Larry Elder on Black families angry with public education

 

[VIDEO] As you know Larry Elder is running in the recall election for Governor of California. If Golden State voters recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, there is a strong possibility that Elder would be voted to replace Newsom.

As Elder rolls out his campaign for Governor, one issue he has discussed is public education. He discusses the systemic racism of public education in Los Angeles. The systemic racism being schools in low-income communities have the least qualified teachers. And the schools may have staff that look like the community - i.e. Black teachers and administrators - however that doesn't help the schools continue to perform.

Another focus of this video released after Elder declared his candidacy for Governor is that California plans to phase out a basic skills test that will help teachers attain their credentials. What is addressed here is racism - and the ones who like to talk about systemic racism is unable to adequately define it in their own words. You've heard the argument that the SAT is culturally biased, are the the tests that California teachers are expected to take for their credentials culturally biased?

Is the Golden State willfully setting the bar lower for aspiring teachers only to set them up to fail? We hear of teachers who can't spell or even seemingly confused at simple math problems. Meanwhile we hear 75% of Black boys are unable to read at their grade level. And there are frustrated parents out there who don't like what they see with their children and the people who are charged with educating them.

Can Larry Elder fix an education system that seems very set in its ways?

Have I ever had a "red pill" moment?

Ernest Duffo

I'm a long way from saying there was a "red pill" moment in my past. I seemed to have come across relatively conservative or right of center political beliefs rather early - well at least by the time I was in high school. Still there is not that one moment that caused me to flip, it could be instinctual.

There is one red pill moment to point on from my life and it involves education. To be honest I really hated going to school. While I didn't really have many friends back then that was the only thing I looked forward to was seeing my friends. It was a routine that I had grown used to.

Regardless I hated it primarily because - as I later began to realize - it was something I had to do. There was no choice for me in the matter whether by law or expectation of the parents. I had to endure public education and all the trials & tribulations. For the most part I didn't enjoy it!

The bias & strict discipline of teachers. In fact my teachers back in grammar school still performed some form of corporal punishment and in front of students to their delight it seems. One of the teachers I had in school - one I still respect - had little problem throwing around the idea of a whoopin. While I never saw him engage in it, he was of that school himself.

Of course the idea of school is socialization and I hated that. Kids can be quite cruel to other kids - not that I'm exempting myself I participated in some of it admittedly. Still there was some of that going on for the slightest of issues body odor, fashion, grades, income, etc. It took me years to realize the many issues that many of my peers may have had at home and yet it got magnified when they came to school. For the most part they had to find a way to deal with it because it was what it was to the adults.

The real red-pill moment was when I finally arrived in the 8th grade it was the end of my time in elementary school and part of this story was taking a test for the US and state constitutions. I had a teacher who I now believe was a union shill. He didn't mind telling us that we better hope the Republicans don't get elected. Back in those days perhaps it was a fear of many teachers that Republicans in power meant cuts to public education. More than likely the fear was more about them losing their jobs or at least that's what I concluded years later.

Little did this man know that with our studies on the constitution he merely woke me up to our political system and it was something I was going to study at Morehouse College years later. If he wanted to create another generation of reliable voters to his cause, he caused me to go in another direction politically. Probably wasn't a goal of his, but my goal wasn't necessarily to just blindly go along with what he or anyone else said.

Although there are other examples in my time with public education of things that were wrong, he later became one example. His attempt at politicking was one example. Another example was holding up his wad of cash as an example of "economic slavery". Me being a dumb silly kid back in the 8th grade contrasted with his seriousness as a teacher. I realize now that he didn't entirely care for me and certainly in far more subtle ways made clear what his feelings were of me to my parents.

He may have had his fans and I wasn't one for sure. However, IMHO he probably didn't have the temperament to be a teacher. Though for sure he had a stable job until the day he chooses to retire and with a generous pension that he's surely living on today. Regardless if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have the interest in politics which is one of the many subjects you'll see on my many blogs to this day.

