In Your Opinion: What Is the Main Cause of Failing Schools?

Parenting. They have thrown money at the schools, reduced class sizes, brought in amazing teachers because of new programs, and yet these schools continue to fail. The only variable that hasn't been tweaked, mostly because there is no legal way to do it, is parenting.

Sorry but just because the failing schools are in low income areas does not show that it is lack of family income driving it. That is an example of cum hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy. Correlation does not prove causation! Lack of education drives poverty, poverty does not create lack of education especially considering education is free in this country.

Failing students is nothing new, it was just as wide spread in the 70s but back then you could just pass the kids on until they just dropped out. Now we must track them. Not being able to ignore the problem doesn't make the problem new.

parents. seems like some parents don't care.. they expect the school to do it all.. teach the child reading writing and rithmatic.. morals values and manners.

my kids are in a good school. and many parents volunteer in the classroom and in the school. I have noticed that the kids doing well in class.. well behaved.. getting good grades.. have parents that are involved.. in the class.. on the field trips.. .. whereas the struggling students usually have parents that you never see at any events...

Studies have shown that economics are a huge factor.. kids that are elgible for free lunch are much more likely to do poorly on standardized tests. where as kids from homes with more $$ do much better on tests..

mostly parenting,I think you will find great teachers ( at least in elementary schools) all across the board in poor or rich schools. You can have great teachers and great kids in schools with out all the fancy sports and extra programing.

but when parents don't care, and don't parent, it's a no win for the kids.

generally speaking.

I think a big problem the schools have is that decisions made about education usually come from people who have absolutely no clue about teaching, what teachers do, how children learn or how to educate. Politicians? Not teachers. Administration and educational boards? Often not teachers.

There is a monumental disconnect of communication and knowledge between those who make the bigger decisions and those who are actually in the classrooms with the kids. Low income families (often with both parents working long hours) do not have resources to help their children with the material they are learning; it's especially problematic when the student's learning exceeds the parent's knowledge.

Add in parental participation: at many schools, conference attendance is low. Some teachers may reach out to parents in several ways, only to have their efforts rebuffed.

Add in zero tolerance, which only criminalizes very typical behaviors we often find for those ages. I'm not validating the misbehavior, but kids who are struggling socially need more than misdemeanor on their record-- they need interventions so that they can find new ways of dealing with their challenges besides violence.

There are some bad teachers, true enough. And there are also failing schools in neighborhoods which are sinking, which have not experienced any investment by the local community. In short, these kids are forgotten. When kids don't have any of our usual resources (weather-appropriate clothing for school, supportive families, breakfast or lunches) only so much can be done to fill in the holes. Kids whose basic needs are not being taken care of must really struggle to learn. Kids dealing with drug-addicted or mentally ill parents may be just in survival mode, whether it looks that way on the outside or not.

The majority of teachers I know work very hard, pay out of pocket for a lot of their class materials (because the budget is never enough, even without being extravagant) as well as their trainings and continuing education. One teacher I know puts in 60 hours workweeks and is a mother to two children under 7. She goes to sleep around 11 or midnight and gets up at 5 to do it all over again.Teachers are generally allotted X amount of time of work for which they will be paid. Every single teacher I know goes far over that time, which means that there is a lot of unpaid time put in. Teachers are also not supported in some meaningful ways; behavior specialists and those who work with troubled kids are not provided with mental health services (such as counseling) themselves, but they are often sent into the fray on a daily basis with overwhelming numbers of students 'assigned' to them. They are expected to do what amounts to a super-human job, some of them, absorbing a lot of stress without reasonable breaks or support.

I also think that No Child Left Behind has only damaged the educational system. The voucher program has left some public schools which were struggling -- they are now completely impoverished. Great for the families who can afford the expense of travel to the charter schools, but for other families who do not have that option-- they are the ones suffering.

Teaching to the test was also aggravated by NCLB, and that means that some kids are going to be taught the test, not real learning and what's behind all the thinking as to how we come to the conclusions they are expected to know. Instead of practical knowledge, teaching more in less time becomes more abstract.

