Saturday, April 18, 2009
Project Findings of Newark Area
Inquiry: What am I learning and SUMMARY
In researching my concentration of our inquiry question, How much of what students are learning in school today applies to everyday life skills for future success?, I have found endless literature voicing opinions both pro and con toward the subject of standardized testing. In recent years, there has been great emphasis on assessment and accountability put on by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and “teaching to the test”. This has affected schools, administrators, parents, and especially educators, their curriculum and teaching styles and the students.
I have been exploring how the education that students receive, especially in low performing schools in urban areas is being affected by standardized testing. The most difficult part of this research so far, has been sorting through the endless literature that has been written on this subject and finding the “legitimate” and also the view that compliments our group’s vision of standardized testing as not being the only means of assessment for successful real life application. From my research, I have found assessment to be both an attempt at a valuable solution, yet still part of a growing problem. Student’s culture, race, and socio-economic class have much influence over a student’s performance, learning abilities/styles, and level of knowledge and these differences are not accounted for in standardized testing. Standardized tests are creating a standard of only one correct answer, therefore transforming the information being tested into a rote memorization task rather than a measure of true or deep understanding. In addition, the idea of only one right answer is not beneficial to students as they gain entrance into the real world. In most cases, there are more than one correct answer to a certain problem and the ability that these students today are being robbed of is the creative thinking “thinking outside of the box” that allows for creation of other valuable alternatives to whatever the situation at hand is. Real life application of what is being taught in school and how to use that knowledge needs to be clearer in assessment. These tests do not leave room for the critical thinking and reasoning behind the answer chosen and that process is line between knowing if the student truly understands the content being asked or presented.
Skills such as reasoning and critical thinking are necessary skills towards lifelong learning and are considered life skills. In fact, the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) has put forth and renewed in the year 2000, standards associated on what “Work Requires of Schools” ; the skills necessary to succeed in the work place, further education and as a successful member of society. They are skills that are important in nearly every facet of life. There is a three-part foundation and a set of five competencies that include skills such as: reading, writing, mathematical reasoning, listening, speaking, creative thinking, problem solving, organizing, knowing how to learn, reasoning, responsibility, collaboration, technology, self-esteem, sociability, self management and honesty.
Due to the pressure of NCLB, many educators in schools labeled low performing, based on standardized test scores only, by not meeting their Annual Yearly Percentage (AYP) are changing their curriculum and teaching style to cater to the raising of test scores. Sadly, the students are the one’s who are caught in the middle, not getting the education they could be, from the educator’s who are truly passionate about their subject matter and make an effort to reach all of their student’s different needs; in many cases the educators are going against their very nature by “teaching to the test”, The test then loses it’s legitimacy. It no longer becomes an attempt to assess what the student’s know, but how good their test taking skills are, by knowing the test format, using process of elimination and pure memorization. An assessment is a measure of what has been learned and this idea of “teaching to the test” contradicts that.
Standardized tests aren’t all around negative. But used as the only means of assessment on the state level, they are bias and not a true measure of knowledge. Some districts are incorporating other means of assessment into their processes. Assessments such as performance assessment and portfolio assessment used in conjunction with standardized tests allow for student’s who don’t perform well to shine in the way that they learn best. This idea of more than one standard for the vastly different areas and student’s being assessed, makes more sense and adds the application of life skills into the mix; a happy medium, for now.
Assessment and accountability have been discussed since the late 1960’s in America. The fact is, the world and its population are constantly changing and to accommodate that change there has to be leeway within our schools as to how assessment is achieved. Students will be faced with dilemma’s we cannot predict at this time and it is our responsibility as educators to prepare them for the ever changing, rapidly growing world.
Revised Online Assignment
2. The cost of living in New Jersey is incredibly high; from rent, to taxes, food, health care, transportation expenses, childcare, and etc. The families in Unequal Childhoods, especially the working-class/poor families would all experience a tremendously lower standard of living if they moved to/lived in New Jersey. It would be especially hard on the Taylor, McAllister, Driver, and Brindle families because 3 out of the four households are run by a single female parent and all have very limited funds coming in. Tyrec Taylor’s mother works as a secretary and only earns $20,000 a year, which according to the Self Sufficiency Standard for Essex County, would barely accommodate one adult ($20,732), nevermind a family consisting of one adult, a ten year old, a thirteen year old, and an eighteen year old. The “providers” of the two other families, the McAllisters and the Brindles, are both unemployed and receive food stamps and cash stipends, along with public assistance. The rent alone for the Brindle family is hard to sustain at $650 and compared to the rent costs in New Jersey, which are the highest in the nation, they would not be able to afford livable housing conditions for that amount of money. Their living conditions now are subjected to leaky ceilings, roaches, and broken washers and dryers. The McAllister family doesn’t have enough food to go around especially with all of the extra people that live there; the eleven members of extended family that sleep and eat in the McAllister home on a weekly basis. The children have to ask permission before eating food. When there is food, there is often not enough for second helpings. The cost of food in Essex County for one adult, an infant, a preschooler, and a schoolage child is $639. Ms. McAllister certainly would not be able to feed eleven family members in Essex County New Jersey on food stamps at this cost. The Driver family, although run by Ms. Driver and her boyfriend, Mr.Fallon earn only between $15,000-$25,000 a year. In order to live in Essex County, they would need to bring in near $50,716 to live according to the efficiency standards.
