And now what?

I think that this class has been incredibly rewarding for me. Personally, the reason that I went to college was for classes like this, that not only provide valuable information, but make you think critically. I think we now have a responsibility to pass this knowledge to others. As I said in class, I still have a great deal of interaction with people who do not have the educational experiences I have. To me it is important that they are informed as I am. They may not have access to the dialogue we had in class and therefore, this knowledge may not be accessible to them in the same manner is was to me. However, by simply discussing what I have learned to parents, family and friends, they get that access. It is my belief that once you have gained knowledge as valuable as this it moves beyond a right and becomes a duty to tell others. While many aspects of creating a change in education are undoubtedly difficult, there are things that are simple. Creating an open dialogue among peers about our education system today and how it affects us all is easy. We have the tools, we just need to make sure that we use them whenever possible. I am happy to say that I have already started that conversation, especially with my sisters and friends to assure that they are informed about the system that their children are in and what they can do to assure that they do not get lost in the shuffle. I'm not a parent yet, but until I am, I think that I still bear some responsibility to the people I know to make sure they are informed. At the same time, I would like to see many of these problems corrected before my children have to go through what so many are going through right now. Because education is important to all, we will have plenty of opportunity to affect others. The education system is broken, we can not leave it to those in power to fix, when they do not even acknowledge so many of the problems that exist. All we need to do as England says, is to take that first step. Move forward with what we have, through conversation and actions and inevitably change will follow, which could just make education better for everyone not simply a few.

Are we Truly Democratic?

Our society likes to think that we are teaching our children the democratic way in school. In fact what is being taught to our children is patriotism. Cornell West wrote the purpose of patriotism or nationalism is to "keep the populace differential and complacent." Democracy is not only having the freedoms that we hold so high in our society, but actually using those rights. What is taught to our children is that we are the greatest country in the world and that we have and can do no wrong. This is nationalism not democracy. These ideals are instilled early in our children and unless they seek information for themselves, they will like many before them simply tow the line and not question what our country and more accurately our government does. This is so ingrained in our nation that a group such as the Trilateral Commission can openly state this is the role of schools and so few can actually question it. I personally feel offended that this happened to me and my peers in school. Many students who I went to high school with do not have the opportunity to have access to the knowledge that I have. Elementary, middle and high schools essentially sugarcoat the information we are given, we are not allowed to be free thinkers and question the information we are given, largely because we are not given information to do so. By not revealing the truths of the past, Japanese internment camps, slavery, treatment of Native Americans, to name a few, we are enabling our society to ignore the actions of the present and recent past, Iraq, Kosovo and Vietnam. It is the teaching of nationalism and patriotism rather than true democracy that us doing a disservice to our students and our society.

So how do we fix this problem of not knowing what true democracy is? We of course must start when children are young, get to them before the great political machine does. It is undoubtedly a difficult task to get people to question what they believe is true. However, no one questions more than children. I think because the schools are so indoctrinated into the ideals of patriotism as democracy, we have to start from the outside and work our way in. Informed parents and organizations need to help children and other parents understand what democracy is. People need to begin questioning the system and encouraging students to take a stand in their schools. Within schools, informed student media and groups need to let fellow students know that they have the right and responsibility to speak out and question what they hear and are taught. In addition Chomsky states teachers "have the obligation to serve and tell the truth about things that are important, things that matter." Many teachers understand what democracy is, but are constrained by the system in which they can teach. I see them as unwilling "agents" of nationalism. However, if we are to truly make a change in the understanding of democracy a great burden does fall on them to not only teach the truth of our history, but to show their students that democracy is about exercising your freedoms, even within the school system. It certainly sounds like a daunting task, but once again it is a necessary step to try and show that we acknowledge our mistakes from the past and need to move towards a society that is truly democratic.

This article (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/262189_democracy09.html) by Walter Parker an author and professor at the University of Washington outlines three steps in helping children understand and embrace democracy in school. For me the most interesting aspect is relating the ideas to topics the children are interested in and that affect them; bullying, dress codes and stealing to name a few. Teach them how democracy affects them now and how they can exercise their freedoms, and we will hopefully see them continue to exercise those rights and responsibilities in the future. The process outlined by Parker will allow and encourage the quietest voice to speak and know that they can be heard.

