CB>Your single-minded focus on local control of school curriculum
  >fascinates me.  Clearly you fear something - is it that the liberals in
  >states such as California and New York will take control of the national
  >curriculum and force the children in your area to learn tolerance of
  >those who are different?  Or am I missing the point?
I simply believe in Democracy and don't believe the minority should rule
the majority.  That is the way Liberalism works.  They want to do great
things but at someone else's expense.  If the liberals of this country
want to do great things let them pay the tab and they will get no
argument from me.
CB>Regarding the NAACP lawsuits, you said...
CB>TC>Yes they were successful.  Their point was that minority students were
  >TC>unjustly being excluded from Honors and Advanced Placement curriculum
  >TC>choices by having prerequisite curricular and grade point requirements 
in
  >TC>place.
CB>And so, what was the result?  Are minority children being placed in
  >advanced classes despite their inability to compete?  As I said - I've
  >heard nothing of this, which is surprising since it seems like it would
  >impact on districts all across the country.
I am sure it does impact districts all across the country.  Unless a
school district has the funds to go all the way to the surpream court
they usually settle out of court locally or at the state level at the
highest.  Oh yes, they definitely can choose to be included in advanced
classes even when they don't meet prerequisite.  They don't last long
but they can try.  It is a little tough to jump into an Honors English
class which move at about three times the pace of regular English and be
successful.
It has even reached the point now where many extra curricular activities
are being curtailed since two teachers were sued by a Black Female
student who was theoretically discriminated against.  Teachers are not
required to be sponsors and are choosing not to.  It all came about when
the student wanted to become a member of the female version of the key
club.  They are required to have four teacher recommendations of their
choosing.  Two of the teachers she of her choice simply filled out the
questionnaire and she was rejected from the process.  The teachers were
sued and forced to make a public apology for filling out a form in their
honest opinion of the student which was suppose to be confidential.  The
result has been that most clubs now have no prerequisite's either.  That
is what clubs are remaining as teachers are refusing to sponsor them.
CB>TC>I think Shiela pointed out one possible downfall would be that lesser
  >TC>districts would not want to adopt such standards.  IMO it will not be 
n
  >TC>the foreseeable future as a National anything to most seems to be a RED
  >TC>flag.  The mood of the overall country is not very receptive or at 
east
  >TC>that is my view from here.  TC
CB>It will continue to be our loss as our disconnected school systems, with
  >their fragmented, sub-standard curriculums, continue to produce students
  >who do not produce at the level of students in other nations.  Or at
  >least that's how I see it from *here*.
How does your system stack up ?  What are you doing to improve it ?
Would a national curriculum really improve the system your in ?
My answer's are slightly above average. After 14 years in the system
both mine are now in college and I am leaving the job to those who are
now in the system. A National curriculum would change very little as the
students and parent are the key to success.  If the curriculum and the
Teachers we the total answer we would have the best system in the
world.
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 X QMPro 1.53 X All rising to a great place is by a winding stair.
--- Maximus 2.02
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