I find the lack of facts here staggering. These blogs are mostly people who know very little saying a lot about what little they know. There are lots of factors involved: the social promotion of whole grades, schools buildings in decay, a culture that thinks being smart is being white (though rednecks revel in their stupidity), parents who don't care. However, none of these things justifies our abandonment of those who wish to succeed or the idiotic comments made by some here. Vouchers would be the best solution. I always find it odd that "choices" are good for health, shopping, investments and almost every other part of our society except education.

beefer: I agree! I have a feeling it will go down by midnight.

Gazette- we have a problem here. Too many illiterates spouting off about who's dumber than who. This thread should have been taken down long before it ever escalated to this. "Be nice. No racism, sexism or any other sort of -ism that degrades another person."

I don't think that year long schooling would make a difference when the kids aren't even made to go school for the regular school year. SOME parents just do not give a crap. They care only about their crack, their Old English 800 and their next welfare check.

I also agree that welfare is only enabeling some of these people. They are often 6th and 7th generation welfare recipients and even longer and it is just a way of life for them. It is unfortunate. And for those of you say that this is racist, you need a clue. It is REALITY, and if reality hurts, then so be it.

Does Janesville have any year-round schools? I would think it would ... it has just about every other kind of offering as far as education goes ... my sister teaches in a year-round school and sings praises about its benefits to students. She had taught there 20-plus years before the switch took place.

How about severely reducing (if not eliminating) the "stuff" these tests aren't measuring & devoting more resources to teaching the "stuff" they are? Radical concept - right? We've got too many students who, thanks to the NEA, feel great about themselves, miserable about their racist, intolerant, war-mongering country--& can't adequately read & write!

Strangely I know of enough posters here who are white that cannot read or write well. Myself included on occasion.
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I was helping a neighbor kid out in obtaining a job when their parent asked to see the application. The parent (76 year old grandma raising her white crack addicted daughters white children)one could argue should have been there for the kids long before they were applying for jobs.
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Pretty embarrassing when you offer yourself as a reference as to their character and they cannot fill out the application without serious spelling errors such as eny opposed to any.
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Much like these blogs :O) Everyone has an opinion but no one can seemingly fix the problems in life today. They would rather point the finger. We are stuck with one another. No one is going back to Ireland, Germany, Poland or Africa. Now put your energies into dealing with it.
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Is there any better option than sending children to school year around so if their home lives are lacking, at least they will have a marginally better chance at succeeding which year around school structure would offer them?
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Stripping children from crappy homes is undoubtedly very expensive, time consuming and to late.

And here is the pdf where the numbers were taken from ( i think at least) if anyone would like to check them out, or actually back up a comment with facts:).Relevant info starts at page 35.
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf...

HERE IS MATERIAL FROM SAME STORY AS IT APPEARED IN THE WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL: "The study, which is based on tests given to a statistical sampling of students in grades four and eight, scores by black students in Wisconsin were lower than the national average for black students in both reading and math. White students in Wisconsin scored slightly above the national average in math and about average in reading at grade eight, but below the national average for reading in grade four." IN SUMMARY, I would not say that Wisconsin students --- neither white nor black --- are achieving as they should.

Too much speed typing & not enough proofreading! My last sentence should have read, "...that HAVE a strangle-hold..."

Colt45: I don't think you have ever booked JJackson ... the guy works in law enforcement. Maybe he is your boss.

I believe we'd have had some spirited discussion by now from some of our most liberal posters--except they probably feel several of you are doing a good enough job of shooting yourselves in the foot! Too many are missing the point of the early sarcasm. Most of it wasn't directed at the students, but rather at the system that continually blames inadequate funding, inept administration, the white "race" in general, & anything else but the teachers' unions that has a strangle-hold on public education.

mytake4u: Congratulations! You have posted the most racist remark yet on this blog ... and, believe me, you have had a lot of competition. Why is it that racist people never realize they are being racist? Racism breeds racism ... one generation passes its stereotypes onto the next. This is more than sad.

it's funny to see people blaming no child left behind. there has always been a large gap and we have continued to pour millions if not billions on educating black students to help bring their grades up. so, what do we get? NOTHING! we still have people blaming whoever or whatever on the problem. in my opinion there is a much deeper problem. some have the capablities and others don't. there is NO educational answer! this is cultural and environmental and anthropoligy has had this answer for decades but those who bring this finding to the public are labeled racist.

