This chart shows the distribution of African American and Latino students in the school . THe blue area represents what equal distribution of the minority students would look like. The red area, unfortunatly shows what the actual distribution is. This directly relates to the many times Kozol brought up the segregated schools he witnessed and researched. Monday, May 2, 2011
Equal and actual distribution of African American and Latino students in schools
This chart shows the distribution of African American and Latino students in the school . THe blue area represents what equal distribution of the minority students would look like. The red area, unfortunatly shows what the actual distribution is. This directly relates to the many times Kozol brought up the segregated schools he witnessed and researched. 
Chapter 8 and 9 Discussion Questions
1. Do you think No Child Left Behind has helped or hurt our country’s children? (page 202 in my book)
No Child Left Behind does nothing to help education. The premise that teachers and students should be rewarded on the basis of lone and solitary test scores is absurd. Why take away money from the schools and those who clearly need it the most? It has only hindered the progress and purpose of education.
2. Kozol writes, “Playing games of musical chairs with children’s lives, when half of the chairs are broken and the best chairs are reserved primarily for people of his class and race, is cynical behavior in a president” (204). How does this quote affect the reader?
I found this quote to be highly effective in its attempts to show the president’s carelessness and recklessness when it comes to the lives of our country’s children. “Playing games” makes it seem as if the president isn’t taking the education of these kids seriously. I really like the metaphor Kozol uses with the chairs; it gives the reader a good visual picture and takes the complicated lives of these children and presents them in a straightforward way. Kozol is also making the president out to be a contributor to hegemonic whiteness by bringing up the issue of race, which is a prominent topic throughout the book.
3. Columnist Jack White published an article in in Time Magazine titled “Why We Need to Raise Hell.” In it, he writes that our country needs to “revive the civil rights movement…and if it takes a new round of sit-ins to put the issue back on the national agenda, so be it” (216). Do you agree with White’s statements?
It’s difficult to picture sit-ins occurring in our country today, and it’s actually particularly disturbing to think that they may once again be necessary. I think White has a great argument going; the facts are there, plain as day. Segregation, beliefs in our schools, contrary to what most Americans believe, did not disappear with the decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1953. Though I agree with White’s motive, I don’t think this movement would be effective in the form of “sit-ins” or even have to come to that. I definitely think that more people need to be educated about the truth behind segregation in these inner-city schools. The sad fact of the matter is that not everyone is aware or particularly concerned about these statistics, which is the first thing that needs to change before our country can go any further in, once again, desegregating our children’s schools.
4. Do you think Milwaukee’s money would be better spent on upgrading the schools, or should integrated education still be a high focus? (page 231)
I think it’s sad that it comes down to an either-or situation. I know this isn’t really answering my question, but I would say that—in a perfect world—using half of this money for each cause would be the most effective option and reap the most benefits for these children. I find it extremely disheartening that it is in fact necessary to invest so much money in these programs to ensure that our schools do not become segregated or that they become desegregated. I think that for the time being, money should continue to go towards such transfer programs to ensure that every child has a chance at a quality education.
No Child Left Behind does nothing to help education. The premise that teachers and students should be rewarded on the basis of lone and solitary test scores is absurd. Why take away money from the schools and those who clearly need it the most? It has only hindered the progress and purpose of education.
2. Kozol writes, “Playing games of musical chairs with children’s lives, when half of the chairs are broken and the best chairs are reserved primarily for people of his class and race, is cynical behavior in a president” (204). How does this quote affect the reader?
I found this quote to be highly effective in its attempts to show the president’s carelessness and recklessness when it comes to the lives of our country’s children. “Playing games” makes it seem as if the president isn’t taking the education of these kids seriously. I really like the metaphor Kozol uses with the chairs; it gives the reader a good visual picture and takes the complicated lives of these children and presents them in a straightforward way. Kozol is also making the president out to be a contributor to hegemonic whiteness by bringing up the issue of race, which is a prominent topic throughout the book.
3. Columnist Jack White published an article in in Time Magazine titled “Why We Need to Raise Hell.” In it, he writes that our country needs to “revive the civil rights movement…and if it takes a new round of sit-ins to put the issue back on the national agenda, so be it” (216). Do you agree with White’s statements?
