Disposable children?

Apology from Australia

Believing in theories. . .

Current attitudes about evolution are detailed here.

See a criticism of the pro-ID documentary here.

How fair is our traditional grade scale?

Should we have or end minimum grade policies? Texas is struggling with this issue.

What is fair?

Traditional Scale:

A = 91-100
B = 81-90
C = 71-80
D = 61-70
F = 60-below

Student A has 4 B's (83's) and 1 F (a zero); this average equals 66, for a D overall.

Balanced Scale:

A = 41-50
B = 31-40
C = 21-30
D = 11-20
F = 0-10

Student B has 4 B's (33's) and 1 F (a zero); this average equals 26, for a C overall.

Which is fair?

Some educational controversies. . .and what to do?

Should we suspend this teacher. . .or praise the teacher?

What do we do when researchers disagree?

Charter schools aren't succeeding. . .

But Hoxby says, Yes they are!

But Hoxby is wrong?

And what is the truth about private school funding?

What makes us so dedicated to the ideals we embrace? Ayn Rand as icon of rugged individualism. . .

Furman graduate, George Singleton

We will be reading story, "The Opposite of Zero," by George Singleton. . .and laughing. . .

Dropout debate

Read an excellent example of the problem with our educational debates:

Scoppe misleading. . .

and Scoppe's response

Education Meeting

Our Mistake about Mistakes. . .

Getting It Wrong

Our biases. . .

Test your assumptions about race, religion, etc., at the Harvard site.

Great discussion of the flaws with test scores

See this article by Berliner

Hard Times at Douglass High

What should we do?

Who should be accountable for student success?

Sec. Duncan's talk re: NCLB

What do you think of this talk by Arne Duncan?

African American College Enrollment

See this Editorial, and note the online commentary. . .

Docs on Education

Dr. Henderson and I taught a May X course on educational documentaries.

See our blog for information on many fine documentaries related to education, including Hard Times at Douglass High

Standardized testing

Good Op-Ed in The State today questioning the use of standardized testing

Student participation?

Consider this study on student participation.

Recommended Reading

The work of Malcolm Gladwell:

Outliers

Blink

REVISED Schedule and assignments

Note the changes below:

F 9/18/09—Thomas Jefferson: Publicly Supported Education

M 9/21/09—Corridor of Shame: See website

W 9/23/09—Pt. 4, text, ejournal due

F 9/25/09—Read "What These Children Are Like," Ralph Ellison

M 9/28/09—Read "Return of the Deficit"

W 9/30/09, F 10/02/09—View Hard Times; see the related web page: Hard Times

M 10/05/09—Group Presentation workshop

W 10/07/09, F 10/09/09—Discuss Hard Times, essays (APA, etc), poverty (conclude)

M 10/12/09, W 10/14/09—Group Presentations

F 10/16/09—NO CLASS MEETING, DRAFT essay

M 10/19/09—Discuss Kozol, Letters due

Jefferson on Education

Thomas Jefferson writing about education

Academic freedom? Same-sex cassrooms?

The dangers of religious control of academia?

Same-sex classrooms in Greenville County

FYI

Teachers more religious than other college grads

Friday September 4

Critics speak out against Obama speaking to schools

Local crticism of Obama talk in The State

What was the outcry like on November 14, 1988?

Laura Bush supports Obama speaking to students

Wed September 2

FYI:

This guy seems right to me: Education problems and solutions

SAT and family income

An interesting unraveling of the SAT chart above

• Groups

• Does competition work in education?

Competition

Alfie Kohn on competition

• Text reading, Pt. 1

(1) Teacher certification

Furman University Department of Education

Teaching Inequality

Does Teacher Preparation Matter?

US Department of Education, Rod Paige, 2002

(2) Board certification

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

(3) Teacher evaluation (ADEPT)

SC Department of Education—ADEPT

(4) Education unions (NEA, AFT)

NEA

AFT

(5) Teacher pay

What people think about schools, 2009 PDK/Gallup Poll

• Joe Kincheloe and critical pedagogy

• Should we have national standards? This professor says "No"

Monday August 31

Pedagogy of the Oppressed

The Paulo and Nita Freire International Project for Critical Pedagogy

Coldplay, "The Scientist"

Lyrics:

Come up to meet you, tell you Im sorry
You dont know how lovely you are
I had to find you, tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets, and ask me your questions
Oh lets go back to the start
Running in circles, coming up tails
Heads on a silence apart

Nobody said it was easy
Oh its such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said that it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start
I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling your puzzles apart
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
Tell me you love me, come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing our tails
Coming back as we are

Nobody said it was easy
Oh its such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
Im going back to the start

Oh ooh ooh ooh ooh ohh (x4)

e. e. cummings, "since feeling is first"

Friday, August 28

• Course Rationale

• Review the assignments (final grade sheet)

• Groups and topics

Disparity in SAT

SAT scores show disparities by race, gender, family income

Welcome to EDU 111!

Here is an introduction to some of your professor's work, and note the discussion online, which reveals how people see and talk about education:

Understanding the "research" about school choice