Halloween is over, the candy is waning, and I hope that y'all are ready to get back to work. Hopefully, everyone has been working independently and keeping up with our workload.
This week: I am going to go over how to to use iMovie and everyone is going to create what could be your first video masterpiece!
If time permits, we will also discuss the actual movie project that you will be completing in small groups. If you haven't requested your v-drive, please go to the link from the last entry and request a v-drive. This will come in handy as it will allow you to work on any computer on campus to work on video. Without it, you will be forced to work on the same computer you began editing on.
Journals 7-10: I gave you an assignment in week 8 for journal 6; for 7 & 8, you could choose an article from the November issue of L&L. Also, I would like you to pick a technology from the Classroom 2.0 website, choose a link from the tools list on the right hand column for a technology that interests you, and follow a discussion or two that relates to your technology. In the title bar, put journal 9 follwed by the technology you have chosen. (For example: Journal 9: Microblogging). In the journal, I would like you to define the technology and then report out on what you learned from the tool discussion and read and comment on at least three peers who have chosen a different tool. You reporting out should contain the 200-250 word minumum, but you do not need to ask and answer questions. In the assignments section, you will submit your peers names.
This week's question: I want to follow-up on last week's question. Many of you seemed to accept that tracking is a valid way to sort children in schools. (I am very sceptical as to how people get classified.) What I want to know is why is it, in San Diego County, that White and Asian students are overrepresented in GATE (a greater percentage in GATE than they represent in the school population), while Latino, African American, and Native American students are underrepresented in GATE (lower percentage in GATE than they represent in the school population)? Is it the classification system, innate intelligence or something else?
19 comments:
I think in order to say Asian and White kids are overrepresented we have to adjust the context of how kids are classified. I would like to see the numbers correlated with economic status as well as home factors such as single parents, working one or two parent homes, or extended family homes. When the status of race/cultural groups is known in this context then we can talk about whether or not they are evenly represented. I am saying this because it is my bias that economic and home factors are largely contributive towards performance in school. I have no proof of this but it is what my experience has been. I don't think kids need to come from a rich household to be good performers but stability in some form seems to matter. For instance, I noticed that at my elementary school I see Asian women walking children from their household to school as well as being there to pick them up after. They do not look rich or even middle class but they seem to instill the importance of school to the kids by being there. They have a respect for school that they emphasize. I see other, more middle class looking parents dropping their kids off at the corner. Then there are the kids that walk themselves or ride their bikes. What is the performance value of having a mom or dad walk an elementary schooler to class, I don't know but I did notice it.
I think that how students perform in school is directly related to what they are taught at home, and the amount of parental involvment/influence. In the Asian culture, education is revered as being extremely important. They expect their kids to work hard at an early age. They are also taught respect for teachers and elders. Because of this, you can have much larger classrooms with these students, because you don't have many dicipline problems. Their education is enforced at home, and they are expected to always give 110%.Their parents are involved with their learning, and back the teachers up. In other cultures, the parents may not be as educated and able to help their children with their work. Many parents don't even speak english, making it even harder to help their children with their schoolwork. Add in that many are single parents and often at work, they are unable to give their children extra help. I think that kids that have involved parents that feel education is important are the ones that excell in school, regardless of nationality or race.
In the Poway school district, parents have the right to request that their children be tested for GATE, whether a teacher or the school thinks they have the potential for GATE or not. So, if whites and Asians are over-represented in this district, I would say it might have something to do with parental involvement. As already mentioned, Asians in particular are very involved in their children's education. While I think you can find good parental involvement in many different cultures, Asians and Indians are probably at the top of the heap. It may be because in these cultures, education is considered to be extremely important. In other cultures, things like family come first, over everything else. I think cultural aspects and family play a huge part in the kind of education a child receives.
Speaking only from experience as a parent (again), I know for a fact that at our school the classification system results in an overrepresentation of Caucasian and Asian students. At our particular school, second grade teachers choose children to take the GATE test rather than giving the test to all children. Thus, regardless of how well-intentioned the teacher might be, they've already classified some children as not GATE-material without any testing to prove it. I know that the children who are chosen to take the GATE test do not reflect the population of our school. The GATE test that our school uses is based solely on patterns and is not something you study for or need a knowledge base for. I think all children in second grade should take the test and I think a GATE label should not be required for participation in leveled classes. Inclusion in the higher level classes should be based on grades and ability as demonstrated in class and on exams.
I think some cultures are over represented in certain programs (Gates) (Special Ed) etc, has to do with many factors. The dominate culture by in large puts together programs tests etc to place students. This can have a negative result when dealing with minority cultures due to built in advantages for the dominate culture. (covert or overt)Family attitudes towards higher education plays a role, as well as preconcieved notions regareding expectations for certain cultures, whether they are positive or negative. I think it would be interesting to interview students from cultures that are underrepresented in the Gates program who have done well in it and see what factores played a role in that students success.
I think White and Asian kids are better prepared once they are arrive in school. Unfortunately, White and Asian parents tend to have more financial resources to buy books, take their kids on interesting field trips, bring them to work with parents day, and emphasize the value of independent learning as opposed to community involvement. Latino families emphasize community involvement over independence. GATE programs look for independent thinkers.
I don't really know for sure why that is. I would have to look at different numbers like where do these different ethnic backgrounds live, How are the schools, or What are the ethnicities of the teachers? Those are some of the questions I would ask before I could commpletely answer the question.
From what I understand students are recommeded for the gate program by their teacher along with their STAR testing. They then are given a gate test, which determinds their acceptance into the program. If a child does not pass the test and their parents or teacher feels they should still be in they can push the issue and usually they can win. I have been told that the Oceanside School District reserveshalf of the GATE places for students with talents such as dance or music, regardless of their test scores.