Unidentified, I agree with you that there is something fundamentally wrong with this picture. The question seems to linger, what can be done to fix it? I don't have the answers, all I know is that something needs to be done. And I don't mean lowering the requirements, giving preferential points for race or anything like that.

I think for starters, people need to be held accountable for their children. I read these stories all the time, 15 year old, out at 2 am on a Tuesday shooting at cars,people, ect. Where are the parents of these kids? Why are that not held accountable?

I still don't see anyone here making any valid points. The racist nature of this region of WI keeps shining through. Read the article "The gap between white and black students in Wisconsin is one of the worst in the U.S." What is that saying? It can't just be the parents. If it is the parents, then why are black parents in WI any different than black parents in any other state? Either way you want to look at it there is something fundamentally wrong in this state that is causing these results. It's a cycle. Bad students turn into bad parents. If we're not teaching black students properly compared with other states, then eventually they'll grow up to be bad parents and the trend continues. Not all kids learn the same way. That doesn't make them stupid. It just means that different approaches have to be taken to get the same results.

JJackson, you are living in a fantacy world. After this stupud comment, "white kids are the ones bringing weapons to school and are most likely to commit a shooting on school grounds than black kids?". Have you been listening to the news? Several black on black shootings in Beloit, milwaukee, Madison, Chicago.... Need I say more.

LOOK at the statistics, blacks commit over 70% of the crime. I am not sure where you get your information that the white kids are shooting up the place.

Our school system and their entrenched unions are atrocious.
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School needs to be year round to ensure kids are getting fed and have some structure. Maybe in 2 generations we can play catch up to other nations who have embraced mathematics and science.
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Their will always be worthless parents in every race. Currently many black fathers for the most part are worthless and even they know it. It is a vicious cycle much like domestic abuse which takes education and not racism or stereotyping to correct.

coyote: It's spelled SURPRISE, not surprize ... you failed on that one. SKIDDZ: Most of the homes in the Fourth Ward and on Wisconsin Avenue are RENTALS; most those on Briar Crest and Juniper Hills are owned by those that occupy them. Most work on rentals are the responsibility of the landlord, not the renter. JJACKSON: You forgot to add to your list that most of the students abusing and (possibly becoming addicted to) drugs are also white and not black.

Colt45-You must either work for the jail or been in jail cause you sound just like them! And to clarify, there are more whites in the jail than blacks and that's a fact. You should probably call up there and ask them for their total count sheet which would break down the races and everything before you once again knock down another race!!!

I am wondering if it were cool to be smart and get good grades things would be different.
Meals and Head Start and social programs are not working. We do about what we want to do in this country in most cases. You can find people who are successful from every race and background.
It has to be important to do well in order to make progress. Now how to implement that is the question. I think it is WORK. The dirty word in this world.

Watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99cw-wdHU... and pay close attention around min. 2:00 notice what the principal told the teacher? hmmm again it goes back to the parents!

WOW I knew there was a lot of racism in this area but my god people! Seriously?? Are you ALL PERFECT?! Probably not, so lay off people who are not.
And as for the test beore you start poping out kids...I know plenty of white familys that should not behaving all the kids they have...

WEAC is quick to take credit for the overall high high test scores of Wisconsin students. They even spend union members money buying commercial time patting themselves on the back for the great job that they have done as the driving factor in Wisconsin having one of the highest ACT averages in the country.

