Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
8.20.2011
Movies I'm Looking Forward To: The Experiment
Follows the course of four families through the charter school experiment here in New Orleans. I'm on the fence about charter schools. I think you can't really judge them on a whole - each one has to be looked at individually, because some of them are doing amazing things, and some of them only appear to do well because they picked students who were already bright and easy to teach.
3.16.2011
Should Students Be Kept in Cages? New Orleans Charter School seems to Think So!
Good Lord. I can't.
by Joanna
Wow... it seems like McDonogh City Park Academy in New Orleans is teaching its students.... to become prisoners! A mother in New Orleans recently complained that her 14 year old, who was being disciplined for stepping out of the lunch line, was forced to stay in an area resembling a prison cell (or a cage) for 30 minutes.
The school is managed by the New Orleans Charter Schools Foundation and falls under the Recovery School District umbrella. The head of the Charter school board denied the characterization of the area as a "cage":
It seems to me like this school, which educates primarily Black children, is sending the unspoken message that Black children need to be locked up for discipline. Now, seeing as how the jails and prisons in this country are filled with a disproportionate number of young Black men, is this really the message that we want Black children to receive while they are supposed to be getting an education? That it is "normal" to be put in a cage or a prison cell for even minor behavioral transgressions?
I remember being sent to in school suspension as a high school kid. We were in a room, closed off from the rest of the student, with a teacher present at all times. We were expected to be silent and work on our school work. But, there were not bars or fences keeping us in the area. It was discipline, but we were treated with dignity. Keeping children in an area like this is disrespectful of the humanity of these children. It send out the message "Well, you better get used to being locked up, because this is where you are going to end up". I do not think that is an appropriate image to convey to children who society ALREADY expects to fail.
School should be about educating and uplifting children, not about treating as a prisoner or an animal. Frankly, I believe that this charter school's methodology is extremely flawed, and if I were a parent, I would seriously consider removing my child from this environment if at all possible!
Sent to you by Denise via Google Reader:
via THE INTERSECTION | MADNESS & REALITY by Joanna on 3/16/11
by Joanna
Wow... it seems like McDonogh City Park Academy in New Orleans is teaching its students.... to become prisoners! A mother in New Orleans recently complained that her 14 year old, who was being disciplined for stepping out of the lunch line, was forced to stay in an area resembling a prison cell (or a cage) for 30 minutes.
A local mother is mad about what she's calling cruel and unusual punishment at her son's Charter School.
Latreshia Davis says school leaders at McDonogh City Park Academy routinely lock students inside a cage; as a form of discipline.
"I sent him to school to get an education," said parent Latreshia Davis.
Davis does not mind the burglar bars outside McDonogh City Park Academy; but she is angry about the fenced-off area inside, used to discipline students.
"To me it looks like a jail or a cage for an animal," Davis said. SOURCEThe children in this school are put in the corner of a room that is blocked off by mesh fencing. The gate reaches from the floor to the ceiling, and the area is totally empty. It bears a striking resemblance to a prison cell. The eighth grader told his mother that he was serving in school suspension, and that he and other children were put in the cage and left alone. A staff member occasionally came back to "check up" on the kids. His mother is not happy about the negative message it is sending her son... that he belongs in a cell like a prisoner or in a cage like an animal.
Davis acknowledged that her son has discipline problems, but she said she is willing to work with the school to resolve them, and she was shocked to see where he was placed."This speaks in volumes to me," Davis said. "It puts things in the kids' minds saying, 'You are not worth anything or it's OK to be behind bars or locked up in a cage.' It's so many things, and it hurts my heart because I would not lock my own child in a cage, so I don't appreciate someone else doing it." SOURCE
The school is managed by the New Orleans Charter Schools Foundation and falls under the Recovery School District umbrella. The head of the Charter school board denied the characterization of the area as a "cage":
"It is true that the room is equipped with a mesh fence, because it was formerly used as an equipment room. At the present time, the gate to the fence is not and cannot be locked. The students were under the supervision of one of our teachers, who was present throughout the entire seven minutes that the students were in the room." SOURCE
It seems to me like this school, which educates primarily Black children, is sending the unspoken message that Black children need to be locked up for discipline. Now, seeing as how the jails and prisons in this country are filled with a disproportionate number of young Black men, is this really the message that we want Black children to receive while they are supposed to be getting an education? That it is "normal" to be put in a cage or a prison cell for even minor behavioral transgressions?
I remember being sent to in school suspension as a high school kid. We were in a room, closed off from the rest of the student, with a teacher present at all times. We were expected to be silent and work on our school work. But, there were not bars or fences keeping us in the area. It was discipline, but we were treated with dignity. Keeping children in an area like this is disrespectful of the humanity of these children. It send out the message "Well, you better get used to being locked up, because this is where you are going to end up". I do not think that is an appropriate image to convey to children who society ALREADY expects to fail.
School should be about educating and uplifting children, not about treating as a prisoner or an animal. Frankly, I believe that this charter school's methodology is extremely flawed, and if I were a parent, I would seriously consider removing my child from this environment if at all possible!
Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to THE INTERSECTION | MADNESS & REALITY using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
2.22.2011
Who’s Looking Out For Black Students? Detroit Ordered to Close Half Its Schools
They're closing all of these school...to fix a budget deficit? How is this possible? It would be one thing if this was some sort of radical approach to improving the schools (which would be stupid - more schools, not less), but because it's cheaper? Are the taxes that Detroitians are paying for public schools going to halve? I didn't think so.
Sent to you by Denise via Google Reader:
via Clutch Magazine by Britni Danielle on 2/22/11
It seems like everyone is talking about education lately. From the Oscar-nominated documentary, "Waiting For Superman," to the protests by teachers in Wisconsin, educating our kids seem to be front and center these days.
Yesterday, state education officials in Michigan ordered the city of Detroit to balance the school district's budget shortfall by closing half of its schools.
As expected, closing the schools will have dire effects on the city's students (who are mostly low-income and black). Not only would it shrink the number of schools in the city to just 72 to service approximately 60,000 students, but it would also balloon class sizes to 60 students in high school classrooms. Currently, the district has nearly 74,000 students, but many are expected to flee do to increasing class sizes and neighborhood school closures.
Detroit Public Schools (DPS) have been under pressure lately. DPS graduates only 32% of its students, which is well below the national average of 70%, and has had to install an emergency financial manager due to continued mismanagement of funds. The district is struggling to close a $327 million budget deficit, and hopes shuttering its schools will help them close the gap.
Although emergency financial manager Robert Bobb doesn't think closing cities schools will help fix the budget shortage because it will drive students away and result in less per pupil funding, he is still moving forward with the state's plan.
"I believe the district can work its way out of these challenges," Bobb told The Detroit News. "It will take some time. I am firm believer we have to continue to make the deep cuts, and they are going to be painful. In the long run, the district will be stronger. There can be no retreat."
While state officials are looking to close schools in order to meet budget constraints, I wonder who is looking out for the kids? Detroit's students—who are mostly African-American— will be forced to sit in cramped classrooms, while teachers struggle to deliver high-quality instruction with even fewer resources. Hearing that schools are closing because the state lacks money makes me think that the system is rigged to make minority and lower-income students permanent members of the underclass.
What do you think? Is Detroit smart to close half its schools or should the district seek other solutions to address its budget deficit?
Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to Clutch Magazine using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
1.09.2010
Liberty's Kitchen
12.20.2009
From NPR 12.07 - Unemployment and African American Men
Even with all of the venom coming from the Republicans on Cornell's campus, I never quite grasped how widespread the belief seems to be that Black students are on college campuses or have good jobs because of affirmative action. How do people justify thinking this about all of us (and this assumption seems to be automatic, so Blacks are guilty of being unqualified until proven intelligent), and then vehemently deny being racist? I've seen the surprise on people's faces when I say I got my degree from Cornell. And then I get defensive and try to make it sound like it wasn't as hard as it was. It was hard. And I graduated in four years, working harder than I ever have before. I should say "Yeah, I graduated from a better school then you. And I have a mother who barely graduated from high school, Mr./Ms. middle class. Step up your game!"
9.17.2009
News Briefs: Crumbling Levees in Algiers, True Blood Beverage, Free Amazon Downloads, Racism in Schools, Police Monitor Resigns, Trailer Trials Begin
The levee in Algiers is crumbling, but the Army Corps of Engineers is saying that this is totally not a problem.
B-positive for me, please.
Free music!!!!!!! Get it while you can!
NOLA Film Fest Line-up. They're showing Precious! Can't wait, and I'll actually have money this year.
How should teachers discuss racist attitudes towards each other and students?
I didn't even know about this, and already this dude's resigning.
First FEMA trailer trial is about to begin.
I think most of these links came from New Orleans Ladder. I keep forgetting to note where this info comes from, if it's not something I discovered myself. That's what happens when you leave a hundred tabs open for several days in Firefox, you end up with no idea where any of it came from.
B-positive for me, please.
Free music!!!!!!! Get it while you can!
NOLA Film Fest Line-up. They're showing Precious! Can't wait, and I'll actually have money this year.
How should teachers discuss racist attitudes towards each other and students?
I didn't even know about this, and already this dude's resigning.
First FEMA trailer trial is about to begin.
I think most of these links came from New Orleans Ladder. I keep forgetting to note where this info comes from, if it's not something I discovered myself. That's what happens when you leave a hundred tabs open for several days in Firefox, you end up with no idea where any of it came from.
9.10.2009
8.28.2009
Segregationist Society Wonders Why Achievement Gaps Persist
I got this from School Matters by Jim Horn.
Segregationist Society Wonders Why Achievement Gaps Persist:
The failure chart here is a snapshot of Arlington, Virginia, but it could be Most Anywhere, USA. While corporate reformers berate public school teachers and castigate parents and abuse children with cram-down testing, the story of the return to apartheid schooling remains a non-story for the media and an unacknowledged reality for the dolts in charge of state testing programs.
