As someone who has taught inner city math for almost thirty

Posted on: November 9, 2017 at 07:47:21 CT

years I can give you some insight on this issue. In my career I have never taught outside the bounds of KCMO and KCK. Both districts have their share of really crappy teachers BUT some of the best teachers I have ever met work in those districts too.

How do you teach students who tell you on day one 'I don't like your class, I don't need your class and I don't plan to do your work.'? In many inner city high schools you are trying to teach algebra and geometry to students who stopped doing math five years ago. When I was in KCMO I used to give my students a placement test designed for home school parents to determine what level their kids were ready for. Every year I gave that placement test I had over half of my high school students test at the fifth grade level or lower. I never had more than 5% test at grade level. That meant that even if I was a fantastic teacher and taught all of them three years worth of material only a small handful would have tested at grade level.

When kids, and parents, start opting out of education at the elementary and middle school levels there is no way for their high schools to be successful.