We are fortunate to live in the neighborhood of one of our states best schools. We are fortunate to have the economic power to fund-raise so that we can keep our K and 1st grade teacher's aides, who really do facilitate the teacher's job by being where there is need. We are fortunate to have an army of adult volunteers who help those kids who struggle with reading, writing and math. Our school has mostly native English speakers. We have the odds in our favor, but so many schools don't. I'm looking forward to the day when school equity is a reality here in Portland and across the country.

ETA: I do agree that parenting problems do come into play, no matter what economic background the kids come from. We have the over-indulgent parents at our school who ream teachers, demand attention from the principal and expect that the teachers treat their children with the same nurturing as a preschool teacher might. One of my son's young K classmates sometimes didn't come to school because he was upset about his hair...no, I am not joking. I've heard teachers spoken about and to by some parents in ways I would never speak to someone, in that entitled "I own you because my taxes pay your salary" sort of way. Give me a freaking break....

Most schools are not failing schools. Many of our schools are excellent or very good. Many of our students are excelling to the best of their abilities. But I have noticed differences:

In my area, most children go to bed in a clean bed, unconcerned that their dreams will be interrupted by fights or gunfire outside their houses. They attended school regularly, are in generally good health, or have the ability to see a doctor for health issues. They walk or ride a bus to school safely and join their classmates on the terrific playground, building physical and social skills. The schools have small classes, healthy buildings, arts, music and physical education. The children follow-up their school day with after-school, enrichment and sports activities. They return home to safe neighborhoods, few worries, and a hardy snack. Evenings include shared meals, conversations, homework and often, shared family readings of favorite books. Not all the children, but many of them, share this life.

Twenty miles away, many children go to bed in sparse surroundings, perhaps listening to chaotic sounds outside their windows. They rise to a home with little food, as food is so much more expensive in the city. They ride city buses far across the city to attend non-neighborhood schools, making parent involvement much more difficult. They have no playground.. Their system is "considering" re-instating physical education and arts in the schools. After school they return home to an empty apartment and lock the doors and stay away from the windows. Homework is done by themselves. Maybe they'll go to school tomorrow. Maybe not. If they have chronic health care issues, there is no follow-up care outside the emergency room. They may have to take care of younger siblings who are sick, because their parents aren't allowed to miss a day or even a morning of work. Not all the children of the city live like this, but too many do.

I think we know that individual students rise because of, or in spite of, different homes and schools. But statistically, "failing schools" are most often found in the poorest areas, city and rural. I fail to understand why all school must have tests galore imposed on all their students, at great expense of time and money, when we could be spending that same money on the schools and families in city and rural areas, providing enriching school and neighborhood services (art, music, physical education, home work help. etc.). OK, stepping off my soapbox now.

I have thought about this too. I feel that a significant problem lies with the way the schools themselves are graded. Those state mandated tests take up valuable time (sometimes 2 weeks are spent preparing for them, and the tests can take another week or so). We already have a way to measure schools' performances and teacher effectiveness: grades, retention, promotion or graduation, attendance, and post-school success. I think someone should develop a grid, and gave a point or something similar on these categories: how many children are enrolled (out of all the possible students in the town or district), how many attend school regularly, what percentage of students either get promoted or graduate (depending on the grade), how many students stay in school year after year, and how many are either employed, in the military or in college or technical school after graduation. We wouldn't need extra testing. That way any school could be graded against itself.

I also think common sense has vanished. These invisible "guns" that get kids expelled, courses that are so politically correct that the teachers must spend so much time on being careful that real in-depth content falls by the wayside, and failing to teach the real basics have harmed our schools and our kids. We talk about "green energy" and recycling and class teamwork, and empowering and social issues that kids aren't learning solid math, geography, history, civics, and spelling. We are afraid to say "that's the wrong answer". We reward everything. Teachers can't speak up and demand performance and respect because some parent will sue. Schools aren't social experiments, they're supposed to be where a child will get an education in mathematics, economics, civics, history, geography - a solid foundation in a disciplined setting so that they can be productive people when they grow up.

