Saturday, February 15, 2014
Web Resources, continued
In reviewing the website for the National Black Child Development institute, I came across even more information than last week, shared below.
A link under the resources page leads to a report entitled “National Summit on Educational Excellence and Opportunity for African American Males” written jointly by the U.S. Dept. of Education and the Council of the Great City Schools. The report takes on the issue of the failure of urban schools in addressing the needs of the African American male demographic. Discussed in the report specifically are “steps that schools and others should take to increase African American male access to rigorous core instruction, elevate the quality of education, strengthen personal and social supports needed to bolster their achievement, and overturn the low
expectations that were born of one group’s misbegotten sense of superiority over another.” (Council of the Great City Schools, pg 1)
On the Events page information is detailed regarding the 44th annual NBCDI conference in Detroit, MI during October of 2014 with the theme of "Bright Past, Better Future.” Looking at the agenda for last years conference, attendees can expect to see workshops along the lines of Closing the Wealth Gap: Building Individual and Community Assets and Social Emotional Development Through A Cultural Lens: Pre-School to Third Grade.
I am looking forward to receiving a newsletter that may have more information about the upcoming conference.
While researching the issues of equity in education I came across data that illustrates the significant gap in spending allocated to white vs. Black schools. The data showed “that schools with 90 percent or more students of color spend a full $733less per student per year than schools with 90 percent or more white students.” (Spatig-Amerikaner, pg. 5) If the gap in funding was closed the funds could be utilized to “pay the salary for 12additional first-year teachers or nine veteran teachers. Alternatively, this funding could pay for any number of other useful personnel or resources such as school counselors, teacher coaches, or laptop computers.” (Spatig-Amerikaner, pg. 7 )
Another phenomena resource I came across while perusing this website was www.firstbook.org. This is a link to a non for profit agency that “Once you are registered, you will be able to receive access to the: • First Book Marketplace, offering new books at 50 to 90 percent off retail prices • First Book National Book Bank, offering free books (pay only for shipping, typically at 35 to 50 cents per book) • Book grants through First Book’s local Advisory Boards.” (NBCDI, pg 4) This resource is huge for both teachers and parents who have tight budgets but still ant to provide that critical book collection in order to help children develop literacy early.
"National Summit on Educational Excellence and Opportunity for African American Males." Council of the Great City Schools, 27 Aug. 2012. Web. <http://www.cgcs.org/cms/lib/DC00001581/Centricity/Domain/88/Blueprint%2082312.pdf>.
Spatig-Amerikaner, Ary. "Unequal Education: Federal Loophole Enables Lower Spending on Students of Color." Center For American Progress. N.p., 22 Aug. 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2014. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/report/2012/08/22/29002/unequal-education/
"NBCDI & First Book: LOVE TO READ." National Black Child Development Institute, Fall 2013. Web. http://www.nbcdi.org/sites/default/files/resource-files/CHT%20Fall%202013d.pdf
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What I find both sad and infuriating is we spend less on urban schools due to the method for collecting funding for schools being flawed from the get go. So these schools receiving less funding under perform in comparison to better funded schools, and these teachers and students are penalized for the failure of the local and state government to adequately fund the needs of the population they serve and instead impose strict penalties on them. The deck is stacked the game is rigged and being on the inside of one of those low performing schools I can tell you the reforms we are forced to implement, the hoops we are forced to jump through have nothing to do with best practices but everything to do with making some corporation or private business education deformer wealthy at the expense of the students and their education. In the article about moral pluralism and justice this week it stated that the way schools are funded and organized when viewed through the lens of justice would have to be completely restructured. I concur.
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