"Educate your children somewhere else before moving to Florida"

[monmouth]

is the opening line of my letter to the editor of the Palm Beach Post. Florida is near the bottom of the list in education nationally, the superintendents and boards of education along with many parents have confirmed this fact. If it does get published I will copy and paste here. It's pretty scathing and my second cuppa served me well...LOL.

[kdmorris]

1. No kidding.

We ended up having to homeschool our children because the schools here are so bad (I live in Palm Beach County, too). We moved here in 1998 and there was no point in them going to school here. Our youngest just graduated from high school in June.

I figured that the state was in some sort of race to the bottom with Texas. Of course, look who the governors of the two states were.

[ejpoeta]

3. dumb kids are more susceptible to believe a bunch of bullshit than educated ones.

i swear that must be their goal!! to have a good chunk of young people who will believe the crap spewed by limbaugh and beck and not think too much.

[monmouth]

4. I would love to see them get rid of Art Johnson. He makes "inept"

look credible. Can't wait to get out of here..LOL.

[RockaFowler]

2. Have you read the comments on the President's speech??

I really thought Palm Beach County was progressive. Boy was I wrong. The people who post on that site are atrocious. One woman wrote this:

By greta

Sep 7, 2009 10:23 PM | Link to this

There is no political agenda to his speech, but he does tell the children 3 times that by failing/quitting school, not only are they letting themselves down, they're letting down their country. Now, suppose an emotional 13-year-old kid gets an F on a math test. His president told him that by doing that he's letting down our country. Man, that is a lot of guilt for these kids. Therefore, mine WILL NOT be viewing.


So now we are raising a bunch a whiny kids. Jeez!!

[monmouth]

5. It is so typical. Justify stupidity by any means. Guilt???....n/t

[ejpoeta]

6. i think greta needs some comprehension education.... he also said that if you get a bad grade

you should study harder and not give up. people want to believe what they want to believe, unfortunately. i can hear my brother now and what he is probably saying about it... and i know he won't even bother looking at it... he has already made up my mind. this bullshit has caused a serious rift between me and my brother. I tend to avoid being around him at all now because he just pisses me off with his bullshit. it's sad, too...

[sweetpotato]

7. Grasping at straws

They are just grasping at straws to find ANY reason other than racism (which it truly is) for wanting to avoid the President's speech.

Their child may learn that non-white people are smart and CAN do things, like get elected President on their own merit.

Can't let reality interfere with racist brainwashing, I mean can't let reality interfere with the way they *raise their children.*

[liberal N proud]

9. Exactly, They don't want to admit publicly they are racist

[DueDiligence]

8. Children today can do no wrong...

They bring home an F, and mom and dad greet them with a high five at the door and congratulate them for taking the test.

You see this everywhere today. I went to a Little League game this summer and watched in amazement as every kid who struck out returned to a high fiving dugout. You'd have thought they hit a homer instead of striking out.

It is hard to find any logic to this. In the good old days we actually celebrated success and looked down on failure. In this way we learned that the way to get ahead in life was to succeed, and that there was no fun in failure.

So if you think things are all backassward today you are correct; they are.

[Vickers]

12. "They bring home an F, and mom and dad greet them with a high five at the door"

That's probably the single most idiotic thing I've ever read on DU.

Er...congratulations?

:shrug:

[Democracyinkind]

14. I think the only thing that is truly backward is your line of thinking. Go back to the batcave, Ayn!

YOU ARE NOT JOHN GALT!

Believe me, you are not John Galt.

[seabeyond]

10. we are talking about how stupid rw are as i read really stupid posts on this thread

i am about disgusted

bring home f's and high five

the scorn of the schools in texas and florida by one poster gags me

i am so tired of this stupid... right here

just to attack

i dont know florida schools. i know texas schools and they wrok my kids ass off. they are learning way above what we did in our day. i think it is so disrespectful to the children working so hard continually being dissed by dems... because they live in texas.

talk about fuckin stupid

might want to consider why schools like calif, az, nm, texas and florida have such low scores in education compared to the nation. but then you will have to look at cold reality of immigration that might hit your sensitivities of liberal beliefs and might not be able to face the reality of why the numbers are what they are.

oh... never mind, lets pretend it is just bad school and bad teaching

so we can be just as dumb as the right

[Democracyinkind]

15. So IMMIGRANTS are the reason our schools are failing?

Gee, good to know. I always thought it was underfunding and the wrong kind of administrative attitude. But hey, why not blame the immigrants?

[seabeyond]

16. i disagree that our schools are failing. not what i am seeing in our area with my children

but immigrants do have a cause and effect on the numbers. or.... we can pretend otherwise.

called denial

and has never made sense to me when repugs do it. but seeing how they get away with it, with sensitive issues with dems.