So, bottom line, I think it's school boards and administration, and fear and hesitation. Some schools on third world islands have nothing, but the teachers have rules and the kids come to learn, and there are no worse financial situations. But the students are successful and the schools flourish.

1) Parents are not informed that the standards of curriculum have been dwindling in the united states since the 50s and DRAMATICALLY since the 70's. If they hear a school is "good" they leave it at that and don't have any idea what "good" means in global standards or historical standards as far as precisely how much material is actually being covered. So even "good schools" are not "great" and people don't even know that. In our area, retired teachers will tell you that the students now lack critical thinking skills and basic reading and writing skills DRAMATICALLY more than just 15 years ago, but parents still think the schools are great because they have good test scores for easy tests. Even local graduates have told me they got to college and couldn't write and hadn't learned basic history, etc. Children today cannot begin to comprehend the literature that was standard in schools historically.

2) Schools in poor and middle class areas are receiving the largest financial slashings of funding in history, so many programs are being lost and class sizes are increasing. Our area has had many school closings in the past 5 years quadrupling class sizes and losing all arts and social studies programs-and many others.

3) Parents don't discipline their kids enough so large amounts of class time are spent ineffectively "working around" problematic student behavior in these large classes.

4) There is a pervasive opinion that education is a luxury and should be first on the chopping block for nation's budget issues rather than a necessity for an educated nation. Our Governor Tom Corbett has been an absolute education butcher in our state. Some communities think everyone should be homeschooling or using private schools (I kid you not, I have relatives of this ilk) because public schools just waste all of our money.

5) In poor areas, there is the least funding of educational programs and materials and students have the highest home-related financial strains. These schools perform the worst. Of course. And people are in denial about this and would rather blame someone than admit it.

6) Many teachers are excellent, but in such a low-paying field where you are treated like scum of the earth and bad-mouthed, it is hard to find enough passionate and awesome teachers to fill every underfunded school in the nation.

7) People are in denial that so many schools are failing so the problem escalates.

8) The standards used for tests are severely lacking.

9) Well-meaning people stress the importance of parents teaching at home, but millions of children have parents incapable of this. Schools should provide the education basics. It's why our forefathers created public schools. To educate ALL CHILDREN including orphans. My parents worked full time and did not have to teach us at home other than telling us to do our homework. I homeschool because my kids won't learn half of what I did in school at our local school.

the list goes ooooooooonnnn

Parents will start petitions to get their kids the right to wear strapless prom dresses but have no idea they're not being taught about Hitler and other basic historical information....

Many kids are raised with materialistic parents and instant gratification and have no desire to become intelligent or work hard....

Crappy parenting.

And yes, those parents who think they need to snowplow every difficult, scary, non-PC, possibly dangerous experience out of their kids' way, and give them EVERYTHING without making them work for it are crappy parents too.

As a matter of fact, I think that the Snowplow Parents are a huge factor in the failure of schools today. Possibly more so than the impoverished, inattentive, non-present parents. Why? Because Snowplow Parents feel the need to force everyone else to bend to their will and do it THEIR way. And they do so loudly so that school administrators and government representatives think that is the opinion of all parents. It's not....it's just the loud, obnoxious ones.

it's not one easy-fix problem (more teachers! more tests! more money! better parents!) it's an underlying philosophy that is crumbling from its very foundations.
kids don't learn in 45 minutes in age-censored groups in institutional settings. or rather, they do, but the idea that they ONLY learn this way, or learn best this way, is wack. so forcing them to sit there for longer, taking more tests and having more homogenized, sanitized, politically correct, and often WRONG information drilled into them is not going to help.
i firmly believe that the next wave of innovation and entrepreneurship is going to be driven by unschoolers.
khairete
S.

School is not about learning or teaching anymore. It's about money, tests, and across the board standards. Kid's aren't encouraged to learn, they are forced to memorize.

