Don't be left in the dark

Its unfortunate that most of us had to wait until we came to college to realize or learn true meaning of awareness, which goes further than just knowing or been aware of different culture, races, and religion. I have learned that awareness is pointless if no one uses or takes advantage of the knowledge they gained to help and educate others, which can be the most important or valuable thing that anyone can do. In this week reading England ends the chapter with following quote "But it will take all of us, those with stars and those without, to make it into reality" referring to improving and ensuring equal and quality of education for our children. I agree with her its necessary that teachers, students, parents, community, government and other professional to collaborate with one another in order to improve our education system. It is selfish and pitiful that we only care to inform ourselves or take action upon issues that directly affects us, instead of realizing that sooner or later we will be affected by them. In order to make difference, I will use, share the knowledge i have gain to make other aware that they can make a difference through getting informed, learning about and using the available resources and importance of taking action. Whether it is telling people about school choice, speak up against hazardous and unhealthy conditions in school, or simply helping the write letters to senator, mayor or other political/ community leader about their issues and concerns. Regardless whether you are or aren't affected by the issues, you should wait till reaches your home to do something about it.

Democracy to what extent?

What can be done to encourage active democratic participation within the schools that will motivate students to be more democratically active within larger society?

I think that in order to get students motivated to get involved within larger society they need to be informed and taught how to do so at an earlier age. The earlier we start engaging children in making decisions and thinking for themselves the more will prepared them to do it as adults. As many people say that "practice makes perfect" many times as students get older they are reluctant to try things because they unfamiliar with such as becoming more been politically educated and involved. The only way in which we can do that is by re-structuring our government or representatives and ourselves to focus on the important issues. Lets ensure that the United states is govern by a true democracy that to advocate and protect the rights and interest of all its people instead of that ones that gives the elite and rich all the power to manipulate resources and services to cater their owns needs. Such as that of limiting minotities groups access to quality resources and education.
When Cornell West states in his reading "he believed deeply in the need for democratic intellectuals to exercises powers of persuasion, to take back the public attention from superficial and attention diversions and hold our officials to a higher standard" which i agree with that there' s been several times in which our attention has been diverted from true issues, for that i think that we must first hold ourselves accountable for letting it happen, only then we can address politicians failure to the American people

I don't know what might motivate other students, but what i can tell you that what motivates me to know that i have control and the ability to make my own decisions whether their right or wrong i can only blame or hold myself accountable for those decisions.

Censored Education

In this week class we discuss censorship in school, which has been the only topic that I am undecided or neutral about. Even though I believe that school should have authority to be selective in choosing the subjects, issues and books that are adequate to teach students with, however there also a need of boundaries that determine what they have control over and how much. Reichman quotes "to provide the students with a wide range of educational materials that will enrich and support the curriculum and meet the needs of students and faculty" as he explains the purpose of for the selection policy of course materials. However, If the purpose is to meet the needs of both students and teachers, how come student are not given a choice to decide for themselves. Schools can choose the textbooks and supplemental reading used in the classrooms but should not limit or restrict the accessibility of other types of books to students in school libraries. By censoring the books in the school library, school are limiting students access to quality of education. Many students like myself look forward to leisure or personal reading, because the class reading were very boring and dry. It was rare that we read something we could relate to in school and the very few books that i enjoy i can still remember what they were about and are in my list of favorite books. If students cannot find a variety of books in their school library or public library were they can learn to explore, develop and pursue their own interest. In the article that i link gives us a history of censorship of school materials started of during the 1982 after court case pleaded in favor of parents and students request for the removal of certain books from school libraries which range from anti-Semitic to anti- American. However i think there needs to re-evaluate the method or guidelines in which they choose which books are banned or withdrawn from school libraries. If the withdrawls of these book limits or prevents student from learning or getting full picture or perspectives and necessary information that would help them become a respectful, tolerable and open minded person then there's a problem. If the purpose of censorship is not to protect the young minds of student from exposing them to things that they are not old enough or mature enough to handle and becomes a tool of keeping them uninformed.
http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9215/library.htm

