The chapters focuses on the following key points:
I will discuss each segment as I read it. Sadly, the book was
a bit of a downer for me as it only underscored much of what is prevalent in
academic circles as it pertains to education. A former student of mine
carries a doctorate in History from Texas Tech University in Lubbock and
teaches at the collegiate level in addition to research in his field. He and
I had talked on numerous occasions about education and higher learning and once
he told me, “Daniel, this is why the
rest of the academic world thumbs their nose at the College of Education.
When you read their research it is full of assumptions, opinions, and
puffery. Often the work isn’t cited thoroughly. And, they infer so much of
what they count as fact. There is little in the way of scientific application
going on.” (C. DeMars, personal communication, October 2011). This type
of truth was what I found in this chapter of this book.
Diversity
Focus is on demographics and other statistics in schools from
2000-2009. However, there was exactly one citation available to offer
veracity to any of the “findings”. The authors wrote that “Blacks, Hispanics, and children from, a
wide array of Asian and Middle Eastern cultures now make up nearly half of
students nationwide and are the dominant majorities in many of the schools in
low-income (low SES) neighborhoods.” (Howard, Dresser, & Dunklee, 2009, pp. 5-6). The citation is
mine from the book, not the author’s. Maybe it’s just me, but I have been
pounded for the past eight EDLD classes (24 credit hours) to cite responsibly
and now I’m being asked to critique a book that doesn’t do so. So, that is
one of my critiques. As for the content of the chapter, there is ample
information pointing to an ever increasing number of low SES and English as a
Second Language (ESL) students in America.
Poverty
The author informs the reader that, “Recent statistics reveal that an additional 1.3 million children
fell into poverty between 2000 and 2005, the most recent dates for which data
is available.” (Howard, Dresser, & Dunklee, 2009, p. 6.). That is
awesome, except for the facts that we don’t know such as what is the original
number that this additional 1.3 million
exceeds, and where did this most recent
data come from? I digress. I will attempt to find the positives in the
selection, but the assignment does ask for a critique. In this light I
venture onward! Briefly, there are a lot of poor students.
School
Readiness
Briefly, poverty affects children’s readiness to begin school
in a negative way. I’m sorry, but I have to discuss one sentence from this
section in a touch more detail. “The school readiness of children living in
poverty may be seriously affected by their economic circumstances.” (Howard,
Dresser, & Dunklee, 2009, p. 8). WOW…that is AMAZING! How did the authors
ever come up with such an in-depth insight? You mean to tell me that poverty
is affected by economic circumstances? Simply amazing analysis!
Lack of Parent
Involvement
The authors cite numerous studies in this section that all
point towards low SES parents having a lack of ability to adequately prepare
their children for school. The main concern was the amount of time that a
parent(s) could spend with the child(ren) while working. Sometimes the work
was at multiple jobs.
Deficit
Perceptions
This section focused on a lack of understanding on the part of
teachers. The authors postulate that man teachers do not understand that
children in low SES homes come to school unprepared to learn.
Special
Education and NCLB
The authors explain that there is a growing number of children
with learning disabilities. After quoting a bit of data, some of which was
cited, the author throws out yet another assumption to the reader, “Is it possible that teachers are reaching
out to learning disability specialists to intervene with those children whose
only disability is low school readiness?” (Howard, Dresser, &
Dunklee, 2009, p. 11). Sure it may be possible, but:
The authors are not huge fans of NCLB, and that makes me
smile!
-------------
Howard, T., Dresser, S. G., & Dunklee, D. R. (2009). Poverty is not a learning disability: Equalizing opportunities for low SES students. Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: Corwin. |
- Identify the principal competencies and supporting standards involved or implicated in the reading, (e.g., Competency 3, Learner-Centered Values and Ethics of Leadership), including the following standards:
- Model and promote the highest standard of conduct, ethical principles, and integrity in decision making, actions, and behaviors;
- Apply legal guidelines to protect the rights of students and staff and to improve learning opportunities for all.)
- Serve as an advocate for all children.
Authors either didn’t cite material used or made HUGE
assumptions. This doesn’t seem ethical or full of integrity.
See above, I hope this isn’t
plagiarism.
This is great, all children need
our care and protection. If an educator doesn’t wish to be an advocate for
every child in their care why are they involved in this profession?
Competency 001
The principal knows how to shape
campus culture by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation,
and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the
school community.
Competency 002
The principal knows how to
communicate and collaborate with all members of the school community, respond
to diverse interests and needs, and mobilize resources to promote student
success.
|
2.
How might you apply what you learned from these
chapters in your role as an administrator or educational leader?
I most likely would not
utilize this book. There are too many assumptions and leaps taken for my
taste. What I would use from this book is a few key points to do further
study on that might offer more concrete evidence to lean on, such as school
preparedness of incoming kindergarten students.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment