SCHOOLS
<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">belated disambiguation</font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">this just <b>refers to education/ schools pedagogy in general</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">see voucher, charter, public etc</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">EDUC refers to FF BS</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</font><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/05/how-our-public-schools-are-still-separate-and-unequal/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/05/how-our-public-schools-are-still-separate-and-unequal/</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Desegregated busing still exists—only the children have changed. This transferring of children outside their local districts has grown even stronger. Instead of Black children being bused in, there’s an increase of White children being bused out in order to attend schools in less-diverse areas.</font><div class="p1_17" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As we approach the 65th anniversary of the historic Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka—where the United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously that “in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place,” and therefore is unconstitutional—we are now more than ever dealing with the repercussions of separating children by race.</font></p><div class="p2_17" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="alt_ad_block story-page-in-content-graph-2" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="teadsNative" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Decades later, this continued practice proves the lengths people will go to separate their children.</font></p><div class="p3_17" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I work in a public middle school that is over 90% students of color. It’s located in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Brooklyn, and yet many of the people living here choose to send their children to schools outside of the neighborhood. Ours is a reputable school, with a competitive arts program, regents’ classes, and children who get into specialized high schools, including <a href="https://www.amny.com/opinion/allen-arias-nyc-specialized-high-schools-stuyvesant-fort-green-brooklyn-1.29345067" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Stuyvesant</a>. Yet the parents would rather take buses, scooters, or SUVs instead of having their children attend their zoned school.</font></p><div class="p4_17" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I can’t help but think that if our population were 90% White, parents would be scrambling to get their children in, maybe even bribing their way in.</font></p><div class="p5_17" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Meanwhile, a mere zip code away, hundreds of parents are fighting for coveted seats to higher-achieving schools. Many of those families are relocating, thus forcing rents to increase to exorbitant prices—thereby taking away homes and spots of deserving families who can no longer afford to live there.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Not only do these schools have students entering their system with higher test scores, but having wealthier parents allows them to raise hundreds of thousands—sometimes millions—of dollars to pay for special programs and materials that schools in lower economical standing cannot afford to do.</font></p><div class="p7_17" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hence, separate and unequal.</font></p><div class="p8_17" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Furthering this already yawning gap between schools is the influx of charter schools. Some sing their praises without considering their effects, claiming they give underserved communities the chance for a better education. Charter schools are not only cherry-picking top students, but they are also siphoning off the money that had once been traditional public school funds. In addition, they make it so that local children and active parents have to move to other locations—further depriving local districts.</font></p><div class="p9_17" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Public schools need strong parental involvement to succeed. We need families that live in the community to go to schools in the community. And we need the funds that have been siphoned off for charters to be redirected back to public schools.</font></p><div class="p10_17" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Otherwise, these schools cannot remain equal.</font></p><div class="p11_17" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The biggest target for inequality is the middle schools. Next year begins a new <a href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/ny/2019/04/15/two-nyc-districts-embarked-on-middle-school-integration-plans-early-results-show-they-may-be-making-a-difference/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">initiative</a>to integrate middle schools in two popular regions in New York City. Instead of this opportunity being embraced to finally balance the schools, the result for many is more busing—more distance. I’ve met a number of families who have left the city altogether in fear that their children won’t get into a “good” school. Believe it or not, some have even left the country. A privilege many don’t have.</font></p><div class="p12_17" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">People walk around wearing T-shirts and paraphernalia espousing their pride in Brooklyn, but few are willing to allow their children to experience the learning that comes from mixing races and backgrounds. One experience I believe to be the best part of city life.</font></p><div class="p13_17" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While there may have been small gains in access to education for some students of color, it hasn’t been enough to rid us of the separate and unequal status in our public schools.</font></p><div class="p14_17" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">If we truly want that change to happen, we all must take part in the process. Parents have to stop taking their kids away from the communities they live in and instead see what they can do to make them better.</font></p><div class="p15_17" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We need to carefully review leadership and integrate our schools from the top down. We need to bring back the premise behind public education, that all children are entitled to a free and fair education.</font></p><div class="p16_17" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Separate but equal has no place in our public school system.<b style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </b>We need to put an end to transporting students away from their zoned schools and start working together as communities to make them better—for all students.</font></p><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/03/here-are-3-things-schools-must-teach-kids-about-americas-history-of-white-supremacy/">https://www.alternet.org/2019/03/here-are-3-things-schools-must-teach-kids-about-americas-history-of-white-supremacy/</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"> </font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span tiempos="Tiempos" text="Text" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" font-weight="font-weight" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" style="">School districts where White students are more likely to be in an Advanced Placement class or gifted and talented program, compared with </span><span class="race-ex" tiempos="Tiempos" text="Text" serif="serif" vertical-align="vertical-align" baseline="baseline" text-transform="text-transform" capitalize="capitalize" color="color" rgb="rgb" background-color="background-color" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit;">Black</span><span tiempos="Tiempos" text="Text" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" font-weight="font-weight" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" style=""> students.