Apt poems by Hughes

Let America Be America Again

I, Too, Sing America

by Langston Hughes

The McEducation of the Negro By Natalie Hopkinson

The McEducation of the Negro
By Natalie Hopkinson 

Poor Teaching for Poor Children … in the Name of Reform By Alfie Kohn

Poor Teaching for Poor Children …in the Name of Reform

By Alfie Kohn

"Not only is the teaching scripted, with students required to answer fact-based questions on command, but a system of almost militaristic behavior control is common, with public humiliation for noncompliance and an array of rewards for obedience that calls to mind the token economy programs developed in prisons and psychiatric hospitals….One [study] found that black children are much more likely than white children to be taught with workbooks or worksheets on a daily basis.  The other revealed a racial disparity in how computers are used for instruction, with African Americans mostly getting drill and practice exercises (which, the study also found, are associated with poorer results)."

 

Test scores? Look at the child's home

New study from Florida reveals--again--that out-of-school factors strongest when looking at education outcomes:

"Researchers discovered the groups’ socio-economic level corresponded with their group ranking on FCAT scores. The most affluent lifestyle group registered the highest FCAT scores, the second richest group ranked second in test scores, and so on. On the math tests, the gap between the highest and lowest scoring lifestyle groups was more than two grade levels."

[But someone needs to inform the journalists that poverty is not a "lifestyle."]

New piece at truthout

New piece at truthout: "Why Advocacy and Market Forces Fail Education Reform Why advocacy and market forces fail education reform Why Advocacy and Market Forces Fa..."

Privilege: How Society’s Elite Are Made

Privilege: How Society’s Elite Are Made

Meritocracy Myth v. the Advantages of Privilege (A...

Meritocracy Myth v. the Advantages of Privilege (A...: "Meritocracy Myth v. the Advantages of Privilege (A Tale of Hubris)"