Education in the Inner City has been quite an eye opening experience for me. I came into this class eager to learn about the inner city as I am a Prudential Scholar and I will be teaching in Newark starting in the fall. I have never spent any time in Newark prior to this class and was very unsure of what to expect. I have gained a lot of knowledge of the inner city, particularly Newark, through the readings and my visits for the community inquiry project. Overall, I have learned a lot about myself, public education in the inner city, and teaching in the inner city.
The culture project showed me just how different everybody in our class really was. It made me think about when I have classrooms full of students. There will be a culture collage behind each and every student. It will be my job to understand all of them and teach my lessons based on this. It showed me just how aware I need to be about every student. When meeting with parents I will need to understand the culture they come from. It is quite possible that I could do something that they consider disrespectful without being knowledgeable of their culture.
I have also learned about the problems that students face in the inner city. Most of these problems get in the way of the student obtaining a quality education. Students may not be getting the proper amount of sleep each night. They may not be staying warm in the winter. They may not be eating enough or if they are it may not be the healthiest of choices. These issues and many others hinder their ability to pay attention in school. Some students may not have time for homework as they could be working everyday after school to help put food on the table for their family. It will be a struggle to help the students overcome these obstacles and at the same time have a fair and democratic classroom. I have also learned that although it will be hard it definitely can be done.
Another very important thing that I learned is that many good things happen in the inner city. Although the media decides that only bad news ends up on the front page, there are many good stories that go unnoticed. There are many students who want a good education. A lot of them will respond in a positive way when challenged if they see the material as being relevant to their lives. There are a lot of parents who are dedicated and will be a part of their children’s education if given the opportunity.
The most important thing that I have learned is being prepared, dedicated, and open-minded can help me be successful as an educator. Being prepared speaks to knowing the students, parents, and the community. It also means having each day planned out very well with different contingency plans. Open-mindedness will allow me not to judge the students but help them through their days at school. It will also allow me to empower the students and have them decide which direction the class is heading. Dedication speaks to being there each and every day, whether it is in class or staying after class so a student can get some homework done in a warm and safe environment. So all in all I would say that I have learned much more than I could have imagined. The reason that I am not scared away from all of the horror stories is the mere fact that plenty of hope does exist in the inner city.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Community Inquiry Project-Abstract
Upon the river of knowledge, a student will drift upon their raft until they meet a teacher who can guide them towards the delta and then the sea. This sea of knowledge, a plethora of standardized tests and exams and curriculums that they must attain as their portfolio of known facts to continue on their journey is a worthwhile venture, but must be evoked in a proper manner. Urban education today in the Newark area is getting better every day, but is still far below state and national standards. The test scores and the strangling hold the curriculums have over teachers is more of a hindrance rather than help. These government instituted laws and programs made by mostly non-educators, could use some work. At the beginning and at the end of the day, there is a teacher and there is a student; and that student must learn, and that teacher must teach. That is what is most important. That is what we do.
Community Inquiry Project-Conclusion
This inquiry project gave us some insight into the Newark Public School system and the numerous challenges and difficulties faced by teachers, students and administrators. Some of the hurdles we encountered while undertaking this research included not getting access to “walk through” some of our target schools and as such had to observe the schools from the outside. Our efforts to meet with a few principals who have been in office for over 20 years proved futile and as such we were not able to get a cleared picture of the situation which existed prior to the implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) policy and in what ways standardized tests may have changed over the years. We also found it difficult to have a detailed interview with some of the teachers since they were either in the process of completing the preparation of their students for the NJ ASK test or in the process of reviewing before the test - another testimony that the lives of the teachers and the students are “governed” by test taking and not necessarily learning life skills.
Notwithstanding the aforementioned difficulties, we were able to deduce that there is an overwhelming attitude and mentality of despair hovering above and surrounding participants of the NPS system. There is a strong desire for the “powers that be” to realize that the current curriculum does not adequately prepare the New Jersey child for future success. Many of the respondents believed that the state can achieve a great deal by simply tweaking the current curriculum and test system to include areas such as etiquette, critical thinking, data analysis. Criticisms were also levied against the decision to “focus” on two subjects, math and literacy, in that, students and teachers tend to neglect other subject areas in favor of those being tested. There was also a call for a more comprehensive evaluation of students which takes into account the inability of some students to do well on structured tests.
We believe that there is hope for the Newark Public School system but it will take some bold initiatives on the part of the administration to deviate from the norm and implement new strategies that will make Newark students stand out from amidst the rest of the nation. There needs to be a direct reversal in the trends of test scores in the four target schools identified but there is also need for modifications to be made in order to improve those tests and make them more meaningful and representative of a complete evaluation.
Notwithstanding the aforementioned difficulties, we were able to deduce that there is an overwhelming attitude and mentality of despair hovering above and surrounding participants of the NPS system. There is a strong desire for the “powers that be” to realize that the current curriculum does not adequately prepare the New Jersey child for future success. Many of the respondents believed that the state can achieve a great deal by simply tweaking the current curriculum and test system to include areas such as etiquette, critical thinking, data analysis. Criticisms were also levied against the decision to “focus” on two subjects, math and literacy, in that, students and teachers tend to neglect other subject areas in favor of those being tested. There was also a call for a more comprehensive evaluation of students which takes into account the inability of some students to do well on structured tests.
We believe that there is hope for the Newark Public School system but it will take some bold initiatives on the part of the administration to deviate from the norm and implement new strategies that will make Newark students stand out from amidst the rest of the nation. There needs to be a direct reversal in the trends of test scores in the four target schools identified but there is also need for modifications to be made in order to improve those tests and make them more meaningful and representative of a complete evaluation.
Results and Discussion of Inquiry Project
http://sites.google.com/a/mail.montclair.edu/think-education-think-life/Home/community-inquiry-project/results
Discussions with past and current students yielded a variety of opinions as it pertains to the value of standardized tests. A majority of the students interviewed didn’t have a clear definition of what a standardized test was but was knowledgeable about the existence of such a test. Some students especially in the middle school, regarded school as something they had to do until they were 16 yrs old and had no control over that. As such, they did not have an opinion as to whether what they were learning in school was important to their future life or just a means to an end. While some students (about 25% of those interviewed) thought that the standardized test were helpful in their efforts to get good grades and ultimately shape a career, the majority (about 75%) thought that standardized test only serve to limit the amount of knowledge they can acquire during their elementary and high school years. Most of the students contend that their teachers teach to the tests and find very little time to help students in developing social or life skills. This was in keeping with the notion put forward by Madus (1988) that tests are losing their legitimacy on evaluating students on their learned knowledge due to the “teaching of the test.” This corrupts the information that the students have learned and therefore know because instead of retrieving the information from long-term memory, they are memorizing test material and format. Additionally, some find that the lessons are usually scripted with very little room for impromptu modifications on the part of the teacher or students. School was also referred to as boring and useless by many of the students interviewed. The administrators spoken to were generally of the view that the standardized tests are not the quick fix to the numerous problems being encountered in the NPS system. One contends that the standardized test system is “what we have now and what we have to work with”. A discussion ensued about the need for alternatives to the much dreaded standardized test and some of those already being tried out in districts outside Newark. Some of those alternatives have included criterion-referenced tests, teacher-made tests, contract grading, interviews with students and their parents, and detailed documentation of a student's accomplishments (Wildemuth, 1984). Other administrators were a bit more blunt in their criticisms of the current situation and expressed that the current curriculum “focuses too much on subject content and leaves little time to engage in the overall development of the students”. The curriculum was seen as being “too tightly fit into the 180 teaching days which exists in the NPS System – resulting in some teachers being unable to complete the curriculum content”.
The teachers spoken to were equally critical as their students in condemning the current educational system and curriculum taught in schools. One recurring theme was the notion that the curriculum in use in schools in the Newark Public Schools does not include any aspect that deals with nurturing interpersonal skills or promoting other skills which should go hand in hand with education in the various subject areas. The curriculum was regarded as being one that does not teach or encourage students to think critically, be innovative or develop new ideas. Students who are able to think critically are able to solve problems effectively. Having knowledge is simply not enough in today’s world. To be effective in the work place and in personal lives, students must be able to solve problems and make effective decisions; they must be able to think critically (Synder and Snyder, 2008). There were suggestions to modify the current curriculum to address those deficiencies and aim to produce wholly developed individuals rather than book smart or content savvy individuals. The general impression from the respondents was that the current curriculum is failing the students and isn’t geared towards personal development. Students need to learn more about the world, think outside of the box, become smarter about new sources of information, develop good people skills and redefine how they learn. The curriculum needs to be adjusted to incorporate a balance between core knowledge and portable skills such as critical thinking, making connections between ideas and knowing how to learn (Wallis and Steptoe, 2006). Information technology was regarded as one of the areas that needed more attention and greater inclusion in the district’s curriculum.