3. According to the Legal Services of New Jersey, both the McAllister and Brindle families would be categorized within the poverty level of New Jersey. Both are single parents and the LSNJ states that the poverty rates are higher for single parent mothers.
Although both families receive financial assistance, the quality of life, the struggle to make ends met would be far greater in New Jersey. Ms. Brindle doesn’t work because of the expense incurred on providing childcare for Melmel. Essentially, if she did work, nearly all of the funds earned would go to the cost of childcare, which is extremely expensive. In Cresskill, New Jersey, for a 9am to 3pm program, early childcare costs around $1100 per month. Ms. McAllister, with schoolaged children and being a minority, has a larger disadvantage due to her race as the LSNJ states that poverty is much higher for minorities. In the McAllister home the financial burden of providing for the extended family as well would make food even scarcer and much harder to provide for the necessities such as food and clean clothing in New Jersey.
4. I feel that learning about the different the families, how they function, survive, their influences, beliefs and struggles has been an eye opener for me. Before reading Unequal Childhoods, I had never made a genuine connection to life outside of school and school. What each family (student) faces outside of school truly influences everything they do in school. I think as an educator, I should know about the community and the families who live there to better understand my students. Although this information has been very interesting and at times disturbing, I don’t feel that my overall teaching objectives will change. However, I will be more aware of my community and how my students live, which will provide me with an open-mind to adjust my teaching style to my students’ needs. It is hard to come from a different way of life, or mind set, without bringing the stereotypes that are ingrained in us, to a place that has true hardship and poverty to say that you understand what a student or the students may be living through. I think my hardest challenge is going to be able to relate to my students on that level, but I know I will try my best…that is all I can do.
Completed Chart
| | Tallinger | Taylor | Brindle | Williams |
| Race/ Ethnicity | White | Black | White | Black |
| Language | English | English | English | English |
| Religion | Catholic or Protestant | Catholic or Protestant | Catholic or Protestant | Catholic or Protestant |
| Economics/ Employ. | Each is a consultant – Mr. T works in fundraising & Mrs. T in personnel Combined annual income $175,000 – flexible hours but work evenings & weekends; also includes often traveling. Money never mentioned in front of the kids. Experiencing financial problems – firm not paying out on time leads to $7000 penalties in mortgage | - Mr. T currently unemployed – formally worked for social services including counseling for drug related issues. - he doesn’t pay child support Ms. T works as a secretary - has a car that works occasionally - annual income $20,000 - money is an issue and spoken about in this household often | - Currently Unemployed and hopes to return to work once Melmel starts school (18 months old) - collects food stamps and cash stipends - Mr. B pays the Dept. of Human Services child support to offset the public assistance payment to the family - money is often spoken about in front of the children | - Mrs. W is a high-level manager in a major corporation: overnight trip at least once a month - Mr. W is a trial lawyer in a small firm handling medical malpractice cases - preparing the cases keeps him busy from 5am to midnight for two weeks each month; otherwise he works until 6pm - combined annual income is over $200,000 - they rarely discuss money with Alexander |
| Housing | 42 yr. Old two story house on a cul-de-sac/ Big green lawns – swimming pool | Rented 4 bedroom, three story house | - Small rundown 3 bedroom apt - not well maintained: leaky ceiling and many roaches - often the washers and dryers don’t work | - A 6 bedroom, large, old stone house with an expansive porch and a sweeping lawn - it is immaculately kept and expensively furnished |
| Geography | Quiet suburb near major northeastern city | Pretty quiet neighborhood with crime everywhere – father lives in an apt. in the city “the ghetto” | White working-class neighborhood that is dominated by small houses | Quiet street in a middle-class white neighborhood in a major northeastern city |
| Food | Often eat out at fast food restaurants like Taco Bell after practices –meals together determined by the boy’s activ. | Weekly go out for fast food and once a month go to a restaurant such as Sizzler | Nearest grocery store is a 20 min bus ride away - relies on food stamps: food is in short supply | - Spend most of their time in the kitchen - eats pretty well: fruits and vegetables - food is not an issue |
