Living Education eMagazine A magazine that discusses education in our everyday lives. Fall 2013 Volume VII
Back to School Support Students in Foster Care A Grandmother’s Experience: Caring
for a Grandchild with Autism
Rural Schools Success with STEM
Educators with their Super Bowl Predictions
Cozy Food
I am Trayvon
Living Education New fall four week Line
Community College Now eRadio with host
Dr. Susan M. Gardener Forest Of The Rain Productions in partnership with G2 Consulting is proud to announce the addition of Community College Now-eRadio to its Living Education eNetwork. Community College Now-eRadio is a weekly one hour interactive radio program designed to discuss issues, trends, challenges and pertinent information germane to community colleges. Listeners, followers and subscribers will have an opportunity to exchange views with a variety guest and discuss how community colleges are providing access to post-secondary enrollment and impacting their communities through economic and workforce development programs. Community College Now-eRadio airs October 8, 2013. The show will be hosted by Dr. Susan Gardner, CEO of G2 Consulting. Dr. Gardner has more than 16 years of higher education experience. To listen to Community College Now-eRadio visit: http://forestoftheraineducation.weebly.com/community-college-now.html
Now and Today eRadio up of live talk
K-12 Today eRadio with host
Dr. Anna Bucy Forest Of The Rain Productions is proud to announce the addition of K-12 Today eRadio to its Living Education eNetwork. K-12 Today eRadio is a weekly one hour interactive radio program designed to discuss issues, trends, challenges and pertinent information germane to public education. Listeners, followers and subscribers will have an opportunity to exchange views with a variety ofguest who will discuss how public education is providing the foundation for millions of students to become career and college ready. K-12 Today eRadio will begin on October 9, 2013. The show will be hosted by Dr. Anna Bucy, CEO of Prevention Bully with more than 25 years of K-12 and higher education leadership experience. You can listen to K-12 Today eRadio: http://forestoftheraineducation.weebly.com/k-12-today-eradio.html
Cool fall nights Cooler Internet radio station!
Living Education eMagazine Internet Radio The very best in classic and contemporary urban music
Top Songs on Playlist from Around the World
Wrecking Ball Miley Cyrus
Roar Katy Perry
Applause Lady Gaga
Dear Darlin' Olly Murs
U.S., France, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Portugal. Spain. Luxembourg, Sweden
U.K., France, Australia, Germany, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland
U.S., Finland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden
Austria, Germany,
Love Me Again John Newman
Blurred Lines (Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell)
It Won't Stop (feat. Chris Brown) Sevyn Streeter
All of Me John Legend
France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland
U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
U.S.
Belgium, Canada, Italy, Netherland, Switzerland
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Publisher Notes The Clutter of Absolutes…Deafens Needed Conversations to Affect Change By Michel Davis Robinson Publisher/Founder of Forest Of The Rain Productions Back to school is well under way all over the country. By now teachers have met with their new students. The process of interacting with parents, other family members or significant role models has begun through back to school nights, PTA meetings, hand written notes, phone calls, and emails to homes. Parents have responded to their schools’ open doors by volunteering, donating of school supplies and; of course, getting their children up in the morning and sending them to school. The beginning of the school year is unlike any other family event other than perhaps the holiday season. For students, there is the excitement of reconnecting with friends not seen over the summer. While parents are filled with the aspirations of a school year that will see their child reach their academic potential in a learning environment that encourages exploration and discovery of their ability. Teachers and school staff are beaming with the anticipation of seeing both returning and new students. This is the most wonderful time of the year. In an environment where change is constant, America’s teachers will once again take on the role of the catalyst, whose sole responsibility will be to develop the minds of learners while instilling in each of them love of the arts, an appreciation for history and a curiosity about what is yet unknown. America’s teachers will employ myriads of methods; while challenging students to discover the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), which will make a positive impact in each student’s life forever. What has also accompanied the back to school enthusiasm is another round of debates on education in this country. As a country there remains a struggle with what education should look like. Should all children learn the same thing in the same manner or should education be culturally or even individually tailored to each student? Is it important or possible to measure academic growth in a child? And of course there is always the very serious question of how long should a family or community wait to see if schools that struggle with successfully teaching children the arts, history, and STEM will turnaround. These concerns and what seems to be a long and growing list of disagreements on education in the United States today appear in many cases to have a limited pathway to a conscience agreement. What makes the pathway of conciliation and a start towards meeting the challenges of improving education for all children is the “clutter of absolutes”. The clutter of absolutes are those positions that are grounded in the extreme and leave little room for resolution. For example a clutter of absolute we hear is teachers
don’t care about students, or how about, parents don’t care about the work of teachers or their kids. Here is another counter-productive clutter of absolute; certain communities do not care about educating their children. One of the more offensive clutter of absolutes is that single mother homes are the cradles of youth violence. Perhaps the most commonly repeated clutter of absolute and one proven to completely untrue is there are more African American young men in prison than college. These and other absolutisms keep the needed educational conversations from gaining traction and a trajectory toward success. So as educational stakeholders listen to the various discussions taking place around the country many will be filtered through the clutter of absolutes. The clutter of absolutes will ostensibly serve as a buffer preventing a deeply necessary discussion about the physical, emotional and mental conditions of children as they come to school in search of an education. This is an important issue which stretches across racial, social and economic backgrounds. The deadly impact of bullying, gun violence, drugs, mental illness, hunger, and other societal conditions have a direct impact on children and learning. And while those in our society who historically have the least will suffer first and the greatest make no mistake much of the conditions we see in those communities are pervasive in the larger society as well. Until the courage to acknowledge that unlike Las Vegas, what goes on in our nation’s most challenging communities will not stay there. The poor quality of living in those communities is symptomatic of an illness that is more than capable of spreading. The evidence is clear; these symptoms eventually become the destruction of the quality of life in all communities. If they are not addressed from a holistic perspective for the sake of the education of all children in this country; it will not matter how many schools are closed, how many charters, private or specialty schools are opened, or how many and how often students are tested or what factors make up a teacher’s evaluation, or even how far one moves away from the those perceived troubled communities we are likely to be discussing these challenges and new ones 20 years from now just as we have been discussing them for the last 20 plus years. However, there is one significant difference; the world moves at a much faster pace than ever before and this coupled with the lack of support systems needed at home such as a strong middle class income, will be exacerbated by the aforementioned societal challenges that will ultimately be widened and deepened because of the clutter of absolutes.
Can you believe our children are back to school nearly a month? This was one of the swiftest summers I’ve experienced in many years. Perhaps my busy schedule, coupled with becoming primary caregiver for my 79 year old father, has much to do with that “blur.” If I may confess, I was ready for my children to leave my four walls and return to those of their respective schools. My older son was hyped about going into the tenth grade and the same can be said about my younger son going off to seventh grade. And as for my little lady, well, she is always on cloud nine about one thing or another. Entering third grade is no different. In order for this to be yet another successful year, I must continue the tradition I’ve started many years ago:
Kimberly K. Parker CEO of Writing Momma Publishing, LLC www.writingmomma.com fb Writing Momma Publishing.
1. Create a schedule. There is nothing more frustrating to both you and your child than planning on the fly. Grab a calendar, map out your plan, and just do it! 2. Visit the school regularly. I am very personable and have made it my business to know everyone from the bus lot to the classroom. I want the bus drivers, security guards, office team, janitors, teachers, and administrators to know who The Parker’s are. Building relationships is crucial and certainly helps keep us all on one accord. 3. Incorporate curriculum enrichment. Look – the schools can’t do it all. Ensure your child’s success by incorporating extra work. There’s no other way to say it. All three of my children will participate in my writing program after school and on Saturday’s. Also, don’t be afraid to get a jump start on those science fair projects. Schools tend to distribute information packets around the first of October, if not before. 4. Hang out at the local library. Make time. Period. While there, don’t just let your children go willy-nilly on the computer for hours. Enforce a little extra reading and then reward them with the computer. 5 Make the Community News section of your local newspaper the “go to” resource for other free events. Back to school does not mean the end of fun. There’s so much to do in the Washington metro area. You’d really be surprised at what you will find. There you have it! I sure hope this will help you and your child this 2013-2014 school year!
