The Glade 4.0

At first, I thought this article in the WSJ was going to be about another case of the schools rewarding students for performance.

However, it turns out instead, this "reward program" isn't about providing incentives for students to strive for success, but to provide bodies in chairs for the purposes of securing funding for the school.

Thoughts?

Edit: Thought I would include as a point in this topic this editorial from Sept. 8th, just after the President's speech to school children, that discusses the severe decline in public opinion and confidence in public schools.

I am also including this other WSJ article regarding a shift in the NEA's regard of teach contracts, albiet too early to tell much about the impact.

I don't blame the school districts for doing what they are doing...I would if I were a school administrator. Heck, my oldest son is being "encouraged" to take the bus at least once this week as each bussed student = more money for the school for some reason. I do think using the "Sweeps Week" model for determining funding is a less than optimal model. I'm sure someone with a diploma from Detroit public schools can think up something better.

This is a flaw in the system.

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"...but there exists also in the human heart a depraved taste for equality, which impels the weak to attempt to lower the powerful to their own level and reduces men to prefer equality in slavery to inequality with freedom." - De Tocqueville

I've got it. Build a giant colloseum. Fill a ring in the center with bundles of cash. Have students from each school try to collect as much cash for their school as they can. Line the outside walls with non-deadly weapons such as nerf-bats, mace, tasers, etc. Sell tickets.

Ohio funds their schools similarly.

I saw on TV once something about how Maryland does it, and it's worse, if you can believe it.

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“The duty of a patriot is to protect his country from its government.” - Thomas Paine

Sounds like the next hit (pun intended) reality show!

Less than optimal? The more I think about, the more I consider this nothing more than fraud perpetuated on the tax payers.

The problem is that school districts are somewhat in a bind. Previous years enrollment data is not necessarily any more useful as the numbers can have fairly large fluctuations. Besides, its not fraud if each of those students are eligible to be at the school and not currently enrolled at another one. It essentially sets the maximum number of students probable. What is a reliable way to determine how far to back off from the maximum number that won't underfund the students that actually stay?

However, the first day of school for Detroit public schools was September 8th, so by October 1 they should already have a pretty good idea of their enrollment, though given the absolutely fubar start, I suppose it shouldn't be of any surprise that with a full summer of registration and 3 weeks into the school year, the schools are still clueless as to how many students they have.

But lets ask what I consider a pretty important question... where do all these "new" students they are luring to the school come from? I can see where the 1,000 students they "gained" with the $500,000 "I'm In" campaign could have been new students to the area, or students that might have gone to the charter or suburb schools. But this late in the game? The mostly increase will come from either students enrolled in other schools hoping to win a prize, or students that weren't registered in any school, and except for this chance to "win" something, won't be back. This "maximum number" is an artificial inflation of revenue, at the toon of $7,600 per student in tax payer money.

Of course, there is an outside chance that the increase in numbers are all legitimate students looking for an education... Is it appropriate for one of the worst school systems in the country to siphon students away from successful area schools with bribes, while not being able to provide the assumed promise of a meaningful education (except maybe caveat emptor)? Unfortunately, in this story there is no cricket to come save the puppet.

This is exactly why I stated the eligibility and enrollment status of each new student needs to be examined to prevent the issues you bring up. Of course I have little confidence that the school district actually will do this effectively, if at all.

I was under the impression that schools are very harshly penalized for drop-outs and attendance rates....when I worked for the migrant education program the public schools were very concerned with consistent attendance and limited drop-outs as that affected their funding.
Seems to me if that is the case here they wouldn't be beefing up their numbers with temporary students as it would hurt them even more in the long run.

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"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus of Nazareth

Getting students in for the counting days is nothing new. When I worked for the district in Texas they had all kinds of special activities for the 100th day of school, that also happened during Count Week.

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I prefer to think of them as "Fighting evil in another dimension"

I guess this is a stupid question, but i'm going to ask it anyways.
If there isnt enough students for a school and there is a trend of such. Why don't you guys just close down the school in that district and move the students to another school? Of course I'd understand if this was a small town type situation, however within bigger communities this should be the norm right?

Of course I also believe education should be a privillage and not a right.

This won't work. Students generally don't care about how much funding their schools get. If they did, schools wouldn't have to bribe and beg their students to take standardized tests seriously, that are used to measure if schools retain accreditation or not.

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"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones