Minority Report [September - December 2005 Archive]
Home Schooling Gains Wider Appeal
Increasingly, a new study finds, African-American families are turning to homeschooling as an alternative to public schools that they feel might not meet their children's spiritual, academic and basic safety needs—the same reasons that many white parents do so as well. Experts caution that many black families may find financing this option difficult, especially in the very urban areas where concerns among parents are likely to be highest:
www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2005/12/11/more_black_families_home_schooling
'Tis the Season . . . For What?
This year, many schools are wrestling with just that question: how, and if, to celebrate the holidays. With increasing concerns about providing for the customs and traditions of students from diverse backgrounds, many schools re giving up on holiday celebrations altogether. Others, perhaps a bit more creative, are trying to design festivities, including concerts and other celebrations, that will give voice to traditions from a wide variety of cultures:
www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1207nocarols.html
Schools Mean Business
According to a recent study by Harvard University, meaningful real-world classes may make the difference between dropping out and turning on for low-income students, especially those of Hispanic or Latin American origin. Tapping into their entrepreneurial skills and aspirations, the study suggests, may be crucial to keeping them in school and engaged. In New York and Massachusetts, programs based on this concept are having success at motivating students to participate in school life:
seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/249891_educationbiz28.html
Math Divided By Race
In Washington state, a recent study found that the gap between white and black students on measures of math achievement is growing. Critics of the tests involved, however, point out that they may not accurately measures students' true progress—a common complaint in the age of NCLB:
seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/248250_waslgap14.html
A New Kind of Segregation
In this editorial reflecting on the death of Rosa Parks, a columnist (and mother of a teenager) discusses the changing face of cultural diversity and the paradoxical divide it brings. While today's white middle-class teenagers may idolize black pop stars in music and movies, emulating styles of dress and speech commonly associated with "black" culture, their actual understanding of the realities of life for millions of low-SES black Americans is far from complete. And despite the impact that black entertainers and athletes have on white middle-class youth culture, the columnist suggests that the actual contact between black and white students is little different from what it was when Rosa Parks refused to stand up for a white bus passenger, despite the elimination of legalized segregation:
www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/10/26/rosa_parks_and_todays_white_youth
The Language of Learning
This report by the ASCD explores techniques designed to help English-language learning students—specifically the debate between bilingual instruction and English-only instruction. The former has been found to be more effective, yet English-only instruction has both a practical and emotional appeal for many educators. This report discusses ways to provide for the needs of ELL students by examining a variety of programs:
http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd
A Magnet for Controversy
In Chicago, a federal judge came down hard on the city school district's desegregation efforts, saying that schools aren't doing enough to equalize opportunities. In particular, the judge voiced concern that magnet schools were receiving more funding than "compensatory education" for "racially isolated" schools, despite the fact that the district has endeavored to broaden its magnet program to include more cultural diversity:
www.chicagotribune.com/business/content/education/chi-0509230224sep23,1,78206.story?coll=chi-education-hed
Giving Essays A Try
For many low-SES students, the renaissance of the traditional college application essay, in which prospective students try to persuade schools that they're a cut above the rest, is cause for dread. But it shouldn't be, according to one essay coach—students from backgrounds other than white, middle-class, academically oriented ones may actually find that these essays are a great way to distinguish themselves from their more conventionally educated peers. While "high-SES" students may have had their college-prep experiences scripted and planned for them, the experiences that shaped the educational aspirations of students from disadvantaged backgrounds may indicate just the unique spirit and self-direction that can set them above the rest.
Canada Creates "Equity Officer"
In Toronto, the district school board has recently created the position of "Executive Officer for Equity". The officer's duties will involve monitoring discrepancies in the treatment of black and white students in terms of punishments such as suspensions and expulsions, as well as looking more broadly at issues of concern to minority families:
www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer
