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October 31, 2006

Scores and Parents, pt 2.

Yesterday's entry ended with this basic argument:

1. Meaningful parental involvment is necessary for students to succeed in school.
2. There are some parents who are not involved in their children's education.
2.a. Short of extreme state-sponsored coersive methods, those parents cannot be forced into involvement.
3. Our democratic principles require us to give children a fair shot at success. Children whose parents are not involved do not get that fair shot and it's not their fault that they don't get that fair shot.

Now for the new part (conclusion):

4. Some sort of compensatory mechanism needs to be put into place to give students whose parents are not involved extra help to assure they have the chance to do well in school and, thus, get a fair shot at out-of-school success.

What this argument is supposed to do is counter those people, like lots of the commentors in Tomlinson's blog, who say "It's the parent's fault!" That may very well be true. But what mechanisms can the state take to rectify the situation? It cannot force the parents to be involved. It can't make them discipline their children appropriately. It cannot make parents care about school. Those things are beyond the authority of the state. The primary mechanisms available are compensatory mechanisms. These are mechanisms that seek to give the children whose parents are not involved extra assistance in various forms -- before and after school care and tutoring, free and reduced lunch, extra help during the school day, etc.

Who ought to provide these mechanisms? The school (as an agent of the state) already tries to provide some of them and serves as the primary vehicile for these mechanisms. It's been doing that, to some degree, for most of the 20th Century, but especially since the 1960's. I think it should continue to serve as the primary mechanism for two reasons. One, as a compulsory agent, it gathers all these students together in the same place. Students have to go to schools, so schools seem a reasonable place to provide these mechanisms. Second, the democratic state needs an educated populace in order to function, so the state is perpetuating itself and the ideals on which it is based by assuring all students, regardless of the accidents of parentage, are educated.

The school/state need not be the only mechanism, however. In fact, it probably cannot do the job on it's own. As a state instituion, it is not overly local in focus, nor is it espeically personal or flexible. Other community agencies need to assist in the compensatory mechanisms necessitated by parental neglect. Churches, community organizations, and others must assist schools in helping those chidlren whose parents are not involved in the education of their child. Their rationale would likely be the same as that of the state: our democratic ideals of fairness and comminity require us to help those who, through no fault of their own, are placed at an educational, democratic, and economic disadvantage. This is happening in Charlotte and elsewhere, according to this article.

What I've tried to do in these two entries is develop an argument that shows why claiming "it's the parent's fault" when scores drop or school conditions are unacceptable. The claim may be true, but assigning blame to parents in no way solves the problem. Parents who are neglectful of their children's education place those children at a disadvantage. Those children cannot be left in that postion because they did nothing themselves to end up there. It's up to schools, with the help of other community organizations, to make sure they don't stay there.

Posted by Nakia at 07:51 AM | Comments (0)

October 30, 2006

Scores and Parents

Recently, CMS schools' scores on state math exams plummeted, due to a revamped, tougher exam. (See this article in the Charlotte Observer.) Crtics had long said the test was too easy, which artificially inflated gains on the exams during the 1990's. Once a new, tougher exam was put into place, scores went down. Not surprisingly, the largest drop in scores came from poor and minority students.

Tommy Tomlinson's column says the new scores should spark a sense of outrage that should be equally shared by various parties. That outrage should be inwardly directed ("I have not done enough") as it should be directed outward.

I don't particularly like Tomlinson's column; I think it's bad commentary and poor rhetoric. I think he's generally right -- that the failure of these students is a communal failure. After all, it's not as if a few bad apples are scoring poorly. It's systemic. More about that in a second.

What really irks me, though, are the comments to Tomlinson. There are a few that are just juvenile and dumb -- "eat less barbeque, you liberal freak". There's a lingering racist element to a lot of the comments; the failure of black students is to be expected because they don't have the necessary character and intelligence to do well. What stand out is the focus on parental responsibility. The argument is that the failure of these students is because they live in an home that does not value education, that tolerates disrespectful behavior, and generally does not care about school. Again, there are racial overtones to these comments.

Parental involvment matters. A lot. But what are schools supposed to do if it is not forthcoming? Many parents can't or won't be involved in the education of their children. Given that premise, what is to be done? Ruling out drastic legal action against parents -- like ticketing or fining parents who don't come to parent-teacher conferences, what can we do? One option is to just say "too bad" and consign certain children to failure. But that's unacceptable. Our democratic principles, even our misguided meritocratic ones, say we can't do that. It's not the 8 year old's fault his parents don't care about education.

Given those premises, some sort of institutional or communal response would be necessary. More on that later, since I have to go teach now.

Posted by Nakia at 02:52 PM | Comments (0)

October 26, 2006

Lost: 25 October: "Did you make art?"

Our Lost watching rotation continues, as last night we went over to James' to watch the show with him and Lisa. Sarah had to drag me off the couch to do so (it's been a long week), but I am glad we went. This season feels a little different to me so far. Maybe it is the separation of the castaways, maybe it's the fact that some of the mystery of the Others is being revealed. I think there is less supernatural mystery and more human drama and conflict. That's not a bad thing, just a little different.

1. Hurley, again, gets off a great line: "Did you make art?" I thought that was hysterical.

2. So, Desmund can see into the future. That could come in handy.

3. I really enjoyed Sawyer's flashback. Nice paralell to his current situation. I couldn't remember if we had seen any the people in the flashback before, except for Sawyer's visitor. I also like it that Sawyer is so well read.

4. The two island thing explains a lot but leaves a lot unanswered. There was mention of a "sub", which would explain how the Others get around so quickly and quietly (like to capture the sailboat). Which island do the Others live on? How did Ethan and the other guy get to the crash sites so quickly if they lived on another island?

5. Is the whole thing a plot to get Jack (a world reknowed spinal surgeon) to opperate on Ben/Henry? When I mean the whole thing, I mean getting Jack on the plane and crashing the plane? That seems a bit chancy. Or is it "just coincidence" that this great spinal surgeon happened to crash on a lost island run by crazy people whose leader has a spinal tumor?

Only two more episodes in this first arc and I'll miss next week because I'll be traveling. ARGGH!

Posted by Nakia at 08:13 AM | Comments (3)

October 23, 2006

Fort Mill is growing, but how are they going to pay for it?

Fort Mill is the fastest growing school district in the state. All those new kids means a need for more schools and infrastructure.

This article in the Herald discusses two options available to finance all this new construction -- the standard bond referendum or an Installment Purchase Plan.

Honestly, I am not up to snuff on the ins and outs of either, but one thing I don't see discussed are impact fees for all those news houses they keep putting up in Fort Mill. New houses need new sidewalks, water lines, stoplights, and schools. One way to pay for all that is to charge builders (most of which in Fort Mill are developers) a set fee for each new house they put up, with that money going to infrastructure improvements. Critics (i.e. developers) say this will drive up the cost of housing and discourage growth. But the alternative seems to be raising fees or property taxes for everyone. Is it fair that someone who has lived in the area for years has to subsidize the new streets and schools that have to be built because of these new developments?

Posted by Nakia at 02:29 PM | Comments (0)

October 19, 2006

A Day In The Airport

I am resting in my room in the Union Square Mariott, just outside of Cincinnati. I am here for the National Network for Educaional Renewal conference. Lisa Johnson and I present a paper on technology, democracy, and education on Saturday. Unfortunately, we spent all day in the Charlotte airport. Our 9:20 AM flight was pushed back, then canceled. We were reassigned to a 2:30 flight, which was pushed back, then pushed back again. We finally left about 4:45, arriving here at 6:30 or so. A shuttle to our hotel would have been $60.00, so Lisa and I rented a car instead. We got a PT Cruiser, so that was pretty cool.

Posted by Nakia at 09:49 PM | Comments (0)

October 17, 2006

Top Ten No Sympathy Lines

I just discovered this today, so I haven't had time to digest it all quite yet. Admittedly, it does ring true, even if it is a little snarky.