There were just as many crappy parents now, as when I was in school. I see it every day. Oh, and I've met VERY FEW good teachers. (Sorry teachers, I'm not trying to peg you.)

I think parenting and low income are the biggest causes. I know many teachers who teach in terrible schools (south central LA, for example) and they are great teachers. I don't think bad teachers is the case.

The teachers I know that teach in low income areas typically say that the majority of the parents aren't involved. They don't come to parent-teacher conferences, even when they are scheduled outside of the normal working day and childcare is provided. They skip back to school night and open house. Those that do attend often leave without speaking to the teacher. No one volunteers in the classroom.

They also don't help the children enough, or at all, with their homework. However, it's not necessarily BAD parenting that makes them not help. In many cases, it's either a language barrier or a lack of education themselves, so they can't help, even if they want to. In other cases though, it's more indifference by the parents than bad parenting. They don't ask their kids what assignments they have and don't follow through to make sure they are completed. This happens everywhere, even in the best schools, but it's more prevalent in the under-performing schools.

It's money, and it's not. There is basically a viscious circle. There is no denying that the best public schools are in the most affluent communities, or at least communities that are economically stable. Good schools attract the people who can afford to live in that kind of community. Those people are more likely than not well educated, so they value education already but more importantly, have the resources to be able to commit themselves to their children's education. These are parents who will read to their babies, surround them with stimulating, educational toys and books, send them to pre-schools and day care centers that will help ready them for school, and have the means to provide basics like healthcare and nourishing food for growing bodies and minds. These are kids who have seasonally appropriate clothing, are generally in good health, get a good night's sleep in a fairly peaceful home, go home to a parent or spend their afternoon at a quality after-school program, have a quiet place and supplies to do homework and ample opportunity to pursue sports and other activities in safe, age-appropriate settings. Parents who have the kinds of jobs that allow them to take a sick day if needed, or take the morning off to go to the school play or science fair, and the skills to run a fund raiser or be the treasurer of an ample PTA budget that raises enough money for all of the extras that the school budget doesn't cover, such as enrichment programs, family activities, extra games and learning aids for the classroom, library books and all of those other things that further connect schools and homes and make schools a better place. Not to mention, good school districts attract and retain good teachers and administrators who want to set down roots and stay. This is what life is like in my town.

Contrast that to life in the city next to mine, where the low-income rate is over 70% (in my town it's under 10%). These are families where just making ends meet is a huge concern. Where many parents are themselves uneducated, young, poor, and single. Where working requires multiple part-time, low-wage jobs without paid time off, where transportation is largely public, and families have to scramble for childcare before and after school, relying on city-run programs that are of poor quality. This is a city where many of the children who have outerwear for winter receive it from a charity and where sports equipment and musical instruments are provided via donations. I taught an SAT class here and several students routinely could not attend the full 4-hour practice test because they had to baby-sit siblings until their mom got home from her overnight shift or themselves had to go to work. I had several students who worked full time jobs while going to high school, doing 4-midnight shifts at local restaurants or other service jobs (laundromat, etc.) and then going to school at 6:30 AM.

When families are living at an income level where they are fighting just to survive, it's easy to see how there just isn't time or energy left for the involvement that great public schools require. It's easy to see how back to school night or parent-teacher conferences are as realistic as a trip to the moon, why a fundraiser yields very little, or why few parents volunteer in the classrooms.

This isn't to say that throwing money at the schools solves the problems. The per-pupil spending in my town is the 5th lowest in the state, because we have enough parent volunteers, PTA and booster money to offset our meager budget as well as parents who can buy sports equipment and musical instruments. Some of the worst schools in our state have the highest per-pupil spending. So that's what I mean when I say that it's about the money (family) and not about the money (school).

I don't think it's about bad parenting per se, but about parents who are themselves poor, uneducated and simply ignorant. They probably went to crappy schools and had poor, uneducated and ignorant parents themselves. They are not mature enough nor do they have the knowledge or resources to advocate for their children. If they did, they wouldn't live where they do.

I certainly don't think it's teachers. Yes there are lousy teachers out there, but teachers in underperforming schools have the deck stacked against them.