Now as far as education, I have no children. I'm definitely a long way from knowing the pulse of public education. When I do have children my goal is to find the best schools for my children because even though education is considered an entitlement, a great education is a privilege and something worth fighting for. It's not up to the school system it's really up to parents as they have to provide for their children. Though I do recognize not all parents share those same desires of insuring their children gets a great education.

All the same, that is one possible red pill moment for me. One party or the other doesn't entirely hold the key for funding public education. If someone is concerned about that issue it's really about their livelihoods. Also it's possible to inspire opposition more so thatn instant support...

What if I was a graduation speaker?

The school year is over and the class of 2014 - whereever they went to school - has since graduated. Many have listened to the messages of their commencement speaker. I've always imagined myself as a commencment speaker, but what would I say.

My last semester at Morehouse College I took a public speaking course  and our last assignment was the formal speech. It was in fact written with myself in mind, that is what if someone gave the speech that I gave in class to students such as myself back then.

Well who knows, but a pep-talk is never a bad thing. Indeed that was the basic title of my speech. At this point I'm too lazy to pull it out of my files and recite it for you. What can be done is that the rough speech is about me encouraging students to seek help when possible as to figure out what you can do with your lives. It's something that I've been entirely too proud to do myself too often.

When it was time to graduate high school I wasn't sure what was next. College was the next logical step but I had little idea and wasn't seeking much information on that path. My interest even before graduating 8th grade at Bennett School was the military, however, my parents didn't encourage that path due to my good grades at Harlan High School.

The problem was I was never entirely confident in those grades because I achieved them too easily back then. I was never an honor roll student in elementary school and while fortunes do change if you weren't already a student who often achieved high marks how does one overnight get high marks at the next stage of their educational careers?

All the same, the message to students is always consider the future. Don't freak out, and always remember there are people out there who will help you along the way. The key is to reach out to them if you need a nudge in the right direction. That was a message I figured out late, but no matter where you are in life you will need help along the way.

From excellence to exodus, Harlan strives for rebirth Part 2

I promised in last Sunday's post a part 2 the next day, well there were other things of interest going on. Indeed I haven't posted the last two days so it should have been either Thursday or Friday, but I didn't commit. Today I commit.

So Part 2 is supposed to be about leadership. I mentioned that one of my classmates had his two cents about our principal during our time there. Of course let me preferace that by saying he doesn't blame her for everything and nor would I for that matter. Although in that position well the turnaround either didn't take or she was in over her head.

So we take you back to December 2001 when that Catalyst article was written and the excerpts will focus on the school's leadership:

Achievement continued to decline, the building to decay. Harlan’s principals may have felt too overwhelmed to fight for the school or were simply resigned to their circumstances, Foster speculates. “Somebody should have been over at the board beating on the table, ‘We’re dying out here.’”

By the mid-‘90s, only 7 percent of Harlan students scored at grade level in reading on the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency. Oehmen recalls that era as a low point for student morale. “Most had been sent here and didn’t want to be here. Somehow, Harlan had become the school of last resort.”

In September 1996, the mayor’s new school team placed low-scoring schools like Harlan on academic probation. Schools were to select a university or non-profit organization from an approved list to help them improve instruction and school management.

My algebra teacher went off on us one day. He was temperamental guy, but he wasn't always. I think he may have brought it up. The school being on probation was likely the first time I have ever heard that. I don't know if we were supposed to know about that. If we were then just as easily the parents should have known about this. I would imagine that many would have shrugged it off, parents or students wouldn't have had any interest in either transferring or turning that school around or whatever.

To the first paragraph of the excerpt, I wonder how overwhelming was the problem. Prior to the takeover of the schools by the City of Chicago, I remember there was always talk of budget deficits, something amazingly enough we still don't hear much about. Even though before former CPS CEO Arne Duncan became the Secretary of Education he was talking about more money for schools.

