Book Club Blog #2

For this week unfortunately I was not able to participate in the book club but I did catch up with my group members and we went over the next 4 chapters in the book. In this section Ravitch discusses how New York City Mayor Bloomberg worked to reorganize the school system by “granting higher pay to school officials, pressed for merit pay, opened many charter schools, broke up large schools into smaller ones, emphasized state tests” and enforced other things in order for more people to take the school system more seriously. In 2007 they were able to win most improved urban school district in the nation. This really showed many other states that putting in the work necessary change was possible. However, as time passed the Mayor began to pass reform programs such as the Children First that implemented mathematics and reading in everyday lessons. This caused many other subject teachers to be fired and not necessary in the schools because these two subjects were the main focus, so unfortunately this wasn't such a good reform program because it limited what students were exposed to in schools.  The mayor also promised more parent involvement through this program but that never happened it actually lessened their ability to be involved because board members were hard to contact.

Other problems that was brought up was the fact that most schools were not racially integrated especially because students were limited to only attending schools that were in the neighborhood. Only students whose parents who could afford to send them away to private schools were able to avoid the local public schools, which in most times was not including minorities. I’m really thankful that the high school school I went to had a quota system that ensured racial integration, I was able to experience my high school years surrounded by people from all different backgrounds.

Again in these chapters again we see the topic of the No Child Left Behind Act and it stated that all states had to define for themselves proficiency. And make sure that 100 percent of students were at the proficient level in math and reading by 2013-2014. 

Yet, again this caused school curriculum to be narrowed because their main focus was passing the tests because if scores didn’t show this the schools would shut down. Government officials still believed they were doing good by the students but in reality they were hurting them and over all hurting the system as a whole. This is also the case for a lot of schools today they are so focused on passing these standardized test that students are no longer well rounded individuals instead the focus is these tests.

Book Club #1

In class we met with our book club members to discuss the first 4 chapters of our book The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How testing and choice are undermining education. Although my group was the smallest I felt that we were able to formulate great discussion especially since our discussion leader had some thoughtful questions. One point that we touched upon was the differences between the A Nation at Risk and the No Child Left Behind Act.

During the 1960s and early 1970s the educational system was failing and A Nation at risk was released discussing many of the issues, it believed that there should be standards put in place that challenged all students to do their best academically. This report addressed education as a whole and stated that “ the nation would be harmed economically  and socially unless education was dramatically improved for ALL children” and that is why my group more so agreed with this report vs the No Child Left Behind Act that left school districts plenty of room to lower their academic requirements in or to receive the most funding. This put many students at a disadvantage because they were not reaching their highest potential.

In these chapters the author continues to talk about different strategies that was used during the school reform periods. Education is definitely a tool that will forever be necessary inside and outside the classroom it is for sure important for people to constantly seek out what's working for those learning and ways to improve things that aren't going as planned. Turning a blind eye will for sure harmfully impact the future.

This brings me to another point that Ravitch also brings up, many times parents feel that the school is 100% for their children's future. Yes, your child may spend most of their time in school but I also feel that it is necessary for parents to find the time to teach their children things as well,everyone knows school cannot possible teach your everything there is to know in life. That being said teachers, parents, and school officials have to do more to come together for the best interest of the youth. As they say it takes a village to raise a child.

Separate and Unequal (1950-1980)

In this section of the reading there was much talk about the fight for equal educational opportunities. Seeing that families were willing to put their lives at risk for their future really was sad to see. This made life a living hell for those who really wanted a better future, parents sacrificed there safely for their children to succeed. From the beginning I believe everyone regardless of their race and color should have been granted the same opportunities. When some Blacks tried to enter the white school system they were targeted and their homes were attacked. This led to the 101st Airborne to step in and serve as security to those being attacked while they received their education at the vast majority white institutions. It was also women and those who were disabled that didn’t have the same education as whites. It was small numbers of each that actually attended and excelled in the school system and was very hard for them to be accepted in this time period.

During the 1950s-1980s it was also your financial situation that played a huge part and  determined your education level. The government made sure to hinder those who were poor and give them such terrible treatment and tools to excel in the system. Only those who had money and lived in a rich neighborhood would most likely succeed. The rich students were granted with better schools and received more funding than the schools that wasn’t in the poor neighborhoods.

One thing that I mentioned during the class activity was the “carrot and the stick”. It had seemed that many white officials was not making any moves towards actually ending segregated schools. The Civil Rights Act stated that school districts would lose their funding if they refused to desegregate schools which was the stick. The carrot was the federal funds that granted schools in support of disadvantaged students. Through this is clear that money talks! It would be the only thing that would and could make a real change in the systems implicated. This was the start to more minorities coming out of school retirement and entering the school system once again. The Mexicans were one group that had large numbers coming back.

The struggles that these individuals went through most definitely made a great change today, however, one thing that sticks is the financial divide that causes some students to receive less tools and funding to make their experience in the school system equal to someone with more money living in better neighborhood. We must find a way to make things better for everyone. We are no longer living in an separate but unequal world, there are tools and resources that those in power have to make things right!

