Posted by waytoreal (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 2:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)

how did the other school districts do, jefferson,wilkinson,franklin?

Posted by EnKiKur (Marty Ellerbe) on November 23, 2009 at 2:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Mr. Morris, the ballgame is the future of the individual children. There is no point in whining about failure, the thing to do is to turn failure into success.

Posted by crazyworld (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 4:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Morgantown got the lowest rating, and in all the pix of that school the children are playing games. When I was in school, playing educational games was only used when the teacher didn't feel like teaching. The games were just that, games!; even math bingo and didn't really teach much. Games don't teach the basics kids need!!

Posted by niderbip (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 5:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)

ratings will rise only when teen birthrates fall.

Posted by mike8427 (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 6:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This is a huge reason why no industry will locate in Natchez. Alot of people that blog here want to blame the politicians, these schools represent the future workforce. Why would a company want to locate here with this education level?

Posted by 2008 (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 6:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)

IS THIS A SURPRIZE...,Why should financially struggling parents have to pay for their children to go to private schools. If the school system isn’t producing top notch graduating students who would want to invest in moving here?

Shamefully Natchez seems to care more about a new Recreational center, sports and games than education for our public school students. RECREATION SHOULD NOT COME BEFORE THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF YOUR CHILDREN! IF AS MUCH ENERGY TIME AND MONEY WERE BEING SPENT ON EDUCATION INSTEAD OF PLAY TIME MAYBE NATCHEZ WOULD HAVE MORE GRADUATES, HIGHER TEST SCORES AND LESS DROP OUTS

The teachers should get a pay raise to get and RETAIN the best teachers we can.

After school programs with tutoring for all public schools, should be mandatory when students grades fall below a C. Tutoring should be offered at NO cost to the parents and provided for by the local college students for a credit program, mentoring or big brother big sister program.

Field trips for educational purposes

Updated resources, computers and software.

Bring into the classroom various occupational professionals for motivational talks, even in the lower grades to expose students to want more than Walmart jobs.

Classroom supplies that are not paid for by the teachers and parents.

Programs where the baby dolls are sent home with the student’s, let the babies cry all night and the kids and parents have to deal with them. Work study jobs for credits in Daycare centers, let the boys and girls change real diapers. Work study jobs at the local paper, local bank, local grocery store, hospitals, veterinary clinic, mechanic shop, lumber yard, etc. Or maybe Wallmart or the tourist industry where they could see what a wonderful pay minimum wage will bring them if they don’t get an education!

Bring in realistic trade schools, not everyone is cut out for college.

The list goes on for all the needs the Natchez school district requires to be top notch educational facilities. These children are our future, parents, educators and the citizens of Natchez are responsible for this dismal failure in our towns school system.

Posted by dog8 (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 6:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)

mike8427, you are exactly correct, which makes education everyone's responsibility. What are we doing to help/support the schools?

These are OUR kids. We all are responsible. Every parent should understand this seven point system and figure out how their child's performance impacts. It takes strong community involvement to build strong schools. If you look around the country, the best schools have tremendous support from their community.

crazyworld, I think in the first picture the girls are working on a project (to be displayed on a poster board). Kids are different these days and must be taught differently. We need to ensure that our teachers understand this well and prepare the students accordingly.

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 7:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

typical response from Morris, he's been in charge for 5 years now, with little if any improvement...

it's time for a change in administration....

I agree niderbip- the teen pregnancy issue should be attacked, I see A LOT of teens pregnant, .... as long as medicaid will pay no one cares.....

Posted by Ntz (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 7:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Mr. Morris needs to be re-evaluated on his leadership. He needs to go into the schools and start grading these teachers. Also, I like the idea of having tutor session for C or lower grades. This would be a great time to get these parents involved into their child education. Instead of a Rec center lets do an education center.

Posted by fsranger (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 7:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

How do you equate school with baby sitting??? Have never been able to figure that one out??

Posted by getitright (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 7:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

they should have never combined the schools. it combined the thugs and the upper class which led the upper class right into the private schools. The private schools are busting at the seams because the public schools aren't fit to send your kids to...
I have worked in the public school system and it is rediculous. The kids are disrespectful and the parents are just as bad. Everybody is looking for someone to blame but themselves. Mississippi has a high Medicaid rate, high obesity rate, and low education rate. Go figure! It's a downward spiral of too many handouts. People need to learn to care for themselves and accept responsibility!

Posted by dave07deuce07 (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 7:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

well; here go the finger pointing again. you read about it now; ten years from now , you'll read the same thing again. is it because we don't know what to do to move up from been on the bottom in every thing; or we just hate changes; natchez is not that different from any other city of it's size in the north, east, or west. so what's the problem with natchez and the state of mississippi. ( we are always on the bottom when it comes to just about everything); and don't think it's just started. as for me; i love natchez; but when you stept outside of natchez,ms. for a while; it want be long before you find out where you came from. we have a lot of intelligent people in natchez ; all we need to do is put ours heads together and make it work; at least for the kids sake.

Posted by Obadiah (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 7:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I believe that schools should have all the funding they need and I am a firm supporter of raising teacher pay. But I also know the best school system with the best teachers will never trump what a child learns at home. What ever is expected of the child in the home and community in which they live, that is what they will become.