Censorship

I knew that censorship existed in our society, but I was a little surprised how much it affects schools. As absurd as it was to hear some of the terms that have banned from textbooks in class, it says a lot about the impact the interest groups have had on our schools. Throughout the semester we have discussed the importance of multiculturalism and to hear that virtually any term related to expanding children's knowledge of other groups is omitted from textbooks is counterproductive if not harmful to students learning. It is unfortunate that publishers feel the need to censor their own work, whether textbooks of general reading for fear of offending one person or group, while the vast majority could benefit from the readings as they were intended to be. As Ravitch said, this is not merely a way to protect children from parts of society that a certain population does not want them to encounter, either according to race, sexuality or religious belief. In fact this is much larger, it is an attempt to impose their own personal views on those of others, to create a society that they see as ideal, which is not necessarily realistic to most people. Ravitch also points out that in fact most children are getting their information from television, movies, music and real life. Certainly, while many children do still read, its impact is much less now than in the past. Children see racist and sexual overtones on TV and in school much more often then they would read in a book.

So is the solution to allow access to all reading materials for children? I think in all honesty there must be some regulation on reading materials. I'm certainly not saying do not allow children to read what they want, or keep any book from the library. However if we are to be responsible parents, there are some reading materials that must have a conversation along with the readings. For example, in the community I grew up in, where there was very little cultural or racial differentiation, a child left to read Huckleberry Finn without some discussion as to the context and use of the "N-word" could easily get the wrong impression that may or may not be corrected at some point later on. I'm not saying that censorship is right, it is not, however, there are materials and words that could be misunderstood as Huckleberry Finn could and there are materials that could in fact be harmful. Let's not forget there are readings that are intentionally and overtly sexist and racist. I think the process set up by Reichman of allowing members of the school input and the right to select readings is the right way to go. By doing this we assure that the children are not only receiving proper materials, but a wide variety of books to read and learn from. I also think that publishers need to take a stand. Those who wish to impose their ideals on society are strong and loud, but they are also a minority when it comes to censorship. We live in a country that values our freedoms above all else. Highest among these is the freedom of speech. When Harry Potter first came out it was vilified by the religious right. To this day it is still hugely popular among children and adults. Of course the immense sales of the books enabled the publisher to push aside the complaints of the right, but its popularity also showed that people are willing to read something if it is written well, no matter how it is deemed by the minority. Encourage authors to be representative of the populations, but not at the expense of the quality of the book. If publishers do that, than it becomes more difficult for the right and left wingers to put together arguments that the public will accept or even tolerate. Unfortunately I think at least in the general reading books, this must once again come down to the students taking a stand. Individually children are often not heard, but together they can make an impact. Simply put, tell a child they can not do something and they will react. This article (http://www.charlotte.com/205/story/345430.html) discusses the efforts of some parents to remove books by Pat Conroy in West Virginia. The students however are standing up and saying no to censorship. It is efforts like this that, while may not stop censorship, will make it much more difficult for interest groups to impose their views on children.

