Poorly Funded Public Schools - Summary and Three Paragraphs

Clark 1

Brenda Clark

Professor Monique Williams

English 1A

Section:  014

01 October 2013

 

Poorly Funded Public Schools – Summary

            My topic of focus is school resources. To begin, I researched the definition of tier one, two, and three schools according to the Department of Education website, in order to improve my understanding of how these schools are selected. I found that tier one and two schools are defined by a high school graduation rate below sixty percent in each of the last four years. These schools are also defined as persistently lowest achieving by computing an average proficiency rate for English and math test scores over a period of three years.  A school must contain at least one hundred valid test scores to be included in this category. Upon looking at the list of persistently lowest achieving schools in the Bay Area, Oak Grove Middle School, a tier one school in Concord, California, belonging to the Mt. Diablo Unified School District in Contra Costa County, stood out in particular, as that is the middle school which I attended. I looked to see if there were any persistently low-achieving schools listed in the Castro Valley Unified School District, as I have a child attending school in that district, although was unable to locate any, which was reassuring. I therefore chose to focus my research on Oak Grove Middle School. According to a real estate website by the name of homesnap.com, I found that the quality of education at Oak Grove Middle School is rated a four out of ten, the average annual expenditure per student is $11, 309.00, 72% of the student population is Hispanic, while only 12% of the population is white, 70% of the students are eligible to receive free lunch at the school, and the number of students enrolled by grade level steadily decreases as the grade level increases. At the time that the data was published on the website there were 218 students enrolled in sixth grade, 215 students enrolled in seventh grade, and only 201 students enrolled in eighth grade. I was able to relate much of this information to that of the book Savage Inequalities Children in America’s Schools by Jonathan Kozol. 

 

                                   Poorly Funded Public Schools – Three Paragraphs

            There are a numerous amount of schools in California that are classified as persistently lowest achieving, including many schools here in the Bay Area. I was not surprised that I was unable to locate any persistently low-achieving schools in the Castro Valley Unified School District where my daughter attends school, although was quite surprised when I located Oak Grove Middle School, in Concord, California, part of the Mt. Diablo Unified School District in Contra Costa County, as that is the middle school that I attended as a child. According to the California Department of Education, Oak Grove Middle School is listed as one of the lowest achieving 5% of tier 1 schools, and was enrolled in program improvement in the 2009-10 school year. I graduated from Oak Grove Middle School with honors, and proceeded to graduate high school and attend college, therefore I was unaware of any difficulties experienced by the school if any existed when I attended the school approximately twenty years ago. 

            It does not appear as though Oak Grove Middle School is underprivileged with regards to funding for materials and other resources, as a lack of resources often times contributes to decreased performance on proficiency exams. According to homesnap.com, the average annual expenditure per pupil at Oak Grove Middle School was $11, 309 which compares to some of the better schools in New York. As stated in Savage Inequalities, “in affluent Jericho and Manhasset the figures were, respectively, $11, 325 and $11, 370” (Kozol  145). According to the California Department of Education, on May 10, 2012 Oak Grove Middle School was granted a school improvement grant of $500, 000, which is the maximum allotment.  Other Bay Area schools, such as Burbank Elementary School in Hayward, California, were granted close to the maximum, although were not granted the full amount.  Burbank Elementary School was only granted $494,200. $500, 000 is a lot of money if the school is in good condition structurally and the money is not needed for building repair. This money would not have gone far in many of the poor performing schools described in Savage Inequalities, as the buildings were falling apart and needed to be remodeled or rebuilt.  There should be no reason that with this money Oak Grove Middle School would be unable to supply appropriate resources to its students in order for them to excel in their education and pass proficiency exams.

            The demographics of the Oak Grove Middle School population compare with those of the majority of underprivileged schools described in Savage Inequalities, whose students were minorities. According to homesnap.com, 72% of the school population is Hispanic, while only 12% of the population is white. I do not recall this being the case when I attended the school, although it does reflect the recent trend of an increase of the Hispanic population in California. Much of the Hispanic population has difficulty with learning English as a second language, which may have a large influence on the low test scores, and ultimately the fact that the school is on the list of persistently lowest achieving schools in the Bay Area.

