Racism

=Power in Society: Racism= = = = = = Theta Group = = = This Wiki Pathfinder, which is designed for educators dealing with current issues in education, focuses on the topic area of Power in Society, highlighting Socio-economic factors, Prejudice, and Race. The subtopics of this area are as follows: the under-representation of low-income students in gifted and talented programs, the Achievement Gap, and the Digital Divide in the U.S. The intent is to provide quality professional sources, links, websites and bibliographies directing the educator to specific, reliable and tested material on these issues. The resources included here represent a tiny portion of the research on these important topics, but it is our hope that we have been able to extract key elements of the research to help educators in their day-to-day efforts to reduce the impact of racism on the education of their students. Our job is to continue to find credible sources out of the meta-data and deliver it to our audience. //(J.B.)// **ALL WEBLINKS WERE CHECKED AND CURRENT JULY 7-13, 2008**

=//Gifted Education (M.A.) //= Elbert Hubbard: "There is something that is much more scarce, something rarer than ability. It is the ability to recognize ability." = =  // Questions: // Minority and other special needs children are under represented in Gifted and Talented Programs throughout this country. What accounts for this difference in enrollment? Is it the result of the assessment methods or lack of recruitment? What can educators do to reverse this trend and ensure that the needs of all children are met by the public schools? // Keywords // :  Gifted and Talented, minority children, superior intelligence   This pathfinder will assist you in further understanding the issues surrounding Gifted and Talented programs and minority children as well point towards resources that can help to resolve the problem so that minority children are equally represented. Current and Historical Thinking on Education for Gifted and Talented Students The historical background on issues in gifted education, together with ideas and practices from the special educational strategies now in use for gifted students explain the changes that Gifted and Talented programs have experienced over the years. The report focuses on the nature of superior intelligence, the general school adaptations for these children, current and unresolved issues in the education of the gifted and specific policy issues in gifted education.
 * Ross, Patricia O' Connell.” Current and Historical Thinking on Education for Gifted and Talented Students.” Ed. National Excellence: A Case for Developing America's Talent. An Anthology of Readings June, 1994. http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/15/cb/a8.pdf

Overview of Gifted and Talented education beginning with the Renaissance with Sir. Francis Galton and Lewis Terman and until the present. The different types of programs that are used to educate children such as separate classes, enrichment and pull-out classes are described. The issues regarding the controversies surrounding the programs are also explored. **
 * Gifted education, Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia 29 June 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talented_and_Gifted_program#Jacob_Javits_Gifted_and_Talented_Students_Education_Act

History of Gifted Education and Minority children ** Gifted and Talented Programs have been developed around the concept of attracting middle and upper class children and often do not recognize the talents of minority or non–English speaking students. The usual criteria used to evaluate students such as IQ tests, school assessments and teacher referral are questioned and examined for their inclusive abilities in regards to reaching out to students with different talents and achievements. This article examines these concepts and provides solutions to correct the problem. The under representation of minority students is examined as well as the over representation of White middle and upper class students in Gifted and Talented programs around the country. The identification and recruitment of minority students in Gifted and Talented students is explored. The solutions found to assist in this process are to modify identification procedures, and to provide front loading support such as identifying high-potential children and providing opportunities for advanced work prior to formal identification; selecting curriculum/instructional designs that enable students to succeed; building parent/home connections; and using program evaluation practices designed to enable students' to succeed. > May 12, 2008 http://articles.latimes.com/2008/may/12/local/me-gifted12  Highly intelligent, talented students need special programs to keep them engaged and challenged. But experts say too often they aren't even identified -- especially in low-income and minority schools. Gifted and Talented programs also are not federally funded and therefore the poorer districts do not always have the money to fund the programs. The article stresses the benefits and importance of these programs in inner city schools. Identification of giftedness in students who are disabled is difficult. It is important to identify these children because they often have so much to offer in a class. The different skill sets they develop to cope with their disabilities often enhance their abilities in other areas. Non disabled children can benefit from learning and interacting with them. The problem is that children who are gifted but who are visually deficient or hearing impaired often have problems demonstrating their intellect in traditional ways. This article suggests ways in which to identify the strengths of these children.
 * Cohen Linda M.. ("Meeting the needs of gifted and talented minority language students." NEW FOCUS, 8. The National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education. Fall 1988. http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/gifted_and_minority_lang.html http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/gifted_and_minority_lang.html
 * Identification of Gifted Children and Minority Students **
 * Dunbar, C. "The Gift that Keeps on Taking: Identification White Gifted and Talented Students" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Marriott Hotel, Loews Philadelphia Hotel, Philadelphia, PA, Aug 12, http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/2/3/1/2/pages23125/p23125-1.php
 * Briggs Christine J** . **  A National View of Promising Programs and Practices for Culturally, Linguistically, and Ethnically Diverse Gifted and Talented Students Gifted Child Quarterly, Vol. 52, No. 2, 131-145 (2008) http://gcq.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/52/2/131
 * Rivera, Carla, “Are gifted students getting left out”? Los Angeles Times
 * Gifted and Talented children with learning disabilities or special needs **
 * Willard-Holt, Colleen, “Dual Exceptionalities” ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education, Reston, VA. 1994 http://www.kidsource.com/education/dual.exception.html

