Article on High School Drop Out Rates

Must-read new report on high school dropouts

I have long considered high school drop-outs not only the least soluble of our education problems but the least clear. School districts have traditionally fudged the numbers, reporting their drop-out rates as only 5 or 6 percent, a grossly deceptive one-year rate.

The National Governors Association and other policymakers, ashamed of this charade, have put an end to it. Everyone is switching to a four-year drop-out rate, the percentage of ninth-graders (about 31 percent nationally) who do not receive diplomas four years later. The improved data has not only raised the level of the debate but also made possible a new report with some unnerving revelations about graduation rates.

My wife made the mistake of letting me go with her to her office last Sunday to catch up on work. While there I read the new Education Week report, “Graduation by the Numbers: Putting Data to Work for Student Success,” and kept squealing at one statistical surprise after another. I insisted on reading each one to her, delaying her efforts to get back outside on a nice weekend day.

The report’s prime author is Christopher B. Swanson, vice president for Research & Development at Editorial Projects in Education Inc., the nonprofit that owns Education Week. (Bias alert: I am on their board.) Swanson is a national expert on dropouts. This is some of his best work. He has mined the latest data in remarkable ways.

He discovered, for instance, that just 25 of the 11,000 U.S. school districts with high schools accounted for one out of every five students who failed to graduate in 2007, the most recent year with relevant data. Those 25 districts at the top of the dropout scale had a quarter million non-graduates, as many as were counted in the lowest ranked 8,400 districts.

Here they are, followed by their number of non-graduates in 2007:

1. New York City, 43,643
2. Los Angeles, 42,174
3. Clark County, Nev. (Las Vegas) 17,479
4. Chicago, 16,731
5. Miami-Dade County, 13,261
6. Philadelphia, 9,324
7. Houston, 9,266
8. Broward County, Fla. (Fort Lauderdale), 9,093
9. Detroit (class of 2009), 8,754
10. Dallas, 8,054
11. Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., 6,386
12. Hillsborough County, Fla. (Tampa), 5,773
13. Hawaii (statewide district), 5,731
14. Orange County, Fla. (Orlando), 5,656
15. Palm Beach County, Fla., 5,507
16. Prince George’s County, Md., 5,426
17. Gwinnett County, Ga., 5,115
18. DeKalb County, Ga., 5,073
19. San Bernardino City, Calif., 5,051
20. Baltimore, 5,047
21. Duval County, Fla. (Jacksonville), 5,002
22. San Diego, 4,836
23. Milwaukee, 4,680
24. Albuquerque, N.M., 4,637
25. Pinellas County, Fla., 4,280

The problem is so concentrated that a concerted effort to raise graduation rates in just those districts could bring significant improvement nationally. New York being number one is no surprise. It is the biggest district, with 1.1 million students. The more students you have, the more dropouts you are likely to generate. But notice, Swanson wrote, that “despite its smaller size, the 678,000-student Los Angeles Unified generates a comparable number of dropouts, owing to a graduation rate 14 points lower than in New York City.”

I think Los Angeles’s higher dropout rate could be related to its higher portion of recent and often illegal immigrants, a factor that connects with another of Swanson’s revelations -- a 140-year history of four-year graduation rates in America.

The long graph stretches over two pages below Swanson’s article, “Progress Postponed.” It shows the percentage of high school graduates among those old enough to receive diplomas from 1870 (2 percent) through 1900 (6.4 percent), through 1940 (50.8 percent), through 1969 (the peak year, 77.1 percent), to 68.8 percent in 2007. I had never before seen this laid out with such clarity.

Why have graduation rates been declining since 1969? The timing suggests to me that the surge in immigration has something to do with it. Immigrants account for a significant number of poor people in the country. Poverty correlates with leaving high school before graduation. When I called Swanson about this he suggested an additional factor. Graduation rates were high in both high school and college in the late 1960s, perhaps a temporary phenomenon caused by even the most restless male students of my generation not wanting to expose themselves to the draft and the Vietnam War.

There’s more. I tend not to blame schools for large dropout rates. The higher percentage of students from impoverished families, the higher the school's dropout rate is going to be. The educators have little or no way to change the circumstances of their students’ family lives. But Swanson and his staff analyzed the demographic factors associated with dropouts and published a chart that makes me wonder if I should be so quick to excuse the schools.

