Whites challenged Katrina settlements more - U.S. Business - MSNBC.com: Though poor and minority neighborhoods suffered the brunt of Katrina’s fury, residents living in white neighborhoods have been three times as likely as homeowners in black neighborhoods to seek state help in resolving insurance disputes, according to an Associated Press computer analysis.
The analysis of Louisiana’s insurance complaints settled in the first year after Katrina highlights a cold, hard truth exposed by Katrina’s winds and waters: People of color and modest means, who often need the most help after a major disaster, are disconnected from the government institutions that can provide it, or distrustful of those in power.
In Louisiana, more than 8,000 residents have filed Katrina-related complaints with the state insurance office. Using open records law, AP obtained the files of more than 3,000 complaints that have already been settled and analyzed the outcomes by the demographics of the victims’ current zip code neighborhood.
Nearly 75 percent of the settled cases were filed by residents currently living in predominantly white neighborhoods. Just 25 percent were filed by households in majority-black zip codes, the analysis found.
The analysis also suggests income was a factor. The average resident who sought state help lives in a neighborhood with a median household income of $39,709, compared with the statewide median of $32,566 in the 2000 Census.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Schools May Offer More Single-Sex Classes Under New U.S. Regulations - washingtonpost.com
Schools May Offer More Single-Sex Classes Under New U.S. Regulations - washingtonpost.com: New federal regulations announced yesterday give school systems around the nation more flexibility in offering single-sex public education, even though the Department of Education concluded a year ago that there was not enough evidence to definitively evaluate single-sex classes.
Critics contended that the move was an invitation to schools to violate laws prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded education programs.
The American Civil Liberties Union said the new regulations are an open invitation to schools to violate Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding.
"The regulations allow schools to separate girls and boys for virtually any reason they can dream up -- including outdated and dangerous gender stereotypes," Emily Martin, deputy director of the ACLU Women's Rights Project, said in a statement. "And although the administration's regulations claim to make these programs optional, sex segregation can never be truly voluntary."
Critics contended that the move was an invitation to schools to violate laws prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded education programs.
The American Civil Liberties Union said the new regulations are an open invitation to schools to violate Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding.
"The regulations allow schools to separate girls and boys for virtually any reason they can dream up -- including outdated and dangerous gender stereotypes," Emily Martin, deputy director of the ACLU Women's Rights Project, said in a statement. "And although the administration's regulations claim to make these programs optional, sex segregation can never be truly voluntary."
Studies Look for Reasons Behind Racial Disparities in Health Care - washingtonpost.com
Studies Look for Reasons Behind Racial Disparities in Health Care - washingtonpost.com: Racial minorities are less likely to undergo major surgeries at the hospitals where those operations are done best, and black patients at Medicare HMOs fare worse than whites on several health measures regardless of plan quality, according to studies being released today.
The two studies in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, plus a third showing that black women are less likely than their white counterparts to survive breast cancer, add to the voluminous evidence that the U.S. health-care system works differently for minorities than for whites despite years of efforts to erase racial disparities.
Studies have demonstrated that blacks and other minorities are far less likely than whites to receive many types of care, such as appendectomies, heart bypass surgery, or basic tests and drugs for heart disease and diabetes. Minorities on average are more prone to illness, have more complications and recover more slowly. They also are more likely to die from their illnesses, and to die younger.
But while the persistent disparities are well-documented, the causes remain the focus of research and debate. One explanation is that minorities tend to be poorer and less educated, with less access to care. And they tend to live in places where doctors and hospitals provide lower quality care than elsewhere. Others suspect cultural or biological differences play a role, and there is a long-running debate about whether subtle racism infects the health-care system.
Major medical organizations, private foundations and government health agencies have begun a host of studies, programs and initiatives in the past decade to try to close the gap.
The two studies in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, plus a third showing that black women are less likely than their white counterparts to survive breast cancer, add to the voluminous evidence that the U.S. health-care system works differently for minorities than for whites despite years of efforts to erase racial disparities.
Studies have demonstrated that blacks and other minorities are far less likely than whites to receive many types of care, such as appendectomies, heart bypass surgery, or basic tests and drugs for heart disease and diabetes. Minorities on average are more prone to illness, have more complications and recover more slowly. They also are more likely to die from their illnesses, and to die younger.