            Many of the schools in poor neighborhoods mentioned in Savage Inequalities have very high dropout rates, some over 50 percent.  An example is Manley High School in Chicago, with a dropout rate of 62 percent (Kozol 71). I worry that the decreased number of students in attendance at Oak Grove Middle School compared with the increase in grade level may be attributed to students dropping out of school. According to homesnap.com, there were 618 sixth graders, 215 seventh graders, and only 201 eighth graders in attendance at Oak Grove Middle School at the time of the publication. Dropping out of school is not the answer to any problems and only causes more problems for the future of an individual.  Everything possible should be done to keep children in school, at least until they graduate from high school, and encourage students to attend college in order to better their future and the future of those around them.

 

Works Cited

"Our Mission." California Department of Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

Harrington, Theresa. "State Revises Low-achieving Schools List, Bumping Four East Bay Schools and Adding Two New Ones." ContraCostaTimes.com. N.p., 10 Mar. 2010. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

"Schools Mt. Diablo Unified Oak Grove Middle School." Oak Grove Middle School Rating, Metrics, Attendance Zone and Real Estate. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

Kozol, Jonathan. Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. New York: Crown Pub., 1991. Print.

PIE - Student Separation in the Educational System

Clark 1

Brenda Clark

Professor Monique Williams

English 1A

Section:  014

24 September 2013

                                                           PIE – Student Separation in the Educational System

              Teachers should not have the power to separate students into different categories of potential. We all have different amounts of potential, and our potential continues to change throughout our lifetime. From birth, we all have unlimited potential, although this amount of potential changes based on multiple factors including the environment that we are raised in, the opportunities that we are provided, etc. If teachers have the power to separate students into different categories of potential, the above level students will continue to advance and the below level students will continue to decline. When referring to the Chicago Panel on Public School Policy in Savage Inequalities, Jonathan Kozol states “The panel also notes that poorer children do not tend to bring the top kids down. It is more likely that the high-achieving kids will bring the others up” (Kozol 75). The only time that it is appropriate and beneficial to the student to be separated into a different category is when a student is in a category that is too low for his/her learning ability. When I was in my junior year of high school, I moved to San Francisco and was assigned to a continuation school which taught multiple grade levels including junior high and high school. As I had been attending advanced placement classes at my previous high school, I had a very easy time at the continuation school, although was very bored and felt as though I was not offered the challenge that I desired. Apparently this was obvious to the school principal because shortly after I was transferred to a regular high school next door, which matched my learning ability better. I was very thankful that this change had been made, as I was beginning to feel depressed and hopeless at the lower level. All students should be encouraged to study at their own level and strive to increase their performance in order to move up to a higher level.  Students should not necessarily be separated based on potential, but should be provided with school work and taught lessons that meet their learning abilities. Higher level learners can be moved out of lower level classes if absolutely necessary, although lower level learners should not be grouped together. They should be in regular classes, and possibly even paired with higher level learners in order to provide them with motivation to reach the higher level. Teachers should have the power to inspire students rather than to group students. Students should have the power to reach the potential that they desire, without being limited by a teacher, education, or any other obstacle.

Part III of "Writing Assignment: Rule of Three" - 3 Paragraphs

Adults may end up being isolated due to lack of socialization from too much time spent on homework as children. Isolation in adults may lead to depression, suicidal thoughts, etc. This can be prevented by assuring that children have enough time outside of school hours to practice effective socialization skills, use their imagination, find their passion, and be themselves. A child needs a proper balance of time spent in the classroom, completing homework, socializing and sleeping in order to grow up healthy and learn to live a productive life. Educational standards are more concerned with teaching students the information they need to graduate to the next grade level and complete high school than they are about the future of these students, with regards to their social lives and their health. This is the reason that parents need to voice their concerns and speak up for the future of our children.

            Too much time spent on homework can result in sleep deprivation, which has short and long term effects on an individual. In the short term, sleep deprivation can cause us to lose our ability to focus, which decreases the amount of information that we are able to retain in the classroom and in our everyday lives. Sleep deprivation and loss of focus are also major contributors to accidents such as automobile and on the job accidents. If homework is meant to reinforce lessons taught in the classroom, it is more important for a student to be able to focus in class, than to fall into a detrimental cycle of spending too much time on homework. Not being able to focus in class results in difficulty understanding the lesson, and even more time spent on homework. In the short and long term, sleep deprivation also contributes to a weakened immune system which increases the susceptibility for physical illness. Illness should be prevented as much as possible because when a student is ill they not only miss valuable time spent in class learning, but they also risk spreading illness to other students and teachers in the classroom.