It’s difficult to picture sit-ins occurring in our country today, and it’s actually particularly disturbing to think that they may once again be necessary. I think White has a great argument going; the facts are there, plain as day. Segregation, beliefs in our schools, contrary to what most Americans believe, did not disappear with the decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1953. Though I agree with White’s motive, I don’t think this movement would be effective in the form of “sit-ins” or even have to come to that. I definitely think that more people need to be educated about the truth behind segregation in these inner-city schools. The sad fact of the matter is that not everyone is aware or particularly concerned about these statistics, which is the first thing that needs to change before our country can go any further in, once again, desegregating our children’s schools.
4. Do you think Milwaukee’s money would be better spent on upgrading the schools, or should integrated education still be a high focus? (page 231)
I think it’s sad that it comes down to an either-or situation. I know this isn’t really answering my question, but I would say that—in a perfect world—using half of this money for each cause would be the most effective option and reap the most benefits for these children. I find it extremely disheartening that it is in fact necessary to invest so much money in these programs to ensure that our schools do not become segregated or that they become desegregated. I think that for the time being, money should continue to go towards such transfer programs to ensure that every child has a chance at a quality education.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Journal #2
Kozol has raised several points that have surprised us. One thing that surprised us as we were reading this book is when Kozol talks about the health hazards in the schools. All of these health hazards have been reported yet nothing is being done to fix them. It was almost horrifying to hear that in some schools there are rats and rat droppings in the class room. Since many of the building are old there is lead-based paint in the schools that is chipping off. Almost all of the schools are run down with holes in the ceiling or walls, windows are boarded up because otherwise the class would fall out and many of the bathrooms are unsanitary and do not have enough supplies like toilet paper. We were talking about the health hazards in one of our group discussions and we all came to the realization that if these types of conditions were happening in a middle class or upper class schools the parents would be throwing a fit until something is done. We do not think that it is fair or right that the inner-city child have to suffer in these conditions just because they do not come from financially stable homes. They have a right just like any other child to be able to go to school and not be in danger because the building is falling apart.
Another aspect of Kozol’s book that has surprised us so far is prevalence of segregation within schools named after historically renowned activist such as Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. Despite everything these people stood for and what most of them died for, the schools that bare their names are “often tense, disorderly, and socially unhappy places” (26). Kozol notes that black children make up 99% of the population in a school in Milwaukee that is named after Dr. King and another named after Rosa Parks that is located in San Diego and is comprised of 86% black and Hispanic students and only 2% white students. Kozol makes a powerful statement in regards to these tendencies, which “[stand] today as one of the most visible and problematic symbols in the nation of an expectation rapidly receding and a legacy substantially betrayed” (25). So many people gave their entire lives to ending segregation in this country, and although most would argue that racism in our country has declined immensely since the days of MLK, segregation seems to be just as prevalent as it was fifty years ago.
The final thing that surprised us in this section is how much pressure was put on the kids to do well on standardized testing. The students and teacher felt a lot of pressure to have good testing scores from the government and the school district. The big push for good standardized scores comes from President Bush’s No Child Left Behind act. Under this act if schools do not perform well on the test for several years they lose funding and eventually lose their school. In this section several first hand examples were given on how schools attempted to solve this dilemma. Chicago mandated students who failed a standardized test had to return to school in the summer for extra preparation. The summer preparation for the “retest” in the fall came with a brutal daily schedule that was outlined for every teacher and the teachers were punished for deviating from the schedule. In this section, Kozol brought up many educational opportunities and privileges that were cut due to test preparation. Kozol stated many schools different strategies in getting the test preparation in during the school day. Often times the test preparation ended up taking away anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours a day from other instructional time. Students also lost their music and art programs because those subjects would not be on the test. Finally many students lost their recesses which allows for kids to run off their extra energy and help them to concentrate inside the classroom.
