Hi everyone! I appreciated the way everyone dove in and participated in the last discussion. I have been meaning to post my thoughts on some of the themes from our discussions in general, as well as the article that Tomika sent out to the list serv (http://www.propublica.org/article/georgia-is-segregating-troublesome-kids-in-schools-used-during-jim-crow).
In reference to the article...the current wave of "reform" (i.e. accountability/choice) has led to increasingly racially segregated schools. There is a bunch of well-regarded research out there demonstrating this. I am not going to list it here, but a simple google search does the trick. Despite the rhetoric of success from predominately charter districts (NOLA, Memphis), little attention is given to the ways that students are sorted and forgotten by these systems. SPED, ELL, or other "non-compliant" students are being expelled to alternate education programs or being pushed out of the school system all together. To be clear, this has always happened to some extent. Magnet schools have been creaming the top students long before KIPP ever existed. However, the "no excuses" approach that dominates charter management organizations (CMO’s) now makes this a system-wide phenomenon in many large cities.
This article intersects with our book in many ways. Across the nation, Black and Brown students are suspended at rates multiples higher than white students. And often times these suspensions are for frivolous offenses (disrespect, not listening to authority, talking back). This happens in district and charter schools alike. I am no fan of CMO’s, but they are the result of white supremacy…not the cause of it. I hope we can interrogate not just charters, which need the accountability they so often propose for traditional schools, but also the ways the institution of schooling in general encourages inequitable outcomes.
Hi everyone! I appreciated the way everyone dove in and participated in the last discussion. I have been meaning to post my thoughts on some of the themes from our discussions in general, as well as the article that Tomika sent out to the list serv (http://www.propublica.org/article/georgia-is-segregating-troublesome-kids-in-schools-used-during-jim-crow).
ReplyDeleteIn reference to the article...the current wave of "reform" (i.e. accountability/choice) has led to increasingly racially segregated schools. There is a bunch of well-regarded research out there demonstrating this. I am not going to list it here, but a simple google search does the trick. Despite the rhetoric of success from predominately charter districts (NOLA, Memphis), little attention is given to the ways that students are sorted and forgotten by these systems. SPED, ELL, or other "non-compliant" students are being expelled to alternate education programs or being pushed out of the school system all together. To be clear, this has always happened to some extent. Magnet schools have been creaming the top students long before KIPP ever existed. However, the "no excuses" approach that dominates charter management organizations (CMO’s) now makes this a system-wide phenomenon in many large cities.
This article intersects with our book in many ways. Across the nation, Black and Brown students are suspended at rates multiples higher than white students. And often times these suspensions are for frivolous offenses (disrespect, not listening to authority, talking back). This happens in district and charter schools alike. I am no fan of CMO’s, but they are the result of white supremacy…not the cause of it. I hope we can interrogate not just charters, which need the accountability they so often propose for traditional schools, but also the ways the institution of schooling in general encourages inequitable outcomes.
Looking forward to our next meeting!!!
Peace,
Jason