The city and suburban residents of Rochester, have to realize one thing, "We are all we got!!" It is not good enough for us to turn away from the problems plaguing the city. We cannot allow for the economic breakdown of class to be reflective of our city and our priorities.
We have to be comfortable enough to speak out when we see wrong. We ALL have a civic responsibility to each other as humans in this world. We must not be afraid to advocate for those in need. We must not be afraid to speak out for inequities that occur in the school system. We must not be afraid to challenge one another to do what is right for our children, students and the world. If we see crimes committed, we have to speak out against them or eventually they will consume and dictate how we live our lives.
Students, educators, school leaders, politicians must remember one thing,...
WE ARE ALL WE GOT!!!
------
¡Viviendo el Sueño! (Living the Dream!)
Mr. Anibal Soler, Jr.
http://www.anibalsoler.com
http://anibalsoler.blogspot.com
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Brown vs. Board of Education, A Constant Influence on Educational Practice and Priorities, Then, Now and Forever
The U.S. Supreme Court case Brown vs. Board of Education, has been called the turning point in the promotion of educational equality for all students in the United States. “The Brown decision stripped legitimacy from racial segregation in American public education and set in motion the quest to ensure millions of black schoolchildren equal educational opportunity” (Edelman, 1973, p. 33). This case also placed a national focus on providing equal opportunities of success for all nationalities in America in particular African Americans. “The actions of African Americans contributed to the militancy of other groups in demanding equality of educational opportunity and recognition of their cultures in public schools” (Spring, 2007, p. 113). Latino’s and other minority groups have also gained attention to their disparities because of this case. Brown has been and still is criticized and credited for various results in education.
In theory, it allowed students of color to attend schools that were off limits to them, it eradicated segregation legally, but in the current make-up of urban schools, there seems to be a relapse. Since the Supreme Court ruling African Americans and Latino students have never been at the top of the achievement gap. They have always been held in comparison to the White Anglo Saxon population, and been viewed as deficient. If the verdict was truly put into practice, it would allow students who are tied into certain school districts due to the socio-economic status of their family an opportunity to go to any school of their choice, that they deemed appropriate for their success.
The major benefit of the law was that it helps bring national attention to a discriminatory practice of funding. It forced those Whites in power to change some of their practices in order to help alleviate a growing national tension. There answer was desegregation, not the initial intentions of Brown, but the result of it.
Given that desegregation was the policy or tool of choice from the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, it in turn caused major unintended corollaries for various stakeholders of color.
For example teachers of color, exclusively African American teachers loss their jobs as schools were segregated and many White school officials and parents did not want their children to be taught by them. African American educators would often receive letters stating that because of this ruling and the federal mandate that they would have to lose their jobs. School districts placed blame to the ruling in their letters to black teachers, and made it seem that it was the primary reason for losing their job. These teachers were forced to enter other careers and leave a profession that many of them loved and flourished in. Teachers of black students were advocates. Many of them lived in their communities, attended church with them and were viewed by many as pivotal in the success of black students in a desegregated world (Tillman, 2004). Since 1954, we have not recovered from the dismissal of a large African American teaching and administrative workforce.
Abysmal school facilities are another unintended result of Brown. Students in urban educational settings have school buildings that still in theory are segregated by the majority of the students that attend those schools. Most students of color have been forced to live where housing is affordable and the schools are old and worn down. Facilities that often include poor heating, plumbing, roofing problems, unsanitary bathrooms, non-functioning water fountains, characteristics of “ghetto-schools” that were highly attended by Latino and African American students (Lopez, 2002).
Another unintended consequence or benefit of Brown vs. Board, was the creation of Bilingual education. Bilingual education programs are an example of efforts rooted in the principles in Brown. If not for Brown, many Latino children would not have been afforded the right to succeed by being educated in their primary language along with English. This has since gone under some reforms by those who feel that an “English only” education is the right choice.
Parents, in particular African American parents were also affected by the decision of Brown vs. Board. Minority parents were faced with having to send their child to a school, where they would be the minority and may face prosecution by the majority White students. It was not uncommon for students of color to be beaten, abused physically and verbally and humiliated when going to majority white schools.
The Brown case also indirectly did not investigate the role that race plays in our lives as a society. It failed to realize that although desegregating schools was in theory the correct thing to do, it force many individuals to lose their cultural identity and become assimilated to the dominant culture. It also allowed those with the financial resources to get up and leave.
“White Flight” was also an unintended result of Brown. Rather then stay and be forced to learn how to live with other cultures, many Whites migrated to further suburban neighborhoods so that their children would not have to be educated along side minority students. This created new divisive lines between community groups and races that were based on economic resources.
It has been 54 years since the historic decision and there are still many inequities that have yet to be resolved with “deliberate speed.” The issues of equity range from facilities, curriculum, resources, cultural appreciation and recognition, leadership, opportunities, faculty and student expectations.
Urban school facilities have faced and seen a lot of neglect and in very few cases do those same districts have any new school buildings. Most of the educational facilities in urban schools are either buildings that have been around approximately a 100 years, and have been patched up yearly just to get through.
Curriculum has never reflected the cultural interests of students after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. When schools were segregated they were taught by teachers of color who in term would automatically include culturally significant materials and intertwine it with items they felt would be necessary for students of color to succeed in a “white world.”
Today’s curriculum still lacks major representation for students of color, there are only superficial mentions of historic African-Americans that are embedded in Social Studies textbooks. In terms of Latino’s the mentioning of the Spanish American War and immigration are two of the main topics that only hint about history and role of Latinos in America. Latino’s have very little of any mention of historic political figures and their trials in tribulations through out U.S. History.
The major error with curriculum today, is that it continues to promote the Americanization of students of color. The curriculum rarely if ever speaks from the angle of those oppressed, or most negatively influenced by the majority White American government. Native Americans, African-Americans, Asian Americans, and Latino Americans are all viewed in the curriculum as having gained so much more by the influence of the majority White Anglo Saxon America. Influences such as having been taught English the language of power, and having been shown religious and culturally valued norms, that are viewed as the right and acceptable practice amongst the masses. Curriculum today also continues to be written by those individuals in power, who continue to culturally reflect only a small percentage of the students being influenced by the curriculum.
Brown vs. Board of Education main premise was to fight for the end to legalized racial school segregation and separate but equal opportunities for students of color, in particular in terms of resources. The lack of resources and educational opportunities for school districts that serve a majority of students of color are startling. Today, in urban inner city schools the adequate availability of items such as school field trips, computer technology, assistive technology, student internships, textbooks, athletic equipment is far and few in between. There is a huge disparity between suburban schools that serve a majority of Caucasian students and city schools that serve a majority of minority students, very much, like what existed in 1954.
Since the historic ruling of Brown vs. Board, our national landscape has grown and diversified exponentially. We have a wide variety of minority groups who we now have to be mindful and sensitive to in terms of providing a rewarding adequate and equal educational experience.
Our country now includes the following groups, Arab Americans, Indian Americans, Hispanic/Latino-Americans, African Americans, Afro-Caribbean Americans, Asian Americans, Caucasian Americans and various combinations of the before mentioned groups. We also have a melting pot of religions and cultural influences that have been recognized in the media and through business. We have to create schools that promote diversity, where all children regardless of race and background can see the benefit of coming together, to learn and become part of a global world.
This generation of leaders needs to revisit how schools function, how they are organized, what and how they teach, and how they involve the community. Education though, still has a long way to go in improving the deficiencies that were fought for fifty-four years ago. With the emergence of various cultural groups and the huge disparities they possess financially, the work of “separate but equal” is far from finished.
----
¡Viviendo el Sueño! (Living the Dream!)
Mr. Anibal Soler, Jr.
http://www.anibalsoler.com
http://anibalsoler.blogspot.com
In theory, it allowed students of color to attend schools that were off limits to them, it eradicated segregation legally, but in the current make-up of urban schools, there seems to be a relapse. Since the Supreme Court ruling African Americans and Latino students have never been at the top of the achievement gap. They have always been held in comparison to the White Anglo Saxon population, and been viewed as deficient. If the verdict was truly put into practice, it would allow students who are tied into certain school districts due to the socio-economic status of their family an opportunity to go to any school of their choice, that they deemed appropriate for their success.
