By: Diane Benjamin
Yesterday I reported at District 87 only 19% of 8th Graders passed Algebra. 52% of graduates that attended community college had to take remedial courses to learn what District 87 didn’t teach them: https://blnnews.com/2021/09/02/more-on-district-87/
That 52% was from 2018, think the percent is better or worse now after remote learning?
How does Unit 5 compare?
I believe this is data from 2019-2020:
Below if Unit 5’s graph from 2018 – this is pre-COVID:
41% of those attending a community college are forced to take remedial courses to learn what Unit 5 didn’t teach them. 39% have to take remedial math.
Flip back to District 87. 57% have to take remedial courses, 52% for math.
District 87 claims a graduation rate of 89%. https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/district.aspx?source=profile&Districtid=17064087025
Unit 5 claims a graduation rate of 90%. https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/district.aspx?source=profile&Districtid=17064005026
What this data shows is:
STEM isn’t a priority for either school
Graduating from high school has low standards, especially for math
Check your property tax bill, you pay for this!
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Rising prices and declining quality…the standard outcome of virtually anything run by government.
Both districts spend around $12,000 per student to teach them remedial levels of education. According to the ISBE calculations, District 87 funding “Adequacy” is only 74%. Unit 5 is only 79%.
You can read how the state determines funding “Adequacy” in their 35 page document. Good luck. Basically its a way to lay the blame for their failure on the citizens of each district. So any gripes you may have with our schools will be quickly dismissed with – you need to pay more in taxes!
What could someone do with $360,000 dollars? (30 students @ $12,000 per student)
Good question
I read a study many years ago where they put students from middle – upper middle class schools located on the East Coast with all of the existing bells and whistles that these schools DEMAND against students who attended village schools in India. The Indian schools tended to be simple structures for the most part and some were even classes held in what amounted to large huts. The kids had paper, pencils, pens and often shared books. The results were astounding – suffice it to say that in all of the basic subjects the Kids from the village schools in India performed at a higher level overall than the pampered kids from the beautiful have it all schools – It was quite a sobering result, and yet, they seemed to learn NOTHING from it. – Side note, another study took random upper middle class suburb kids and tested their blood profiles and fitness levels against street kids of Calcutta (Kolkata) and well, the street kids were healthier and fitter over all. Yeah, affluence and spending scads of money on the schools and per student has REALLY served us well hasn’t it?
It is a fallacy that all Asian Indians are smart. Although they deny it, they still practice their long I grained caste system in that country and even in America. Their family structures and birth rites still determine if and how long they can attend school. Even then, their parents and grandparents basically force them into what they are going to do the rest of their lives. They have been and always will be a tribal people. They still practice arranged marriages. Also, most of India is an underdeveloped crop hole with dirt roads, towns invested with rats, monkeys and wildlife that live in urban areas, electric grids that are scotchtaped together and carts still drawn by beasts of burden. The only Indians you see that are ” successful” are the upper classes that have been born into it. At least most people’s don’t verbally abuse or beat their kids for getting a “B” in class. That said, your points are well taken. It all comes down to wanting to learn.
Yes, that was the gist of the study, that valuing education and having support from family and also an expectation of proper behaviors in school are more important than how nice of a building they have or how much money they spend per student is. By the way Mexico has a caste system too it’s not nearly as well known as the Indian one, but it’s there, oh trust me it is there.
Also, talk to anyone that has taken tests with Indian students, particularly in college and in STEM. The stories are they sit together and cheat like no one’s s business. Their IT and engineering degrees obtained in India are two years to our four.
Stem is about the only thing Unit 5 gets right. They have a great stem program at the high schools to the point you can finish your associates degree in high school. That being said I would not recommend anyone choose unit 5. We are looking for other options next year.
I actually remember when Unit 5 was known for having good schools/teachers. Those days are LONG gone. Everything now is about, 1.) Indoctrination, 2.) Dumbing down education, because an uneducated electorate cannot govern themselves. Extremely sad situation. Anyone who still has kids in public school is not getting an educated student for the considerable resources spent.