I previously linked to the glowing press release sent out when the MSA test scores came out for Haford County. And now that we're back from sunning ourselves/trying to stay out of rip currents and we've actually seen the test scores for ourselves, we just keep thinking of the phrase, "that's like putting lipstick on a pig." When HCPS talked about the great improvements! in test scores, we guess we were expecting a bit more. You know, improvement that didn't resemble failure.
The math scores for 8th grade at Edgewood Middle School averaged 39.9 for all groups. For African Americans that was 29.9, for white students, 48.0 -- all groups were below 50. Compare that to Bel Air Middle, where all 8th grade groups averaged 85.3 for math, and no group finished below 50.
Some will blame these scores on transient students, broken homes, blah blah blah. These students are not receiving the same education as other parts of the county. We are paying the same taxes as the people in Bel Air, and living a stone's throw away from the Patterson Mill district where 8th-grade students averaged an 80 in math and 92 in reading.
Are we at TAA the only ones angry about this. If one more administrator or Edgewood Community Alliance member says "it's not that bad," we are going to scream. Admit there's a problem and fix it. We're not idiots.
To see the Harford County breakdown
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The proof is in the kids themselves. My son spent his first year away at college this year. He was an honor roll student and a scholarship recipient. Why then, we wondered, did he not know how to compose a bibliography? Was he just not paying attention? English was never his strong subject. Who knows the answer?
The test scores are definitely worrisome.
I realize how aggravating this whole problem is, but I do somewhat agree with the notion that you CAN place the blame on the socio-economic factors. It is pretty much a given that anytime you have a population of students who are transient, living in "broken homes" (I hate that term), and dealing with poverty, you will have poorly performing students and low test scores. You see this kind of thing everywhere. It is sort of a catch-22. Teachers don't want to teach these difficult students, so you're left with the inexperienced teachers year after year. The students who don't share those problems I mentioned are stuck with having to deal with the effects of being schooled with those students.
When I look back on my oldest son's graduating class, it is evident that those students who were at the top of the class were those students who didn't have to deal with those problems.
It is an unfortunate reality that those of us who are raising our children with some sort of stability are forced by school boundaries to send our children to school with the children from those troubled environments.
I have learned, after years of dealing with the system, that there is not much you can do about this. My youngest son is learing disabled and barely passed some classes this year. It's not fair that he has teachers who have to spend an inordinate amount of time dealing with discipline problems instead of giving him the help he needs.
Sure, we could take a loss on our house and move out to the predominantly white, more wealthy suburbs. I'm not willing to do that, so we do the best that we can within our family to help our kids succeed despite the "odds." The only thing that is going to help the Edgewood community as a whole would be to tear down the section 8 housing.
Wow, anonymous, while I do agree that we have serious problems at our fair Edgewood Middle/High, I'm not sure how I feel about your post with regard to the comment only way to solve the problem is to tear down the Section 8 housing. Many of Edgewood High's students are bussed from Abingdon. There is some Section 8 housing in Abingdon but no one I know knows where it is.
Admittedly, I do not know how much Section 8 housing is in Edgewood. And, personally, I do not have any warm fuzzy feelings about the welfare system and certainly don't believe that every downtrodden individual should be given a free ride. But, to say that Section 8 is the root of the problem is just wrong. You start out saying that you "agree somewhat with the notion..." and finish by saying that the solution is to tear down the housing.
Guess what, some people in Section 8 housing have no other choice. Some of them are there because of a tragedy. Yes, some are just taking a free ride but eliminating it completely will not magically change the education problems at Edgewood. (In a slight digression, I'd like to see it be really hard to get Section 8 housing but that's a post for another day.)
And, it is not a given that all Section 8 students will become failures. A world-renowned surgeon immediately comes to mind. Dr. Ben Carson was raised in less than favorable conditions. His mother was married at 13 and divorced at when he was 8. Read his biography.
It is the school's job to find a way to teach. Yes, it is difficult. Ideally, like Ben Carson, there would always be a strong parent to encourage the children to rise above their difficulties and bad fortune. Sadly, many parents, in both in Section 8 and in big, affluent homes, are incapable of being a positive influence for any number of reasons.
But, does that society should give up on the kids. Um, no. Frankly, our taxes are supporting these individuals. I have a vested interest in seeing them succeed.
The biggest problem is that the school itself is not doing its job. All of our citizens in Harford County deserve a good education. Maybe the middle and high school teachers should take an early dismissal day each month of plan how they will address the special needs of the downtrodden rather than simply give up on them AND the regular old middle class students bussed from our area.
Another slight digression, Where should "they" live? Should all the poor, single-parent non-whites be on their own, education-less island? Yes, let's NOT give these kids the tools to survive so we can support them with welfare and Section 8 housing for the rest of their lives. Hmmmm
You also said your child is learning disabled. What exactly does that mean? Perhaps you don't remember but there was a time when the learning disabled were excluded from main stream education. All but the mildest cases of "learning disabilities" were either sent to special classes or sent to a completely different school. When I was in school, there were few to no special aides in the classrooms and the teachers spent absolutely no extra time during the day with students that required more help. In fact, "they" were a big, huge annoyance to them. The non-traditional learners went to "special" classes. Was this always appropriate or necessary, probably not. If my child were learning disabled, I'd like him to be in a class with regular people, provided it was a hinderance to the rest of the class. But, I will say, and this probably doesn't apply to your son, but I don't believe all of the learning disabled or special children even belong in mainstream schools. Again, a discussion for another day.