Books This book focuses on how gifted education, minority students and/or ESL students interact. Often ESL students are not considered for Gifted Programs because a requirement is that the students speak English. As a result, many of these children who are talented are not included in the very programs that could enhance their educational experience. The book describes program delivery models, bilingualism, identification and assessment to assist bilingual and gifted education teachers of grades K-12.
 * Castellano Jaime Antonio, //School District of Palm Beach County,// "Reaching New Horizons: Gifted and Talented Education for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students." Sept 09, 2001

Gifted and Talented children have historically been chosen because of test scores, teacher recommendations, and the student's behavior. This book examines the practice of identification and how minority children fit into the process of identification. The process of identifyiong minority and male children as neededing special education is also explored. The number of these children designated as learning disabled and emotionally challenged has risen. This book does an excellent job of examining these issues in our educational system.
 * Christopher T. Cross, "Minority Students in Special and Gifted Education. "National Research Council (U.S. Committee on Minority Representation in Special Education National Academies Press (December 2002)

=The Achievement Gap // (C.S.) //=

It has been more than 50 years since the Supreme Court issued the landmark //Brown v. Board of Education// ruling that ended segregation in U.S. public schools. In spite of the reforms brought about by the ruling, the achievement gap between white and minority students remains: “t he average black or Hispanic secondary school student currently achieves at about the same level as the average white student in the lowest quartile of white achievement.” (Howard & Amah). African American males are more likely than any other demographic group to be suspended, expelled, or drop out of school. Educators continue to debate the causes and effects of this persistent gap, and to find strategies to successfully eliminate it. The introduction of NCLB has only heightened the intensity of this debate, with its emphasis on Annual Yearly Progress. The significance of this persistent problem is well-documented in: “Tables and Figures” tab contains data on the achievement gap over the past decade by grade level, state, subject matter, and other user-specified criteria. While the gap has shrunk slightly, it remains stubbornly high. //Questions:// What factors are responsible for the persistent achievement gap between white students and minorities? Do standardized tests discriminate against minorities and those outside of the dominant culture? What strategies have proven to be effective in reducing/eliminating the gap? // Keywords // : Achievement gap, minority achievement, racial bias, standardized test. // Books, Journal Articles, & Web Sites: // This book documents a variety of successful strategies implemented in school districts around the country to reduce the achievement gap. These include reducing class size, intensive attention to core academic skills, encouraging students to pursue more challenging courses, and even the controversial strategy of offering vouchers. This single volume is recommended for practitioners looking for best practice strategies to address this issue. The two studies represent different perspectives, looking at surburban schools: Ronald Ferguson’s study emphasized the need to avoid assumptions about group-level performance, and should instead identify weak areas, provide encouragement, and additional resources. John Ogbu’s study focused more on attitudinal issues: while whites typically attributed the gap to economic factors, blacks more often considered it to be due to racism, and felt disenfranchised from the system, and were more often assigned to less challenging courses. These authors highlight the need to analyze the factors behind the persistent achievement gap with its devastating impact on drop out rates, particularly for African American males and examine steps to reduce it, focusing on the importance of high quality teaching and the need for research specifically targeting the education of African American students.
 * The Nation’s Report Card - National Assessment of Educational Progress NAEP . (2008, June 23). Retrieved from Institute of Education Sciences: National Center for Education Statistics Web site: http://nces.ed.gov/quicktables/
 * Chubb, J. E., & Loveless, T. (Eds.). (2002). //Bridging the Achievement Gap//. Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution.
 * Flaxman, E. (2003, December). Closing the achievement gap: Two views from current research. //ERIC Digest//, ed482919. Retrieved from Educational Resources Information Center Web site: http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/1b/99/40.pdf
 * Howard, T. C., & Amah, I. A. (2006). Bridging the Gap: Effective Practice and Research to Improve African American Student Achievment. In H. R. Milner & E. W. Ross (Eds.), //Race, Ethnicity, and Education//. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers. Retrieved from The African American Experience database: http://aae.greenwood.com/

Data from the U.S. DOE’s Early Childhood Longitudinal Study reveals that test scores differ significantly by race and ethnicity (which is highly correlated to SES) even before children enter school, making it more difficult for schools to act as the “great equalizer,” especially since poorer students are more likely to enter underfunded schools. Recommendations include more and better preschool options, such as Head Start, for disadvantaged children and reducing inequalities in school funding.
 * Lee, V. E., & Burkam, D. T. (2002). //Inequality at the Starting Gate: Social Background Differences in Achievement as Children Begin School//. Abstract retrieved from Economic Policy Institute Web site: http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/books_starting_gate

This overview issue reviews research as to the school and environmental causes for the gap, and based on this review advocates a comprehensive set of strategies that address the whole child. Within the schools, students should have access to challenging coursework, with academic support and high quality teachers. Various aspects of the Achievement Gap are examined in more detail in subsequent issues: Early Childhood Education (April 2006), Keeping Students in School (Summer 2006), and Overcoming the Income Gap (Fall 2006), all of which can be access through the same portal.
 * Poliakoff, A. R. (Ed.). (2006, January). Closing the Gap: An Overview. //INFObrief//, (44). Retrieved from Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Web site: [|http://www.ascd.org]

Standardized tests are an increasingly “important tool for the American idea of meritocracy.” But are these tests biased against African American and Hispanic students? Do questions draw on aspects of culture that are more familiar to the dominant culture? Or are environmental factors to blame for the difference in SAT test scores. The author articulates the views of both sides and concludes that there is little middle ground, and that NCLB only intensifies the debate.
 * Roberts, K. D. (2006). Education: Standardized Tests. In //African American Issues//. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. Retrieved from The African American Experience database: http://aae.greenwood.com/

An excellent summary of recent research on this issue, addressing both factors that contribute to the achievement gap, and strategies and reforms to successfully reduce it, including improved early childhood education, more qualified teachers to teach minority students, smaller class size, desegregation within schools. Indications are that the gap is highly correlated with socioeconomic status. = = =The Digital Divide //(J.B.)//= The Digital Divide refers to the gap between people //with// access to digital information technology and people //without// access. As with everything in today’s changing ‘meta’ world, there is not just one Digital Divide but many, and one might even further define it as: the gap between people with ‘effective’ access to digital information technology to people without access ( i.e. public space or private computer) to digital information technology. Reasons for the Digital Divide in the United States: **Socioeconomic**, **Racial**, and **Geographical**. //Keywords // & Phrases to try when researching this topic: Digital Divide, United States of America, Government Policy, Educational Policy, Information Technology //Books // =//Websites: // some reliable and seminal works on the Digital Divide. =
 * Weiss, S. (Ed.). (2003, March). Closing the Achievement Gap. //The Progress of Education Reform 2003, 4//(1). Retrieved from Education Commission of the States Web site: http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/43/00/4300.pdf
 * Mossberger, K., Tolbert, C. J., & Stansbury, M. (2003). //Virtual inequality: beyond the digital divide//. American governance and public policy. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/51769109
 * Solomon, G., Allen, N., & Resta, P. E. (2003). // Toward digital equity: bridging the divide in education // . Boston: Allyn and Bacon. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50155325
 * Warschauer, M. (2003). //Technology and social inclusion rethinking the digital divide//. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. ** http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/52305822 **
 * Nielson, Jackob. //Digital Divide: The Three Stages.// 2006 http://www.useit.com/alertbox/digital-divide.html
 * Robinson, Jeffrey. //The Role of Information Technology in the Economic Development of Inner City Communities.// 2000. http://www.bctpartners.com/pubs/icic2000-present1.pdf
 * U.S. Department of Commerce. //A Nation Online: Broadband.// 2004 http://www.ntia.doc.gov/reports/anol/NationOnlineBroadband04.htm
 * U.S Department of Commerce. //Falling Through the Net.// 1995. http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/fallingthru.html
 * Wellman, Barry 2001. //Correlates of the Digital Divide: Individual, Household and Spatial Variation.// http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman/publications/index.html

Highlights from these resources include: Socio-economic: *One possible solution to the problem would include integrating information literacy standards in the school’s curriculum. No Child Left Behind-states that all 8th grade students must become information literate. ** Racial: Who controls the content on the internet in the United States? African Americans and English-Speaking Hispanics appear to be closing some areas of the Digital Divide (due to falling prices of laptops and new computers in public schools). Aside from economic factors, reasons cited were social interaction and entertainment purposes, and email usage. ** =|| 1998 Internet Users ** 42% White 23% African American 30% English-Speaking Hispanics **|| 2008 Internet Users ** 74% White 70% English-Speaking Hispanics 61% African American **||=
 * Basic costs of computers and internet services are widening the Digital Divide. The more affluent can afford high costs of computers, new technologies and monthly internet charges. Professor Jakob Nielson points out ‘even if computers were given away free, many couldn’t use it due to lower literacy’ rates amongst poor.
 * Statistics show 90% of computer users don’t contribute to Internet Growth, which means 10% are controlling this new economy and means of data. (Nielson) As with unethical and racially charged tracking of educational standards and academic performances, the Internet tracks data of the user and about the consumer without regulation.

Geographical: ** In efforts to help erase the Digital Divide the federal government has provided low-cost connection to school and libraries and health clinics. They are also working on allocating money for in-home access to computers and the Internet for low-income families. Unfortunately most places where the poor live do not have adequate ISP or even Broadband, and their access point schools and libraries are not open long enough. Where the world has become flat and the 24/7 global economy evolving this will further divide the halves and halve-not’s. Rural America (and even some suburban areas) lacks high speed internet connections. While most urban areas use the latest in digital cable and fiber optics, the old slower telephone lines are left for poorer counties. This leads to further dampening of the economy productivity and opportunity in low-income and rural communities. One of the solutions to the geographical problem is accessing the internet via Satellite connections. http://www.mindomo.com/view.htm?m=8711f068d7e44085a803c2dbd9c96c46