Discussions with past and current students yielded a variety of opinions as it pertains to the value of standardized tests. A majority of the students interviewed didn’t have a clear definition of what a standardized test was but was knowledgeable about the existence of such a test. Some students especially in the middle school, regarded school as something they had to do until they were 16 yrs old and had no control over that. As such, they did not have an opinion as to whether what they were learning in school was important to their future life or just a means to an end. While some students (about 25% of those interviewed) thought that the standardized test were helpful in their efforts to get good grades and ultimately shape a career, the majority (about 75%) thought that standardized test only serve to limit the amount of knowledge they can acquire during their elementary and high school years. Most of the students contend that their teachers teach to the tests and find very little time to help students in developing social or life skills. This was in keeping with the notion put forward by Madus (1988) that tests are losing their legitimacy on evaluating students on their learned knowledge due to the “teaching of the test.” This corrupts the information that the students have learned and therefore know because instead of retrieving the information from long-term memory, they are memorizing test material and format. Additionally, some find that the lessons are usually scripted with very little room for impromptu modifications on the part of the teacher or students. School was also referred to as boring and useless by many of the students interviewed. The administrators spoken to were generally of the view that the standardized tests are not the quick fix to the numerous problems being encountered in the NPS system. One contends that the standardized test system is “what we have now and what we have to work with”. A discussion ensued about the need for alternatives to the much dreaded standardized test and some of those already being tried out in districts outside Newark. Some of those alternatives have included criterion-referenced tests, teacher-made tests, contract grading, interviews with students and their parents, and detailed documentation of a student's accomplishments (Wildemuth, 1984). Other administrators were a bit more blunt in their criticisms of the current situation and expressed that the current curriculum “focuses too much on subject content and leaves little time to engage in the overall development of the students”. The curriculum was seen as being “too tightly fit into the 180 teaching days which exists in the NPS System – resulting in some teachers being unable to complete the curriculum content”.
The teachers spoken to were equally critical as their students in condemning the current educational system and curriculum taught in schools. One recurring theme was the notion that the curriculum in use in schools in the Newark Public Schools does not include any aspect that deals with nurturing interpersonal skills or promoting other skills which should go hand in hand with education in the various subject areas. The curriculum was regarded as being one that does not teach or encourage students to think critically, be innovative or develop new ideas. Students who are able to think critically are able to solve problems effectively. Having knowledge is simply not enough in today’s world. To be effective in the work place and in personal lives, students must be able to solve problems and make effective decisions; they must be able to think critically (Synder and Snyder, 2008). There were suggestions to modify the current curriculum to address those deficiencies and aim to produce wholly developed individuals rather than book smart or content savvy individuals. The general impression from the respondents was that the current curriculum is failing the students and isn’t geared towards personal development. Students need to learn more about the world, think outside of the box, become smarter about new sources of information, develop good people skills and redefine how they learn. The curriculum needs to be adjusted to incorporate a balance between core knowledge and portable skills such as critical thinking, making connections between ideas and knowing how to learn (Wallis and Steptoe, 2006). Information technology was regarded as one of the areas that needed more attention and greater inclusion in the district’s curriculum.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Connecting Unequal Childhoods to Essex County
2. It is very expensive to live in Essex County, New Jersey. Life for the working class/poor families (Taylor’s, Brindle’s, and McAllister’s) would be very difficult. The key here is to examine the self sufficiency wage. This will give us an idea of just how tough a time that these families are going to have. First let’s look at the Taylor family. Celeste is the sole provider for this family. She works as a secretary and makes $20,000 a year. If you take a look at table 2 you can see how scary this is. For one adult, one preschooler and one school aged child the annually salary for the self-sufficiency wage is $46,686. So this is about three times what Celeste makes and she has three children. The fact is that she would not make even close to enough money to live comfortably in Essex County. A similar case will be the Brindle’s because once again there is one adult that is the sole provider for the family. She has three children also and is currently unemployed. So there is no way that she would be near the $46,686 annual salary. This will lead to a day to day struggle just to put food on the table. The sad part is that besides not having enough money for necessities, they certainly do not have money for unexpected things such as car repairs, or maintenance for the house. They mention in the book that their toilet is constantly running. This would be a problem in a middle class home and be fixed immediately. But for this family it is very low ion the priority list each and every day. Lastly we can look at the effect it will have on the McAllister’s. It is hard to gauge what money this family has coming in because Jane is on public assistance, Hank is a mechanic and only chips in somewhat, and Keith is a truck-driver. So all in all they have some money coming in but no way can this be near the self-sufficiency wage. On top of this they can have up to 11 people in the house at a time. It will be a struggle everyday to take care of this many people on such a limited income.
3. According the LSNJ the Brindle’s would qualify for public assistance in Essex County. The McAllisters would most likely qualify. The scary thing is that the Taylor’s would not. Celeste Taylor makes $20,000 annually, which is the median salary for people in New Jersey that do not fall below the poverty line and fall below the standard. This is going to make things very difficult in a very expensive county to live in. The situations that these families are in can be very stressful. Besides the major problems such as putting food on the table or having heat in the winter, little things to a middle class family become huge things for these families. An example of this would be laundry. In a middle class family this is just a chore that needs to be done and can be done right inside the home. But for these families it costs a lot of money to go to a Laundromat each week with a full families worth of clothes. Also sometimes it may be a bus ride to the Laundromat. This is just one of the many things that can cause stress to a family living below the standard in Essex County.
4. This information is going to greatly affect who I am as an educator. It is very important to understand the community in which you teach in. Understanding where the students come from and where they go outside of school can be very useful in the classroom. I plan to teach in a high school and this information tells me that I may have many students that are working in order to help their family put food on the table. If a student does not do their homework I should find out why they did not do it rather than just giving them a zero and moving on. They cannot just quit their job if their grades slip. I think just getting to know the students on a more personal level would help. Showing them that I care about what they do outside of school will could also help. I think that knowing what they may be going through will help me to have thicker skin. What I mean by this is that if students are tired or they do not care about my class then I should not take this personally. Maybe they are just hungry, tired from a long night of work, possibly they did not get a good night sleep because their heat was shut off, or they just have more important things to worry about than Algebra. These are certainly things that I did not realize would be issues but now that I do it is my job to use this knowledge to make me a better educator.
3. According the LSNJ the Brindle’s would qualify for public assistance in Essex County. The McAllisters would most likely qualify. The scary thing is that the Taylor’s would not. Celeste Taylor makes $20,000 annually, which is the median salary for people in New Jersey that do not fall below the poverty line and fall below the standard. This is going to make things very difficult in a very expensive county to live in. The situations that these families are in can be very stressful. Besides the major problems such as putting food on the table or having heat in the winter, little things to a middle class family become huge things for these families. An example of this would be laundry. In a middle class family this is just a chore that needs to be done and can be done right inside the home. But for these families it costs a lot of money to go to a Laundromat each week with a full families worth of clothes. Also sometimes it may be a bus ride to the Laundromat. This is just one of the many things that can cause stress to a family living below the standard in Essex County.
4. This information is going to greatly affect who I am as an educator. It is very important to understand the community in which you teach in. Understanding where the students come from and where they go outside of school can be very useful in the classroom. I plan to teach in a high school and this information tells me that I may have many students that are working in order to help their family put food on the table. If a student does not do their homework I should find out why they did not do it rather than just giving them a zero and moving on. They cannot just quit their job if their grades slip. I think just getting to know the students on a more personal level would help. Showing them that I care about what they do outside of school will could also help. I think that knowing what they may be going through will help me to have thicker skin. What I mean by this is that if students are tired or they do not care about my class then I should not take this personally. Maybe they are just hungry, tired from a long night of work, possibly they did not get a good night sleep because their heat was shut off, or they just have more important things to worry about than Algebra. These are certainly things that I did not realize would be issues but now that I do it is my job to use this knowledge to make me a better educator.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Introduction
“When will I ever use this in my life?” and “Why do I have to learn this?” are two very common questions that school aged children ask everyday. These questions can easily be answered by telling them that they need to do well on their next test and if they do well in school that they will get into a good college. From a very early age students are encouraged to take their schooling seriously and obtain an education, for one’s future success is almost always inextricably linked to a sound formal education. History has taught us that the ideal situation for an individual involves obtaining a formal education, being successful at exams, graduating with honors and finding a stable job or building a prosperous career. However, some students, especially in urban areas like Newark, New Jersey are not getting the education needed to become competent and successful members of society. The matter of changing school and curriculum (educational reform) to compensate for the rapidly changing world in which these schools and it student’s exist has been an ongoing battle of both failure and success in particularly urban areas. For instance, most of the students in and around the Hawthorne Avenue area in Newark come from lower income, working class families that are just barely making ends meet. Many of the parent(s) in these families have low educational backgrounds and this lower education is correlated to the lower income status that they presently possess.