Chew on this, perhaps some of the transients' parents think their children would do better if the teachers didn't concentrate on the learning disabled. Hmmm, is that fair? OF COURSE NOT, THAT'S COMPLETELY ridiculous.
You do realize that Section 8 kids have no choice as to their surroundings or parents. But, they do need guidance, education and attention in order to rise above their difficulties. The whole purpose of the original article is that the school isn't even admitting there is a problem, much less coming up with a solution.
There is an Asian expression, "Fix the problem not the blame." THAT's the real solution.
In my haste to post, I made some errors. The biggest one being - I'd like him to be in a class with regular people, provided it was a hinderance to the rest of the class. That should read ...provided it WASN'T a hinderance... I'm quite sure most readers would get it but just in case, I'm correcting my error.
Everyone knows it was the move to opportunity program back in the 1980's that was the downfall of Edgewood. The fact remains that there is a large population of lower income people in Edgewood. The kids who are bussed in from Abingdon generally don't fit this category. Pretty soon the Edgewood schools will be on the same par as Baltimore schools.
Using Ben Carson as anecdotal evidence is just that the "odds" can be overcome is just grasping at straws. The students who consistently make the honor roll and the ones who are the top of the class won't be found in Section 8 housing. That is just the way it is.
I also wanted to add that my learning disabled son would do much better in a school where the teaches didn't fear coming to work at their school each day. Glossing over the hard facts with sentiments about the underprivileged doesn't solve the problem. I suppose I am jaded. I grew up with parents who were educators and given the choice, they always preferred to go to the "easy" schools, where parents were involved, the kids were taught manners and the correct way to behave, and "gasp" they didn't have to worry about walking out to the parking lot after dark. I know a little bit about what I am speaking about. My father was a school principal in a under-performing school in another county. The parents and the kids just did not care. No amount of money can be thrown at this problem. Take a look at Baltimore City schools. They spend more money per pupil than any other place in this state and the kids still don't perform. I know there are exceptions to the rule, but certain environmental factors do affect a child's ability to succeed.
While we're on the subject, what's to explain the higher crime levels in Abingdon? I suppose it's those kids from Bel Air or Churchville driving here to rob patrons outside of the Regal Cinema. Much more likely some wanna be gang members from Edgewood.
Well Anonymous, I once again beg to differ with you. My husband grew up in Edgewood. He lived there until he graduated from college and his parents lived there until just a few years ago. According to Mr. Hilda, Edgewood has been bad since at least the early 70's. So, saying the Move to Opportunity program in the 80's caused the downfall is probably not completely accurate. Low income people of all races inhabited scary parts of Edgewood as far back as the early 70's. And, my husband graduated from Edgewood in 1981 and it wasn't a good school then. Again, fix the problem, not the blame.
Oh, and, sorry if you found Ben Carson to be anecdotal. He immediately sprung to mind because you seemed to suggest that the other races, as well as income, might be an issue when you mentioned the predominately white, more affluent suburbs. If it mattered, I could easily find additional blacks, some whites, and maybe an Hispanic or two that also rose above their Section 8-type upbringing to become great examples of humanity.
I'm sure it's very frustrating to be in a position to teach students of parents that don't care. But, what is the solution there. To just sit back and collect your check, eventually leading to a generous pension? (That really does happen.) Or, should teachers do everything thing they can to get through to these students who already feel that they have nothing to look forward to in life. Teachers make the decision to become teachers. That's what they should do. No matter what excuse you or anyone else comes up with, this doesn't seem to be what's going on at Edgewood.
If someone walks into a room full of disenchanted teenagers and acts like he doesn't care if they succeed or that they CAN succeed, he's just as bad a role model as their uninvolved parents.
I could counter on and on but this really is not an issue that can be solved here on the TAA blog. You are never going to see my point and I'm never going to see yours. And, that's just they way it is. I don't have a concrete solution for these problems but neither do you. I'm not, however, going to point fingers solely at the students.
And, lastly, with regard to the increase in crime, I've only heard of one mugging at the movies. I have no idea if the kids were caught or from where they came. Abingdon Regal is very close to 95 making it an ideal target for crime. To assume that only poor kids from Edgewood in Abingdon commit crimes is simply ridiculous. Having nothing to cite but anecdotal examples, and I do have some regarding wealthy, white kids from Churchville, I'll just leave it at that.
I take exception to anonymous, my son just graduated from Edgewood and he was never afraid to go to school. He loved Edgewood, it amazes me how racism can be cloaked in concern for education. That's what all my neighbors talked about as they loaded up their moving vans and headed for the lily white Bel Air schools. And how do you explain low income schools in New York and Pittsburgh that are doing better than some of the suburban schools?
I'm glad that your son has done well at Edgewood. My two children, on different ends of the educational spectrum, have learned that they are not getting the quality education they deserve.
Call it racism or whatever you want. The good teachers don't want to teach at Edgewood and ALL of the students suffer.
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