JG has selective hypocricy on black achievement

Today the JG went after East Allen Schools again, citing the formation of a task force by the mayor of New Haven to look into the inequities in achievement between New Haven and Harding High Schools and the other high schools in the district. Since Harding and New Haven High Schools have most of the black students, the obvious, startling achievement gap between those schools and EAC's other predominantly white schools infuriates Karen Francisco.

That same racial achievement gap exists in Fort Wayne Community Schools. In fact the gap in FWCS is bigger if you look at last fall's GQE scores. But FWCS hides the disparity with its cherished "Racial Balance" program, which buses black students "voluntarily" to white schools to even out the scores (the Supreme Court has outlawed forced busing). All that FWCS black students have gained from this politically expedient program is a daily bus ride at taxpayer expense. Since FWCS is steadily losing white students at a rate above 400 per year "racial balance" will eventually become irrelevant. Like Gary there will eventually be no school anyone would want to be bused to except a charter school. But that's a longer term problem someone else will have to deal with.

The only thing she has right is that the future of a city is tied to the success of its schools. Mayor McDonald of New Haven is doing the right thing, although he won't be able to do anything about it except to propose busing black kids in East Allen so they can also do a better job of hiding the problem. So get on Tom Henry's case while you're at it Karen. You won't have any more success than I did with Graham Richard. He wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.

And until you're willing to go after Wendy Robinson and FWCS with the same zeal as you do EACS, let it rest.