If they are to receive the credit for this stat, how then can it be said that they have none of the blame for the scores of our African American students. If home life is 100% the reason for the low scores (as some posters claim) then it would also be the sole reason for the high scores. Right?

What about American Indians? Or the population of Hmong or Spanish speaking citizens in the state now? Why does every study have to be white or black?

We have a problem with schools in Milwaukee -- and anyone who attempts something other than the status quo is lambasted by WEAC.

I completely agree with Sprout, I was about to write the same thing until I saw that. And everyone who posted comments making fun of these kids are the reason that this city sucks to live in and why those kids don't even have a damn chance to begin with. It all starts at home, and if the parents keep them clean and steer them straight, then our teachers and coaches need to take care of the rest. And if they look at them as negros rather then children, how the hell are these kids getting a fair shot? They don't deserve to be made fun of, a**holes.

Honestly in todays time. I don't understand why we don't have a apptitude test before you can have a kid....
Go look at the white familys having 1 or 2 kids... taking the time to teach their kids about the world and how to make a living so they can support themselfs.
Go look at the colored familys poping out 4-8 kids and not teaching them anything but how to fill out the application for welfare. So the white working kid can pay in his taxes for the Illegal to have healthcare...

And I am going to be the one called crazy for saying that I know. But atleast I'm not affraid to speak the truth!

Oh here is a racist comment for you. Wisconsin Ave in Beloit or the 4th ward here in Janesville... Whats the ratio of White vs. other races? It's probably equal or close to equal.

Briar Crest, Juniper Hills, all the houses out in the country, whats their White vs other race ratio? I bet its 9 out of 10 whites right??? or at least DARN close

Now drive threw those neighbor hoods. See how the 9 out of 10 white community takes care of its neighborhood?

Now drive threw the "other neighbor hood" that is a ratio or more colored and look how they take care of their neighborhood.

Does that reflect the attitude of the parents at all?? Hmmm

The, "I'll cut the lawn next week, I'll fix the door next week, I fix the plumbing later, the procrastinator. Your kids watch you and the surrounding you put them in and they will try to recreate it. Your kid is born as a blank canvas it is you the parent that is the artist that creates your kid.

Well gee, is this any surprise to Wisconsin residents? What do you expect when teachers are shackled with ridiculous classroom plans such as “Handwriting Without Tears”, or are told they can’t fail a student because it will hurt their self esteem? We can’t even correct grammar, spelling, or expect a child coming into the school system to even speak English, and we’re forbidden to discipline students when they swear or misbehave because the school board and unions are so terrified of being called racist or sued if it’s a minority we discipline. So all we can do is sit back, take abuse from some students, watch our kids fail, and socially promote them even if they’re not prepared for the real world because “no child can be left behind”. And if we deviate from this institutionalized failure or rock the boat, we risk being fired. That’s your tax dollars at work.

What happened to we are all equal, we are all equal to learn, or equal to fail we in this little community and we all know it to be true we have had an equal opportunity to learn. But some choose not to take advantage of it so how can a community teach the ones that do not want to learn?

I put it to you that they are all on there way to jail so let’s just help them alone if they drop out scho

Skiddz: That's ridiculous. It can't simply be just the parents. So if your point is that Wisconsin's black parents are worse than black parents in other states doesn't that still come back to us? Either way WI is dropping the ball somewhere. I'm not saying parenting isn't a big part, but it's obviously NOT the only factor here.

This isn't a big surprise. I would be interested to see the percentage of blacks in WI versus other states. I would gamble the number to be quite low in comparison. As a result, WI is not familiar or comfortable teaching some minority groups. Every culture, and every student for that matter, learns differently. Teachers need to be able to reach out to all ethnic groups. America is a melting pot. However, not every state seems to understand that concept. There is definitely a superiority complex among many whites I've seen in this state. What's more, I would have liked to have seen WI rank above the national average among whites. Essentially, if you factor in the average and worst in the country numbers, we're below average. Not good. Especially considering how high taxes are in this state.

