Before you read through this article, consider some of your inherent feelings about education. Do you think that our schools are set up so that they help some students over others? In other words, does everyone have an equal opportunity for education, or are there some students who are doomed to educationally fail from the start? (Because of their skin color, family background, etc.)
Now that you have thought about this, read through the following article:
http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2013/08/us_government_files_to_block_s.html
In the comment section of this blog post, tell me what the big deal is in this article. Why is the federal government suing Louisiana for trying to send some of its students to private school? Why is Louisiana doing this in the first place?
Additionally, explain your thoughts on the school voucher system. Should students be allowed to choose where they go to school if their current school is considered a "failing" school? Or, should students stay in their school and work harder in their classes, ensuring that their school does not fail anymore?
Again, make sure that you answer all questions fully. Feel free to use real-world examples, real-life experiences, or experiences of your friends/family members to back up your opinions.
John Foster
ReplyDelete1st period
To begin with, school will always be a simpler and less stressful ordeal for those with better funding for their education. Apart from that, many other variables need to be taken into consideration (i.e., family life, ethic to learn). We need to focus more on educating the minds that are being held back by their school, family, or economic situation, regardless of their race.
If the grants are truly being distributed based on race, then it should be removed as a factor and vouchers should be based off of the student's income and grades. Help those who try to help themselves and those who cannot help themselves. Regardless of desegregation laws, help the students who need assistance.
It shouldn't matter what race or gender a student is. We are all equal. If a student is falling behind, the teacher or parent should do what they feel right to get their child's grades up. Ever student has different learning paces and if having to go to a different school (private or public) will help the why should they be stopped? If its a person of a different gender or race that's slowing their learning down then the decision to move schools is up to the parent or legal guardian.
ReplyDeleteApril McCool
the federal government is suing them because they think that they are making the white to black ratio of students unbalanced. Louisiana is doing this to try to help kids that don't make the best grades do better in school. I think that if a school is failing to the point that kids trying harder and doing better in school, they should be able to choose where they want to go. In Birmingham Alabama, there are many failing schools, and they are allowing students to choose a better school to attend. However, if students making better grades would help the school, I think that would be the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteThe Federal Government is suing Louisiana because, they don't want to mess up the racial balance in public schools. Also, Louisiana is doing this for the students that had low income and lower grades. I think that the students should choose where they want to go if they were currently at a failing school. Even if one student worked harder and got better grades, that wouldn't mean the whole school would also do so. The thing is, it might also be the teachers that makes it a failing school, and the students have no control over that. So, if they go to a new school, they might have better teachers and a better environment than their previous school. However, if this changes the desegregation in schools, it might be better for students to stay in the schools they're at now. If each school just had mainly one racial group, the schools would eventually be segregated like in the past and might repeat it's tragic history.
ReplyDelete- Abby Nelson
The Federal Government is suing Louisiana because, they don't want to mess up the racial balance in public schools. Also, Louisiana is doing this for the students that had low income and lower grades. I think that the students should choose where they want to go if they were currently at a failing school. Even if one student worked harder and got better grades, that wouldn't mean the whole school would also do so. The thing is, it might also be the teachers that makes it a failing school, and the students have no control over that. So, if they go to a new school, they might have better teachers and a better environment than their previous school. However, if this changes the desegregation in schools, it might be better for students to stay in the schools they're at now. If each school just had mainly one racial group, the schools would eventually be segregated like in the past and might repeat it's tragic history.
ReplyDelete- Abby Nelson
the state of Lousiana's government is suing them because, they think that the schools are making the white to black ratio unbalanced. i think it shouldn't matter what color you are, i think that if we would stop worrying about what color or race people are and start worrying about people's character instead. Casey Page 5th & 6th periods.
ReplyDeletemills harrison
ReplyDeleteI think this is childish to do this. I think that the student should be put were ever they learn the best no matter what gender or race. It says in the bible that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ so why cant we act like it. We should let people go were ever they want to go. I think were ever the student grows best is were they should be at no mater how bad the school is doing. They say this is a free country but it dosn't really seem like one. Let the students go were ever they want to go.
Louisiana's government is suing because the student balance of black and white is being thrown off because the vouchers are slowing the desegregation process. The reason Louisiana is doing this is because schools are currently failing, so they are allowing low income students to change schools. I think students should talk to their parents and think about whats in their best interests in school choices and not just make the decisions themselves, because if a student is doing badly at a particular school, or dislikes a certain teacher the student may be biased. The teachers may also be teaching poorly. The system needs to investigate things to see why these schools are failing. The point is, action needs to be taken and changes to be made to ensure that racial issues are not the matter.
ReplyDelete*Laura Coats*
Austin levins
ReplyDeleteI believe that both sides have a good argument. The Louisiana government is suing them because the racial balance is unequal. I believe race has nothing to do with what school you are going to. Along as they are giving scholarships to who deserves it race shouldn't . I also believe the state of Luisiana should not use tax money to help anyone go to private school. They could put this money towards helping the "failing schools." I believe that students should be able to go to school where they want also. I believe both sides have a valid point and it could go both ways.
The government is suing Louisiana for sending kids who keep failing to different schools, and because they don't want to mess up the racial balance.I believe that the students should be allowed to choose what school they go to because in some cases it might not even be the student it might be the teacher or the people running the school. Although this might throw the racial balance off some they could just limit the amount of people they send.