Top Ten No Sympathy Lines from Students

(and I know that's three posts today, which means I spent too much time blogging)

Posted by Nakia at 02:58 PM | Comments (0)

Sarah's first listing

As most of you know, my wife Sarah is a realtor. We has cause to celebrate last week as she got her first listing! If anyone knows anyone who is looking for a house in Fort Mill, South Carolina, tell them to get in touch.

The listing can be seen here.

Posted by Nakia at 01:52 PM | Comments (0)

Friday Night Lights/Explosions in the Sky

Last Friday, Sarah and I watched Friday Night Lights, the film based on the popular book about high school football in West Texas. We liked the movie, even if the DVD kept screwing up. Although the impact of the well done Friday night lights was lessened by the fact that I had seen Varsity Blues. I kept expecting one of those guys to say "I don't want your life!". Anyway, the movie was about what you'd expect and good for that.

I really enjoyed the soundtrack to the film, which was done by an Austin-based band called Explosions in the Sky. I'd describe them as instrumental, angular, emotional indie-rock. Very good stuff.

Posted by Nakia at 01:43 PM | Comments (1)

October 16, 2006

A Big Announcement

No beating around the bush:

Sarah is pregnant! I'm going to be a father!

We've known for some time, of course, and have told a bunch of folks already. But last Tuesday I went with Sarah to her second doctor's appointment and heard the heartbeat. It made it all very concrete. We're very, very excited. Sarah's had a great pregnancy so far, with no morning sickness and only a little fatigue. She's been excercising and eating well; I'm very proud of her! The baby is due in April, so we'll spend the next few months enjoying the pregnancy and our last gasp of non-parenthood while preparing for our new arrivial.

We'll keep everyone posted via the blog, of course. Yeah us!

Posted by Nakia at 11:27 AM | Comments (6)

October 12, 2006

Lost -- October 11th

James and Lisa are becoming our Lost buddies. They came over last night to watch episode #2 of this season.

I like the expading circles method this season seems to be going with. First we get Jack, Kate, and Sawyer. Next week get those three plus Sun, Jin, and Sayid. Looks like next week we get the hatch folks (pretty much everyone else). Although I am not sure if I saw Hurley in the preview for next week. Poor bastard is trecking it over the island by himself.

1. It's highly likely Jin is not the father of Sun's baby, given his infertility and her affair with her English teacher.

2. Sun is not really a nice person in certain ways. She's a good liar and does so frequently. She's not afraid to shoot somebody. That Sun's not nice was reinforced by blonde lady in the boat. Sun's not wanted by the others, who only take good people. Or something like that.

3. Kate is beginning to annoy me. I am tired of the whole "Kate screws up our plan against the Others by getting held at gunpoint" angle. That's happened three times now? At least she seems like she knows she keeps screwing up.

4. Sawyer was great. The "Cool Hand Luke" references were nice, as was his kiss and taking out those Others.

5. Gotta love incredulous references to the Red Sox and the World Series.

6. Will Jack break?

7. Juliet is intriguing. What's up with her?

8. The Others have contact with the outside world. This suggests they want to be on the island. From last episode we learned they didn't know the plane was gonna crash or cause it to crash, but were quickly able to mobilize to take advantage of it. After doing so, they began to learn all the stuff about the survivors -- details about Jack's wife, Sawyer's real name, etc. Their ultimate purposes are still a mystery.

Lost Wiki

Posted by Nakia at 02:07 PM | Comments (2)

October 11, 2006

John Dewey: Progressive Man of Action!

I thought this activity was pretty clever. My students were okay with it. What surprised me was only 15% or so had actually seen the movie Pulp Fiction.

Download filePulp History Activity

Posted by Nakia at 05:04 PM | Comments (3)

October 10, 2006

No SC school district lives up to standards

No SC school district met its AYP goals, according to this article in the Sun News. A bit depressing, yes, but given SC has some of the toughest standards and tests in the nation, it's not surprising. Clearly, things need to improve, not just in terms of meeting standards, but in terms of thinking about standards, what they mean, and how we use them.

And, the gentleman dressed up in the article's photo was my 9th grade history teacher at Conway High. His name is Russ D'Arienzo, but we called him Mr. D. He's a great teacher.