[Democracyinkind]

17. For me, immigration is a canard. I went to school in a class were most kids couldn't even speak the

language. And here I am, with my degree and all. And our schools are failing, if you use a broad set of data and compare it to other countries, preferably those in the "first" world.

I do see that immigrants can be a great challenge to educational systems and the success of other students. But it's not rocket science, most countries have figrued out dealing with the problem. Maybe you have a point in that one has to acknowledge the problem before one can deal with it.

[seabeyond]

18. effect numbers.....

did i say ANYTHING about effect the education of other student? one word, stating immigrants effect my kids education?

no, i did NOT.

effect numbers

that is all i said.

effect numbers

those words mean something so please dont make them out to be something they are not

my kids, in every class, are being taught beyond what we were decades ago. how am i going to criticize their education? the responsibility to their education lies on their shoulders and the parents. they are given an opportunity to learn. they can take, or not. regardless of teacher, adm, or whether they have non english speaking students in class. all of it is irrelevent.

i am seeing the teachers prioritizing the best for the children. and the adm

immigration states have their numbers, and costs (but wtf, i dont even care about that, something to deal with) effect the numbers that come out of these states.

[ieoeja]

35. Most adults are unaware how much MORE is being taught in school today.

In 3rd grade my kid was learning shit I didn't learn until 7th. And this is in one of those "failing" inner city schools.

[seabeyond]

44. this is what i am seeing. not to mention ALL they learn with ALL the info on net.

now a days i want to know anything, i ask boys. they are way beyond me, with that new brain that still remembers all the shit i forgot.

their math, their english, all of it is so beyond what we did in the years we went. to criticize makes no sense i i watch them do more, have more homework.

my hubby will start.... well, in my day. and i will cut him off and call bullshit.

[Ghost of Tom Joad]

11. Pine View School in Sarasota

is one of the best public schools in the country. It also has two of the best colleges: New College and Ringling School of Art.

[seabeyond]

13. plenty of schools from texas and florida top ranked schools in nation

http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380

not seeing nearly the northeastern schools on the top of this list as i am florida, texas and calif. all schools fighting the real problem of immigration in their schools and the effect it has

i am all for these kids coming into our school system and at least being offered an education. i am also reasonable enough to know that it does effect our numbers too.

[watercolors]

19. not all counties in Fl are that way

Brevard county has an outstanding educational program, and some outstanding schools! I'm sure there are states all over that have some not so great areas of education. Freedom Seven in Cocoa Beach has scored amazing well, I believe the High School there has also. So much depends on your county school superintendent. Don't blame the whole state!

[seabeyond]

20. "Don't blame the whole state!". so much easier to not be informed or think. nt

[RebelOne]

21. Actually, the OP's LTTE is insulting to me

as the mother of a teacher in South Florida. I was educated in Florida and I have not done too badly. I have been working at a job for the past 12 years that requires a college degree, which I do not have.

[seabeyond]

22. hear, hear. i am really tired of this shit from a liberal, democratic board

talk about looking stupid. and lazy. and uninformed

[ipaint]

23. PBC public schools were fine for my nieces and nephew

They lived with me during their school years and all are working their way through college with some help from scholarships and grants, one is graduating at the top of her class from florida state.

I lived in a working class neighborhood and they went to their local public schools.

[FarCenter]

24. Isn't Florida the Elephant Graveyard?

It's where Republicans go to die.

[L0oniX]

25. Florida = almost a 50% drop out rate.

[seabeyond]

26. "Florida's graduation rate 72.4 percent in 2006-07," where do you get your info?

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_florida_high_school_drop_out_rate_in_2007

[ddeclue]

28. Yeah but they play games about the definition of "drop out"..

[seabeyond]

29. give me the numbers. i dont believe it is 50%. poster stated 50%

not finding 50% anywhere on google.

if you are going to make suck a claim..... prove it

[ddeclue]

30. EducationWeek: 57% - the OP is a lot closer to right than you are...

Source: http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/dc/2009/33sos_gains.pdf

For some demographics the graduation rates is actually substantially less than 50%.

The state plays games with the educamacation (sic) numbers to make themselves look better - this includes graduation/dropout rates:

http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2009/06/a-weekend-interview-about-graduation-rates-with-florida-deputy-education-commissioner-jeff-sellers.html


Florida's education system sucks because it is vastly underfunded because of the Republican controlled state legislature which forces taxes lower than they ought to be to make their corporate buddies happy at the expense of school children. Florida per student spending is 49th (I think only Mississippi keeps us out of the basement) out of 50 states.


Doug D.
Orlando, FL

[seabeyond]

32. cant get into site. tells me to download. i dont download anything

so i cant answer you.

have to read what you give me first.