Posted by 2008 (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 8:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

It’s way past time for the blame game to end…..it doesn’t matter who’s feet the failing educational system should be laid at. Whether it be the parents, school district, teachers or government, it doesn’t matter anymore.

Are there no parents of public school children that read these blogs, what suggestions do you have with first hand experience in the classroom? Are there no retirees able to donate time in the classroom or tutoring?

NO ONE should be complaining we all know there is a huge problem, where are the ideas, where are the resolutions, that is what should be written in these comments.

Where is the public outcry for answers, just because your child goes to a private school doesn’t mean your opinion and suggestions aren’t needed.

I don’t see anyone willing to take action, only blame and complain.

Posted by pj (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 8:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Here's a list of the schools/districts and their ratings this year:

http://www.clarionledger.com/assets/pdf/...

Posted by SIOUXLADY (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 8:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This is a situation that is NO SURPRISE.

Parents just don't give a DAMN. Their kids are failing. the parents have FAILED.

It is not the job of the SCHOOL district to RAISE your children. I am sure that some of the parents (MAYBE) can read but can't tell you what they read.

Parents do you have any sense of knowing where your children are headed w/o a decent education. Let me rephrase that... DO YOU EVEN CARE.
DUMB BEGETS DUMB.

Posted by jabese5 (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 8:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I am so glad my children aren't in the Natchez public school anymore.

Posted by mrsk (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 8:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)

It all starts at home...Many of the parents are poorly educated themselves and have no idea what they should be doing at home for their children. Set up classes for these parents. When they start feeling a sense of accomplishment then they can be a positive influence on their children. Nothing is going to change until these parents take ownership in creating a positive and nurturing environment for their children. Noone has any doubt that the parents love their children, but they need instruction on how to best guide them. Take some of the federal funds that are out there being used on programs that are not working and build a program in Natchez that serves the parents and the students.

Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Question is, with a population like Natchez's -- where white flight has pretty much vacated the public schools of a cross section of society -- how do you get test scores to look like those from communities where more of everybody attends the public schools?

You hire a superman -- if you can find one.

It is amazing how many people diss on government and on superintendents but then expect to be able to abandon the public schools and expect some government hire to fix the problem.

In a sense the folks who have abandoned the schools but expect the government to fix them depend too much on government even if they are paying out the nose to school their own kids.

It is a difficult spot for parents but if everyone in this town had attended the public schools all along they would not be in this shape.

Posted by Preacher (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 8:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)

From several sources over the years, here's the problem. The best teachers and the best students have been forced out of our public schools because of racial prejudice and jealously.

Posted by 2008 (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 8:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

mrsk: YES,YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ON COURSE WITH YOUR COMMENT...

Posted by butch (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 8:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The whole public schools system at risk of failing ! Things wont change until this sick attitude about being smart is upheld again . It became cool at some point in the rap infestation to be dumb as hell ! Lowered expectations is the name of the game . If you don't believe me just visit the high school . Smart kids are affraid to really shine . Being dumb and foolish , even anti intellectual is the rule of the day . No kid left behind is a joke !
Natchez schools need a radical overhaul . Start by giving kids who really want to learn a safe place to do so without ridicule by their dumber peers . Separate and group those who perform with others that are performing . Those students who don't want to learn should be grouped with similar performing peers . Let them disrupt themselves in the same footsteps of their parents . Even if you have to divide the campuses into two distict areas . Good kids shouldn't have to suffer with the lowered expectation one , or those who don't want to learn . Stop this mixing of slower , disruptive kids with the learners . A couple of them in a class is all you need to upset a learning environment . At least give the learners a change to learn in a safe environment . Divide and conquer , separate those that can from those that won't or can't . Even the good kids in this present bad mix will go on to be more successful than the disruptor . That mixed up learning environment has got to change .

Posted by Obadiah (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 9:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

mrsk: I believe you are correct and that we need to reach out to the parents and guardians of these children first. If nothing changes in the home, then nothing will change in the school.

Posted by sandra (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 9:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)

natchezsees, you are not alone. nashville public schools failed five years in a row, dismissed the director, hired a new one who "fresh-started" failing schools by discharging all the teachers and making them re-apply and move to other schools, cleaned out the davidson county board of education building and sent the staff into the public schools to mentor and assist teachers. nothing changed. then, the board voted 5 to 4 in favor of re-zoning schools which puts it back like it used to be. SEGREGATED. moral decay, lies and deception have led us to this point. government "crumb" hand-outs instead of good paying factory jobs, health-care positions, public works jobs,(where people are NEEDED to clean the dirty, filthy streets, to pick up the stray dogs that roam day and night, pooping right outside your front door). it is un-godly and negligent. don't let them get you depressed, cause then you won't have any fight in you. call for town hall meetings, gather at your churches. victory is going to take more than just prayer. GOD told the Israelites to get up off their knees and quit praying and MOVE FORWARD. with Pharoah's army behind and the Red Sea in front, WE HAVE NO MORE CHOICES if we are to survive.

