[dude1394]

Who would have thought it, you don't actually have to spend more money to get higher quality education? Only a non NEA member might contemplate such blasphemy.

http://blog.american.com/?p=9120

America as Texas vs. California, Part III

By Nick Schulz
January 7, 2010, 10:52 am


Responding to my post on Texas vs. California and the better education students get in the Lone Star State, a reader writes:

A new neighbor (former migrant worker from northern California who opened a family business, and had to move to Houston for a young daughter’s cancer treatments) reports to me that when she enrolled her 10 year old in the neighborhood elementary school, they determined that the child was at least a year behind. This is a school with an English-as-a-second-language program, and despite normal demographics which would put it in the bottom rung of schools, won an exemplary rating from the state. The mom pleaded with them to keep her daughter in the higher grade, and promised that she would work with her every day to catch her up. So far so good, but she says she’s never seen a school work her kid so hard. In her words, she thinks Texas is her family’s salvation. Not only did her younger daughter get the cancer treatment she needed at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center here, but her other daughter is now getting a quality education.

In his state-of-the-state address yesterday, Gov. Schwarzenegger said that despite the enormous budget shortfalls California faces, education spending won’t be touched. But as the post yesterday points out, the issue is not money for California schools. Just look at Texas, which spends 12 percent less per pupil with a similar kind of population but does significantly better educating its kids.
UPDATE: Another reader writes in to point out this article on Berkeley High School’s plan to cut science labs because it is seen as benefiting “white students”:

Paul Gibson, an alternate parent representative on the School Governance Council, said that information presented at council meetings suggests that the science labs were largely classes for white students. He said the decision to consider cutting the labs in order to redirect resources to underperforming students was virtually unanimous.

But here’s the worst part:

Sincular-Mertens, who has taught science at BHS for 24 years, said the possible cuts will impact her black students as well. She says there are twelve African-American males in her AP classes and that her four environmental science classes are 17.5 percent African American and 13.9 percent Latino. “As teachers, we are greatly saddened at the thought of losing the opportunity to help all of our students master the skills they need to find satisfaction and success in their education,” she told the board.