But while the persistent disparities are well-documented, the causes remain the focus of research and debate. One explanation is that minorities tend to be poorer and less educated, with less access to care. And they tend to live in places where doctors and hospitals provide lower quality care than elsewhere. Others suspect cultural or biological differences play a role, and there is a long-running debate about whether subtle racism infects the health-care system.
Major medical organizations, private foundations and government health agencies have begun a host of studies, programs and initiatives in the past decade to try to close the gap.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Racial inequality in top Medicare plans - Health Care - MSNBC.com
Racial inequality in top Medicare plans - Health Care - MSNBC.com: NEW YORK - Older black adults are less likely than whites to have their blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar under control, even if they belong to a high-quality Medicare plan, researchers reported Tuesday.
The findings, published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, show that racial disparities are common throughout the Medicare system.
'This is not a limited problem within a few health plans,' said lead study author Dr. Amal N. Trivedi of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. 'It's something they'll all have to address.'
The findings, published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, show that racial disparities are common throughout the Medicare system.
'This is not a limited problem within a few health plans,' said lead study author Dr. Amal N. Trivedi of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. 'It's something they'll all have to address.'
Monday, October 23, 2006
Recent Research on the Achievement Gap, an interview with Ronald Ferguson, Harvard Education Letter, November/December 2006
Recent Research on the Achievement Gap, an interview with Ronald Ferguson, Harvard Education Letter, November/December 2006: Recent Research on the Achievement Gap
How lifestyle factors and classroom culture affect black-white differences
An Interview with Ronald Ferguson
For more than a decade, economist Ronald Ferguson has studied achievement gaps. In 2002, he created the Tripod Project for School Improvement, a professional development initiative that uses student and teacher surveys to measure classroom conditions and student engagement by race and gender. The findings inform strategies to raise achievement and narrow achievement gaps. A senior research associate at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Ferguson is director and faculty cochair of the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University. He spoke with the Harvard Education Letter about the most recent findings from the Tripod Project surveys.
How do you define “achievement gap”?
There are a lot of different achievement gaps. The achievement gap that I focus the most on is the gap between students of different racial groups whose parents have roughly the same amount of education. It concerns me that black kids whose parents have college degrees on average have much lower test scores than white kids whose parents have college degrees, for example. You can take just about any level of parental education and we have these big gaps.
How much progress has been made in closing black-white achievement gaps?
Huge progress since 1970, not much progress since 1990. Sixty-two percent of the overall black-white reading-score gap for 17-year-olds disappeared between 1971 and 1988. About one-third of the math-score gap disappeared during the same period. Over the last several years the gap has narrowed significantly for both 9- and 13-year-olds, but there’s been a bit of backsliding for the older teens.
There’s been enough progress to establish firmly that these gaps are not written in stone. Even IQ gaps are narrowing. Measurements of the intelligence of kids less than one year old show virtually no racial or social-class differences, yet racial and social class achievement gaps are firmly established by the time students start kindergarten. Something happens before kindergarten that produces differences in proficiency.
Achievement gaps are not facts of nature. They are mostly because of differences in life experience. We’ve got to figure out how to get all kids the kinds of experiences that really maximize access to middle-class skills. That’s the challenge.
How lifestyle factors and classroom culture affect black-white differences
An Interview with Ronald Ferguson
For more than a decade, economist Ronald Ferguson has studied achievement gaps. In 2002, he created the Tripod Project for School Improvement, a professional development initiative that uses student and teacher surveys to measure classroom conditions and student engagement by race and gender. The findings inform strategies to raise achievement and narrow achievement gaps. A senior research associate at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Ferguson is director and faculty cochair of the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University. He spoke with the Harvard Education Letter about the most recent findings from the Tripod Project surveys.
How do you define “achievement gap”?
There are a lot of different achievement gaps. The achievement gap that I focus the most on is the gap between students of different racial groups whose parents have roughly the same amount of education. It concerns me that black kids whose parents have college degrees on average have much lower test scores than white kids whose parents have college degrees, for example. You can take just about any level of parental education and we have these big gaps.
How much progress has been made in closing black-white achievement gaps?
Huge progress since 1970, not much progress since 1990. Sixty-two percent of the overall black-white reading-score gap for 17-year-olds disappeared between 1971 and 1988. About one-third of the math-score gap disappeared during the same period. Over the last several years the gap has narrowed significantly for both 9- and 13-year-olds, but there’s been a bit of backsliding for the older teens.
There’s been enough progress to establish firmly that these gaps are not written in stone. Even IQ gaps are narrowing. Measurements of the intelligence of kids less than one year old show virtually no racial or social-class differences, yet racial and social class achievement gaps are firmly established by the time students start kindergarten. Something happens before kindergarten that produces differences in proficiency.
Achievement gaps are not facts of nature. They are mostly because of differences in life experience. We’ve got to figure out how to get all kids the kinds of experiences that really maximize access to middle-class skills. That’s the challenge.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Study: Expectations matter when it comes to math - CNN.com
Study: Expectations matter when it comes to math - CNN.com: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Telling women they can't do well in math may turn out be a self-fulfilling statement.
In tests in Canada, women who were told that men and women do math equally well did much better than those who were told there is a genetic difference in math ability.
And women who heard there were differences caused by environment -- such as math teachers giving more attention to boys -- outperformed those who were simply reminded they were females.
The women who did better in the tests got nearly twice as many right answers as those in the other groups, explained Steven J. Heine, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Expectations, it turns out, really do make a difference.
'The findings suggest that people tend to accept genetic explanations as if they're more powerful or irrevocable, which can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies,' said Heine.
The math study is the latest since Harvard University's president ignited controversy last year by suggesting that innate gender differences may partly explain why fewer women than men reach top university science jobs. The comment eventually cost him his job.
In tests in Canada, women who were told that men and women do math equally well did much better than those who were told there is a genetic difference in math ability.
And women who heard there were differences caused by environment -- such as math teachers giving more attention to boys -- outperformed those who were simply reminded they were females.
The women who did better in the tests got nearly twice as many right answers as those in the other groups, explained Steven J. Heine, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Expectations, it turns out, really do make a difference.
'The findings suggest that people tend to accept genetic explanations as if they're more powerful or irrevocable, which can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies,' said Heine.
The math study is the latest since Harvard University's president ignited controversy last year by suggesting that innate gender differences may partly explain why fewer women than men reach top university science jobs. The comment eventually cost him his job.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
hearusnow.org: Latino
hearusnow.org: Latino: Latinos are the largest minority in the United States. Yet, even with their rising numbers and ever increasing purchasing power, Latinos are struggling to find a voice in media. Not only is the largest U.S. minority missing from television shows, movies, and radio programming, Latinos are also missing in the boardrooms of the entertainment industry. This has detrimental effects not only for the Latino community, but for all Americans who deserve access to many different media viewpoints.
RACE - The Power of an Illusion . Background Readings | PBS
RACE - The Power of an Illusion . Background Readings | PBS: Hispanics who identify themselves racially as black take on economic and social characteristics that more closely mirror those of African-Americans than of other Hispanics, according to a study on the often overlooked group released Monday.
The findings by the Lewis Mumford Center of SUNY Albany said that the nearly 1 million black Hispanics identified by the 2000 U.S. Census are more educated than other Hispanics, less likely to be immigrants and less likely to speak a language other than English.
Yet their economic performance is worse, with a lower median household income than other Hispanics, as well as higher unemployment and poverty rates.
John R. Logan, the author of the study and director of the Mumford Center, attributed the economic disparity between black Hispanics and other Hispanics to the 'very strong color line in the United States.'
'The opportunity structure here is that when people decide who to hire, or to rent to, when it comes right down to it, race does make a difference,' he said.
The findings by the Lewis Mumford Center of SUNY Albany said that the nearly 1 million black Hispanics identified by the 2000 U.S. Census are more educated than other Hispanics, less likely to be immigrants and less likely to speak a language other than English.
Yet their economic performance is worse, with a lower median household income than other Hispanics, as well as higher unemployment and poverty rates.
