Jump to content

Little Rock Schools


turboturtle

Recommended Posts

Yes, and to add more to the point, because of the vast administration cost of public schooling, it's hard to send all this money to the teachers. That's always been one of the largest differences between public and private schooling...the fact that public schools spend an enormous amount on administrative positions and there's little way to trim the fat.
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 78
  • Created
  • Last Reply
I'm not saying teachers today are unmotivated, I'm just saying the more you pay, the greater base you can choose from.

Also, I don't see where I claimed that my beliefs about private schools were facts.

Robinson wasn't built to cater to the westward expansion of LR, it was built to cater to the outlying communities already there in western Pulaski County.

I entirely agree that private schools produce good results, but that really doesn't change my opinion toward them (Catholic schools I don't include in this) because they were still built as a get-away for whites afraid of integration and they still promote urban sprawl and decay.

Finally, to me the location of a school is of the utmost importance, because if an urban district builds a school in suburbia, I see it as an endorsement of that style of living and that type of city planning.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After 30 years of teaching my mother-in-law and father-in-law retired in 2006 and 2007 making about 40K per year from a district in NE Arkansas. Also, my mother taught for 12 years in the LRSD (Pulaski Heights, Rockefeller, Gibbs and Rightsell). I painted a lot of classrooms over the summer as a kid. I have a child who is very successful in public schools far and another that begins public school next fall. I support public schools.

Teacher pay as it relates to the quality of teaching should be evaluated in the context of the marketplace. Also, I want to see salary ranges, not just the average. Averages can be misleading. Assuming calculations are the same, district to district and state to state, the average teacher salary is better for seeing a 5 - 10 year trend.

Whether or not you chose to send your children to a private school, doesn't change that you are an Arkansan and a citizen of Little Rock. By disengaging from the public school system, by not voting in school board elections, and by allowing the institution to deteriorate, everyone will incur a cost for the degradation. A quality public school system would be consider an asset to any community. It generates an educated workforce and retains and attracts businesses here.

Quality private schools are good too. Some kids (or their parents) cannot adapt to diversity. In order for them to be comfortable, they require a more controlled learning environment. Of course, there are religious concerns too. Catholic and St. Marys are parochial schools. To an extent, private schools probably help inflate teacher salaries in the Little Rock Public Schools (a good thing for all teachers). I consider Pulaski Academy an artifact of the socio-economic turmoil in Little Rock. I think it is less desirable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The fact is that Robinson was built, and built fairly close to the city and were the dreaded suburbs would eventually be. And is further out than any other private school serving LR, so your "argument" is a non-starter. And your other raced-based opinion is...well, like the others... simply your opinion with little substance.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The fact is that Robinson was built, and built fairly close to the city and were the dreaded suburbs would eventually be. And is further out than any other private school serving LR, so your "argument" is a non-starter. And your other raced-based opinion is...well, like the others... simply your opinion with little substance.

The thing that matters in schooling is the education and well being of the kids involved. Trying to meld your concepts of suburbia into that are fine, but if they are of "utmost importance", then they miss the CRITICAL issue. P.S. living outside of urban areas is OK, it's been known to have been done for several millenia.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the statement is that private schools support the growth of the "burbs", then this school, out in the country at the time, would support the ultimate growth of the suburbs or the extension of the city. Mind you, I'm not suggesting that Robinson shouldn't have been built, I'm suggesting that the entire premise of school location and suburb development is faulty. Yeah, Robinson probably should have been built, but it could just as easily have supported dreaded suburban growth just as much as any private school has done.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tend to shy away expressing my more heartfelt and controversial opinions in a large forum, being better at the play of ideas in smaller conversations. This iwas prompted by something that LRGuy said in the Perceptions of Little Rock thread, and I spun my reply into the two different topics. Forgive me if it's not as well thought out or informed as some of you, and especially if it seems to gloss over some of the points you've made.