Swanson identified a pool of urban districts that matched the profile of the nation’s largest urban school systems and then singled out those whose graduation rates were significantly higher than what would be predicted from their size, poverty level and other characteristics. Above, I identified the 25 districts that produce the most dropouts. Here is the flip side of that, districts that seem to have had success reducing the dropout rates despite my assumption that they couldn’t. The district names and locations are followed by the number of percentage points their graduation rate in 2007 exceeded what was predicted:

1. Newport-Mesa, Newport Beach, Calif. (29)
2. David Douglas, Portland, Ore. (20)
3. Texarkana, Texarkana, Tex. (19)
4. Memphis, Memphis, Tenn. (18)
5. Visalia, Visalia, Calif. (18)
6. Jonesboro, Jonesboro, Ark. (18)
7. Mesa, Mesa, Ariz. (16)
8. Hamilton County, Chattanooga, Tenn. (16)
9. Madera, Madera, Calif. (15)
10. Phenix, Phenix City, Ala. (14)
11. United, Laredo, Tex. (14)
12. Fort Smith, Fort Smith, Ark. (13)
13. Evansville-Vanderburgh, Evansville, Ind. (13)
14. Hemet, Hemet, Calif. (12)
15. Riverside, Riverside, Calif. (12)
16. Ferguson-Florissant, Florissant, Mo. (12)
17. Cumberland, Fayetteville, N.C. (12)
18. Long Beach, Long Beach, Calif. (11)
19. Little Rock, Little Rock, Ark. (11)
20. Muscogee County, Columbus, Ga. (10)
21. Warren Township, Indianapolis, Ind. (10)

The most eye-catching charts and revelations are in the back of the report, but “Graduation by the Numbers” has good articles in front, too. The Stockton, Calif., schools, for instance, reassigned several office staffers to check the whereabouts of students listed as dropouts. They interviewed neighbors. They pursued leads. They tracked down large numbers of students who had not left school, but had moved to another area. That, and improved programs to keep students in school, reduced the district’s dropout rate from 52.5 to 17.7 percent in just one year.

I am reading, and rereading, the whole report. It provides a useful context for just about everything I have ever read about dropouts. If this is the hardest problem to solve in education, we are going to need the best data we can find, and Swanson has provided a lot of it.

Read Jay's blog every day at http://washingtonpost.com/class-struggle.

Follow all the Post's Education coverage on Twitter, Facebook and our Education web page, http://washingtonpost.com/education.

By Jay Mathews  |  June 10, 2010; 1:00 AM ET

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research on improving the quality of life for African American Men and Boys

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Naming Africans

The issue of naming those of African descent caused quite a stir this week in class. This is a very important question because it leads to another important issue raised by this weeks discussion leader of who should be included in the Black Liberation Movement. These two important questions are essential to issue of education as a vehicle of social justice for Blacks in the US. I tend to shy away from taking on these very two controversial issues because I don't feel I have a well established knowledge base to make an informed argument as to what to call people of African descent and who should be included in the "fight for Blacks".

Hilliard gracefully took on the discourse on the past, present and future naming people of African descent. Although our class discussion pointed out the flaws of his argument and "troubled" his terminology of choice as the AHS would say, I do not necessarily see a need to do so. From our conversation, I have found validity in the use of the term African based on Hilliard's argument. It is in this discourse that we can being to define and find our place in the cosmos as Hilliard put it and then work towards utlizing a transformed education as a method of social justice.

And so this brings me to the evolution of the naming of people of African ancestry. Beginning with the term "colored" which was interchangeably used with "Negro" before the 1960's. And then a shift took place towards "black" then "Black" and even more recently the term "African American" joined the lineage of the multiple names of Africans. And as this weeks' facilitator brought up we can ever forget the the enduring and malicious term "Nigger" which has been ever-present in eveyr era as a term whites used to refer to Blacks in the US. Along with these, we have the wonderful adjectives that describe people of African heritage: "minority", "inner-city" "at-risk" and the list goes on.

Understanding this heritage of being named and possessing little autonomy to chose a name for themselves, I can understand Hilliards' position in using African. He argues that his main reason for using the term African is "African fits our actual historical, cultural, and even political circumstances more precisely than any other name... The African continental name reflects that reality of common cultural heritage and a common political need." Taking this assertion literally, I would have to question the use of certain terms and phrases such as common cultural heritage. But taking a step back and remembering a statement that was stressed in class I can too, say this may be a viable term in the debate of naming Africans.