Posted by southernmiss75 (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 9:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)

There is no one quick fix for the problems in public schools. The administration need to realize that making teachers sit in workshops because it's tied to funding is uselss. Let the teachers do what they should be doing - teach. Most teachers have binders & portfolios FULL of useless mumbo-jumbo that is a rehash of what they learned a decade earlier.

Administration should be accountable for what is happening in the school system - don't just put it off on the teachers. It's frustrating to try to teach a class when you have students who are labeled as whatever. If these children act up, you have to kill a few trees with the paperwork required to get any results in behavior & then it is a stopgap - nothing's really done. Teachers are under the gun from every side - administration that hobbles them, parents that don't care about anything except the extra money they get if their child is low achieving or has behavior issues, and students who know that there is a limited amount that the teachers can do to make them behave. Check with the teachers trying to teach students on all levels who are pregnant and students who just perpetuate the cycle of non-learning that is what they see modeled in society. This is NOT a race-specific problem by any means, so don't even go there.

Parents need to get more involved in the education of their children in a positive way. There are good teachers out there & not all in the private schools. It's frustrating to have parents telling their children that school isn't important & that the bad grades are the teacher's fault. There's been too much of the mentality that society owes the student a good grade/money/whatever & that you don't have to work for it.

Yes, there are times when teachers use academic games in class, but not only because they're too tired to teach the material. During some of those dreaded workshops the teachers are TOLD to use games, etc. to get the students involved. It doesn't always work, but many times the teachers are scored on whether or not they use alternative teaching sources. No one is denying that there are teachers who don't teach, but that's not the whole problem.

20 years ago Natchez was near the top of the heap academically. After the changing of all the schools, combining & reworking what was already a good system, Natchez-Adams Public Schools started a downward spiral that has only gotten worse. I've watched people move their children to private/parochial schools & move themselves to Vidalia or other areas because of the school situation.

The problem with the schools isn't going to be solved with bandaids or more of the same. Changes need to be made - soon. A community can't survive with just casinos & tourism as an economic base, much less thrive & grow.

Posted by sunkitty (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 10:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Preacher - get over yourself! This has nothing to do with RACE!!!!!!
The problem begins in the home. Like so many others have stated - education begins in the home. A teacher can instruct until she/he is blue in the face. If the kids have no positive role models in the home then all is in vain. Teachers and Superintendants can only do so much. They cannot spoon feed the kids.

Posted by 2008 (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 10:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

southernmiss75 What suggestions and ideas do you think would assist with the classroom problems and student achievement? What kind of changes do you think need to be made?

Posted by BenCole (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 10:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Public schools are one of the best measures of a community's values. Natchez: you have been measured and found lacking. So ... whatcha gonna do about it?

My prediction: a little rhetoric and a few heady flourishes, but no real action.

Natchez: if you were a business, the auditors' collective conclusions would be: "No longer a going concern. Not credit worthy. One step away from bankruptcy. The prudent investor should look elsewhere." They have, and they will.

Natchez: you have become a toxic social waste site. Now ... whatcha gonna do about it? I already know: you'll point fingers in all directions and settle for that as your "action plan."

if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always got.

Dream on. You're in deep decay.

Posted by thinkforyourself (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 10:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Preacher you are so right. It has nothing to do with race. At risk failing" is what it is. Teachers and administrators are the best people to turn this around and at this point I don't give a damn what color your skin is. If white, black ,Indian, Viet Namese can do it let's go. Morris has had it for 5 years no growth. Buy his contract if need be, but the man got to go. Take the recycle teachers and principals from Louisiana that have put in 30 to 40 years, and let them find their Social Security somewhere else. Teachers with General Studies degrees from Alcorn, who could not get a degree in education send them packing, Principals thet have been in place and show no growth in their schools send them packing,(black or white). The Personnell director that refuse to hire qualified teachers, for fear they may demand more from their superiors send him packing too. Hire somebody that can recruit highly qualified teachers as well as principals, that can keep them here. Find a Curriculum director that knows the curriculum and can tell when teachers are offering BS, and is aware that test scores just made a liar out of that teacher. Teachers from 30 years ago who have not integrated new math, science, into their teaching career need to go.(written proof)

Simple Solution:Administrators, Teachers, students, need to be held accountable for their actions. Where can we find a School Board who is willing to take charge and say enough is enough? Dr. Edney and Mrs. Steckler have been there long enough to know BS when they hear it. Enough is enough

Posted by SIOUXLADY (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 10:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Also, I think that the teachers are afraid of the students as well as the parents of the children.

OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF WERE NOT AFRAID OF THE STUDENTS. NEITHER SOUTH NOR NORTH.

MORALS. GOOD MORALS ACCOUNTS FOR A LOT.

GLAD MY CHILDREN ARE OUT OF SCHOOL.

