Vang SOE Colloquium Response

Hi All,

This post was written by Randy Dillard and Matt Bennet I am just moving it from comments to a post. We had some technical problems getting it posted.  Please be patient with us as we are just starting out with the Blogg. We will have the technical issues sorted out soon. 

Chris-

SOE Colloquium Summary: Community Opposition to State-Mandated Educational Management in a Large Urban School District in the Midwest. -Dr. Maiyoua Vang-


Urban education does not exist in a vacuum:



Dr. Vang established that educators cannot analyze the problems of urban education independently, but must examine it through its symbiotic relationship with suburban education. To study urban education you must also acknowledge and study the surrounding exosystems, which envelop both suburban and urban centers. 



Dr. Vang argues that researchers and educators are not asking the right questions to enable those in poverty to break the vicious cycle and transcend the social condition they are born in. She directly points to a form of structural amnesia that pervades the discourse currently. She asserts that this structural amnesia allows us as educators, as leaders, and as parents in many instances to ignore the educational policies that are dishonest and more importantly detrimental to the children most affected by those policies. 



It is of her opinion that if we are going to be serious about education reform then we must also be serious about acknowledging, addressing, and combating the structural factors that are directly impacting the physiological and psychological makeup of children living in urban settings. Education needs to be examined through the context in which it is delivered; education reform without contextual reform just brings us more of the same. 



Socioeconomic factors (SES) as predictors of the MEAP:



Dr. Vang cited Marylone’s study which closely examined SES factors as predictor of MEAP. Using a prediction formula, Maylone, with good accuracy, predicted whether SES would pass the MEAP. Maylone’s study showed that the factors that measure wealth distribution are extremely powerful in predicting standardized testing achievement. Dr. Vang prodded us to think more critically about the extra contextual factors that contribute to individual and familial economic situations and how in turn it impacts things such as standardized tests scores. Poverty matters! Consequently, she implores researchers and educators to listen to the data and follow suit of some of the other social sciences. 

Prison-industrial complex in the United States:

A portion of the presentation highlighted the significant problem of minority incarceration in the United States. The United States is one of the most highly advanced countries in the world yet has the highest incarceration rates. Ironically, as crime was leveling off in the late 70s, early 80s, incarceration began to soar in the United States. She went on to pose a rhetorical question to the group: What is our excuse? She then continued to point out the correlation between the surplus of “disposable bodies” in “disposable cities” like Detroit and the proliferation of political institutions set up to handle these “surplus bodies”. Cities like Detroit are fueling incarceration rates, as citizens, who lack skills and are denied social mobility, are turning to the underground economy (i.e., drug trade) as a means of survival. What is the solution though? The solution is delivering real school reform and providing urban students’ education that enfranchises, rather than disfranchises. 



The Baltimore Algebra Project – An example of grassroots organizing: 



Dr. Vang discussed the Baltimore Algebra Project in detail and we had the opportunity to hear from three young men (Trey, Tim, and Jamal) working with the project as they conference called in live to join our discussion. The Baltimore Algebra Project is an organization of civic minded young men and women who are campaigning for real school reform within their own communities, under the banner “No Education/No Life”. These three young men discussed the underfunding and discrimination that exists in Baltimore Public Schools. Through civil disobedience and petition, the Baltimore Algebra Project wants the state of Maryland to be held accountable and pay restitution, for what they believe, are unconstitutional acts. The Baltimore Algebra project is providing a voice to a segment of the population who have, historically, been silenced. Their belief is that real education reform must occur within, rather than from an outsiders, who are disconnected from the population and students they are trying to serve. As Trey articulated to us while on the call “top down decision making is not resonating with people in the Baltimore neighborhoods.” In their opinion if officials are unable or unwilling to authentically connect with the needs and wishes of the constituents in which they were elected or appointed to serve then these officials are really not serving a purpose at all. Students deserve leaders and decision making that acknowledges their voice, context, and delivers education that meets their needs. Until this occurs, education in Baltimore continues to restrict social mobility, is fragmenting the community, and is not providing students the skills to attain high quality jobs. 



Current state of education in Detroit:



To conclude the presentation Dr. Vang brought the discussion full circle and examined the current state of education in the city of Detroit. She discussed how a perpetual cycle of poor decisions and mismanagement has led Detroit to its current set of circumstances. A historical timeline was used to help those attending the presentation clearly see the sequence of decisions and their accumulating effects over time. She worries that privatization of education will continue to fragment the community and silence the voices of students and the electorate. Similar to the Baltimore Algebra Project, students, parents, local grassroots leaders, etc need to take back their voice and advocate for the schools and education that they deserve. 



QUESTIONS to start our discussion:



1)    In light of the fiscal realities is the movement toward more charter schools and/or closing the doors on public school facilities the best remedy for solving some of the most crippling educational problems in urban centers like Detroit?



2)    What are the ramifications, if any, on the social, political, and cultural capital of the neighborhoods left behind after public schools are closed in their area?



3)    Drawing from your own personal and professional experience respond to or expound upon one of the topics either in this post or from the the video sent to us by Dr Vang http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04CaLMODRuM