The major benefit of the law was that it helps bring national attention to a discriminatory practice of funding. It forced those Whites in power to change some of their practices in order to help alleviate a growing national tension. There answer was desegregation, not the initial intentions of Brown, but the result of it.
Given that desegregation was the policy or tool of choice from the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, it in turn caused major unintended corollaries for various stakeholders of color.
For example teachers of color, exclusively African American teachers loss their jobs as schools were segregated and many White school officials and parents did not want their children to be taught by them. African American educators would often receive letters stating that because of this ruling and the federal mandate that they would have to lose their jobs. School districts placed blame to the ruling in their letters to black teachers, and made it seem that it was the primary reason for losing their job. These teachers were forced to enter other careers and leave a profession that many of them loved and flourished in. Teachers of black students were advocates. Many of them lived in their communities, attended church with them and were viewed by many as pivotal in the success of black students in a desegregated world (Tillman, 2004). Since 1954, we have not recovered from the dismissal of a large African American teaching and administrative workforce.
Abysmal school facilities are another unintended result of Brown. Students in urban educational settings have school buildings that still in theory are segregated by the majority of the students that attend those schools. Most students of color have been forced to live where housing is affordable and the schools are old and worn down. Facilities that often include poor heating, plumbing, roofing problems, unsanitary bathrooms, non-functioning water fountains, characteristics of “ghetto-schools” that were highly attended by Latino and African American students (Lopez, 2002).
Another unintended consequence or benefit of Brown vs. Board, was the creation of Bilingual education. Bilingual education programs are an example of efforts rooted in the principles in Brown. If not for Brown, many Latino children would not have been afforded the right to succeed by being educated in their primary language along with English. This has since gone under some reforms by those who feel that an “English only” education is the right choice.
Parents, in particular African American parents were also affected by the decision of Brown vs. Board. Minority parents were faced with having to send their child to a school, where they would be the minority and may face prosecution by the majority White students. It was not uncommon for students of color to be beaten, abused physically and verbally and humiliated when going to majority white schools.
The Brown case also indirectly did not investigate the role that race plays in our lives as a society. It failed to realize that although desegregating schools was in theory the correct thing to do, it force many individuals to lose their cultural identity and become assimilated to the dominant culture. It also allowed those with the financial resources to get up and leave.
“White Flight” was also an unintended result of Brown. Rather then stay and be forced to learn how to live with other cultures, many Whites migrated to further suburban neighborhoods so that their children would not have to be educated along side minority students. This created new divisive lines between community groups and races that were based on economic resources.
It has been 54 years since the historic decision and there are still many inequities that have yet to be resolved with “deliberate speed.” The issues of equity range from facilities, curriculum, resources, cultural appreciation and recognition, leadership, opportunities, faculty and student expectations.
Urban school facilities have faced and seen a lot of neglect and in very few cases do those same districts have any new school buildings. Most of the educational facilities in urban schools are either buildings that have been around approximately a 100 years, and have been patched up yearly just to get through.
Curriculum has never reflected the cultural interests of students after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. When schools were segregated they were taught by teachers of color who in term would automatically include culturally significant materials and intertwine it with items they felt would be necessary for students of color to succeed in a “white world.”
Today’s curriculum still lacks major representation for students of color, there are only superficial mentions of historic African-Americans that are embedded in Social Studies textbooks. In terms of Latino’s the mentioning of the Spanish American War and immigration are two of the main topics that only hint about history and role of Latinos in America. Latino’s have very little of any mention of historic political figures and their trials in tribulations through out U.S. History.
The major error with curriculum today, is that it continues to promote the Americanization of students of color. The curriculum rarely if ever speaks from the angle of those oppressed, or most negatively influenced by the majority White American government. Native Americans, African-Americans, Asian Americans, and Latino Americans are all viewed in the curriculum as having gained so much more by the influence of the majority White Anglo Saxon America. Influences such as having been taught English the language of power, and having been shown religious and culturally valued norms, that are viewed as the right and acceptable practice amongst the masses. Curriculum today also continues to be written by those individuals in power, who continue to culturally reflect only a small percentage of the students being influenced by the curriculum.