Posted by 03BEAUTY (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 11:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)

YOU KNOW WHAT I THINK IT IS SO FUNNY HOW PEOPLE CAN BLAME THE SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR INDIVIDUAL FAILURE, IF YOU WANT YOUR CHILDREN TO BE MORE PRODUCTIVE ACADEMICALLY CHALLENGE THEM AT HOME I GRADUATED FROM NATCHEZ HIGH AND HAVE GONE ON TO DO GREAT THINGS AS WELL AS MANY OF MY CLASSMATES, AS FAR AS RECREATION YES IT IS NEEDED BOTH IN SCHOOL AND OUT. CHILDREN NEED THAT POSITIVE OUTLET, AS FAR AS THE DR DAVIS, MAYBE HIS TIME IS OVER AND A YOUNGER PERSON WITH MORE ENERGY AND NEWER IDEAS FOR IMPROVEMENT IN EDUCATION. AS FOR COMBINING THE SCHOOLS GET OVER IT THAT WAS A VERY LONG TIME AGO HOW ABOUT BUILDING MORE SCHOOLS SO THAT THERE ARE SMALLER CLASSROOMS WHERE TEACHERS CAN HAVE MORE CONTROL AS WELL AS MORE INDIVIDUAL TIME FOR THE STUDENTS. STOP BLAMING AND TAKE ACTION.

Posted by happyreader (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 11:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I have a solution, but nobody will ever do it, because it isn't a feel-good, politically correct solution and because it's so easy to sue even when the plaintiff is the one at fault. Many low-performing schools could start performing at a much higher level within a year or two. It would require them to promptly - and I mean during the first 6-9 weeks of school - remove the students showing significant behavior problems. Many districts are so terrified of being sued by parents that they won't do that until they have a mountain of paperwork on a kid... which takes months to pile up.... and by then the learning of an entire classful of children is tainted by the behavior of one or two. The usual counterargument to this is, "Well, where will the kids go? They'll just be out on the streets making trouble. They're better off in the classroom." If there were a much larger alternative, military-style school which involved not only academics but also physical labor, that would be a place for kids to go where they might actually learn some discipline, respect for authority, and how to work off some of that physical aggression - in addition to their academics. If sending kids to this school didn't take an act of Congress, word would get around quickly. Other kids who might not currently have behavior problems but might follow the lead of their tough little friends would have that influence quickly removed from the class, and they would know that they might be next doing push-ups and scrubbing floors if they mess around. The difference would be astounding if this were to actually take place.

Like I said, it's not going to happen. But honestly, the key difference between public and private schools isn't the intelligence of students. It isn't the quality of teachers or administrators. It isn't the quality of school buildings, and it sure as heck isn't the amount of funding poured into each student. It is the ability to turn students away because of behavior issues. Period.

Posted by Hardcorps (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 12:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

pj posted http://www.clarionledger.com/assets/pdf/......

The worst schools are Holmes, Humphreys, Jefferson, Wilkinson, counties and the other counties along the river.
I saw the results of the "fattest counties" in the 50 states the other day. Holmes, Humphreys, and Jefferson were three of the top five, in the whole United States. As long as the parents are idiots and allow their offspring to go around with their trousers dragging the ground with their boxers and butts showing just below their white tee shirts, selling crack there won't be a change. Morris needs to be fired. Worthless teachers need to be fired. Worthless parents need to be locked up.
When an important person's son is selling crack and the police are fired if they approach him, something is wrong with the picture. I've had to wait in line while groups of thugs were selling crack to people in cars coming in from all four directions at the corner. A policeman was directly in front of me laughing and joking as the kids ran back and forth to the cars. The lines were four and five deep waiting to buy the dope.
The school situation is just one part of a society that is going to hell.

Posted by Classylady (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 12:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hardcorps,

I tried to stay out of this debate, because I see a lot of complaints but little or no solutions for why the schools in "Mississippi" as a whole are failing. But perhaps you didn't read the information correctly on the Clarion Ledger's website-- http://www.clarionledger.com/assets/pdf/...
Jefferson, Holmes, Humphreys, and Wilkinson counties are not the worst schools compared to Natchez-Adams County-- all of your schools are failing. I don't have children enrolled in either of the schools, but I do have grandchildren and I am actively involved in their education, both at home and at school. This thing is bigger than all of us and "we all" need to be more actively involved in the education of our children because if it doesn't affect us now it will in the future.

Posted by happyreader (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 12:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"When an important person's son is selling crack and the police are fired if they approach him, something is wrong with the picture. I've had to wait in line while groups of thugs were selling crack to people in cars coming in from all four directions at the corner. A policeman was directly in front of me laughing and joking as the kids ran back and forth to the cars. The lines were four and five deep waiting to buy the dope." - Hardcorps

Hardcorps, I'm not an advocate for everything that goes on being put in the paper. But that's the sort of thing that ought to be blown wide open by the press. If it's true, it would be a plum story for a reporter. One of the very reasons that our founding fathers insisted on freedom of the press was to prevent the government from abusing its power and pushing crimes under the rug. Think about it. It may be too late for that particular incident, but what if everybody took photos with their cell phones and spoke up when stuff like that happened?

Posted by bellesouth (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 12:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Yep, blame it on the kids and blame it on the parents. That means our schools are fine if we didn't have the worst parents and the worst kids in all of the United States. Yeah, right. I have a bridge for sale too.

Posted by consider_reason (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 12:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The system is run by a group of people who, in the majority, worry about their own positions, checks, and job security before the education of the kids.

