Comments for Cloaking Inequity

Comment on Taking tests, to test, to see if students are ready for the test by Chad Foster

Chad Foster — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:11:48 +0000

It is a crying shame. The vast majority of students, high achieving to low performing, are in agreement that most of their time in class is wasted memorizing facts that are irrevelant and will never be needed in their chosen careers. Not knowledge retained, but random facts that are memorized, regurgitated, and soon forgotten. There is a great deal of valuable knowledge to be had, but not at the expense of sending ill-prepared students into the real world without critical workplace skills that they will need, regardless of career choice. Without communication skills, people skills, time management/organizational skills, networking skills, financial literacy, and technology skills, future employees will struggle, regardless of how full their ‘knowledge’ bank account might be. Maybe the real challenge is to create valid means of accurately testing these essential skills which can’t simply be ‘Googled’ and are required in 99.9% of all jobs.

Comment on Sec. Paige vs. Sen. Wellstone: Testing, Accountability, and Prophetic Pronouncements by Sec. Paige vs. Sen. Wellstone: Testing, Accountability, and Prophetic Pronouncements | Cloaking Inequity ← NPE News Briefs

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 23:28:44 +0000

[…] Click here to read the entire post, for the links, and for the comments via Sec. Paige vs. Sen. Wellstone: Testing, Accountability, and Prophetic Pronouncements | Cloaking Ineq…. […]

Comment on Expansive School Segregation in Texas: Predicts Accountability Rating by Expansive School Segregation in Texas: Predicts Accountability Rating | Cloaking Inequity ← NPE News Briefs

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 23:21:37 +0000

[…] Click here to read the entire post, for the links, and for the comments via Expansive School Segregation in Texas: Predicts Accountability Rating | Cloaking Inequity. […]

Comment on Sec. Paige vs. Sen. Wellstone: Testing, Accountability, and Prophetic Pronouncements by Sylvia Jauregui

Sylvia Jauregui — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 20:51:19 +0000

At the time of this comment, 18.75% of people have been either living with their head in the sand or with their hand in their wallet this last decade.

Comment on Sec. Paige vs. Sen. Wellstone: Testing, Accountability, and Prophetic Pronouncements by Monty J. Thornburg, Ph.D.

Monty J. Thornburg, Ph.D. — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 19:30:30 +0000

There’s so much that could be written about here. I’m going to focus on Senator Wellstone’s comment about “Moral imagination” being thwarted by NCLB. In 1986 I completed a thesis on “Parental Choice in Education” and included some philosophical quotes from Garcia, J.D. (1971) “The Moral Society: A Rational Alternative to Death.” Garcia went on to continue refining his philosophy and before his death he completed the (2001) book: “The Ethical State.” At the graduation for my high school graduates this June 2013, I paraphrased a concept developed by Garcia. The essence of my remarks were about my view of those graduates “ethical behavior” and their genuine acceptance of others with disabilities and my appreciation of them because they “ethically” cared for, responded to, and treated others well. For that reason, I explained, it is my belief that they will succeed in a world where grades and artificial meritocracy are not the only indicators of individual potential. One of Garcia’s philosophical concepts, his philosophy is that: “High intelligence with low (negative) ethics leads to destruction.” Garcia further wrote, “It is more important to maximize ethics than intelligence, if we must choose solely one of these attributes. It is suicidal to increase intelligence without increasing ethics, or to increase the intelligence of persons who have negative ethics.” Dr. J. Vasquez H. has demonstrated through his research, the systemic consequences of a bureaucratic system’s destructiveness for some students. For example, systems that lead to inappropriate placement into Alternative Education to boost aggregate test, AYP scores. Senator Wellstone talked about the loss of “Moral Imagination” in his speech and that triggered my thoughts on Garcia. Garcia also wrote: “No government can do good, outside of protecting basic human rights, for anyone without in the process imposing undeserved harm on someone.” He also wrote that: “In the United States, and almost all other countries, the concept of “democracy” has been corrupted to mean “majority rule.” “Democracy” means “the rule of the people,” not “majority rule.” The notion of, “democracy” means “self-government.” … By “democracy” I mean solely “self-government” without any form of tyranny, without anarchy, and without bureaucracy. Clearly, a massive bureaucracy has emerged across the U.S. with NCLB.

