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Public boarding school—the way to solve educational ills?--Does This Proposal Remind You Of Hitler's and Stalin's State Schools?

Posted by Zenphamy 10 years ago to Education
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From the article: Note: Why is this being published in a Physics and Science Newsletter, instead of the normal media?

"Buffalo's chronically struggling school system is considering an idea gaining momentum in other cities: public boarding schools that put round-the-clock attention on students and away from such daunting problems as poverty, troubled homes and truancy.
Supporters say such a dramatic step is necessary to get some students into an atmosphere that promotes learning, and worth the costs, estimated at $20,000 to $25,000 per student per year.
"We have teachers and union leaders telling us, 'The problem is with the homes; these kids are in dysfunctional homes,'" said Buffalo school board member Carl Paladino.
He envisions a charter boarding school in Buffalo where students as young as first or second grade would be assured proper meals, uniforms, after-school tutoring and activities."

Get's the students "away from such daunting problems as" parents and family, as well. Of course, we're already paying for a large percentage of the support anyway through welfare, so let's just take it to the next logical step. Just imagine the type of citizens the state can produce with this program.


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  • Posted by ObjectiveAnalyst 10 years ago
    If the government has control, what could go wrong?.... everything. If parents are neglectful or endangering their children, that is one thing and the state may have some small interest, but even that must be extremely limited. If they must pull a child from their parents and send them to a different school then that is an indictment of the parents as well as the local public school system. Why would it be likely to be better at another state run school? Send them to a private institution. I don't trust the government to indoctrinate.. er, um educate children. Close the Department of Education and let it be a local matter. People that want better education for their children should vote with their feet and move to a better district. Let the market work. Those that don't value education for their children may be hopeless, no matter how much taxpayer money is spent, or wasted. We must change the minds of people by demonstration of prosperity by example. A desire to learn is the most crucial aspect. One can learn anything with basic reading skills and desire. We must get back to the basics the 'three Rs" and instill desire as the first priorities.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 10 years ago
    Sounds like desperation. As I see it, one aspect is the way we tip-toe around calling the situation what it is for fear of being called a racist. There is a predominance of single parent homes in the Black community. Fathers are not in the home. Some are fathering children with several wives. The onus is on the Black parents who refuse to deal with this situation through some misguided appearance of what manhood is. Not only are men not put down for their bad behavior, they are applauded for it as if it were a desirable thing. Until the Black community starts promoting two parent families and holding up that as the right thing to do, they are getting what they deserve, namely, a generation of uneducated, poor people, who think the only way they can make it in the world is by being criminals. The only thing that Buffalo's "solution" will do is turn education into a punishment, like reform school of old.
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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 10 years ago
    This reminds me 20 years ago when Newt Gingrich (and I think Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation) proposed orphanages for poor children in single-parent homes.

    I think people proposing this are responding to the issue of kids from dysfunctional families sending their kids to school without meals or proper clothing. Then the teachers need to make up for a bad home life to educate them.

    I don't have an answer to the problem because I see the logic in getting these kids to a stable environment and hopefully breaking the cycle of poverty. But I'm loath to expand gov't in any way. Many people rise to the occasion when left alone but lean on gov't programs if they can. I also question if gov't run boarding schools with a bunch of troubled kids segregated from the rest of society would be any better than kids growing up in troubled homes.
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  • Posted by Ranter 10 years ago
    I have no problem with public or private boarding schools if the curriculum stresses true learning and not fake gender or race advocacy. The problem with Hitler's schools (and the equivalent Soviet schools) was that they taught the politics of the ruling party.
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  • Posted by $ blarman 10 years ago
    Little known sociology fact: the #1 indicator of success in schooling is not money, teacher quality, or availability of technology, but simple parental involvement. You want good kids at school? You start with good parents: married couples devoted to each other and their families.

    Schooling starts at home. It always has and always will. You want better kids, stop encouraging behaviors that destroy family. You're not going to solve the problem by taking the kids away from their families and support structures.
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  • Posted by Sunjock13 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    ...And chant little ditties about our exalted leader Obama!!!! Oh yes, it happened already, didn't it???
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  • Posted by Sunjock13 10 years ago
    Vee have vays to make dem learn!!!! You know, no matter HOW well intentioned someone is about raising my kids, AND no matter how much YOU may dislike how I raise them (excepting physical Abuse) it is NOT your "choice" on how children should be indoctrinated (afterall, that IS what education and conditioning manifest). My rights as a parent are proctected by SEVERAL of the 1st 10 Amendments to the Constitution and we have John Adams to thank for being such a visionary... BUT we MUST defend those rights or they will slowly evaporate like the experience of the residents of the "Animal Farm".
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  • Posted by j_IR1776wg 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    We can be sure they will not be taught to read Atlas Shrugged or about capitalism, individual rights, the DOI,, and the Constitution.
    They will be taught how to sign up for benefits, who to vote for, and how to get a free Obamaphone.
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  • Posted by j_IR1776wg 10 years ago
    I believe Cuba takes every child from their parent's home at 12 years of age and "educates" them in government schools until their 18th birthday.
    This idea in Buffalo is just another example of Marxist failure being fixed by more regulations and more control. When implemented, Buffalo's children will be perfectly educated.
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  • Posted by 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Well, it looks like a lot of the charter money comes from the state and district. For the unions in NY, its bound to mean jobs, lot's of jobs if you include the boarding and tutors and its about as collectivist and socialist as you can get.

    I don't mind the idea of charter and private schools where the parents have choices and the NEA isn't involved, but this doesn't sound as if its going to be about choice. I don't think this is going to turn out good, and I'm pretty confident that AS and AR won't be on their reading list.
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  • Posted by khalling 10 years ago
    At least it 's a charter school. What I want to know is why are the unions involved in pushing this?
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