As American As Public School 1900-1950

I really enjoyed the discussion I had with my group members during the last class. We were given the task to go around in a circle and each talk for a minute and point out things we found interesting in the education system in the 1900s-1950s. During this time there were high numbers of immigrants entering the United States, one part that stood out to me from the article was “some leaders welcomed new workers because the aid was needed  while others believed that the immigrants would degrade the American language, politics and culture”. It’s crazy how being accepted was more of a privilege rather an a right for many of them. It even got so bad to the point where there were laws set in place to ban mass immigration and groups like the KKK believed that nothing could make someone of another race American. The judgement was something they couldn’t escape.

During this time period tests were put in place to determine children's future. Based on their scores some students were put in classes that were tailored to higher professions while others were taught to be industrial and commercial workers, domestic workers and housewives. This system mostly affected immigrants who were still learning English, they would do very poor on the tests and their career were basically decided by this. Due to this testing system many children didn’t even attend school and over 80 percent preferred to work. This says a lot about the schools during this time period the conditions really must have been terrible, today it’s the opposite children are usually excited to go to school and see there teachers and friends. Work is not even on their minds.

I could just imagine how hard it must have been for a child who barely spoke English to be given a test written in English and be expected to do well. Even I someone who speaks English had a hard time grasping onto some of the ideas of these standardized tests that was used to determine my college acceptances and scholarship opportunities. Today,although, many higher institutions look for qualified candidates, sometimes other areas other than academic work can get someone great opportunities. To be judged so vigorously starting at the age of 5 was really unfair to the children during that time period especially because their careers was chosen based on their scores.

I’m happy that today there are many paths that people can take based on where they feel they want to go in life after their early education. However, it does suck that nowadays without college which is an expensive investment, there are limited career options, which draws huge financial gaps between people. Seeing what people had to go through in the earlier years it’s important to take advantage of the better systems that we do have today.

The Formation of Schools and Common Schools

  Today in class we discussed part I of “School:The Story of American Public Education” were we were introduced to the ideas of what they called “Common schools” which was the idea of how schools were regulated and run in the times that didn’t provide free public education to everyone or all races and gender. Taking a look at the conditions students and teachers had to endure and how it took a long time for things to effectively change really made me realize even more that we have been blessed with systems that have already been put in place way before our time. It’s interesting to see how many voices and opinions changed the way things were done in the educational system, today some may feel that their single voice won’t change a thing but in this section of the reading single men were out and ready to share their thoughts and ideas.

We were asked to select words that stood out to us, in my group we agreed that the word reconstruction basically summed up what was being discussed in the chapter. When something is damaged it is rebuilt in a way that is meant to enhance what was once there and destroyed. We felt this was an important word to the chapter because so many people presented ideas about the education system. They knew they would have to eventually create a system that would be more beneficial to the youth and women who were teachers. As a society they felt the responsibility of finding a system to best suit the most amount of people, whether they were poor or rich.

As time goes on, though I’m not even old lol, it seems as though education is becoming more a necessity rather than just something you want. Without education you will be isolated from society and looked down upon. What’s crazy is that even some hands on experience based jobs like babysitting require individuals to have a degree.

At the end of class we also formed a discussion circle were we discussed how the government plays a huge part in the education system, it’s as though they are creating robots and limiting the educational options. Everyone is given standardized testing and forced to take classed that they may or may not be interested in. It’s as though unless you are paying for your education, you have no say so in what you are learning.

Despite the down side to public education, American public schools has definitely came a long way and in ways evolved for the better. As time goes on it adjusts with the pace of society, and what is going on at the current time. Whether you are getting your education from inside or outside the classroom it is important especially in today’s society.

My Literacy Autobiography

           My name is Destiny Norris; I am currently a sophomore at New City University. My major is Mathematics, Early Childhood and Elementary Education; I have plans on becoming a school Principal. I’ve always had a passion for teaching and in my later years I saw my abilities to coach, lead and taking initiative, these pointed me in the direction of higher education. For as long as I can remember I was always a bright student, starting in 1^st grade I was often asked to help my classmates with their assignments because I was usually one of the first ones finished. It was my teachers, and family who really supported me through my educational years thus far. I remember when my grandmother would visit from Jamaica and we would take walks to the library and sign out over 10 books each time. Although our arms ached and bags sometimes ripped from the heaviness my grandma enjoyed being apart of my learning experience so we continued taking out enough books for the week. I feel it was her who inspired me to want to work hard in school. I saw how much she wanted me to excel, and that kept me pushing.

            When I began middle school I grew a love for writing that I never had before, I believe it was the passion that my teachers had when they taught me. Though, one thing that I disliked was the grammar portion of writing. I always hated going back to make sure that my grammar errors were corrected; I just wanted my ideas to flow onto the paper the way I thought of them. It really frustrated me when my teachers would give me a low grade based on my grammatical errors instead of grading based on content. As I became a better writer I saw the importance of grammar.

             In high school we had several open mics where students would perform anything of their choice one thing that would really stick with me was personal poems created by many students. I found listening to them so intriguing especially when the words related to my life or previous experiences.

            Now that I am a college student I see the importance of literacy even more. Everyday I have something to read an everyday I had a written assignment due for my classes. Reading and writing is key and essential in everything we do in life. Sometimes we may take our education for granted but when I take a stand back and see where it has gotten many people I understand its greatness even more. My ability to read and write has allowed me to continue to efficiently communicate with the people around me. Whenever I feel discouraged I think about my life goals and the family I hope to build in the upcoming years that I’ll have to teach. Also becoming a Principal I will have to continue building on my reading and writing skills in order to be able to guide others. This is what keeps me grounded.