Where there is apartheid, there is poverty; where there is poverty, there is the achievement gap. Where there is the achievement gap, there is the preservation of privilege for White America. What could be more horrendously elegant? What kind of democracy so clearly embraces an educational system that defines success strictly by race and income? But then, what kind of democracy puts its future in the hands of corporate oligarchs to decide?
Segregationist Society Wonders Why Achievement Gaps Persist:
The failure chart here is a snapshot of Arlington, Virginia, but it could be Most Anywhere, USA. While corporate reformers berate public school teachers and castigate parents and abuse children with cram-down testing, the story of the return to apartheid schooling remains a non-story for the media and an unacknowledged reality for the dolts in charge of state testing programs.
Where there is apartheid, there is poverty; where there is poverty, there is the achievement gap. Where there is the achievement gap, there is the preservation of privilege for White America. What could be more horrendously elegant? What kind of democracy so clearly embraces an educational system that defines success strictly by race and income? But then, what kind of democracy puts its future in the hands of corporate oligarchs to decide?
By Michael Lee PopeHow entirely and blindly pathetic. Perhaps when the fast-food corporate charter schools finally 'improve instruction' by replacing all the poor public schools, the demand for accountability will disappear, as will the persistent and embarrassing reality of the death of social justice in education. Left will be children in the brainwashing academic chain gangs or the recalcitrants who will be dumped into the juvenile 'justice' system. Finally, privilege will have been maintained and guaranteed for the shrinking white majority--at least until the violence starts. The future of the 'democratic republic' is only as guaranteed as the control of it by white America (see the approval ratings of 'rightwing terrorists').
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Half a century has passed since the landmark Supreme Court Brown versus Board of Education, but Arlington County Schools still struggles with achievement results that remain separate and unequal. White students in the county enjoy the highest performance on standardized testing, with 97 percent of the county’s white students passing the English test and 95 percent of the white students passing the Math test. When the Virginia Department of Education released testing data earlier this month, white students were the only group to meet the benchmarks.
'I’m very concerned about this,' said Emma Violand-Sanchez, a member of the Arlington County School Board. 'We need to address the achievement gap, especially with these subgroups.'
Although Hispanic students met the benchmark in English, they fell behind in Math. Black students did not meet federal standards in English or Math. Students who have a limited proficiency with English did not meet the federal objectives, nor did economically disadvantaged students. Students with disabilities had the lowest pass rates, with 68 percent of the students passing the English test and 59 percent of the students passing the Math test. State officials wanted to be clear that identifying students who were struggling should not be interpreted as a criticism of the student groups.
'This is not about blaming children,' said Charles Pyle, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Education. 'This is about identifying where there are weaknesses to improve instruction.' . . . .
8.03.2009
News Briefs: RSD Fires "Surplus" Teachers, OC Haley Gets Renovated, 2 Day Tax Holiday, WLN
This is frustrating. Why not put the bad teachers in the surplus pile? Oh, right, that would require actually taking the time to evaluate teachers properly. It's much easier to just force veteran teachers to search for new jobs. Why don't Teach For America recruits have to search for jobs? I believe they are placed in schools.
ETA: Here's a write-up by someone who knows more than I do about the school system here.
Progress! In the past few weeks I've noticed new businesses on Oretha Castle Haley Blvd, including a women's employment center that appears to provide childcare. Nine businesses are going to receive money to renovate, including one that a coworker of mine and her husband plan to start (the live music venue mentioned in the article).
I'll actually have money to take advantage of the sales tax holiday this year. But why is it only 2 days long? In the DC area it lasts a week, I think, or at least a whole weekend.
I was there, were you? It was a fun night, but I must say, now that I've experienced both, I like Dirty Linen Night better. Appetizers and booze (good booze) are free, and the art is a little more accessible to me, meaning I wouldn't have to save up two year-long Americorps salaries just to buy one piece of art. Can't wait until this Saturday!
ETA: Here's a write-up by someone who knows more than I do about the school system here.
Progress! In the past few weeks I've noticed new businesses on Oretha Castle Haley Blvd, including a women's employment center that appears to provide childcare. Nine businesses are going to receive money to renovate, including one that a coworker of mine and her husband plan to start (the live music venue mentioned in the article).
I'll actually have money to take advantage of the sales tax holiday this year. But why is it only 2 days long? In the DC area it lasts a week, I think, or at least a whole weekend.
I was there, were you? It was a fun night, but I must say, now that I've experienced both, I like Dirty Linen Night better. Appetizers and booze (good booze) are free, and the art is a little more accessible to me, meaning I wouldn't have to save up two year-long Americorps salaries just to buy one piece of art. Can't wait until this Saturday!
6.29.2009
Check out this page on nola.com
Dear Blog:
Dsxyfemme85 (rozlyndmoore@yahoo.com) thought you would be interested in this item from nola.com
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1246167280192830.xml&coll=1
Dsxyfemme85
I know kids who have been sent to this school. Part of the reason kids act up in school in the first place is because of inadequate facilities that distract them from learning. Why send the troubled ones to an even worse school?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)