President George Bush, in an effort to raise failing schools (classified by students who are falling behind), in primarily urban areas, proposed No Child Left Behind (NCLB); a series of standardized tests and guidelines for meeting an Annual Yearly Percentage (AYP) for various subject areas or the school in concern receives less funding or ultimately is closed down. There are a number of perceived inherent problems of the NCLB act and its implementation which currently dictates and drives the focus of teaching at both public and private schools across the country. Numerous reports have emerged showing the achievement gaps which exist between different components of society, be it against racial, cultural, religious or social divides. However, the fundamental underlying common denominator remains what is taught in schools. What is the role of the curriculum in future success? The reality remains that the focus of those standardized tests as currently employed may very well serve as a contributing factor to performance gaps which exist.
Students are very different and each will take very different paths in their lives. Thus, each student will need very different tools for their lives. At a young age students learn all sorts of different tools that will be useful. They learn basic math skills, geography, reading and writing, how to paint and play music. These are most certainly skills that will be useful in their later schooling. They are building blocks that are necessary to their future learning. The problem seems to arise in later grades when the focus is much more on Math and English. In order to see what the students are learning we must take a look at the curriculum that is being taught. It does not take long to see that curriculum in our schools are driven by standardized tests. These standardized tests are what we use to measure the students, teachers, schools and school districts. The focus of school is now on finding ways to raise test scores rather than the practicality of what the students are learning. In fact, we believe this idea of standardizing curriculum and learning goes against nature; fundamentally, it defies our societal structure. There needs to be more than one solution to assessing schools and its students and this concept of more than one answer is a vital component educators should be instilling in students today. The current policies in place assume that teachers can be led to perform better if they are made much more accountable for test score gains. Standardized testing seems to be the “solve-all” solution and there is evidence to support its prosperity and its failure. Both prosperity and failure are limited to the view of test scores. Students are not being assessed in the many ways they learn limiting the validity in the assessment of the student’s learned knowledge. In addition, the curriculum and teaching styles of educators is changing due to high-stakes testing. Educators are now teaching to the test, which in turn invalidates their reliability and validity. A major issue that we want to take a look at is how the standardized tests in New Jersey change as students advance through school. In elementary school students take the NJ Ask, where they are tested in seven different content areas. Later when students prepare for the HSPA, which they take junior year of high school in order to graduate, they are only tested on two content areas. Narrowing down our focus to two major areas, Math and English, has a great impact on their curriculum. As a result, students are being assessed on how much test content and information they can memorize in regard to passing the test instead of assessing the depth of understanding and reasoning, along with the critical thinking that goes into making the decisions.
Goals and Objectives:
This research aims to investigate the curriculum being used in the Newark Public Schools system, particularly the Hawthorne Ave School and assess the role of standardized test in preparing the nation’s youth for the 21st century. A brief comparative analysis against countries such as Belgium and Sweden and Singapore which employ standardized testing as a means of assessment with more positive results in an effort to determine why students in these countries regularly out perform the United States on Math and Science high-stakes tests and have higher success rates. Finally, the research will suggest alternative ways by which assessment can be done without taking away from the ability to teach students life skills that will be important for future success.
President George Bush, in an effort to raise failing schools (classified by students who are falling behind), in primarily urban areas, proposed No Child Left Behind (NCLB); a series of standardized tests and guidelines for meeting an Annual Yearly Percentage (AYP) for various subject areas or the school in concern receives less funding or ultimately is closed down. There are a number of perceived inherent problems of the NCLB act and its implementation which currently dictates and drives the focus of teaching at both public and private schools across the country. Numerous reports have emerged showing the achievement gaps which exist between different components of society, be it against racial, cultural, religious or social divides. However, the fundamental underlying common denominator remains what is taught in schools. What is the role of the curriculum in future success? The reality remains that the focus of those standardized tests as currently employed may very well serve as a contributing factor to performance gaps which exist.
Students are very different and each will take very different paths in their lives. Thus, each student will need very different tools for their lives. At a young age students learn all sorts of different tools that will be useful. They learn basic math skills, geography, reading and writing, how to paint and play music. These are most certainly skills that will be useful in their later schooling. They are building blocks that are necessary to their future learning. The problem seems to arise in later grades when the focus is much more on Math and English. In order to see what the students are learning we must take a look at the curriculum that is being taught. It does not take long to see that curriculum in our schools are driven by standardized tests. These standardized tests are what we use to measure the students, teachers, schools and school districts. The focus of school is now on finding ways to raise test scores rather than the practicality of what the students are learning. In fact, we believe this idea of standardizing curriculum and learning goes against nature; fundamentally, it defies our societal structure. There needs to be more than one solution to assessing schools and its students and this concept of more than one answer is a vital component educators should be instilling in students today. The current policies in place assume that teachers can be led to perform better if they are made much more accountable for test score gains. Standardized testing seems to be the “solve-all” solution and there is evidence to support its prosperity and its failure. Both prosperity and failure are limited to the view of test scores. Students are not being assessed in the many ways they learn limiting the validity in the assessment of the student’s learned knowledge. In addition, the curriculum and teaching styles of educators is changing due to high-stakes testing. Educators are now teaching to the test, which in turn invalidates their reliability and validity. A major issue that we want to take a look at is how the standardized tests in New Jersey change as students advance through school. In elementary school students take the NJ Ask, where they are tested in seven different content areas. Later when students prepare for the HSPA, which they take junior year of high school in order to graduate, they are only tested on two content areas. Narrowing down our focus to two major areas, Math and English, has a great impact on their curriculum. As a result, students are being assessed on how much test content and information they can memorize in regard to passing the test instead of assessing the depth of understanding and reasoning, along with the critical thinking that goes into making the decisions.
Goals and Objectives:
This research aims to investigate the curriculum being used in the Newark Public Schools system, particularly the Hawthorne Ave School and assess the role of standardized test in preparing the nation’s youth for the 21st century. A brief comparative analysis against countries such as Belgium and Sweden and Singapore which employ standardized testing as a means of assessment with more positive results in an effort to determine why students in these countries regularly out perform the United States on Math and Science high-stakes tests and have higher success rates. Finally, the research will suggest alternative ways by which assessment can be done without taking away from the ability to teach students life skills that will be important for future success.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
My take on the Community Inquiry Project
As a group we are trying to figure out how standardized testing ultimately prepares students for their future. We have broken the prioject down into four major parts.
1) Test taking and life skills
2) Newark schools
3) Other schools as a measure(including in state suburban schools and other countries)
4) State required standardized tests and the effect on curriculum
I am gathering information on state standardized tests and the effect it has on curriculum. It has become very apparent that all of the standardized tests have a great impact on curriculum. At a young age students are required to take the NJ Ask. This starts in grade 3 and goes up to grade 8. Then in high school students take the HSPA as juniors. A major problem that I am seeing is that there is such a focus to pass these tests that students are spending a lot of classroom time just preparing for them. This has led to many test prep companies capitalizing on this and publishing many books about these tests. The students seem to be focusing on how to pass a specific test rather than gaining knowledge for future success.
Another issue that I plan to focus on is that although all these standardized tests come from the Core Curriculum Content Standards, the test given to third graders is vastly different than that given to juniors. The NJ Ask for third graders tests seven areas:
1. Language Arts Literacy
2. Mathematics
3. Science
4. Visual and Performing Arts
5. Social Studies
6. Health and Physical Education
7. World Languages
(The New Jersey Department of Education http://www.nj.gov/education/assessment/es/njask_info_guide.pdf)
The HSPA tests just these two:
1. Mathematics
2. Language Arts Literacy
(The New Jersey Department of Education
http://www.state.nj.us/education/assessment/hs/hspa_guide_english.pdf)
It seems that by testing in the seven areas that students at a young age are given many opportunities to succeed and to find out what they are good at. Then as they get older they are only tested on two major subjects. Why does this happen? I plan to investigate this further and I think this will help lead our group in the right direction toward ultimately answering our question. Actually, I think it will just lead to many more questions.
1) Test taking and life skills
2) Newark schools
3) Other schools as a measure(including in state suburban schools and other countries)
4) State required standardized tests and the effect on curriculum
I am gathering information on state standardized tests and the effect it has on curriculum. It has become very apparent that all of the standardized tests have a great impact on curriculum. At a young age students are required to take the NJ Ask. This starts in grade 3 and goes up to grade 8. Then in high school students take the HSPA as juniors. A major problem that I am seeing is that there is such a focus to pass these tests that students are spending a lot of classroom time just preparing for them. This has led to many test prep companies capitalizing on this and publishing many books about these tests. The students seem to be focusing on how to pass a specific test rather than gaining knowledge for future success.
Another issue that I plan to focus on is that although all these standardized tests come from the Core Curriculum Content Standards, the test given to third graders is vastly different than that given to juniors. The NJ Ask for third graders tests seven areas:
1. Language Arts Literacy
2. Mathematics
3. Science
4. Visual and Performing Arts
5. Social Studies
6. Health and Physical Education
7. World Languages
(The New Jersey Department of Education http://www.nj.gov/education/assessment/es/njask_info_guide.pdf)
The HSPA tests just these two:
1. Mathematics
2. Language Arts Literacy
(The New Jersey Department of Education
http://www.state.nj.us/education/assessment/hs/hspa_guide_english.pdf)
It seems that by testing in the seven areas that students at a young age are given many opportunities to succeed and to find out what they are good at. Then as they get older they are only tested on two major subjects. Why does this happen? I plan to investigate this further and I think this will help lead our group in the right direction toward ultimately answering our question. Actually, I think it will just lead to many more questions.
Community Inquiry Project Details
Topic:
How much of what students are learning in school today applies to everyday life skills for future success?
Data Type:
Qualitative
Interview
a. Students- Current, Dropouts, Graduates
b. Teachers
c. Administration- Superintendent/Principal (+20 years exp.)
d. Janitors
Observation
a. Facility- Inside and Out
b. Area/People Around the Facility- Few Block Radius
c. Student/Teacher Interaction- During and Outside of Class
d. Student/Student Interaction- During and Outside of Class
e. Teacher/Teacher Interaction
Interview Questions:
Teachers
1. Are you required to
a. Show or submit lesson plans of your curriculum?
b. Prove by documentation the use of the NJCCS within your curriculum plans?
c. If yes, how is the proof documented; on the lesson plans themselves or written on the board during the lesson.
d. If no, why is there lack of connection between the teachers, state curriculum and the school? Do you think that this connection is beneficial to the students and the school?
2. Do you feel that through your curriculum you are teaching your students the necessary life skills they need for future success post schooling? ie- Critical thinking skills, collaborative skills, reasoning skills, lifelong learning skills?
3. Have the standardized tests changed anything specifically about your curriculum and/or teaching style? If so, what has changed?
4. How important are standardized testing to you? Do you think it is beneficial to the students learning?
5. Have content area class been cut as a result of standardized testing? If so, what classes? Do you feel that these classes are important to the student’s well-rounded development?
6. What skills besides literacy and mathematical competence do you feel your students will need after graduation?
Administration-Superintendent
7. How has the budget been affected, if at all, by standardized testing?
8. Do you find yourself in Trenton trying to collect funding for your schools?
9. How important do you feel standardized testing is for the success of your schools and students?
10. Have you felt a true change in your schools, perhaps more pressure or stresses on yourself or the faculty due to standardized testing?
11.What steps are you taking to ensure that your schools meet their AYP?
Students
12. What is a standardized test?
13. How important are the tests to you?
14. How do the tests make you feel? Do you like them? Do you think that they will help you for your future? If so, in what ways?
15. Have you had any other experiences with tests? If so, what type of tests? Do you like those tests better?
16. Do you think that standardized testing really tests your true abilities and strengths?
17. Do you feel any changes in your classes as you have moved up through the grades about what you are learning?
18. Do you think what you are learning is going to be useful in the real world after you graduate?
19. What skills do you think will be important for you after you graduate?
20. What do you want to be when you grow up?
21. Do you feel that after receiving your diploma, you will have all that you need for success in the future?
22. What are you plans after graduation? Will you pursue further education (where to) or join the work force (in what line of work)?
23. How would you change school if you could?
Data Charts
1. Pie Chart representative of the races/ethnicity of the students and faculty of the school.
2. Pie Chart representative of the social classes and family make up of the school.
3. Bar Graphs representative of the performance of standardized testing broken up into the years, content being assessed, and scores.
How much of what students are learning in school today applies to everyday life skills for future success?
Data Type:
Qualitative
Interview
a. Students- Current, Dropouts, Graduates
b. Teachers
c. Administration- Superintendent/Principal (+20 years exp.)
d. Janitors
Observation
a. Facility- Inside and Out
b. Area/People Around the Facility- Few Block Radius
c. Student/Teacher Interaction- During and Outside of Class
d. Student/Student Interaction- During and Outside of Class
e. Teacher/Teacher Interaction
Interview Questions:
Teachers
1. Are you required to
a. Show or submit lesson plans of your curriculum?
b. Prove by documentation the use of the NJCCS within your curriculum plans?
c. If yes, how is the proof documented; on the lesson plans themselves or written on the board during the lesson.
d. If no, why is there lack of connection between the teachers, state curriculum and the school? Do you think that this connection is beneficial to the students and the school?
2. Do you feel that through your curriculum you are teaching your students the necessary life skills they need for future success post schooling? ie- Critical thinking skills, collaborative skills, reasoning skills, lifelong learning skills?
3. Have the standardized tests changed anything specifically about your curriculum and/or teaching style? If so, what has changed?
4. How important are standardized testing to you? Do you think it is beneficial to the students learning?
5. Have content area class been cut as a result of standardized testing? If so, what classes? Do you feel that these classes are important to the student’s well-rounded development?
6. What skills besides literacy and mathematical competence do you feel your students will need after graduation?
Administration-Superintendent
7. How has the budget been affected, if at all, by standardized testing?
8. Do you find yourself in Trenton trying to collect funding for your schools?
9. How important do you feel standardized testing is for the success of your schools and students?
10. Have you felt a true change in your schools, perhaps more pressure or stresses on yourself or the faculty due to standardized testing?
11.What steps are you taking to ensure that your schools meet their AYP?
Students
12. What is a standardized test?
13. How important are the tests to you?
14. How do the tests make you feel? Do you like them? Do you think that they will help you for your future? If so, in what ways?
15. Have you had any other experiences with tests? If so, what type of tests? Do you like those tests better?
16. Do you think that standardized testing really tests your true abilities and strengths?
17. Do you feel any changes in your classes as you have moved up through the grades about what you are learning?
18. Do you think what you are learning is going to be useful in the real world after you graduate?
19. What skills do you think will be important for you after you graduate?
20. What do you want to be when you grow up?
21. Do you feel that after receiving your diploma, you will have all that you need for success in the future?
22. What are you plans after graduation? Will you pursue further education (where to) or join the work force (in what line of work)?
23. How would you change school if you could?
Data Charts
1. Pie Chart representative of the races/ethnicity of the students and faculty of the school.
2. Pie Chart representative of the social classes and family make up of the school.
3. Bar Graphs representative of the performance of standardized testing broken up into the years, content being assessed, and scores.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Annotated Bibliography
Darling-Hammond, Linda (1998) Unequal Opportunity: Race and Education
The Brookings Institution
http://www.brookings.edu/articles/1998/spring_education_darling-hammond.aspx
There is a presumption now that equal opportunity exists in schools among all races. This view attributes low achievement levels on standardized tests as a function of genes, culture and a lack of effort on the part of minority students. This view does not take in to account the fact that the U.S. educational system is one of the most unequal in the industrialized world. The reality is that these educational outcomes are much more a function of their unequal access to necessary educational resources, including skilled teachers and quality curriculum. In order to make assumptions based on culture and effort the students must be operating on a level playing field. This is clearly not the case in our country. Recent analysis of data has shown that in many states on every tangible measure, from qualified teachers to curriculum offering, that schools dominated by students of color had considerably less resources that schools dominated by white students. These are the same areas that fare the worst in educational expenditures. It is very easy to see these test scores and just blame it on lack of effort. In order to make these scores relevant at all we need to look into ways to make educational opportunities more fair. When given the same educational resources studies have shown that students of color achieve at the same level as white students. Some states have already taken a step in the right direction. They have equalized educational spending, enforced higher teaching standards, and reduced teacher shortages. The most important thing in education is that every student deserves and opportunity at a good education. Until this happens we cannot blame the students for the gap in test scores.
Ravitch, Diane (2007) Get Congress Out of the Classroom
The Brookings Institution
http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2007/1003education_ravitch.aspx
This article talks about the negative effect that No Child Left Behind has had on our classrooms. This has created an unhealthy obsession of standardized testing and has diminished time in the classroom for teaching other important subjects. Another important issue is the choice to move to another school if your school is not meeting the standards. This seems great except that it is not that easy in the inner cities. Most schools in the inner city do not have seats available to accommodate other students. This makes it very unequal, especially in the areas that need the most help.