Its not the schools or teachers fault. Its pure and simple the parents. When a kid does good in school the parent is quick to say "Thats my boy" But when the kid can't read or goes on a school shooting it's "Jonny's bad friends that influenced him, or the video games he played." You will never here the parent admit it was their own parenting that caused there kid to be the way they are.

Yes, coyote, I understand that. But, I would hazard a guess that most posters on this story are from Janesville or a surrounding community. The incredible racism in some of these comments blows me away.

Colt45, just in case you didn't know, white people listen to hiphop as well.

This paper always put some ridiculous story in it's headlines, especially when it has to deal with race and this community feeds on it. People should be on here thinking and brainstorming on ways to make this situation better. Instead of saying that we're dumb and this and that.

I'm not prejudice in no way, but here is a little something for you to ponder, why is that white kids are the ones bringing weapons to school and are most likely to commit a shooting on school grounds than black kids? Why is it that more white kids call in bomb threats than black kids...oh let me guess, it's the rap music. See my point is, don't be so quick to down a particular race when your race is no better. Every race has faults, all of them.

Maybe Janesville School District should hire people from a more diverse background. Most City of Janesville jobs have this particular profile for the the people that they seem to hire...kind like a Ken and Barbie profile. If you don't fit in with the good ole boys, go dear hunting, drink beer etc. You're not going to be welcomed or better yet hired.

Students need to trust their teachers and be comfortable to approach them with questions and concerns. A black student for example may not feel comfortable talking to a white teacher about a race issue because a white person may not understand where the kid is coming from and who knows, they might do. nevertheless, when you hire a teacher that has never been exposed to different races or ethnic backgrounds, they won't know how to approach them or even help them. Which results in giving up on the student.

Maybe that's what the Janesville School District finally recognized and that's why they're now trying to hire minorities.

According to the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance website(http://www.wistax.org/) Milwaukee schools spent $11,735 per student for the 2007-08 school year. Beloit spent $10,634. Comparatively Janesville spent $9,598. I don't believe funding is the problem.

Colt45-"...its because your stupid and cant read." Should be "it's because you're stupid and can't read."

My guess is they are on here reading these posts. The grammar and spelling on here are consistently atrocious!

Before you make a post criticizing an entire ethnic group regarding their reading abilities, please make sure that your skills are up to par. You would be “surprised” how many white adults misspell a 4th grade word such as surprise.

Please think before you post…maybe even mix in a spell check.

XOXO

Excuse me, the story reads, WISCONSIN not Janesville.

Also, I knew Janesville had a lot of racism, but these comments surprise even me.

This is a result of "Every Child Left Behind." When schools underperform, they lose funding as "punishment." When they lose funding, they can't hire quality teachers, provide quality learning tools, and the cycle continues. Most schools with continually low test scores are in poorer, mostly minority districts. Until "NCLB" is repealed, this trend will continue.

Colt45, where were you last week? There was a teacher on here that would agree with you. In fact she must have spent 3 hours lobbying for it!

Should we not just stop testing so every student feels good/ on second thought this might not be a bad idea. this way we could save us all alot of money and fire the teachers that are doing such a good job on the whites!

Isn't providing a safe, clean environment enough to encourage learning; or does each and every student need to be hand fed the material and then all standards be lowered so that they can feel good about themselves being able to achieve the easily obtainable with little or no effort on their part? Crap, why bother at all.

i wish i could see stats for private schooling next to the state school results. that would put our school board on notice, i bet.

What do you suggest FB09?

What is wrong with these people? Instead of trying to help we should all just mock these kids? Get a life!!

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First I would like to apologize. Being a white male I know this is my entire fault. Everything I have has been handed to me on a silver platter. I never had to study or make any effort, I just did the secret handshake and BAM it was there. Looks like it’s time to either lower the standards or show them the handshake.

....And still, many people and unions want to cling to the educational status quo in Milwaukee.

No surprizes there.