Questions about Urban Education...

Here are some questions I have started to think about concerning urban education

 

-How many urban students participate in extra curricular activities compared to that of suburban schools?

-How many schoolteachers in urban communities are actually from urban areas.?

-Why are some of the highest ranked public schools so close in distance to some of the worst ranked public school?

-Are there any public urban schools that are considered quality systems that other urban schools could use as a model for success?

-How does the Hispanic population do academically in Newark.  why?  how can it be changed.

Open Topic. High School Rankings and Location

Below is a link for the bottom ranked public high schools in New Jersey.
http://www.schooldigger.com/go/NJ/schoolrank.aspx?pagetype=bottom10

Below is an article on the number one ranked public high school in new jersey.
http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/highschoolrankings/millburn-high-school-ranks-best-in-nj.html

The reason I bring this up is because three schools in Newark made the list for worst in state. Dayton, Avon, and Martin Luther King.
The second article discusses Millburn High School (my home town) and how great its school system is. These schools are too close for such a discrepancy. How does this happen?
http://www.mapquest.com/maps?1c=Millburn&1s=NJ&2c=Newark&2s=NJ

As you can see these schools are a mere 7.5 miles apart. I grew up 7.5 miles from Newark yet have only been in the center of Newark twice. Its hard for me to understand why this metaphorical wall has been put up between two places so close.

Influences That Shape Our Schools

Influences That Shape Our Schools

 

Many forces in society shape our schools. It is obvious that the physical environment helps to create and determine whether schools are urban, suburban, or rural. Although there are numerous factors that impact in particular, our urban schools, some seem to stand out more than others. I see the major influences that shape are urban schools to be history, culture, and government.

Our history of racism has always and continues to impact urban schools. Urban schools are made up in large numbers by black students who have been and still are clouded by a history of racism.  Slavery, race segregation in the schools after the Civil War, and failure to desegregate the schools after it was ordered by the Supreme Court, all still shape our urban schools and how we view urban schools. Both Fruchter and Anderson and Summerfield view history as a major factor influencing urban schools.

Fruchter discusses at length the history of the failure of America to desegregate even after the 1954 Supreme Court Decision Brown vs. The Board of Education, ordered desegregation of schools. He asserts that “what has resulted are urban school more segregated than when Brown litigated, and a  race-based achievement gap that doom millions of poor students of color to inadequate education and limited futures.”  It seems to me that the intent to desegregate was there, but it was never fully implemented, creating segregation, not by law, but a failure to enforce desegregation. Those who were opposed to integration, fled to the suburbs so that geographically their children would not be exposed to racial integration planned in the inner cities. Somehow the will of the racist minded has kept segregation alive in the schools .The very nature of segregation has contributed to our failure in effectively educating poor inner city black students. We tend to blame the failure of urban schools on the students and on poor physical conditions of the schools, rather than blame the effects of a history of racism.

Anderson and Summerfield discuss the historical myths regarding urban schools, which impact the way we view them. They are critical of the historical concepts that perpetuate the idea that rural and suburban schools are superior to urban schools. They refer to the negativity of describing rural schools as “natural”, suburban schools as “successful models”, and urban schools as “artificial” and not the “norm”. These and other critical labels regarding urban schools have historically helped to create the negative perception about urban schools. This is not so different from students who are labeled bad early on and proceed to live up to the expectations imposed on them. If they are told often enough that they are bad, they are bad. There is no doubt that urban schools are ridden with problems. There are however, many myths created that make matters even worse and help to create a perception of negativity. This perception impacts educational policies and programs and shapes the ability to reform urban education.

Urban culture reflects our history of racism and helps to shape our urban schools.  

Black students have been robbed of their historical culture and have been forced to replace it with their urban culture.  Fruchter quotes Randall Robinson, “you cannot rob people of language, culture, mother, father, the value of labor- all of that –without doing damage to the people.” Without roots to respect, how can black students respect themselves, let alone have a respect for learning. The schools have failed in motivating and teaching inner city students. With their culture being stifled and the constant reminder of their inferiority based on years of racism, they have been forced to develop their own urban culture. Our educational system seems to view them as a separate group, but does not recognize their separate cultural past. They are expected to conform to the ideals of a culture that has rejected them. Schools are trying to teach black students using the standards of the primary American culture, with little regard for their heritage or their new found urban culture.  To me this translates into a lack of pride for black students and creates behavior reflective of what black students have come to think of themselves. The urban culture that they have built in order to survive, impacts their schools and their entire educational experience.

