a-s-c-s-fallservice

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

final blog post

I answered my original questions, but they have many answers. I would still like to organize something addressing suicide at Urban. I am in HIPE and possibly in the upcoming months I could talk to Jenn or Kaern about the possibilities of doing something surrounding this issue. I am also still working on collaborating with SI. Overall, i came to a greater understanding of my topic, but I still would like to do something about it, especially since it's a hard topic to address.

In terms of my project, I was definitely able to get a better feel for the education system and how children learn. I made a breakthrough the other day with a highly disruptive girl in our class. I actually got her to complete an assignment on time! This class has been a challenge because the students skills are lower than last year and some have severe behavioral problems, but I am glad I am learning to work with kids of all varieties. A highlight was learning how to teach a boy who is almost deaf to pronounce words correctly. 

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

Amanda's Final Post

Now that I have finished my research and this service learning class is over, I feel like I am much more informed on many issues. I now think differently about the death penalty and know why certain groups are in/ out of power in this country. I hope to take this knowledge with me to college where I plan to participate in many other community outreach programs and remain very involved in whatever community I become a part of. I really love my work at Bridge the Gap and look forward to the rest of the year working at this organization. 

-Amanda 

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

final blog post

It was helpful for me to start the year off with project, because I think that having this extra space to work on Aim High was a great way to start off strong in the program. I feel confident that the rest of the year will run smoothly and I look forward to working more on solidifying the structure of the program. My research surrounding the drop-out epidemic gave me more insight into why it is so important to me to continue to tutor. It makes me want to work even harder to provide a safe and supportive academic space for Aim High students that they may not get in school. 

My final term in project class at Urban felt different in that I was able to combine my service learning volunteer work and my work as an Aim High tutor. I was able to spend more time learning about Aim High as a program and I was able to learn more about the benefits of tutoring and similar programs through my research.

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXouicynsmk

This video outlines the main problems with student debt in America.  Looking forward we should take these ideas and use them to help construct a better system for dealing with public higher education in this fluid world.

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

This graph is interesting. It shows what adults think are the biggest issues in teen lives. I think it definitely relates to suicide because I read somewhere that many teens who commit suicide or are thinking about it lack an adult figure in their life. 

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

I thought it was interesting that they mention the counselors here-- I have been noticing a lot of supplemental solutions in reading articles and watching videos for research. Maybe this is the only option, but it seems like these efforts would be better if they focused on the actual school system, not things outside the classroom. There is only so much to be done outside of the classroom-- if the curriculum and class style is ultimately the problem, these will not be long term solutions.

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

This video also mentions some errors with tracking students' attendance. It seems odd that this is a key problem, but it brings statistics into question. It is frustrating to know that there is not an effective system in place, because this means that we dont actually have accurate numbers. 

This video talks about keeping kids physically in school as a way of keeping up attendance/preventing dropouts, but I think that there is more to it. What happens inside the classroom is also important, so focusing on one or the other doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

It seems like these continuation schools can be effective, but I wonder why schools wouldn't realize that effective features of continuation schools should be implemented in regular high schools. I'm sure that many schools don't have the resources to change class sizes, but it's clear that one-on-one attention and teacher support is key. It is wonderful to have these alternatives, but I think that changes can be made within the existing system.

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

Positive Deviance: Combatting High School Dropouts pt. II

Currently, participants in the program meet every other week during lunchtime. Students come up with their own topics of discussion and brainstorm solutions. They cover a wide range of school related issues, from homework and tardiness to cell phone use on campus and the effects of budget cuts. Although it is a teacher-driven program, teachers act only as facilitators of these conversations.

Other teachers said they learn about various everyday challenges that affect students’ school performance. 

This program is also unique in that it cultivates relationships between students and between students and teachers. It seems to aim to create a supportive environment in more than one way, which I think is innovative. A problem related to the dropout epidemic that I have identified has to do with these teaher-student relationships, so it's cool to see a program like this focus on the same thing. I think it's important to motivate students by showing them that they dont have to get through high school alone. In cultivating these relationships, I think this program really emphasizes that there are other people (peers, teachers) that can be a support system.

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

One aim of the program is that their peers will learn from them, perhaps reducing the school's high dropout rate as a bonus. 

Instead of approaching the problem in a traditional way – looking at students who drop out of school -- the program relies on outliers, or the exceptions. 