I remember this concept suffered a quiet death. We had small schools then the next year there were no more small schools...

Harlan went through a revolving door of external partners. The school dropped the University of Illinois’ Small Schools Workshop, reasoning that dividing staff into smaller “schools-within-schools” was impractical given the small student body, an administrator recalls.

There were other partners, but for some reason these partners didn't fit very well with the school. The article doesn't explain but all this switching was taking its toll on the school's faculty:

“Each time, it’s all new paperwork, all new routines,” one veteran teacher says of the constant switching. “You learn to use new materials and next year, start all over again.”

Teachers say they were inundated with paperwork. Under probation, staff are required to document their efforts to improve achievement, such as contacting parents and planning curriculum.

“Each year it became more and more insane,” one teacher recalls. “There were 1,000 things to do.” Between the spring of 1997 and the spring of 1999, Harlan had the fourth highest teacher-turnover rate of any high school in the district, according to data provided by the Consortium on Chicago School Research. Over 20 teachers left.

“It got to the point of ‘Why are we doing this?’” another teacher explains. “We get paid the same as people who don’t have to put up with this.”

This is when I found out that my classmate was telling the truth about our former principal. Not that I didn't believe him but this next excerpt brought what he said home:

Some describe their principal at the time, Barbara Edwards, as likable but ineffective. She failed to clamp down on teachers who were repeatedly late to work or neglected paperwork, one veteran recalls.

The school’s test scores remained stagnant. In the spring of 2000, the board ousted Edwards, and scrambled to find Harlan a new leader.

Then it came time to find a new Principal for Harlan, the one selected used to be a principal at a  grammar school. The students weren't very happy:

Students were less receptive. Grissett introduced herself at an assembly and laid down some new rules. “Everyone booed,” recalls Anthony Ellis, a junior. “We liked our old principal—she let us do whatever we wanted.”

Several honors students say they viewed arriving at class on time as optional and, the day before vacations, routinely cut out after 3rd period— right in front of the security guards. “National ditch day,” they called it.

You know, it wasn't until senior year when I started cutting. Of course it was only on days before vacations or when I knew there was no class. Perhaps there was no excuse for doing it, but then there was a reason why students ditched. Perhaps student morale was low as well as the staff no one wanted to do anything.

But with a new regime things have changed, it's a wonder what leadership would do!

Now, with consequences like Saturday detention, tardies are down 50 percent, one girl estimates. The same security guards are more alert, too, the kids say. “They’re going to chase you,” another girl reports.
...
Since 1996, the School Board has sunk billions into school renovation and construction, and Grissett got Harlan its share.

“She wrote letters, she called people. ‘How can we not have basic things?’ She just stayed on top of it,” says Associate Principal Gertrude Hill, who is Grissett’s second-in-command.

Foster observes that in this system, principals must squeak to get grease. “She squeaked loud and hard down at central office about her needs.”
...
Joyce Woldemariam, who has a master’s degree in mathematics, decided to switch schools this year. She says she chose Harlan for its small size and because it was her first interview. She reports she has a cabinet full of supplies and easy access to administrators. “They tend to ask a lot—what do you need? And I like that.”

You may want to know where's Harlan today. Well they have a new principal and are poised for new success in the future. They have an academic center (AC), if I recall before I went to school at Harlan I had this 8th teacher who claimed that he opposed sending 7th & 8th graders to Harlan. Although since ACs are touted at advanced for 7th & 8th graders it might be one way of changing the student culture of a school. I think my former 8th Grade teacher lost that battle. I can't tell you how he viewed this development.

This fall a magnet program in engineering is starting up there. If only there was ROTC when I was there, because I would have been involved, I was already interesting at that time in the military. It's possible that there was a lot Harlan missed out on back then that now today's students will take advantage of.

You know if Harlan's reputation was for violence or lack of academic rigor, it takes time to change that rep. I hope that Harlan can become as well know for it's reputation as a school that can send students to the top schools in the nation. I want to see that happen. It doesn't have to be Whitney Young or any other selective enrollment or magnet high schools.

