What have I received from all of this

How do you summarize and very intense class into a blog entry. We learning so much about everything that you can expect to hear about regarding urban education, funding, safety, dropout rates, federal and state policy, presidential actions, history and I know there is so much more that I am not even remembering right at this moment. 

So what have I learned, what do I hope to accomplish....I know I want to work in an urban school am I scared yeah of course. I don't want to burn out or loose hope and I have no idea what to expert because no matter how you prepare with volunteer work, urban education classes, case studies, stories, books, and even student teaching nothing gets you in store expect for when its your time and your classroom. 

I do truly believe that we really do need to look in our own back yard in this country and fix some of the many things that are so wrong. An its unfortunate because the general public has no idea how much of education and its policies fall to the way side so quickly when budgets get screwed. Older generations have no trouble complaining about my generation and the ones after me yet how are we supposed to fix ourselves and our generation if we cant even offer the basic education everyone deserves? And I found similar things in my research...people find it very easy to complain but when it comes to getting things done it hardly happens. Finger pointing is easy, finding the problems is easy, and coming up with hypothetical situations to band aid things - easy, actual reform, policy and implementation - no so friggin easy! We need to help these at risk students now more than ever because the problem isn't getting better its getting worse and I really truly believe it has to do with knowledge. So many people within the system don't even know the resources available to them and the system itself is complety backwards and sends people into a cycle that makes any ones head spin. 

Something has to be done. I don't know how I am going to do it or what I even want to do in terms of the big picture right at this moment I do know that I will start in my classroom which I hope will be in an Abbott/Urban district. It really is all about choice and knowledge and as corny and cliche as this sounds knowledge is power and however I have to reach my kids I will find a way. I am totally terrified and sometimes get scared and wonder if I can do it because I have never done anything so important to myself and to other before now.....thanks for reading

The Green, continued (my new fascination)

So I have become fascinated and obsessed with Cabrini green while reading this book "Spectacular Things Happen Along the Way".

I have been researching anything and everything I can get my hand on, Documentaries on the history channel, book review, pictures, editorials, old news segments, and an amazingly large amount of video on YouTube. I know why am I surprised YouTube has anything and everything on it at all times. I am still succumbing to the fascination regarding that whole YouTube phenomenon. I must say, that the amount of independent video and snip-its of film are on there and I searched and watched for hours and I have to say I felt so many things on the spectrum of feelings I don't even know where to begin. 

I tried to upload a few of the videos on the blog however my attempts were not so successfull so I will provide the URLs at the end of this blog so if you are interested any of you can just click and watch. It is quite interesting.

I am going to see my father in Chicago next weekend and asked him if we could go to Cabrini Green, I don't know how he feels about that but I have shared the book with him and he seems somewhat intrigued. I havent been back there in years so I am curious to see what been done and what is left since demolition began a few years ago. Although they are only tearing down the large high rise buildings and leaving the row houses that were built during WWII (that I don't understand)

URLs:

Wikipedia Entry (some goof info)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabrini_Green,_Chicago

YouTube videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTgzKqBILpM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir-J-9DIR70

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlTfR74Xk2M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r28CzjWwx0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o80wKKJI6uc&feature=related

Cabrini Green

Above are pictures of the Cabrini Green area of downtown Chicago. Currently I am reading a book called "Spectacular Things Happen Along the Way" that is about students attending the Carr Academy in Cabrini Green. Writen by the teacher of room 405, he helps these students explore what it is they want to fix about their communities and their lives. It was this approach that the students becqame involved in making a change in addition to getting them excited about learning and doing school work. 

The title of the book is truly an indication of the great story within the pages. For a hopeful and inspirational story about the hope of young students and education please take a look at this book. you will love it.

