Educational Outrage.... Huh?
My buddies over at the Racine Journal Times ran a piece yesterday highlighting a study put forth by the Public Policy Forum. As the JT put it, The Public Policy Forum, a Milwaukee-based think tank with the fancy motto 'Moving the Region Forward', pinned Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha school districts as the ones setting education in Southeastern Wisconsin backwards.
The Public Policy Forum is looking at the region as a whole trying to figure out a way to promote the area and wave a magic wand at the rather unimpressive economic expansion in the region. Education is always a big piece to a plan of that nature.
The folks over at the Journal Times seem to be outraged Racine and Kenosha are being lumped together with Milwaukee. They posed the following question, Is it fair that The Public Policy forum lumps Racine and Kenosha Schools in with Milwaukee's, which are more numerous?Or, is the group justified in their observation that the entire region can be blamed for a widening achievement gap when compared with the rest of the state?
Is it fair? Is it fair? Is it fair?
I would pose the following question, who cares? Public schools in these areas are at best anemic, and we all know it. The question seems to be, well Milwaukee is worse so leave us alone in our mediocrity. And why are our schools in such sterling shape?
Two reasons, spendocrats and apathetic parents.
From the Spendocrats, their answer is always the same. We are under funded, the State this, the Federal that, the property tax the other... yadda yadda yadda. If only we had the resources we need. A message to the Spendocrats, we the over burdened taxpayers have had enough of paying for crummy performance. If you showed us some initiative or any type of forward thinking or responsibility on your part we might be more open to pulling out the checkbook. No one likes to pay top dollar for bottom dollar results.
Secondly, the parents out there are accepting the lackluster performance of these school districts, they should be holding their own children accountable and demanding higher performance from the schools that serve their children.
So, to the Journal Times, Racine Schools, Kenosha Schools, Milwaukee Schools pay attention. Quit pointing fingers and start accepting responsibility.
Trying to say yeah but we are not as bad as they are is not going to change anything, as a matter of fact it is illustrative of the real problem.
Change your attitudes, change your performance and watch the attitude of the tax payer change.
The Public Policy Forum is looking at the region as a whole trying to figure out a way to promote the area and wave a magic wand at the rather unimpressive economic expansion in the region. Education is always a big piece to a plan of that nature.
The folks over at the Journal Times seem to be outraged Racine and Kenosha are being lumped together with Milwaukee. They posed the following question, Is it fair that The Public Policy forum lumps Racine and Kenosha Schools in with Milwaukee's, which are more numerous?Or, is the group justified in their observation that the entire region can be blamed for a widening achievement gap when compared with the rest of the state?
Is it fair? Is it fair? Is it fair?
I would pose the following question, who cares? Public schools in these areas are at best anemic, and we all know it. The question seems to be, well Milwaukee is worse so leave us alone in our mediocrity. And why are our schools in such sterling shape?
Two reasons, spendocrats and apathetic parents.
From the Spendocrats, their answer is always the same. We are under funded, the State this, the Federal that, the property tax the other... yadda yadda yadda. If only we had the resources we need. A message to the Spendocrats, we the over burdened taxpayers have had enough of paying for crummy performance. If you showed us some initiative or any type of forward thinking or responsibility on your part we might be more open to pulling out the checkbook. No one likes to pay top dollar for bottom dollar results.
Secondly, the parents out there are accepting the lackluster performance of these school districts, they should be holding their own children accountable and demanding higher performance from the schools that serve their children.
So, to the Journal Times, Racine Schools, Kenosha Schools, Milwaukee Schools pay attention. Quit pointing fingers and start accepting responsibility.
Trying to say yeah but we are not as bad as they are is not going to change anything, as a matter of fact it is illustrative of the real problem.
Change your attitudes, change your performance and watch the attitude of the tax payer change.
posted by realdebate @ 12:18 PM
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