City government, law enforcement, education in the public sector, continues to be run on shoestring budgets by people who care more of themselves than of public service.

They keep getting elected on the same promises year after year and time after time by the same sheep who choose to put hope ahead of blatant fact and repetitive results.

Reap what you have sown. If the offices of the brass are not given an enema every few years then the stink will always be there.

Posted by Preacher (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 2:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Butch is right. Give the best teachers and students a chance to excel.

Posted by seeemeeego (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 2:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Not sure why most Mississippi newspapers were not more forthcoming on the only two districts to earn the star rating. From the Daily Corinthian newspaper:

"The Booneville School District was one of only two districts, along with the Pass Christian School District, to earn a star rating for the district as a whole under the more rigorous rating system."

http://www.dailycorinthian.com/

Posted by tbaby3 (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 2:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I wonder if any of the negative commenters have given time by coming to school and voluteering. Children must be taught at home but in the event they are not then it is the responsibility of the school. The schools system needs a overhaul true but when I read in the Democrat that no one attended budget meetings and nothing was challenged by tax papers then who can be blamed for the situation. TAKE A STAND and attend the school meetings and PTA meetings. We need YOU and YOUR TIME.

Posted by southernmiss75 (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 3:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)

There are several good points being raised here, but the problem is getting the people who matter to pay attention - no one wants to hear what he/she is doing wrong, only what someone else is doing wrong.

Teen pregnancy is a big issue & it shows up all too often in the junior high age group (& unfortunately in the elementary as well). It's hard enough to get a student motivated to learn what the state requires when you are up against video games/ipods/cell phones much less having to try & tell a student who is basically a child herself & is having a baby that she needs to know all about integers & the Revolutionary War. I don't know the cure for this, since most of my students relish the idea of having someone to take care of that will love them unconditionally or that it made them popular with the baby's daddy for awhile or that their family gets another check. Again - not a race specified condition here.

Positive parental involvement would be a HUGE help. It doesn't have to take the form of anything more than showing up for a parent day or coming to watch your child perform. Having parents learn how to take part in their children's lives in a positive way could make a big difference in their educational success. The problem is getting the parents to do these things. If the parents had a bad experience as a student chances are they aren't going to want to get involved as parents unless it's to complain when their child gets in trouble. It's a vicious circle.

One of the comments that I read said that we need to give the students & teachers a chance to excel. This is SO true! There is relatively little money spent on the top students & just a little more would make a difference. Make it so that getting good grades can make a difference in their lives. Louisiana has a scholarship program called TOPS that helps students who meet the grade qualifications pay for college. This is a big incentive.

Take an interest in more than just talking here. Talk to people who matter in the community & find positive answers.

Posted by stateofnatchez (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 5:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)

OHHHHHHH, BUT WE NEED THAT NEW RECREATION CENTER DON'T WE??!!! How bout a little round of applause for Philip West and company.........

Still can't see the forest for the trees huh NASD??

Maybe now you'll be able to see the rubber marks on the road from people either hauling butt outta town or stopping short of coming into town.

Posted by ntznomad (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 5:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

It's a community-wide failure. Education is not valued here and it shows. My daughter was at West before I started homeschooling and she was shamed when she got answers wrong. They weren't instructive or encouraging; they were punitive. At a week into school they wanted her in tutoring because she was "so far behind". When she was at home with me she got all of her homework right, but she was becoming withdrawn and hating to try to learn anything. We've been homeschooling for a month and she is confident and beginning to read. She says she never wants to go back to public school and she has learned more this month with Calvert than she did in 3 months at public school. They just throw information at the kids and hope it sticks. Add that noninstructional method to the culture of stupidity in this town, and it's a miracle that the school system isn't in the failing category already.

Posted by timefertruth (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 6:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Education does start at home I agree with that, but it is supposed to be continued in the school system and in Natchez it is not , and these results show it.
If I would not have gotten my kids out of the Adams county they would not have graduated, when I got them in the new school system we found out that they were way behind in everything.
Tell me this how can a child learn from a teacher that can't even speak proper English, I myself have heard some of these so called teachers speak, For example I had one tell my child in these exact words, ( dis is how ya do dat ) now you tell me why my tax money is being spent on someone like that, ( EDUCATION IS SUPPOSED TO BE CONTINUED AT SCHOOL!!!!!!! )

Posted by ntznomad (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 6:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

White flight? We're seriously talking about THAT dragging down the public schools?!? That ruined ACCS by bringing in all the stupid white trailer trash. I remember when all ACCS needed was 2 buildings and they valued learning. I also remember after white flight they were stuffing way too many kids in the classrooms and academic achievement went out the window.

Why pay $4000 for private education only marginally better than the public system?

Posted by drinthehouse (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 6:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I too agree that accountability includes more than just teachers, and it is not fulfilled by administrators harassing teachers and reminding them of who is in charge. Clearly, teachers are already aware of this (being the intellectual individuals that they are). Accountability involves everyone- administrators, parents, teachers and students. So my challenge to the administrative staff of NASD is to come from behind the big cherry finished desks and monitor administrators, as well as teachers. They too,much be responsible for what goes on in their buildings.