| Norms/ Values | Concerted Cultivation plays a huge role in development – Garrett’s scheduled activities define the families pace of life – extended family members not a large part of this family’s organization except for holidays. | Natural Development – mother & father separated - append Miss to all female adult names - sister Anisha (13) cares for Tyrec after school while the mother is still working - plays with children of all ages outside of the house and develops skills in mediation, conflict management, personal responsibility, and strategizing | Natural Development – don’t feel that the kids’ leisure time is of any real importance - Katie’s father is inconsistently involved in her life -All of her siblings are of different fathers - very independent: fixes herself soup after school and joined a school choir - is concerned she is fat – she isn’t - was sexually molested in the first grade - cousin is Katie’s best friend - extended family is very much a part of Katie’s life and often stays with her grandmother | Concerted Cultivation plays a huge role in development – Especially language and its use towards entitlement - By the time weekends come the family is exhausted but continue for the benefits to Alexander - Alexander is bored without structured activities – interacts with boys his age only through activities - consider themselves close to extended family (live far away) by talking via telephone and visiting 3 to 4 times a year |
| Politics | N/A | Mr. T has opinions on many issues, including the state of the world, which he offers freely to anyone who will listen | N/A | - Concerned about the impact of race on Alexander: “it isn’t going to define who he is.” |
| Relationship w/ Local Geography | N/A | - Where Mr. T lives is the “ghetto” - utilizes the shops in the white neighborhood close by | - Katie takes the bus to Grandma’s by herself (20 min ride) | -the only black family in the white neighborhood in which they live |
| Formal Education – Level + Type | Both hold bachelor’s degrees from same Ivy League College & were involved in sports | Mr. T dropped out of school when he was young + reading is difficult for him. Ms. T is a high school graduate | Ms. B earned her GED | - Mrs. W has a master’s degree in liberal arts from an elite college - Mr. W earned his J.D. degree from a well-regarded private university |
| Structures/ Institutions | Baseball, Piano lesson, International Soccer, Forest Soccer, Swim Team, Saxophone, Cub Scouts + tryouts and tournaments. | Summer day camp, Sunday School, + Vacation bible School for the summer + football | After school choir | School activities, church life, soccer games, choir, piano, + baseball |
| Class | Middle-Class | Working-Class | Working-Class/Poor | Middle-Class |
| | McAllister | Marshall | Handlon | Driver |
| Race/ Ethnicity | Black | Black | White | White |
| Language | English | English | English | English |
| Religion | Catholic or Protestant | Catholic or Protestant | Catholic or Protestant | Catholic or Protestant |
| Economics/ Employ. | - Currently unemployed and receives public assistance, but hopes to work again - Do not own a car - Do not have a telephone -Receives aid from Aid to Families with Dependent Children - Receives food stamps - has a medical card for doctor visits | - Mrs. M is employed full time in the computer industry: telecommunicates once a week and the other days travels fifty miles round trip. - Mr. M is employed as a civil servant: he works nights 6 days a week, is not required to travel and leaves at 2:30am. - Combined income $100,000 per, but worries about money because of lack of job security in the computer industry: they have down-sized in recent years | - Mr. H works as a credit manager in a major corporation - Mrs. H is employed as a secretary. She works 30 hours per week. - family income of $85,000-$95,000 a year and take much of their middle class status for granted: they have many electronics and each adult has a car. | - Ms. D works as a secretary for fourteen years - Annual income between $15,000-$25,000 + weekend job as a waitress Mr. D passed away – never paid child support - Mr. Fallon is in the flooring business and earns $20,000 working every other weekend and many holidays - money is an issues that is talked about frequently: sometimes for hours - in order to pay for Wendy’s tutor, Ms. D has to walk to work instead of the bus |
| Housing | Lower Richmond public housing project – 2 story apt. - Refrigerator is broken - Roaches a constant problem - Sidewalks are littered with glass, paper, and wrappers. | 4 Bedroom house on a circular street lined with recently built, two story suburban homes with a market value of $200,000 - small front yard - driveway with a basketball hoop - large backyard | 4 Bedroom, two story red brick house worth $245,000 in a homogenous suburban neighborhood | Rented 3 Bedroom two-story brick house which is larger than most homes of working class families. -Rent is $650 a month |
