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Because their failure to succeed can't be the result of lousy parenting, a general distaste for education in their community... it HAS to be the school system's fault, of course!

I'm ENTITLED to be educated without trying. I'm ENTITLED to be educated without any parental involvement. I'm ENTITLED to get government handouts. I'm ENTITLED to blame everyone else when something doesn't go my way. I'm ENTITLED to be accepted into a university and receive financial aid despite scores and grades lower than everyone else.

NOTHING is MY fault. Nada. Zip. Zilch. It's ALWAYS somebody else's fault. I can't be to blame, I'm ENTITLED.

You know, it's articles like the one quoted here that speak volumes to the validity of the arguments made by folks like Bill Cosby. Their parents need to step up to the plate - the whole community needs to step up to the plate, and finally, for once, have the blame placed squarely at their feet. Instead of continually coddling that community and saying, "No, it's the school system's fault your son is failing, please continue to be an absentee father," or "No, it's not your fault you're unemployed. Here, have some money and government assistance, we've obviously failed at making learning interesting enough for you, which would have enabled you to get a good job and provide for yourself."

Pathetic.

The problem with education, or any type of learning, for that matter, is that it takes a modicum of a desire to succeed. Yes, that's right, you have to WANT to learn. Nobody can place that desire there except for the community. It has to be "cooler" to learn and be successful than to be a low-life hanging out on Lee St. with your fellow gang members. Until that changes, this will continue to be the norm, and it's a damn shame.

Have you looked at the presentation made by the GCS statistician? In many, many cases the statistics for Hispanic males was even more alarming than those of African American males.

Where is the outrage for this group of students?

If African American males are going to be given special treatment regarding having their progress closely monitored, then I want the same for my non-African American male children.

There are no school board seats set aside for Hispanic representatives, yet.

Is this truly a race problem? If so, why is the article titled "Black Males Lagging in Schools" and not "African Americans Lagging in Schools"?

With that being said, there is much more to the problem than the school system can fix. This is a cultural issue and although Greensboro has been a catalyst for civil rights movements in the past, I do not think this problem will be solved by our BOE.

Also, how will these schools be financed? Aren't we already having problems with gas bills for the busing systems already implemented.

Single sex schools would have to be forced on the kids and I imagine the high performing males would stay away. What you would then have is an alternative school of sorts and a ton of trouble attracting/retaining top teachers. Back to square 1.

"There are no school board seats set aside for Hispanic representatives, yet" - Doug

But there are for other groups?

Yes. Three districts are configured specifically for the purpose of electing African Americans. That goal has been achieved in each one.

I would question the necessity of race-based districts at this time given the historical situation of having African Americans emerge as the top two candidates for the at-large seat up for election this year.

I went to the meeting last night on African American achievment. A lot of people described the problem and blamed slavery, Franklin D. Roosevelt and others for it. Ideas on how to take what we have now and fix it was in short supply. There is no question that the principle reason African American males do not achieve at higher levels is that they do not read. If black males read as much as white males, the gap would be reduced by one-half.

Formula for better academics for all children: Parents who read to them at least 30 minutes every day from birth, then read with them as soon as they're able (which will be a lot sooner if this formula is followed).

Joe Stafford said:

"I went to the meeting last night on African American achievement. A lot of people described the problem and blamed slavery, Franklin D. Roosevelt and others for it."

You know, initially I thought you had to be making this up or, at the very least, embellishing the truth. However, I came to realize that nobody could really make up such a ridiculous statement and it's sad that what you posted is the truth.

My genealogy isn't filled with wealthy landowners or heads of state yet I don't blame any of my shortcomings on their situations. To do so, especially with never having known any of them would be asinine, just like any black person blaming their "plight" on slavery.

The truth comes out. The data is there!

Griers tactics were to bus the kids, mix them into schools and dilute the scores. As I said many times to Doug and Allen the Grier follower we need to look at the facts and data before bussing kids.
Grimsley one of the poster child schools that we have has for many years been a drop out for minority children. Grimsley is just one of many.

Grier was responsible/guilty for the non education of many, many children.

Doug and Allen fell into the trap and supported Grier. They cried for diversity. The cried to hide away those kids and condemed them to failure. Doug and Allen, as responsible jornalists, with considerable influence share a part of that guilt.
It is nothing less than abuse of power, its negligence, a failure to look at the facts.

Own up Doug!

When one remembers that one of our co-interim supers, Eric Beacoats, wrote the seminal article on improving schools scores by "leveraging" middle class white students through bussing them to schools outside their own district, one sees which direction GCS is heading. What we have here is a county system becoming an inner-city school district. No one the other night said anything about all the money and different programs already tried in GCS which haven't worked. Certainly the schools could be more responsive to all students, but most of the statistics pointed to major systemic problems in the community. No one mentioned that a 75-80% out-of-wedlock birthrate for African-Americans and the unmitigated social disaster it is.

Jack, I agree. This social problem is all being pushed onto the schools to solve. I just dont hear anything about programs from the local councils to help too.

Its a cycle of poverty that very few seem to be able to jump off.