Government policies and programs contribute to shaping urban schools. They determine many factors regarding school funding, teacher certification, curriculum, testing and graduation requirements, and measurements of accountability. It is commonly perceived, with criticism, that urban schools receive more wasteful government spending than rural and suburban schools do. Anderson and Summerfield point out that in some cases this is a myth, and not totally based truth. The intent of the government is to fund and provide fair an equal education to all students. In reality, government policies have failed in urban centers. They have as Chubb and Moe in Fruchter’s book states “imposed universal controls on all schools which eliminate the school-level autonomy critical to educational effectiveness”. Government policies and funding are meant to shape schools positively, but I do not think that their impact on urban schools has not been successful.

  Federal, state and local governments, cultural values, and history all influence urban schools.  The goals of the government to give fair and equal education to all students have not and are not always met. The cultural values of urban student, rooted in a history of racism are often in conflict with the governments goals for education. 

 

Movies and Perceptions

Urban:

Dangerous Minds

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9G6ey1Vdj_Q

This movie is about a white female from suburban america played by Michelle Pfiefer who is hired as an english teacher in an inner city school mid year.  The school is dirty and all the students march to the beat of there own drum.  She gets taken advantage of and contemplates quitting but doesn't because she begins to see progress in some students.  It shows inner city schools as dangerous but with a internal reward for teachers who can be a positive influence.  Here is a clip

Suburban:

American Pie

This movie is set in a suburban town where most families are white and middle to upper class.  The main characters deal with classic comedic examples of teenage drinking and pre marital sex.  Things like sports and after prom parties are what the students are thinking about which is similar to my experience in high school.  American Pie in my opinion is very similar to the present day middle class high school experience.

Rural:

Napoleon Dynamite

Napoleon Dynamite is set in a rural setting where the students are uncultured and unexposed to different types of people.  The lone latino student seems to stand out.  The uncle of the main character (Uncle Rico) is a door to door salesman who is holding on to his football days at the local high school in the town that he hasn't left.  Napoleon the main character lives on a small farm and all the homes sit on big areas of land.  The teachers seem uneducated and all from a similar place.

Urban Schools

Teaching in the inner city is a special challenge. Urban schools are a part of the urban culture. The economics, along with the social and moral values of this culture, impact education. In order to teach effectively in this environment, I think I would need to better understand the urban way of life. Success as an inner city teacher, would be based on my beliefs regarding urban centers, how these beliefs would effect the student/teacher interaction, and the ideals that will shape the type of professional, I hope to be.

I view America’s urban centers as cultures within a culture. I tend to have views and beliefs regarding inner cities and those living there, based on what I have seen through the media (i.e. urban based movies/TV shows, TV network news, newspapers) and what I have learned from family and friends as I grew up. My personal experiences with Urban America have been limited because I grew up in a suburban neighborhood; however, I have had experience with inner city students on various athletic fields. These experiences gave me a negative image of urban education because the student athletes, often acted overly aggressive, were disrespectful to authority, were unsportsmanlike, and were lacking parental support. In addition, their school facilities seemed run down, abused, and neglected.  There was an excessive amount of police officers controlling the athletic event, which led me to believe that fighting and poor behavior were common. Preconceived ideas that I learned early on in life, along with my limited exposure to the inner city, have allowed me to see Urban America as overcrowded, dirty, lacking in services and amenities, and unsafe. Persistent stereotyping has allowed me to see Urban Americans as minorities who are low in intelligence, lacking in ambition, drug abusive, violent, prone to crime, and sexually promiscuous. Although some of these beliefs may be grounded, little thought has been given to reasons for the conditions that have caused them. Ingrained prejudices that I have developed about urban youth may get in the way of effective teaching. Some of what I think I know about urban life, and urban youth in particular, is learned and assumed, without a clear and realistic understanding. Without actually living in a city environment, or making a conscious effort to really understand it, I may have made judgments that are not always totally accurate.

