Teaching for Change
presents
HOWARD ZINN
discussing
History and Social Justice Education
On Sunday, December 4th from 11 AM to 1 PM,
Teaching for Change invites educators (teachers, parents and students of all ages) to join us at Busboys and Poets to hear Howard Zinn address the teaching of contemporary social justice issues.
$25 Admission includes Brunch (pay at the door)
RSVP to Don Allen at dallen@teachingforchange.org
Limited Seating Available
Please arrive early. Doors open at 9 AM. (Seats will be forfeited promptly at 10:45 AM)
For more information about Teaching for Change, go to http://www.teachingforchange.org/
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Teaching for Change Multicultural Diversity & Anti-Bias
December 10, 2005. Equity in Education 2005 Conference. Sponsored by the Equity in Education Coalition of Montgomery County. Keynote speaker, Dr. Pedro Noguera. Breakout sessions to include: Tracking 101, How to de-track, Language as a tracking mechanism and more!
Equity in Education Conference 2005
Kennedy HS 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Use the link for more information.
Equity in Education Conference 2005
Kennedy HS 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Use the link for more information.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Special Education and Minorities - New York Times
Special Education and Minorities - New York Times: "IN the debate over the achievement gap between white and minority children in Connecticut, the overrepresentation of black and Hispanic children in special education classes is among the most sensitive subjects."
In communities throughout the state, minority children are carrying around labels, like emotionally disturbed and intellectually disabled (formerly called mentally retarded), that do not accurately describe them, special education experts said. They said the students are being placed in special education because educators are misinterpreting behavior problems and misunderstanding cultural differences.
Use the link to read the entire article.
In communities throughout the state, minority children are carrying around labels, like emotionally disturbed and intellectually disabled (formerly called mentally retarded), that do not accurately describe them, special education experts said. They said the students are being placed in special education because educators are misinterpreting behavior problems and misunderstanding cultural differences.
Use the link to read the entire article.
Friday, November 18, 2005
HIV Cases Among Blacks Show Decline Since 2001
HIV Cases Among Blacks Show Decline Since 2001: "ATLANTA, Nov. 17 -- The rate of newly reported HIV cases among blacks has been dropping by about 5 percent a year since 2001, the government said Thursday, but blacks are still eight times as likely as whites to be diagnosed with the AIDS virus.
'The racial disparities remain severe,' said Lisa Lee, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
Use the link to read the entire article.
'The racial disparities remain severe,' said Lisa Lee, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
Use the link to read the entire article.
Monday, November 14, 2005
FBI: Racial prejudice top factor in hate crimes - Race in America - MSNBC.com
FBI: Racial prejudice top factor in hate crimes - Race in America - MSNBC.com: "WASHINGTON - Racial prejudice lay behind more than half the 7,649 hate crimes reported to the FBI in 2004, the bureau said Monday. Hate crimes against black Americans were most prevalent.
The number of race-based incidents rose by 5 percent last year to 4,042 from 3,844. Authorities identified prejudice against blacks in 2,731 of those crimes, the FBI said.
Overall, the number of hate crimes grew by just 2 percent compared with the 7,489 in 2003, and there were slight declines in crimes motivated by bias based on sexual orientation and ethnicity, the FBI said."
Use the link to read the entire article.
The number of race-based incidents rose by 5 percent last year to 4,042 from 3,844. Authorities identified prejudice against blacks in 2,731 of those crimes, the FBI said.
Overall, the number of hate crimes grew by just 2 percent compared with the 7,489 in 2003, and there were slight declines in crimes motivated by bias based on sexual orientation and ethnicity, the FBI said."
Use the link to read the entire article.
CNN.com - School drops song about picking cotton - Nov 14, 2005
CNN.com - School drops song about picking cotton - Nov 14, 2005: "A song about people picking cotton was pulled from a middle school concert in suburban Detroit after a black parent complained that it glorifies slavery.
Superintendent Tresa Zumsteg decided Monday to remove the song 'Pick a Bale of Cotton' from the program, said Gwen Ahearn, spokeswoman for the Berkley School District.