In need of Assesment reform.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eunEnhgEUfk

or

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8946754056617461770

This week reading and presentation was about student assessment which discusses whether if these test were efficient in measuring or determining how much children learn. In the quote "Standardized assessments give only a snapshot of what a student knows (or does not know) on a given day. This snapshot is not panoramic. It does not give an expansive view of all that a student has achieved" (England, 35) which means that assessments are not a reliable or precise measurement of students learning. Instead of measuring student learning it seems more that it testing student rate of memorization or attention spam. I wonder that if it's because most teacher teach to test or approach of curriculum tend to emphasize that student memorize terms and techniques, instead make sure that these student understand and know how and when to use these terms, techniques or skills. I found two videos that provide us with some ideas on addressing and resolving these problems, which can help us change the ways students are assess. The first video clip is an advertisement commercial about online program that help prepare student for math and science assessments. Even though students can benefit from additional help from these preparation courses or classes, however we not looking to improve or make all the student expert in taking assessment. Some students do need these classes because they suffer from anxiety and panic attacks in every time they take an exam.
The second video clip is about changing assessment into becoming student centered. Both video clips mention about it its necessary that students are provided not only with explanation but also feedback on students performance such as their strength and weakness. However, I liked second one because it talked about student having choices and input on how they are assesed. It describe a different ways of learning which is not based on memorizing facts, and terms. Through the assesment for learning implements in hands on learning, which is express through the idea that students show their understanding of different subjects by teaching and sharing the things they learn with other classmates. The term "hands on learning" seems difficult to understand at first, but i realize that it works when we used it in my HDEV-300 social research class, by connecting or determining how research steps are used in human services. In begining of each class we would define terms and were ask what we understood and learned from each reading. At the end class we pick a chapter from reading and had to develop a creative lesson plan to teach the topic and test what students remember and learned. I think that this a great way of engaging student in their learning which would allow students not only to remember but be able to teach and explain what they learn to others is best way of assesing their learning.

Seeing is Believing

http://news.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=314259

I link this article because it talks about how a community must decide whether to build a new high school or remodel it. Personally i think that by building a new school is more beneficial since it guarantee that there would be no problems at least for some time. Meanwhile renovating or remodeling it would force the community to be prepare to deal with any future problems. Let look at our University we are all aware that Dickinson and Newing community are the oldest dorm room in the University, and that they will be torn down because they need to be updated according to Housing Association. I lived in Dickinson even though its maintain in good condition it has poor heating system. My bed was next heater and used queen size comforter to wrap around me to keep warm during the winter. The University realize that it will be more expensive renovate Dickinson and Newing heating system and built in sprinklers system that's why they have decided to torn them down and rebuilt them. Even though the construction of these two community would limit or decrease the amount student that university admits for some time but it will be benefitial in the long run because it increase the capacity of students in both dorms. In the article we faced a more difficult dilemma the closing of school either temporarily or permanently would leave teachers without a job and students must relocate. I think that transferring them to another the facility would be a better option. For example after September 11 attacks we temporarily shared our high school with nearby affected school. Since my was ten stories high school and there was plenty of space. Our teachers cafeteria was temporary their cafeteria for half a semester and they occupied the empty classroom (excluding sewing, draping, cutting, art and merchandising room) and our second gym. Even though there were little incidents of school rivally but we manage overcome our differences. If they are forced to closed down the School because of inhabitable conditions then board of education can make arrangements to find another facility to relocate the school instead of overcrowding other school by redistributing the students. What do you think the board of education should do close the school and relocate students, transfer the school to another facility while they build another school or renovate the school?

One of the group question was "How do we go about addressing these concerns? I think that the first step is making the problem public just like the students in our video "Saving Our School" did. The video provided us with a vivid view of the conditions in some school, as much as Kozol we enjoy and read the description of the school and classroom in his students in writing assignment, it does not give or create the impact that video does. When you read about the deplorable conditions of school, readers tend to just paint a temporary mental picture that is usually easily forgotten. The last thing we want for people is to ignored or dismissed the problem as if wasn't important. If authors such as Kozol, Anyon or England are raising awareness through their works of literature is a sign of hope and initiative to get us to take action and speak up. The next think we need to develop a committee or advocacy group that focus on creating to set up ways to regulate, set standard ways to check the conditions of school. It should composed of students, teachers, parents and representative from Educational Department to set up policies, rules and regulations for schools to abide to. There no one better that students, teachers and other school professional to know the type and quality of learning environment they need. There should be an assessment of school conditions every six months and the schools or department of education has a year to address or fix any problems discovered. This would prevent from school condition from getting worst to the point that they need to be closed down school just like the Pine Island.

