Social and Cultural Foundations of American Education/Edition 3/7.2.3
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THE FORGOTTEN HALF: A WAY TO REMEMBER AND REDISCOVER
written by Jennifer Stakes
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
In schools today, the forgotten half not only exists, but also appears to not be achieving, let alone succeeding, according to current quantitative standards of achievement. This lack of achievement and success presents a very complex problem that involves both school administrators and teachers. As the problem of the forgotten half exists within each of these areas, addressing only one area in isolation will not begin to present a solution large enough to encompass what is needed here.
| “It is not enough to get everyone on the same page—the page needs some new prose.” Stanley Pogrow (2006) |
In order for the students who make up the forgotten half to be able to achieve and succeed in schools today, fundamental and often difficult changes will need to be made. The information and knowledge just does not seem to be getting through to these students. Furthermore, with NCLB and the increased push for test performance, these students seem to be falling even further behind. The current system of education isn’t working for these students. What can be done? Often it is assumed that these students are just not able to perform because they come from areas of poverty and just don’t have the background, social structure and ability. (Chappell 2007)(Pogrow, 2006). What is frightening in this assumption is that these students are viewed almost as a photo negative held up to the light. All that can be seen in them is what they lack – what is not there. Luckily there are some counter-constructs to this.
[edit] The Forgotten Half and the Forgetful Administration: Two Types of Deficit
One of the most frequently occurring characteristics among schools that serve the majority of the students who make up the forgotten half is the proportionally lower amount of funding received on a per student basis. It has been found that school districts that encompass high poverty areas receive an average of $907.00 less per student each year. As Pogrow notes “…for a school of 400 [students], that’s more than $350,000 [lost per year].” Pogrow (2006). Additionally, even when the monies are present within school
| Deficit - A falling short, a deficiency; the amount by which a sum of money, or the like, falls short of what is due or required; the excess of expenditure or liabilities over income or assets. Oxford English Dictionary, 2ed (1989) |
districts, there is often a lack trust among administrators, teachers and the community, and disagreement as how to allocate the funds. (Pogrow, 2006). Given this, it is almost understandable that administrators would want to avoid the issues of funding inequality and allocation within their schools.
What is the driving force behind the inequity of funding, as well as the lack of trust and agreement? One of the explanations given is that administrators, like teachers suffer from a systemic cultural disconnect. In her article “Children ‘at risk’: constructions of childhood in the 21st Century Community Learning Centers federal after-school programs,” Chappell stresses that our schools have been designed based upon middle-class norms. And that this, combined with a deficit view of the students, their families and ultimately their culture, places administrators, teachers and students alike into a dysfunctional construct. Chappell, (2007).
As such, in order for administrators to deal more effectively and equitably with funding inequities and promote trust and compromise (if not agreement), Pogrow suggests that administrators should look to successful high-poverty schools and develop new policies based on what has worked rather than furthering the deficit view and continuing to try to correct what appears to be “wrong” based on middle-class norms. Additionally, Chappell suggests that administrators would benefit from shifting their view of students, their families and communities as “resources” to “central actors.” Doing so would ensure that the experiences and knowledge of the students, their families and communities would become an integral part of policy and its enactment. Chappell, (2007). In order for this shift to “central actors” to take place it is necessary for administrators to recognize and remove their deficit view of the students.
[edit] Teachers Who Are Standardized to the Norm
Similar to administrators, many teachers often look upon students from poverty areas as lacking. The students are viewed as lacking good housing, nice clothing, or a parent at home in the afternoon or involved in school activities. But when a student is viewed in this manner, all that is seen is what is thought to not be there. A teacher who falls into this stereotype trap is unable to see who the student really is, and what their situation is like in reality, as well as, in relation to the community as a whole. In her article “Strengthening the case for community based learning in teacher education” (2007), E. Jewell Cooper presents an experiment she conducted, wherein she attempted to elicit a shift in her preservice teachers from using a deficit view of students to using “lens of strength”. Cooper attempted this through a series of interconnected activities and seminars. The activities were as follows:
Written Biography – Write a paper on what lead you to teach;
Bio-Poem – Write a Bio-Poem on “The me I want others to see;”
Privilege Walk – Discover diversity within the seminar attendees through answering background questions in a “Mother May I” format;
Camera Safari – In small groups, go into the school feeder communities from where children are bused and take pictures following a guided format, i.e. photograph something historical; kid friendly; or peaceful.
Walking a Mile in Another’s Shoes – Each attendee was given a written scenario that they would follow or enact in the community, i.e. riding public transportation to submit a job application, or physically go through the steps of applying for welfare;and
Debunking the Community –Attend two religious services in the community as well as make a home visit or call guided by a cooperating teacher.
Through an inductive analysis of the written feedback attached to each activity, Cooper found that the preservice teachers experienced first an awareness of who they were, then resistance to exploring a culture different from their own, followed by a new appreciation of that the area their students are from, and how their students incorporate and express their culture. In essence, for these teachers, the shift from using a deficit view, to using a “lens of strength” did occur.
[edit] Why this Shift is Necessary for Teachers and Administrators
The shift from a deficit view to a “lens of strength” is necessary in that it will enable teachers and administrators alike to facilitate meaningful learning for the students of the forgotten half. An example of this can be found in “Living Algebra, Living Wage” (2007) by Jana Dean. In her article, Dean writes of how she went out into the community to develop algebra curriculum that her students could derive personal meaning from. Dean went into the community and collected data on jobs and wages in the area, as well as costs of rent, food and transportation. Then Dean had her students discuss the overarching topic of a living wage in order to ascertain and develop background knowledge. After that she had the students use the data in various ways (missing variables, percents, x y intercepts, etc.). When the unit was complete, Dean asked her students how it had impacted them. The students reported that they all had a greater awareness of what minimum wage was, what it was worth, and a greater appreciation for the “outside world”. Better than that, they learned that algebra had a meaningful use in their lives.
[edit] It’s Not Just “Them”
Unfortunately, the shift away from the deficit view is being met with opposition. Currently, the trend is toward requiring and relying upon standardized testing. As such, more repetitive and remedial education is being fostered so as to promote passing the tests. This trend is even being felt at the university level. The State of Virginia’s Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure lobbied in 2005 to remove the “Social Foundations of Education” requirement and replace it with “Instructional design based on Assessment data” and “Classroom Management”. And in 2006 the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) announced removal of all mentions of “Social Justice” from its compilation of dispositions to be fostered by education programs (Morrison, 2007).
[edit] Conclusion
Administrators and teachers are responsible for making changes that will begin to address the educational needs of the forgotten half. As is mentioned above, addressing only one area in isolation will not begin to present a solution large enough to encompass what is needed here. In order for the information and knowledge necessary for these students to achieve and succeed, both administrators and teachers need to see the students as they are, not as what they aren’t; they need to involve themselves in the students’ communities as well as involving the communities in the development of education; they need to encourage real world applications of subject matter to as to help the students attach personal meaning and gain deeper understanding of the subject matter; and both administrators and teachers need to question trends in education in light of meeting their students’ needs.
[edit] Review Questions
[edit] Multiple Choice Questions
1)Juno, a newly licensed teacher, is preparing for his first full day with his newly assigned class. He wants to find out more about what his students are like. Juno is demonstrating which of the following:
a) An annoying amount of self involvement.
b) A more open construct than the deficit view of students presents.
c) A deficit view of his students.
d) A nervous streak that students might pick up on and exploit.
2) If Juno is interested in finding out what his students might be like, which activity would help him the most?
a) Going for walks in the neighborhoods where his students come from.
b) Googling a few student names.
c) Asking the Principal and fellow teachers for names of problem students.
d) Reading about poverty and class in America.
3) You have been teaching for two years in the same elementary school. You have come to notice that this school seems to have a much more difficult time with maintenance issues and material concerns than your previous elementary assignments. What can you do?
a) Talk with your Principal about it and urge her to do something.
b) Offer help to maintenance crew in an effort to show them that they need to do something.
c) Start attending budget meetings within your school as well as at the district level to try to network the issue for a solution.
d) Send home a letter to parents organizing a clean-up day.
4) You are nearing the end of the school year and the annual standardized tests are approaching. You are concerned about your students’ potential performance, or lack of, on the tests. You want to make sure that they know what they need to in order to do well on the upcoming tests. What can you do?
a) Give them a pre-test, and then target the deficit areas with more workbook assignments.
b) Have your students review their work in groups since the information has been presented and they already have it.
c) Determine which areas you feel your students need reinforcing in, and bring in some examples of real world applications for those areas.
d) Drill your students on what they need to know.
5) The annual standardized tests are approaching and you know that, once again, it is not going to go well for your students. What can you do?
a) Accept the situation since not all students are able to perform on standardized tests.
b) Go through drill activities, alternating with “quick” remediation.
c)Review what areas the students have fallen behind the curve on and try to understand what component may have been missing. Then adjust your future lessons accordingly.
d) Review for yourself what subject areas your students do well in, identifying techniques or qualities that you can apply in the problem areas. Before applying these techniques and qualities identified, you fist explain to your students “I have noticed that you guys do really well using (quality/technique). So now we are going to use (same quality/technique) as we work out (subject area that has presented difficulty).
Answers: 1) b 2) a 3) c 4) c 5) d
[edit] Essay Question
In this article, it is stated that since the problem presented by the forgotten half is affected by administrators as well as teachers “addressing only one area in isolation will not begin to present a solution large enough to encompass what is needed here.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Support your answer.
Sample Answer:
As an educator I disagree with this statement. While administrators are an integral part of education, it is the teachers that have a direct, and through proximity alone, profound impact upon students. While teachers must exist within the framework of the school system, each interaction with a student presents an opportunity to meet that student’s particular needs. It is this opportunity that exists independent of the world of the administrator. And it is through this opportunity that change can most effectively be applied. To say that this opportunity for change is of less value or import because of a lack of cohesion with administrators is incorrect. It truly exists in an independent state not dependent upon a cooperation that may or may not be there.
Response Essay by Tammy Viet
Actually, I do agree with this statement. The reason I agree is that one teacher can affect only the students that that teacher teaches. What is needed is a broader solution. I think administration must be involved even in the case of just that one teacher. If the administration is involved, that teacher gets badly needed support for their efforts. That teacher will get encouragement when things are not going as well as expected. That teacher may be able to bounce ideas off of other teachers who, hopefully, are also trying to make a difference, as well as the administration, and together, new ideas, new approaches, and new solutions that might actually work may result from that interaction. If administration is involved, the resources that are needed to help these students are more likely to be allocated for those needs. If administration is involved those children are no longer forgotten. Administration is acknowledging that these students are just as important as the more advantaged students and they are willing to put their resources where their mouth is. It all connects. If administration is involved, expectations are higher and may lead to higher expectations from the community and more support from them. If a community becomes involved, it may be possible to get local politicians and business owners to show support, too. Soon that school becomes a model for other schools with similar problems. Only then is it possible to truly affect a change that addresses a problem as broad as the one discussed in this article. This a national problem and it has to be addressed with a more global vision.
[edit] References
Chappell, Sharon Verner. (2006). Children "at risk": constructions of childhood in the 21st Century Community Learning Centers federal after-school program. Arts Education Policy Review. 108.2 (Nov-Dec 2006): 9(7). Retrieved Sept.17 2007 from <http://find.galegroup.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/itx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodId=ITOF&docId=A161076336&source=gale&srcprod=ITOF&userGroupName=viva_odu&version=1.0>.
Cooper, Jewell E. (2007). Strengthening the case for community-based learning in teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education. 58.3 (May-June 2007): 245(11). Retrieved on Sept. 17 2007 from <http://find.galegroup.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/itx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodId=ITOF&docId=A163544643&source=gale&srcprod=ITOF&userGroupName=viva_odu&version=1.0>.
Dean, Jana. (Summer 2007). Living algebra, living wage. Retrieved Set. 17, 2007 from http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/21_04/21_04.shtml.
Machtinger, Howard. (2007). "What do we know about high poverty schools? Summary of the high poverty schools conference at UNC-Chapel Hill. " High School Journal. 90.3 (Feb-March 2007): 1(8). Retrieved 17 Sept. 2007 from <http://find.galegroup.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/itx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodId=ITOF&docId=A161127929&source=gale&srcprod=ITOF&userGroupName=viva_odu&version=1.0>.
Morrison, Kristan. (Summer 2007). Shaking Foundations. Retrieved Sept. 17, 2007 from http://www.rethinkingourschools.org/archive/21_04/shak214.shtml
Oxford English Dictionary.2ed. (1989)Retrieved Sept. 17, 2007 from http://dictionary.oed.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/cgi/entry/50059490?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=deficit&first=1&max_to_show=10
Pogrow, Stanley. (2006). Restructuring high-poverty elementary schools for success: a description of the hi-perform school design: in this, the second of a two-part series, Stanley Pogrow outlines the basic structure of the kind of school that will help the children of poverty gain ground and so reduce the learning gap. Phi Delta Kappan. 88.3(November 2006):223. Retrieved September 17, 2007 from <http://find.galegroup.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/itx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodId=ITOF&docId=A154514930&source=gale&srcprod=ITOF&userGroupName=viva_odu&version=1.0>.
