Segregate Proms in Georgia

An Ed Week article here describes a town in Georgia that holds segregated proms, under the excuse that the proms are planned by the students themselves, and are not school functions.  The news story is that some students have decided to hold their own integrated prom. 

Whew!  This is so shocking.  It sounds like racism is still deeply embedded in this community, and the proms are just one manifestation.   I have a two comments and a question:

The school must sponsor a prom.  This will, of course, be open to all students who are allowed to attend school functions—which should be all students, unless they are bared from school events for disciplinary reasons. 

If students want to have private “proms” in their houses, fine.  But any dance held in a public place—a place that offers services to the general public—must not discriminate on the basis of race or any other protected category, as per the 1964 Civil Rights Act. 

Where has every adult in this town been for the last fifty years?  It doesn’t matter at all that the students themselves planned these segregated events.  They were planning these events and selling tickets in the schools, and holding them in places of public accommodation.  And the whole school administration, the PTA, law enforcement, and the rest of the town simply looked the other way?

Words fail.

E-books and Libraries

The New York Times has an op-ed piece here by the president of the New York library describing the progress they are trying to make in getting the major publishers to allow the libraries to buy licenses to sell their e-books.  He makes the point that libraries help keep everyone’s access to the information revolution secure. 

Thank you, Mr. Marx, for an excellent column. 

E-books can also be wonderful for patrons, especially children, who cannot physically get to libraries to borrow books.  I spent a good deal of time interviewing my students who were avid readers, and found that a majority of them lived within walking or biking distance to a library.  With an e-reader, all children can—in effect—be living next door to a library.

The last couple years of my mother’s life, when she was very disabled, were made bearable for her because I was able to bring her a steady stream of large print books.  With an e-reader, and library account, all books can be large print, and even nursing home residents will be able to get books right in their rooms.

I wish the big publishers would realize the huge potential e-readers and libraries have for increasing their sales, for bringing people to books, and, as you say, for helping to secure our democracy.

Issues Around the Common Core

There is an article in the Washington Post here describing the issues people are starting to understand around mandating the Common Core for the whole country.  It’s a really interesting article.  Here is my response to it.

I’m speaking as a high school English teacher for 37 years.

The Common Core is in trouble because it attempts to shortcut ed. reform.  It is somewhat equivalent to putting a six-year-old in a high school varsity soccer game.  “Just do it!” we tell him.  We know that is ridiculous.  It’s takes years, careful coaching, and a love of the sport to produce top soccer players.

You want a six-year-old to graduate from high school with excellent academic skills? Start when he’s six by making sure he is in a small class with a well-trained teacher who has the expertise, and freedom, and respect, to structure learning in the best way for that child.  Make sure that teacher has plenty of money for books and other supplies.  Make sure she has good social services support so she can easily get help for children who are hungry or sick or in distress because of family situations.

Improving schools isn’t rocket science.  Essentially, we need schools to create the kind of enriched environment that our top students enjoy in their homes.  We need to help kids develop a love and habit of reading.  We need kids to be excited about learning.  Then advanced reading skills and good critical thinking skills will come.

Turning schools into test prep centers is going in exactly the wrong direction.  It’s like taking that six-year-old soccer player, making him do little except drills during practice, assigning hours of skill practice at home, and then wondering why he hates soccer, and is so lousy at it.

This teacher has a great blog looking at educational research:  http://literacyinleafstrewn.blogspot.com/