Posted by Nakia at 08:23 AM | Comments (3)

October 09, 2006

Again, it's Dr. Geek

A few weeks ago, I posted about how I was interviewed by the Johnsonian for an article about D&D. The article ran last week and can be found here.

Posted by Nakia at 09:07 AM | Comments (7)

October 05, 2006

Lost -- October 4th

Hooray for more Lost! We watched it last night over at James' place with James and Lisa. James had hooked up an LCD projector, so we got to watch it in big screen. Very cool, but it made me realize how crappy our analog cable signals are. Ugh.

Spoliers within.

1. Very cool to see the Other's village and their super-keen preparatory powers to jump all over the plane when it went down. I also liked the book group set up, with the one guy complaining about the literalness of the book, how it was without metaphor, etc. Seems like the writers of Lost were taking a little swipe at some critics and fans who try to over-metaphorize the show.

2. I wonder what Stephen King book they were reading.

3. I liked the Jack flashback. His relationship with his dad is so messed up, which is why its so believable. Dad constantly criticizes Jack, leading him to become a kick-ass surgeon who is also obsessive (you probably have to be to be a kick-ass surgeon). This obsessiveness leads to Jack's failed marriage and Jack assuming his dad is the cause of it. That assumption and conflcit looks like is drives Jack's dad back to drinking, which leads to Jack getting him fired, which leads to the dad in Australia drinking himself to death.

4. Ben/Henry gale is one scary dude. Is there conflict between him and Juliet?

5. What they hell are they doing to Kate? Maybe I don't want to know.

6. Sawyer in the (polar?) bear cage was great. "it only took the bears two hours." Nice.

7. Who the hell was that other guy who escaped and let Sawyer free? Why was he locked up?

8. This Juliet figure intriges me. Evil or not? Messing with Jack's head -- probably.

Posted by Nakia at 11:39 AM | Comments (0)

October 04, 2006

Baseball, ethics, and Lost

I'm about halfway finished with the book review that's due next week. It's on a text titled Ethics and the Foundations of Education, which argues for a postmodern, autobiographical approach to teaching ethics. There is some good stuff in there, but the approach frustrates me a little. The book makes some assumptions and is sloppy in places. More as I finish the review.

As I was at the gym yesterday, I caught the beginning of the Twins/A's game while on the eliptical. I love playoff baseball, even though the Red Sox tanked this year and the Yankees look poised to win it all. I am pulling for Detroit, but if they can't beat the Yankees I may have to hope the Dodgers win it all.

And Lost starts tonight. Whoo-Hoo!

Posted by Nakia at 03:11 PM | Comments (0)

October 03, 2006

A cool feature from Northwest Airlines

I just booked my flight to Spokane for AESA using Northwest's web site (And couldn't help singing "Straight Outa Compton" while I did). A cool feature that they offer -- after you've made your reservation you can download your flight info straight into Outlook or Google Calendar. A small but very handy and cool thing. I got a flight to Spokane for $426, which was pretty good, I thought. I fly through Minneapolis, which is a nice airport.

Posted by Nakia at 09:52 AM | Comments (2)

October 02, 2006

Where I've been

I have seriously neglected the blog lately, to the extent folks have been leaving random comments under random posts just to communicate. This week I'm getting back on the ball. Here's what I've got going on:

SAPES conference in Durham this Friday and Saturday. I've already written the paper.

A book review due to a journal October 11th. Still reading the book!!

NNER in Cincinnati October 18th-21st. I'm collaborating with Lisa Johnson on a paper about technology, community, and democratic education. Paper is still in progress.

AESA in Spokane, WA November 1-5. This paper will be very similar to the one I'm working with Lisa on, but a little more related to the on-line course development I did last summer. I was hoping to do an alternative presentation, where I could show off the blog and some of the other development work I did, but got lumped into a traditional paper session. Most of this work is already done, I just have to complile it in traditional paper form. I still have to make my travel arrangements, though.

So I am really busy, but I'll keep on bloggin.

Posted by Nakia at 03:00 PM | Comments (2)