No, I definitely do agree that low income urban schools have low standards. I just think that other schools have standards only slightly less low. A handful of the student body might opt to take a handful of challenging courses in secondary school. The vast majority of classes taken by the vast majority of students are going to be designed so that average students who put forth average work will get a B+. That's just how American schools are designed.
That's my point. We DO need to raise standards in order to raise the quality of education. And the first step to doing that is admitting that the standards we have now, even in wealthier white communities, are abysmally low.
"hold them to the high standards of academic rigor to which their more wealthy, and generally more white peers, are held."
Exactly my point. It's not like these white high schools are flunking kids out who don't meet their high standards of academic excellence. So how can they really be 'high?'
Exactly my point. It's not like these white high schools are flunking kids out who don't meet their high standards of academic excellence.
I'm not saying there are notniceschools. I'm saying that there are not ANY schools that are flunking out 2/3rds of their students. Even if you're flunking 20% of your students, is that really a HIGH standard? Even Ivy League colleges rarely fail out anyone who actually shows up to classes. Once you've made it in, you're pretty much golden as long as you show up and turn something reasonable in.