John R. Logan, the author of the study and director of the Mumford Center, attributed the economic disparity between black Hispanics and other Hispanics to the 'very strong color line in the United States.'
'The opportunity structure here is that when people decide who to hire, or to rent to, when it comes right down to it, race does make a difference,' he said.
Report: Brown University should examine slavery ties - CNN.com
Report: Brown University should examine slavery ties - CNN.com: PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (AP) -- Brown University should invite fresh reflection of its history involving the slave trade, a panel studying the issue said Wednesday in recommending the creation of a memorial and an academic center focused on slavery and justice.
The 17-member Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice offered several recommendations on how the university should take responsibility, including a commitment from the school to recruit and retain minority students, especially those from Africa and the West Indies.
'We cannot change the past,' according to the 106-page report, released on the university's Web site. 'But an institution can hold itself accountable for the past, accepting its burdens and responsibilities along with its benefits and privileges.'
In 2003, Brown President Ruth Simmons, the first black president of an Ivy League school and a descendant of slaves herself, appointed the committee of students, faculty and administrators to study the university's centuries-old ties to the slave trade.
Brown, the nation's seventh oldest university, was formally chartered in 1764 as the College of Rhode Island. Its founder, the Rev. James Manning, freed his only slave but accepted donations from slave owners and traders, including the Brown family of Providence. One family member, Nicholas Brown Jr., is the university's namesake.
The panel said there was no question that much of the money used to create Brown and ensure its early growth came either directly or indirectly from the slave trade.
The 17-member Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice offered several recommendations on how the university should take responsibility, including a commitment from the school to recruit and retain minority students, especially those from Africa and the West Indies.
'We cannot change the past,' according to the 106-page report, released on the university's Web site. 'But an institution can hold itself accountable for the past, accepting its burdens and responsibilities along with its benefits and privileges.'
In 2003, Brown President Ruth Simmons, the first black president of an Ivy League school and a descendant of slaves herself, appointed the committee of students, faculty and administrators to study the university's centuries-old ties to the slave trade.
Brown, the nation's seventh oldest university, was formally chartered in 1764 as the College of Rhode Island. Its founder, the Rev. James Manning, freed his only slave but accepted donations from slave owners and traders, including the Brown family of Providence. One family member, Nicholas Brown Jr., is the university's namesake.
The panel said there was no question that much of the money used to create Brown and ensure its early growth came either directly or indirectly from the slave trade.
A Two-Way Street for Immigrants - washingtonpost.com
A Two-Way Street for Immigrants - washingtonpost.com: Maha Abdelkader, a teacher at Bryant Woods Elementary School, stood before the roughly 100 teachers, administrators and community members. She passed around a work sheet in Arabic and began delivering a short lecture, also in Arabic.
After a few minutes, she stopped and looked around the room. 'Got it?' she asked. The room was silent.
"That's how our ELLs feel during their first week of school," she said, referring to English language learners.
The focus of Monday night's seventh annual Korean Education Seminar was to help Korean students and their parents better understand the education system. But the event also was designed to help educators better understand them.
After a few minutes, she stopped and looked around the room. 'Got it?' she asked. The room was silent.
"That's how our ELLs feel during their first week of school," she said, referring to English language learners.
The focus of Monday night's seventh annual Korean Education Seminar was to help Korean students and their parents better understand the education system. But the event also was designed to help educators better understand them.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Being a Black Man - washingtonpost.com
Being a Black Man - washingtonpost.com: "In their new book 'Deconstructing Tyrone,' journalists Natalie Hopkinson and Natalie Y. Moore dissect black masculinity through examinations of Detroit's 'Hip-Hop Mayor' Kwame Kilpatrick, NBA poet Etan Thomas, political prisoner Debo Ajabu, as well as babydaddies, strippers and their dads, gay Black men and the 'down low' phenomenom, Black male professionals and convicts.
The authors will be online Wednesday, Oct. 18 at noon ET to discuss their book and the issues it tackles. Submit your questions and comments early or during the discussion.
You can find stories, video, photographs and other interactive features from the ongoing 'Being a Black Man' series on washingtonpost.com/blackmen.
The authors will be online Wednesday, Oct. 18 at noon ET to discuss their book and the issues it tackles. Submit your questions and comments early or during the discussion.