Assessment and Unequal Resources

I think as assessment is designed today, it is very dangerous to our students. To place the future in the hands of one test as NCLB does can cause pressure on children in an environment that should be doing everything possible to facilitate learning. I think the problem with making a change is that many teachers are unsure as to what other forms of assessment they can use. As it was said in class, at least with summative assessment, you know what you are dealing with. However, this change must be made if we are to truly know that our students are learning. Formative assessment is not only a better judge of how students are doing, it also encourages them to learn. Any child who is receiving encouragement and reinforcement in education is going to be more willing to continue to want to learn. At the same time we do need to assure that we are using a wholistic approach in assessing children. As England explains this is looking at the big picture of the student and not simply a snapshot at one point in time. We need to look at the economic factors, parents participation and how the child learns. All children are not the same as NCLB would like to believe. They have different styles of learning, different subjects they like to learn and some they are better at learning. Because of all of these factors, I feel students need a flexibility in how they are assessed. I think rather than comparing one student to the others as tends to happen in schools today, they need to be judged individually. This will allow choice to enter into assessment. Let's play to the strengths of children rather than assuming a single form of assessment is going to tell us the true story. Sure this is going to create more work for the teacher, but it can also be beneficial. I've never had to sit down and read 30 papers on one subject, but I can assume it will become repetitive and dare I say boring. I think a teacher would enjoy shaking things up a bit and instead of 30 essays on the meaning of Hamlet, they would get to assess an art project, song or oral presentation along with those essays. The students would enjoy it as well as the teachers. Sounds like a win-win solution to me. Here is a video that shows how formative assessment is used in the classroom: http://www.teachers.tv/video/581. The teachers encourage these students to take control of their own learning. These students certainly seem to be enjoying the lesson, certainly a problem in schools today, and the teacher is receiving feedback that displays the students are in fact learning both information and concepts.
One thing that bothers me is the idea that it is okay to play the system when trying to get your child into a desired school. Sure there are problems with the system and people feel the need to work around the rules to benefit their child. Donated money to a school, gets your child enrolled, a well placed friend allows a student to get into a college they may not otherwise, or claiming an address where you don't live to assure more benefits for a child all seem to be accepted as acceptable because you are using the resources available to you. Even if all this is done legally it still leads to the ultimate problem in education, unequal resources. We have talked a lot and Kozol based an entire book on this subject. We have acknowledged that resources go well beyond what students have in school. If we are to truly equalize education these forms of "who you know" must also be taken into account. Perhaps it is because of the background I came from, but to see a student get a place where they may not have earned while another, without those contacts, from a lower economic status is left outside seems to represent many of the problems we have in education. I'm not saying these practices will stop, that would be unrealistic, but we need to stop saying that "who you know, not what you know" is acceptable. These are the hard choices we are making in equalizing resources. It is easy to say that we need to give money to those who need it, it is difficult to truly put everyone on the same playing field and say that they will all have the same access and opportunities and will get what they deserve based on merit rather than who we know and how much we earn. Instead of finding ways around the system, maybe we should be finding ways to fix it, so all can benefit.

School Selection and Conditions

Our presentation and discussion on Wednesday certainly brought up a lot of issues and problems with selection. One important idea that came about is that perhaps school selection is, at least in part, responsible for continuing the trend of segregation. I firmly believe that education needs to be integrated, as its effects go well beyond simply what our children learn in each subject area. I also do not necessarily think that we need to eliminate school selection all together. There are obvious benefits to having the choice of school that children attend. So essentially we need to find a way to have some school selection and assure that it is integrated. I think this starts with, as Kerri-Ann said, social capital. Not everyone has this, obviously, and not everyone can obtain this. So we are left with equalizing the playing field between the have and have nots. This comes with making people aware that they do have choices. We know that people are not always aware of their options, witness the Bard School discussed in class. So who provides this information to people who do not have it? There are people who are aware, and through programs such as our class, are becoming more aware of the inequalities and injustices of our school system. It is up to these people to not only tell others about the problems, but to tell people about the opportunities, they are not aware of. Much of the research we have looked into has told of the problems, not many give solutions. It is the role of those who serve these populations to also advocate for them as well. Tell me what is wrong with the system, but tell me how to fix it as well. Of course solutions are not always easy, however they are there, and we come about these solution through an open conversation that will force those in power to listen and make change.

Unfortunately we were unable to get to much of our discussion of school conditions. Let's just say it would have been great. Basically, school conditions are awful for many of our students and they affect both the learning and teaching abilities a great deal. The question that I asked in class as to who is responsible for solutions can not only be asked of schools condition, but selection and much of what has been discussed in class this semester. The easy answer is to say that the government is responsible for placing these burdens on the schools, NCLB, poor conditions, segregation, etc. That answer would be right. However, while the schools, teachers, parents and students may not have been the cause of many of these problems, I think the solutions lie in their hands. These people are at the ground level, they see the problems everyday. Both the videos we intended to show in class discussed the role that these people must play in fixing these problems. The Youth Education Alliance, seen in the DC Public Schools video, and the AFT, American Federation of Teachers, recognize this fact. If change is going to happen, we can not leave the ultimate decision as to when, in the hands of the government or those in control of the money. The YEA and AFT see the role of students and teachers as advocates for change. So if change at any level of education is going to happen it is through organizations such as these that make people aware of the problems and then hold those in power accountable for assuring that change happens.

