Author Archives: Akilah Richards

The decreased state funding for public higher institutions was sad to read about because the “American way” includes education and with the lack of funding education will draw bigger gaps between the haves and the have nots which it has already been doing from day one. I say this because higher education is already expensive and with the steady increased lack of funding everything always has to come out of pocket for potential college attendees,which I believe is not fair. I understand the state of the economy and the problems that the government has with allocating funding but every minute all the cuts are towards education but we still want our students to be highly competitive with college educations that for many people are to expensive to afford.

I did not know actually that alot of the funding for public higher education comes from the state. I thought everything was controlled by the federal government, though I still do not understand the major differences between the governments and their types of funding, I can definitely understand the concept of budget cut and reduced funding. In one of the articles it discussed the idea that because of the heavy demands for medicaid  from the government the cuts could be a result of this. If everything else were getting cut as well I could really understand that but everytime there is a money shortage it always seems to come from education on all levels. They increase tuition for college students and still want everyone to be happy in a sense that it wasn’t worse, I dont really understand what is going on with the state government or the federal government for that matter because everything just seems very disorganized.  Then they all complain about accountability but every level does not want to take responsibility for what they are doing and this argument will continue to progress as tuition increases and eventually becomes so high that only the rich majority will be able to go to college.

 Is the alternative to budget cuts in education cutting the funding for certain government insurances like medicare and medicaid? What other countries can American look to if any for ideas about how to wisely allocate money instead of always cutting education?

These case studies were very interesting because they showed what I already knew to be true, the fact that family involvement does have a major impact on achievement especially for students. I think that schooling in itself is a collaborative effort because as a whole it is very challenging both mentally and emotionally and by having people who you can definitely count on for support helps to lessen the stress on the student. Sometimes many students come from broken homes or may be the first in their families to complete a full course of schooling including college and they are under alot of stress and because they feel alone, their grades may start to drop.

One case study that was interesting to me was the one  about moral support to struggling advocates within working class families of color, which talked about the different types of support that appear to be present in certain types of families. This case study also reminded me of some people I know that fit into some of these categories. I can understand the morally supportive family person who doesn’t actually have the experience of immense schooling but they understand the difficulty in completing it and they do whatever is possible to help the student. I also see the person who believes in the concepts of education and what it can do for a person so they try to invest their efforts and time as much as possible to make sure that the student gets exactly what they should from their education.

As I said before schooling is something that should involve both the family (whoever may be caring for the child not necessarily a blood relative) and the relationship between the the students-teachers and parents all of these components are major I believe it can determine how far a child can go or how much they can achieve in school.

Why would certain schools reject parents involvement and what are the disadvantages to the student if any? In reference to NCLB is it the lack of parental involvement that is actually causing the children to perform so bad on these  standardized tests or is it actually the fault of the teachers, who should get more of the blame if any?

These chapters continued the discussion we started about the efficiency of the NCLB Act and the fraud that this system perpetrates within the public school system. Chapter 3, focused on the differences that already existed between different social classes namely Black, Latino, and Caucasian and how NCLB maginifies these disparities by trying to “equalize” education based on standardized test scores. According to the chapter under NCLB if the schools do not achieve 100% passing from all its students, funding and other government monies will be taken away from the schools and they will be placed on the failing schools list. After reading this chapter, it brings to mind the previous class discussion we had about White Priviledge and the prevalence of contemporary racism. I agreed with this view though many in class did not, this chapter highlights the obvious discussion that many people do not want to have. Though education in terms of integration and overall standard curriculum has evolved it would be impossible to say in my opinion that racism and class priviledge is not apparent. It was obvious as it is still obvious that in certain neighborhoods like the suburbs certain opportunites are afforded to these children. The chapter discussed how if children do not have adequate nutrition and health insurance for example they may not perform well in school which will lead to bad scores on standardized tests and the revocation of federal funding. Alot of times we as a society are quick to pass judgment on schools and teachers but many times factors such as home environment, financial ability, and general security in terms of having a home and the actual presence of parents outside of the school environment is as important to a child’s performance in school. NCLB makes the point that these disparities came into play because of the decreasing standards of education which they are supposely gong to fix with their Act but in effect the issue is not a recent one but one that has been swept under the rug for many years.

I agree with the concepts presented in Chapted 4 which states that education should be placed back in the hands of ordinary citizens because they should control something that directly affects their children and the future leaders of tomorrow. For some reason it appears that public education is being controlled by everyone besides those who it directly affects, as presented in the chapter though Democracy is messy, it is one of the founding factors of our country so why is the public being denied their constitutional rights. I think that if the public were able to directly control education and its standards then its classes would come together and realize that though class differences do exist, it is more about the children than the disparities that have always existed and they can change that stigma for future generations. I think it would encourage an inclusive educational culture instead of the one that we have now and the continuation of this culture as perpetuated by NCLB.

Is Democracy really a messy concept when discussing the solution to public educational disparity or is it a scape-goat being used by the government to encourage class educational disparity? What role do students and teachers really play in the usage of NCLB tactics, should students and teachers take more of an active role in protesting NCLB and the disparities it encourages?Are Special Education students to blame for the  low test scores on standardized tests , should they be tested separately or should their test scores even be counted on a large scale to represent part of the public school community?

The No Child Left Behind Act, is doing exactly the opposite, leaving all the children behind and damaging the reputation of public schooling. After reading this chapter, I now understand why testing is so important in public schools especially and what these statistics imply. I liked the argument brought up on page 85 about how an increase in passing standardized tests may not actually represent an educational shift for the better in terms of how students understand material and how teachers teach material. It could potentially just mean that teachers are teaching towards the test and students have mastered the memorization of material that will be on the test. Initially, when we spoke about standardized testing as it was introduced in the American school book I thought it was a good idea to have these tests “measure” in a sense general comprehension of the core curriculum but after reading this chapter I have changed my position.

The Privatization of public schools in my opinion means less interference and a cut in teaching methods that may be helping students in failing schools but are not turning out higher test scores overall. Privatization, in my opinion will cause a major regression in students that were already failing, they will become prisoners in an educational system that is supposed to help them but instead it groups them into  inaccurate categories. This is a direct return to the common school theme of one America, and one American way which is conformity. I agree with the last thought presented in the chapter that the role of the government is to be a help-meet for parents and students and not a dictator. I think that is the number one reason why less people go into teaching as a profession because of the conformity and mediocrity that is accepted especially in opublic schools. I don’t understand how raising standards for children who technically haven’t met the initial standards will prove beneficial in the end. I think Republicans and those who support NCLB and the privatization of public schools are those who obviously only care about the profit and are not willing to the do the ground-work to solve the issue, everyone wants a quick fix and more money while children fall by the wayside, and I do not think that this is fair. For those parents who cannot afford private school education, it should not be that public school becomes dumbed down and shut down, then what happens to these children. I thought that the initial concept of education as unfair and unequal as it was, was to get the “poor” kids off the street thereby decreasing violence, by privatizing education these “poor” kids will end up in the streets again and what will happen to them then and who/what will be to blame to their misfortune.

Do you think privatization of public education is only supported by right wing parties for the reasons described in the chapter, or is there more gain besides monetary value? Obviously there were failing schools before the actually enactment of NCLB, what has changed in the societal views of education that makes NCLB and its statutes such a bad legislation presently? According to what the author believes NCLB is strictly Republican supported but its not accurate to say that all Republicans have their children in private schools, what is unfair about grouping all Republicans under the negative stigma of the NCLB legislation? Do you really think more Republicans have less of their children in public schools?

