5 city schools labeled 'persistently dangerous'

Five Maryland schools have been labeled "persistently dangerous," and they are all in Baltimore city.

[announcerguydrew]

and there you go ............ Baltimore City continuing to turn it's back on it's good students and letting the inmates run the places.

[Bill]

These are probably the same schools Martin Owe'Malley didn't want to be taken over. Way to go, Gov.!!!!

[Pearl]

I live around the corner from Hamilton Middle School - the students have no respect for the community or themselves. So it doesn't surprise me that they have one of the highest suspension rates.

[Jocko]

Thank God for the NCLB Act. Before it, the liberals that ran the school systems and their union allies would just look the other way and sweep this violence under the carpet. What a tragedy for these poor minority kids. At least now a light is being shined on the violence and there is an effort to stem the violence in these schools. Let's hope that the liberals and their union allies do not succeed in killing this good law. Minority students are now doing better on the NCLB tests as earlier reported. This is encouraging. Poor minority kids can meet higher standard if you require it despite what modern liberalism tries to tell you that they cannot acheive and that we must have lower standards for these kids.

[Teacher]

As a teacher at one of the schools listed as 'persistently dangerous' it's a hard label to swallow. My students made gains this year in reading (the classes I taught). If students who cause a major problem stay in the classroom, we stay off the list. On the other hand, if administrators suspend students (justifiably), we get the label. What we must understand is that children will live up to the expectations you have for them. If we label a whole school as 'dangerous' students will live up to that expectation. On the flip side, if you tell them that they are scholars, that they are special, they are smart, they are capable of great things, you will start to see that spark, as I have in many of my students. Before writing off a whole school, take a second to think about each child as an individual. Trust me, being a teacher isn't easy in Baltimore City, but the proof is in the pudding; if you have the passion, truly care, and set high expectations, these students can and will excel.

[arthurf2]

Well that figures. Welcome to Maryland whats in your pocket???? Way to go O'Malley heres my arm for this blog spend it wisely on another trip to ireland

[John]

Let's just blame Bob Ehrlich.

[klfd]

If Social Services and other advocates would let the parents do their job, maybe kids will straighten up. Back in the day this problem was almost non-existent. Another problem began (and please check the stats on this) was when they segregated the schools. Truth hurts I know!:(

[Dirk]

Ah, Jocko, of the blame liberals first crowd. The National Education Association: "Since 2003, McCain voted repeatedly against fully funding No Child Left Behind, resulting in an unfunded mandate that has continued to further tap local communities and states during an economic downturn." Not that facts matter at all to people like you.

[Amy]

Teacher wrote:

What we must understand is that children will live up to the expectations you have for them. If we label a whole school as 'dangerous' students will live up to that expectation. On the flip side, if you tell them that they are scholars, that they are special, they are smart, they are capable of great things, you will start to see that spark, as I have in many of my students. Before writing off a whole school, take a second to think about each child as an individual. Trust me, being a teacher isn't easy in Baltimore City, but the proof is in the pudding; if you have the passion, truly care, and set high expectations, these students can and will excel.

Good for you, Teacher from Columbia, MD. I'm amazed that someone with your experience isn't jaded enough to have lost such idealism. Keep fighting the good fight.

[Why not]

Why not implement the Direct Intervention (DI) program in these schools?

[Jocko]

Dirk wrote:

Ah, Jocko, of the blame liberals first crowd. The National Education Association: "Since 2003, McCain voted repeatedly against fully funding No Child Left Behind, resulting in an unfunded mandate that has continued to further tap local communities and states during an economic downturn." Not that facts matter at all to people like you.

Yes. There is much to blame here for modern liberalism. It is linked to many of the problems of the poor, particularly the black inner-city poor. Liberal social/welfare programs decimated the black urban family replacing fathers with a government check and provided money for young poor women to become "baba mammas" rather than trying to improve their lives. Now liberal political candidates in exchange for their campaign cash from unions oppose real reform in the schools such as NCLB, charter schools and vouchers etc. Yes the truth is not so pretty is it?