Here is the AFT video we were unable to show in class:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e2bWHkMNi8

Here is the website for YEA, the Youth Education Alliance: http://www.youtheducationalliance.org/ . It shows the role that students can have in making change. Too often students do not think they can make a difference, it is important that they know they can have an effect on their education. This will keep kids from saying and believing things like Fortino said in Kozol, "Your ghetto, so we send you to the factory." (180).

Education: What's Needed?

I think one overriding question in class was whether students need other races, or ethnic groups to learn. As I said in class, it depends on your definition of learning. Any child can be taught the basics of education, reading, writing, math, etc, though the debate on how well they are taught is ongoing. We know that students who are home schooled, effectively put in an environment where they have minimal interaction with with a variety other students in the classroom, learn their subjects quite well. However, I stand by the idea that the social environment is as important as the educational environment in a school. It is this interaction, even on a basic level, that enables us to move beyond simple tolerance to acceptance of people who are different than us. As Patricia said in class, when we first come to an atmosphere beyond our high school, we know that there is a tendency for those not exposed to different cultures to stereotype the people they encounter. I went to an all white rural high school. I was successful, learned what I needed to, graduated and went on to college. There wasn't a "need" for different races to be present for me to do all that. However, that doesn't mean I didn't miss out on valuable lessons that could have been taught outside the classroom. At the time, I didn't recognize that my school was segregated, that was just our community. But, I have to wonder what the perspective of my fellow students, many of who still live in that same community, would be if they had regular exposure to different perspectives. Our nation, undoubtedly has many racial issues both in education and beyond. I firmly believe that integration in school, can go along way toward fixing some of these issues in society. By continuing to segregate our schools, we are doing a disservice to the students, both in education and when they finish with school. In class we found a possible solution in segregation by individuals choosing to educate themselves multiculturally, making an effort to learn about others. This article (http://www.hollandsentinel.com/stories/101707/local_20071017012.shtml) shows how a group of students from several different schools did just that. Not only did they learn more about each other, but helped to educate the community as well. We may not be able to generalize this case to all, but it would be hard to argue that everyone involved did not benefit from interaction and education of, with and by many different races and cultures.

Another idea I wanted to touch on was the idea of adequate versus equal education. I'm not sure that if I were a parent and was asked if it was okay that my child was received an adequate education, that my answer would be positive. I would want my child to receive the best possible education. I think this can only be done through equalization. If we simply settle for adequate education for our children, we are not decreasing that ever present racial and economic gap. One child with limited resources may get adequate education that meets the required standards while another, wealthier student may get the best education possible. That gap still remains, one child is still further ahead in learning than the other. By equalizing education we are hopefully, ensuring that all students move well beyond an adequate education, which would be our goal. Certainly the wealthy will not settle for an education that is below adequate. Of course this is much more difficult to do than assuring adequate education, but I think it is necessary to give the best possible education and in turn opportunities to all students, and not simply settle for a lesser goal simply because it is easier to achieve. Equal education will in all likelihood ensure education that is well beyond adequate.

Solutions to NCLB

I think most agree that the way No Child Left Behind is designed today, it has flaws that inhibit rather than promote closing the economic and racial gap. In some ways it even encourages the gap to grow by punishing schools that already find themselves behind academically. While I disagree with much NCLB, there are some aspects that it includes that can be used in finding a true solution. The well-educated teacher is key to closing this gap. This includes more than simply having the information teachers need to educate, but an understanding of the process both within the class and within the system. Teachers, as well as schools, need to understand that students learn differently, that there are certain circumstances that inhibit a child's learning, and the overall picture of why the gap exists and knowledge that they need to encourage all students learning abilities. Ideally this is what we would have. Some good teachers know this information, others do not and we are generally finding that those who do have this knowledge are not serving the economically disadvantaged. So perhaps we give them financial incentives to teach in low-income and minority schools, to help these children.

