Does Gary Chartrand understand what the word realistic means?

He says: “We’re trying to be realistic and set realistic goals based on where each group is on their baseline,” said board Chairman Gary Chartrand, a Jacksonville businessman. “They’re starting in different places, you have to take that into account, it’s not discriminatory at all.”

He just doesn’t get it, it’s not race, it’s neighborhood that plays a disproportionate role in academic success and by missing that point he diminishes African Americans and our schools. He makes it worse when he says:  

“Make no mistake about it, our goal is a 100 percent proficiency for everybody,” he said.

The state is targeting 2022 to meet that mark.

No Child Left Behind said every student had to be academically proficient by 2014 and we see how well that has worked out. We do need to set our goals high but we also need to set realistic goals too. Mr. Chartrand obviously doesn’t understand that but that’s par for the course where he is concerned.

Our real goal should be to give every child the opportunity to have a first class education that plays to their strengths and desires and to prepare them to be productive citizens whether that means they join the workforce or continue their education. That’s a realistic goal. But then what do I know, I have just been in the classroom for 11 plus years and have the ear of my colleagues, Mr. Chartrand on the other hand went from top 50 of grocery store news to running our schools.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-10-12/story/state-sets-student-achievement-targets-race#ixzz29HLEmd8A