I had the chance to do a community service project at a charter school in LA last week. The public school in the neighborhood had a drop out rate of 50% and college acceptance rate of 10%. This school, run by a private educational corporation, had a 98% graduation rate and 92% college acceptance rate, with most of those kids going to four-year colleges. Now obviously, the school was able to select only those students with the aptitude and desire to commit themselves to their education and succeed. Public schools are much larger and have to take everyone, including the kids who don't want to be there. However, this to me made a very good case for charter schools and reinforced the idea that sometimes, a micro approach can be really successful.

I think it's a parenting issue.
We are to prepare our children for school and let them know it's serious and not just for folly.
You only get one chance at free education--- parents drop the ball and dont teach their children to sit still and mind and listen.
That coupled with an overly crowded classroom is a recipe for disaster.
I dont recall ever having disruptive kids in any of my classes. If there was one he/she had to go sit in the hall or in the principals office and the parents were told about it. Generally the child would get scolded at home and behave better in class.
I don't think it's too much for parents to expect their children to act professional in kindergarten. Education is serious business. Recess is for fun.

I think that it is a mixture of a bunch of things. My children go to a school in which 76% of the kids receive free or reduced priced lunch. The reality is that parents that are just struggling to put food on the table are much less likely to have time to help with homework at home and stress the importance of education.

I will never forget the first general PTA meeting that I attended. The Principal was talking about ways to help parents help their kids. One man literally stood up and asked for classes for parents to learn how to use a computer. My jaw damn near hit the floor...it never occurred to me that there were people my age that didn't even have a basic knowledge of how to use a computer. The fact is that these types of parents probably just CAN'T help their children with homework despite wanting to...

Our schools are also failing because of bad legislation and administration. It boggles my mind that the entire school is measured on the results of ONE test. In Florida, we are looking to adopt Common Core Standards, but the Florida lawmakers cannot make a decision on the assessment tools for testing to the new standards.

There are some amazing teachers, but many teachers are burned out. They have their evaluations and pay raises are all tied to how their students do on ONE test. It doesn't matter if the teacher has students with no parental help or involvement. It doesn't matter if the students are learning English as a 2nd language.

I think it is a combination of many things.

It's all of the above....here's my take:

Teachers:

Teachers don't get paid what they are worth - so they slack - no, not all slack. There are some GREAT teachers out there!! However, there are as just as many people out there who should NOT be teaching...

Teaching to pass tests
So many schools are only teaching to pass a standardized test. Unfortunately, it's not TEACHING them what they need to know...
Cursive - only taught for MAYBE one year, in the 2nd or 3rd grade....sorry - these kids are our future...they can't sign a contract? They can't read cursive? EPIC FAIL!!!

Parents
Parents not being involved. Parents expecting the school system to raise their children - teach them right from wrong - instead of EDUCATING them.
Parents not parenting their children - instead trying to be friends - making excuses for them when homework isn't done, done correctly, etc.

School system
Dumbing down education in some locations.
Not using the funds wisely - paying administrators more than teachers, etc.

Children NOT caring
In some locations - the children are being raised to be welfare recipients...being shown how to work the system...some not caring at all - doesn't matter what they do - **This** is their life...that is SSSOOOO sad to me.

It's a sad state when people don't realize this is our future....and IF they do look? They aren't scared? Thank God my kids care. Thank God my kids have teachers that care. We've only had ONE bad teacher for my boys. For my daughter - it was two - one in high school - and one in elementary school. But overall? Really can't complain!

By whose definition? I'd argue that even most of our successful schools are failing.

I taught at a big ten university. These we top tier students, from top tier schools. They couldn't write. They lacks lots of basic skills. These were education majors!!!!!!

Our schools don't educate, they school. Because of this, I'd argue that most are failing. It's a structural problem, not a teacher vs. family problem. Those issues just complicate things.