After reading this chapter the most interesting topics that stood out to me were the Republicans continuous support of abstinence education and there lack of support for programs and clinics that supported the termination of unwanted pregnancies. Also the concepts of religious freedom and prayer in schools. Firstly the concept of the Republicans not supporting abortions and programs pertaining to this type of thing reminds me of the furlow that was supposed to happen last month. Up for discussion was the cutting of funding for programs like Planned Parenthood that helps to provide services for women who find themselves in these types of situations. The Republicans did not want to fund these programs and wanted them cut to privatize them in my understanding so that these types of programs would become just like insurance companies where every service would have to be paid for out of pocket, which would defeat the whole purpose of the program and others like them. In my opinion abstinence education in public schools has beecome a waste of time.From my experience these programs present the same information, in the same way and doesn’t leave students with “food for thought.” Alot of times these programs are not even taught by nurses or someone with a specialty in teens and std’s it’s usually a substitute teacher, teaching directly from a pamphlet or information they acquired online. The whole argument of abstinence education and the Republicans support for cut funding for abortions reminds me of a time in history when women used to give themselves abortions with wire hangers because of issues like this. In my opinion though we have come a long way especially in education and human rights certain things I guess are still considered taboo when one thinks of the “American way”, which I think shows our lack of advancement as a nation which is where it really counts.

With the concepts of voluntary prayer freedom in schools, I think about the evolution from the initially Protestant culture to one that embraces all. Even at Baruch for example Muslim students have their own prayer rooms and facilities where they can practice openly without fear of persecution. Also Christian groups on campus can organize events and pray openly without interference. I think that was one of the best statutes of the No Child Left Behind Act, and I think that with both the Republican and Democratic support of this act religion has become less exclusive.

In reference to gay/lesbian relationships, do you think that children raised in these types of households have a harder time assimilating into mainstream “American” society in reference to the obviously biased gender roles of society? (keep in mind elementary schools and playtime which involve children usually being coerced into playing with toys that stipulate later societal roles.) With the heavy focus on STEM and America’s competitive performance on a global scale, do you think that courses that educate about the environment are equally as important?

What was interesting to me was that some of the issues discussed in Savage Inequalities were some if not the same issues facing contemporary education especially when it is based on demographics. I thought the schools in st.Louis that Kozol referenced alongside the descriptions from the students and people of the community mirrors our society today. In certain neighborhoods that are termed as “bad” the first thought that comes to mind is minority and Black on Black crime, and in these types of stereotyped neighborhoods zone schools are usually underfunded, violence stricken and they usually have higher drop-out rates. When the student in the book referenced how the school was named after Martin Luther King, but the school was segregated and in horrible condition, this really stood out to me because many schools in our society are in horrible conditions, they may not have actual sewage water but everything else including the curriculum and the students have deteriorated. I feel like schools that have a higher percentage of minorities (Blacks, Latinos) appear most of the time to be extremely underfunded and scrimmaging for adequate supplies. And I agree with what Kozols says when he ends the chapter about schools like this, remaining the way they are yet the “equality” of education” is still perpetuated when it is obvious that certain areas are overlooked by the system. I think these chapters say alot about the state of education especially since the year difference is not significantly great. Education has made significant improvements but demographics is still a major issue that is very important in determining in my opinion, what educational opportunites schools in certain neighborhoods receive alongside their students.

Should schools named after people like MLK be scrimmaging for supplies for their students. In reference to what we know about the inequality in education at certain points  in history, what do suffering, “well-named” schools represent for education? In reference to demographics, how important is the neighborhood of a school in relation to its curriculum, would you attend a good school in a “bad” neighborhood,Why/why not?

Part I of this book is clear-cut and interesting to read, I like Tatum’s definition of her terms and the way in which she used them in relation to her argument seperate from how others generally define them.  I definitely agreed with the concepts of White Priviledge. As an Afro-Caribbean American women and student I definitely see the difference in terms of perception and representation in the media and in educational standards. I loved the analogy of the conveyor belt example to describe passive and active racism, because many times people see injustice and think that if they are not actively participating then they are not racist as well. When she described prejudice and racism and how she does not use them interchangeably I agreed because everyone is prejudice based on likes and dislikes but racism involves a benefit to some extent and Black people or “mongolian” race have not benefited from it. Though the way she writes is in terms of the Black and White experience, it is not “angry” in the sense that it doesn’t bash other racial groups it merely sheds light on the differences in perception of the same issues.