race unsettling topic

http://fish.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/yet-once-more-political-correctness-on-campus/?hp
I like this article because it provides us with insight of how the topics of segregation, race as factor of admission, and multicultural education applies to our college experience. As we talk about Education most of us focuses or usually talk about our schooling experience before college. However, these issues are very present in college campus. We ended class with the idea that multicultural education would ease the effects of segregated schools and to acknowledge and accept our biases. As i read this article I was wondering, how can we go about creating or assuring that children are getting a multicultural education. Multicultural Education should start off in pre-school, the earlier children start learning about different culture, race, gender, and religion the more accepting they will be of others. It would prepare students to be more tolerant, respectful and open minded by the time they get to college. As the author express his concern about the segregated cliques that is seen most colleges, where students mostly hang-out with people of their own race, religion or ethnicity. Which most of us may have witness in our campus. He mention or discusses on how the universities and colleges then to reinforce segregation on campus through the use of race in admissions policy, lack of unity among different cultural organization and courses descriptions. I can see the disunity among organization and have experience the discrepancies in some of the courses offered. I enjoy the fact that in college we have option of taking multicultural classes, even though most students are discourage from taking these classes because are uncomfortable with the idea of being misunderstood, isolated or to be the minority group in class. Most of us tend to just be involve or be part of n environment in which we are comfortable in, but understand that it is not hard or as difficult to be outside our comfort zone. Kerri- Ann made important point that the first step toward becoming more multicultural is to accept and acknowledge all of our biases in order to formed better relationship with of different culture and races. I once registered for a class Russian/cinema class that was supposed to be based on cold War, i ended up dropping the class because the professor (which was Russian)had a lot of side conversation in Russian with few the Russian student in class. the are just certain things that can discourage student from taking certain class, if i had read that Russian would be spoken in that class i would never taken it. It is not because it bother me just wasn't comfortable, but it didn't discourage me from taking other classes that focus on the study of other races, which i enjoy and learned a lot from. Even though i can see how the author sees these courses are politically related such as the Asian studies and Latin American class both talk and dealt with political issues that rise with the in-fluxed of Asian and Latino immigrants. Learning about the different experience of other immigrant groups help me understand the history of politics and economy United States in relationship with race and culture. There a lot of history that is exempt from American history taught in Elementary through High school which would help us understand the diverse backgrounds of most Americans. In what degree would your view be different if you had a multicultural education?

color blind society.......is nonexistent

I found this article which is relevant to the discussion we had in class this past week. Everything in this world revolves around race. I enjoy this class because of the discussions even though we try to be conscious of things we say in order not to offend other. However, regardless whether we mean it, think is not offensive, certain things will or can cause a variety of different reactions in different people. In one of my other classes, during a discussion on disparities in education two students said something that really struck me. One students said that it is fair that students in advance classes get the most experience, qualified teachers and the other one said that even if money was invested in improving the condition in inner city school, the student will vandalize or destroy it right back into the same or worst conditions. As the discussion continue, other student shed some light on the second statement. Student in remedial or regular classes would benefit a lot if their the qualified, experience teacher would be able to teach them efficiently the strategies, skills or the things the need to learn. In response to the other comment is that vandalism exist everywhere, student need and can be accountable for their actions but limiting or cutting funding to improve conditions. It should not be used as a punishment or as an excuse not to address the deplorable or hazardous conditions found in certain schools. Even though i appreciate their honesty but i also realize that because people still have these types of attitudes and views is why discrimination, racism and stereotype will always exist. Race will always be an issues, lets look back to first day of class in which we talked about the history of education. why is it that inequalities in education still exist......because minorities still continue to have very little political power...which its determine by social class which is based on income, education, wealth and occupation. Everything its interrelated that why it seem that we talk about same things every week, however we discuss different angles every week. As i read this article i thought about the different point made by the author about student need of support, feeling comfortable and understood as reason why people tend to form clicks. I see these click formed on campus either in sororities, fraternities, whites and minority groups every time i go to dining halls and in certain classes whether it is something we do consciously or unconscious. In the end i think that we should definitely emphasize and spread of cultural diversity in every aspects of education starting with teacher and ending with curriculum. It is only way in which all student can feel comfortable, supported and understood by teacher, classmates specially those targeted or isolated due to racial, ethnic, or cultural diversity.

http://www.independent.com/news/2007/oct/19/color-blind-education/

Politicians hopes or plans for change?