Make Reading Fun…Naturally! In many instances, children perceive reading to be a task because they are being told what has to be read and not given opportunities for self- selection and exploring what types of books they like and want to read. Scholastic is working with schools, families and communities to make reading a natural part of their learning culture. If children are engaged in reading what they like; when challenged with reading materials that they are not as interested in reading, their literacy skill sets will enable them to successfully comprehend and analyze for a better understanding. Reading during and after the school day contributes to increased academic performance. The following are Scholastic award winning books recommended to inspire the interest of children grades PreK-12.
For additional information about recommended books: www.scholastic.com/parents PreK – Elementary
Amazing Grace By Mary Hoffman
PreK – Elementary
A House Is a House for Me By Mary Ann Hoberman
Middle
100 Most Dangerous Things on the Planet By Anna Claybourne
All of the Above By Shelley Pearsall
High
High
Handbook for Boys By Walter Dean Myers
Middle
Unraveling Freedom by Ann Bausum
Victoria Baker Director of Community and District-wide Partnerships • Scholastic Classroom and Community Group
Fathers and significant male role models have
National Men Make A Difference www.menmakeadiffer
October 14, 2013
a vital role in the academic success of a child
Day For Academic Success nceday.weebly.net
Articles
Stephen R. Flemming is a passionate public elementary school teacher in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a product of Philadelphia’s public school system. Receiving his bachelor’s degree in early childhood and elementary education from Temple University, he continued on to receive certifications in elementary education and secondary English education. He loves teaching English/Language Arts but also loves to challenge himself with the teaching of other subjects as well. He is entering his seventh year as a public school teacher, his eighteenth year as a Christian Education teacher at his local church, and is in his final year of his dual Masters/certification program for reading specialist in Pennsylvania. You can follow Stephen R. Flemming on Twitter @kellygrade6. The Classroom: What it Means and Advice for Those Entering and Leaving It. Page 57
Donna Y. Ford, Ph.D., is Professor of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. She teaches in the Department of Special Education. Dr. Ford has been a Professor of Special Education at the Ohio State University, an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Virginia, and a researcher with the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. She also taught at the University of Kentucky. Professor Ford earned her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Urban Education (educational psychology) (1991), Masters of Education degree (counseling) (1988), and Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and Spanish (1984) from Cleveland State University. Professor Ford conducts research primarily in gifted education and multicultural/urban education. She consults with school districts, educational, and legal organizations in the areas of gifted education, Advanced Placement, and multicultural/urban education. You can follow Dr. Donna Ford on Twitter @donnayford. Inequities and Discrimination in Gifted Education: Why Hispanic and Black Students are Under-Represented and the Case of District U-46. Page 67
Articles
Dr. Susan Gardner is a higher education consultant with over 16 years of experience in higher education both in academic and student affairs. She has taught communications, social science, research and leadership courses at three universities and one community college. Most recently she served as the Vice President for Student Services at a community college where she oversaw all aspects of student affairs and enrollment. She has also served as a director and assistant dean of student affairs at a four-year private university. She has published over 100 articles on student success, new student programs, enrollment management and residence life. Susan has a B.A. from Oakland University, M.A. from Central Michigan University (both in communications) and a Ph.D. in education from Capella University. She lives in Charleston with her husband, two daughters and three dogs. You can follow Dr. Susan Gardner on Twitter @PhDSus. The Problem with Transfer Admissions and Credit Evaluation. Page 38
Dr. Dave Goldberg, President, ThreeJoy Associates, Inc. Dr. Goldberg is a conceptual, social & aspirational long jumper who delights in taking on impossible missions with his clients. These skills and this passion enable him to act as guide and to coach clients to climb new summits and reinvigorate themselves, their faculties, their student bodies, and cultures. Dr. Goldberg was the Jerry S. Dobrovolny Distinguished Professor in Entrepreneurial Engineering at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, where he was known for his path-breaking research in genetic algorithms, for his role in co-founding Share This (www.sharethis.com), as well as for his work starting the Illinois Foundry for Innovation in Engineering Education (iFoundry). You can follow Dr. David Goldberg on Twitter @deg511. 4 Reasons Universities Don’t Invest in Organizational Development & Why They Now Should. Page 86
Articles
Dr. John Hill is the Executive Director of the National Rural Education Association. He has served as a middle school mathematics teacher, middle and high school principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent. His primary interests are those issues which impact rural schools and the role of instructional leaders at the district and building levels. He is also involved In the Purdue Educational Leadership Initiative for Small and Rural Schools and the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship program. You can contact Dr. John Hill via email at Jehill@purdue.edu.
