Get Schooled

By Jeff

July 27, 2007 8:56 AM | Link to this

My question: Why couldn’t some schools in RURAL GA be targeted for this assistance as well? Why does EVERYTHING have to be about Atlanta?

To answer Bridget’s question: Not until the societies involved (primarily Black America - though admittedly a problem with Poor White America as well) puts an emphasis on graduating and attending college, regardless of the specific parents involved.

By msbzzy

July 27, 2007 9:35 AM | Link to this

Maybe the schools in rural georgia should apply for the assistance the same way the APS did. I know that is what I’ll be encouraging our coaches to do.

By Lee

July 27, 2007 9:47 AM | Link to this

A few observations:

• What the heck are “at risk” students doing participating in extra currucular activities anyway? If you can’t do the schoolwork in a normal day, adding 2-3 hours practice everyday sure isn’t going to help the ‘ol GPA.

• When I played sports in high school, all a teacher had to do was to tell the coach a student was slacking. I’ve seen more than one student sitting on the sidelines doing homework while the rest of the team practiced. After you got through, you then ran the bleachers. The slackers got the message real quick.

• Jeff, the program is funded by a private donation. Other schools are free to write up a request and submit to Chick-fil-a as well.

• There was an article in yesterday’s AJC about the head coach at the University of Georgia implementing a “tougher academic program” for his players. Before you teachers get too excited, no, it doesn’t mean that his players will take harder classes. It means that a player may have to sit out some games if they don’t do what they’re supposed to do - like attend class. What caught my eye is that UGA employs FORTY people to act as class checkers. That is, they stand outside the classroom door and the athlete has to check in to show they attended class. These guys are 18-22 year old ADULTS and they still get babied.

• The above points out a very real problem. Many of these “blue chip” athletes get coddled all the way through high school and college and never have to grow up. Might explain why Michael Vick is such a car wreck.

• The overemphasis on “everyone attending college” is one my pet peeves with the educational system today. I tell my children to figure out what you WANT to do in life, determine what it’s going to take to get you there, and then work toward that goal.

By AR

July 27, 2007 9:50 AM | Link to this

At least one high school in Clarke County has been in the Play It Smart program for several years. I guess you just have to apply for it. One of our counselors is the coach for it. I don’t know if he gets an extra supplement to do it or not.

By SET

July 27, 2007 10:07 AM | Link to this

The graduation figures look way too good to be true. You cannot select High School Football players on the basis of playing ability and have 98% of them graduate High School unless your graduation standard is 8th grade reading level. Somebody is cherry picking the students or watering down the graduation standards.

In CA there is a pattern of high school football teams getting less black as they progress to senior year and the black students run into the state mandated standards of academic qualification to remain on the team. A single failing grade at some critical point pushed them out. The teams have special tutoring and pressure the teachers to pass them - but the numbers aren’t with them. So they are out.

The former players of course run around in public with their headdresses and football practice shirts but they have long since been kicked off the teams. Everybody is used to this here.

If it were this easy to get results like this Atlanta wouldn’t be the only place with such results. The students here want to stay in the football program. Yet they are gone. Same thing with College Football. I’ve known a few NFL pros. They were not college material but they were fantastic football players and they didn’t graduate college. On the other hand I’ve known college football players who didn’t go pro, who graduated and took doctoral degrees.

If you are in business for football you are (usually) not in business for academics. I consider football to be a job and I believe the school players should be covered by Worker’s Comp.

Remember what I said about NCLB being designed to produce cheating by the schools…

By Elaine

July 27, 2007 11:16 AM | Link to this

If students are helped, that’s wonderful. If Chic-Fil-A wants to give their money away to help them, that’s wonderful, too.

However, I’m still curious as to why so often students are targeted for academic help because they can run fast or jump high? What does that have to do with academic achievement? Why not target students who show academic promise? This is such an engrained paradigm that people don’t even question it.

