School Vouchers and Religious Freedom

Education professor Scott Henderson has an excellent Op-Ed in The Greenville News today:

School vouchers endanger religious freedom

REMINDER at Midterm!

Assignment

Reading assignments (e-journals):

You should have major text reading completed BEFORE the week of the assignment, and you should submit a written e-journal (by email) as a response to that reading due BEFORE Wednesday @ 10:30 AM. Put the text reading in your SUBJECT line (ex. Chapter 1, Webb) and submit your response in the BODY of the email; DO NOT SEND AS AN ATTACHMENT. Many prefer to do text responses in Word; then copy and paste into email body.
[ ] Pt. 1—The Teaching Profession (Webb, 1-2)
[ ] Pt. 2—Philosophy and Its Impact on the Schools (Webb, 3-4)
[ ] Pt. 3—Historical Foundations of Education (Webb, 5-7)
[ ] Pt. 4—Schooling in a Diverse and Multicultural Society (Webb, 8-10)
[ ] Pt. 5—Legal and Political Control and Financial Support (Webb, 11-13)
[ ] Pt. 6—Curriculum and Instruction (Webb, 14-15)
[ ] Pt. 7—Projections for the Future (Webb, 16)

Supplemental Texts:

[ ] Kozol, J. (2008). Letters to a young teacher. TBD.

[ ] Hersch, P. (1999). A Tribe apart: A journey into the heart of American adolescence. New York: Ballentine Books.

Field Component:

[ ] Virtual School Observations (12 hrs.)
[ ] School Board Observation (2 hrs.)
[ ] Tutoring/ Reflection (12 hrs.)

Class-based Assessments:

[ ] Mid-term self-evaluation/course evaluation

Group Presentation:

Students in arranged groups will present to the class an educational issue or topic. These presentations should last between 16-20 minutes, and will be graded on concision, thoroughness, and clarity. Topics must be approved by the professor one week before presentation dates.

Essay on Education:

Prepare a scholarly, documented essay on the topic you chose for your group presentation. This should be documented in appropriate APA format (See Conventional Language web link on the course blog). You should consult your professor during the drafting of this essay; an initial draft of the final essay must be submitted at least two weeks before the final due date. Essay is due by the end of the course (exam date).

Final Portfolio

Submit all work in a final portfolio on the final exam date, December 16, 2008 (final portfolio is your final exam). Use this grade sheet to submit work; be sure to organize and include all work designated on this sheet.

Diversity and Tolerance in Schools?

Consider this study on harassment.

Who is to blame. . .?

Consider the influence of wealth/poverty when we consider health:

Family Income Impacts Children's Health

Child-health report shows wide gaps according to wealth, education

Note the study itself:

America's Health Starts With Healthy Children

A snapshot of each state is also available if you scroll down on the link above.

Midterm and course evaluation

Please complete the course evaluation and turn that in ASAP.

Midterm (DUE Monday, October 20, 2008):

• Email as an attachment; name file "yourlastname.EDU111midterm.doc"

• Exam prompt:

Discuss in three or so pages how EDU 111 has impacted so far your assumptions brought to this course related to teaching, learning, and schools.

Please be specific about the assumptions you brought into the course and how the course has led you to ask questions or change your views.

Be sure to include discussions and references to your text readings, Kozol’s book, class discussions, supplemental readings provided on your course web page, tutoring, and group presentations.

How market forces hurt education for the poor

Poorest schools tend to have novice teachers, state reports

Supplemental Book Assignments—A Reminder

Kozol is now DUE Wed 10/15/08; the assignment per your syllabus:

Book Questions:
You will need to answer the following study questions for the supplemental books (Kozol and Hersch). Your answers should be typed, if possible. They are due on the dates we are scheduled to discuss the books in class:

Questions for Kozol:
a) What are some key suggestions made by Kozol for young teachers?
b) What philosophical and ideological commitments drive Kozol’s discussion?
c) Does this book tell us anything about how our educational system works? If so, what?
d) If you had to give the book a different title, what would it be? Why?

YOU MAY SUBMIT A DISCUSSION OF THE BOOK INSTEAD OF ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS AS WELL. SIMPLY EMAIL YOUR EVIDENCE OF READING BY WED 10/15/08.

What is failure?

Great Op-Ed in The State.

To consider. . .

Paulo Freire (1998), Pedagogy of Freedom

“If I consider myself superior to what is different, no matter what it is, I am refusing to listen. The different becomes not an ‘other’ worthy of any respect, but a ‘this’ or ‘that’ to be despised and detested. This is oppression” (p. 108)

“It is this: If education cannot do everything, there is something fundamental that it can do. In other words, if education is not the key to social transformation, neither is it simply meant to reproduce the dominant ideology” (p. 110)

So Should Everyone Take Latin?

A Dead Language That Is Very Much Alive

Schedule Adjustments: October 6-October 17

M, Oct 6: Group work IN-CLASS to prepare for presenting

W, Oct 8: Group presentations (volunteers, then lottery)

F, Oct 10: Group presentations (volunteers, then lottery)

M, Oct 13: Group presentations [IF needed]; Kozol, Letters discussion in-class; Kozol proof DUE

W, Oct 15: Kozol, Letters discussion in-class

F, Oct 17: Mid-term (guidelines will be provided)

SAT. . .and schools behind bars

Flawed Assumptions Undergird SAT

Best schools behind bars? (Thanks to Rick for alerting me to this. Consider this in light of the "new" paternalism.)

My Op-Ed in The News today

Realism often lacking in education debate

Schedule change F, M, W (9/26, 9/29, 10/1)

Changes:

F (9/26): NO CLASS; Read for next week: (1) “What These Children Are Like,” Ralph Ellison; and (2) "An Appeal to Authority"; MEET WITH YOUR GROUP

M (9/29): Continue discussion of poverty and education, including discussion of readings from 9/26

W (10/1): Continue discussion of poverty and education, including discussion of readings from 9/26; APA documentation

Corridor of Shame—to consider

Look at the report cards here and here.

And the Poverty Index in SC schools.

Keep in mind Kozol's question about the purpose of public education as well.

What is "social justice"?