It is not any one single thing.
It is also that, with public schools, they are constantly... having to... change their curriculum and approaches and paradigms and standards and performance standards etc., per federal requirements and hence State requirements etc. per "how" a child is supposed to be, taught. These paradigms always, shifts and changes. Thus the Teachers have to also, get continuing education courses and within a matter of a few weeks, have their TOTAL curriculum and materials and lessons, to change, too. And their approaches in order to meet the "new" standards. Which then is used to reflect, the testing scores and visa versa.
Kids being taught to a test, or the test being tweaked to the curriculum etc.
It is really, hard.
I work at my kids school, not as a formal Teacher, but as staff and subbing. And in a matter of even one year, it all can change. And then the schools also have to put into place, all the required changes. And it has to seem "seamless." But behind the scenes, all the teachers and staff, are going cuckoo.
AND schools have to do, MAJOR "customer service" nowadays... TO the parents. Even terrible parents and kids.
It was not like that, before. When I was a kid.

And sure, parenting.
And sure, cultural and societal expectations and the constant changing of it.
And sure, federal/state education requirements per constantly changing research based facts on education etc.
And sure, demographics.
And sure, all of this.
In a nutshell.

Even to just learn math, nowadays, it is taught.... SOOOOO differently. Who knows if it is better, or just too convoluted.
Egad.

And, private schools, are not public schools.
Not that it is better, but they can do as they want.
They do not have the state or federal standards to go by. Law.

I think its a combination of bad parenting and teachers having to "teach to the test" too much focus is spent on teaching kids how to pass the state mandated tests. and not enough focus on real teaching.
Too many parents (I know I am going to piss someone off here) now are too focused on making sure that their kid likes them, making them feel like a prince or princess. NOPE! they are a member of a group not a supreme being.

I think it mostly starts at home, but by that, I don't blame parents per se, I know many single parents are under a lot of stress just trying to keep things afloat, often without much financial or other support. I also know there are many uneducated or almost illiterate parents out there, so you have to wonder how well their kids will do in school when they either are not there to help with homework, can barely understand it, and the kids are going hungry or under stress from an unstable home life. Some parents just are not involved at all or seem indifferent to their kids education. While we have our daughter in private school, I have a lot of friends with kids in the public school system, and while where we are is not exactly low-income, they see a lot of other kids who look like their parents barely have it together. Kids that show up dirty, with poor fitting or inappropriate clothing, eating popsicles for breakfast, who start kindergarten, at almost 6 years old, barely understanding what the alphabet is and can't even recognize their name spelled out.

Teachers and schools can only do so much...it starts at home...

It's all politics. Great teachers and lousy teachers are only around for one yr of a child's life. The school system influences for many years. Schools are run by politicians. To become a principal or superintendent you have to win people over, not be really knowledgeable about education. These leaders are told what to do by other politicians. Many places let parents tell them what to do as well. Squeaky parents get what services they think their kids need, quiet parents do not.
We've all seen some kids from underprivileged homes do well. Yes parents are a big part of the equation, and can counteract bad schools, but in many first world countries in Europe, Scandinavia, parents are not expected to be part of the equation. Our education system does NOT study and consider replicating successful education systems of other countries! So as a teacher, I blame not the parents, not the teachers, (bad teachers should not be allowed by the system) but the whole education system, which is getting worse by the minute as it is influenced more and more by politicians.

We live in a good school district. Not excellent, good. Plenty of opportunities for kids to succeed. Still, kids don't take advantage of the education they are offered. It's partially the kids fault, too. Maybe 25 percent.

But parents still don't feel comfortable with the school and accessing all the help they need. They still want to argue more about their kid getting to wear what they want than make them do homework. Some people can't see their way to success. They are in every school. They will always be there. A free education has not changed them and it never will. Throw all the money you want at them and they will still be idiots but with money. Sorry, I know that was harsh. Maybe 25 percent fault goes to bad parents.

There are teachers who hate teaching and have no aptitude for it. They occupy a seat. No love of learning. There are great teachers who are so discouraged by the attitude of the kids that they give up and go somewhere else. Maybe 25 percent of fault goes to bad teachers.