Comment on Taking tests, to test, to see if students are ready for the test by Worth A Read | Virtual School Meanderings

Worth A Read | Virtual School Meanderings — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 15:09:29 +0000

[…] Vasquez Heilig shares a story by Luke Quinton of KUT NPR about the passage of HB5 in Texas. The text of the story is shared on Cloaking […]

Comment on Expansive School Segregation in Texas: Predicts Accountability Rating by Theresa Valls Trevino

Theresa Valls Trevino — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 14:33:40 +0000

Brilliant article, but very sad. In the last five months of testifying at the legislature on the side-effects of STAAR on ELLs, dyslexics and those living in poverty with now 250,000 students in 9th and 10th grade not on track to graduate, no one mentioned the issue of poverty. Even with many elementary schools with high concentration of ELLs doing well on accountability standards, it is important to note that the pressure is on to get ELLs English proficient by the end of 5th grade. That is when the bilingual program ends and in middle school the ESL program begins. These two programs are very different in their approach on teaching ELLs, with ESL being much less time-intensive on helping students learn the new language. Also, STAAR is not offered in Spanish beginning in 6th grade. (that was true with TAKS, as well). I recently helped a mom of three boys at an ARD meeting held for her youngest son in Elgin, in a school with high concentrations of ELLs. Her older sons, now in high school, successfully completed the TELPAS program in Elgin and are English proficient. They have done well in their studies with aspirations for college. I encouraged the mom to have her older sons speak to their younger brother in English as much as possible. It is so important for ELLs to hear the native language. What is your solution for accomplishing greater ELL success in English? What does Dr. Daniel King, Superintendent in Pharr-San Juan-Alamo, do to have great success with his mostly poor, ELL population? He speaks of a very active drop-out prevention program and very dedicated teachers who “pour on the English” from a young age. What would be best practices that we could learn from this district to apply statewide?

Comment on Education Spring 25,000 strong and counting by ENAZ

ENAZ — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 19:45:08 +0000

Reblogged this on PHIGURITOWT.

Comment on Education Spring 25,000 strong and counting by J

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 19:37:56 +0000

It’s the least I can do–thank YOU for your dedication and work.

Comment on Expansive School Segregation in Texas: Predicts Accountability Rating by Monty J. Thornburg, Ph.D.

Monty J. Thornburg, Ph.D. — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 19:03:25 +0000

Yes, Bertis Downs … it is sad. Society does loose. In New Orleans (from where the article you mention comes) many of us struggled for decades; Pre-Katrina to find solutions that would encourage policy and on the ground opportunities for students to be educated in non-segregated schools that included Magnet Schools. In New Orleans, there are Charter Schools and advocates for using “privatization” through the charter movement in N.O. to create non-segregated schools of high quality. I know of one personally in my old neighborhood in the 7th Ward. So, in my opinion it’s not “privatization” per se. Even voucher systems (advocated for in Louisiana by the state’s Governor) could be designed to reduce segregation. It’s a matter of policy, purpose and design. Right now, it seems, the majority of those who want “privatization” and would advocate for continuing, even extending segregation have the upper hand in Texas and elsewhere; CA where I now teach, for example. The ugly underbelly of all this has to do with the “racial history” –and continuing attitudes of far too many- in America. The sad fact remains in my opinion, that there remain too many persons who out of fear or hatred or sometimes even religious belief, want segregation! They seem to want to continue marginalizing minorities! Look, for example, at the vitriolic comments by some “leaders” on TV about immigration in recent days. The photo on this last Blog would leave one to believe that Texas is racist and perhaps other parts of the U.S.A are not! Surprise! Project Censored in CA will soon come out with an article in its 2014 edition that tells us otherwise. This is a nation-wide problem neither Southern or Northern/Western so I’ll just go by a bumper sticker message that I got from an organization in New Orleans called “ERACISM” -All colors with love and respect … It’s an organization that simply helps people of all colors to meet informally in coffee shops, homes, churches, etc., to have meaningful conversations about “Race.” We as a society have a long way to go. Personal experiences as a school administrator in CA and from research on “Looking for Social Justice” in CA, tells me this!