The other chapters I skimmed were the following two, which discussed the formation of an identity and here she discussed the individual identity formed by onesself and the communal identity. It struck me because in my traditon of islam class yesterday we were having a discussion where the mainly Muslim students felt strongly that in India they were forced in a sense to develop their communal identity only and when they came to America they then developed their individual identities. Then in the American School book the initial chapters discuss the initial creation of the schools were to develop this “communal identity” of the American and the American society. It was interesting to see that even in America where individualism is supposedly stressed and accepted, “communal identities” are initially the first things people look to in both education and social aspects to describe why certain priviledges are granted or rejected instead of on an individual merit based sytem where if you work hard you will succeed regardless of class or race.

Do you think that ethnic or cultural enclaves in classes allow students to work better and learn more? In terms of the White priviledge do you think there is also a “Black priviledge” (black- can mean any “minority group”) and if so how has the creation of this Black priviledge disrupted the race discussion in American society? In terms of education how much of the curriculum you have studied helped you to promote an individualistic sense of being?

In the beginning of this chapter I thought that in sight of all the racial tensions brewing with the current Civil Rights movements taking place , media played a major role in the fight against discrimination. With segregation and discrimination being broadcast on radio and television it helped incite participation of both Blacks who wanted to join the fight against discrimination and Whites who wanted to join the fight or keep things the way they were. Another interesting thing I recognized was the emergence of the Asian as the docile, obedient group who were able to achieve the American dream on their own without piggy-backing in a sense off of the “old discrimination” act. I found this new interpretation of the “Asian” very shocking as they too faced discrimination when they first came.

The issue that I found the most interesting was the discussion of the coloring of textbooks. As simple an issue it may seem in comparison to the media discussion we had in class, textbooks in my opinion as stated in the text do have the ability to shape your mind. Most textbooks of that time completely canceled out slavery and depicted African Americans well actually they did not depict African Americans at all which was the problem. This issue is very important because a while ago in the news, there was a controversy going on over history textbooks that were being re-written in the US that canceled out any type of history showing America in a “bad light.” Many were outraged and the argument became for those supporting the re-written history texts that,those parts of history already occurred and were not necessary presently with all the progress that had been made in the country. On a broader scale we could in my opinion be taking steps backward if the younger generation is not given the truth about the history of this country and the “colors” that created it, are we trying to move back into the strict Anglo-Protestant common school theme of America the perfect. Though  textbooks were and are integrated it still behooves the government to make sure education is actually accurate. Concepts of women’s rights and equal opportunity alongside school integration were touched on in this chapter and still are relevant today. Though we have come a long way there are still instances where women are treated insignificantly in comparison to men and women still have to make their mark especially in education where some of the earliest fights started. Integration is an issue that affects every “minority” race in America and if it weren’t for certain statutes even our Baruch community would not be as it is with different cultures, religions and races.

In terms of education, which had a stonger impact on contemporary education, coloring textbooks/ the integration of schools or the media and describe the implications it/they have had on the creation of a national identity? Considering our current president and the constant changing definition of what it means to be an “American” where and how has the Civil Rights Movement and its beliefs  fell short (if any) to tackle to growing racial tensions in current society?

This chapter discussed some issues that are still relevant in contemporary American society. The concepts that most interested me were the creation of head start programs/ and the channeling of youth for global warfare. In relation to the last chapter on media I will start with the concepts behinds head start, what initially seemed like a great idea in my opinion has now shifted towards the other end of the spectrum. The common theme throughout these chapters was poverty and its Americanization through the usage of education. After reading and discovering that head start was once again a handout to civilize the poor and end poverty it made me consider the kindergarten movement from a previous reading and its initial reason for creation. Kindergarten was a place to promote creativity in children and teach them how to assimilate into higher levels of formal education, all for the purpose of human capital. The government did not care about children in my opinion in any of these programs. Not in those created to aide the educationally impoverished or those that strictly supported the middle class, it was only to train them for the ultimate use of war and social service. In this chapter as in other chapters education became the scapegoat for a selfish nation that saw children as dollar signs instead of the innocent beings that they were. The creation of the SAT and other standardized testing was another way to categorize as American society did, between the capable and the incapable according to who would become most profitable to the economy.