Prof. Smith brought to the forefront the experience of being Black. Although we know there is no cookie cutter mold of what it means to be black, we can identify a common thread.Prof. Smith stated where are Blacks located that oppression doesn't exist or hasn't existed. This is such a deep question. From imperialism to slavery to modern day "inner-city" living we see examples of oppression. Could this not qualify as that common political need mentioned by Hilliard. Can the many variations of a "Black experience" be the very reason why we can be called Africans? I hope to get the chance to examine this issue more in-depth. But if I were to answer today, I would say based on this Hilliard may have validation in his choice to name people of African descent Africans. And if we were to accept this as a valid argument, we could move onto the Black liberation movement and in turn influence education for social justice.

We began to discuss the stereotypes and perceptions of Blacks in America. It is sad what is  broadcasted over the media. This video is disturbiing, and shows the impact the media has in perpetuating negative images of Black America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY04gIruZ4E&feature=related

Were you aware?....

A picture to highlight some of the issues discussed in class this weekAccording to my test results, I am not at all aware of equity and diversity in the US. I have fallen victim to the many myths embedded within American culture, which perpetuate a deceptive notion of a lovely diverse melting pot where everyone is created and treated equally. Much to my surprise and dismay, I answered two questions correctly. My strategy for answering the questions on the Equity and Diversity Awareness Quiz was to choose moderate answers. The possible answers were either percentages or something to do with comparing numbers. So, I thought things in the US are obviously not equal, but I didn't imagine the answers being to either extreme of too low or too high. I sat with confidence, reading and answering the test questions, thinking that even if i didn't know the correct answer, my strategy wouldn't steer me wrong and I would be better off than merely guessing the answers.  My strategy failed me miserably.I will begin by addressing the two miserly questions I answered correctly. The first one dealt with the issue of the US military budget.  The question was: 

The U.S. military budget is by far the highest of any country in the world. How much higher is the U.S. military budget than that of China, the world’s second biggest military spender?- I answered 7 times higher. It baffles me that we can spend so much money to kill people (essentially that is what happens in a war) but we are having an issue reforming health care so that every citizen can aafford to see a physician or reform our school systems so that all school are given the same resources to excel. Just a thought.

The next question I answered correctly was:

A Princeton study of elite universities in the U.S. found that legacy applicants—people, usually white and wealthy, with a parent or grandparent who attended the institution—are far more privileged by legacy status than applicants of color are by affirmative action policies. The study determined that legacy status was roughly equivalent to how much of a boost to an applicant’s SAT score?- I answered 160 points. Basically legacy status allows a university to offer preferential treatment to a college applicant who has a family member who attended the university. What a joy to know that I could work as hard as I want but if my parent didn't attend my school of interest it could cost me 160 points added to my SAT score. This validates the statement that it's not what you know but who you know. Very sad but true.

Two questions shocked me when I learned the answers. The first dealt with drug possesion laws for conviction:

Powder cocaine (largely used by wealthy people) and crack cocaine (largely used by economically disadvantaged people) contain roughly the same amount of the drug per gram. Under federal law, how much of these substances must an individual be convicted of possessing to be sentenced to a mandatory minimum of five years in prison?- I answered 5 gram of powder or crack cocaine. This is because I didn't read the question thoroughly, I know I have heard of this before, the laws are called the Rockerfeller laws in NY. The answer was actually 500 grams of powder or 5 grams of crack cocaine. Looking at who usually uses what drug by race signifies the embedded racism in our legislative system. If this isn't blatant racism, I don't know what would be considered such. This exemplifies the use of government and law to uphold a tradition of racist ideologies. 

The second question addressed the issue of the inequity in health care. Health care is a present topic of interest, the results of the following question highlight the issue of unequal access to health care:
Compared with White women, how likely are African American women in the U.S. to die during childbirth due to a lack of access to prenatal care, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality?- I answered twice as likely, the answer was in fact four times as likely. As a country, it is our duty to examine and heed to such statistics which attest to the current state of health care. This is among the many inequalities faced by people of color. It is something we need to get under control. It is unreal to be named one of the "richest countries in the world" and have citizens dying because of a lack of access to healthcare.


As an aspiring helping professional,it is imperative to begin to first educate myself and then others of the facts of inequality in the US. Addressing these issues is the only way to begin to remedy the wrongs caused by inequities in all aspects of society.


This is the link for the Equity and Diversity Awareness Quiz
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/quiz/quizNEW.pdf

Go Tell It On The Mountain...