A bit of background. I am very fortunate to have been raised in an unfortunate area. So that I view homogenous populations with wariness, and I am more at ease than strangers would anticipate in places with more a reputation for roughness than reality of it. I am very fortunate to have been raised by educators, to have attended Central (as an example), and to have been tracked on the college track. Not every smart kid in my school district in the 1980s got the opportunities I did. I am fortunate to have lived outside of the South, to return to Little Rock (albeit begrudgingly) and to choose to stay here.

In that perceptions of Little Rock thread, there seems to be a sort of "problem with Central" vein. The only perception problem is the thought havit of a Central Problem. It was us, as in society. It was Faubus and fear and (rightful) frustration at the status quo. (God, I love alliteration. Sorry about that.) The 1957 desegregation ugliness wasn't solely a Central High School issue. That's like thinking of Cats as a Wintergarden Theater musical.

Right now, Central works with some pretty elite kids. In addition to the awards, test scores, college admissions, and what not, evidence of that is emerging with things like the soccer and baseball programs. While its academics have always been excellent, in the 80s it was considered one of the more dangerous schools. Since we keep mentioning Bangin' in the Rock, a lot of the interviews were in Centennial Park, just 3 blocks away. In the mid and late 80s, the LRSD student population had a disproprionate number of African American and poor students in comparison to the population at large.

Our students are segregating again. You'll see it described as being by choice--but the choice I see is that the middle and upper classes put their children in private school when they can afford it or they move to Little Rock's satellite communities. Moving house is a privledge afforded to people with certain resources, income included. (I could go on about this, but I won't.) There is a shift in trends that discourage bussing in the name of mixing things up in favor of parental choice and local schools to maintain parental involvement.

It's not just the student population. You can see the way it plays out among teachers, school administrators, and district-wide administration. That whole Brooks debacle. We (meaning Little Rock residents, Arkansans, the South, and our country) still can't recognize and acknowledge difference non-destructively. Instead, people ignore it (me and my lefty bents could be painted with this brush), avoid it (moving, private schools), and resent it.

People have tried to tell me that Villionia's high school offers a higher caliber education than any school in the LRSD. I hear this as code for a more homogenous environment--socially, in terms of religious practices, economically, and race. Comfort and convenience are important for parents, students, and the educational system that serves them.

But I think that our educational system has a responsibility to society in addition to the individuals it serves. We do a disservice to society by allowing divisions --codified by law or not-- based on skin color, country of origin, academic opportunity to date, projected intellectual ability, religion, and income.

#%$@@, you read about LRSD's current race divide, and the language is so close to effin' "separate but equal" that it should make you weep. We've yet to figure out a way to define equal (tax base? exact amount of money spent per child? school size, focus, structure?) much less implement it.

(crazy bleeding heart brain dump over)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At some point, EJC, you are going to need to stop arguing that all my opinions are meaningless and actually find a counter-argument to them. OF COURSE they're opinions, that's what we're talking about here. But they're still (for the most part, I hope) substantive opinions which require substantive rebuttal if you're planning on getting your point across.

I would also appreciate if you would take more time to rebut arguments that I actually made. You seem to generally either twist or simply not understand my arguments, and all that accomplishes is getting us far away from what the discussion is about.

Example: "living outside urban areas is OK, it's ... been done for several millennia" No freaking joke. In the context of what you are saying here, suburbia actually would be included in the urban areas set, unless you're claiming that suburbia is not a form of human settlement.

You know very well that I wasn't arguing against living outside of a metropolitan area (why would I?), I was arguing that the way Americans build cities today stinks, and is inefficient, damaging to our resources and surroundings, and seriously degrades the human condition.

In conclusion, please read what I write twice, and please pick a fight with me about something that I was talking about in the first place. Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tend to shy away expressing my more heartfelt and controversial opinions in a large forum, being better at the play of ideas in smaller conversations. This iwas prompted by something that LRGuy said in the Perceptions of Little Rock thread, and I spun my reply into the two different topics. Forgive me if it's not as well thought out or informed as some of you, and especially if it seems to gloss over some of the points you've made.