In addition to the mental and physical health effects caused by too much homework, parents do not always have the time or the skills to assist children with homework.  Parents spend much of their time caring for children at home and completing household chores, as they often have jobs away from home while their children are in school.  Parents may also have been out of school for a period of time that has caused them to have a reduced retention rate of the information that they learned as children, that their children are learning now. This can cause stress for both the child and the parent, as the child does not receive the help they need, and the parent has to witness the child struggle. According to The Association of California School Administrators, “Kralovec and Buell (2001) argue that homework disrupts families because of the frustration and time that must be spent away from other family activities. They also decry the stress created by adding homework to the overburdened schedules children have. Finally, they believe that homework actually limits rather than extends learning” (ACSA 5). Homework is necessary to reinforce lessons taught in the classroom, and I don’t agree that it should be eliminated altogether, although in order to prevent adverse effects of too much time spent on homework the amount of time spent should be monitored, and time limits should be implemented according to grade level. 

 

Works Cited

"Learning Opportunities...everyday[See All Learning Opportunities...]." Association of California School Administrators. N.p., 12 Oct. 2007. Web. 11 Sept. 2013.

Article Summary and Link

Article on the Relationship between Mirror Neurons and Empathy

Link:  http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/do_mirror_neurons_give_empathy

 

The article on the relationship between mirror neurons and empathy is a report on the highlights of a conference and interview with Neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran about what mirror neurons can and cannot do, about empathy, and about the relationship between the dysfunction of mirror neurons and autism. The article informs us that mirror neurons were discovered while researchers were observing monkeys’ brains. Researchers noticed that some of the same brain cells (mirror neurons) were activated when a monkey performed an action and when a monkey watched another monkey perform the same action. The article tells us where mirror neurons are located in the brain and states that mirror neurons are involved in empathy and language. We also learn how the dysfunction of mirror neurons relates to autism with respect to the fact that typically people with autism struggle with imitation and lack empathy.  The article concludes by explaining that mirror neurons take part in transmitting skills throughout generations. It explains that mirror neurons are not solely responsible for behavior. It reminds us that science is constantly progressing and that errors are common, but okay because they can be corrected.  

TED Talk Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution

After watching the TED Talk Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution, I learned about the concept of organic living and learning. In the past when I thought of the word organic, I thought of produce. I had never heard the word organic used in any other context. I enjoyed hearing Sir Ken Robinson speak about the contrast between linear and organic learning. As he stated, linear living/learning is following a linear track through life from start to finish. This reminds me of when people say that they are doing certain things, such as raising their children, by the book. In the beginning of his talk, Sir Ken Robinson stated that "people go through life not knowing what their talents are or thinking that they have no talents." People may feel this way due to being accustomed to a linear style of living. In my opinion, it is no fun to live and/or learn in such a structured manner which does not allow for individuality. I compare my lifestyle to the organic style of living/learning described by Sir Ken Robinson. He described the organic style of living as when we "create our lives as we explore our talents." Every individual has talents, although needs to explore himself/herself to encounter and appreciate these talents, as they may be different for each individual. For example, some students are gifted at particular subjects of learning such as reading or math, therefore may be placed in advanced classes to accommodate their higher level of leaning. I personally have found that I have a talent for interacting with others, especially senior citizens, and have a natural talent for caring for others, therefore have formed my educational goals around obtaining a nursing degree.  When I graduated from high school I was unable to attend college right away, due to the need to work and support myself.  Shortly after I began college a few years after, I met my husband, and had a child.  I decided to discontinue my education temporarily to raise my children and establish a stable living environment for my family.  After approximately ten years of discontinuing my education, having two children, and establishing a steady work history, I decided to return to college.  I encountered my talent for multi-tasking and prioritizing, therefore felt confident that I would be able to succeed in my educational goals.  I am not a typical college student, young and going to school full time, although believe that by taking my time and studying at a pace that I believe fits my lifestyle, I will remain healthier and more involved in the lives of my children.  I compare all of my life experiences to an organic lifestyle as for the most part I have taken one day at a time, done my best in everything, and had a positive outlook in life.  I live my life to satisfy my own desires and the needs of my family, and do not feel pressured by others to live my life as instructed by others or expected by society.   I believe that the idea of an organic lifestyle should be utilized more in society to encourage a greater amount of individuality.  It may also lead to people living happier and more fulfilling lives.  After watching the TED Talk Sir Ken Robinson:  Bring on the learning revolution, when I hear the word organic I think of it in a deeper context, rather than just to describe something simple such as produce.