UNC football players - Between 8 percent and 10 percent read below a third-grade level.

[texascpa]

Having taught in a in a high poverty level public school ( 75 % free lunch ) I can assure you that All4 is absolutely correct.

Are you sure it was a high poverty level, because the "free" school lunch program is a farce unto itself.

 

[NKR1978]

If these kids really can't read, aren't they better off in at a college where they can at least learn some skills to be functional after college?

Kids hailing from extreme poverty probably benefit from the experience of spending time at a UNC or other college.

And I am sure our hands aren't exactly clean when it comes to who we admit. Given what we have been through with the media I'm surprised so many of us are throwing stones from our glass house.

 

[MaxwellCuse]

If these kids really can't read, aren't they better off in at a college where they can at least learn some skills to be functional after college?

Kids hailing from extreme poverty probably benefit from the experience of spending time at a UNC or other college.

And I am sure our hands aren't exactly clean when it comes to who we admit. Given what we have been through with the media I'm surprised so many of us are throwing stones from our glass house.

Kids who can barely read -- I don't they actually have zero reading comprehension skills -- require intense remedial education. This sort of remedial education is rarely offered at 4-year colleges and universities, but it is one of the things that community, or junior, colleges specialize at. The NFL should fund a minor league for those potential pro athletes who lack college-ready skills that also provides life counseling and a scholarship to the community college of their choice for remedial education.

 

[storange]

Are you sure it was a high poverty level, because the "free" school lunch program is a farce unto itself.

Yea, Im sure.

 

[domedog]

All over the local Raleigh evening news tonight was Mary Willingham, former learning specialist at Chapel Hill who says she "routinely committed NCAA violations, but then lied about them, particularly as it related to the academic readiness of high-profile athletes."

In a survey of 183 UNC-CH athletes who played football or basketball from 2004 to 2012, CNN reported that 60 percent read between fourth- and eighth-grade levels. Between 8 percent and 10 percent read below a third-grade level.
Stay tuned, this lady is out for blood. She is getting death threats if you can believe that.

​

UNC, a prestigious academic institution, has just taken one big hit after another in recent years. What a mess. I bet the non-booster type alums are really thrilled. Maybe these most recent revelations account for the total lack of interest I saw on their basketball court last night.

 

[RMH44]

Ask oneself this question. How in the world do we spend so much on education, more than anyone else in the world, and get such poor results. It's a real tragedy and yet the union establishment says that more money is the answer.

Having spent my entire career in education (both union and non-union), I honestly believe that the unions, especially their leadership, deserve a small part of the blame for failing schools. But it's not for the reasons many would expect and it has nothing to do with money (see Wash DC) spent per pupil.

Most teachers care deeply about their students and go beyond the pale to help them succeed. Unfortunately, there are so many foundational and systemic hurdles to clear that the classroom teacher's task is almost insurmountable...especially in urban areas.

A few years ago I was sponsoring a luncheon for about 70 Language Arts Supervisors in NYC. After my presentation, we opened the floor for questions. Eventually, the discussion spiraled into a conversation about teacher frustrations and concerns.

Most were very hard on themselves and worried that they were letting their students down. At this point I said (paraphrasing) "I emphasize with your frustration but you're being too hard on yourselves." I further explained to them that, " I've been in schools all across the country and I think that I've identified the root of the problem. Not to be over simplistic, but if you find a way to fix the American family I think you'll discover that the majority of problems within your classrooms will vanish."

Obviously, identifying the root cause is far easier than solving it and probably not appropriate discussion for this board. I will say this...imo, government is not the answer, it is a big part of the problem.

 

[victor]

Having spent my entire career in education (both union and non-union), I honestly believe that the unions, especially their leadership, deserve a small part of the blame for failing schools. But it's not for the reasons many would expect and it has nothing to do with money (see Wash DC) spent per pupil.

Most teachers care deeply about their students and go beyond the pale to help them succeed. Unfortunately, there are so many foundational and systemic hurdles to clear that the classroom teacher's task is almost insurmountable...especially in urban areas.

A few years ago I was sponsoring a luncheon for about 70 Language Arts Supervisors in NYC. After my presentation, we opened the floor for questions. Eventually, the discussion spiraled into a conversation about teacher frustrations and concerns.

Most were very hard on themselves and worried that they were letting their students down. At this point I said (paraphrasing) "I emphasize with your frustration but you're being too hard on yourselves." I further explained to them that, " I've been in schools all across the country and I think that I've identified the root of the problem. Not to be over simplistic, but if you find a way to fix the American family I think you'll discover that the majority of problems within your classrooms will vanish."

Obviously, identifying the root cause is far easier than solving it and probably not appropriate discussion for this board. I will say this...imo, government is not the answer, it is a big part of the problem.