School financing

So where to begin....all of this research I have been doing on school funding in suburban and urban school districts has lead me to think a lot of new things on policy and funding for schools. From what I have come to understand from materials I have read and lectures in class, all school funding that districts receive come from property taxes that are collected annually for properties in the towns both residential and commercial. When a district is poverty stricken many properties are abandoned therefore no taxes are collected on these properties since there are no owners. When businesses leave the people leave the areas they reside in and follow the jobs, therefore areas become slowly run down and one circumstance exacerbates another causing a catch 22. 

When districts in the state of New Jersey are classified as poverty stricken (more than 30 districts out of the 670) they receive more state and federal funding in order to compensate for the lack of revenue that property taxes would create. 

Since the case of Abbott v. Burke was brought before NJ Supreme Court in 1981 it has been appealed by the board of education and the state 18 times, with decisions in favor of Abbott every time, until now.  

So since the state has found a new formula that works to provide the funding needed for all districts what is going to happen when the funding comes up short. 

Is there a way to create a new policy that funds schools taking money from more areas than only property taxes?

A new devlopment in Abbott school districts

I have been out of the loop this last week busy with the usual life responsibilities and in the news last week was something quite big in the education world. Really long story short, the NJ Supreme Court made a new ruling in the precedental case of Abbott v. Burke. It was overturned. For those of you reading this who are not familiar with this court case let me spare you the long story and endless internet research and summarize it for you.

In short the case was originally brought before the NJ Courts in 1981 in response to lack of equal funding distribution between poor school districts and wealthy school districts. In response to the court case (which has had 18 additional proceedings/arguments in front of the state Supreme Court) the NJBOE was found "guilty" of not addressing this issue which goes against the states constitution entitling all children to a thorough and equal education. 

This new decision is not good in the least. The Governor of NJ claims to have been working with the NJBOE (New Jersey Board of Education) and consultants since 2006 to develop a more effective and financially responsible school funding budget formula. This case has caused great movements in the education world for almost 30 years and provided a stepping stone for other states and school districts to fight for the right of their students who have been and are currently still in similar circumstances with their own school districts. This case was used as precedent for other states to make the same arguments in their own cases against boards of education. Basically the funding fomrula has changed dramtically. I have been reading the Formula for Success: All Children All Communities (the title if this new formula budget formula. Apparently new research shows that 49% of all students come from low income families do not live in these designated Abbott districts. So, in response to the ever growing needs of students and updating schools and unpredictable budget objectives for each district,  the state decided to find a more equitable way to distribute the funds evenly among all districts. However, this is still harmful to those 51% living in the Abbott districts. Funding is being cut dramatically and the revenue from city and town property taxes will not cover the gaps.  I haven't read the entire document and maybe things will be worked out. The state is required to provide continuing information to the Courts in order to justify this drastic change in this policy for the next 3 years. But will the damage be so great from the next 3 years that all the progress made with these school districts in the last 10 years could be lost? Maybe that statement is too dramatic, maybe it will work. I hope!

Please visit the links below regarding this new development in Abbott District funding:

http://edlawcenter.org/ELCPublic/elcnews_090608_TractenbergOpEd.htm

Above is the link to editorial response of one of the founders of the Education Law Center, which was one of the pioneers in the case brought against the New Jersey board of Education

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/nyregion/new-jersey/15abbottnj.html?scp=3&sq=Abbott%20New%20Jersey&st=cs

The above link direct you to the NYTimes response to the states revisit to the Abbott court case.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/education/29abbott.html?scp=5&sq=Abbott%20New%20Jersey&st=cse

This link is from last weeks paper after the decision in the new court ruling was made. 

Has culture shaped my identity as a teacher

In the Merriam Webster dictionary one of the definitions for culture is:

• The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations
  
• The customary beliefs , social forms, and material traits of racial, religious, or social group; also: the characteristics features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time i.e. popular culture; southern culture
• The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization
• The set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity or societal characteristic
  

I want to focus on the second definition given. 

I want to pref ice my blog with saying that this is yet another aspect of life that I never really examined and its relationship to how a teacher conducts him or herself in education students.