Berliner, David (2008) Why Rising Test Scores May Not Equal Increased Student Learning
Harvard Ed Review
http://www.hepg.org/news/23
A big problem with standardized testing is the idea that test scores must go up or else. This forces the schools to teach toward the test. They hold test prep classes and teach exactly what is on the test. This will result in rising scores but it may not result in a higher level of learning. The students can spend up to 60 days a year preparing for these tests. But this is not education, this is training. So the result is student being very well prepared for one specific test but this does not mean that they are prepared for life after the test.
Miller, Virginia (2001) The New Definition of Standards in American Education
The Heritage Foundation
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Education/BG1427.cfm
In order to improve quality of education, policy makers at the federal, state and local levels are pressing for higher standards in education. So far they have only implemented standards and have paid little attention to their content. The Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) has been trying to identify the skills need in the workplace and how we can implement these in our curriculums. This is an effort to have our education in the classroom better prepare our students for the workplace.
Geier, Robert; Blumenfeld, Phyllis C.; Marx, Ronald W.; Krajcik, Joseph S.; Fishman, Barry; Soloway, Elliot; Clay-Chambers, Juanita (2008) Standardized Test Outcomes for Students Engaged in Inquiry Based Science Curricula in the Context of Urban Reform
Educational Resources Information center
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=standardized+test&searchtype=keyword&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=kw&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&objectId=0900019b8035620b&accno=EJ813446&_nfls=false
This article takes a look at a different way of teaching called inquiry based teaching. It took a group of 7th and 8th graders from Detroit and used inquiry based teaching in their science curriculum. Then they compared their test results to all the other 7th and 8th graders in the same school. Their findings showed that the experimental group of students out performed the other students on the standardized science tests. Although a small sample size it shows that teaching for understanding can actually help standardized test scores. This is very different from the usual teaching toward the test method.
The Brookings Institution
http://www.brookings.edu/articles/1998/spring_education_darling-hammond.aspx
There is a presumption now that equal opportunity exists in schools among all races. This view attributes low achievement levels on standardized tests as a function of genes, culture and a lack of effort on the part of minority students. This view does not take in to account the fact that the U.S. educational system is one of the most unequal in the industrialized world. The reality is that these educational outcomes are much more a function of their unequal access to necessary educational resources, including skilled teachers and quality curriculum. In order to make assumptions based on culture and effort the students must be operating on a level playing field. This is clearly not the case in our country. Recent analysis of data has shown that in many states on every tangible measure, from qualified teachers to curriculum offering, that schools dominated by students of color had considerably less resources that schools dominated by white students. These are the same areas that fare the worst in educational expenditures. It is very easy to see these test scores and just blame it on lack of effort. In order to make these scores relevant at all we need to look into ways to make educational opportunities more fair. When given the same educational resources studies have shown that students of color achieve at the same level as white students. Some states have already taken a step in the right direction. They have equalized educational spending, enforced higher teaching standards, and reduced teacher shortages. The most important thing in education is that every student deserves and opportunity at a good education. Until this happens we cannot blame the students for the gap in test scores.
Ravitch, Diane (2007) Get Congress Out of the Classroom
The Brookings Institution
http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2007/1003education_ravitch.aspx
This article talks about the negative effect that No Child Left Behind has had on our classrooms. This has created an unhealthy obsession of standardized testing and has diminished time in the classroom for teaching other important subjects. Another important issue is the choice to move to another school if your school is not meeting the standards. This seems great except that it is not that easy in the inner cities. Most schools in the inner city do not have seats available to accommodate other students. This makes it very unequal, especially in the areas that need the most help.
Berliner, David (2008) Why Rising Test Scores May Not Equal Increased Student Learning
Harvard Ed Review
http://www.hepg.org/news/23
A big problem with standardized testing is the idea that test scores must go up or else. This forces the schools to teach toward the test. They hold test prep classes and teach exactly what is on the test. This will result in rising scores but it may not result in a higher level of learning. The students can spend up to 60 days a year preparing for these tests. But this is not education, this is training. So the result is student being very well prepared for one specific test but this does not mean that they are prepared for life after the test.
Miller, Virginia (2001) The New Definition of Standards in American Education
The Heritage Foundation
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Education/BG1427.cfm
In order to improve quality of education, policy makers at the federal, state and local levels are pressing for higher standards in education. So far they have only implemented standards and have paid little attention to their content. The Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) has been trying to identify the skills need in the workplace and how we can implement these in our curriculums. This is an effort to have our education in the classroom better prepare our students for the workplace.
Geier, Robert; Blumenfeld, Phyllis C.; Marx, Ronald W.; Krajcik, Joseph S.; Fishman, Barry; Soloway, Elliot; Clay-Chambers, Juanita (2008) Standardized Test Outcomes for Students Engaged in Inquiry Based Science Curricula in the Context of Urban Reform
Educational Resources Information center
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=standardized+test&searchtype=keyword&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=kw&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&objectId=0900019b8035620b&accno=EJ813446&_nfls=false
This article takes a look at a different way of teaching called inquiry based teaching. It took a group of 7th and 8th graders from Detroit and used inquiry based teaching in their science curriculum. Then they compared their test results to all the other 7th and 8th graders in the same school. Their findings showed that the experimental group of students out performed the other students on the standardized science tests. Although a small sample size it shows that teaching for understanding can actually help standardized test scores. This is very different from the usual teaching toward the test method.
Monday, March 2, 2009
My Culture
I was born in South Jersey into a family of Irish and Finnish descent. I do not have any living relatives that are actually from these countries. This made it very difficult for me to define my culture. I do not have any customs that date back to either of these countries, although I am very intrigued by my ancestry and where my relatives came from. I do know a lot of their names and how they came from Ireland and Finland in the early 1900’s. But this does not help me figure out who I am right here right now. I thought that if I had parents from a different country or if I was from somewhere else that this assignment would be so much easier. But I was wrong. I realized my problem was that I was thinking of culture only as such things as nationalities, race and customs. My culture is my family. That is a middle class American family that may not be rich in customs but is rich in values as all types of families are. We have a very big family and try to get together as often as we can. The biggest thing that seems to keep my family close is children. When I was growing up I had like 40 cousins. We would all see each other at family gatherings and while we were all out playing together the adults would get to spend time together. This is happening all over again. I have three brothers and a sister and we all have busy lives. My oldest brother has a brand new baby but he lives in Connecticut. My parents live in south jersey along with my sister and her two little boys. I have two brothers who live in Philadelphia. I live in the middle. So I hosted a gathering on Sunday so that we could all see each other but more importantly so we could all see the three little boys. Naturally while the little guys are playing we all have some time to catch up. Even though the time may not be that long it is very important to our family that we do things like this every so often.
I love spending time with my nephews. They have such a big impact on my life. They are all under the age of three and are just so young and innocent. I can already see very distinct personality traits in each of them but I also think about what is going to shape them in the next ten years. I think the obvious and most important influence will be their parents. But after that we could talk about many different things that will influence them. I think about just how much time they are going to spend in school and can’t help but think that their teachers will have an affect on their lives. This leads to me thinking about what I will be like as a teacher, especially in an urban school. I know I cannot change the world but I can change individual children. Just knowing how impressionable I can be on children will force me to handle such a responsibility with care.
Another big part of my life is sports. I played a lot of sports growing up and I watch a lot of sports. When I am not working or studying I am watching sports or at sporting events. I grew up outside of Philadelphia so I naturally root for any team from that city. I love the idea of sports and the competitive nature of it. Besides watching it I have goals of becoming a high school soccer coach. I think this has a big impact on my teaching. First it is just that many more kids that I will be able to connect with and become a mentor for. Also I think that coaching has many parallels to teaching. Instead of math I will be teaching them the game of soccer. Instead of tests we will have matches against other schools. In both cases I will go beyond teaching just math skills or soccer skills. I will be teaching work ethic, problem solving, and ways to achieve beyond the classroom or soccer field.
One of the most important things that helped me try to succeed in my life is self motivation. One way I motivate myself is through learning more about people that I admire. A person that I admire very much is Martin Luther King, Jr. He was an unbelievable man that had great influence on many lives. He fought for a cause that was much greater than him. Even though he struggled and may have failed sometimes he always kept his eye on the big picture. He was able to inspire so many people. The thing I take from him is that one person can truly make a difference. I can use this in the classroom because I know that there will be many times that I fail to get through to some students. I need to keep it all in perspective and realize that what matters are all the students that I have a positive affect on.
