Parents Poised to Take Over Failing SoCal School: Best for Kids?

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Looking at the low performing schools' test scores, it is no wonder that parents think they might do better!

The whole state is a failure.

Absolutely! If the parents and everyone else is paying school tax, they have a say how it's spent. Parents have every right to demand better for their kids and should. Good for them.

probably not ... if the parents' kids were failing it is prob mostly the fault of the parents who considered the school to be a substitute baby-sitter rather than a part of the effort (that the parents themselves MUST be a part of) to educate their kids ... if the parents aren't spending evening and weekend time with the kids, helping with homework, setting a good example by letting the kids see them read, stay informed about the world and current events and stuff like that, the parents aren't going to be able to do a better job than people who have been educated and trained to be teachers ...

sorry to be Debbie Downer, but i'm not very optimistic that these parents will be able to do a better job ...

Somehow they managed to get more than 50% of parents to sign the petition. That percentage alone *should* give an indication that the school sucked. Some are the parents you describe, but I have high hope that they're in the minority.

time will tell ...

50% isn't very encouraging ... that means that the parents of half the kids are not supportive of the idea ...

Think positive!

I'm positive that "the parents of half the kids are not supportive of the idea ..."

OK, you live there, I don't.

Mark lives in Irvine which is QUITE a different area than the town in the article.

People all over the world come to Irvine for its public schools. We rock!

Irvine is upscale community mostly comprised of higher income people. I am glad that your schools "rock" but the sad truth is that MOST Califonia public schools are performing less than satisfactory. Oh, and maybe YOU think that people come from all over the world for your public schools but this is, no doubt, a figment of your enthusiastic imagination. Sorry!

ha ha ha ... i've met and know people who came here for the schools! not sorry!

My daughter teaches in a low income, often non-English speaking school and her kids are performing well. She does wish that some of the parents would do better for their kids but the MOST important factor in children's education IS the classroom teacher. When the parents take over a school, they can hire the teachers THEY choose, not the seniority based, ineffective teachers that the school districts HAVE to hire first. I have volunteered regularly for many years at various public schools both in northern and southern California and there are PLENTY of teachers that should be removed from their classrooms but the unions have made it impossible to fire them. There are lots of reasons California public schools are failing but by far the biggest reason is the very very strong California Teachers Union. They got agengy shop implemented into California and for years only union teachers can be hired in California public schools. Their pay is automatically docked for money which is spent on political donations that have made the union the biggest political entity in California. They control Sacramento and the politicians.

The politicians, bureaucrats and unions need to go.

I am happy they got enough involved parents to even do it. A lot of parents are hands off when it comes to education. Perhaps their involvement will show children that parents care and show local, and state government that they won't tolerate the type of shenanigans we see in our schools now.

the state of california is spending far to much money on feel good laws and raping our kids of their edu.

ANYTHING the government runs is either loaded with cost overruns, poor quality, inept and the cost of bureaucracy are budget busters. I would like to see these parents make improvements such as RAISING test scores, tossing out revisionist history and science, teaching phonics, reading writing, spelling and critical thinking and more.

Public schooling; Another socialist program going up in smoke and doing nothing but damage to the future of our children.

Parents have an interest in the success of the schools, government just throws more money at problems.

great idea! parents SHOULD be much more involved in kid's education

Charter schools... please... hungry for knowledge... tired of being called stupid by Dutch friends... lol

Couldn't hurt, given what they have now.

when the average IQ in america is 69, i would say its long overdue, i would also like the truth to be told to our children, throw away.. the bibles and history books..because its all been one enormous..LIE !

SO tell us the truth, enlightened one.

IQ has nothing to do with education. The average IQ is 100. It's built around the mean being 100 and standard deviations of 15.

What's that have to do with this article?

Nothing. I was replying to the person above me who said America's IQ is low, because of bad education. We have an average IQ.

"i would also like the truth to be told to our children, throw away.. the bibles and history books..because its all been one enormous..LIE !"

as long as the kids are taught that there is no invisible friend who's gonna pop in and take care of things, i'm OK with religious education ( but ABSOLUTELY NOT in the public schools) ... otherwise it is just superstitious brainwashing that results in stupid, docile sheep who are easily led by so-called religious demagogues and snake-oil salesmen and women ...

Parents should always be involved in their children's education; I think it is ground zero. The school apparently hasn't gotten the job done probably because of unions. Go Parents!

This should be intersting. At least the parents probly won't complain so much about what their kids are learning and stuff like that.

talk about the blind leading the blind --- this is at risk for being the stupid leading the stupid.

A school in CALI-FORNIA FAILING? You mean the state that is the LWNJ UTOPIA has a school that is failing?......You would think with all of those filthy rich LIBERAL HOLLYWIERD mega millionaires the streets would be paved with gold.

I really don't know all the facts of why the school is failing. Parents are responsible to make sure their children succeed in school, but, what do the parents really know at this location? Why did the parents not step in way before the school failed?

Maybe the facts are the teachers are lazy and unqualified?

Research the Frankfurt School and Gramscian Communism.

But that said - let's see what happens - If you research the demographics of this community it is in a world of hurt no matter WHO runs the school - High single parent community, low average education, low income, etc.... Too much of educational achievement is sometimes put on the district and the teachers and not enough on the community they live in.

only if they can do better than the "experts" ?? Let them start by serving a better lunch than governhment experts can do !! Teach real lessons instead of teaching to test answers !! Give "elevent homework" !!

"Experts" are MORONS.

“Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done and why. Then do it.”
Robert Heinlein