ReplyDeleteDemetrius Smith
P.1
A parent has a right to put their child in the best education available/affordable. I can understand the issue of racism but a parent wants the best for their child. it can't be helped that many of the less priveleged happen to be African American. If the state wants to help the situation then don't hold back the priveleged, boost the unpriveleged!!!
ReplyDelete~ Blake E. Lockridge
The Federal Government is trying to sue the state of Louisiana because, the state of Louisiana is trying to make the school system white/black ratio unbalanced. I believe that they should be sued because, their is no since in trying to segregate a school. they need to quit worrying about what color somebody is and what their grades may look like. Everybody was created equal and that is the way they should be treated.
ReplyDelete-Nick Sanders 5th and 6th period
I believe that someone can choose where he or she wants to get their education. Somebody should not be told where they will go to school just because they are African American. The government has all the right in suing the Louisiana School system because they are trying to put racism in the schools and it is pathetic.
ReplyDelete-Nick Sanders 5th and 6th
The federal government is doing this because they think that the balance bewteen the races is off. They are trying to help the students that are doing poorly in school and have a low income. If a student is at a failing school, it is up to the parent to decide whether or not it is in the best interest of the student to continue going there. If the teachers at the school are failing to do a good job at teaching, the student should be able to go to school that can give them the best learning experience possible. Race shouldn't have anything to do with what school you go to, just the academics.
ReplyDelete- Emily Free
The federal Government is suing the state of Louisiana for trying to send some of its students to a private school because they have failing grades. For that reason in Louisiana schools there is the predicament of unbalanced races. The school voucher system doesn't sound very helpful because most of the time students just don't want to do work so they fail. In Louisiana, students are bumped up to a better school that is paid for if they were to fail. Students should be allowed to choose where they would like to go to school even if the student goes to a failing school an other school may help their needs more than the failing school.
ReplyDelete-Gabby Traywick, 1st period
The voucher program's job is to get kids out of failing schools. This is fair because teens should not be the ones responsible for improving their schools. It is not fair to stick them in a school where they are getting a terrible education and tell them "you better work hard because it's your job to fix this school".The side that is against this voucher program is saying that it causes a racial imbalance and that it is bringing back segregation. Race actually seems pretty irrelevant in this situation because the students are not being selected on race. However, this is not to say that school is much more difficult for some because of their background. For example, both my parents are teachers, and learning was always super important to my family.I mean we watch science shows together for fun and have in-depth discussions about the philosophy of last night's Star Trek episode. I often think about what it would be like if I had a difficult home life and parents who didn't care. I think often people are "doomed from the start" because of their domestic situation.
ReplyDeleteI think Q would be proud of your answer.
DeleteSorry I forgot to put my name. That one with the Star Trek comment was mine.
ReplyDeleteMarie Doyle
The big deal in this article is, the federal government is suing Louisiana for
ReplyDeleteattempting to send some students to private schools because they believe by
doing so, it will disrupt the racial balance of public schools. Louisiana is
sending students to private schools, because they're trying to help students
with low incomes averaging grades of C,D,or,F's to do better in school. Students
should be able to decide what school they'd like to attend because if there
school is considered 'failing", they should be able to get the right education.
Students should have the freedom to choose which school they go to, especially
if they want to be successful in life.
Nikhil Singh
The big deal in this article is what the voucher system is doing to the Louisiana schools. The federal government is suing Louisiana to stop public schools from sending students to private schools because it will mess up desegregation orders. Louisiana is doing this so people who are failing school will get a better education.
ReplyDeleteThe voucher system is unfair and not right because the people who want to learn and excel in life should get the better education. If students go to a failing school they do have the right to go to better school if they are not learning anything. If they are learning and being taught a proper education than they should just stick it out and work harder because the main reason people have bad grades is just because they are lazy.
-Jane Frances Armour
I think everyone is a right to go to school to get an education. It shouldn't matter the color of your skin or your background. I think the government has a right to sue the Louisiana School System because they are wanting/trying to get racism back in their school district.
ReplyDelete- Mayson McGee 5th and 6th
I think that the people who are getting sent to different schools should just buckle down and do their work better, because it would be more beneficial to the student. The voucher system is not right at all and they should be sued for this its not fair to the other students who are doing good because they are getting cheated for their hard work. -Jordan Chestnut 5th and 6th
ReplyDeleteThe federal government is suing the state of Louisiana because of its voucher program. Loisiana has its voucher program to help failing students get out of failing schools, or like the federal government thinks to segregate the races. I believe that the federal government is wrong about its claims that it is disrupting the desegregation process because if the majority of failing poor kids are black then the majority of wealthy children who are getting good grades would be white. Therefore, by sending poor, failing, black students to private schools with mostly rich, passing, white children they could only be enhancing the desegregation process. To me this seems unfair to the students who are poor and couldn’t go to a private school if they wanted to but try hard and get good grades. The poor child who gets good grade’s family pays just as much taxes as the poor child who fails his classes but he doesn’t get to go to private school for free. I think it would make more sense to give eighty-thousand dollars to the failing schools to help provide a better education there. I believe that it would make much more sense for the government to sue for the unfairness and impracticalities in the actual law and not for imagined racially motivated intentions.
ReplyDeleteJohn McDonough