# Inner city schools are not failing their students **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 31, 2013, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inner-city-schools-are-not-failing-their-students/672758 "2013-10-31T15:45:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 1
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inner-city-schools-are-not-failing-their-students/672758/1 "2013-10-31T15:45:41Z")
Jumping off from the IQ thread: it is my assertion that the movie _Waiting for Superman_ is rubbish, as are the standards of No Child Left Behind. I believe that no matter what they do in terms of closing schools down, reopening them as charters, reorganising them, firing teachers, taking over by the states, whatever, it will not move test scores in those lowest performing schools up to the median or even close to it. I believe teachers unions are a good thing, and that the vast majority of teachers do a good job for moderate pay. Before anyone cites–that is, cherry picks–one of those charters that has the claim to massive improvements in test scores, let me first note that most of those success stories involve self selected individuals or families that sign up on a waiting list. Show me a consistent pattern of improving neighborhood schools where parents are little concerned with what school their kids go to…and then you’ll have my attention. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inner-city-schools-are-not-failing-their-students/672758)._