The biggest problem in the Lehigh Valley is Allentown. Allentown's biggest problem is its school district. Despite a budget three times the size of the city and increased funding every year, graduation rates are unacceptably low.
Spending at the Allentown School District was $350,295,971 during the 2020-2021 school year. At that time, the cohort graduation rate at William Allen HS dropped to 66.33%. Among Hispanics, the graduation rate dropped to 64.18%.
Dieruff High School appears to be in better shape. Its cohort graduation rate increased from 78.03% in 2017-8 to 84.60% in 2020-21. Among Hispanics, the graduation rated increased from 76.68% in 2017-8 to 82.45% in 2020-21.
Despite a 14% increase in funding, 1 out of 3 students who entered William Allen in 2017, failed to graduate four years later. For Dieruff, it's a little better, but compared to the graduation rates at the charter schools, totally unacceptable.
Why would any young family want to move into a city with a failing school district? It am especially disturbed that the graduation rate is so low among Hispanics, who make up at least 54% of the City's population. A parent who wants to do right by their children would want to live somewhere else or go to charter or private school.
The increased funding appears is unhelpful because much of the spending is going to charter schools. In 2020-21, over $62 million went to charter schools.
Source: Cohort Graduation Rate
So, what is the problem? Maybe the 5th superintendent in 7 years. A principal at Allen HS who was just removed. Who shouldn't have been hired in the first place. A Democrat school board that cares less about accountability. Students with no family support or pressure to excel. No community identity. A transient population of renters. As a taxpayer in that district, I am both angry and ashamed of those statistics.
ReplyDeleteHow are the charter schools doing overall ?
ReplyDeleteFlawed cultures with no fathers. Oops. That's politically incorrect to mention, right? This is why abortion is so critical to keeping flawed cultures from breeding. Thinning the herd is our only hope. It worked for Downs retards, mostly. It will work here too.
ReplyDelete"The increased funding appears is unhelpful because much of the spending is going to charter schools. In 2020-21, over $62 million went to charter schools."
ReplyDeleteWow, you were knocking every point out of the ballpark and then you ruined it with the canard about charter schools being the problem.
If that's the case, why did the graduation rate at Dieruff go up?
The reality is that the ASD has problems because it's too big and is poorly run. And no amount of additional funding will solve that.
Also, to those that will argue that we have too many districts and should combine them in order to save money I'll ask this: What large district is outperforming smaller ones? Allentown? Reading? Philadelphia? Even better ones like Bethlehem don't hit the marks that most smaller districts do. Larger districts typically have bloated bureaucracies that are more focused on serving themselves than the needs of the students.
When was the last time you read an article about the ASD using one of its better-performing schools as a model for what should be done at its poorer performing schools? Or promoting anyone based on their performance in the district?
The last four superintendents have all been outsiders (hired by the Board), meaning that NOBODY in the current over-sized administration is capable of leading the district. Yet where has been the related house cleaning at the district to acknowledge this fact? That's right, it hasn't happened. They just keep the same people in the same positions year-after-year and hope that the one (outside) person at the top will magically be able to identify and then solve all of the district’s problems.
They just made the new Superintendent a permanent hire, but can anyone tell me the performance expected from her to keep that job? By what percentage will graduation rates and test scores need to rise, and in what time frame? Nobody has those answers because nobody in the district thinks that way – especially the failed school board.
You’re writing about the graduation rates. Which school board member will be holding a press conference to talk about them and calling out the rates as unacceptable? Which board member will offer their resignation for their continued failure? That’s right, none of them!
ASD will only improve when the board starts holding failing schools, administrators, and themselves accountable. But they won't. They're more concerned with keeping the gravy-train running. And if anything should be learned from the bulk of your article, it's that more money isn't going to fix the problem.
Behind most students who graduate is a parent, or interested adult who assures attendance and completion of assignments. Sorry, Bernie, throwing money at the schools can rarely make up for that lack. Yes, schools in wealthier areas have more kids graduating but that is because they generally have support of a parent or another support of an adult.
ReplyDeleteWhile the school district may be not up to what it could be, lets get more realistic, the school and teachers cannot make up for dysfunctional families, single parent families stressed at just keeping up with basic responsibilities. Kids with little language skills etc.
ReplyDeleteThe trouble with city schools starts with the family, security, discipline, a father in the home, just the basic tools needed for successful children and families.
The basics that have been rejected by this culture that seems to believe that the age old truths no longer matter.
The schools and teachers cannot replace sound families.
Inner city families have often been poor, in the past. Poor does not doom children, but a lack of family does. I see no effort to encourage sound families in this country, only assault after assault on the eternal truths of a sound society.
More money will not have any effect.
They move to allentown for the welfare, other handouts and drugs
ReplyDelete"For Dieruff, it's a little better, but compared to the graduation rates at the charter schools, totally unacceptable."
ReplyDeleteAnd right there is why parents are choosing charter schools over ASD, and why the total funding going to charter schools is increasing.
That's not a problem, it's a more successful option than throwing your kids into a failing school system.
A child in a charter school isn't costing the district any more than a kid attending a district school, unless the ASD isn't spending all the money it receives from the state on the student. If anything, charters are saving the district money since the district doesn't have the capacity to absorb the number of ASD students currently in charters.