Another way I self motivate is through quotes. They are very important to me. I write good quotes down all time and love to use them with students. One of my favorite quotes is “Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” This was by Dwight D. Eisenhower. I love this quote because as a teacher I will be a leader in the classroom. I believe that if students just do things because you tell them to do so is not very productive. The idea is to inspire them to want to learn new things. If someone likes what they are doing then they are much more likely to learn and respond well in the classroom. It is my job to create an environment for this to happen.
Each person’s individual culture plays a huge role in who they are and what they will become as a teacher. The definition of culture is different for everybody. For some people their culture has a lot to do with their race or ethnicity. For others gender can play a huge role. For me it is anything that influences me. These things are family, friends, sports, great quotes, and my heroes. These things have shaped my life and have helped define who I am as a person. This is very important to understand because being a teacher will be a huge part of my life. I can use all of these influences to help me become a better teacher.
I love spending time with my nephews. They have such a big impact on my life. They are all under the age of three and are just so young and innocent. I can already see very distinct personality traits in each of them but I also think about what is going to shape them in the next ten years. I think the obvious and most important influence will be their parents. But after that we could talk about many different things that will influence them. I think about just how much time they are going to spend in school and can’t help but think that their teachers will have an affect on their lives. This leads to me thinking about what I will be like as a teacher, especially in an urban school. I know I cannot change the world but I can change individual children. Just knowing how impressionable I can be on children will force me to handle such a responsibility with care.
Another big part of my life is sports. I played a lot of sports growing up and I watch a lot of sports. When I am not working or studying I am watching sports or at sporting events. I grew up outside of Philadelphia so I naturally root for any team from that city. I love the idea of sports and the competitive nature of it. Besides watching it I have goals of becoming a high school soccer coach. I think this has a big impact on my teaching. First it is just that many more kids that I will be able to connect with and become a mentor for. Also I think that coaching has many parallels to teaching. Instead of math I will be teaching them the game of soccer. Instead of tests we will have matches against other schools. In both cases I will go beyond teaching just math skills or soccer skills. I will be teaching work ethic, problem solving, and ways to achieve beyond the classroom or soccer field.
One of the most important things that helped me try to succeed in my life is self motivation. One way I motivate myself is through learning more about people that I admire. A person that I admire very much is Martin Luther King, Jr. He was an unbelievable man that had great influence on many lives. He fought for a cause that was much greater than him. Even though he struggled and may have failed sometimes he always kept his eye on the big picture. He was able to inspire so many people. The thing I take from him is that one person can truly make a difference. I can use this in the classroom because I know that there will be many times that I fail to get through to some students. I need to keep it all in perspective and realize that what matters are all the students that I have a positive affect on.
Another way I self motivate is through quotes. They are very important to me. I write good quotes down all time and love to use them with students. One of my favorite quotes is “Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” This was by Dwight D. Eisenhower. I love this quote because as a teacher I will be a leader in the classroom. I believe that if students just do things because you tell them to do so is not very productive. The idea is to inspire them to want to learn new things. If someone likes what they are doing then they are much more likely to learn and respond well in the classroom. It is my job to create an environment for this to happen.
Each person’s individual culture plays a huge role in who they are and what they will become as a teacher. The definition of culture is different for everybody. For some people their culture has a lot to do with their race or ethnicity. For others gender can play a huge role. For me it is anything that influences me. These things are family, friends, sports, great quotes, and my heroes. These things have shaped my life and have helped define who I am as a person. This is very important to understand because being a teacher will be a huge part of my life. I can use all of these influences to help me become a better teacher.
Urban Education Questions
I have many questions about urban schools but the thing that intrigues me the most is standardized testing. I have a lot of questions about this. First of all, I would like to know just how poorly some of these schools in Newark are performing on these tests. I want to know how much this correlates to how much the students are actually learning. I think that it is crazy that these scores decide how successful a school is but it only tests math and English. I realize that these are two very important subjects but many students are very good at other things. I think we should be focusing on each individual student and finding their strengths. In order to do this standardized testing would have to be altered. I want to look into ways to alter our curriculums and testing. I want to take a look at data from past years about standardized testing and try to find solutions that may better represent each individual student and at the same time determine whether a school is heading in the right direction. So my question is this: What are alternatives to current standardized tests?
Monday, February 23, 2009
20/20
The video we watched in class last Monday was very disturbing to me. First the story of Appalachia was astounding. I had no idea that people in our country lived like that. It really makes me think about all the things that I take for granted. Just waking up and being able to make myself breakfast and take a shower never really seems like a big deal. But I can imagine that people in those rural areas have never really experienced that on a daily basis. It was very sad to see the football player do so well not only to drop out of college and go back to where he grew up. He actually was able to escape but even after that he was drawn back in. It is just a horrible that pattern that is going on.
The other video we watched was equally as disturbing. I knew that Camden was bad but the little boy Ivan is what hit me. He is a wonderful kid and never asked for any of this but the reality is that everyday is a struggle for him. I can remember being young and not truly appreciating school. I did well but I was basically just doing what I was told. It was amazing to just how much Ivan appreciated his first day of school. It is very sad to think that this thirst for learning could easily diminish by high school. He has a one in three chance of being incarcerated by the age of 18. It just makes me think of all the kids that have died, are in jail, in gangs, or selling drugs, could have all been like Ivan when they were little. The influences in these inner cities are destroying our eager youth.
Seeing these videos is very depressing but there is some optimism in my eyes. The story of these two kids makes me understand that the kids in these areas are not bad kids at all. They all have the eagerness to learn and succeed somewhere in them. It will be our job as future educators to find that in however many students we possibly can.
The other video we watched was equally as disturbing. I knew that Camden was bad but the little boy Ivan is what hit me. He is a wonderful kid and never asked for any of this but the reality is that everyday is a struggle for him. I can remember being young and not truly appreciating school. I did well but I was basically just doing what I was told. It was amazing to just how much Ivan appreciated his first day of school. It is very sad to think that this thirst for learning could easily diminish by high school. He has a one in three chance of being incarcerated by the age of 18. It just makes me think of all the kids that have died, are in jail, in gangs, or selling drugs, could have all been like Ivan when they were little. The influences in these inner cities are destroying our eager youth.
Seeing these videos is very depressing but there is some optimism in my eyes. The story of these two kids makes me understand that the kids in these areas are not bad kids at all. They all have the eagerness to learn and succeed somewhere in them. It will be our job as future educators to find that in however many students we possibly can.
What are the major influences that shape urban schools?
After reading both of these books I can see many different factors that influence schools in the inner city. A few of them really stick out at me. The first one that is very obvious is history. When the decision was made on Brown v Board of Education, it was made official that we would no longer segregate schools. But this clearly was not completely carried out. An example of this is Camden. My parents grew up in Camden in the fifties and sixties, but it was very different that it is now. They tell me how it was a city in the fact that there was a lot of people living close together but it was not what an inner city is thought of today. They did not feel as they were in any danger on a daily basis and they felt they had many different opportunities. But as the sixties hit minority families began to move in and white families were scared. They spoke of property values going down and were just plain scared of change. Slowly but surely white families relocated to the suburbs and the city became very segregated. This continued and we can see what Camden is like today. It is a place that lacks opportunity and is very dangerous. This has happened in many American cities and contributes to the problems in the schools.
This leads to how the outside environment that has been created by history can affect the schools. Many factors such as gangs, violence, drugs, and overall poverty can hinder ones effort to obtain a good education. Education is supposed to be something that can help you in life for the long term. But many of the students in the inner city do not see themselves living very long and this does make getting an education seem very important. These environmental factors are what we are fighting as educators to make a difference. This helps shape the very schools that we will enter into shortly.
These problems that exist have become very apparent and the government is involved. There are efforts to raise test scores and acts such as No Child Left Behind. This is forcing the administration to have a big role in curriculum and lesson plans. The teachers do not have the freedom to teach how they want to teach. Instead it seems as though everything we do is teaching towards some test. We are focusing on large groups of students test scores and not looking at how each student is different from the one next to them. I feel as though the each student’s individuality is much more important than how a test represents the progress of a whole community.
This leads to how the outside environment that has been created by history can affect the schools. Many factors such as gangs, violence, drugs, and overall poverty can hinder ones effort to obtain a good education. Education is supposed to be something that can help you in life for the long term. But many of the students in the inner city do not see themselves living very long and this does make getting an education seem very important. These environmental factors are what we are fighting as educators to make a difference. This helps shape the very schools that we will enter into shortly.