This past Thursday Sigma Gamma Rho and Malik Fraternity held a program which invited Reverend Erwin Lee Trollinger to speak on the plight of inner city youth. The purpose of this program was to discuss the "threats and uncertainties of inner city youth". Reverend Trollinger has been working with inner city youth in Mount Vernon for about 20 years. He is the director of a community center and from the recounting of his experiences he has seen it all when it comes to youth within the inner city. I commend Rev. Trollinger for his commitment and dedication to youth in need especially those within the foster care system. But I must say, I was left unimpressed by the program.


I felt that Rev. Trollinger would be most effective speaking to those he seeks to help more. It sounded more as a motivational speech and I think that would have been more appropriate for youth in which he was more versed in addressing. I am fully aware of the need to mentor youth from the community I am from and this is the very basis of my career choice. So I think although Rev. Trollinger's speech was very well presented, I feel that he brought nothing new to the discussion on helping black youth. I felt as though I had heard everything he said before, such as being a positive role model for kids in my "hood" and  mentoring those who may not be on the right path. I would have wished for something more thought provoking, something fresh on this issue.


The video that was shown before he began to speak was insightful. But once again brought up arguments that I have already heard.  The statistic presented were rather grim associated with students of color, it was said that there was only a 50% high school graduation rate. Which meant 50% of students of color were dropping out of high school. The video also made a connection between schooling and imprisonment. There is a connection between failing schools and successful prisons. In fact, in the US fourth grade reading scores are used to predict how much prisons will be needed as stated in the video. I spent some time trying to find a credible source to validate this assertion but had a hard time, nevertheless I can't say I doubt it. This then connects to the multi-billion dollar business of prisons, because full prisons means cheap labor. And this translates to a modern form of slavery. This is what I took most from the program.


Knowing the statistics and what potentially happens to youth of color from the inner city, I do see the need in me being a mentor and example for those in my community. But I hope that by taking on the career choice that I am, I will be able to move beyond being a mentor and facilitate change in some of the systemic and structural issues that may be the cause of the "plight of inner city youth".

NCLB... Beginning to remedy the wrongs

This week happened to be my favorite, for both assigned readings and class discussion because these are some of the issues I want to study when I get to grad school. Our focus this week was on the achievement gap. We examined different explanations for it and for possible ways to begin to close the achievement gap. The No Child Left Behind Act sought to reform eduction and attend to the achievement gap. But due to misguided execution, NCLB may be a culprit in maintaining the gap and harming most the children it promised to help.

As stated in Hammond's reading this week, a debt is owed to those students of color and of lower status that have been historically disenfranchised by the education system; those who have been repeatedly forced into a place of disadvantage because of unequal access to quality education. NCLB is currently helping to perpetuate the inequalities faced "minority" and low-income students. NCLB was written with great prospects in mind, "a victory for American children" is what Hammond reported. Today, it seems more children are losing as a result of NCLB.

Accountability is a great point raised by NCLB, without teacher's being held accountable for their students failure is sure to go unchallenged. I believe that the way in which teacher's are being held accountable is the deficiency in NCLB lies. As we discussed, it is so much easier to quantify a teacher's success by the grades his/her class receives on a standardized test. This method is cost efficient and allows for ease in data collection and analysis. Unfortunately, a student is more than a test score and it is careless to base a student's ability and achievement on one score. The process of assessment is destroying our schools and forcing teachers to deliver low-quality education.

Ironically, this past Monday President Obama sent his plans for NCLB to congress, which would retain annual testing and data-driven accountability  but would add resources and flexibility to meet new goals. His goal is to take emphasis off yearly improvement, and federal outlines of school failure and begin to utilize broader measures of progress. The current goal of proficiency by 2014 is being replaced by the goal having all high school graduates prepared for college and a career by 2020. This is a point we brought up in class, I think that by expanding the goal beyond proficiency benefit the students in the long run. It will be visible to the students that a greater investment is being made into their futures.

Obama's plans make a shift from punative measures to a system of remediation for the lowest 5% of schools who don't meet performance goals and rewards the schools that do. Personally, I believe that this is a start. But ultimately will not completely remedy the achievement gap. Based on the reform suggested by President Obama, there is still a heavy dependence on high stakes testing for measuring student and school progress. Hammond calls for a paradigm shift in national education policy, what President Obama has outlined is just a remodel of NCLB. In the end I think it will take a complete new plan which doesn't depend on assessment, and is committed to supplying high-quality teachers and resources to all students to ensure that no child is indeed left behind.