Another aspect of Kozol’s book that has surprised us so far is prevalence of segregation within schools named after historically renowned activist such as Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. Despite everything these people stood for and what most of them died for, the schools that bare their names are “often tense, disorderly, and socially unhappy places” (26). Kozol notes that black children make up 99% of the population in a school in Milwaukee that is named after Dr. King and another named after Rosa Parks that is located in San Diego and is comprised of 86% black and Hispanic students and only 2% white students. Kozol makes a powerful statement in regards to these tendencies, which “[stand] today as one of the most visible and problematic symbols in the nation of an expectation rapidly receding and a legacy substantially betrayed” (25). So many people gave their entire lives to ending segregation in this country, and although most would argue that racism in our country has declined immensely since the days of MLK, segregation seems to be just as prevalent as it was fifty years ago.
The final thing that surprised us in this section is how much pressure was put on the kids to do well on standardized testing. The students and teacher felt a lot of pressure to have good testing scores from the government and the school district. The big push for good standardized scores comes from President Bush’s No Child Left Behind act. Under this act if schools do not perform well on the test for several years they lose funding and eventually lose their school. In this section several first hand examples were given on how schools attempted to solve this dilemma. Chicago mandated students who failed a standardized test had to return to school in the summer for extra preparation. The summer preparation for the “retest” in the fall came with a brutal daily schedule that was outlined for every teacher and the teachers were punished for deviating from the schedule. In this section, Kozol brought up many educational opportunities and privileges that were cut due to test preparation. Kozol stated many schools different strategies in getting the test preparation in during the school day. Often times the test preparation ended up taking away anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours a day from other instructional time. Students also lost their music and art programs because those subjects would not be on the test. Finally many students lost their recesses which allows for kids to run off their extra energy and help them to concentrate inside the classroom.
Vocabulary Chapters 8 and 9
I had a hard time finding ten vocabulary words, so instead I found an article, you can click here to read the article.
In chapter 8 Kozol talked about the education bills in the past that have failed to help improve the education system. This got me thinking about what Obama has done to try and fix the education system. This article talks about what Obama thinks needs to be done. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out with the economic crisis we are in. I think it is important to look at this because it affects us today since we are in school and many of us have to pay for college. Also in the next ten years or so our children will be starting school and don't we want the best education possible for them?
In chapter 8 Kozol talked about the education bills in the past that have failed to help improve the education system. This got me thinking about what Obama has done to try and fix the education system. This article talks about what Obama thinks needs to be done. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out with the economic crisis we are in. I think it is important to look at this because it affects us today since we are in school and many of us have to pay for college. Also in the next ten years or so our children will be starting school and don't we want the best education possible for them?
Chapter 8 and 9 summary
These two chapters were about how students scores improved and the students achieved more when more money was spent on the schools. The chapters also talked about No Child Left Behind and the ways that the law hurts instead of helps students. Chapter nine writes that people need to stand up for desegregated schools and publicize their beliefs about it. A study showed that many families supported racially diverse schools but did not receive that for their children because they did not let the government know. According to No child left behind children should be able to transfer from a school that is deemed as failing to a school that is successful. In the book a statistic shows that " Nationwide only one percent of eligible children transferred from a failing school to a higher preforming school under the provisions of the federal law." The tone of the author when speaking about No child left behind is very condemning and non supportive. The author uses many statistics and quotes that show how No child left behind is a goal that is impossible to meet. In chapter nine the author talked about how families were supportive of desegregating schools. The author compelled its readers to stand up for what they believed was right. There were two statistics given that really helped get the author's message across. One was that "less than two percent ( of adults) believed that education for their children would be better in re segregated schools." The other statistic is that " 60 percent of Caucasian young adults believe that the government ought to make SURE that public schools are integrated, while the same percentage of black respondents do not merely favor integrated education but believe that it is an "absolute essential." The author's tone in chapter nine is trying to seek justice and disgusted by the injustice of the school system.
Segregation hitting home in Wisconsin
Click here to read an article that provides a nice contrast between “inner-city” to “suburban” schools and how there is that huge education gap. Also considering it is a Milwaukee Newspaper, the article provides good insight and statistics in how the city is one of the most segregated the nation!
Borsuk, Alan. "Segregation in U.S. Schools Rising."Journal Sentinel. September 2007. Web. 1 May 2011.
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