As we all know how we are raised helps to build the foundation of our beliefs as we grow up. Eventually, as we all grow older, we build our own beliefs and ideas from life experiences. 

How was I raised? What values were instilled in me? Did my family value education and hard work? Did religion play a factor in my upbringing? School, family gatherings, holidays, friends, where I went to school, the television I watched and the books I read....it all played a part in the formation of who I was and have become in my life. 

I grew up most of my life in northern New Jersey attending private schools in my elementary and junior high years. I remember my school was full of children from affluent families composed primarily of white children. there was only one African American boy in my grade and one Indian girl. I was never exposed to anything non-traditional or outside of the box. My teachers were are older females who remained at this same school for more than a decade and were probably educators longer than that. Their lesson plans and teaching styles were stale and tedious. Few interesting things happened when we were learning in school. The traditional read from your text book & answer the questions at the end of the chapter routine with much busy work during the day, nothing really interesting...maybe that is why my memories of elementary school are few and far between. 

The truth is that I feel like I didn't have much culture at all growing up and that the culture I have now came through the experiences I have had as I have gotten older and made my own explorations and inquiries into anything that strikes my fancy.  I know that I am deciding my own religion as I go along reading about many and keeping my mind open. I know that I am always doing my best to be open to the lives and cultures of others because it can add to our own experiences and thoughts. I do think my culture is still being formed as I grow and move into this next chapter of my life. I believe that I will learn a lot from my students over the next few years and take bits and pieces of their cultures along with me. Maybe the reason I have never defined myself as belonging or participating in a certain culture is due to the fact that all along I have been creating my own. Something to think about.

Standardized Testing and the Bush Family

in class Rebbecca was discussing how the bush family has been on the board of directors from the McHill publishing company which is one of the creators and distributors out of the 4 existing companies to develop standardized tests that are now a requirement of the no child left behind act which was signed into law under the first year of the bush presidency. i am sorry but isn't that coincidental. i am not one for conspiracy theories yet i will be open to listening to the ideas of others as i should be yet it just seems like more and more inept unqualified people step into positions of power and on so many occasions hidden agendas are in their back pockets.

Being a teacher, what is in store?

When I started towards my degree in teaching I had a certain goal in mind. I thought I wanted to teach in a suburban school with enough money and resources so I could provide the best experience for my students creating an environment bursting with creativity, fun and exploration. Throughout this last year my goals have changed, and mostly within the class I am currently taking right now. 

Most of my life I have been known as the bleeding heart, the woman full of hope and love and somehow managing to find good in almost anything or anyone. Yes I know this is a naive perspective to have in life, especially as the world is changing and becoming more corrupt as time goes on. However, I must admit that I think having beliefs and thoughts such as these will help me in being the best educator I can be. Someone who will always work harder, try longer and do my best to never give up. And that I believe, to be characteristics of people who can really make change in the world. Isn't this the time of change? What was it the Ghandi once said..."be the change you want to see in the world". I am not putting myself on a pedestal either, so let me step down from my soap box and come back from my tangent. 

I have always known that I have wanted to make a difference in the world, even if it was small. But the more I learn, the more change I want to make. Not only do I want to work in an Abbott district but I want to make a difference in that district for those students. I am not quite sure how to go about any of this yet and hope that more will become clear once I am in the classroom. I want to do more than get my Masters degree now. I am not sure where I will end up or where to begin or what to do at this point. I will find out more as I continue towards the completion of my degree. I just have so many questions and things I want to understand and I am not sure where to go with all of this inquiry yet....

Some reading material....

I have been researching many articles and various sources in order to find research information on the group inquiry project I am currently working on. The question we are looking at the Issue of Urban School Funding and its effects on all parts of education. Some of the material I have been reading is about whole school reform, urban school funding and problem solving. The following is annotated bibliography on a few sources I have read.

