Reeves' negative remarks about single African American mothers bring us together or help our school district educate children better? Does anyone think this what we need to focus on in South Orange Maplewood?
We need to focus on the "deep structure" of the achievement gaps in our schools. I'm willing to consider the possibility that institutional racism is a factor, and I'm willing to consider other possible factors, because I think that it's important to identify them so that they can be addressed. Absent contradictory evidence, why close off an avenue of inquiry? Our primary focus is the quality of education for all kids, right?
No, our primary focus is painting a local resident as a racist in order to win an election.
Ok, reread my previous posts. Rereading is a proven reading comprehension strategy.
nan said:
You don't have a single fact here--not even who won the election.
Nan,
You know I like you so I don't want to say anything more about your refusal to accept the fact that Latz and co took a school board election and drove it straight into the toilet.
Because they didn't. You were taken in by the Bennet/Eastman/Pai Co illusion of victumhood and feigned indignation. Any group starting a thread with the words "Race-Bating" + [Insert name of opponent here] are far from innocent.
But since you are so fond of me, perhaps you can honestly tell me why these people seem to have such a hard-on for Steve Latz? Their obsession is beyond normal. They won the election and still they are carrying on defending the undefendable (ie. Rusty Reeve's remarks) and imagining that Steve Latz has the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse parked illegally somwhere in South Orange until the next election. They really need to get a grip.
But since you are so fond of me, perhaps you can honestly tell me why these people seem to have such a hard-on for Steve Latz? Their obsession is beyond normal. They won the election and still they are carrying on defending the undefendable (ie. Rusty Reeve's remarks) and imagining that Steve Latz has the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse parked illegally somwhere in South Orange until the next election. They really need to get a grip.
This has nothing to do with Pai/Eastman/Bennett. For a person who's made a point of denigrating others' seeming lack of empathy, you're being surprisingly obstinate on this issue. I don't care who "won" this BOE election if I've got to look forward to another decade of protracted and irrational racial warfare at the expense of legitimate academic issues. I'm not going to subject my kid to that. I'm moving out of here. You "win".
How about if you people just end this conversation?
This will not be resolved on MOL. The fact that you keep harping at each other is ridiculous and helps no one.
Just stop.
This will not be resolved on MOL. The fact that you keep harping at each other is ridiculous and helps no one.
Just stop.
May 3, 2012 at 4:11am Edited
xavier67 said:
campbell29 said:
FWIW, the schools getting "whiter" as a whole is NOT a myth. Go to http://www.nj.gov/education/data/ and compare the district racial demo from 2000-01 with 2010-11 enrollment. It's rather shocking.
In 2000-01, there were 2641 white students and 3234 black students.
In 2010-11, there were 3088 white students and 2562 black students.
Interesting stat. The high school was and is majority black, but less so than ten years ago.
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Write them a check.
Oh wait, that's not your style.