Let me just say that I agree with you 100% and after I posted this I wished I had phrased it differently. I was getting ready this morning to make the same points you made but you beat me to it. I certainly did not mean to critical of teachers, and appreciate those like you who may devote their lives to the teaching profession.

Like you, I believe strongly that the breakdown of the American family is at the root of the education problem as well as many other problems like poverty or drug abuse. I read an article where 41% of children today are born out of wedlock with the number being as high as 75% in the minority community. A child specially boys who don't get the love attention and discipline they need at home are doomed to fail. Boys in particular need their dads to be role models and I feel very sorry for those that don't have that role model in their lives. If children are coming to school from this environment, I agree that it would make teaching these children a nearly impossible task and no amount of money will correct the problem.

 

[NC'cusefan]

Has anyone ever flunked signing a letter-of-intent?

Yes they have.

 

[44PRIDE]

It's a systemic breakdown from college to elementary school. How the hell did these guys get a passing grade on the SAT?

 

[cusefan88]

Only the education was left behind.

 

[billsin01]

I was really just trying to emphasize that it is not an issue of geography, this sort of stuff doesn't only happen in the South for instance. No doubt there are coaches who believe in, and advocate for, the scholar athelete.

I was being 100 percent sarcastic. I would say you could probably count the number of coaches in DI that care even slightly about anything more than staying eligible and more or less out of trouble on two hands. To be fair it's not really what they are paid to do, but the lip service guys like Sabah and strong and marine and others pay to 'developing young men' is intellectually insulting.

 

[Scooch]

I was being 100 percent sarcastic. I would say you could probably count the number of coaches in DI that care even slightly about anything more than staying eligible and more or less out of trouble on two hands. To be fair it's not really what they are paid to do, but the lip service guys like Sabah and strong and marine and others pay to 'developing young men' is intellectually insulting.

This is why I think I'm respecting Jurich's hiring of Petrino more and more by the minute. He's dropping that pretense entirely. Petrino is a scumbag who is being hired because he will win a lot of football games. Period. It's not about the university community or developing young men or any of that bullspit.

Win. Games.

Period.

 

[RMH44]

Let me just say that I agree with you 100% and after I posted this I wished I had phrased it differently. I was getting ready this morning to make the same points you made but you beat me to it. I certainly did not mean to critical of teachers, and appreciate those like you who may devote their lives to the teaching profession.

Like you, I believe strongly that the breakdown of the American family is at the root of the education problem as well as many other problems like poverty or drug abuse. I read an article where 41% of children today are born out of wedlock with the number being as high as 75% in the minority community. A child specially boys who don't get the love attention and discipline they need at home are doomed to fail. Boys in particular need their dads to be role models and I feel very sorry for those that don't have that role model in their lives. If children are coming to school from this environment, I agree that it would make teaching these children a nearly impossible task and no amount of money will correct the problem.

For the most part, it's not the rank and file teachers that are the problem...it's their union leadership.

Don't get me wrong, like any profession, there are some real poor excuses for teachers out there. The problem is, even the best teachers have difficulty properly educating their students as a result of lack of discipline and support in the home.

 

[Orangepace]

Ask oneself this question. How in the world do we spend so much on education, more than anyone else in the world, and get such poor results. It's a real tragedy and yet the union establishment says that more money is the answer.

Simple... our bottom is much higher than the others.

 

[Crusty]

I read somewhere that if you exclude inner cities, US test scores never went down over the years and have improved more in recent years. If this is true, then we have created a underclass that will be be next to impossible to eliminate in a generation. Other countries do not have this problem to the degree we do. It is truly frightening.

 

[All4SU]

Having spent my entire career in education (both union and non-union), I honestly believe that the unions, especially their leadership, deserve a small part of the blame for failing schools. But it's not for the reasons many would expect and it has nothing to do with money (see Wash DC) spent per pupil.

Most teachers care deeply about their students and go beyond the pale to help them succeed. Unfortunately, there are so many foundational and systemic hurdles to clear that the classroom teacher's task is almost insurmountable...especially in urban areas.

A few years ago I was sponsoring a luncheon for about 70 Language Arts Supervisors in NYC. After my presentation, we opened the floor for questions. Eventually, the discussion spiraled into a conversation about teacher frustrations and concerns.

Most were very hard on themselves and worried that they were letting their students down. At this point I said (paraphrasing) "I emphasize with your frustration but you're being too hard on yourselves." I further explained to them that, " I've been in schools all across the country and I think that I've identified the root of the problem. Not to be over simplistic, but if you find a way to fix the American family I think you'll discover that the majority of problems within your classrooms will vanish."

Obviously, identifying the root cause is far easier than solving it and probably not appropriate discussion for this board. I will say this...imo, government is not the answer, it is a big part of the problem.