Interesting discussion in my seminar course today

If we're not talking about writing papers in the class we're talking about business in the political science department. There are other things worth discussing, but let's take those one at a time.

First off and this is the first time I ever I heard this. The Political Science Dept is growing. When I first arrived at Morehouse it was obviously a small department of mostly 6 or 7 professors on staff. There are two other programs within this Deptartment mainly International and Urban Studies. Ultimately they're approaching enough students to overtake the Business Department.

I chuckled at that! I'm not a business major, although I sure could have enrolled as a Finance major. I chuckled because I hear a lot of the business majors whining and complaining about the work they have to do. Financial statements, value chains, mission statements, and other terms that I have no idea about. Still they do I heard one business professor talk about how one of his colleague has passion. That professor might make or break you!

So the lack of surprise is that a lot of the guys come to the Political Science Dept saying they're not liking the Business program. Some of it is probably because it's demanding though of course I'm not saying that political science is any easier. I'll give you one example.

The constitutional law professor is a legend of sorts because he's said to have sent more HBCU students to Ivy League law schools than any other HBCU professor. Because of the rate he may fail or hold back students he is often referred to as "Dr. Death". If you don't brief the cases and make the attempt at reading or studying. Indeed you may choose not to come to class weeks at a time until the next test but you choose not to read during that period, a student shouldn't be surprised if he finds himself with an F at the end of the term.

He's not the only example but he is one example. For me political philosophy is hard. To me while reading is important it requires great critical thinking. Indeed it certainly helps if you had some exceptional reading comprehension. I guess it's intimidation because philosophy tends to be, in my opinion, heady!

In comparison to business you're learning how to research but mostly social or political phenomena. Also political science is apparently a jump off for law school. To be honest I hear it's not the best preparation. You might be better off majoring in English or Philosophy if you seek to enter a law school. In fact some Political Science majors choose to specialize within the department in political philosophy if they desire going to law school.

Also you may not have to work with numbers as much. You know statistics! There is a scope and methods course in the department but there isn't a course in social science statistics. If that's your speed or you want to go to grad school you might have to consider enrolling in a course outside of the department say an Economics or Sociology statistics.

Tangent: Hmm, now I wonder why some people choose to major in political science to begin with? I'll tell my story later!

Another issue that has come up is money. Morehouse isn't a very wealthy school perhaps compared to other liberal arts colleges. Also the political science department could use some money for scholarships especially in addition to perhaps other necessary resources in the department. I heard many years ago and it was touched upon today by another student that in general academic departments aren't allowed to raise money for their departments. All this money has to go thru the office of business/finance of the school. Almost unfortunate since the previous chair of the department has roughly the same issue and he figured other schools allowed departments to raise funds why not Morehouse?

So our professor who also chairs the department says that if he's not on campus he's out trying to raise funds. He mentioned how he a Morehouse alumni is interesting in donating some money into the department, he owns a local business here in Atlanta. He wants to know how the department works or at least the work put out by the students, especially as they graduate. Well an important thing to do if you want to make an investment.

Our chair couldn't stress this enough that there are areas of instruction they need to improve over. Students aren't well versed in scope & methods. Another issue among political science majors is writing. My political philosophy professor mentioned a student who doesn't know how to put together a thesis or even write a good essay even though he passed English composition. So at least she's going to help him thru that end and that's great. Hmm the previous chairman wanted to have a writing lab but apparently didn't get too far with that, unfortunately.

Oh yeah he mentioned a young Morehouse graduate running for Congress against John Lewis. If you follow the Congressional Black Caucus that is a name you should have heard of. Been a congressman for the city of Atlanta for decades apparently. So he suggest finding ways of getting students to help him out in his campaign.

A lot of stuff to cover I only wished that I knew about this little tidbits beyond having to attend class for this! And just a little taste about what they're teaching us down here. If of course you're interested.