If the ASD Board were wise, they would approve more charters, get better results, and cut their costs.
Sounds like graduation rates District wide are up a modest degree. This seems to be a bit of good news. Any stats on the Building 21 high school, which is also an ASD school?
ReplyDelete"How are the charter schools doing overall ?"
ReplyDeletePerformance is all over the place. Exec Ed Academy, located in Allentown, is high 96.20%.
"They move to allentown for the welfare, other handouts and drugs"
Who are "they"? If by they, you mean minorities, you're a bigot. If you mean assholes, you might be right.
8:22, Graduation rates at Wm Allen went down, despite more money. At Dieruff, they went up. At Bldg 21, it is very good. 95.79%
ReplyDeleteAs a former ASD parent (we moved) I can tell you lack of parental involvement and support is not the major issue in most ASD schools, of course it is an issue for many students everywhere and Allentown is no exception.
ReplyDeleteTwo main issues:
1. Lack of resources is a very real issue in Allentown. The average class size is too large and there is literally no extra help in the school, even if the students want it, if a student is unfamiliar with a new concept (after school tutoring, etc.) unless they have a designated IEP. If their parents do jump though the hoops to get an IEP designation there is still little extra support for the students.
2. Culture. Most teachers are wonderful but many have low morale and assume it’s ok for students to fail because it is Allentown. These teachers are generally not well traveled or highly educated themselves. They should not be there.
I decided not to send my children to any ASD school after the student molestations were met with the response: "We are not responsible for the safety of your children when in our care".
ReplyDeleteThat response told me all I needed to know about ASD.
But since my money is still going to this district I think the best move as things stand would be to have separate schools for underachievers and problem students, as was proposed in the past, but was then quickly shot down by some parents and children alike. Best case, the problem kids get the special care and attendance they need. Worse case, they are not holding back the ones that can be saved.
Anon 12:59 said:
ReplyDelete"But since my money is still going to this district I think the best move as things stand would be to have separate schools for underachievers and problem students, as was proposed in the past, but was then quickly shot down by some parents and children alike."
Instead of throwing more money at public schools, the PA Legislature should make it easier for districts to permanently expel problem children. I'm not talking about the learning disabled, I'm talking about the violent students; gang-affiliate students; students who bring weapons to school, etc.
Our schools shouldn't be alternatives for juvenile detention. They should be places where kids can learn. Expecting administrators, teachers and other students to go to school and succeed with criminals in their classrooms is not working.
And if a kid falls into one of the problem categories listed above, then the parent(s) should be held accountable. No free daycare to those bringing violence and disruption into our schools.
Anon: 12:59
ReplyDeleteI used to think along those lines: the ones who don't want to be there and those who cause problems should be expelled permanently. However, that would make things worse down the road. A 14 year-old child who refuses to behave and refuses to learn won't suddenly snap out of it in a few years and become a meaningful contributor to society. Kicking them out is the worst we could do.
But, alas, how does the district fix it? No one has any answers and don't let any school administrator with a master's in this or a doctorate in that tell you they can. Don't let any school board tell you that your district just needs another three/six/nine/ administrators with fifteen words in their title to solve it. Those people all make six figures and can't fix it; if they could, the problems would have been resolved years ago.
The theme many hit on could be a culprit: no core family structure, lack of discipline at home, being told from a young age the system is out to get you and if you can't read and can't behave, it's someone else's fault. Many children come from broken homes but not all of them are 'bad'. Many need the reinforcement that a good teacher and a good school can provide. But, background and home life do play a factor. The society is broken and the schools cannot fix it.
Oops, I meant to address Anon 1:37.
ReplyDeleteEducation is dead and will never come back--school boards and administrators are politicians as a result they will continue to destroy the government schools. Discipline and the old way schools were run will never happen again the results will be continued failures. and now add the left-wing democrats who have destroyed everything they touch --the country is on the downslide just like the Roman empire.
ReplyDeleteAmen to that!
DeleteMeanwhile, ASD continues to fight every proposed charter school. The School District has nothing to fear from a charter school, unless the charter school offers a better educational experience than ASD. Competition is valuable.
ReplyDeleteI concur with others who say that throwing money at a problem won’t solve it. There is so much wrong with education in America. First, curricula has been watered down to the point that it doesn’t resemble what was taught a decade ago. Students have received a message that they can earn something without putting in the work. Teachers are overwhelmed with demands from the “why —-didn’t my kid get an A” parents, administrative initiatives, and classroom requirements. Administrators are worried about litigation, so discipline is lax and parents get their way. Add social media and the desire of kids to be a professional athlete or influencer and the cards are stacked against public education. It is truly sad to see how education has fallen, but it mirrors society as a whole.
ReplyDeletePerhaps we shouldn't pass students to the next grade when they can't read. My brother taught high school English years ago and would get students that couldn't read. Kids might try harder if they knew they weren't automatically moved to the next grade. Our country schools have been behind the world for years. And don't stop advanced classes they are important for those who excel its not racist. It's been going on for years in all schools and it works!
ReplyDeleteSometimes it is not society's fault but individuals. Allentown has people with no respect for law or order. It is just the uncomfortable facts.
ReplyDelete