In Chicago
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It's amazing the pressure my ex was under to pass her kids. Even if they didn't do any homework and missed a test, there was an expectation that they would give the some sort of 'make up work' for the missing grades. Corrupt top to bottom.
In fairness though, we created these bad incentives by taking our euphemisms seriously. We say 'bad schools' like there's something wrong with the physical plant. Thus the schools are deemed at fault if kids fail.
We need to say "collection of under-performing students" instead.
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Yeah though FWIW the teachers were very uncomfortable about it. For all the talk about rubber rooms and the inability to be fired, I was surprised at the general level of intimidation your average teacher felt toward the principals and APs.
They may not be able to fire you, but they can give you shitty reviews at will and kick you out of their school. That leaves you as a DoE temp, maybe covering a maternity leave in the ass end of queens one week, and a guy’s surgery in the Bronx the next. They can make your lives pretty miserable.
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A teacher friend told me that in the US, up to Grade 8, kids are pretty much guaranteed to pass their grade. After that, it becomes a bit more tough.
She called it "social promotion"
