Children in Georgia are not likely to be successful in school and in life, according to a new study.
Joy! I thought, does this mean it is time to get out of Dodge? Apparently, kids living in my fair state do not have a chance in (h-e-double hockey sticks) of having a successful life. Moving over the state line will not help either; most of the South is at the bottom of this barrel. Ranking number 38 out of 50 states, the study shows that because of thirteen social, economic and educational measures, Georgian children are doomed to mediocre lives at best. I wonder how many parents are going to pack up their children and run to Virginia, the leading state in this study.
Don’t you just love studies?
Meanwhile, our State Schools Superintendent, Cathy Cox insists that education policies as being among the best in the nation.
Aren’t Oxymoron’s fun?
Anyway, this study profiled on Edweek.com entitled From Cradle to Career has compiled a change for success index. The 13 determining factors are Family income, Parental education, parental employment, Linguistic Integration, Preschool enrollment, Kindergarten enrollment, Elementary Reading, Middle School mathematics, High School graduation, Post secondary Participation, Adult Educational Attainment, Annual Income, and steady Employment.
Looking at the study’s criteria, I know that I do not really have anything to worry about. Although Georgia has only 30-50% of children from families within incomes of at least twice the poverty level, I know we are in the upper level. The same goes for many of the other statistics. My family is doing well, and so therefore so should my kids. The real problem I see with the study is assumptions that come from studies like this. When my kids were in school, I noticed that as an African American mother who often chose comfort over style, that assumptions were made about my children and me. I found it amusing the way teachers would speak down to me, and have surprise in their voice when they would say, “you are doing a good job with your children”. I found the astonished look on their face when my husband (in suit and tie) would follow me into the room for a conference, as they had assumed I was a single, low-income parent. In my personal experience, the assumption that you are a statistic has a lot more power over whether you meet the criteria or not.
As homeschoolers, we have removed the power over our children from those who assume. As for those who give those in power something to assume, I say it is time they started looking for positive outcomes instead of negative. You get what you seek.
I sure am glad we homeschool.