A bit of background. I am very fortunate to have been raised in an unfortunate area. So that I view homogenous populations with wariness, and I am more at ease than strangers would anticipate in places with more a reputation for roughness than reality of it. I am very fortunate to have been raised by educators, to have attended Central (as an example), and to have been tracked on the college track. Not every smart kid in my school district in the 1980s got the opportunities I did. I am fortunate to have lived outside of the South, to return to Little Rock (albeit begrudgingly) and to choose to stay here.

In that perceptions of Little Rock thread, there seems to be a sort of "problem with Central" vein. The only perception problem is the thought havit of a Central Problem. It was us, as in society. It was Faubus and fear and (rightful) frustration at the status quo. (God, I love alliteration. Sorry about that.) The 1957 desegregation ugliness wasn't solely a Central High School issue. That's like thinking of Cats as a Wintergarden Theater musical.

Right now, Central works with some pretty elite kids. In addition to the awards, test scores, college admissions, and what not, evidence of that is emerging with things like the soccer and baseball programs. While its academics have always been excellent, in the 80s it was considered one of the more dangerous schools. Since we keep mentioning Bangin' in the Rock, a lot of the interviews were in Centennial Park, just 3 blocks away. In the mid and late 80s, the LRSD student population had a disproprionate number of African American and poor students in comparison to the population at large.

Our students are segregating again. You'll see it described as being by choice--but the choice I see is that the middle and upper classes put their children in private school when they can afford it or they move to Little Rock's satellite communities. Moving house is a privledge afforded to people with certain resources, income included. (I could go on about this, but I won't.) There is a shift in trends that discourage bussing in the name of mixing things up in favor of parental choice and local schools to maintain parental involvement.

It's not just the student population. You can see the way it plays out among teachers, school administrators, and district-wide administration. That whole Brooks debacle. We (meaning Little Rock residents, Arkansans, the South, and our country) still can't recognize and acknowledge difference non-destructively. Instead, people ignore it (me and my lefty bents could be painted with this brush), avoid it (moving, private schools), and resent it.

People have tried to tell me that Villionia's high school offers a higher caliber education than any school in the LRSD. I hear this as code for a more homogenous environment--socially, in terms of religious practices, economically, and race. Comfort and convenience are important for parents, students, and the educational system that serves them.

But I think that our educational system has a responsibility to society in addition to the individuals it serves. We do a disservice to society by allowing divisions --codified by law or not-- based on skin color, country of origin, academic opportunity to date, projected intellectual ability, religion, and income.

#%$@@, you read about LRSD's current race divide, and the language is so close to effin' "separate but equal" that it should make you weep. We've yet to figure out a way to define equal (tax base? exact amount of money spent per child? school size, focus, structure?) much less implement it.

(crazy bleeding heart brain dump over)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I couldn't agree more with this. Unfortunately, this isn't a Little Rock thing, this is happening nationwide. My experiences elsewhere in this country mirror what's happening here. The "problem" in schools is really a symptom of a cultural movement towards separate but equal and it isn't just one race or cultural group that's moving this way.

But yes, what IS equal and even if we get equality in terms of funding, how do you balance the fact that there are kids with parents involved in their life and kids without that? The root of schoolastic problems almost invariably involves parenting, so even if we get "equal" funding, is that going to affect the root cause?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Clarification:

Robinson is not related to the Little Rock School District. It is a part of the Pulaski County Special School District. During the late 60's when Little Rock was beginning to expand into Pleasant Valley, Walton Heights and Woodland Heights these students were sent to Parkview, although for some Hall was closer as was Robinson. I know of some families who had one student in Hall and another in Parkview. Robinson was not a choice because it was in another district. This is one of the problems with the Little Rock School situation. The district no longer serves the city. The city has expanded but the district has not followed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.