Educators...past,present,&future

[CountryGurl]

I’m enrolled in a Sociology of Education class this semester and the topic of today’s discussion rubbed a few people the wrong way. So I decided to see how my GC Educators feel. Do you think that “themed” (School of Arts, Math& Science, Technology, etc.) schools have a better impact on students, especially black (inner city) students? Does the school(s) affect student’s social and intellectual aspects? And if the affect turns out positive are vouchers valid?

Moderators I searched for a thread (or at least one similar) with this topic but came up empty. If I have duplicated anything I apologize!

[Senusret I]

I do not agree with themed schools, EXCEPT for vocational schools and schools for the arts.

I think that schools and programs that only focus on Math/Science/Technology are causing inner city kids to be ill prepared in writing skills. If there was a guarantee that they could score well on verbal exams and essay writing, then i'd support them.

Vocational schools are necessary, because many kids aren't cut out for college and need to be strengthened in non-academic areas.

Schools of the arts are tricky....sometimes they can be helpful because they provide direction and skills that regular schools don't have. But sometimes they are also guilty of allowing students with poor writing skills to sneak by.

I do NOT agree with "academic" high schools. If you put all the smart kids in one school, OF COURSE you'll have a 0ne hundred percent graduation rate.

I just eally wish all high schools were truly comprehensive.

[FeeFee]

Originally posted by dardenr
I do not agree with themed schools, EXCEPT for vocational schools and schools for the arts.

I think that schools and programs that only focus on Math/Science/Technology are causing inner city kids to be ill prepared in writing skills. If there was a guarantee that they could score well on verbal exams and essay writing, then i'd support them.

Vocational schools are necessary, because many kids aren't cut out for college and need to be strengthened in non-academic areas.

Schools of the arts are tricky....sometimes they can be helpful because they provide direction and skills that regular schools don't have. But sometimes they are also guilty of allowing students with poor writing skills to sneak by.

I do NOT agree with "academic" high schools. If you put all the smart kids in one school, OF COURSE you'll have a 0ne hundred percent graduation rate.

I just eally wish all high schools were truly comprehensive.

Shoot, you'll have a serious fit here in New York. All of our high schools fall into various categories:
1. Specialized High Schools (Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech) - only the top students get into these schools. Oh yeah, there is a test the students must take to get up into one of these bad boys. Kaplan gives prep courses on how to take the test just like you would for the SAT, GRE, LSAT, etc.

2. Academic - these schools are where the majority of high school students attend. I attended one (Martin L. King) and I turned out OK.

3. Vocational - for those who may not necessarily want to attend college.

4. Alternative - I guess for those who would not fit into the other categories.

Lately, the newest high schools to pop up on the scene are "themed" - Math/Science, Performing Arts (although LaGuardia HS is still the preferred perfoming arts school to attend in NYC - you must audition to get in).

Personally, I don't care how many themes they wanna use, the educational system in NYC is still full of problems.

[abaici]

Absolutely not. I am a proponent of a liberal arts education. I believe that as citizens of the world, we should be versed in all subjects. Also, I'm against homogenous classrooms, so I feel them same for schools. Time and time again, I see the benefit of having students with different strengths in the same class. They learn from one another. While it is important that our children become proficient in math and science, I agree with darden, their writing skills suffer. Even if you are in the sciences, you need to know how to write.

[RedefinedDiva]

Considering my following explanation, I do agree with "themed" high school. There is one in my city, however, it isn't full-time. Students attend their base school for core subjects like English, History, Foreign Language, and electives. A morning or afternoon block is spent at the Math & Science High School for more intensive education in those subjects. Most of the students that attend these schools generally go on to major in Engineering, Mathematics, etc. The same is true for our creative arts center and health careers school. Our city has one school "vocational" school that I do know about. If offers classes in cosmetology, auto repair, etc. in addition to traditional acedemic classes. I think that it is recognized that students need vocational classes.