These problems that exist have become very apparent and the government is involved. There are efforts to raise test scores and acts such as No Child Left Behind. This is forcing the administration to have a big role in curriculum and lesson plans. The teachers do not have the freedom to teach how they want to teach. Instead it seems as though everything we do is teaching towards some test. We are focusing on large groups of students test scores and not looking at how each student is different from the one next to them. I feel as though the each student’s individuality is much more important than how a test represents the progress of a whole community.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Monday, February 2 Assignment
Movies
Suburban: American Beauty
This is a movie that depicts suburbia in a very different way. It shows that the all American family has very serious problems. The daughter in the movie is jealous of her popular cheerleader friend. It is typical to see a cheerleader as the most popular girl in school. The girl who is very well read and unique is not very popular. She becomes friends with a boy who uses drugs to escape from the pressures of his father. It shows that high school students from a suburban area face serious issues also.
Urban: Stand and Deliver
This is a movie where Jaime Escalante takes a group of inner city students and teaches them Calculus. It depicts the stereotypical view of an inner city student, very uneducated and disrespectful. After turning the students around Jaime has all of them do very well on the AP exam. This is countered by accusations of cheating. It shows that people could not fathom the idea that inner city kids could make a turnaround like this. It showed what these students had to go through on a daily basis. When they did achieve something special it was not believed to be real.
Rural: Friday Night Lights
In rural Texas the only thing that matters is high school football. The town is very far from everything else and high school football players are treated like gods. They are lawless and their education is not very important. This would just get in the way off football. The tragedy is that when they graduate they have passed the high point of their lives and end up living in that same town forever. It is very similar to urban areas. The students just do not see a way out of a cycle that has continued for years.
Television
Suburban: Full House
This a television show from my youth that is a about a family just outside of San Francisco. It actually shows that not all families are the typical mother, father and children. They have a father, brother-in-law and a best friend all helping to raise three children. Family support is very important in education and these three girls had great family support. The biggest problem about the show was the oversimplification of serious teenage problems such as sex and alcohol. They attacked these problems but it was usually a very easy solution and a happy ending every time. If only it were that easy.
Urban: Boston Public
This was one of my favorite shows. It was about teachers at a high school in Boston. Many of these teachers were very dedicated and worked long hours. It depicted students that got themselves into a lot of trouble with alcohol, sex, drugs and the law. This would drastically affect the teachers. I really like the principal and seeing how he dealt with running a school that his daughter went to. It showed two very important things about principals. One is that principals are very important in having a successful school. The second is that besides being principals, most are parents also. These are two very important roles in the education system.
Rural: Little House on the Prairie
This show depicted the Ingalls family growing up on a prairie. They attended a one room schoolhouse and school seemed to come second to chores on the farm. Also it shows how woman back then really were not expected to become educated in things like math and English. They needed to learn to be homemakers. Although the show took place back in the 1800’s, there are still rural one room schoolhouses that exist today.
Music
Suburban: Mr. Jones
This is a song by Counting Crows. This song really does not have anything to do with suburban education but it is a song that means something to me. When I was in high school I had a substitute teacher named Mr. Jones. He was amazing. He subbed a lot and I really got to know him the four years I was at high school. He knew my older brothers also and always asked about them. I still do not know why he never became a teacher because everybody loved him and he actually taught when he was substituting. I never realized how much you could impact lives even as a substitute teacher until I met him. So every time I here the song Mr. Jones I think of him.
Urban: Gangstas Paradise
This is a song by Coolio that was the theme song of the movie Dangerous Minds. The song opens up:
As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I take a look at my life
And realize there's nothing left.
This is the view of some high school students in the inner city. They have been through so much by the time they reach high school. They feel like they have survived a gauntlet and they are still so young. It is very hard to educate students when they feel they are at the end and don’t have much left to give.
Rural: Glory Days
This is a song by Bruce Springsteen. The idea of the song is guys looking back to their high school days as nothing but fun. They were their glory days. This is very common to rural areas. High school can be the highlight of their lives. This song makes me think of high school football players from Texas. It makes me think of them sitting at a bar when they are in their 40’s and still only talking about their good old days of high school.
News
Suburban: Columbine
April 20, 1999 Columbine shook the whole country. In a suburb of Denver two students went into their school and killed 12 students and a teacher. These were two students that were bullied in school and decided to fight back. It is very disturbing to think that teenage students would be capable of such awful acts. But it shows that teenagers can be very fragile and we cannot take anything too lightly. Most thought that guns were only a problem in our urban schools but this showed that it can happen anywhere.
Urban: To Close a School: A Decision Rooted in Data, but Colored by Nuance – February 1, 2009- New York Times
This past week in the Bronx, PS 90 found out that it was going to be shut down. This is the fourteenth school this year that has been told they were shutting down. One problem this creates is overcrowding neighboring schools next year. Also many people are questioning why certain schools are being shut down. Some of the schools failed to raise poor standardized scores on math and English tests. Also the amount of school violence was a factor. I believe this really does not solve much and just pushes the same problems to different schools.
Rural: Amid withering economy, Nevada considers eliminating rural schools-January 25- Los Angeles Times
In Nevada there is a one room school called Lundy Elementary School. This school is in danger of being shut down. This is happening in a lot of places and one room schoolhouse will soon be a thing of the past. (I thought they already were.) The schools offer much more one on one attention and have worked very well for many years. But due to lack of political pull in these small communities and a higher cost per student, these schools are being sacrificed in this economic crisis. This has a potentially huge impact on the small number of students that attend these schools. The most immediate impact will be their 75 minute commute to the nearest school next year. This is two and a half hours a day on a bus. This is a huge obstacle in a student’s quest for a good education.
Suburban: American Beauty
This is a movie that depicts suburbia in a very different way. It shows that the all American family has very serious problems. The daughter in the movie is jealous of her popular cheerleader friend. It is typical to see a cheerleader as the most popular girl in school. The girl who is very well read and unique is not very popular. She becomes friends with a boy who uses drugs to escape from the pressures of his father. It shows that high school students from a suburban area face serious issues also.
Urban: Stand and Deliver
This is a movie where Jaime Escalante takes a group of inner city students and teaches them Calculus. It depicts the stereotypical view of an inner city student, very uneducated and disrespectful. After turning the students around Jaime has all of them do very well on the AP exam. This is countered by accusations of cheating. It shows that people could not fathom the idea that inner city kids could make a turnaround like this. It showed what these students had to go through on a daily basis. When they did achieve something special it was not believed to be real.
Rural: Friday Night Lights
In rural Texas the only thing that matters is high school football. The town is very far from everything else and high school football players are treated like gods. They are lawless and their education is not very important. This would just get in the way off football. The tragedy is that when they graduate they have passed the high point of their lives and end up living in that same town forever. It is very similar to urban areas. The students just do not see a way out of a cycle that has continued for years.
Television
Suburban: Full House
This a television show from my youth that is a about a family just outside of San Francisco. It actually shows that not all families are the typical mother, father and children. They have a father, brother-in-law and a best friend all helping to raise three children. Family support is very important in education and these three girls had great family support. The biggest problem about the show was the oversimplification of serious teenage problems such as sex and alcohol. They attacked these problems but it was usually a very easy solution and a happy ending every time. If only it were that easy.
Urban: Boston Public
This was one of my favorite shows. It was about teachers at a high school in Boston. Many of these teachers were very dedicated and worked long hours. It depicted students that got themselves into a lot of trouble with alcohol, sex, drugs and the law. This would drastically affect the teachers. I really like the principal and seeing how he dealt with running a school that his daughter went to. It showed two very important things about principals. One is that principals are very important in having a successful school. The second is that besides being principals, most are parents also. These are two very important roles in the education system.
Rural: Little House on the Prairie
This show depicted the Ingalls family growing up on a prairie. They attended a one room schoolhouse and school seemed to come second to chores on the farm. Also it shows how woman back then really were not expected to become educated in things like math and English. They needed to learn to be homemakers. Although the show took place back in the 1800’s, there are still rural one room schoolhouses that exist today.
Music
Suburban: Mr. Jones
This is a song by Counting Crows. This song really does not have anything to do with suburban education but it is a song that means something to me. When I was in high school I had a substitute teacher named Mr. Jones. He was amazing. He subbed a lot and I really got to know him the four years I was at high school. He knew my older brothers also and always asked about them. I still do not know why he never became a teacher because everybody loved him and he actually taught when he was substituting. I never realized how much you could impact lives even as a substitute teacher until I met him. So every time I here the song Mr. Jones I think of him.
Urban: Gangstas Paradise
This is a song by Coolio that was the theme song of the movie Dangerous Minds. The song opens up:
As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I take a look at my life
And realize there's nothing left.
This is the view of some high school students in the inner city. They have been through so much by the time they reach high school. They feel like they have survived a gauntlet and they are still so young. It is very hard to educate students when they feel they are at the end and don’t have much left to give.