I also believe there needs to be some form of evaluation of the students and teachers. That does not have to be standardized testing, but there must be some form of assessment that whatever program is being used by the teacher is effective. I don't believe in a "cookie-cutter" one size fits all curriculum. Just as students learn differently, teachers teach effectively in different ways. Perhaps we leave that evaluation to the school system or maybe to an outside source that would be informed and unbiased. At the heart of the problems with NCLB seems to be standardized testing and the punishment system that goes along with the results. By attaching financial stipulations to an education program, we are encouraging schools to teach to the test rather than give the students the education they need to learn. Any financial stipulations that hurt those who need the money to should be eliminated and evaluated publicly by and independent third party or parties.

I like the idea of the KIPP school and the function of the charter schools, however, I do see a problem that may prevent these schools from succeeded on a national scale. In the case of KIPP and most charter schools, the parents, teachers and students are in a radically different program voluntarily. They all know and accept what is expected of them. If we are to force longer hours and stricter stipulations on all that are involved we can expect backlash much like we are seeing with NCLB. I do think there are many aspects of these schools that can be nationalized, but rather than force teachers, students, and parents into these intensive programs, we should encourage them all to take a more active role in education. Should we expect teachers to work 10-12 hours a day, five days a week, be on call at any and all hours and work a full school year at the money they are making now. As tight as the government is with giving money toward education right now I doubt they could be encouraged to give raises to teachers that would make them willing to make such sacrifices. As I said, I do not disagree with the programs, in fact I think they do work, and there are many aspects that could be translated into our public schools today as part of any revision, but I just do not think we can forcibly put these programs and the vast expectations on people who may not be willing or even able to meet them.

Here is an interview with a PR representative from KIPP, he answers some good questions, including one (at the end) on what kind of children KIPP is producing compared to students in public schools:

http://www.abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=3741224&page=1

Here is a short audio clip (about 5 minutes) that discusses the pros and cons of charter schools:

http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/popup.php?id=6081153&type=1&date=15-Sep-2006&au=1&pid=26643374&random=3522574645&guid=00003ACCEED307183986A32061626364&uaType=WM,RM&aaType=RM,WM&upf=Win32&topicName=Politics___Society&subtopicName=Education&prgCode=NEWSNOTES&hubId=-1&thingId=6081152&ssid=&tableModifier=&mtype=WM

Unequal Curriculum

One of the questions posed in class was whether or not those who set policy and curriculum understand the children they are setting those policies for. The simple answer is to say that they do not and can not understand the differing situations of these children, particularly of the poor and working class. I pose the question as to whether they want to know these children's situations? They undoubtedly know of these children, but as we are learning make little effort to make changes to benefit them. Perhaps it is easier for them to turn a blind eye to the situation and therefore not face the undeniable facts of how bad the situation truly is. Unfortunately this is no the worst that happens. As I said, they must know that schools are unequal, and all too often they choose to not only ignore these children, but take steps to assure that they do not have the means to achieve beyond their current status. This a problem that has been seen for many years. This article from 1999; California Lawsuit Notes Unequal Access to AP Courses shows how California appears to have denied AP classes to low-income students. As we heard in class, some AP classes are weighted heavier in college admissions. By denying low-income students the same opportunity in curriculum afforded to their wealthier counterparts, they are preventing students from developing their full potential, which is counter to what the educational system should be doing.
In this post; Can Public Schools Fix the Achievement Gap? the author sites three different recent incidents where the curriculum was different dependent on the race and economic status of the students. This is unfortunately a problem that has continued to happen not only now, but the recent past and undoubtedly much further back than that. These actions are ingrained into our schools and political process so deeply that it may indeed take years to change the situation. I think that change is possible, but first we must recognize that children are treated differently and through various political and legal processes create change. While we would ideally like to think that the problem could be corrected by simply recognizing the inequality and then expecting those who set policy to correct it, perhaps the only way to truly change the system is to force those who may be causing the problem and who are already aware of the discrepancies to make the necessary changes.

The purpose of education

I think one of the most important questions asked in class was should education or society be equalized? I believe that every child should have an equal opportunity in our society. This is of course idealistic and likely will not happen. However, a child should not be penalized for the economic situation they are born into. Some of the most brilliant minds of our time come from poverty. Likely there are many in poverty today that could make great contributions to our society. Should their voices be silenced simply because they do not have the means to develop as others would. We frequently hear in class of successful people who overcome their hardships and go on to achieve great things. Unfortunately these example are too often the exception to the rule. For every child that comes out of a lower income environment many more remain there because, while they have the desire and often the intelligence, they do not get that same "lucky break." Many work hard and do not succeed. Unfortunately as seen in this article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/19/AR2005081901579.html) there are forces that prevent this from happening. The tragic thing in this article is that the school districts are knowingly diverting money away from schools that need it despite laws against such actions.

I think the purpose of education is different for each child and both individually and structurally. I grew up in a working class community. Many of the aspects that Anyon discussed in her article apply to my school. Our learning was rote, copy the notes, take the test, move on to the next subject. It often gave us a feeling of just being given information more for the sake of moving us to the next grade than for actually learning. Many of the students in my school elected to not go to college. While this was given as an option there was a prevailing attitude that many of us would not go to college and would simply join the workforce. This is not to say that we were not given the option of college, it was simply expected that it may not be our first choice. I know many intelligent people who did not go to college, some of which are successful others who have fallen into the cycles of their families working class lives. It is unfortunate to me that those who have so much potential may not be achieving it simply because they were expected to follow in the tracks of those that went before them.

Unequal Resources

The class on Wednesday posed several good questions with many varied answers. I came into the discussion with a preconceived notion as to what unequal resources were. I think my first reaction was that it was the unbalance in schools of the necessary educational tools, books, computers, teachers, administration, etc. As we talked however I came to realize that while these are certainly part of what unequal resources are, they are only a small drop of what students are missing. I did not immediately think about Pre-K classes and the absence of such programs as an resource that children should at least have the right to. While for some Pre-K may not be a necessity, I do see it as a head start for those that do have access to it. In addition we had a rather lengthy discussion on the role and ability of families to participate in their child's education. Undoubtedly, every parent wants to see their child succeed. Unfortunately some are not able to participate in that as much as possible. My mother raised me and my three siblings by herself, while working two jobs. We were all involved in sports and other after school activities. While she made every effort to encourage and support us she had to depend on others to help us in many of our activities simply because she did not have the time. The situation is different for everyone, some parents are able to participate more, some are limited in that ability. It is these different situations that make things unequal. Some are able to overcome these inequalities while others struggle.

The final question asked what the solution is to this problem. As was said in class, acknowledgement is the first step. That acknowledgement must come from those who have the ability to make change. The working class are well aware of the differences, as we read in Kozol, even the children know there is something wrong. However, the people who have acknowledged there is a problem may not and likely do not have the power or the resources to make a change. Kozol points out the vast disparity in how much money is spent on the children in each district. He points out that public school funding in New York City per pupil is $11,700 while Manhasset's per student level is $22,000. While money is not the only solution it is an important part of any solution. I pointed out in class the example of Seattle spending 50 million dollars on a trolley system.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/09/19/seattle.train.ap/index.html#cnnSTCVideo (I suggest opening up the link in a new tab or window)

What I find most interesting is that while the news organizations pick up on the unfortunate acronym, they merely glance over the real problem of the government not putting funds were they are needed most, in low income areas. I do believe that investing in these communities needs to be a part of any solution. There needs to be a sense of pride instilled in these areas and belief that not only do they deserve better treatment, but should expect it as well. As Kerri-Ann pointed out however, simply putting money in these areas may lead to more affluent people moving in and the impoverished either moving or being forced out. So ultimately this would need to bring about the political part of politics in education for a solution. Whether this is placing regulations on who can have access to the areas or some other solution I am not sure. This of course brings us back to the need for those have the power to make these decisions to first acknowledge there is a problem and being willing to make a change for the better. I think this brings up the other problem with this news report in that they barely acknowledge the obvious debate as to where the money should go. While the media may not completely ignore the vast differences in now income areas and schools, they certainly do not go make it as obvious as perhaps they should. If there is to be political change it will only come with pressure. If the news organizations will only speak briefly about the disparity in our schools, then who will be the voice for people who often to not have one. Susan Eaton is a Journalist who has taken up this cause and is making an effort to expose the differences between the wealthy and the poor schools. In this audio clip from public radio, she discusses the causes as well as the political issues causing this problems. She has found that race and segregation is greatly connected to the resources that schools and students have. The audio is long, about 35 minutes, but if you have time, have a listen.