So many schools have become circuses and teachers and assistants are not taking their jobs seriusly, but who is to blame----THE TOP, THE TOP! If you didn't know better you would think it was a social club soliciting new members instead of an educational setting. (Oh by the way if the shoe doesn't fit you, then don't wear it- continue teaching!

Posted by Teacher27yrs (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 7:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Teachers are running as fast as they can to get out of the Adams County Schools and the local failing school systems. Those who stay are helpless to change things until administration is changed. What's also bad is when the Adams County students begin traveling across county lines to come to better, safer districts.

Posted by 4jandme (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)

NASD won't even return your phone call unless you threaten to call Jackson on them! this is rediculous. It's so many teachers not caring about the students that the kids just give up. I am a parent of kids that attend NASD and I am so feed up I want to home school them myself. I have meet a few teachers who actually care as well as admin. If it were more people like Mrs. G. Brown, L. Franklin, Mr. E. Fields, and a few others we would be alright because they actually care.

Posted by diamonds (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 9:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Until we, the parents, take back our house and raise our children the way they should be raise education, working environment and nothing else is going to change. The law or should I say society has played a major role in how we as parents raise our children. Race is not even an issue here. Parenting and raising our children to fear somebody (the mother and daddy) is the most and top priority here. I have see daily children don't respect their parents, parents don't respect the children teachers, principal, or even the preacher. Until we instill the three R's and starting changing our ways (parents), we will never see what is needed to educate children with. Parents can come and sit at school all day, but until we put discipline back in the schools, first the home, major problems will forever come and live where they should not be. Yes, we have teachers, just teaching for the monthly check. Until administrator(s) start putting their foot down on teachers not performing above their expectations nothing will never change. Teachers still too much time disciplining rather than teaching. It is unfair for the students that won't to learn, willing to learn, and can learn. We, the school administrator need to get back to the basic of reading, writing, and arthmetic. We have too many programs pushing at our children and they can't learn the basic. Let's get back to the basic because we are losing our children one by one.

Posted by natashakubelikov (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 10:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)

School is just a place to hangout until they can run the roads later in the day.

Posted by pbnj (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 11:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Your right about that and the only reason they have to go to school is so their parents can run the roads.

Posted by Hardcorps (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 11:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)

diamonds thank you for a good post.

Posted by Mushroom05 (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 12:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Cursed Earth, Cursed Earth, Cursed Earth, Cursed Earth.

I will never feed off the evergreen luster of your heart all because we all live in the valley of the walls when they speak we can peak from the windows of their mouths to see the land the women chant as they fly up to the sun.

You never think you know why,
Know, You never think you know why,
Know, You never think you know why,
Know, Ever think you know why,
Know.

Books all say different things while people flap their yellow wings trying
to soar by being a whore of life and almost everything the sheep that ran
off from the herd may be dead but now's a bird able to fly able to die able
to **** your mothers earth.

You never think you know why,
Know, You never think you know why,
Know, You never think you know why,
Know, Ever think you know why,
Know.

On the other side, on the other side, the other side,
Did you ever try to fly, Did you ever try to fly?
Have you ever wanted to die, you ever wanted to die?

Don't ever try to fly, don't ever try to fly,
Don't ever try to fly, unless you leave your body on the other side,
Never try to die, you ever try to die.

Know, You never think you know why,
Know, You never think you know why,
Know, You never think you know why,
Know, Ever think you know why, Know.

Posted by Mushroom05 (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 1:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)

With that being said....
I am a white male who attended the natchez-adams school district for almost 6 years. Dropping out and obtaining my GED was probably one of the smartest things I have ever done.
My experiences at natchez schools were quite terrifying. Guys would touch my girlfriend's butt resulting in fights that were my fault? "hey white boy come here", was a phrase I often heard. Most of my teachers were idiots and knew nothing about the subjects they were teaching. Especially in math and science classes. They taught me nothing and I can't remember anything that I actually learned in any math class ever in the public schools of natchez. I remember in the 7th grade, which was my first year at Natchez Middle School, I was in the "smart kid class" and was eligible to take Pre-Algebra in the 7th grade! woo. Well our real pre-algebra teacher who actually knew what she was doing quit after the first semester and they assigned us this Substitute teacher. Ms Gibson was her name I believe. I'm quite sure she knew nothing about pre-algebra let alone long division. She made us do the same 3 or 4 pages for the 2nd semester. I am almost certain that it was the same 3 or 4 pages of work every week for like 5 months straight. Anyway, long story short it sucked.