[ddeclue]

33. It is a PDF (Adobe Acrobat Document) it won't hurt your computer.

If you want to be paranoid and avoid downloadinng the documentation, I can't help you.

Doug D.

[seabeyond]

34. was going to thank you for info then you got bitchy.

not real computer knowledgable. so i download nothing. i hear that is how you get virus. am i wrong? if so, oh well, what i heard and dont have the knowledge.

will check it out

[ddeclue]

37. Sorry.. If you think about it, simply browsing a website requires that you download things.

Consider that the webpage consists of HTML, various graphical elements (JPG, PNG) sometimes ActiveX controls or Javascript applets, cookies, etc.

PDF's are generally safe to download.

The thing to worry about is the website more than any particular element of that site. Sites are usually malicious by design.

If you are concerned I recommend installing and running:

SpywareBlaster
AdAware
SpyBot
CCleaner
AVG Antivirus
and
ZoneAlarm

and keeping them up to date and running them regularly.

Doug D.

[seabeyond]

43. thanks. one of the reason i am ignorant

on computer stuff is i have a hubby that works in computer industry adn does all the stuff. so i dont have to do anything, lol. he has the safe guards on. still....

15 yrs later and that gibberish you took the time to type, my eyes get glassy and rolls over head when hubby starts talking. but to be fair, same thing happens to him when i talk relationships.

havent checked out site. but i will later.

[ipaint]

27. The drop out rate for florida is 20.1%

Nationally it is 16%.

LEFT BEHIND IN AMERICA: THE NATION’S DROPOUT CRISIS
A REPORT BY THE CENTER FOR LABOR MARKET STUDIES AT NORTHEASTERN
UNIVERSITY IN BOSTON AND THE ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS NETWORK IN CHICAGO
TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2009

http://www.dcec.org/assets/library/305_clms2009dropoutreport.pdf

[ddeclue]

31. Wrong - it's a lot worse - Florida Education plays games with the numbers.

http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2009/06/a-weekend-interview-about-graduation-rates-with-florida-deputy-education-commissioner-jeff-sellers.html

http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/dc/2009/33sos_gains.pdf

[ipaint]

36. Thanks for the additional info.

Here is a national number that paints another story.

Question:
What are the dropout rates of high school students?

Response:
The status dropout rate represents the percentage of 16- through 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in school and have not earned a high school credential (either a diploma or equivalency credential, such as a General Educational Development certificate).

The status dropout rate declined from 14 percent in 1980 to 9 percent in 2007. A decline was also seen between 2000 and 2007, the more recent years of this time span (from 11 percent to 9 percent).

Status dropout rates and changes in these rates over time differ by race/ethnicity. In general, the status dropout rates for Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics declined between 1980 and 2007. However, for each year during that period, the status dropout rate was lower for Whites and Blacks than for Hispanics. The rate for Asians/Pacific Islanders was also lower than those for Hispanics and Blacks between 1989 and 2007. Although the gaps between the rates of Blacks and Whites and Hispanics and Whites have decreased, the decreases occurred in different time periods. The Black-White gap narrowed during the 1980s, with no measurable change between 1990 and 2007. In contrast, the Hispanic-White gap narrowed between 1990 and 2007, with no measurable change in the gap during the 1980s.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2009). The Condition of Education 2009 (NCES 2009-081), Indicator 20.

http://nces.ed.gov/FastFacts/display.asp?id=16



And here is another one for Florida-

Florida high school graduates 2005-06 134,686

Percentage of Florida 9th to 12th graders who dropped out 2005-06 4.1%


SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education," 2005–06 and 2006–07, and "State-Level Public School Dropouts," 2005–06; and unpublished tabulations. (This table was prepared January 2009.)

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d08/tables/dt08_107.asp

[ddeclue]

38. Consider the Bush administration source...I would rather trust Edweek.

[ipaint]

39. That probably is the case but that woud mean the steady drop

through the clinton years was also fudged.

[ddeclue]

40. yeah and?

Our unemployment figures have been gamed for decades since Reagan. It would be suicidal for Democrats to "ungame" them after they take over from the people who game the numbers.

[ipaint]

41. yeah and? ...nothing

I'm agreeing and saying the numbers would have been fudged for years through both parties. So your remark about it being a Bush administration numbers was not the whole picture just the latest.

[fishnfla]

42. ? Is it possible to educate your children in Florida before moving there?

how would one possibly do that?

or do you mean to say: before you move to Florida, have your kids go to school in Illinois if you live in Michigan?

Newspaper editors look for such logic before they publish letters, especially when the subject is education.

[ddeclue]

45. Move here after your kids are going to college in another state?

:shrug:

Just sayin'

[ddeclue]

46. Move here after your kids are going to college in another state?

:shrug:

Just sayin'