Ahearn said that when the song was picked for Wednesday's folk songs concert at Anderson Middle School, there was no intent to offend anyone.
'As it became apparent that that is the case, we pulled the song,' she said.
The school is predominantly white."
Use the link to read the entire article.
Superintendent Tresa Zumsteg decided Monday to remove the song 'Pick a Bale of Cotton' from the program, said Gwen Ahearn, spokeswoman for the Berkley School District.
Ahearn said that when the song was picked for Wednesday's folk songs concert at Anderson Middle School, there was no intent to offend anyone.
'As it became apparent that that is the case, we pulled the song,' she said.
The school is predominantly white."
Use the link to read the entire article.
High Court Rules Against Parents in Md. Special Education Case
High Court Rules Against Parents in Md. Special Education Case: "The Supreme Court, using a Montgomery County, Md., case to resolve a long-running, hotly contested national dispute, ruled today that the nation's school systems are not legally obliged to prove the adequacy of individualized educational programs set up for disabled children.
Rather, the court said, it is up to individual parents, when dissatisfied, to demonstrate a program's inadequacy."
Use the link to read the entire article.
Rather, the court said, it is up to individual parents, when dissatisfied, to demonstrate a program's inadequacy."
Use the link to read the entire article.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Article
Article: "he Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) announced new research today that helps document the connection between standards-based vocabulary instruction and future academic achievement. The findings are based on an evaluation study of ASCD's Building Academic Vocabulary program, a six-step process for vocabulary instruction in the major disciplines for all grade levels through high school."
The findings were particularly encouraging for two subgroups: English language learners (ELLs) and students on free and reduced lunch. Both groups were represented in large numbers in the experimental (those using the Building Academic Vocabulary program) and control groups.
"ELL and students on free and reduced lunch programs demonstrated gains in achievement after using the vocabulary program," said researcher Robert Marzano. "This is a particularly significant finding because the program is low cost and easy for schools and districts to implement." Marzano created the vocabulary program based on his book Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement.
Use the link to read the entire article.
The findings were particularly encouraging for two subgroups: English language learners (ELLs) and students on free and reduced lunch. Both groups were represented in large numbers in the experimental (those using the Building Academic Vocabulary program) and control groups.
"ELL and students on free and reduced lunch programs demonstrated gains in achievement after using the vocabulary program," said researcher Robert Marzano. "This is a particularly significant finding because the program is low cost and easy for schools and districts to implement." Marzano created the vocabulary program based on his book Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement.
Use the link to read the entire article.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
States should invest in preschool | csmonitor.com
States should invest in preschool | csmonitor.com: "NEW YORK – Millions of middle-class and wealthy American parents assume preschool to be an important part of their 3- and 4-year-old children's lives, but that's far from the reality of this nation's working poor. At a time when the diversity of languages, educational backgrounds, and economic status among families is rapidly widening in almost every state in the nation, a massive expansion of affordable preschool is ever more essential yet still far from being realized in too many states.
One of every 4 children under age 6 in the United States today is a child of immigrants, an extraordinary increase from just a decade ago. More than half of these children are from poor families, according to a recent report from the Urban Institute. These are exactly the families and children who can benefit most from strong early-education programs."
Use the link to read the entire article.
One of every 4 children under age 6 in the United States today is a child of immigrants, an extraordinary increase from just a decade ago. More than half of these children are from poor families, according to a recent report from the Urban Institute. These are exactly the families and children who can benefit most from strong early-education programs."
Use the link to read the entire article.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
DailyBulletin.com - News
Of the 1.6 million students in California classified as Limited English Proficiency (LEP), just 175,000 are immigrants who arrived in the past three years. Because those who were born here are not counted as "foreign-born" in the U.S. Census or other studies, they are considered by some to be one of the "invisible" impacts of immigration.
Overwhelmingly, students born to immigrant parents in the United States require special attention to learn English because their primary language at home is usually the parents' native language. That's where special programs like the one at Monte Vista come in.
"The program has made an extraordinary difference for children of immigrant families," Ford said. "But the program is open to all the students immigrants or not."
Use the link to read the entire article.
Overwhelmingly, students born to immigrant parents in the United States require special attention to learn English because their primary language at home is usually the parents' native language. That's where special programs like the one at Monte Vista come in.
"The program has made an extraordinary difference for children of immigrant families," Ford said. "But the program is open to all the students immigrants or not."
Use the link to read the entire article.
Tolerance.org: Mix It Up: Mix It Up at Lunch
Take the Challenge. Bring down the walls that divide your school!
On Tuesday, November 15, 2005, join millions of students in a national event to challenge and bring down the walls that divide our schools.
Let’s do this! Organize a Mix It Up at Lunch Day at your school on November 15, 2005!
How To Mix It Up
Organize
* Pull together a group of students who also want to challenge the social boundaries at school and form a planning committee.
* Reach out to your favorite teacher or coach and to clubs, sport teams and other school groups.
* Ask administrators to put Mix It Up at Lunch Day on the school calendar.
* Make an announcement at a faculty meeting and ask teachers to support the day by using some of the Mix It Up classroom activities.
* Order a Mix Day starter pack.
Use the link to learn more.
On Tuesday, November 15, 2005, join millions of students in a national event to challenge and bring down the walls that divide our schools.
Let’s do this! Organize a Mix It Up at Lunch Day at your school on November 15, 2005!
How To Mix It Up
Organize
* Pull together a group of students who also want to challenge the social boundaries at school and form a planning committee.
* Reach out to your favorite teacher or coach and to clubs, sport teams and other school groups.
* Ask administrators to put Mix It Up at Lunch Day on the school calendar.
* Make an announcement at a faculty meeting and ask teachers to support the day by using some of the Mix It Up classroom activities.
* Order a Mix Day starter pack.
Use the link to learn more.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Guess Who?
"You, you . . . you AARAB," she shouted at me, her body shuddering, "GO HOME."
Two well-dressed little girls clung to the angry woman, looking frightened. Their mother screamed on and on, and people stopped to stare. I was stunned. Since when did "Arab" become a four-letter word? I am not Arab, but whatever it is she saw as she glared at me through my windshield, she was convinced that I was. I have lived here for two decades, and I am keenly aware that racism still exists in the United States (as it does everywhere else in the world). But only recently, in our post-9/11 world, have I felt that skin colors like mine (neither black nor white) are not comfortably invisible anymore.
Use the link to read the entire article.
Two well-dressed little girls clung to the angry woman, looking frightened. Their mother screamed on and on, and people stopped to stare. I was stunned. Since when did "Arab" become a four-letter word? I am not Arab, but whatever it is she saw as she glared at me through my windshield, she was convinced that I was. I have lived here for two decades, and I am keenly aware that racism still exists in the United States (as it does everywhere else in the world). But only recently, in our post-9/11 world, have I felt that skin colors like mine (neither black nor white) are not comfortably invisible anymore.
Use the link to read the entire article.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Arundel School Closes Achievement Gap
Arundel School Closes Achievement Gap
Over the past three years, this Anne Arundel school has achieved a goal that eludes most of the nation's public schools. It has closed the achievement gap between black and white students.
Among black students at North Glen, third-grade proficiency on the statewide test rose from 32 percent in 2003 to 94 percent this year, placing the campus among the top schools in Maryland for black students' performance. Across the third and fourth grades, a grand total of three black students, out of 37 tested, failed to attain proficiency. Blacks now outperform whites on several measures at the racially diverse campus, and white students perform very well.
Use the link to read the entire article.
Over the past three years, this Anne Arundel school has achieved a goal that eludes most of the nation's public schools. It has closed the achievement gap between black and white students.
Among black students at North Glen, third-grade proficiency on the statewide test rose from 32 percent in 2003 to 94 percent this year, placing the campus among the top schools in Maryland for black students' performance. Across the third and fourth grades, a grand total of three black students, out of 37 tested, failed to attain proficiency. Blacks now outperform whites on several measures at the racially diverse campus, and white students perform very well.