Well said.

 

[Eric15]

Not to be over simplistic, but if you find a way to fix the American family I think you'll discover that the majority of problems within your classrooms will vanish."

I know this is the football board and posters will get anxiety if I take this in too far of a political direction, but I think one way to "fix" the American family is to end the War on Drugs which has been an abject failure.

 

[Statesman1]

Having spent my entire career in education (both union and non-union), I honestly believe that the unions, especially their leadership, deserve a small part of the blame for failing schools. But it's not for the reasons many would expect and it has nothing to do with money (see Wash DC) spent per pupil.

Most teachers care deeply about their students and go beyond the pale to help them succeed. Unfortunately, there are so many foundational and systemic hurdles to clear that the classroom teacher's task is almost insurmountable...especially in urban areas.

A few years ago I was sponsoring a luncheon for about 70 Language Arts Supervisors in NYC. After my presentation, we opened the floor for questions. Eventually, the discussion spiraled into a conversation about teacher frustrations and concerns.

Most were very hard on themselves and worried that they were letting their students down. At this point I said (paraphrasing) "I emphasize with your frustration but you're being too hard on yourselves." I further explained to them that, " I've been in schools all across the country and I think that I've identified the root of the problem. Not to be over simplistic, but if you find a way to fix the American family I think you'll discover that the majority of problems within your classrooms will vanish."

Obviously, identifying the root cause is far easier than solving it and probably not appropriate discussion for this board. I will say this...imo, government is not the answer, it is a big part of the problem.

Like x 100

 

[Trueblue25]

Yeah these guys aren't splitting any atoms.

 

[texascpa]

Boy, it didn't take long to blame Bush.

 

[victor]

I know this is the football board and posters will get anxiety if I take this in too far of a political direction, but I think one way to "fix" the American family is to end the War on Drugs which has been an abject failure.

Boy, I guess I know am an old guy and in the minority here but if by ending the War on Drugs you mean the legalization of drugs specially hard drugs I could not disagree with you more. One of the things that bothers me in our current society is the glorification of drugs and the rampant abuse of drugs specially by children. I know personally of a child who nearly died from an overdose of crack cocaine. I hear stories about children crushing pain killers and snorting them to get high and I wonder what to hell is going on.

I am not in favor of incarcerating people for minor drug offenses, and I don't care what people do in the privacy of their homes, but I don't see how legalizing drugs helps anything. It's funny I have never heard any drug addict who was fortunate enough to kick the habit say that drug use is a good thing. One other thing most places of employment now drug test all new employees. I worked in a large chemical facility where in certain critical areas it was required by law to do random drug testing on anyone who worked there.

The late Patrick Moynihan who was a great liberal politician had an opinion on what was causing the breakdown of the family. I happen to agree with his opinion.

 

[Millhouse]

But these kids aren't being exploited, they're getting a free college education! Right? RIGHT?!?!

What are their alternatives? I don't think it's exploitation.

 

[retro44]

Having spent my entire career in education (both union and non-union), I honestly believe that the unions, especially their leadership, deserve a small part of the blame for failing schools. But it's not for the reasons many would expect and it has nothing to do with money (see Wash DC) spent per pupil.

Most teachers care deeply about their students and go beyond the pale to help them succeed. Unfortunately, there are so many foundational and systemic hurdles to clear that the classroom teacher's task is almost insurmountable...especially in urban areas.

A few years ago I was sponsoring a luncheon for about 70 Language Arts Supervisors in NYC. After my presentation, we opened the floor for questions. Eventually, the discussion spiraled into a conversation about teacher frustrations and concerns.

Most were very hard on themselves and worried that they were letting their students down. At this point I said (paraphrasing) "I emphasize with your frustration but you're being too hard on yourselves." I further explained to them that, " I've been in schools all across the country and I think that I've identified the root of the problem. Not to be over simplistic, but if you find a way to fix the American family I think you'll discover that the majority of problems within your classrooms will vanish."

Obviously, identifying the root cause is far easier than solving it and probably not appropriate discussion for this board. I will say this...imo, government is not the answer, it is a big part of the problem.

I too have identified the problem and it's called interfering politicians. Keep all politics out of the education and let the people who know what to do run the show and keep pest control politicians in time out

 

[JackBauer44]

I read somewhere that if you exclude inner cities, US test scores never went down over the years and have improved more in recent years. If this is true, then we have created a underclass that will be be next to impossible to eliminate in a generation. Other countries do not have this problem to the degree we do. It is truly frightening.

I believe the common core will make that stat go in the opposite direction over the next couple of years.

 

[Crusty]

I believe the common core will make that stat go in the opposite direction over the next couple of years.

The people trying to stop common core are the very people it is intended to help. Go figure.