Breaking Ground: Rebuilding New Jersey’s Urban Schools

Article begins with background discussion on NJ Supreme Court Ruling in the case of Abbott v. Burke. The court ruled that the state was required to provide adequate and sound curriculum to school districts school facilities afflicted with poverty.  In 1997 the Court ruled that a complete assessment of Abbott school facilities was to be conducted by the New Jersey Board of Education. The results of these assessments were accepted by the NJ Supreme Courts.  The state was obligated to provide proper management and financial assistance to these districts.  The formation of the Abbott School Construction Programs was born. This article continues to discuss program assessments and implementations that will begin the repair of the New Jersey Abbott Districts. The article also includes challenges that these districts still face in addition to new ideas and plans for the future of the Abbott School Construction Program.

 

School Finance: Raising Questions for Urban Schools

This article is broken up into three sections addressing some of the many issues related to the financing of urban schools districts. The first section of the article focuses on the history of education financing in the United States and how the money is spent within an urban school district. Section two discusses the structures of funding and the creation and use of policies for school districts. In the final section, the article addresses the idea of “decentralization”, school site based budgets, charter schools and the voucher system. The author ends with a final discussion of school budget restructuring and how the outcomes of student performance can be affected in a positive or negative manner.

 

Whole School Reform from the Inside

Written from the perspective of a Superintendent of an urban school district this article address the criticisms of authors who choose to attack and question the efficacy of reform in located in these districts (Note: many authors who criticize this reform are not educators from poverty stricken school districts). Trenton and the state of New Jersey are used as a case study example in this article boasting to be the only state with a “large scale trial” of whole school reform.  Developers of models for school reform are brought in to the city of Trenton to assist in the choice and implementation of new reforms. As an example, the article mentions the model “Success for All” which is a performance driven review process that adjusts instruction based on student performance in order to meet the ever changing needs its students. Other issues addressed in the article include, problems with whole school reform, challenges of new school models, adequate funding for reform implementation and teacher-principal-administrator relationships within this new reform.

  

When the help is not there

Something got me thinking today...

When young students don't have help from their teachers how does it make them feel?

As we all learn, whether it is in first grade or our senior year of college we encounter situations academic and personal. So what do we do when there is no help for us? I have seen many instances where students have needed help from their professors and teachers but the help was not there. 

What are we supposed to do? I understand that all people have their own situations that need attention which can draw it away from other areas. However, do teachers ever think how their actions effect their students?

From my own personal experiences I have found myself to be less passionate about schoolwork or the class where I had to work with a teacher who seemed less than interested. I recall feeling like my work didn't matter. If a young students request for help is not answered by their teacher do they feel like their work in the class doesn't matter? Does the student loose interest in the subject matter? Do they stop caring?

I think so many people often forget that their students really do need them. Not for information and the day to day goings on in the classroom but for things the students don't understand or problems they may be having at home. It is so incredibly important for teachers to be there in all ways for their students because sometimes they really do need us and sometimes they may feel like their teacher is the only person that believes in them.

Charity

I began to think about the economic state and how much this "recession" is trickling down to the school system. Budget cuts everywhere you look and only a few short months ago a mayor having to threaten the jobs of 13000+ teachers in order to make things "work" in his city. How are we going to fix this? I understand that as society is today there are more than basic essentials needed to live like shelter, food and clothing. We have to worry about power, gas, stocks, bonds, bailouts and bankruptcies. 

Not too long ago I saw a street fair/charity event taking place for a private music school on the lower east side of New York City. The school needed money because of lack of donations from alumni students and parents of students. The economic status has gotten to a point where once affluent people can't afford to share their wealth with those less fortunate. But when the affluent need more money to "take care" and maintain the lifestyles of private schooling for their children.....it makes one think.

What is really going on in the public school system that has not been shown to the public? How bad is the economic state of public schooling behind closed doors? 

Do we need something radical?