</span></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="http://projects.propublica.org/miseducation" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">http://projects.propublica.org/miseducation</a></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></p></div><div><p class="title" align="left"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></b></p><p class="title" align="left"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/education/silicon-valley-takes-over-american-classrooms-personalized-learning-technology"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/education/silicon-valley-takes-over-american-classrooms-personalized-learning-technology</font></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">y 2020, technology in the classroom is predicted to be a $<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/03/technology/silicon-valley-baltimore-schools.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ftechnology" style="text-decoration-line: none;">21 billion industry</a>. Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/11/inside-silicon-valleys-big-money-push-to-remake-american-education/#" style="text-decoration-line: none;">pledged to donate $45 billion in Facebook shares</a>to bring their personalized learning to other educational spaces. Meanwhile, Bill Gates is committing $300 million to similar causes, and Netflix’s Reed Hastings wants to give $11 million to personalized math software.</font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But there is reason to second-guess this opportunistic philanthropy, especially with Betsy DeVos as an outspoken proponent of this so-called personalized learning, i.e. tech-enriched education. It’s becoming clear that company interests are intended to groom loyal customers, sometimes at the sake of effective tutelage. And while <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/education/technology-is-changing-how-students-learn-teachers-say.html?r=1" style="text-decoration-line: none;">teachers have begun to criticize their new roles as entertainer</a>, classroom silence has become a measure of an app’s success. These are just a few of the reasons Silicon Valley’s role is in serious need of examination.</font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Take Google as an example. Right now, the majority of public schools rely on Google’s Chromebooks. The laptops now host half the nation’s primary and secondary students, with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/13/technology/google-education-chromebooks-schools.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;">over 30 million students using Google’s educational applications</a>. At a cheap $30 per student and with a suite of free online applications, it may seem like an altruistic move on Google’s part. However, all of Google’s services remain free because of advertisements and the data the company tracks from users’ online meanderings. This has led many to argue that its benevolent image is only as good as the promise not to track student data. Otherwise, Google’s educational enterprise allows the company to benefit from its collection of adolescent data mines.</font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Technology’s presence in our lives is moving at a brisk speed, and no one can say for certain what its impact will be on kids. Research paints a contradictory picture, with some arguing that innovative apps are improving test scores, while <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/education/technology-is-changing-how-students-learn-teachers-say.html?r=1" style="text-decoration-line: none;">many teachers find students' classroom attention dwindling</a>, an issue that is already endemic to current schooling. Yet, what seems most profound is technology’s role in shifting both learning outcomes and style.</font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jonathan Rochelle, director of Google’s education app program, said when asked about his own children’s education, “I cannot answer for them what they are going to do with the quadratic equation. I don’t know why they are learning it. And I don’t know why they can’t <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/13/technology/google-education-chromebooks-schools.html?_r=0" style="text-decoration-line: none;">ask Google for the answer</a> if the answer is right there.” Rochelle highlights how technology, and the internet in particular, are shifting student expectations. The answers are expected to come quick, and sustained critical inquiry is de-emphasized and replaced with Wikipedia research.</font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Recently, the New York Times explored the ways in which tech companies court these partnerships with school districts using tactics the outlet likens <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/03/technology/silicon-valley-baltimore-schools.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ftechnology" style="text-decoration-line: none;">to the pharmaceutical industry’s courting of doctors</a>, who sign million-dollar contracts after a series of high-profile dinners and business trips. Steak dinners, expensive conferences and all-out wooing is characteristic behavior of tech companies that vie for the opportunity to become a school district’s digital ambassador.</font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">These district contracts are no small investment for an already <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/08/property-taxes-and-unequal-schools/497333/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">unequal and underfunded public school system</a>. The Times article covers the $205 million multi-year contract that Baltimore School District signed with Daly Computers to purchase HP’s now defunct Elitebook Revolve. At the same time, many school districts face a crisis of infrastructure, with water in some schools running brown and economic opportunity grossly divided.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Silicon Valley says it gives underserved students greater chance in the future workforce. Yet there are also many examples where classroom technology merely increases the economic disparity between rich and poor schools. Summit Public Schools, Mark Zuckerberg’s semi-successful <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/11/inside-silicon-valleys-big-money-push-to-remake-american-education/#" style="text-decoration-line: none;">charter network</a>, is one example of the polarized choices school districts have when it comes to classroom technology. While Zuckerberg's charter boasts innovative software and wood-varnished desks, many other schools are finding themselves with <a href="https://fortune.com/2015/04/28/education-tech-funding-soars-but-is-it-working-in-the-classroom/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">devices that have quickly become obsolete</a> amidst budget cuts.</font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">So far, the model of “personalized-learning" is hard to reproduce successfully, especially once it loses its big funders. In Baltimore, parents are already complaining that their children’s Elitebook Revolve is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/03/technology/silicon-valley-baltimore-schools.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ftechnology" style="text-decoration-line: none;">missing pieces to the keyboard and experiencing battery failures</a>. At the same time, the district superintendent was revealed to have made 65 out-of-state trips (estimated at $33,000) to tech conferences, where he was a sort of public school ambassador, while in the market for a contract.</font></p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While Bill Gates and Steve Jobs have admitted they <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/screen-time-limits-bill-gates-steve-jobs-red-flag-2017-10" style="text-decoration-line: none;">strictly limit how much technology</a> their own kids are exposed to, their brand ambassadors are trying to keep the attention of school superintendents, traveling great lengths and spending small fortunes to win district contracts. They know such loyalty is an intelligent investment. There is no doubt that technology in the classroom will continue to grow over the next decades, leaving education with the capacity for innovation as well as devastation. However, there is reason to practice patience before changing all rules of the classroom, and we should demand district figures and educators sign carefully. </font></p><p class="title" align="left"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></b></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">==</font></div>