HORRIBLE FAILURES--IA's LARGEST NEWSPAPERS, SCHOOLS & CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

The Cedar Rapids Gazette went after the horrible Atalissa failure with 850 additional editorial and column words this past week.    Unfortunately, the Gazette and Des Moines Register horribly  failed  to report or comment on 15,000 horrible Cedar Rapids and Des Moines’ public school failures described herein, and on website:  http://www.iowalive.net/atalissa.htm  linked from website:  http://iowalive.net/  , which is being hammered with visitor hits—as misguided state legislators throw more money at these pathetic school districts.  

 In addition to both school districts, there are a total of 61 schools (listed below) on the Watch, and In Need of Assistance Lists, for gross academic failures in these two school districts—that are covered up by the state’s largest news-less papers, whose poor managements just laid off hundreds of employees—in chaos. 

 To add insults to these two city’s resident’s injuries, the Cedar Rapids and Des Moines Chambers of Commerce are covering up the failures in promotional materials as well.  But these horrible failures are not limited to Iowa biggies, as Marion , Iowa ’s Independent and Linn-Mar school districts are also failing academically--and the Marion Chamber and Marion Times newspaper are covering it up as well.  This includes the Academic failures at the obscure Compass High School , where students 'attend' but 4 hours per day, 4 days per week--on full state aid plus special ed--the same as Cedar Rapids Metro High School of failures.  

Meanwhile, some fools want to force kids to stay in these failed schools until they are eighteen.  Fix the schools and kids will want to be there—and learn.  

The Gazette, Marion Times and the Cedar Rapids & Marion Chambers of Commerce are also pushing hard to burden residents with a 17% sales tax increase!  Is this heaven, no, it’s Iowa ! 

 NEWSPAPERS—OBSESSED WITH ATALISSA—ABSTAIN FROM REPORTING HORRIBLE SCHOOL FAILURES

 The Cedar Rapids Gazette & Des Moines Register are obsessed with horrible worker abuse involving 21 men in Atalissa.  Unfortunately, they completely ignore horrible public school academic failures for at least 15,000 students enrolled in Iowa 's two largest school districts-- Cedar Rapids and Des Moines .   The Gazette published at least 9 articles totaling 3,800 words and the Register published 14 articles.  Both papers also wrote editorials condemning the conditions faced by 21 men and complained vehemently about how it was covered up for so many years!

 While we take no issue with such extensive coverage of the cover up and worker abuse at Atalissa, it is deplorable the state’s largest newspapers cover up and refuse to report the horrible failure of Iowa ’s two largest public schools.  These two schools have abandoned at least 15,000 students and the Gazette and Register have helped the schools cover it up for at least 10 years!!. Why was it covered up?  Who did it--and continues to do it?  Who at these two newspapers told the schools to "break the law" and "dumb the tests" and "keep two sets of school books"--and refuses to write a retraction??    

 For example, Gazette editors completely ignored and refused to acknowledge a guest column containing the following table of data, obtained from the Iowa Dept. of Education.   The Cedar Rapids school district would be taken over by the State if it was Title 1—and the Gazette hides it, in dead silence!  The Gazette just reported about 100 employees were laid off to reduce costs—not to make the newspaper better.  Would the same employees have been laid off if the Gazette had chosen to improve its integrity rather than reducing its costs??  We seriously doubt it!!  Stay tuned on this issue.  

Similar integrity issues are school officials claiming students can't learn because of the color of their skin or because someone else pays for their lunch, if they receive free or reduced cost lunches.  School officials also blame student behavior and their failure to learn on the parents, who were educated in the public schools.  This is all crazy and the newspapers are letting school officials get away with it--especially in the larger school districts like Cedar Rapids and Des Moines

CEDAR RAPIDS SCHOOLS IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE--08-09

THERE IS CONTINUOUS DETERIORATION OF CEDAR RAPIDS COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT IN READING ,  MATH & MORE.  28% OF SCHOOLS, PLUS DISTRICT, ARE IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE.   IN ADDITION, 16 SCHOOLS ( 48%) ARE ON THE WATCH LIST FOR FAILURES IN 1 TO 3 OTHER ACADEMIC AREAS.

IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE

SCHOOL YEAR & NUMBER OF YEARS IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE

*CONTINUOUS YEARS IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE

02-03

03-04

04-05

05-06

06-07

07-08

08-09

C. R. SCHOOL DIST.

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

Metro HS

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

Kennedy HS

 

 

 

 

 

1

2

2

Jefferson HS

 

 

 

1

 

1

2

2

Washington HS

 

 

 

1

2

 

3

2

Taft MS

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

McKinley MS

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

Franklin MS

 

 

 

1

2

3

4

4

Roosevelt MS

 

 

 

1

2

3

4

4

Johnson ES

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

* NCLB Title 1 school requirements were set in 2002 to get all students proficient at grade level by 2014.  After 3 continuous years on the In Need of Assistance (INA) list, tutoring to be provided and students given choice to transfer to a better school.  After 4 continuous years, school staff to be replaced.  After 5 continuous years, drastic restructuring to take place and the State could take over the district.  The Cedar Rapids School District should adopt and enforce these requirements in the best interests of the kids,

 

CEDAR RAPIDS SCHOOLS ON WATCH LIST--08-09 

EACH X = ACADEMIC FAILURE IN A SUBJECT

George Washington High School X X

Metro High School X

Franklin Middle School X

Harding Middle School X X

McKinley Middle School X X

Wilson Middle School X X

Cleveland Elementary X

Grant Wood Elementary X X

Harrison Elementary X X

Hiawatha Elementary X

Hoover Elementary X

Polk Elementary X X

Taylor Elementary  X X

Van Buren Elementary X X X

Wilson Elementary School X

Taft Alternative School X X

 Des Moines Register editors completely ignore Dept. of Education data in the following table that shows the entire Des Moines school district would be taken over by the State if the district was Title 1—and the Register hides it!

 DES MOINES SCHOOLS IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE

CONTINUOUS DETERIORATION OF DES MOINES INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT IN READING , MATH & MORE.  43% of Schools, Plus District, are in NEED of ASSISTANCE.  In addition, 37 schools (66% of the district's schools), are on the WATCH List for academic failures in up to 3 areas.

IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE

SCHOOL YEAR & NUMBER OF YEARS IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE

*CONTINUOUS YEARS IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE

02-03

03-04

04-05

05-06

06-07

07-08

08-09

Des Moines Independent School District

 

 

 

1

2

3

4

4

East HS

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

Hoover HS

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

North HS

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

Roosevelt HS

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

Scava HS

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

Callanan MS

 

 

1

2

3

4

5

5

Goodrell MS

 

 

1

2

3

4

5

5

Harding MS

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

Hiatt MS

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

Hoyt MS

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

McComb MS

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

Merridith MS

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

Merril MS

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

Weeks MS

 

 

1

2

3

4

5

5

Edmunds ES

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

Findlay ES

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

Jackson ES

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

King ES

 

 

 

 

 

1

2

2

Monroe ES

 

 

 

 

 

1

2

2

Moulton Es

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

7

River Woods ES

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

South Union ES

 

 

 

 

 

1

2

2

Wallace ES

 

1

2

3

4

 

 

4

Adams ES

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

1

* NCLB requirements were set in 2002 to get all students proficient at grade level by 2014.  After 3 continuous years on the In Need of Assistance (INA) list, tutoring to be provided and students given choice to transfer to a better school.  After 4 continuous years, school staff to be replaced.  After 5 continuous years, drastic restructuring to take place and the State could take over the district.  The Des Moines School District is in defiance of these requirements & it ignores student needs for a suitable education as well. 

DES MOINES SCHOOLS ON WATCH LIST

EACH X = ACADEMIC FAILURE IN A SUBJECT

East High School X

Lincoln High School X

  North High School X X X

  Roosevelt High School X

  Scavo Alternative High School X X X

Brody Middle School X X

Hiatt Middle School X

McCombs Middle School X X

 Capitol View Elementary X X

Carver Elemementary   X X

 Cattell Elementary X X

  Edmunds Fine Arts Academy X X

 Findley Elementary X

 Garton Elementary at Douglas X X

  Greenwood Elementary X

  Hillis Elementary  X X

Howe Elementary X X

 Hubbell Elementary X X

 Lovejoy Elementary X X

  Madison Elementary X

McKinley Elementary X X

  Monroe Elementary X

 Moulton Elementary Mid. X

 Moulton Elementary Elem. X

Brubaker Elementary X X

Oak Park X X

  Park Ave Elementary X X

 Perkins Elementary X

River Woods Elementary X

  Smouse Opportunity School X X

Stowe Elementary X X

Studebaker Elementary X X

 Morris Elementary X

 Willard Elementary X

Windsor Elementary at Samuelson X X

Woodlawn Elementary X X

Wright Elementary X X

 For another example,  as shown by public data posted on websites: http://www.iowalive.net/rankings%2005-07.htm ,  Cedar Rapids and Des Moines are ranked 234th and 331st of 341 schools testing students in 4th & 8th  reading and math.

 Similarly, from public data posted on website:  http://iowalive.net/  Iowa is ranked 22nd in the nation in NAEP 4th reading scores—and the nation is ranked near the bottom of international countries, not including the higher performing Asian countries.

 Large Iowa newspapers are struggling for good reason.  They are not doing their constitutional job of informing the public of these and similar dire news items.