I’ll admit, I’m bitter. As a college student, I studied hard to keep my small academic scholarship that supplemented what my parents and I could pay for college (pre-HOPE). It was frustrating to be standing in the line to pick up my small check, surrounded by literal human towers—some of whom were registered in my classes…registered, mind you—who were picking up checks 3-times the size of mine. They had full scholarships, didn’t have near the gpa/sat I had, didn’t attend class and/or barely passed, and were there for free. Very, very few of them earned degrees. Several of them ended up in jail. Why does their ability to play a game make them more attractive as students? (Rhetorical question…it doesn’t.) And the old argument that football brings money to the school is not alltogether true. Football brings money for more football, and a few endowments to the library occasionally.

I applaud any college that wants to improve the academic success of its players. Otherwise, these kids are just being used—chewed up and spit out—and the scholarships should be called salaries.

By HS Teacher Too

July 27, 2007 11:27 AM | Link to this

Lee, I know that Tech also has “class checkers” for its athletes — or at least, it used to. I would guess many (if not most) of the big programs have similar things in place. It sure does blow my mind … but they also do it for Athletic Department CYA purposes with the NCAA, not just to baby the players.

By Mike

July 27, 2007 1:40 PM | Link to this

How did this conversation get so far off track — talking about college classroom checkers? — This is about helping high school student-athletes stay in school, graduate and get into college. I think it’s great and wish more people like the Chick-fil-A Bowl would see this need and help out.

By Lee

July 27, 2007 2:49 PM | Link to this

Ok, since we’re talking about high school sports….

What is your favorite hs sport?

Now, 30+ years ago, I was your typical Football/Baseball player. So, my answer might surprise you….

Cross Country.

Now, in a typical high school cross country meet, a school may field as many runners as they want, but only the top 7 or so actually count in the standings. So, it is not like your typical contest where only your top athletes get to participate.

I guess what got me turned onto cross country was because my daughter ran it. We were at a meet and were watching the boys run. As expected, the top runners turned in some amazing times. It was probably 15 minutes after the top runners crossed the finish line and everyone was standing around waiting. Finally, here comes this little feller. About the final 50 yards or so, parents and runners from ALL teams gathered on both sides of the path to cheer this runner to the finish line.

You could tell this kid was not a great athlete. You would never see him on a football field, or any other field of competition, for that matter. But there he was, giving it everything he had with EVERYBODY cheering him on.

When you see that type of sportsmanship, it makes you remember what high school athletics are all about.

By NICK

July 27, 2007 3:08 PM | Link to this

NO AMOUNT OF MONEY IS GOING TO HELP ANYONE IN THE ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUCCEED. IF THE MONEY IS NOT STOLEN FIRST, IT WILL USED INAPPROPREAITELY. YOU CAN NOT HELP KIDS WHO DO NOT WANT TO HELP THEMSELVES. THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS ONE OF THE WORST IN THE COUNTRY, NOT DO TO LACK OF FUNDS, BUT DUE TO LACK OF INTEREST BY THE PARENT, EDUCATOR AND STUDENT. CHIK-FIL-A MIGHT AS WELL GIVE THE MONEY TO THE BUMS DOWNTOWN, AT LEAST WE KNOW WHAT THEY WILL SPEND THE MONEY ON… LIQUOR OR CRACK.

By concerned

July 27, 2007 3:41 PM | Link to this

Why always Atlanta city schools? Clayton County test scores are worse. Most of their students qualify for free lunch. Why can’t they get help? They are poor and black too.

By catlady

July 27, 2007 5:12 PM | Link to this

Lee hit the nail on the head. Students and their parents and coaches in high school should have as their first priority DOING the academic work. THEN, perhaps participation in sports. School is about academics, not a warm up to the Pro Bowl. Especially with the taxpayers footing the bill for 13 years of education.

Although I am certainly distraught about our poor graduation rate, EVERY opportunity is given students to graduate. All the “graduation coaches” in the world won’t make up for effort on the student’s part.

Our football coach has been given a very light teaching load so he can “help the players get college scholarships”. Say what??! How is that the job of a public K-12 school employee, for one special group of students (athletes)?

I am surprised that the Chick fil A folks would want to get involved with something that excludes most students, including virtually all females?! Wrong message, Chick fil A!