Posted by Mushroom05 (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 1:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Part 2-Dos-Deux-TWO

I remember wanna be thugs acting gangsta and busting rhymes in between periods while smoking newpotes in the bathroom on their lunch break. Or does that idiot Mr. Lofton's No Going Outside during lunch decree still stand. I can remember only 3 or 4 teachers that actually taught me something in this school district.
I think the solution for the smart people in these schools is to tough it out until they are able to take their GED, go to Co-lin for a few years, then go to real college. Or perhaps we can make a sequel to the movie Accepted. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you read the plot. We could call it Rejected or perhaps Neglected.
I think the solution is to crack down on punishment in these schools. Like.....expel bad kids.......forever. Tell them to learn somewhere else and not tolerate things like gangs, drugs, violence. But wait.....the NASD needs these delinquents in order to get money from the government. Or was their some huge conspiracy going on every time there was an "audit" , if you can call it that, taking place preventing students from learning just to count heads. When I attended Natchez High and audits would take place, I think the better way of auditing students would have been to gather everyone to the football field, make them all sit in a circle, and play a huge guiness book record breaking game of duck duck goose. At least then the school may have received some money for breaking a record, and some of the fat food stamp kids would have gotten some exercise.
Ya it really sucked being a white kid going to those schools now that I think about it. All of the private school kids made fun of you because you were in public schools or for being too poor to go to private schools. So .....I had black people making fun of me because I was white and white people making fun of me because I was poor. God Bless America!

Posted by happyreader (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 9:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"I think the solution is to crack down on punishment in these schools. Like.....expel bad kids.......forever. Tell them to learn somewhere else and not tolerate things like gangs, drugs, violence." - Mushroom 05

You've hit the nail on the head there, mushroom. That's what I was saying earlier. There are lots of great kids in Natchez; they just need to be protected from the ones who are always making trouble so that they can blossom.

Posted by Continental_Line (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 9:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Great Post Mushroom05. There is no doubt you will be very successful in life !

Posted by brock (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 10:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Sad but true Mushroom05 . Concerned parents who don't have the money for private school but have the time will probably get superior results home schooling their kids .

Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 10:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Here's one concerned parent who wishes they can afford private school for her son.

Posted by Hardcorps (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 10:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Mushroom05 you go young man. Sounds like you put it out where it needs to be. Very eloquently too I must say.

SCHOOL ADMINS WILL YOU LISTEN TO THIS YOUNG MAN?

Between the black student thugs, the teacher thugs, and the school board thugs, a white person doesn't have a chance in public school here and that is the ultimate truth.

Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 11:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"Ya it really sucked being a white kid going to those schools now that I think about it. All of the private school kids made fun of you because you were in public schools or for being too poor to go to private schools. So .....I had black people making fun of me because I was white and white people making fun of me because I was poor. God Bless America!"

This really speaks volume, and commend you on your entire comment, Mushroom05.

Posted by sideline (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 12:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Its not the school,its the kids. I can honestly say this. I went to the school and stayed the majority of the day. The kids have NO HOMETRAINING. The kids come to school just to go to ISS.They are constantly in the office. How can the teachers teach when they have to put up with unruly,disrepectful kids. This point mess should be ruled out until the administrators get control of the schools again. Remember Joe Clark in the movie Lean on Me. I didn't believe until I saw with my own eyes. Say what you want,believe what you want. Go look for yourself. RLMS. YOU HAVE TO CATCH THEM NOW AND MAKE EXAMPLES OUT OF THEM. No one wants to be made and exampl

Posted by JoeQPublic (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 2:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I'll try to be as concise in my comments since I want to encompass a vast array of points. I am a teacher in the NASD and want to comment on the situation at hand.

1. As in many arenas in life, you have those who are passionate about what they do and those who have ulterior motives (such as drawing a paycheck). There are many of us who care tremendously about educating the future leaders of our country and are dismayed about the current state of our district.

2. There are some really talented, intellectual individuals in our district who are being stymied in their academic development out of fear of being made fun of or because teachers are having to teach two grade levels behind to catch up a majority of the students who are not on grade level.

3. There are many children who are dealing with circumstances which children should not have to endure. There are children in our district who have seen murders, have had their parents murdered, have had their parents disown/abandon them, have been taken away from their parents because of drugs, don't see their parents because they are single parents who work, and have to take care of younger siblings because the parents are working. Some children only get two squares a day: breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria. Children who deal with such issues are so preoccupied that they are unable to have a frame of mind which is conducive to learning.

4. Children really don't learn as they did thirty, twenty, even ten years ago. Whole-group instruction with a teacher at the front of the room does not keep the attention of a generation bombarded/stimulated by video games, music, and television when they are not at school and who lack the discipline needed to sit still and respect the teacher during instruction. We can complain about it, but that doesn't change the reality of it. Therefore, teachers must adapt and pull/use whatever resources we must to captivate the attention of our students.

5. NASD should adopt a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to fighting. I have personally intervened in approximately ten altercations since the beginning of the school year. These children may be sent to ISS/BMP for 3-5 days or are sent home for 3-5 days (after ISS/BMP doesn't work) only to be back in the classroom causing the same disturbances. By the time you get enough "paper" on them to have them sent to Central, you have wasted a semester of establishing a conducive learning atmosphere and have caused irrevocable losses in instruction time.

These are just a few of the thoughts I have had off the top of my head. Please forgive any run-on sentences which are only a result of someone trying to keep up with a stream of consciousness which outpaces the speed of one's typing. There are more thoughts I could share and may if this discourse continues. It is difficult to endure, but we must to save those who we may.

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 4:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)

ntznomad - GOOD FOR YOU!!! I homeschooled 4 kids for 18 years total from oldest starting in 4th grade through youngest graduating high school. They are all successful, happy people. I wouldn't trade those years for anything!