This is a new and different approach than most of the other programs I've researched.  I think it's really interesting that they focus on the 'outliers' and the effect students can have on each other-- this seems like it could be successful in that it acknowledges the social side of high school and how kids impact each other. Also their emphasis on success stories is unique-- they dont seem to be using any sort of scare tactics etc., which is refreshing. I think this type of positivity and motivation is important in getting kids to stay in school, so I'm interested in learning more about this program.

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/16/presidential-debate-education_n_1970676.html?utm_hp_ref=elections-2012

This article talks about how neither Romney nor Obama has clearly defined their stance on education / talked about what they would do to help improve the public schooling system in the past debates. However, Romney generally wants education to be regulated state-wide whereas Obama is more in support of federal control of the public schooling system. 

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

High School Dropouts & Prison

link to article here!

"High school dropouts are three and one-half times more likely than high school graduates to be arrested, and over eight times more likely to be in jail or prison"

I've been researching the link between dropout rates and crime rates, and this article/study indicates that there is a strong connection between the two. It is from 2003-2004, but the percentages are not that far off from today's. 

In terms of solutions, it mentions preschool. Though this seems disconnected, I'm not surprised at all. This also enforces the connection between my issue and Amanda's. It seems to me that the students who get behind and drop out begin struggling as early as kindergarten. Students that were able to go to preschool have an innate advantage and are often ahead their classmates in kindergarten. I definitely noticed this when I worked in a kindergarten classroom at New Traditions last year. There were a handful of students that did not know how to write the alphabet, but the rest of their classmates had already learned it either because they had gone to preschool or because their parents had taught them. Even though they didn't need to come into preschool with prior knowledge, these kids were at a disadvantage. I wonder, however, if work to improve school this early on could change these percentages related to dropouts and crime so much further down the line.

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

LA Times: 8th Grade Dropout Rates

Statewide, about 3.5% of eighth-graders -- 17,257 in all -- left school and didn’t return for ninth grade,  according to the state count. Of those, about 4,200 dropped out during the academic year of eighth grade; more than 13,000 finished eighth grade but didn’t show up for ninth grade, the traditional beginning of high school.

“Dropout stats convert to prison stats,” Torlakson said.

link to article here!

I have been trying to find specific laws relating to graduation, and I've mostly found that you have to be at least 16. I have also read a lot about the "California High School Proficiency Exam," which you can take if you are 16 or have been enrolled in 10th grade for an academic year. The CHSPE can be seen as the equivalent of a diploma by some colleges, but applicants also have to take all of their high school course requirements. 

I would assume that all the kids dropping out of high schools have not complied with this requirements, so I am wondering now how the law plays out and if it is actually effective. 

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

http://www.npr.org/2012/10/10/162567137/justices-return-to-affirmative-action-in-higher-ed

According to this article, the US supreme court is going to re-vote on affirmative action due to a student who did not get accepted to UTA because of her white race. I think it is interesting to think about both perspectives/ sides of the argument for and against affirmative action. On one hand, is it really fair to not accept someone because they are not a minority/ because of the color of their skin? On the other hand it is extremely important to acknowledge that race can promote unequal opportunity and to act accordingly. I am kind of confused about what I think about affirmative action but I think I am for it because I think it is important to help out people who didn't have everything given to them, and whose race could have in the past inhibited them from getting an equal opportunity. 

-AJ

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

http://www.ed.gov

It is interesting to look at the US gov website about education to see a thorough outline of their policies/ what they are doing to improve the education program in America. This website provides a very positive outlook on our education system and doesn't really talk about how cuts/ certain budget things are weakening public schools. 

-AJ

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

Team Teaching Notes/Ideas

We were thinking along the lines of a 'choose your own adventure' map-- we titled it 'choose your own education' not because people are able to make these decisions, but because people with varying backgrounds could look at this and see how their experiences fit in.

[a-s-c-s-fallservice]

Recommendation on Reporting Suicide and Preventing Suicide Contagion and

http://www.iasp.info/pdf/task_forces/United%20States_NJ_Contagion_Reporting.pdf

This pdf shows the different ways to report a suicide to a group of people (particularly students).  

To summarize:

- act in concerned and empathetic manner, not in a conservative and quiet way. 

- address the suicide within 24 hours, but don't over dramatize 

-  get out facts to dispel rumors and make sure everyone has the same information

- avoid any glorification of the suicide, such as having a memorial at the school.

- minimize identification, don't make suicide seem like rewarding or an effective tool to achieve personal gain.

- do say something along the lines of "there was something seriously troubling him/her" instead of saying the death was inexplainable and "he/she had so much going for her"

- point out that suicide is a poor choice, but be careful not to glorify the student or vilify him/her.