I was thinking about one of the question that the presenters posed to the class, "If you are passionate about learning, and know that you could do? well you will make yourself do well. I don't know whether to agree or disagree. I mean i have experience both in my life. My parents always encourage me and had high expectations but things weren't always easy. During first few years in school after I arrived from Honduras, i was hard adjusting to the culture, weather,... to make list short, everything. Language was even harder, my parent spoke barely spoke English and worked long hours, weren't able to help to make the transition easier. I thought that i was very slow learner because in less than a year my sister was speaking and dominating the English language. Even though it took time, i knew how important it was to learn English. My parents were so concern with difficulties i was having that they banned my sister and I from watching any Spanish channels. Even though there's many people that don't because of lack of passion or interest. I could just imagine, the troubles that others people go through not being able to communicate with others. There has been plenty of times that i would translate for someone, help them fill out application or write a letter in English. The language barrier it's such an conflicting thing, If i become a teacher i now the value and the great need for bilingual teachers. My point is that, I think that at everyone at some point begins to questioned of their capabilities, everything then relies whether you can bounce out that state. Some of us have the ability to continues as if nothing happen others can't.

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/a-look-at-the-education-proposals-of-the/n20071003181609990011

I have attach an article, i liked it because it's good to know about the view or future plans of political leaders on education. Even though i am don't follow, know much about politics but i think is important to know what their views are in education, health care, immigration and other issues. They may not always keep their promises but i least have an idea of what things to expect. Even tough i went to vocational school In this article the author addresses teacher, salary, vocational training and need for after school programs . Even tough there are benefits from attending a vocational school, in terms of learning other skills. However, there needs to be a balance, which i was lucky to have in my high school. Even though i major in fashion design and I learned to sew, drawing, draping, pattern-making etc most of the student end up pursuing other careers. The school did not target teaching skill to prepare students to work at factory or become dressmaker. Fashion world is a very competitive field and in order to be successful you need to very talented or money to launch your business. I enjoy drawing but sewing wasn't my thing but i was passionate enough to learn. I value my academic classes as, much as my major. In this article it seems that the focus on vocational training for working class children to teach them skill to prepare them for workforce as if there no hope for any accomplishes. How do we eliminate such misconceptions of vocational schools? Is there a balance to learn a trade, or skills just for personal satisfaction and not as a label of remedial learning.

Who is responsible?

In this weeks kozol reading he discuss of how two schools are run-ed in a managerial aspect. In class we determine three reasons why school chose this method. First is to teach children at young age of basic skills and knowledge to work managerial positions, its a guarantee of labor source for big corporations. The second is that teacher and and other professional perceive that working class student are not smart enough, too lazy or do not want to set their children up to failure by encouraging them set goals too high. I don't think that educator's should take the liberty to set realistic dreams or goals for their students, simply encourage the to be the best they can be. After watching the video clip of Oprah's show trading places, I thought about that hopefully Oprah is able to help this school out. Oprah and many wealthy people have the financial resources to improve the quality of education. Wealthy people ignored these issues simply because their children education is not affected by these inequalities. Addressing the needs or problems of one school is not enough because there's million of other school across the United States with the same problem. Who can we hold responsible? We have talked about the influence of such factors as race, ethnicity, social economic status, parents involvement, teacher attitudes and etc. We know that the problems consist of lack of resources, funding and poor quality or inadequate curriculum. However, who should be responsible for these problems, I think it should start with the government. The government needs re- think of methods in which they determine or allocate funding and resources, a set curriculum, re-evaluate teachers training. In addition there should be a set of regulations in which the conditions of all public schools should be assessed. The government would have more direct involve in education to guarantee equal access and quality of education to all children.

race a factor in inequality

In this weeks class we discuss unequal resources in education. As much as we all would love to find a solution to this problem it seems impossible. We agree that first step is acknowledging that these inequalities exist. However, throughout our discussion of inequality in resources in education race was never openly mention only inferred. As we share our different experiences in school, relationship with teachers, community parents involvement, environment and etc, which went according to the different races.
Many of us have been taught that through hard work, dedication we can achieve anything but for people of color or minorities they must work harder to fight against discrimination and stereotype. For those who are able to survive through unequal quality, resources and conditions in the education system, will always continue to suffer or be affected by these inequalities.
The idea of White as pure, privileged or superior and everything else is superior has been in placed and practice for so many years. The difference between now and then is that racism, segregation and discrimination is illegal continues to exists. Regardless of anything and all efforts race is still and will always be the reason behind inequalities. These following clips may not be about unequal resources but of how racial differences or race continues to be an issue
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3425640
and
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3401196