            I have come to realize that economic conditions of many families living in the inner cities have a direct impact on education. Poverty or near poverty is a common misery that leaves little room or time for encouraging education. Frequently, kids grow up in broken homes or homes with multiple families, where the household income is very low. These low-income families spend a major part of their time and energy just trying to survive. Adults are often absent, because they are struggling to keep the family fed or struggling to numb the effects of life’s hardships. There is little time to spend on encouraging learning through reading, homework, or any other educational enrichment. Education, for the sake of learning or for upward social and economic advancement is just not a priority. When basic physical and emotional needs are not being met, educational needs become secondary.

It seems to me that the social values that are bred in poverty do not encourage education. If the financially burdened home environment does not show evidence of the rewards of learning and respect for the work ethic, how can these ideals be valued?  As poverty consumes, there is little thought of the value of learning.  This translates into a lack of respect for teachers, administrators, and classmates. Regard for school property, educational materials, and school pride is missing. If the home does not place importance on respect for education, children can not respect the social and moral values encouraged by the educational system.

In addition, I think moral values inherent in the impoverished inner city do not reflect the values stressed through education. Perpetual failure of achievement among urban youth, contributes to a lack of self worth and pride. Often these kids have either have no role models or poor role models to look up to. Moral guidelines and direction can being missing. Problems far greater than studying are solved with violence, which translates into a lack of respect for human life. When kids have no respect for their families, friends, themselves, or even human worth, it is hard to have respect for the ideals of education and success. In order to survive, they often try to solve problems by using violence, rather than reason and responsibility. The social and moral values of society that are stressed through education, frequently do not find their way into the minds and hearts of troubled inner city students. These values do not ring true in their homes. Their environment forces them to live for the moment, without regard to future consequences.

I realize that in order to teach in an urban environment my beliefs and a realistic understanding regarding the moral and social values found in the economics of Urban America are crucial to effectiveness. The elements of urban life greatly influence students and the learning process. As a teacher, I must recognize the need to understand the environment of the students I will be a teaching, in order to succeed. Teaching methods, techniques, materials, and most of all the teacher/student interaction needs to be varied, and take into account the needs and environment of the students.

My beliefs concerning urban center teaching will help determine the teacher/student relationship and influence the type of classroom I will create. If I have a realistic understanding of the dynamics of inner city life, I can adapt my teaching to hopefully reach my students. While working with fellow teachers, a school environment can be created that works towards reaching students through understanding the world through the students’ eyes. A classroom can be made to address individual needs and strive to motivate all students. The single most important element in the classroom is the ability of a teacher to motivate beyond individual problems. Course content and educational materials are not as important as generating an interest in learning and taking pride in achievement. In order to have an impact, I believe I need to strive to do what it takes to get through to students, based on the students’ background and frame of reference, rather than a rote method of teaching.  Understanding how environment impacts students’ educational performance, I can hopefully be successful in attaining individual student growth. Striving to make a difference in each student’s life makes teaching, not just a job, but a profession that aims at helping students from all backgrounds in becoming contributing citizens in a free society.

I want to be the type of professional that regards teaching as an important responsibility. When teaching urban youth, I would need to look beyond the overt problematic individual behavior, to the causes of the behaviors. I have to shun stereotypic assumptions that might get in the way of the goals for achieving success in reaching all students. By assuming the responsibility of judging students by the sum total of who they are and how their environment influences them, I can hope to break through and inspire students to learn and achieve, in spite of the obstacles.

Setting goals for the type of teaching professional I hope to be, striving for student/teacher interaction based on knowledge of the student’s environment, and having a clear understanding of the students’ culture can help make me a good teacher. The challenges of teaching in an inner city go beyond course content, textbooks, and educational materials. They involve having a realistic insight into the problems of urban youth, and reaching beyond these problems. Urban students need to be understood, in order to be motivated and taught.