Concerning the concepts of warfare as stated in the chapter the poor always went to war and the rich attended college. It reminds me of the propaganda that the government uses to trap high school students into joining the army with the guarantee of an education and benefits when they come out but the most homeless people especially now in our economy are veterans. It forces me to think about college presently and its expense and the (nonexistent) guarantee of “the American dream” it promotes, in comparison to how it was advertised in the past. The government thought, give handouts to the poor and their children, send our middle class elite to college and eventually increase revenue for the country. They were so interested in school shaping the moral content of its younger citizens it appears that they the government had no morals besides dollar signs.

With the propaganda surrounding head start and early education programs, what problems in contemporary early education have been a trickle down result? Is the concept of “send the poor to war and send our elite to college” still present in our society? Explain the attitude shifts between acceptance of financial assistance from the government in the past to acceptance of financial assistance today, especially as college students?

In this chapter the main focus was on the concepts of media and how these different types of media were influencing the minds of children/teenagers as opposed to the infuence of education. From the previous chapters the creation of the public school was to promote the “American Way” which included good citizenship, a standard education to keep children out of trouble and also to reinforce the importance of serving community through work. Chapter 12 discusses the shift from schools being the dominant force to the growing film, radio/television and comic books industries, where advertisers were more concerned with money than the images they were exposing to children and teenagers. With regard to these industries censorship was a big question. The supporters of government censorship felt that it was the government’s duty to protect society from questionable subject matter that could incite crime, delinquency in schools and disrespect of parents amongst youth and heightened sexual tendancies in teenagers. Those who supported self censorship, ridiculed government’s intervention and argued that questionable subject matter be used to teach lessons in morality, law enforcement and good citizenship. Eventually they came to a somewhat level ground and movies became apart of the shool curriculum to shed light on its greater tendancies to educate than defame society. Parents and teacher committees pushed for codes that would regulate the types of movies shown to children resulting in movie appreciation courses.

Another issue discussed in this chapter was radio broadcasting in which once again PTA’s and other organizations required that advertising material be more child friendly because of their influence on children. These organizations argued that there was a huge decrease in content material for children on air waves and this promoted negative cultural values for American society. Educators, and parents felt the need to speak out because they felt that the media had taken over the job of American mothers and school systems in shaping the minds of children and they feared the negative impact it would have on their future. As a result they also implemented codes that improved the content of the material exposed to children during critical periods. Comic books were also amongst those, grouped as negative for children amongst educators and parents. These books referenced sexuality and crime and supposedly left children horrified with their content, and many were outraged because they wanted a return to the “super-hero” culture where good won over evil and American standards of morality and good citizenship were praised as right. This chapter also discussed the importance of media to targeted children/teenager markets as advertising companies were able to shape the way male/female teens and little children saw themselves and also how they saw themselves in relation to the world. The issues of race were still present as noted in other chapters because minority and immigrant groups were still not considered apart of American culture. The problem was that there was shift as stated in the chapter from a “protected” childhood to a “prepared” childhood” where parents and educators realized the importance of the external environment on their children.

If the composition of movie goers hadn’t shifted to include the middle class, do you think censorship would have been such a big problem (keep in mind the view of working/immigrant children in American society?  Do you agree with the concepts of self regulation (where moral lessons/good and evil) are enforced or government censorship (where negative scenes like crime, sexuality, etc) are completely ommitted from public viewing? Is the influence of media as strong as the organizations in the chapter deemed it to be or was it a ploy to continuously control every aspect of “education” and promote the perfect American way?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maeXjey_FGA&feature=related (consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood (Trailer)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaM9ggQZtgo (Soc 101-Media Influence on Children )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-KwCNOg0qs&feature=related (Marketing to Children)