Education and the Service Learning Project

For our service learning project, we've been working with a non profit organization called Communities in Schools. The experience thus far has proved beneficial and enlightening.

The Communities in Schools organization is geared toward drop out prevention. We've been volunteering with them at Muller Road Middle School in Richland County. This school is brand new, and has a beautiful campus, however that's not nearly the end of it. Muller Road Middle School is paperless. Each student has his/her own iPad. They even have a school website called Edmundo, very similar to Facebook, that their assignments are posted on by their teachers when they are added to the class's group. Throughout the day, the students are allowed to used their iPads to complete assignments and do research. On top of all that, the school is also solar-powered. I know that last part has nothing to do with education, but I thought it was interesting!

When I asked some of the students we were tutoring if they liked being paperless, they said no. NO!? I was shocked! Despite their dislike for the way the school operates, we were informed that in years to come, perhaps even as soon as next year, other schools in the Richland district will also become paperless. I for one, and all for the idea. Even if the students aren't particularly fond of it, they have so much technology as their disposal, there's no reason they shouldn't be able to improve their education.

TaQuan, a seventh grader who was a part of the group we tutored said he's brought his grade up 30 points in one of his classes with the help of communities in schools, and his iPad of course!

I'm really enjoying working with this organization, and I'll probably continue to do so even after I'm no longer taking Socy340.

Immigration Laws Hinder Education

        South Carolina was the first state to make state and community college inaccessible to illegal immigrants in 2008 in a law signed by then governor Mark Sanford.  Now, Nikki Haley signed S.B. 20 that according to Fox News will make it possible for police officers to stop a person just to question their immigration status. This means that parents who are driving their children to school could be arrested just because of the color of their skin.  The law is supposed to go into affect on January 1st, but it is on hold right now because of multiple lawsuits that declare it unconstitutional
        There have been reports of racist remarks in schools according to the article about the new law.  Teachers in a school in Saluda - which teaches English as a second language- have been talking about how all the "illegals" will have to leave.  Instead of realizing that this law can keep the students from coming to school because of the fear of their parents, or the actual arrest of them, they support it instead. 
       This is not a law that the "land of opportunity" should be putting into use.  Just because someone is an immigrant does not mean that they don't deserve basic human rights such as education or being able to live without fear.

School Choice

An article I read this week professed that 11 out of the 25 worst schools in America were located in South Carolina. Granted, this article is a little dated, but still the facts show that not much has been done to change that fact since then.

The real heart of this article is about school choice. Is it fair to keep children trapped in schools that are either not improving at all or improving very very slowly? The article points out that "through school choice (specifically Student Scholarship Organizations), low income and minority students can have expanded access to schools with the same level of quality instruction available to students in high performing school districts."

The quality of education at some of these is dismal and it is simply not fair to leave children there to be caught in the vicious circle of poverty and under-education. But at the same time, it is not good for the improvement of the individual schools if everyone transferring their children to better quality schools. What is the solution? The opinions are split and controversy has ensued, but one thing is clear, decisions need to be made soon. Decisions need to be made for the good of the children.

38% of South Carolina Students Functionally Illiterate

Mick Zais announced that nearly a fourth of South Carolina students are functionally illiterate. According to the most recent standardized testing scores, South Carolina ranks 39th in the nation for fourth grade reading. South Carolina also ranks significantly low in mathematics nationally. Mick Zais attributes this low ranking to a "one size fits all" education system, something he says is failing our students.

Those in kindergarten through fourth grade should be learning the fundamentals necessary for literacy, but there is a hole somewhere in the system, as 38% of children entering fourth grade are functionally illiterate. Zais believes that a more individualized approach would benefit children more than the current system.

51 Special Needs Students Graduate

The College of Educational Enrichment will have 51 special needs student  graduate from their program on November 30. The program, which began in 2006 helps adults with physical and mental disabilities attend college level classes in their area. Since it's inception it has aided 250 students wanting to achieve a higher level of education.

Thirty three students graduating will get be honored for completing five courses, and eighteen will be honored for completing eight course. Once they have completed twelve courses they will receive a degree.

As someone who has a family member that is mentally handicapped I think it is wonderful that there is an organization dedicated to helping those who are normally an afterthought when it comes to education. Though they may be slower in their learning, they are just as capable of achieving an education as we are, if given the proper help.

Spartanburg School Overcoming Odds

At Arcadia Elementary in Spartanburg, South Carolina the students are overcoming multiple obstacles to be one of the highest scoring schools in South Carolina on the standardized tests. This is a pretty remarkable feat when you consider the fact that nearly all of the 420 students live at or below the poverty level, and that a portion of the student body, who are immigrants, can barely speak English.

Acadia attributes this success to fantastic leadership not only in the classroom, but in the community as a whole. This school proves that when teachers and other officials are passionate and dedicated to improving the lives of their students and youth, miraculous things can happen. Instead of assuming that these kids will not succeed and give up on trying to educate them, this school goes all out to make sure that they give the kids the best possible education, and are succeeding in doing so.

U.S. Graduation Rate Continues to Decline According to 2010 study

In an article by Christopher Swanson, he highlights the decline in graduation in the U.S.

Swanson wrote that "Every school day, more than 7,200 students fall through the cracks of America's public high schools. Three out of every 10 members of this year’s graduating class, 1.3 million students in all, will fail to graduate with a diploma. The effects of this graduation crisis fall disproportionately on the nation’s most vulnerable youths and communities. A majority of non-graduates are members of historically disadvantaged minorities and other educationally undeserved groups. They are more likely to attend school in large, urban districts. And they come disproportionately from communities challenged by severe poverty and economic hardship."

These statements emphasize much of what we, as sociology students, have already learned. Minorities and less fortunate students have a smaller chance of graduating or being successful altogether in schools. The text (Coleman and Kerbo, 55) says "the school system itself favors the education of middle- and upper-class students." Poverty also doesn't help these students to gain a better education. The text also states "Lower-class children live in a strikingly different world from that of middle-class children. The homes of the poor tend to have fewer books, newspapers, and magazines, and the parents have less education" (p. 54).

Since we know these things, I think there should be an increase in the focus we put on changing how minorities and poor students are educated. Whether it's through the implementation of after school programs or plainly paying closer attention to them in the classroom, something needs to change. Something has to be done. Swanson emphasized this idea, writing "the current state of high school graduation further underscores that regaining traction will require renewed and sustained commitments from those concerned with the success of the nation’s schools and the essential role of a well-educated population in weaving a strong economic and social fabric."

If we fix our education system, perhaps a lot more things will fall into place.

Easier Access to Healthcare for Children Could Prove Beneficial for Education

In an article on HealthAffairs.Org, writers Sylvia Guendelman and Michelle Pearl delve into the idea of children's healthcare.

Guendelman and Pearl wrote that "Under new regulations for Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), states can extend health insurance to child enrollees’ uninsured parents. We compared the extent to which child-only and family coverage (child and parent insured) ensure health care access and use for children in working-poor families. Among these children, 21 percent were uninsured, as were 30 percent of their parents."

This raises the question, what kind of effect will better access to healthcare have on the education of these children? In my opinion, it will be a positive effect. Children who live among "working-poor" families are already less likely to receive the same education as their better off counterparts in middle to upper class families. According to the article: "Children and adults living below 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($33,400 for a family of four in 1999) were more than three times less likely than their higher-income counterparts to have health insurance. Working-poor families faced the highest risk in securing access to care. Children of the working poor are far more likely than children of nonworking-poor families to be uninsured." They don't live in the same environments that promote good education, and they can't afford to be sent somewhere else to remedy the situation.

Also, if these children already have trouble getting healthcare, that means more sick days, more missed classes, lessons they're missing out on, education they're lacking. However, with easier access to healthcare, they can bypass all of that. No longer will they have to miss school because they couldn't afford flu vaccinations, medicine, or other medical reasons that could hold them back from attending school.

SC Hires Large Number of Veterans as Teachers

Interesting and heartwarming article I read today, fitting for both Veterans day and education in the state of South Carolina. The Troops to Teachers program in the state of South Carolina stated this past week that Schools across South Carolina have hired 47 veterans from October 2010 through September 2011 to teach in seven different subject areas. Currently, South Carolina ranks eighth in the nation among all states in hiring veterans as teachers according to a report just released.

In the last year, Troops to Teachers awarded approximately $380,000 in stipends and bonuses to participants teaching in South Carolina public schools. The Troops to Teachers program offers a $5,000 stipend to assist eligible veterans in earning a certificate to teach or a $10,000 bonus to teach at a high needs school. South Carolina participants were hired to teach in the areas ofbiology, business, Junior ROTC, math, science/technology/engineering/math (STEM), social studies, and special education. For not just persons that live in the state of South Carolina, but for people all across the United States can be very happy about this news. Great statistic for the entire United States of America.

Prevalence of Mental Disease in Military Veterans

As Americans we stick with the motto that we love our troops, but how much do we really know about the problems they face when they return home?

According to an article on CNN.com,"Of the total (numbers of veterans) 32,010 (31 percent) were diagnosed with mental health and/or psychosocial problems, including 25,658 who received mental health diagnoses. More than half (56 percent) were diagnosed with two or more disorders." What does this say about the U.S. We train up these men and women to fight for us, but when they come back, we don't always provide the training necessary to ensure their survival in a world that doesn't include bombs and camouflage.

"Post-traumatic stress disorder was the most common disorder, with the 13,205 veterans who got the diagnosis accounting for more than half (52 percent) of mental health diagnoses...Others included anxiety disorder (24 percent), adjustment disorder (24 percent), depression (20 percent) and substance abuse disorder (20 percent)."

Men and women are deployed to other countries to fight for the United States, only to fight a bigger battle for themselves when they return home. They face the realities of their struggles as they attempt to gain their normal lives back. However, the normality they seek is buried by the harsh realities of war. These men and women put their lives on the line for their country, but in return what do they get from their country? Not enough.

Gains Made in Graduation Rates, Report Card Ratings

Great news published from the South Carolina Department of Education today. Graduation rates for South Carolina students increased for all measured categories of the student population while absolute and growth ratings on the annual district report cards improved for many as well. In this article it is noted that there was a small increase in students that graduated in 2011 than 2010. The overall on-time graduation rate in 2011 was 73.6 percent, while in 2010 that number was 72.1 percent. This year’s increase ended two consecutive years of declines.  

The Hispanic graduation rate improved the most, with a 5.9 percent increase from 2010’s 62.6 percent graduation rate to 2011’s 68.5 percent graduate rate. The graduation rate of African Americans moved from 68 percent to 69.7 percent while the graduation rate of white students moved from 75.5 percent to 76.8 percent. The graduation rate of students eligible for subsidized meals increased from 64.9 percent to 67 percent. Some gender statistics are as follows. Females increased their graduation rate by one percent, moving from a 77.5 percent graduation rate in 2010 to a 78.5 percent graduation rate in 2011. The male population doubled that gain, increasing two percent from 2010’s 66.7 percent graduation rate to 2011’s 68.7 percent graduation rate.

Although the ultimate goal is to try and surpass the 78% graduation rate in 2003, it is still great news to furthermore support the thought of South Carolina public education systems are on the right track to achieving state greatness and eliminating/decreasing the corridor of shame.

No Child Left Behind?

The No Child Left Behind act that was signed in 2001 seems to be leaving a lot of children behind. All children are expected to meet a level of “proficiency” based on state testing by year 2014. The change in standards coming from the No Child Left Behind scoring means less and less schools are able to reach that goal. The number of schools not reaching the goal set for “adequate yearly progress” could skyrocket from 37% to 82%.

The problem with this system is that not ever state tests the same, or even has the same way of testing for No Child Left Behind. The concept behind the entire program is fundamentally flawed. They took out all the individuality and the ability of educators to shape the learning around the children by mandating state tests. This is not what every child needs. With a shrinking education budget during the current economic crisis No Child Left Behind is just no longer a viable solution. Education needs the individuality and creativity of strong educators instead of the overarching watch of the government.

Dropout Rates

A major problem in the American education system is the dropout rate. It is a problem for minority groups mainly, and especially minority groups from low income communities. Each year roughly 1.2 million people do not graduate from high school, most from minority groups. There is a huge gap between the rate of white American dropout and on-time graduation rates and minority dropout and on-time graduation rates. Nationally about 71 percent of people graduate from high school on time, but only a little more than half of African American and Hispanic students graduate on time. That kind of gap is staggering. Why is that happening?

The answer comes in the form of economic disparity across the nation. There are areas across America known as “dropout factories” that produce more than half of the dropouts overall. These “dropout factories” are a very small percent of American schools, 2000 schools, about 12 percent of the schools nationally. Most of these high schools are located in northern and western urban areas and scattered prolifically through the southern states.

These poor economic areas are creating a poor quality of education for high school students and costing these students not only their futures but the future of America. There have been studies done stating that if high schools and colleges raised the graduation rate of African American, Hispanic and Native American students to the level of white students that they would add 310 billion dollars of income to the U.S. economy. Increased graduation rates would also prevent crime related costs and greatly decrease the amount of lost wages in America.

This is a very important issue that effects not only the individuals but America as a whole. It needs to be focused on and improved. Especially here in South Carolina where the Corridor of Shame has a large problem with dropout rates.

South Carolina Receives Mixed Results on Nation’s Report Card

This week came out with some good and bad news for the South Carolina educational public school system. While South Carolina eighth graders improved their scores in reading and mathematics, fourth graders’ performance in reading slightly declined and slightly improved in mathematics on the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Currently compared to other states, South Carolina is 39th in fourth grade reading (no change from 2009), 38th in eighth grade reading (improvement of 4 spots from 2009), 37th in fourth grade mathematics (improvement of 1 spot from 2009), and 34th in eighth grade mathematics (decline of 1 spot from 2009). In reading, South Carolina’s fourth graders had an average score of 215 in 2011, a decline of 1 point, compared to an average score of 216 in 2009.  The nation’s average score was 220 in 2011.  

A more in depth look into the statistics is South Carolina’s new test results, reading that is. Eighth graders had average score 260, an increase of 3 points from 2009, while the national average score increased by 2 points to 264.  In mathematics, South Carolina’s fourth graders had an average score of 237, an increase of 1 point, and the national average was 240.  Eighth graders’ mathematics scores increased 1 point to an average score of 281, and the national average was 283. There was some history that was shown for the first time in these results as well.

For the first time on the NAEP assessment, South Carolina female students outperform South Carolina male students in each assessment.  Although there was a small setback in a few areas we have to look at the positives and do our best as a state to fix the negatives. Only time will tell if the positives will stay positives, and if they negatives will remain negatives. Will we grow? have more setbacks? You be the judge. Only time will tell!

Law and Order Special Victims Unit Episode Based on Necessity of Immunizations

This week in class, we discussed the idea question of whether or not certain vaccinations should be required. However, presently, many people worry about whether or not the risks of being vaccinated outweigh the risks of not doing so.

In an episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (description found here), the death of a young toddler is found to be the cause of measles. The carrier, a young boy, contaminates a public park where many families take their children to play. His mother chose not to have him vaccinated because she feared that the risk or getting the shot would be more harmful to her son than not receiving the shot. Ultimately, she was put on trial for the little girl's death, but found not guilty despite being liable for it. The jury felt that she should have vaccinated her son, but she was acting in the best interest of the child, despite the outcome.

Something like this could undoubtedly happen in real life. I wonder if a fictional jury would be as willing to forgive a parent for not vaccinating their child and endangering others. It's an intriguing idea. Yes, vaccines have side effects, there are risks associate with almost everything. The facts about those risks/side effects usually influence people's decision of what to do about them.