Have things really Change

Report: Segregation in U.S. Schools is Increasing
By Matthew BiggReutersWednesday, August 29, 2007; 8:42 PM
ATLANTA (Reuters) - Public schools in the United States are becoming more racially segregated and the trend is likely to accelerate because of a Supreme Court decision in June, according to report published Wednesday.
The rise in segregation threatens the quality of education received by non-white students, who now make up 43 percent of the total U.S. student body, said the report by the Civil Rights Project of the University of California in Los Angeles.
Many segregated schools struggle to attract highly qualified teachers and administrators, do not prepare students well for college and fail to graduate more than half their students.
In its June ruling the Supreme Court forbade most existing voluntary local efforts to integrate schools in a decision favored by the Bush administration despite warnings from academics that it would compound educational inequality.
"It is about as dramatic a reversal in the stance of the federal courts as one could imagine," said Gary Orfield, a UCLA professor and a co-author of the report.
"The federal courts are clearly pushing us backward segregation with the encouragement of the Justice Department of President George W. Bush," he said in an interview.
The United States risks becoming a nation in which a new majority of non-white young people will attend "separate and inferior" schools, the report said.
"Resegregation ... is continuing to grow in all parts of the country for both African Americans and Latinos and is accelerating the most rapidly in the only region that had been highly desegregated -- the South," it said.
The trend damages the prospects for non-white students and will likely have a negative effect on the U.S. economy, according to the report by one of the leading U.S. research centers on issues of civil rights and racial inequality.
Part of the reason for the resegregation is the rapidly expanding number of black and Latino children and a corresponding fall in the number of white children, it said.
Contrary to popular belief, the surge in the number of minority children in public schools was not mainly caused by a flight of white students into private schools.
Instead, it said, the post-"baby boom" generation of white Americans are having smaller family sizes.
"During the desegregation period there was a major decline in the education gap between blacks and whites and an increase in college entry by blacks .... That gap has stopped closing," Orfield said.
TRIPLE SEGREGATION FOR LATINOS
The record of successive administration reforms such as the Goals 2000 project of former President Bill Clinton and Bush's "No Child Left Behind" in 2001 "justifies deep skepticism," the report said.
Those changes focused pressure and resources on making the achievement of minority children in segregated schools equal to children in schools that were fully integrated.
School desegregation is a sensitive issue in the United States because of resistance to it from white leaders in the decade after a 1954 Supreme Court decision saying segregated public schools were unconstitutional.
One of the chief complaints of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s was that black-only public schools were inevitably starved of resources by local government with the result that black children received inferior education.
Latinos are the fastest growing minority in U.S. schools and for them segregation is often more profound than it was when the phenomenon was first measured 40 years ago, according to the report, "Historic Reversals, Accelerating Resegregation and the need for new Integration Strategies."
"Too often Latino students face triple segregation by race, class and language," it said.

Have Things really Change?
I hope you like this article, as much as I did. Even though it seems that times have change, but can see to what degree. Declaring segregation of schools unconstitutional was necessary, however i believe that it should have been approached differently. Nothing was done to address the conditions of schools of schools that already existed within these segregated communities. If the necessary reforms were made years ago maybe these repetitive patterns of segregation, conditions of school wouldn't exist.

between the cracks of poverty

The documentary "hardscrabble Childhood" changes the image i had of the United States. When i was a child i used to think that no one went hungry in the United States, because the government took care of it's poor. United States a has the ability to reach out and aid many developing countries to improve quality of life economically and politically. Its unbelievable to think that a country with such a great reputation for humanitarian labor encounters similar issues with poverty. Everyone has the idea that the poor are fortunate and well of in the United States because they have power an resources to help many others.
I used to admire the American school system because it provided students with free books and meals in comparison to public Schools in Honduras. First I was in Public school in Honduras but them was transfer to private School because teacher would go on strikes frequently. Schools were so overcrowded that there were two sessions one group of student went to school in the morning and others in the evening. There were two grades per classroom and a teacher would alternate by teaching one side at the time. Parents were responsible of sending their children with school supplies, books and meals.
However, the United States is just like other countries because there are people living in overcrowded, hazardous and unsanitary conditions. Even though programs such as welfare, food stamps, health care exists that are insufficient. These programs do not address the issues of discrimination, alienation that arises from poverty. Poverty is a problem beyond meeting basic necessities of many families. This documentary talks about the effects of poverty that most people never stop to think about. I myself have been always concerned about those children who were homeless, starving or been abused. Human Services needs to address those long term and short term issues behind poverty