cross-posted from: https://exploding-heads.com/post/265135

The report ranked the Detroit Public Schools as the worst performing of all 26 large city districts, with just 5 percent of their eighth-grade students rated proficient in reading and only 3 percent in math. What is surprising is the Detroit Public Schools Community District rated 99 percent of Detroit’s teachers as “highly effective” or “effective,” the two highest ratings given to teachers. An added conundrum is that Detroit public high schools received an “F” on student proficiency and yet received an “A” on graduation rates.

Detroit is far from alone in this education crisis. New York City spends a whopping $38,000 per student per year, and student learning results are mediocre. Instead of correcting its low levels of student proficiency, New York plans to lower the standard in both math and English language arts, with the hope that more students will reach “proficient.” The same thing is happening elsewhere, notably California, where there is an effort to eliminate Algebra in the eighth grade so more disadvantaged children can compete.