Use the link to read the entire article.
Theories on Why Black Students in Fairfax Trail Virginia Peers
Theories on Why Black Students in Fairfax Trail Virginia Peers
Admission to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology depends in large part on academic achievement ["In Jefferson's New Class, Incomes Seem to Count," Extra Credit, Sept. 29], but achievement for black students in Fairfax is lagging that of blacks in other Virginia districts.
A study by Maria Casby Allen, a Fairfax school system parent, found that on the 2004 fifth-grade Standards of Learning test in reading, pass rates for black students were 85 percent in suburban Chesterfield County outside Richmond and 79 percent in Richmond and Norfolk. Only 74 percent passed in Fairfax County.
On the math test, 80 percent of black students passed in Chesterfield County, 75 percent in Richmond, 70 percent in Norfolk and 63 percent in Fairfax.
Use the link to read the entire article.
Admission to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology depends in large part on academic achievement ["In Jefferson's New Class, Incomes Seem to Count," Extra Credit, Sept. 29], but achievement for black students in Fairfax is lagging that of blacks in other Virginia districts.
A study by Maria Casby Allen, a Fairfax school system parent, found that on the 2004 fifth-grade Standards of Learning test in reading, pass rates for black students were 85 percent in suburban Chesterfield County outside Richmond and 79 percent in Richmond and Norfolk. Only 74 percent passed in Fairfax County.
On the math test, 80 percent of black students passed in Chesterfield County, 75 percent in Richmond, 70 percent in Norfolk and 63 percent in Fairfax.
Use the link to read the entire article.
Minding the Gap in Gifted and Talented Programs
Minding the Gap in Gifted and Talented Programs
At board meetings and public appearances, Superintendent Jerry D. Weast speaks often about closing the achievement gap, but a recent report on the system's gifted and talented program demonstrates that the school system still has a ways to go if it hopes to ensure that all students have access to the kind of higher-level courses that are important to their success in school.
The issue of minority representation in gifted and talented, or GT, programs surfaced earlier this year when a group of black parents began asking why so few black and Hispanic students were identified as gifted and talented. Members of African American Parents of Montgomery County said school officials needed to rethink their identification process.
Use the link to read the entire article.
At board meetings and public appearances, Superintendent Jerry D. Weast speaks often about closing the achievement gap, but a recent report on the system's gifted and talented program demonstrates that the school system still has a ways to go if it hopes to ensure that all students have access to the kind of higher-level courses that are important to their success in school.
The issue of minority representation in gifted and talented, or GT, programs surfaced earlier this year when a group of black parents began asking why so few black and Hispanic students were identified as gifted and talented. Members of African American Parents of Montgomery County said school officials needed to rethink their identification process.
Use the link to read the entire article.
School Segregation Is Back With 'Vengeance,' Author Says
School Segregation Is Back With 'Vengeance,' Author Says
In a Connecticut Avenue bookstore, a bespectacled white man sounded an alarm yesterday evening about the public schools that serve black children in Washington and elsewhere. Segregation, he said, is alive and well a half-century after Brown v. Board of Education , depriving many urban black children of opportunities routinely afforded white students.
This divide, he said, compelled him to write "The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America."
Use the link to read the entire article.
In a Connecticut Avenue bookstore, a bespectacled white man sounded an alarm yesterday evening about the public schools that serve black children in Washington and elsewhere. Segregation, he said, is alive and well a half-century after Brown v. Board of Education , depriving many urban black children of opportunities routinely afforded white students.
This divide, he said, compelled him to write "The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America."
Use the link to read the entire article.
Minority students are closing gap in math and reading - baltimoresun.com
Minority students are closing gap in math and reading - baltimoresun.com
Black and Hispanic students are narrowing the achievement gap with whites in reading and math, but overall the nation's progress is small or slipping.
The 2005 scores for grades four and eight come from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the most respected measure of how students perform nationwide. The results are noted in both academic and political circles because they cover math and reading - the two building-block subjects that schools are scrambling to improve.