Rural Public Education. Page 49
Michelle and Rodger Hunwick are Two-TeacherZ who created the web-based company titled AskteacherZ. The mission of the company is to provide an avenue for educators to collaborate. They are married educators with 40+ years combined teaching experience. Michelle teaches 1st grade and holds an MA in Counseling. Roger teaches 8th grade United States History, holds an MA in History and coaches high school football. Both are active in the state and local Education Associations and are advocates of public education. They have participated in many school district leadership initiatives like chairing and being members of the Educational Progress Leadership Council, working on numerous curriculum committees and representing the interests of students in the community. As a result of their work several awards have been bestowed them. They were nominated as Disney Teacher of the Year, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Teacher of the Year, Detroit Free Press Teacher of the Week, Grosse Pointe Times Teacher of the Week and four-time recipient of the DeLaSalle High School Favorite Teacher Award. Additionally, they provide Professional Development for educators by presenting material on their website, videos on YouTube, blogging, facilitators and comoderating a Monday evening twitter chat from 89pm EST titled #CollabEd and as free-lance writers. You can follow Michelle and Rodger Hunwick on Twitter @askteacherzcom. Make Your Classroom Island an Oasis. Page 61
Articles
Dr. Stephen Jones is an outstanding keynote speaker, educator, author, trainer who has spent his career helping students and professionals to achieve their goals at www.studyskills2u.com. He has been instrumental in helping thousands of students to realize their dream to earn a degree. Dr. Jones is currently President of SAJ Publishing. He is also the Associate Dean of Student in the College of engineering at Villanova University. For thirteen years he worked at Drexel University as Director of the SUCCESS/ACT101 program. He has received numerous awards for his dedication to students. Some of his awards include Distinguished Toast Master, Toastmasters District Award Winner, National Society of Black Engineers Award and Black Engineer of the Year Award. The Drexel University chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers recently named an award after him to acknowledge his efforts. The award is titled the Dr. Stephen Jones Award for Academic Excellence. It is presented to a student who has demonstrated academic excellence throughout their enrollment. You can follow Dr. Stephen Jones on Twitter @DrStephenJones. 7 Secrets of How to Launch a Successful Career. Page 34
Brett Murphy is a teacher at North Grand High School in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on the Northwest side of Chicago. Brett started his teaching career as a history teacher but soon heard about the A.V.I.D. program and began teaching freshman A.V.I.D. at North Grand. Currently he is teaching Freshman Seminar teacher, Freshman Grade Level Lead, Social and Emotional Chair as well as Care Team Lead. Brett received a Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice from Florida State University and a Masters of Education from DePaul University. He spent the first ten years of his adult life pursuing a career in sales and marketing, working for the Chicago White Sox and spent time trying to break into the comedy/acting business performing at Second City and Improv Olympic. After realizing that his life was unfulfilled and seeking to make a difference, he found teaching to be his calling and has been in a state of euphoria ever since. #OurYouthTheirVoices. Page 78
Articles
Dorothy Powers is Vice President of Brand Engagement at Project Lead The Way, where she leads a team committed to engaging audiences across the U.S. around a central mission – to prepare students for the global economy. Launch Student Success with STEM Elementary. Page 70
Charles Thomas Jr. (CT) is a writer, philanthropist, radio show host, published author, strategist, mentor, disciple of experience, lover of learning, and seeker of wisdom, knowledge, and sage counsel. He strives to live according to the Renaissance ideal of broad learning and full engagement in life as a demonstration of human potential. Renaissance humanists encouraged people to pursue excellence for excellence’s sake and promoted the belief that we are all limitless in our capacity for development. This is an ethos to which Charles strongly subscribes and encourages others to embrace. You can follow Charles Thomas on Twitter @CThomas_Jr. I am Trayvon Martin. Page 68
Lori Saname is the grandmother of an autistic child. Her passion is to support the development of autistic children. You can follow Lori Saname on Twitter @LobeJean. A Grandmother’s Love- My Experiences with Autism. Page 26
Articles
Dr. LaRease N. Thomas is the President and owner of Become, LLC, a career and leadership development firm. She is also currently a Human Resources Manager at a Fortune 500© corporation. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.B.A. in Management Information Systems from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX as well as a Doctorate in Organizational Behavior from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA. LaRease’s dissertation research focused on career development of African-American males, particularly looking at definitions of success and the impact of mentoring on career development. She continues to use this research as a base in working with people in the community to guide and focus their careers and prepare them to enter corporate America.