In class, we are currently reading "Radical Possibilities" by Jean Anyon which I highly recommend all of you to read if you get a chance. 

Throghout the book, the author poses questions to the readers about education and federal policies and possibiies of reform. So far in what I have read in this book a few questions and statements have caught my eye. Let me share a few of them with you....

Can education be used as a remedy for poverty and low wage work?

Or must we change federal policies in order to solve the probelm?

Its interesting, prior to this I have always made the statement/assumption that education was the key to getting out of poverty and improving ones own life. Have I been mistaken in these thoughts?

The author continues to explain that yes, education is a factor in determining ones future income however it is not as key as a role as we all might think. Gender plays a larger role than education. The author provides an example quite surprising.....Women who have a post bac degree still earn less than men who only have a bachelors degree!!

I didn't think we were still in a place such as this! For what reason does there still need to be gender discrimination. There is enough discrimination based on socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, religious choices, cultural backgrounds and education....when is it all going to stop?

When is enough going to be enough? Are humans meant to exhaust every possible discrimination until there is nothing left? Isn't part of discrimination based on identifying differences and somehow managing to find way to prey on the weak. So if discrimination was to end does that mean everyone would have to be exactly the same in order to stop the problem?

I'm honestly a bit frustrated at this time and don't know how I feel about all of this right now. 

Have a little faith...and Ivan Stevens

I just finished watching segments from a documentary Diane Sawyer did on the children of Camden, NJ. I am not sure how to explain how I feel right now. I have so much to say in response to the things I watched and yet, simultaneously, I am speechless. I have lived in NJ most of my life and in all my time here I have known of Camden and driven through Camden and I also had no idea.......I had no idea that statistically it is the most dangerous city in the United States. Nor did I know that one third of teenagers were arrested last year in Camden. Thirty drug busts in 3 hours in one town. And only a few short ten miles away is the suburb of Cherry Hill, the second most affluent zip code in the state of New Jersey. As much as I try to wrap my head around those few details...I struggle and I pray

To be continued.....

The beginning??

In all those movies and television shows the teachers got through to the students, helped improve their lives and the movie ends with the feeling with hope.......maybe. Everything I ever watched as a child and adolescent always left me wanting for the “ultimate" learning experience or perfect group of friends because everything ended with happy moments and no one was ever let down. Who didn't want that? How interesting it is when we sit to analyze our thoughts on things as trivial as movies and end up discovering our unconscious misconceptions. I always thought things would end "happy", everyone’s problems were solved and students did go on to graduate from high school. The teacher was always successful. Everyone is supposed to persevere, right? The more I learn and educate myself, the more the stark reality sinks in that not everyone graduates and unfortunate things do happen. 

With that being said, how do we change things? Where do we begin?

Is the system really set up to make our students fail.....

Well, I just left the most interesting class discussion. Pink Floyd, Dead Prez, Urban Schools. I honestly never thought of the education system was set up to fail. Why would anyone want a child to fail? Aren't we supposed to help them succeed? Isnt that what we are all taught since day one as brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers....teachers?? Perhaps I have looked through the rose colored glasses for too long, but is that a bad thing? I am honestly not sure and hope to figure out some answers to all of these questions. I will say that I always thought that if any person made the choice to succeed at something, they would. And maybe in my own way movies such as Dangerous Minds and Lean on Me, Stand and Deliver have left me thinking that it will always work out. If the teacher cares enough and tries every avenue possible, the students will have that "moment" where the desire has been ignited, the light has been turned on, they will get "it" and never want to look back. Yet as I sit and reflect on these oh so romantic thoughts of education I suddenly realize that they are just that, romantic. And lets all admit there is nothing wrong with a little romance but I think maybe its time to take off my glasses and look at the education system before us. I can admit that I have not done this before.  Maybe out of fear of loosing my desire, my hope, my persistence to reach even just one mind?? But isn't that what its all about? If you can reach just one, isn't it worth it.....