At this point we need to change the whole model. No more trying to stuff a square peg in a round hole. More Real Vocational Courses accessed by grade 11. You know how when 5 yr olds are so mouthy because they don't have enough responsibility? 15-16 yr olds are the same way. Give them a place to get real help with actual vocations. 25 percent fault goes to an outdated model.

I believe the MAIN cause of failing schools is not really the schools at all.
I believe it's the parents.
Parents that are not willing to sit down and go over their kids homework with them. Parents that are not willing to go to parent/teacher conferences. Parents that don't take the time to get to know their child's friends. Parents that don't volunteer in their kid's classrooms. Parents that don't believe their child can do anything wrong therefore it's ALL the teacher's fault!! Parents that don't realize that their child is struggling in a class and find a tutor. Parents that allow disrespectful behavior at home and figure the teacher/school will just have to deal with it. Parents that just don't care and have decided to leave all of the "teaching" to the schools. In reality WE, as parents, are teaching our children.
I don't care so much if my child is "book smart", I want them to be LIFE smart. To know how to be kind, generous, compassionate, smart, confident, considerate, loving people. And the first place they will learn that is at home. If I can teach my kids to do those things then they will not fail at school. The only way they will learn those things is if I am involved in their lives, if I make it a point to BE their teacher.
Schools are not failing our children. Their parents are.
L.

It's money. Both the level of funding going to the school, and the income of the parents. The ranking of schools in our state closely correlates to the income level of the population each school serves.

Schools with more funds can pay teachers more, and include more and better programs. Parents with adequate income can spend time with their children, and not at a second job, and can pay for summer camps, tutors, computers, and anything their children need to be successful. These kids
have the things, experiences, and attention needed to succeed in school.

It is money, and the unequal distribution of it.

I live in the area to send my daughter to the #1 ranked school in our state. The population is 98% white and upper income. (I rent a one-bedroom condo among $1M+ houses.) I don't send her that school. Because though they produce the highest test scores, they have huge class sizes and no special attention to children with any special need. The money available in the households guarantees these kids get that help outside of school. The school I do send her to is much more diverse, and ranks OK on the test scores. It also has small class sizes, both remedial and gifted programs, teachers who are super involved, and fewer over-bearing rich white entitled parents. She has excelled here.

Hmm, I'm not sure what you mean by failing schools. My children have recently moved from a great (and expensive) private school, to a public school with a population base that is very low socio-economic families. My children are still doing well, enjoying school, and progressing academically, however there is a greater amount of violence in this school. I have some issues with one of the teachers, but apart from that, I wouldn't say the school is failing as a whole.

I'm just getting into it but from my exposure so far it's the investment people are willing to make. If you invest in the kids and teachers and keep up with technology, you will continue to reap positive results. As the economy has declined, no one wants to pay more taxes so that the school can keep their books updated, invest in computers, or even make basic building repairs, especially in lower income areas. They are just trying to get by and the attitude resonates.

poor test scores = "bad schools" (low school ratings)
poor parenting = poor test scores

Kids (especially elementary kids) usually need help with their homework but some parents just don't take the time at the end of the day to help. Reading to your kids and encouraging them to read is so important also, but many parents just don't. Its sad because these kids are not being encouraged to be their best and are instead wasting their education. Sad.

It is definitely a combination of things. I agree that you need to have funding, dedicated teachers, and involved parents to truly make a school thrive. Without the funding you can't buy the teaching tools, pay the teachers, make the school interesting for the students. Because the students don't care and the teachers aren't compensated appropriately for their time or education the teachers lose interest - they feel defeated when they can't keep a student interested and there is so much bureaucracy in the school districts now it isn't worth the fight so they lose the will to care. An uninvolved parents just don't make school a priority for their kids. You definitely can't blame just one aspect of the system. If you took a school and every single teacher was dedicated, and every student had involved parents, and the funding was there we would all want to go to that school so they turn those into Magnet/GT schools. My daughter goes to a Magnet school and I was actually surprised at the level of parental involvement. I was surprised that the teacher called to introduce herself prior to the start of school and asked to speak with my daughter on the phone, The counselor came up to me personally during a visit one day to tell me what a joy my daughter was to have in the school. I couldn't imagine a better place for my daughter to attend school and it is a public school and it is not in an affluent part of the city.