Charles A. Williams III, PhD, aka “Dr. Chuck” is a trained child and adolescent psychotherapist and an educational psychologist who has joint faculty appointments at Drexel University as an associate teaching professor in the Department of Psychology and the School of Education -- where he served as the founding director of the Center for the Prevention of School-Aged Violence.
Dr. Thomas is active in various community organizations including those addressing issues from literacy and healthcare to STEM education. She serves on the advisory board of the non-profit CAN Dream Foundation which provides Alzheimer’s awareness, education, and support in minority communities. Dr. Thomas enjoys traveling the world and is cohost of Miss Adventures Travel, a website dedicated to travel adventures for women. You can follow Dr. LaRease N. Thomas on Twitter @BecomeLLC.
Dr. Chuck is a fellow at the Stoneleigh Foundation, where he is studying the effects of social skills training and mentoring on life outcomes for foster youth. This work is very important to Dr. Chuck given that he himself was once a foster youth. His work in the areas of policy, practice and research focuses on child welfare, social-emotional learning and well-being, mentoring, bullying and the achievement of minority and special needs children and youth. His contribution The sociocultural factors affecting minority student achievement in the US, was published in 2012 in the text Social leadership for a global world. His article Mentoring and social skills training: ensuring better outcomes for youth in foster care was published in the journal Child Welfare in 2011. You can follow Dr. Chuck Williams on Twitter @drchuckwilliams.
The Journey of Life-Long Learning: All Aboard! Page 29
Supporting Students in Foster Care: A School-Based Intervention. Page 97
Parent Tips Recipes
Victoria Baker, Director of Community and District-wide Partnerships, Scholastic Classroom and Community Group. Make Reading Fun‌Naturally! Page 13
Kimberly K. Parker is the President and CEO of Writing Momma Publishing, LLC (www.writingmomma.com). To date, she has helped over 23 children release five books in less than 13 months. Kimberly offers online writing classes and workshops on this often dismissed subject. Kimberly is a publisher, author, and blogger living in Maryland with her husband and three children. You can follow Kimberly K. Parker on Twitter @KimberlyKParker. Parent Tips. Page 12
Kim Carrington is a homemaker who lives in Clinton, Maryland. She is a wife of almost 26 years, mother of five beautiful sons and a lovely daughter and grandmother of one little boy! Her formal education was obtained in Office Automation and Computer-based Information Systems. She was previously employed as a word processing trainer and legal secretary. She has been a stay-at-home mom for over twenty years. During which time, she has used her education and talents to care for and teach her family, share with her church, the Prince George's County Schools, 4-H and other community-based organizations. Kim loves to read, paint, sing, garden, cook, bake and sew. She teaches, empowers and engages children on developing healthy eating habits. Currently, she is the grant manager of the United Health Heroes, a school-based child-hood obesity program. Comfort Food for Those Chilly Fall Nights. Page 84
New School Year Thoughts
Dr. Donald Grant is currently Executive Director of Mindful Training Solutions LLC, providing nationwide strength based training and consultation services to universities, school systems, corporations, government entities, non-profit organizations and legal professionals. In addition, Dr. Grant serves as the director of Pepperdine University’s Urban Fellowship Program in their Graduate School of Education and Psychology. Prior to his current roles, Dr. Grant served Los Angeles County foster care youth as the county’s Department of Mental Health’s child welfare administrator for the countywide Intensive Treatment Foster Care program, ensuring that foster family agencies provided adequate mental health services to youth in care. Dr. Grant has provided direct clinical and administrative management services to marginalized youth and their families across LA County, served as director for a county homeless families program and worked as a public school science teacher in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Grant holds a Bachelors of Science in Biology and a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles. You can follow Dr. Donald Grant on Twitter @DrGrantjr. Page 96
