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(1 vote)		On the heels of English as a first language ... I didn't speak English until I started kindergarten, so I know a little about what I speak. There is a need for an English peer group for kids of an impressionable age. Head Start-type programs catch kids before they develop facility to where they don't want to go back almost to square one. Once you learn to cope and reason, and communicate in one language with confidence, it's hard to begin again. Multi-lingualism is something the U.S. needs to nurture, but to share a strong facility in one core language (among the many) is essential to achieve parity. Variety is great, but a common communication skillset helps meld some divisions which contribute to gang behavior, reduces educational costs, etc. Personally I sometimes wonder if all-Spanish channels are doing anything good for society. I used to argue the other end of this--it can become a refuge and a prison of sorts. What about Tibetans and Chinese, etc.? Created on 02/18/05 by E. Gamauf of Eden Prairie, MN 1 comment | Vote/comment on this entry
(2 votes)		Building students up As I was reading this article, I felt that people were focusing so much on the racial statistics of the achievement gap instead of focusing on how to make it better. Instead of putting labels on the African American group as being the lower achievers, society needs to be working with them and building up their self-confidence. Perhaps the problem is that the students of that race are getting labeled as low achievers before they even have to take any tests. Society needs to challenge these students to achieve instead of letting it be known that this group is the lowest achievers. If kids already have a bar set for them that isn't very high, then some may feel they don't need to work any harder, because not achieving is already expected of them. These students need people in their lives the bar high and build up their confidence. Created on 11/29/04 by Jenni Johnson of Winona, MN 2 comments | Vote/comment on this entry
(1 vote)		Pointing fingers won't work When looking at the achievement gap each group likes to point fingers at the others. Teachers and schools blame parents for not feeding their children or providing exposure to books. Society blames the schools for not providing enough support or extra help for students in need. Others blame the students for being unmotivated or underachievers. Pointing fingers will not help. All these groups need to come together to help the students. The students are who really matter and who we should all be focused on. Families, schools, teachers, and society all need to focus on the children. Created on 11/22/04 by Winona State University Student of Winona, MN 1 comment | Vote/comment on this entry
(7 votes)		Stop ignoring I.Q. differences Why does this paper consistently ignore the most likely explanation of the so-called "achievement-gap"--racial differences in I.Q.? You should at least acknowledge the existence of substantial evidence for these differences as documented in the works of Professors Arthur Jensen and J. Philippe Rushton and as addressed in Murray and Herrnstein's "Bell Curve." (See, e.g. Race, Evolution, and Behavior [.pdf file]) To consistently ignore this evidence constitutes a journalistic disservice and breach of faith with your readers. Created on 11/20/04 by James Russell of White Plains, NY 7 comments | Vote/comment on this entry
(1 vote)		Employer support for sending volunteers to read with children As a parent and volunteer with 8 years experience in St. Paul public schools I know the value of spending just 30 minutes to one hour per week reading with a child. Employers have a wonderful opportunity to invest in the future lives of future workers by giving their employees one hour off per week, paid time like lunch often is covered, to volunteer at a local school reading with elementary age children. I've learned from teachers in my children's schools that it is just as critical to have a volunteer labor pool work one-on-one, especially with below fluency and grade level readers, as it is is to have a volunteer labor pool for site councils and the PTA. I recommend that each company in every city, and even public sector employers, calculate the potential upside for having their employees take off one hour a week to read with a child in terms of future return on investment. If a child continues reading below grade level it becomes nearly impossible to ever catch up. Created on 10/19/04 by Stacey Millett of St. Paul, MN 1 comment | Vote/comment on this entry
(2 votes)		Retiree volunteers As baby boomers retire, many are vigorous, well-educated and affluent. They may want to make a contribution to their community. A volunteer corps should be organized so that those willing to do the work could join for the purpose of tutoring students on a one-to-one basis in the subject matter where they are having difficulty. Very young students may need someone just to listen to them practice their reading or math. Characteristics: no pay for volunteers, a time commitment to do the tutoring for a certain number of weeks at a particular time every week, volunteer must show up faithfully, hours available will be at the convenience of the school and student. It would probably be good for the volunteer to work with the same student every week in order to encourage rapport between the two. Should the student (1st to 12th grade) overcome his/her difficulty, then they would be finished receiving extra help unless or until difficulty recurs. Created on 10/14/04 by Theresa Forsythe of Apple Valley, MN 2 comments | Vote/comment on this entry
(0 votes)		How society must help close the gap--part 2 Jonathan Kozol questions how our society can allow the funding and achievement gap to exist in our ¿¿¿civilized¿¿¿ society in his book Savage Inequalities (1991). As long as those who are served with opportunity don¿¿¿t see it in their interest to close the gap in schooling and beyond, we will continue to allow the gap to exist. One of the biggest false rationalizations for ignoring or accepting unequal educational opportunity in our society is belief in the myth that our society is based solely on merit and how hard one works. There are a lot of people of color who work much harder and longer than I¿¿¿ll ever work for a fraction of the pay and benefits I have received in my middle class profession. Society should hold high standards for students, teachers, parents and schools, but those standards must be more than narrowly defined pieces of information and standardized tests. Created on 10/14/04 by Paul Spies of Minneapolis, MN 0 comments | Vote/comment on this entry
(1 vote)		How society must help close the gap--part 1 ¿¿¿ Institutionalized racism is not only present in schools, but it is widespread in our society. Closing the achievement gap in schools with students of color who have been historically underserved and white students requires society working to close the gap in family incomes, home ownership, health care, criminal justice, etc. African American, Latino and Native American youth and families have survived centuries of oppression in relation to schooling and beyond, and yet there still is not equal opportunity to achieve the American Dream. My two white children started their lives with an advantage having two parents who love each other, are employed with middle class income, are educated with college degrees, and have access to good health care and housing. Created on 10/14/04 by Paul Spies of Minneapolis, MN 1 comment | Vote/comment on this entry
(1 vote)		Perspectives from a Minority Forum on Education The Policy Roundtable (MN) hosted a forum on minority perspectives on educational issues. Here are some core recommendations: - While minorities are supportive of the recent legislation bringing more accountability in K-12 education, they also insist that the child should be the center of all education reforms and that testing should not take the place of the holistic development of the child. - There needs to be more systematic data collected on classroom size, in-school vs. out-of-school suspension, textbook availability and usage, and parental involvement. This information needs to be linked to individual student performance. - We need to better coordinate the training of teachers with the needs of the schools to ensure that our new teachers have both high academic standards as well as cultural competency. - Finally, there should be adequate resources allocated to the proper implementation of K-12 educational reforms. Created on 10/12/04 by Bruce Corrie of Saint Paul, MN 1 comment | Vote/comment on this entry
(2 votes)		English as a FIRST language I agree that children should be required to know conversational English before they go to school. The teachers are expected to "make the difference," but what difference can they make when children can't communicate? Parents of children who cannot speak English should be required to take conversational English as well. How do you tell parents how their child does if you can't communicate with them either? Getting to know your community classes/nights should be required as well. Socialization skills are key in inner-city schools and if you don't know your neighbors, how do you expect your children to? More discussion between parents will bring better students and in turn better schools. Created on 10/12/04 by Renee Zeilbeck of Bloomington, MN 2 comments | Vote/comment on this entry

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