An interesting discussion on tracking... I am not surprised at the population distribution within GATE Programs; it seems that many poorer, minority-based families are unaware of the many opportunities available to them and their students. It is unfortunate that all children are not tested (in SM I believe they are) for admission into GATE; it is best to level the playing field by omitting teacher bias. If you are going to test a few, all should be tested.
Students who would gain admission into the Gate Program soley on academic merit would most likely have a strong parental support network at home. The parents would also most likely focus on education and be an active participant in the education process.
I think that the current biases and stereotypes that we have now as future teachers towards particular cultures reflects what we make available to our students and how we categorize them in the classroom. Although some refuse to believe or admit it, I see it happening in classrooms today. Just because a student comes from what we view as a poor family back-ground or because the parents are not able to be there for the student when he/she gets home from school does not mean that the student cannot be academically successful. A teachers expectations from particular students has a powerful impact on what that student demonstrates. For example if a teacher does not expect the best of an african/american student because the teacher percieves that the families education values are not strong, it will reflect the effort of the student. I know that home values on education play a huge role in a child's life, my nephew is 1 of 2 latino GATE students in his school in the Encinitas school district and although both his parents work full-time they both instill the values of education but he also has amazing teachers who see his potential and help bring it out in him.It is our job as teachers to bring out the potential in every child regardless of their culture and not fall into what we expect from that student based on his/her background.
Students are screened before being accepted into a gifted program. For most schools, this relates to teacher referrals. Teachers have been accused of using deficit thinking for Hispanic, Afro American and Native American students. The teacher may have perceptual or attitudinal barriers and may not refer students due to poor English skills although the student may excel in other subjects. Checklists ignore cultural diversity and do not recognize a students strengths and future potential. Cultural differences should be considered, i.e. students who prefer to work in groups due to their communal values. Tests ignore creativity, musical skills and group problem solving, which places racial and ethnic minority groups at a disadvantage.
Interesting question- think I will ask our GATE director next time I see her. I know that ESL and learning disabled students have been underrepresented and that is something that is being looked at. I wonder if it has anything to do with language. I know a couple years ago I read or heard something about modifying test questions to incorporate African American slang- not sure what ever happened with that. I know in Poway, anyone can be tested without a referral, but parents don't think to test their child unless their teacher refers them or even know anything about the program. Many think it's only for high achievers. My son had a boy in his class who was a low achiever and I used to work with him and thought he might be GATE. Personality characteristics also play a role in the identification process. He was tested this year and was identified. There's also a high incidence of GATE children who have been misdiagnosed as ADHD. In Scripps Ranch, I know they test every child. That seems the way to go so no one gets missed, but our district has been reluctant to do this because testing costs $$$ and their funds are limited, so they'd prefer to spend their funding on programs versus tests. Perhaps making parents more aware and educating teachers more, so they can point out the signs to the parents can help the siutation somewhat.
I have not completed enough personal research in order to state and support a valid opinion on this issue. Why are Whites and Asians overrepresented? Based on limited experience, I would challenge the classification system. Is it possible that all of our classification systems favor particular ethnic groups. I do not know if this is a bad comparison, but I have had students who were placed in EL programs based purely on their last names. Many of whom are first language English learners.
My honest opinion is that as with most things in America - it's all about time and money. The kids who come from families who are economically privledged, and have parents who play an active role in supporting and advocating for educational opportunity and enrichment, are the children who will be best represented not only in GATE, but at private prep schools, and Ivy League colleges. Changes in this long standing pattern will only come from extreme social advocacy and a HUGE shift in what we, as Americans, believe is important...Education and success for our kids...or for all kids.
I think it has to do with cultural and socioeconomic factors. Kids who live in poor neighborhoods are less likely to focus on academics, and there are more blacks and Latinos in poverty than there are whites and Asians. Asian and white parents tend to put more pressure on their kids to excel, and they are also more likely to have parents who went to college. I think that it is key to get parents to care about what their kids are doing in school. A lot of kids are worried about being "cool," and it seems that many black students may not think it's cool to do well in school. There is a lot of peer pressure involved. Latinos have the added barrier of many being language learners. Minorities are also underrepresented in the teaching profession, so these students may not find that they relate to their teachers as much as if they were their own race. I think that it is not a matter of intelligence, but difficulties that lead to students giving up on education.
I believe that most kids are gifted in one way or another. Some might excel in mathematics, while others might be raised in a more artistic surrounding, such as music. The problem, I feel is two things: 1) A language barrier might be preventing educators from fully understanding the potential each of their students have. In the same breath, those barriers might be preventing parents from realizing that special talents their children have need to be mentioned. 2) Educators need to be more patient with their students who do not speak english as a first language. From experience, I can honestly say that the only teachers I ever had that realized that I may be able to do something more than be a day laborer, were the ones that took the time to see me as a person and not just as another student.
I believe there are two main factors going on here. The first is the parents influence on the children. This would include how much time parents are able to spend with their children. And how are they spending that time. Do the parents have the resources to expand their child's education in the home.
The second factor is the teachers ability to identify which students are GATE students. It would be one thing if all students are test for the GATE program, but the fact of the matter is that they are not.
As related to my previous comments, I do not believe in tracking students. Unfortunately, we all have innate biases. Those biases determine how we categorize people. I truly believe that placement in programs like GATE have many biases built into them. I believe the classifications system as a rule is flawed. I am not sure how to improve on these classifications. Hopefully, we can improve it in the future, but for now will do the best job possible with the programs we have available.
I think students representation in a GATE program has to do with whether or not children know how to take a test and with parental involvment at home in their schooling. The more involved a parent is in their child's schooling the more apt the student will be to do well in school. I tihink it also has to do with the values place on school in same cultures.
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