You can find stories, video, photographs and other interactive features from the ongoing 'Being a Black Man' series on washingtonpost.com/blackmen.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
NCCRESt - National Art Contest 2007
NCCRESt - National Art Contest 2007: The National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt) is sponsoring a national art contest, in conjunction with its National Forum: Leadership for Equity and Excellence: Transforming Education. NCCRESt works to raise awareness of the impact of race, class and culture in our schools.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Education World School Issues: Why the Achievement Gap Refuses to Close
Education World School Issues: Why the Achievement Gap Refuses to Close: While more people are talking about the achievement gap among students of different ethnic backgrounds, progress on providing all students with a quality education remains slow, according to the authors of the book Unfinished Business. Included: Strategies for helping all students succeed.
For years, the achievement gap between different ethnic groups was the footnote to student performance many schools like to keep hidden. But with the No Child Left Behind Act's emphasis on analyzing how different subgroups of students perform, is the gap closing?
No, but awareness of the problem is more widespread, according to Drs. Pedro A. Noguera and Jean Yonemura Wing, authors of Unfinished Business: Closing the Racial Achievement Gap in Our Schools. Dr. Noguera and his assistants spent four years studying race and achievement at Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California, a large school with an ethnically diverse student population. What the research team found in reviewing everything from the school's organizational structure to after-school activities is that attitudes, organizations, and polices often 'sort' students onto different paths that can result in them finding success in school and beyond -- or getting a sub-par education.
For years, the achievement gap between different ethnic groups was the footnote to student performance many schools like to keep hidden. But with the No Child Left Behind Act's emphasis on analyzing how different subgroups of students perform, is the gap closing?
No, but awareness of the problem is more widespread, according to Drs. Pedro A. Noguera and Jean Yonemura Wing, authors of Unfinished Business: Closing the Racial Achievement Gap in Our Schools. Dr. Noguera and his assistants spent four years studying race and achievement at Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California, a large school with an ethnically diverse student population. What the research team found in reviewing everything from the school's organizational structure to after-school activities is that attitudes, organizations, and polices often 'sort' students onto different paths that can result in them finding success in school and beyond -- or getting a sub-par education.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Negro League Great Buck O'Neil Dies - washingtonpost.com
Negro League Great Buck O'Neil Dies - washingtonpost.com: KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Buck O'Neil, the goodwill ambassador for the Negro Leagues who fell one vote shy of the Hall of Fame, died Friday night. He was 94.
Bob Kendrick, marketing director for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, said O'Neil died at a Kansas City hospital.
A star in the Negro Leagues who barnstormed with Satchel Paige, O'Neil later became the first black coach in the majors. Baseball was his life -- in July, he batted in a minor league All-Star game.
O'Neil had appeared strong until early August, when he was hospitalized for what was described as "fatigue." He was released a few days later, but readmitted on Sept. 17. Friends said that he had lost his voice along with his strength. No cause of death was immediately given.
Bob Kendrick, marketing director for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, said O'Neil died at a Kansas City hospital.
A star in the Negro Leagues who barnstormed with Satchel Paige, O'Neil later became the first black coach in the majors. Baseball was his life -- in July, he batted in a minor league All-Star game.
O'Neil had appeared strong until early August, when he was hospitalized for what was described as "fatigue." He was released a few days later, but readmitted on Sept. 17. Friends said that he had lost his voice along with his strength. No cause of death was immediately given.
Friday, October 06, 2006
His Last, Best Cause - washingtonpost.com
His Last, Best Cause - washingtonpost.com: Smith, 54, like many other black men, died before his time. Black men have a life expectancy of 69 years, six years less than white men and far shorter than men of other ethnic group. They are more than twice as likely to die from cancer as white men, according to the National Cancer Institute, and nine times as likely as white men to die of AIDS. They suffer from lung disease, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes and other chronic illnesses in disproportionate numbers that alarm health-care professionals.
'From cradle to grave, African Americans have the worst statistics in almost every area of health,' said Khan Nedd, founder of the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute in Michigan.
'From cradle to grave, African Americans have the worst statistics in almost every area of health,' said Khan Nedd, founder of the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute in Michigan.
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