This is a news article speaking on President Obama's plans for NCLB. It more descriptively outlines some of the attentive plans for education policy reform.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/15/opinion/la-ed-nclb16-2010mar16

This is a CNN news report on President Obama's plans for reforming NCLB. I'm curious to know what your thoughts are on these plans for reform, do you all think they have potential?
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/15/obama.education/index.html?eref=rss_us&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_us+%28RSS%3A+U.S.%29

Expanding on the Conversation of Racism...

In our conversation this week in class the conversations became a bit candid and even comedic at times, when discussing the issues of race and racism. You could sense some uncomfortable-ness by the lack of talking by some, the confusion by some and then offense by others. A very important question came up in the conversation when someone asked "why can't black people be racist?" This is something I feel very strongly about and just want to expand my thoughts as to why I don't think black people can be racist.
The basis of my argument is that prejudice and racism are two completely distinct terms. Racism, as we have discussed can not be deduced to interpersonal relationships, but is a system of advantage. The determining factor of who is advantaged and who isn't is based on race. Racism in the US is built on a historic system of oppression. This system includes cultural devaluation of the other, while exalting the culture of the majority. This is coupled with beliefs that are supported by institutional policies and practices. Based on these premises it is clear that the US operates as a racist system in which whites inherit a status of advantage while people of color are subjected to a position of disadvantage. A status of advantage grants power which lead to the institutionalizing of racist beliefs and practices.This system of advantage is referred as white privilege, which we began to discuss. As I stated Peggy McIntosh is responsible for writing a piece on the societal privileges available to whites that aren't available to people of color. I am reposting it again. http://www.antiracistalliance.com/Unpacking.html. I think this brings to reality for many whites who are unaware of the benefits of being white.
Based on the definition of racism being grounded by power, I contend that blacks can not be racist. I can not place myself in my classmates shoe and think of a racially "hatefully charged word" like Nigger to call a white person who has wronged me in some way. I can't use such a word against a white person and at once assault them with a history of oppression and degradation. I can not benefit systemically by being racist. A black person can exhibit prejudice attitudes or behaviors. So in all I do not believe a black person can be racist.



Here is Dave Chapelle addressing issues of racism through comedy. We discussed this on Monday for a bit. He touches on issues of white privilege and the use of the word Nigger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU28Pv26nNQ&NR=1

How do we do this- for real?

This week we spent time getting a taste of what students labeled different feel when immersed into a class in which their first language isn't spoken. Although the class activity was very humorous it was was also insightful. Even for myself, I am of West Indian descent, when Prof. Smith began instructing in Patwa, I thought to myself, she has officially lost her mind. I mean I could clearly understand what she was instructing us to do, but I wondered how everyone else would make out, I even tried to "translate" at some points. And even though I understood her fine I was reluctant to raise my hand and respond because after all, my imitation Patwa stinks and I was intimidated to make an ass of myself. Although I took the message away of what a student labeled different goes through in the US school system, I also saw what not to do when trying to bring multiculturalism into the classroom. Linguistically different students have a very hard time learning when transitioning into a system that expects them to learn a new language while concurrently learning a new language. Logically this makes no sense, as a result students tend to fall behind, not because they aren't capable of the work, but because they are unable to communicate what they know.

We began to speak on what are some ways to practically introduce and maintain multiculturalism in the classroom. It think it is first essential to understand that as Tenorio said children aren't too young to have "real conversations" about race and bias. The truth of the matter is that they are learning these things at very early ages, this was evident in their responses. I think that the earlier you begin to address these issues, the easier we can begin to irradiate racist ideas and bias. I think my favorite activity from the Wu reading this week was the Me Pockets, in which the students were asked to take home plastic sleeves and fill it with anything that says me! This activity not only brought knowledge to the other students in the class, it also aided in reaffirming the students identity. Even the "Let's Talk About Skin" candidly revealed the way children are affected by issues of race, and how they were being impressed upon at such an early age.

We began to discuss the ways in which we would deal with multiculturalism in the classroom if we were teachers. This is something I struggled with but with some more time to think, I came up with a few things that support multiculturalism in the classroom setting:


HELLO- this i would use for grade school children. Each day the students would be required to great the classroom by saying "Hello my name is...." in a different language. If there is a native speaker in the class, they would develop a "lesson" for the class and teach some words in their language. This again promotes and reaffirms the students home culture by bringing it into the classroom and showing the student that their culture is indeed important.

