Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Mississippi Can't Possibly Have Good Schools

educationdaly.us

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 230 posts

Re: Mississippi Can't Possibly Have Good Schools

#11

Post by sepositus »

I'm still trying to pinpoint exactly why Oregon has some of the worst scores in the country (I believe it ranked dead-last this year when adjusted for socio-economic factors). When I see what's going on around me, I can only think it's somewhat related to broken family's and undisciplined kids. The stuff that my kids come home and tell me is happening in school is pretty mind blowing.

I've also noticed a complete reversal on any form of discipline. There's not even detention anymore. It seems in the name of acceptance we're taking in all kids, even ones exhibiting extremely aggressive behaviors, and then doing absolutely nothing to curb those behaviors.

Re: Mississippi Can't Possibly Have Good Schools

#12

Post by xadhominemx »

duxup wrote: post #2

I wish this story dove into the "why" or what these test results even are / validate them rather than finger wag at everyone within shouting distance.

I think it was because the demographic adjustments move scores for black students higher and scores for white students lower. If unadjusted scores for white students and black students are converging over time, that would explain why Mississippi looks so strong compared to states like Maine, Vermont, and Oregon in the time series.

Re: Mississippi Can't Possibly Have Good Schools

#13

Post by throwanem »

api wrote: post #4

"Painting the Deep South as an embarrassing cultural backwater is one of the last socially acceptable forms of prejudice among elites. It’s not just tolerated - it’s venerated." Warning: possible flame bait, though I do not intend it this way. I am serious. I've had this thought for quite a while: the (social) left could pivot and win by being more woke. WTF? What I mean by this is: expand diversity and inclusion to…

> Why can't they extend this to their own country?

Because they aren't a cohesive movement and, without someone to hate, could not manage even the rather poor pretense of unity with which they occasionally pretend to care to bother.

If they were capable of taking your advice, they wouldn't need it.

Re: Mississippi Can't Possibly Have Good Schools

#14

Post by lastofthemojito »

I guess I don't really get the basis of this blog post. I've heard of the Mississippi Miracle several times among my blue state teacher friends - it feels like it is in fact en vogue to talk about it and try to figure out how to emulate it. Do a search for Mississippi Miracle for countless articles and posts.

Re: Mississippi Can't Possibly Have Good Schools

#16

Post by pixl97 »

duxup wrote: post #2

I wish this story dove into the "why" or what these test results even are / validate them rather than finger wag at everyone within shouting distance.

Yea, the information here is really limited and from only a single source.

And in the same sense the entire article was still damning to US education. Yes, Mississippi got better, but is still not at Maine 2019 levels.

Also 2020 was covid which we all know had huge upsets in education, so I'd like to see a much broader view among different states to know if this is just the Texas Sharpshooter fallacy.

Re: Mississippi Can't Possibly Have Good Schools

#17

Post by api »

throwanem wrote: post #13
api wrote: post #4

"Painting the Deep South as an embarrassing cultural backwater is one of the last socially acceptable forms of prejudice among elites. It’s not just tolerated - it’s venerated." Warning: possible flame bait, though I do not intend it this way. I am serious. I've had this thought for quite a while: the (social) left could pivot and win by being more woke. WTF? What I mean by this is: expand diversity and inclusion to…

> Why can't they extend this to their own country? Because they aren't a cohesive movement and, without someone to hate, could not manage even the rather poor pretense of unity with which they occasionally pretend to care to bother. If they were capable of taking your advice, they wouldn't need it.

You have a good point here, and I'm afraid it's a human universal: humans are tribal and have a hard time forming coalitions and movements without someone to hate.

Being "universally woke" would mean not hating anyone, and that makes it hard to unite.

We really need an alien invasion. Any Trisolarans listening?

Re: Mississippi Can't Possibly Have Good Schools

#18

Post by ascondabout »

api wrote: post #4

"Painting the Deep South as an embarrassing cultural backwater is one of the last socially acceptable forms of prejudice among elites. It’s not just tolerated - it’s venerated." Warning: possible flame bait, though I do not intend it this way. I am serious. I've had this thought for quite a while: the (social) left could pivot and win by being more woke. WTF? What I mean by this is: expand diversity and inclusion to…

I’ll explain it clearly: it is impossible to accommodate someone who wants you dead.

Re: Mississippi Can't Possibly Have Good Schools

#19

Post by buggerme »

Workaccount2 wrote: post #5

Not to diminish the achievement, but the chosen metrics seem pretty narrow. Why no mention of 5th grade reading level? Or second grade math? It gives the impression that the author is extrapolating from outliers rather and identifying a student body wide trend. Especially when no insight to what is driving this is given.

The metric of “random social media commenter” is too narrow to have impact. But you put it out there.

The smart people doing it again…ignoring their own statistical irrelevance while challenging other’s statistics as somehow inconsequential.

Re: Mississippi Can't Possibly Have Good Schools

#20

Post by yogurt-male »

api wrote: post #4

"Painting the Deep South as an embarrassing cultural backwater is one of the last socially acceptable forms of prejudice among elites. It’s not just tolerated - it’s venerated." Warning: possible flame bait, though I do not intend it this way. I am serious. I've had this thought for quite a while: the (social) left could pivot and win by being more woke. WTF? What I mean by this is: expand diversity and inclusion to…

I think the reason the left trashes this segment of the country is for two reasons. First, I don't think they're fully aware of how different the circumstances are for a middle-class (sub)urban person and a poor rural one. I doubt many "coastal elites" have spent much time in rural Alabama, for example. Second, they're able to extend empathy to the ignorant poor in other countries because they don't have to suffer the consequences of their ignorance and cultural backwardness. They absolutely do in this country, though. Just look what's going on.

In a very real sense I think the "left" (that is, Democrats) in the US see conservative, rural ignorance and prejudice as inexcusable. I don't think that view is fully unjustified either. Having spent time in Mississippi growing up, I will never forget how blatantly racist and hateful those people were. Even (especially?) the wealthy, educated "elites" there. And even with a poor school system, we have libraries, the internet, etc. Ignorance in the 21st century is absolutely a choice, excepting maybe people in the most brutal of circumstances.

Post reply on HN