Friday, February 10, 2012

An interesting article, and a rant! 2 for 1 latenight.

     I know it seems as if I'm the one constantly talking about how these textbooks assume everyone has access to resources.  But I came from a school where learning Oregon Trail on an outdated computer (given I am older than most of the class, but not by much) is the pinnacle of computer training.  Well, that's not quite fair, my sophomore year seen a newer computer lab (newer to us, still not cutting edge). As a senior, I learned Paint, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel (the earlier versions than other schools had).  My girlfriend now works for that school, and there is still not much progress when it comes to technology.  Let's face it, technology and resources go hand in hand. 
     I have recently read a New York Times article that brings this dilemma into light.  The standardized tests play a part in the haves and the have-nots.  This article shows that there are problems that NEED to be addressed and adapted because the high-income families are being granted better access and therefore better education and success than low-income families.
     This country promised all of us and our future generations that you are not doomed to father's fate, that with elbow-grease and education you can rise to become whatever you set your heart on.  But if our current educational system keeps failing to give ALL students chances... the ceiling may just be scraping the scalps of many students' cowered heads.

1 comment:

  1. Ryan,

    I actually think it's good that you question these texts, because this is a real issue in schools. There have been some studies that reflect this issue. I can't think of the article by name, but I know that "digital divide" is a term that you may want to google, as it addresses the problem between students with access and students without.

    I also think that the great gap between richer/poorer students starts at a very young age. There is a terrific book by Shirley Brice Heath called Ways with Words that you may find interesting. In the 70's she studied two communities of youth (one very poor and one more middle-class) in South Carolina and saw the difference between language acquisition at homes. The students with more access to practicing reading, writing, speaking did much better in school than those with less access. Not sure how much outside time you have for reading, but I know this is a very renowned text that you might enjoy.

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