URBAN IQ TEST- tests don't usually test students on relevant things. IQ tests are rarely if ever made with culturally diversity in mind. I found a test called the Redden-Simmons Rap Test. Although the language is a bit outdated I would incorporate this into a lesson with either JHS or HS students.
http://wilderdom.com/personality/intelligenceReddon-SimonsRapTest.html 

PROVERBS- this one I found online. It's goal is to show students that people from different cultures and backgrounds share a lot of the same morals and beliefs. It's explained in the pdf on the link below on page 7&8. pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/ui335.pdf

How Do We Do This?

Theory lacking applicability is empty. Multicultural education sounds great. As described in Making Choices it is  based on a commitment to pluralism; its guiding purpose is to prepare students to be active participants in a a diverse, democratic society." The breakdown of the theories and ideologies provide a great foundation for multicultural education. But after all is said and done, how do we put all these great theories and ideologies into play? Sleeter and Grant describe an array of areas to implement reccomended practices. I want to bring focus to the importance of Home/Community-School relationships.

We have discussed the importance of a change in curriculum as well as teaching styles and diversity acceptance. Although change is required inside our schools, so is a change in the structures outside of schools that impact a students' life. More importantly to effectively transition to education that is multicultural all spheres of student's life must be on one accord. Epstein refers to this as overlapping spheres of influence. As Sleeter and Grant state it, "parents and community members must be more than mere spectators", when it comes to education of children. Once a school system has made the change to accepting and valuing diversity, it is then made easy for community and parental involvement. Parents and the community are able to see their culture values through the school and this gives them a place to now become active in a child's education. It is important to not just speak on this matter but actively create plans and practices for this partnership to take place. Ideally parents as well as the community have a place in making major decisions concerning schooling. It is important to have more than just your typical parent-teacher conference or teachers who contact parent when a child has misbehaved. Parents deserve involvement every step of the way. In this patnership, cultural empowerment is evident in and outside of the classroom.




This powerpoint gives a definition of what a SFC partnership is as well as breakdown the 6 types of parent involvement identified by Epstein as presented in Sleeter and Grant.
http://j.b5z.net/i/u/2135872/i/School-Family-Community_Partnerships_Powerpoint_1_-1.ppt



This video shows a school that has effectively transitioned to School-Family-Community Partnerships. They give a great example of have this transition can actually be done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch#playnext=1&playnext_from=TL&videos=hwNEDXHEUmU&v=8vOjdJAdBCA

Accountability...

Statistics: Within the US social class is an indication of affluence and is a source of stratification within our society. Social class is intricately intertwined with the process of schooling within the US. Sleeter and Grant present statistics based on social class structure. Although I was aware of the social class system, the exact numbers were alarming. "One fifth of Americans now own not quite 50 percent of the national wealth", this leave 95 percent for the other half of the nation to share. The fact is that the gap between the wealthy and poor is widening and this affects access to basic needs. Sleeter and Grant report that the 2003 official poverty rate was 35.9 million people and in the midst of an economic crisis, I can't begin to fathom what this number is now. Who should be held accountable for this? How can we relate this education?
How Students Learning Is Assessed: In class we discussed the relation of money and government funding and public school standardized testing. Unsurprisingly, affluent schools (where the one fifth of wealthy Americans send their children) are not subjected to the rigorous tests and are not competing for government funds. Too bad we all don't have this luxury. The passage of No Child Left Behind has caused a shift in public school teaching where teachers, schools and states are now held "accountable" for their students' level of achievement. Sadly attention is moved from authentic testing to "high stakes testing" in which standardized tests are used as the deciding factor of whether a student can move on to the next grade or graduate. It is no surprise of who is greatly affected by this. Students of color or those with disabilities are put at a disadvantage. It is not ironic that the implementation of a high school exit exam would cause many students to drop out. When we exam who these students are, they are once again those of color, those from low-income backgrounds and those are linguistically disadvantage. And here is where the creation of a stratified society is perpetuated. Those students who passed these exams are given a chance to go to college and advance economically. The unlucky majority of students who fail and must drop out become a part of the 95 percent left to share 50 percent of the nations wealth. This is a sad reality and when implementing standardized tests we must take a step back and look at the bigger picture, what will be the consequences of setting such strict testing policies in the public school system.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35P7FCMOePs