http://www.wnyc.org/flashpop.html?playlist=/stream/xspf/72594

Inclusion and Segregation

From my perspective inclusion of children with disabilities is essential to the growth of our children. The school should be there to both educate and help develop students. By assuring that children are introduced to peers that may not be the same as them, we can help them appreciate differences in people. I do believe that inclusion works for everyone. I have a younger brother with muscular dystrophy who was fully included in his school, despite becoming progressively worse through these formative years. He was fully accepted as a part of the school and was so involved with his peers that he was even included in the girls basketball yearbook picture his senior year. This shows the impact that someone who is different can have on those around them. These girls as well as others will grow up with an appreciation of the value of everyone simply because they had contact with someone like my brother. However, for my brother, inclusion was done properly. I think too often a child is thrown into a class and the class and teacher are not properly prepared. Here is a short video talking about how, when done right inclusion can be very beneficial to all:

What stood out most to me is the comment made by the principal Dr. Joe Petner that "Inclusion is an easy thing to do poorly." Teachers as well as those working individually with the student must have access to information that could help the student. I understand the desire to treat these children the same as others, but to not allow teachers to access to files and IEP's only does a disservice to the disabled child and by extension the other children in the class.

While we have a plan that integrates disabled students in school, we are still seeing segregation in our schools based on race and economics. I grew up in a rural community that was all white. It was, for the most part, a farming community that rarely saw vastly differing cultures. It was not until I graduated and moved away that I was exposed to different races and cultures. I think there are still communities all over that are quite similar to my hometown. We read in the introduction to Kozol that many of the schools he visited and taught were not racially diverse. It appears, even through my own experience, that while segregation is supposed to be a thing of the past, it is far from it. Laws may make schools and districts from intentionally segregating students, but these divides remain to this day. It is important that schools and communities, such as when mine when growing up, find away to introduce people of differing races and cultures to the students. We need to assure that, even if we attend a school that is segregated, that our children do not live in a box. Perhaps the only way to fix this problem is through amending the system, both politically and in through education. This means putting money where it is most needed, lower income communities. Like so many issues of today we must first acknowledge that there is still a problem and that it needs fixing. The following link takes you to an ABC clip from early summer that gives some interesting comments from people off the streets on segregation. We see how divided we are and the differing views that we all have on this issue. (There is a short commercial before the video starts, sorry about that)

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3027288

Whether we are discussing integration on the basis of disability or on race and culture there is a need to make every effort to avoid segregating any part of our population from each other. There is too much to be gained from the interaction between people, especially our youth.

Hardscrabble Childhood

For me the most disheartening part of the "Hardscrabble Childhood" video was how alone these children must feel. There appears to be little or no support system for them either at home or at school. As we saw, they are often abused or neglected, the schools seem to want to turn there back on them and the government creates a fear in them. We have ask how we as a society can help these children. I think the first step is assuring the safety of these children. Unfortunately, as we know the foster care system is full of problems of its own, however, despite its limitations there are still benefits for its use. I feel that removing a child from the home is always a last resort decision, but is necessary at times. The intention should always be to keep the family together.
I think the ultimate solution lies within the educational system. Not only for the children struggling with poverty, but the children who are not. Perhaps the way is through teaching compassion and empathy. This is of course not an easy step, but an important one. Teach the child to care now and as adults they may be more likely to want to make a change to the system. I think it is possible to help these children and their families now, but perhaps with education we can prevent poverty from escalating and in an "ideal world" eliminate it all together.
On an individual basis the schools need to and should be able to foster a safe environment for all children no matter what their economic status. Whether it is the individual teacher or the school system as a whole, each one should be committed to not only educating children, but helping them develop. This can be by simply reassuring the students or providing for necessities that they may be lacking at home in a compassionate and supportive way. It is tragic that society turns its back on these children and their families and it is societies responsibility to recognize the problem of poverty and find a solution.