Jackson Jambalaya

Yes indeed...very well said.
Her point that " lower income parents are desperate" is well taken with me and I see the value of a child being in a setting where his peer group influence supports achievement.

My misgiving is that this will not address the problems in the current system. As my grandmother pointed out, " cream rises to the top" and a bright , perceptive child will succeed even against great obstacles.

Until we take an unbiased look at why so many of our children are failing , our society will be unduly burdened with these same children as adults.

We say " children are our future" and we say we treasure the innocent child. We don't live what we say. Once they are out of the womb, we don't do nearly enough to make sure they are not simply at their parents' mercy.

We still see children as their parents' property . Their parents can keep them ignorant, beat them,and neglect them until it become egregious. Parents can endanger them, impose religious beliefs onto them until their very lives are at risk or taken.

We don't teach parenting. We don't teach how children develop so parents have realistic expectations.

" Thugs" and " trash" and " bigots" aren't born, they are created. And, all children aren't born with equal abilities and talents. It's up to us to help them find their strengths and overcome or cope with their weaknesses.

Speak for yourself.

Did your grandmother take parenting classes?

Rita is 'appalled'.

I lost confidence in Rita years ago when I was 'appalled' at her admission of having voted for bills she had not bothered to read.

Do you think there is no point in learning from others who have either researched successful parenting or who are proven to be successful at parenting?

My grandmother had the wisdom from centuries of successful parenting passed along to her and COULD have that happen as her parents and grandparents and great grandparents were all nearby and enjoyed longevity. Part of that success included a focus on education and recognizing a child's abilities and talents early.

Our society isn't like that anymore. We are mobile. Does wisdom still get handed down? Yes. But, so many of our children wouldn't be struggling so if we were doing this right. Child abuse figures wouldn't be so high .

There are many reasons why our school system is failing. But, the simplistic answers provided by political strategists to keep that "us vs them" mentality going won't get us far.

As Martinson said so well, we've been trying those simplistic solutions and " flatlining".

Of course, charter schools will work. Educating children whose parents are interested in their education and well being isn't that hard.

The trick is to help those kids who, without intervention, become either dependent on society or a problem to society.The problem is parents who don't have a clue about parenting or how to prevent parenthood in the first place.

One program we know is successful is a parenting class where pre-teens go through a mock marriage and pregnancy and have a pretend child. They learn about what it takes to raise a child. It's expensive up front but the results are cost effective in the long term.

Other countries have copied our successes and we could learn from theirs but for some reason, we are too proud to even admit another country is more successful at any little thing than we are.

I am soooo tired of having to deal with the 78%. Soooo tired of it.

8:56 - You are an uncouth individual who has no right to question 8:30's informed opinion. Furthermore, it is obvious the poster realizes the gravity of the situstion at band regarding our nation's greatest treasures to be our children. On the other hand, you should take lessons from others who demonstrate polite, kind, dignified attributes that you so obviously are lacking.
8:30 - Your valid points, imho,
are intelligent conceptions, in particular, regarding the lack of proper parenting skills. Abused, neglected children, most often times, do not realize their parental supervisors are not showing tnem the way to live a beautiful life. My head bows to your elegance. A soft, yet sincere, prayer has been spoken for your dear grandmother who graciously passed her wisdom along to her family.

6:14pm - We are not here to learn how tired you may be. I do believe KF has provided a forum for insightful individuals to gather in an attempt to work toward a solution to the ever-growing "flatlining" of public schools performance records.

Shadowfox - You must be just as appalled, thus, have also lost respect for members of the US Congress who passed an expensive voluminous health care measure without reading it. Therefore, I shall join in your lack of confidence for any lawmaker who passes legislation without first perusing the contents.

The problems being addressed are not due (even remotely in part) to a 'mobile society' or a lack of information and knowledge being 'passed down'. Who are you kidding 12:58, other than yourself.

Produce for me one or two failures who will report that he might have learned appropriate behavioral/societal interraction skills had his grandparents not moved off to Utah and had his father spent more time with him instead of working two jobs.

MY grandmother 50 years ago called it 'home training'. If it ain't there, it's not because of the mobility of old folks.

I'm assuming the fellow who made the initial 'grandmother' comment meant (as I mean) that his grandmother didn't need any damned classes on parenting paid for by the government. I have no faith in that approach. It's been tried with at least three generations who've gone through as many as fifteen government programs.