Blog Archive for The Friday Five

Five links that made us think this week.

A new Federal study reveals that students across the nation are struggling to increase their vocabulary skills. The study analyzed responses to a question in the new Common Core Standards test and found that only 51% of fourth graders test-takers were able to define the word “puzzled.”  Research shows that “low-income children tend to have far smaller vocabularies than their middle-class peers, a deficit that dooms many to an inferior education before it even begins.” Reading remains one of the most powerful ways to reverse the trend.

On that note, a New York Times article probes whether the types of books students read also matter. According to research conducted by The Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education, just over 3 percent of children’s books published in 2011 were written by or about Latinos. This is a troubling disparity when you consider that 1 in 4 public elementary students are Hispanic. According to education experts, “the lack of familiar images could be an obstacle as young readers work to build stamina and deepen their understanding of story elements like character motivation.”

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eric J. Cutright via WikiCommons

The new education commissioner in Austin, Texas—Michael Williams—is implementing a new school rating system that will focus on rating schools across four indicators rather than rating them based solely on students' performance on standardized tests. According to Williams, this will be a more effective measure of schools' “progress in closing the gap for minority and economically disadvantaged students.” It’s interesting, in my opinion, that in a state that is “60 percent black and brown,” Williams is still classifying African Americans and Hispanics as minorities.

Virginia’s State Board of Education has joined Florida in implementing controversial race-based standards and goals in its schools. In math, for example, the board “set an acceptable passing rate at 82 percent for Asian students, 68 percent for whites, 52 percent for Latinos, 45 percent for blacks and 33 percent for kids with disabilities.” The news was received with a firestorm of criticism and its proponents are being accused of lowering expectations and going “back to the era of segregation and Jim Crow.” Many critics of the new policy, including the research group Education Trust, assert that this will only serve to deepen the achievement gap between white and minority groups.

Photo by The US National Archives via WikiCommons 

Five links that made us think this week:

“Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind.” 

Gandhi’s famous words inspired 15-year-old sophomore Maisie Kate Millers to start a non-violent movement to tame a bully. Recently bullied by a classmate for wearing her hair in pigtails, Maisie took her campaign to Facebook, naming her protest “Pigtails for Peace.” She received huge outpourings of support from hundreds of students, most of whom didn’t know her. The next day at school hundreds of “girls, boys, a dog, and at least one teacher” showed up with their hair in pigtails. Maisie Kate’s bully without a doubt learned her lesson—she was a no-show at school the day of the protest.  

Five links that made us think this week:

President Obama and Governor Romney have finally put education front and center. Both candidates for the Presidency took their thoughts on higher-ed reform to Time Magazine. I wonder if this adorable video is what inspired them to get the education conversation going?

President Obama provides examples of how his plan has already helped many people across the country attend college, providing ”nearly 4 million more young people scholarships to help them afford their degree. “ If re-elected in November the President promises to work with colleges and universities to cut tuition growth in half and give 2 million workers the resources they need to build their skills at local community colleges.

Governor Romney says we need “to adapt, to compete, to innovate,” and promises he will “work with Congress to achieve fundamental education reform that gives every student the opportunity to succeed.” He also talks about the need to increase college completion rates and reduce financial aid debt. If elected in November, Romney pledges to “provide the leadership we need to meet this crisis head-on.” 

Photo by Muns via WikiCommons.