Posted by Hardcorps (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 5:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

JoeQPublic thanks for your post. I have taught at the university level and have thought about teaching at the high school except I would last about 10 minutes as a teacher. The first mama's idiot that came in with an attitude would get throat punched and I would be fired.
I think we need to lock up people who have children and are too busy or stupid to be parents.
freedom42 good for you.

Posted by sandra (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 5:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)

teachers here are expected to teach the slow, the non-english speaking and the heathens all in the same class-room. it is a real trip.

Posted by JoeQPublic (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 6:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

It really is difficult sandra. You are expected to pull up those children who are two grade levels behind, teach those who are on grade level the expected curriculum, and challenge those who are bored because they are two grade levels ahead of where you are in the curriculum. In education circles, it is called "differentiated instruction". It is a challenge to implement.

Posted by utopia (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 7:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)

All I'm reading is Charlie Brown..womp womp womp...if you're not going attend a pta meeting, speak up in a faculty meeting, check up on your child or someone else child for altruism sake...words dont speak...no one hears you...womp womp womp

Posted by Ntz (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 8:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Its sad to see a town that I grew up in to get to this stage. My wife and I both graduated from NHS. We left town for college and said we would never come back. The town we were in had one of the best school district in the state of MS. Sadly we came back b/c of my job transfer and its not a day that goes by that I wish we would have stayed. Now that I have a house here, I wonder if it will be hard to sell and to pack my family to move to a better school district. The thought of having to pay for private schools bugs me b/c I can use that money elsewhere. For example, Trinity almost 4k, thats college tuition. With 3 kids do the math, when will I be able to enjoy life financially, if I'm having to pay for private school, were I can get the same quality of education in a public school(free) in another town.
When will our leaders learn that the future are our children, we are robbing them of a good life.

Posted by Continental_Line (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 8:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

JoeQPublic, your idealism is to be admired. Thankfully, you are an exception to most of the teachers within the Natchez/Adams Public Schools . Pragmaticaly, there does not appear to be any hope for the immediate future of the NASD.

"It is what it is"

Mushroom05 is wise beyond his years.

I predict that he will become a very successful citizen.

I also thank you for your service and devotion to public education.

Posted by JoeQPublic (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 10:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Thank you continental. I agree that being pragmatic or realistic is sometimes the proper view to have so as to not develop a polyanna mind-set which will blind you to what is really taking place around you. I do understand that things are not well in many aspects of our district, but if I'm there everyday, I'm going to try my hardest to make a difference with those children who are there to learn. There are some great kids that I teach who have wonderful parents who emphasize the importance of an education. I work hard because I know that they are listening and will learn from the lessons which I teach. I also make sure that I intervene in the lives of those who are good kids yet are succeptible to the influence of negative peer pressure in their lives. I try to steer them clear of the drama and "mess" which some of these kids are into. If I make a difference in only one child, I've at least made a small difference.

Posted by Continental_Line (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 11:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

God Bless you JoeQPublic !

Keep up the good work. I know it appears to be a thankless job most of the time. But if you have an influence on even one child, you have made a a bigger difference than you realize .

Posted by troypage (anonymous) on November 25, 2009 at 8:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I read a lot of posts stating that this change must start with the parents . Remember this public school district is close to 100 % black and well over 70%( ?)of the households are headed by single black women . The fathers are mia and the mothers don't know what to do with teen males whom she's probably afraid of . Heck some are probably out on the street thugging with their kids . Basically you have a bastard situation with the majority of these female lead households . This is nothing but a bad cycle . Kids from bad households grow up , produce offspring, their kids go to school ,and the cycle starts again . It's a complex situation . What do you do ? Sterilize them ? sweep them under the rug,prepare for future crimes that is a guaranteed . All I know is prison jobs will be the most secure in America for a very long time to come .

Posted by marinefrmntz (anonymous) on November 27, 2009 at 11:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Get the hell out of Mississippi!

Posted by juju (anonymous) on November 29, 2009 at 12:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

'Yeahuhuh,' if all the private/parochial/homeschooled kids returned to public schools they wouldn't be better! They'd just bring these kids down too and these parents know it and don't want to sit around and watch it happen. So, they sadly send their kids somewhere else. It's not racist to send your kids to private school calling it "white-flight," it's survival and doing the best for your kids. Besides it's more racist saying that "white kids" attending a school will bring the scores up!

And 'drawpaintsing,' most of the private schools have tuition waiver applications. Where there's a will, there's a way!

Posted by full39120 (anonymous) on December 15, 2009 at 1:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

First, the government needs to stop cutting the funding for education while increasing the prison funds. Next, in the NPSD as far as administration, if you do not have kids in public school or your kids never attended public school you do not need to be employed by NPSD. How can you represent something positively that you do not believe in. Some teachers today do not care, they sit in the classroom texting and allow the kids to do the same. Parents, it's not the teachers nor the schools responsibilities to raise or discipline your kids. You do have to do your part. Read to your kids while they are young, invest in educational toys, teach them right from wrong, and how to be respectful to all. If you start while they are young then as they get older they will continue on the right path in most cases, but if they have no fear of what will happen to them at home then they definitely won't care what they do outside of home.