Sunday, September 18, 2016

Homeless Students And Academic Achievement.



























You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that homeless students suffer academically because of their social-economic situation and are far more likely to be placed in special education programs and struggling schools since their parents are more concerned in finding food and shelter than advocating for a better placement for their child at school.  The result is renewal schools end up with a large amount of homeless students which number almost 87,000 in New York City.  Moreover, add to the homeless student population the many students who are recent immigrants whose families share an overcrowded apartment with other families and offer little or no privacy or a place to study and you have a recipe for educational disaster.

When you talk to education reformers, they ignore the inconvenient truth of poverty and homelessness and instead blame schools for their low academic achievement.  These organizations will blame the teachers and demand that teachers be fired for their failure to improve the test scores of deep poverty students by the use of junk science.  Unfortunately,   even the best teachers have little real effect on a child's academic achievement.  A major study showed that any one teacher makes between a 1% to 14% difference in a child's academic achievement.  In other words, the education reform organizations and their media allies believe that putting a bandage on an infection will cure the infection.

Secure housing (not shelters), food security, and parental involvement is the solution for better academic achievement and failing to address these difficult issues and blaming the schools and their teachers is not going to improve a child's education.

7 comments:

Bronx ATR said...

I have a close friend that was raised in a kibbutz in the late 60s and 70s. I've talked to him many times and in detail about the system and his experiences. I believe we need a similar system here, if society really wants these kids to succeed - which won't happen because it doesn't.

Anonymous said...

Chaz, there's ATR teachers, ATR guidance counselors, ATR AP's, ATR principals, ATR paras, ATR secretaries, ATR school aides, ATR speech therapists, Etc. The one mistake Bloomberg made was that he thought NYC was going to actually allow its UFT workers to be terminated after 6 months without finding a permanent job. He was 100% wrong. Now look what we have. A total mess! But I must say, score one for the union because as much as an ATR is angry, upset, and demoralized, the truth is in Chicago, Wisconsin, or wherever else, you would've been terminated already. ATR's stayed on and most that I know wouldn't trade it for the world. The best gig is ATR guidance counselor. This woman is in the lounge 8:15-2:35 on her IMac. Love it!

Anonymous said...

Love it!
Love it!
Love it!
Love it!
Love it!

Anonymous said...

LOVE IT!

Love getting full salary for doing nothing! DOE rules!

Anonymous said...

Not true. ATR guidance counselors want desperately to get into offices to help kids and sitting around every day on an imac is the pits...believe me...come on doe get your guidance counselors into the classrooms to help these kids!!!!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 8:45


Mulgrew should not be allowed to post comments!

Anonymous said...

The ATR AP at my school does cafeteria duty throughout the day. This AP is making 135K to basically be a school aide. This is a 135K lunchroom monitor. The DOE is giving the $$$ away!!!