Not many people are aware of the disturbing truth that students in urban classrooms are rarely on grade level. Students are usually prematurely advanced from grade to grade without consequence.
I hate to admit but I am one of those asshole teachers that doesn't believe in second chances. I think that students need to learn to get things right the first time or else they'll never even bother trying to get it right the first time. They will just quit at the first sign of difficulty.
Many of my students are getting reading tested this Friday at Lehman College. They will take a computer adaptive test that will track their ability to answer questions, similar to the GRE's. So far, we have had students who are on grade level, as well as students who are WAY below grade level. What do I mean by below grade level? Like elementary reading levels. And they are 11th graders.
And parents don't want middle and high schools to end social promotion. What sort of society are we expecting to create if we constantly promote students before they are ready?
When a majority of my students end up taking this reading test, I will find the same problem, that they are all elementary level readers who can't even read the textbook. I wish that the standards for science were not so in depth and demanding. They are simply not ready to grasp many of these concepts.
And in the mean time, what am I supposed to do???
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As cynical as this sounds, you really can't help those that don't want to help themselves.
Even worse, your problems are compounded when students are buried in such a deep hole that they almost cannot get themselves out. If you're in high school and can barely read elementary level English, then the probabilities are stacked against you even further.
The only thing you can do is get them, at least to a degree, interested, but have them realize that work and sacrifice are required for such success.
As for the others... well, you can't those that are just not interested or unwilling to put in that work. Badgering will lead to further lack of effort.
But that's basically it. You can show only so much care for your students and have them try to pass the exams, but in the end the students themselves need to WANT to succeed.
Your other issue is a general social problem. America in general has embraced mediocrity, to be merely as good as one's neighbor. A lack of competition, a complacency on being a regular person, a feeling of entitlement when nothing is deserved. It's a damn shame, but really we can only show that such a lifestyle is unrewarding by showing the benefits of success.
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