Use the link to read the entire article.
Black and Hispanic students are narrowing the achievement gap with whites in reading and math, but overall the nation's progress is small or slipping.
The 2005 scores for grades four and eight come from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the most respected measure of how students perform nationwide. The results are noted in both academic and political circles because they cover math and reading - the two building-block subjects that schools are scrambling to improve.
Use the link to read the entire article.
Parents' Involvement Not Key to Student Progress, Study Finds - Los Angeles Times
A new study examining why similar California schools vary widely in student achievement produced some surprising results: Involved parents and well-behaved youngsters do not appear to have a major effect on how well elementary students perform on standardized tests.
But four other factors seemed to count a lot more, at least when combined in schools, according to EdSource, an independent group that studies state education issues.
The study of lower-income schools found that the strongest elements in high-performing schools are linking lessons closely to state academic standards, ensuring there are enough textbooks and other teaching materials, carefully and regularly analyzing student performance and putting a high priority on student achievement. The study's authors say that these criteria show that poverty and other challenges need not keep students from doing well.
Use the link to read the article.
But four other factors seemed to count a lot more, at least when combined in schools, according to EdSource, an independent group that studies state education issues.
The study of lower-income schools found that the strongest elements in high-performing schools are linking lessons closely to state academic standards, ensuring there are enough textbooks and other teaching materials, carefully and regularly analyzing student performance and putting a high priority on student achievement. The study's authors say that these criteria show that poverty and other challenges need not keep students from doing well.
Use the link to read the article.
The Seattle Times: Education: Racial tiebreaker will stand
The Seattle Times: Education: Racial tiebreaker will stand: "he 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday upheld Seattle Public Schools' use of race as a tiebreaker in assigning students to popular high schools, and the plaintiffs vowed to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The ruling comes on the heels of decisions by federal appellate judges in the 1st and 6th Circuits upholding local school authorities' use of race as a factor in student-assignment plans in Massachusetts and Kentucky. Plaintiffs in all three cases sued on the basis that the school districts' plans violated their individual rights to equal protection under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Seattle suspended its use of the racial tiebreaker after the 2001-02 year because of the litigation."
Use the link to read the entire article.
The ruling comes on the heels of decisions by federal appellate judges in the 1st and 6th Circuits upholding local school authorities' use of race as a factor in student-assignment plans in Massachusetts and Kentucky. Plaintiffs in all three cases sued on the basis that the school districts' plans violated their individual rights to equal protection under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Seattle suspended its use of the racial tiebreaker after the 2001-02 year because of the litigation."
Use the link to read the entire article.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
USATODAY.com - Hospital inequalities widen the care gap
Studies by Bach and others suggest a different explanation: The USA's health care system remains as divided by race as its neighborhoods, schools and other aspects of American life.
"African-Americans live in very different places than whites, and in general they get treated at lousy hospitals," says Amitabh Chandra, an assistant professor at Harvard University and co-author of a new paper about health disparities.
The study, published today in the journal Circulation, suggests that black patients are concentrated in a small number of poorly performing hospitals. Nearly 70% of black heart attack patients went to only about 20% of medical centers, according to the study, which examined more than 1 million Medicare recipients from 1997 to 2001. At hospitals treating the most blacks, death rates for all heart attack patients were 19% higher than at the facilities that saw only white heart attack victims.
Use the link to read the entire article.
"African-Americans live in very different places than whites, and in general they get treated at lousy hospitals," says Amitabh Chandra, an assistant professor at Harvard University and co-author of a new paper about health disparities.
The study, published today in the journal Circulation, suggests that black patients are concentrated in a small number of poorly performing hospitals. Nearly 70% of black heart attack patients went to only about 20% of medical centers, according to the study, which examined more than 1 million Medicare recipients from 1997 to 2001. At hospitals treating the most blacks, death rates for all heart attack patients were 19% higher than at the facilities that saw only white heart attack victims.
Use the link to read the entire article.
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