I do not lay blame to any one area of the school when a school fails but instead take a look at all the factors,

I think there are way to many states tests and they cant focus on other aspects of learning. The teachers are constantly having to prep the kids for these tests and the kids are missing out on so many other things.

I feel that public schools are failing because they are too busy trying to create zombies that do whatever the government wants (for the children to all become socialists). I refuse to send my child to public school anywhere because I want her to continue to be a free thinker and not follow the masses like a sheep.

I'm kinda sick of people blaming parents. My son almost failed this year, NOT because I'm a horrible parent, but because he CAN'T sit an focus. When he took the Florida SAT test he was the 3rd highest score in his grade. His language comprehension is at least a 8th grade level, he reads at a 5th grade level and same with math. But people wouldn't know that based on his grades alone. His class had 4 kids who didn't pass, I highly doubt the parents were to blame. I blame the KIDS, you can't force a kid to do work in school. I always did my sons homework, read with him ect, yet he barely passed. And he would tell me HE didn't want to do his work in class.

The students.

Talent tends to pool in areas with greater intelligence, which correlates with income. Those that get ahead work hard and have the brains to do it. In general, of course. The kids get their genes from the parents.

We live in a town with great schools and the main difference seems to be the support of the parents and community. Each year the city, businesses, parents and individuals donate to keep all of the teachers employed. Because of this, class sizes are relatively low. Day to day parent involvement is extremely high too. Some teachers actually request 1-2 parents for different tasks each day. They are able to fill the slots most of the time. The teachers are accountable, because they have to be..they are fantastic teachers, but they also have eyes on them almost all the time. The kids are eager to learn, since they parents are so involved. Unfortunately they still have to "teach to the test" to be accountable for the state standards, so that doesn't seem to be the cause of schools failing. The kids are learning above and beyond what they need for the tests and the testing scores are among the highest in the state. So I would say it's a combo of checked out parents and lack of funds.

Two words: failing parents.

Homes.

Some of it is the parenting (different styles have different effects, and I don't mean "lack of" parenting really. I mean, child-centered parenting in particular. The "I am your friend" folks who give their kids too much control and say in things. The ones who view every choice as an equal and valid choice. The "they're only kids once" crowd who lets kids do whatever as long as "it isn't hurting anybody" and sees expecting kids to behave just because it is the polite thing to do as being power hungry on the part of parents).
Some of it is broken homes where there is no stability and both parents (if they are both involved with the kids, and that isn't always the case) are trying to treat the kids with kidd gloves because they are trying to make up for the fact that it is a broken home.
Some of it is low income issues, where the parent(s) are out of the home working and there is little supervision of the kids.

There is the popular idea that kids should be catered to, and not expected to fit into society instead.

There are a thousand reasons. In my opinion, VERY few of them are related to the schools not having enough money. They have tons more money now than they did 50 years ago, when society was different in terms of expectations for children's behavior and family life in general.

I'd have to say mainly the parents. Our school has very large classes and you could call it overcrowded and underfunded yet parents are involved and pick up some of the slack and test scores are great. So now that I'm a parent and see it more first hand, that's what I have to mainly blame. The classes are large but there are only 1 or 2 kids usually who aren't well behaved. I attribute that to the homelife. There are always kids who act up no matter what parenting but it should be the small minority. And it is at our school Again, I attribute that to parenting. And then it means that despite large classes, the teacher can teach. Parents also volunteer which I know is a big help. And we are helping our kids outside the classroom. Many or most of the mothers work full time yet we still do this. Honestly, we have a few kids bussed in and they are typically doing the worst in class and their mothers aren't accessible or available or present... So the kids have the opportunity of a better school than in their home district yet still don't do well. So what else is it if not the parenting?