After Class

If you want to continue the conversation, you can do so here:)

Due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, April 29

Blogging Assignment for April 29

Teach for America, Incorporated, is an organization that provides an alternative path toward teacher licensure by recruiting the “best” of the nation’s college graduates, providing them with a five-week intensive teacher training, and then places these students into troubled urban and rural districts. Knowledge is Power (KIPP) schools are charter schools that have developed a track record of success. According to their web site, KIPP has “66 KIPP schools in 19 states and the District of Columbia serving over 16,000 students.” Both of them have garnered their share of criticism over the years, but before one can criticize, one must learn about the two organizations.

First, read these web pages:
Teach for America, “About Us”
Teach for America, “The Corps Experience”
Teach for America, “Becoming an Exceptional Teacher”
KIPP’s Home Page
KIPP, “About KIPP”
KIPP, “What is a KIPP School?”
“What ‘Yes, We Can’ Should Mean for Our Schools”, an op-ed piece written by KIPP’s founders

If you are interested, by all means check the other related sites to learn more about these two organizations. Then, respond to these questions: Are there qualities about TFA and KIPP that you think are positive and constructive? What are they? Explain. Are there qualities about TFA and KIPP that you think are negative or destructive? What are they? Explain. Why do you think either of these programs would be controversial? Your writing should be 150-200 words long. I encourage you to read and respond to the postings of your peers as well.

Due by 11:59 pm on Wednesday, April 22

Reading and Blogging Question for Wednesday, April 22
When the Congress passed the original No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 (it was reauthorized in 2007), it changed forever the K-12 educational landscape. It is a long and detailed document, which you can find at the U. S. Department of Education web site>. I encourage you to browse the site and read at least one short section that is interesting to you. (For instance, you might be interested in the section devoted to Teacher Quality.) In addition to one section that you will read from the No Child Left Behind web site, I would like you to read these two short articles. The first is from the Education Research Newsletter and provides you with a pros and cons overview of No Child Left Behind. The second is from the New York Times and provides you with a recent editorial about the stimulus package and the current proposals to strengthen No Child Left Behind. (The articles were distributed in class on Tuesday, April 14, and you can also find them loaded in the Content feature on the course D2L.)

Blogging Options (Due no later than 11:59pm on Wednesday, April 22)
Pick one of the following three options and write a short (150-250) word response. Begin by letting the others know which argument you are responding to.

A) In response to the section you read in the No Child Left Behind section of the U. S. Department of Education web site, did anything strike you as controversial? Useful? Damaging? Briefly summarize the portion you read, discuss it, and provide an explanation of your position.

OR

B) Having read the NCLB pros and cons in the Education Research Newsletter, review the four areas (assessment-driven reform; standards-based assessment; assessment-centered accountability; and high-stakes consequences). Which “pro” argument seems particularly strong and why? Which “con” argument seems particularly strong and why?

OR

C) Having read the New York Times editorial, do you think investing an additional $100 billion into education will make a difference and improve the education U. S. children experience? Why or why not?

Due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, April 15

This reading was distributed in class on Tuesday, April 7, but you can also find it as a .pdf file in the course D2L within the Content feature.

James A. Banks, "Improving Race Relations in Schools: From Theory and Research to Practice"
(from Journal of Social Issues 62.3 (2006): 607-614)

This article serves to introduce an entire issue of the Journal of Social Issues devoted to improving race relations in schools. James Banks, the author of this chapter, is a pioneering figure in multicultural education. Your task is to read the chapter while highlighting topics and authors that you would want to read to inform further your education. Quote word-for-word from the article the topic and authors of interest (please include the page number). In a short writing (150-200 words) explain why you think the topic and authors might be of interest to you. You need only post this week to receive full credit for this assignment.

April 8, Wednesday, by 11:59 pm

Read the final chapter of We Make the Road by Walking.

Both Horton and Freire reflect on their experiences, looking for reasons or answers to explain their work, their lives, and their journeys. After reading this final chapter, I ask that you reflect on your lives, searching for stories that explain why you seek to be a teacher or youth worker in an urban setting. In a short writing (minimum 150 words), present one of those stories. Find one passage from the assigned reading that resonates with your story and type that passage word-for-word into your posting (please include the page number). Explain how the quote resonates with your story. Finally, ask a question of your readers. Return to this discussion, read all of your peers' postings, and respond to one of the questions asked. You must both post and respond to receive full credit for this discussion.

April 1, Wednesday, by 11:59 pm

Horton and Freire, "Education and Social Change" (199-226)

For this week's reading, I want all of you to address one of the two sub-titles for this section: "You have to bootleg education," or "The people begin to get their history into their hands, and then the role of education changes." Both of these are provocative sub-titles. Begin by identifying a key passage in one of the two sections in this chapter, and type that passage word-for-word into your discussion posting (be sure to include the page number of the passage). Then, explain how the passage you are quoting helps you to understand the sub-title for that section. Finally, end your posting by asking a question of your peers.
Return to the discussion and read all of your peers' postings; then respond to one of the questions asked by your peers. You must both post and respond to receive full credit for this discussion.

Wednesday, March 25, by 11:59 pm

Please read chapter 4, "Educational Practice" (145-197), and then respond to the following:

For this week's reading, I want all of you to focus on a particular passage that EITHER excites/interests you OR a passage with which you disgree. Begin by typing word-for-word the passage (and please include the page number). Then, in a paragraph at least 100 words long, explain why the passage excites/interests you or why you disagree with it. END this writing by asking a question of your readers. The question should connect with the passage and your explanation. Finally, return to the postings and respond to one of your peer's postings by answering the question posed. You must do both the posting and the response to receive full credit for this assignment.

March 11, Wednesday, by 11:59 pm

Read Horton and Freire, Chapter 3 (97-143)

The authors devote this section to "ideas." As you read, make special note of two types of ideas: those that seem exciting and make sense to you, and those that seem alienating or confusing. Then write about those ideas in two paragraphs (one for the exciting ideas, one for the alienating idea). Each paragraph should be a minimum of 100-words long, and each paragraph should explain why you think the way that you do about these ideas. You should read all of your peers' postings and respond to one of them. In order to receive full credit, you must both post and respond.