Rural: Glory Days
This is a song by Bruce Springsteen. The idea of the song is guys looking back to their high school days as nothing but fun. They were their glory days. This is very common to rural areas. High school can be the highlight of their lives. This song makes me think of high school football players from Texas. It makes me think of them sitting at a bar when they are in their 40’s and still only talking about their good old days of high school.
News
Suburban: Columbine
April 20, 1999 Columbine shook the whole country. In a suburb of Denver two students went into their school and killed 12 students and a teacher. These were two students that were bullied in school and decided to fight back. It is very disturbing to think that teenage students would be capable of such awful acts. But it shows that teenagers can be very fragile and we cannot take anything too lightly. Most thought that guns were only a problem in our urban schools but this showed that it can happen anywhere.
Urban: To Close a School: A Decision Rooted in Data, but Colored by Nuance – February 1, 2009- New York Times
This past week in the Bronx, PS 90 found out that it was going to be shut down. This is the fourteenth school this year that has been told they were shutting down. One problem this creates is overcrowding neighboring schools next year. Also many people are questioning why certain schools are being shut down. Some of the schools failed to raise poor standardized scores on math and English tests. Also the amount of school violence was a factor. I believe this really does not solve much and just pushes the same problems to different schools.
Rural: Amid withering economy, Nevada considers eliminating rural schools-January 25- Los Angeles Times
In Nevada there is a one room school called Lundy Elementary School. This school is in danger of being shut down. This is happening in a lot of places and one room schoolhouse will soon be a thing of the past. (I thought they already were.) The schools offer much more one on one attention and have worked very well for many years. But due to lack of political pull in these small communities and a higher cost per student, these schools are being sacrificed in this economic crisis. This has a potentially huge impact on the small number of students that attend these schools. The most immediate impact will be their 75 minute commute to the nearest school next year. This is two and a half hours a day on a bus. This is a huge obstacle in a student’s quest for a good education.
Frames of Reference
On a typical Saturday morning you will find me in a classroom at Rutgers University teaching a classroom full of New Brunswick High School students. I am helping them get ready for their upcoming Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT’s). One Saturday in particular will always stick in my mind. A female student came up to me and complained of headaches and a feeling of faintness. I immediately contacted the program director and we were urging the student to seek medical attention. Sounds easy, right? The student refused and said that she would be fine. But we insisted. There was a reason she was refusing to be taken to a hospital. Her family did not have health insurance. One of the other female teachers ended up taking her to a free clinic on campus and everything turned out fine. But this really hit me hard. What if she was not at our program when this happened? I could not imagine being a teenager and having to deal with issues such as these.
I grew up in a small town called West Deptford, which is located in South Jersey. My family did not have much money but by no means were we poor. I went to a typical suburban high school that was fairly uneventful. My biggest problem always seemed to be what I was doing the next weekend. We were offered many AP courses and after putting in some effort and getting good grades it was very easy for me to get into college. If I got sick I would go to the doctor and not even think twice about it. I knew it was not like this everywhere but had no idea as to what scale things were different.
West Deptford is a suburb of Philadelphia and Camden. I watched the news and knew that things were very different in these two places. It seemed like every night there was a murder or a fire that took lives. Now that I am older I am starting to put everything together and can see many issues that our urban students must face. I think about going to a high school where in the course of four years you have many classmates that either drop out or die. In many cases both happen. This leads to pressures to join gangs in order to stay alive. It must be very hard to teach students fundamentals that can help them for life when they don’t see their life going past high school.
My brother worked at a learning center in Philadelphia for a couple of years. He would tell me how students would come in for tutoring and they would not have their textbook. My initial thought was that they were typical teenagers and forgot to bring their textbook. This sadly was not the case as they did not even have a textbook. In a class of thirty there were only 10 textbooks. It was not the students turn to take the book home that night. This sounded awful to me. Underfunding is a big deal in urban schools. It could be a lack of money or as I have heard recently, spending the money on the wrong things. Having the right materials and enough of them is very important in teaching. This is another example of something that hinders their ability to get a good education.
Another major issue is overcrowding. There are not enough teachers that want to teach in urban schools. This is very obvious to me because of the program I am currently in. I am a Prudential Scholar and after I finish graduate school I will teach in Newark for three years. This program is allowing me to go to graduate school for free. I want to teach in the inner city for many more reasons than this but it is a nice perk. The fact that many urban areas have programs like these just goes to show that there are not enough teachers in these schools.
I worked in high school as I can guess that most others did also. But I worked to have some spending money and to help pay for college. In my Saturday program I see many of my students working for a very different reason. They are helping to support their family. If my grades slipped while in high school my parents would have either made me quit my job or cut back my hours in order to get my studying done. This is not an option if your paycheck helps put food on the table for your family. So the grades will continue to suffer. This could lead to dropping out altogether.
It seems as though students in urban areas deal with very different issues than most understand and this can hinder their ability to achieve well in the classroom. I think that I need to really understand these obstacles in greater depth. When coming up with lesson plans I will need to understand each of my students and the issues they deal with on a daily basis outside of my classroom. Collectively the teachers in the school all need to work together to make an environment where the students feel comfortable and can voice their opinions. I want to become a teacher that can have an impact on the students. I know I cannot change these issues but I can help the students deal with them. I want to create a classroom that has a positive environment. No matter how stressed they are with their lives they can always feel comfortable in my classroom. I look forward to actually being in an urban classroom on a daily basis.
Looking back at my experiences in suburban schools as a student and my limited experience with urban students has led to many questions. I want to know what other issues these students have to deal with. What are different ways to deal with these concerns? What can be done to fix these problems? How do I push the students to learn all that they can without pushing away?
I grew up in a small town called West Deptford, which is located in South Jersey. My family did not have much money but by no means were we poor. I went to a typical suburban high school that was fairly uneventful. My biggest problem always seemed to be what I was doing the next weekend. We were offered many AP courses and after putting in some effort and getting good grades it was very easy for me to get into college. If I got sick I would go to the doctor and not even think twice about it. I knew it was not like this everywhere but had no idea as to what scale things were different.
West Deptford is a suburb of Philadelphia and Camden. I watched the news and knew that things were very different in these two places. It seemed like every night there was a murder or a fire that took lives. Now that I am older I am starting to put everything together and can see many issues that our urban students must face. I think about going to a high school where in the course of four years you have many classmates that either drop out or die. In many cases both happen. This leads to pressures to join gangs in order to stay alive. It must be very hard to teach students fundamentals that can help them for life when they don’t see their life going past high school.
My brother worked at a learning center in Philadelphia for a couple of years. He would tell me how students would come in for tutoring and they would not have their textbook. My initial thought was that they were typical teenagers and forgot to bring their textbook. This sadly was not the case as they did not even have a textbook. In a class of thirty there were only 10 textbooks. It was not the students turn to take the book home that night. This sounded awful to me. Underfunding is a big deal in urban schools. It could be a lack of money or as I have heard recently, spending the money on the wrong things. Having the right materials and enough of them is very important in teaching. This is another example of something that hinders their ability to get a good education.
Another major issue is overcrowding. There are not enough teachers that want to teach in urban schools. This is very obvious to me because of the program I am currently in. I am a Prudential Scholar and after I finish graduate school I will teach in Newark for three years. This program is allowing me to go to graduate school for free. I want to teach in the inner city for many more reasons than this but it is a nice perk. The fact that many urban areas have programs like these just goes to show that there are not enough teachers in these schools.
I worked in high school as I can guess that most others did also. But I worked to have some spending money and to help pay for college. In my Saturday program I see many of my students working for a very different reason. They are helping to support their family. If my grades slipped while in high school my parents would have either made me quit my job or cut back my hours in order to get my studying done. This is not an option if your paycheck helps put food on the table for your family. So the grades will continue to suffer. This could lead to dropping out altogether.
It seems as though students in urban areas deal with very different issues than most understand and this can hinder their ability to achieve well in the classroom. I think that I need to really understand these obstacles in greater depth. When coming up with lesson plans I will need to understand each of my students and the issues they deal with on a daily basis outside of my classroom. Collectively the teachers in the school all need to work together to make an environment where the students feel comfortable and can voice their opinions. I want to become a teacher that can have an impact on the students. I know I cannot change these issues but I can help the students deal with them. I want to create a classroom that has a positive environment. No matter how stressed they are with their lives they can always feel comfortable in my classroom. I look forward to actually being in an urban classroom on a daily basis.
Looking back at my experiences in suburban schools as a student and my limited experience with urban students has led to many questions. I want to know what other issues these students have to deal with. What are different ways to deal with these concerns? What can be done to fix these problems? How do I push the students to learn all that they can without pushing away?
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