http://www.fairtest.org/facts/howharm.htm

Multicultural Education- Power Struggles Beyond Appreciating Diversity

In class we spent a lot of discussion time delving through the different definitions of what multicultural education means to us. Although the conversation was very insightful, I feel we may have neglected a main part of the story on multicultural education. We spoke much on the curricula aspect, which is important, but I wonder if there is something bigger than changes in a few textbooks or having teachers adopt new teaching techniques which intend to "appreciate diversity". In fact I am saying that the issue is so much bigger than the methods stated. The Name article provides a more accurate description for where I stand on Multicultural Education. It states "Multicultural education is a process that permeates all aspects of school practices, policies and organization as a means to ensure the highest levels of academic achievement for all students... It prepares all students to work actively toward structural equality in organizations and institutions by providing the knowledge, dispositions, and skills for the redistribution of power and income among diverse groups." 

In all I feel the most powerful piece of that statement addresses a history of oppression and disenfranchisement faced by people of color in the US when it says that multicultural education should supply students with the skills for the REDISTRIBUTION OF POWER AND INCOME among diverse groups. Schooling and education now make it very clear who is in power. With the creation of multicultural education and the deconstruction of our current education system comes the responsibility of granting "all men" the rights granted by the ideals of freedom and equality that the US stands on. Understanding that multicultural education is about the redistribution of power allows us to begin to tackle issues of racism which are at the basis of current inequalities. 

In the interview done with Sleeter in the Anderson reading, she addresses the issue of racism and why multuculturalism,  at it's core, is a struggle against racism, and must go beyond an appreciation of diversity. She speaks on the issue of white privelege which is also a topic we didnt didn't address. So it is the fact that from the conception of this nation that power was created and meant for one set of people. Aurdre Lorde calls this set of people the mythical norm and describes it like this- “In America, this norm is usually defined as white, thin, male, young, heterosexual, Christian, and financially secure. It is with this mythical norm that the trappings of power reside within society". With time, this population has grown to include white women to an extent and people of color remain disenfranchised. When we are thinking about the creation of a multicultural education it is important for those of power within our school systems, such as white teachers and administrators, to begin to question and deconstruct this system of inequality. One of the first steps is a self-evaluation that questions ones place in society and the privileges granted based on ones color. This is the only way to get to the heart of the issue. Sleeter stated it, saying "The primary issue was one of access to a quality education. If we're not dealing with questions of why access is continually important, and if we're not dealing with issues like why we have so much poverty amid so much wealth, we're not dealing with the core issues of multiculturalism."  I'm challenging White folks to begin to unpack their knapsack like Peggy McIntosh. I posted her writing so you know what I'm talking about




www.case.edu/president/aaction/UnpackingTheKnapsack.pdf- A quick read by Peggy McIntosh as she "unpacks" the issue of white privilege as a white educator. She literally lists things she experiences daily that are related to her privilege as a white woman in America.  

Reaction to Class Discussion and Lee Mun Wah's film "The Color of Fear"

I think this week was a great start for the semester. The video allowed a visual for a discussion on Multiculturalism, bias and racism. The model itself was innovative because discussion is the first step to eradicating racism and implementing such practices as multiculturalism in schools. The message was clear of the men of color in the film; all men may be equal but they are not the same. This was the basis of Victor's outburst as we witnessed him at his wit's end and his decision to take a stand against tolerating David (the white male's) colorblind views. Although a disagreement with Victor's reaction was stated in class, I saw his blow-up as essential and inevitable. I do not know what it means to be a Black male in America but Victor's anger against a racist society was evident and I think that it is his right to release all this pent up anger. This point was necessary in the beginning of his own healing as well as opening the eyes of others around him. Victor made a very powerful statement addressing the oppressive actions of whites. He replies to a comment made by David which implied that people of color may be their own barrier and that they should all stand on their own. Victor replied,"we don't always stand on our own ground, some men stand on other men and other women." This was in my opinion, the most powerful statement made throughout the video. I believe that in saying this Victor wasn't attacking David but attacking a people with a history of oppression, a people with a history of exploiting others and their land for their own personal gain.I think this is relevant to schooling because after such oppressive actions, the culture of dominance is perpetuated through schools where fallacies  and complete omission of peoples histories are taught. So after such men stand on those around them, they dictate what is said about their history and in turn minimize their history, culture and very being.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vAbpJW_xEc
a snippet of "The Color of Fear"