Brown vs. Board of Education main premise was to fight for the end to legalized racial school segregation and separate but equal opportunities for students of color, in particular in terms of resources. The lack of resources and educational opportunities for school districts that serve a majority of students of color are startling. Today, in urban inner city schools the adequate availability of items such as school field trips, computer technology, assistive technology, student internships, textbooks, athletic equipment is far and few in between. There is a huge disparity between suburban schools that serve a majority of Caucasian students and city schools that serve a majority of minority students, very much, like what existed in 1954.
Since the historic ruling of Brown vs. Board, our national landscape has grown and diversified exponentially. We have a wide variety of minority groups who we now have to be mindful and sensitive to in terms of providing a rewarding adequate and equal educational experience.
Our country now includes the following groups, Arab Americans, Indian Americans, Hispanic/Latino-Americans, African Americans, Afro-Caribbean Americans, Asian Americans, Caucasian Americans and various combinations of the before mentioned groups. We also have a melting pot of religions and cultural influences that have been recognized in the media and through business. We have to create schools that promote diversity, where all children regardless of race and background can see the benefit of coming together, to learn and become part of a global world.
This generation of leaders needs to revisit how schools function, how they are organized, what and how they teach, and how they involve the community. Education though, still has a long way to go in improving the deficiencies that were fought for fifty-four years ago. With the emergence of various cultural groups and the huge disparities they possess financially, the work of “separate but equal” is far from finished.
----
¡Viviendo el Sueño! (Living the Dream!)
Mr. Anibal Soler, Jr.
http://www.anibalsoler.com
http://anibalsoler.blogspot.com
Friday, March 14, 2008
Loss of Two Students
It has been almost a month since we lost two students to street violence at Charlotte High School, Both students were freshman and their lost was deeply felt by everyone in the building. Read more about what occured here on the Democrat & Chronicle .
The first couple of days back were a little rough with students asking questions of why, and having difficulty dealing with the lost of someone whom they had known.
Looking back, our students were great, they were very open to healthy dialogue on about their emotions and thoughts. They also used various venues to release there emotions such as creating cards, signing the students lockers and leaving messages on the poster hanging in the cafeteria. Many of the students also attended the funeral services of both students.
Still to this date there is no information on who committed this crime and why. A lot of what we have heard is just speculation. Some of the dialogue I had with students in classes was about the importance of reporting whatever they may know. I was mainly trying to address the issue of "snitching." One of the main areas of concerns in school and in urban environments.
One particular dialogue sticks out in my mind. I asked the students why don't students "snitch" or report crimes? The one student who raised her hand first, turned and looked at me and said, "Mr. Soler, we know what's right and what's wrong, but you gotta understand that we live in those neighborhoods and if we tell someone, that person we told doesn't necessarily go back to that neighborhood but we do."
Those comments really pointed to the immense presence of fear that exist in inner-city communities. She was 100% right many of us involved with students in urban schools do not live in the same neighborhoods. I found myself stuck and I didn't really know how to respond to her, other then saying you must use schools and education as the way out to better yourself, and family.
I ended my visit by saying, "All we have is each other!"
--
¡Viviendo el Sueño! (Living the Dream!)
Mr. Anibal Soler, Jr.
http://www.anibalsoler.com
http://anibalsoler.blogspot.com
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Living the Dream: Back 2 Back Section V Champs!
Congratulations to the Charlotte High School Boys Varsity Basketball Team! They have accomplished what most student-athletes never get to experience once in their careers, they won back-to-back Section Five Championships.
This team of boys have been together since middle school and their hard work, determination and commitment has paid off. They have help rebuild and make Charlotte High School a powerhouse in boys basketball.
I wish all the Seniors on the team, good luck and we will be looking forward to their college careers.
--
¡Viviendo el Sueño! (Living the Dream!)
Mr. Anibal Soler, Jr.
http://www.anibalsoler.com
http://anibalsoler.blogspot.com
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