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All black school???

The statistics suggest that for some reason or reasons black students have a very high drop out rate. There is clearly a problem and something should be done.
However, there are probably a number of reasons for this performance beyond the school curriculum...poverty, percentage of single parent families, community values, rap music :D etc.
To single out one element...the school without addressing the other causal factors makes no sense to me. I suspect the school has been targetted as the thing to fix because someone else, the Toronto School Board and the tax payers of Toronto, will do it and pay for it. Dealing with the issues that start in the community and home are much more difficult and probably not ones that want to be faced by the "community activists".
 
Let them try it.

There is a chance it will help but likely the kids will either be the super-motivated types that were doing well anyways or kids who have already developed 'bad habits'. In a few years, it's likely that someone will realize that not much was accomplished and it will go away.
 
Esco! said:
No, I'm serious mate
Right now blacks have a 40% dropout rate, so why not try it and see if special schools will lower it.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/298714

And thanks for calling me reasonably intelligent :D
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I'm not sure that reverting to segregation is the proper way to foster a society that preaches tolerance. The concern is that this type of isolation from society will breed attitudes of hate fueled by ignorance. I'm not convinced that this is as much of an educational issue as it is a racial one, or it has the potential to become a racial one.
 
Plus, now all the jokes are starting to surface. During our break a coworker and I were just discussing this and he said, "Well at least they will win all the sports championships, that's a positive. enough said." While I could see this as a racist comment that was obviously not his intention. He is just angry over this insanity like many of us. I have talked to over 40 people about this today with maybe 10-12 being black and another 5-6 oriental and all the comments have been 100% against this segregationist school idea.
 
segregation is like going back to what it used to be and i dont agree with it. canada is a country of equal rights to all regarding of your color and race.its like when they say that you have to sit in the back of the bus.
 
Shades said:
To single out one element...the school without addressing the other causal factors makes no sense to me.
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Bingo. Unless this new school adopts a strict dress code, bans rap music, cracks down hard on trouble makers, and so on, nothing will improve. If it DOES some of those things, which it might be able to get the political capital to do as a "black school", then perhaps it will make a difference.

Another way it might help is if it becomes the city-wide destination for troubled black teens. Might not help them much, but it'll damn well help the rest of the non-troubled black and non-black good kids who will as a result enjoy a better environment in non-black school.
 
Understand that this has nothing to do with program delivery. It also has nothing to do with “black culture” whatever that may be. Without getting into the anthropology of the origins of the human race, there may be some differences in temperament generally speaking but in the general scheme of things it doesn't amount to a hill of beans. The majority of North American blacks have had little if no contact with anything which might be remotely described as “African culture.” Nor in one's wildest imagination could exposure to same be of any possible benefit to them, no more than those whose ancestors came from England could benefit from a present day exposure to British culture. Our Canadian culture has some marked differences. The closest thing to a black culture which one might identify is that born in the U.S. ghettoes and the subsequent contributions made to pop culture..

I listened to the American architect of this black school concept in a tv interview and his discussion was full of buzz words and vague generalities. It is clear that there is an agenda here, but with perhaps a more pragmatic bent. It is no secret that New World blacks have suffered from racism due primarily to the fact that the circumstances of their arrival was tied to slavery. The ensuing social order then, was inevitable. They have been battling this ever since. The prestige of the private school (whether deserved or not) implies prestige within the social order. The school apparently will be open to whites. Good to have a few of these token types hanging around. Now who will be marching in the other's parade. Now I am not saying this is a bad thing. God knows it must be hard enough walking around sometimes and in certain places if one is black. Just dig up an old copy of the book , “Black Like Me” and you will get the idea. It is basically about a white guy who cosmetically and chemically alters his appearance to experience the life. Not much fun a lot of the time. But all this said, on the surface it sounds like a great idea. But in the end, influences of home life and continuing to be marginalized will persist in having a dominating influence on the lives of the majority of these young people. Also since the majority of this particular demographic tends to encompass new Canadians it might be more profitable to examine elements of the culture they left behind when they immigrated to Canada. This might better yield answers to problems such as a proliferation of street shootings and school dropouts. I have often believed that immigration levels should be dependent upon our ability to socialize new arrivals into our unique Canadian culture. A mass influx of any one group can result in a reverse culture shock. Any maybe therein lies the answer. Creating black schools will do nothing but reinforce the division within our country.
 
How will they determine if someone is dark enough, using a light meter?

Suppose a well tanned kid makes it in September but has faded a bit by October, does he get the boot or will they have tanning booths ready?
 
Kailani said:
I am in favor or nutral as long as it is completely private with absolutely NO government assistance.

I remember going to all Japanese school to mainly focus on math and Japanese when I was younger every saturday morning and it was not funded by government. Yet, thanks to the school I can now read Japanese semi-fluently and write enough to get by.
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But in my experience those type schools: "Greek School", "Hebrew School", "Russian School" etc. . . generally are after hours private language and cultural instruction - on top of regular Canadian or U.S. education, not seeking to be a substitute for it.
 
This is a mistake that will go down in the history books and screw up the lives of a lot of kids. Funny how if I were doing badly in school my parents made dam sure I did my homework, encouraged me, and followed the schools advice to help bring my grades up.

I didn't back talk to my parents, skip school, tell my teachers where to go.

The failure is in how schools have been bullied by lousy parents into no taking extreem measures in dealing with their little "darling". The same goes with the parents, many can't do the homework that their kids have, or their too busy with their own lives to bother much about what junior or their little princess is upto or with whom. This school is going to FAIL because it can't address the root cause of failing students. They don't get the support at home to encourage them to stay in school, their parent has too many other kids to look after to spend the time and resources necessary to make sure that their troubled child gets the help they need to turn things around.

Remember the old saying "Those that can't, teach".... well guess who runs the school boards, teachers who gave up.
 
Actually, it's not an "all black school" as part of the law says that any student can choose to go there. So I wouldn't be at all surprised if you get a lot of non-blacks wanting to go there (for whatever reason).

I think it's a dumb idea mostly b/c I haven't heard a truly good argument for it. The reason 40% of blacks drop out of high school isn't because they don't like the curriculum. 90% of kids don't like the curriculum.

The reason 40% of blacks drop out stems from the same reasons that there are so many single black moms. There are cultural issues that need to be addressed and until you do, making an "all black school" just means you're going to be graduating kids with sub-standard educations.
 
There are so many things wrong with the idea of a school with an afrocentric curriculum

1) this is Canada and it is not an afrocentric culture, how will this prepare the kids for the real world

2) who is allowed to teach there? do they have to be black? what does a person who can appeal to black students look like on paper? will this lead to students only valuing the input of people of the same colour? Are asian teachers better suited to teach asian kids?

3) do these studies show that children of other cultures have such a high drop out rate? should there be muslim centric schools as well? there's been the long time stereotype of asians excelling at school but the curiculum doesn't seem asian centric to me?!!!???

4) let's be honest here. the problems facing black youth go much deeper than a curiculum that fails to engage them. While not every black child suffers from this I think it's fair to say that many live in single family homes with lower incomes and a lower educated parent. I think maybe a big brother intitiative (to provide positive male influences), after school homework clubs (to provide help with homework for kids whose parents are working and have little time to help or can't help), and after school activity programs (to give kids positive places to play and have fun). These types of programs would be great to have all over the city I think many kids could benefit from this not just black ones.
 
I dunno how many used to watch Fresh Prince of Bel Air but a while ago a friend was teaching a black history course and much like the show some of the worst students in the class were black. Take from that what you will.

However, as a counterpoint to the anti black school thoughts that I've put out apparently there are over 30 alternative schools in Toronto...... not sure what makes them alternative but they are out there.
 
How about schools focus on teaching the poor students in Toronto. We have more than enough of them and they have much more in common than just skin colour. I'd like to see some schools in poor neighbourhoods be able to provide the same kind of educational experience as some of the private schools.

Of course to deal with issues around poverty, the school board/province would have to spend a hell of a lot more money than the few bucks spent on this afrocentric experiment.
 
An all black school will be nothing more then a criminal training ground.

Watch crime go up!! We need Mike Harris back!!
 
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