| Geography | Off of a busy street, a few blocks from a small business area - Residents are all African American along with the surrounding area: there is a white working-class neighborhood within walking distance - Housing project is considered a dangerous area | Well-to-do racially integrated, suburban neighborhood: transitional area - bordered with a central city with one side consisting of an all-black middle class neighborhood and a predominantly white-neighborhood on the other side | White suburban neighborhood | White urban working class neighborhood not a car’s drive away from surrounding black communities |
| Food | Food is often in short supply - they must ask permission before eating something - on special occasions food may be plentiful, but more often, there is not enough to go around | N/A | Eat meals together | Food is in ample supply and children often ask for items when they go to the store |
| Norms/ Values | Natural Development Television is always on – plays sports outside “doing the same thing over and over is fun.” - Parents separated, but father buys pizza every Friday night and sometimes sleeps on the couch - 5 to 7 people sleep - children sleep in different beds on different nights | Concerted Cultivation plays a large part in development - Mother speaks out and intervenes in Stacy’s institutional life - Always looks to put the blame on someone else: the teachers need to adjust to Stacy’s learning style – the gymnastics instructor is at fault… - Feels that there is an underlying race issue to the circumstances of her child’s encounters, but proceeds cautiously until she has enough evidence – Art the bus driver. | Concerted Cultivation a large part of Melanie’s development: mother worries that if Melanie is not involved in organized activities, they will have no one to play with after school or during breaks – but also believes that children should have free unstructured time. - Misses school frequently - feels Melanie has a lot of homework; it’s too hard and helps her every night for 2-3 hours - Mother fails to bring Melanie to school on time or comply with the school bureaucratic rules of the school. - Mother is in denial of Melanie’s learning problem and the fact that her missing school influences her learning and grades - intervenes awkwardly in Melanie’s schooling | Natural Development: extended family plays a major role in Wendy’s life - family events are very important to them - her two best friends are her cousins - Wendy enjoys the little things of life: loves to play outside and watch the lightning - Plays with all white girls |
| Politics | N/A | - Mrs. M believes that intervening in Stacy’s “world” will give her the best opportunities instead of Stacy working to attain whatever she seeks. Ex. The gymnastics instructor confrontation – moving Stacy to a new level, IQ test & class, Girl Scouts. - Believes their race influences the way they are treated: Gymnastics instructor & Art, the Bus Driver | N/A | N/A |
| Relationship w/ Local Geography | N/A | N/A | N/A | - neighborhood is safe enough to walk to local stores, Wendy’s dance lessons and religious instruction |
| Formal Education – Level + Type | High School Graduate? - was a high school athlete | - Mrs. M is a college graduate and holds a masters degree in Math. The black sorority she pledged for is still a big part of her life. - Mr. M was active in his fraternity during his undergraduate years. | - Mrs. H completed 2 years of junior college - Mr. H has an M.A. in credit and financial management | Ms. D has a high school diploma - Mr. Fallon is a high school graduate |
| Structures/ Institutions | N/A | Church: Sunday school, youth choir, + junior ushers. A series of different summer camps, basketball, gymnastics, horseback riding, piano lessons | - Every Sunday Church service, Sunday school and youth choir practice - piano lessons, Girl Scouts: Cookies for the homeless” school holiday performance + special holiday performances for her church Christmas show. –swim team | CCD and dance lessons |
| Class | Working-Class/poor | Middle-Class | Middle-Class | Working-Class |
| | Yanelli |
| Race/ Ethnicity | White |
| Language | English |
| Religion | Catholic or Protestant |
| Economics/ Employ. | - Mrs. Y works off the books cleaning houses for $12 - Mr. Y is a house painter - they do not have health insurance - were once on welfare - do not have a checking account - Money is always tight |
| Housing | Small 2 bedroom brick house: open the front door right to the curb |
| Geography | White working class neighborhood with narrow streets and narrow houses All black neighborhood a few blocks away |
| Food | |
| Norms/ Values | Natural Development: Billy plays with other children from the neighborhood, watched television and goes with his mother to run errands. -He is often in trouble at school - The Y’s are close to their extended family - The family uses directives to get their point across: Billy Shower, Billy Move- gets hit with a leather belt -feel school was a threatening force |
| Politics | N/A |
| Relationship w/ Local Geography | N/A |
| Formal Education – Level + Type | Both parents dropped out of high school |
| Structures/ Institutions | Baseball and Mr. Y is Billy’s coach |
| Class | Working Class |
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