Dr. Ray Gasser serves as the Senior Associate Director for Residence Education and Housing Services at Michigan State University. His current level of responsibilities includes oversight of 27 residence halls and 2 apartment complex facilities, safety & security, summer conferences, and housing assignments. Dr. Gasser received his B.A. from the University of Washington in Mass Communications, his M.S. from Colorado State University in Student Affairs, and his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in Higher Education Administration. You can follow Dr. Ray Gasser on Twitter @DrRayGasser. Page 96
Storytelling
Peter Kauhausen lives in the outskirts of Vancouver in beautiful British Columbia with his wife Sheri of 30 years and has 3 adult children and 5 grandchildren. Peter spent over 40 years in the Hospitality Industry and left that Industry 3 years ago and today helps people get paid for being healthy. In his spare time Peter fishes, travels, and is an avid reader. You can follow Peter Kauhausen on Twitter @PKauhausen. Torn Jeans & Poopy Shoulders. Page 46
Sports Interviews of Entrepreneurs Adetutu Anifowos earned her degree in Industrial Design from Chicago University.
Dr. Vanessa Carleen Cooke was born and raised in Washington, D.C. Ms. Cooke graduated from McKinley Tech Senior High School in 1970. She earned the BA in Biblical Studies and Counseling Psychology from Washington Bible College in 1996, the MA in Counseling Psychology from Bowie State University in 1998, and completed the doctoral coursework at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2004.
Joy Dukes is a graduate of The Ohio State University, where she earned an undergraduate degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. Educators Take Subway to Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement. Page 103
Dr. Cooke is a published author and has presented at numerous colleges and conferences. In summary, Ms. Cooke presents a background of academic, formal training and an array of experiences in health education, substance abuse prevention, and HIV/AIDS prevention and research. You can follow Dr. Vanessa Cooke on Twitter @TheRealVCooke. Super Bowl Prediction from a Ravens’ Fan. Page 40
Dr. Elwood L. Robinson is the Provost and Vice-President of Academic Affairs at Cambridge College. As the chief academic officer, provides strategic and operational leadership to the College as it rises to new levels of academic achievement. Dr. Robinson is responsible for managing academic planning, academic program review, and overseeing the College’s academic administrators; academic units (regional centers in Massachusetts, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, California and Puerto); schools of education, management, psychology and counseling, undergraduate studies); library services; academic technology; and licensure and state authorizations. He is also responsible for fostering faculty and student scholarship; oversee program budgets for operational excellence; assure compliance with the academic requirements of accrediting and state agencies, and other support services. You can follow Dr. Elwood Robinson on Twitter @elwoodrobinson. Fantasy Football: Why I Love The Game. Page 89
The #Drscorner with Dr. Stephen Jones @ DrStephenJones Join Dr. Stephen Jones every Monday for the “Dr.’s Corner” an eChat on Twitter where educational topics relevant to parents, educators and members of the community are discussed with hundreds of Twitter users. You can participate by finding and following the discussion on Twitter using the hash tag #DrsCorner. You can also follow Dr. Jones on Twitter @DrStephenJones. Dr. Stephen Jones is an outstanding keynote speaker, educator, author, trainer who has spent his career helping students and professionals to achieve their goals at www.studyskills2u.com. He has been instrumental in helping thousands of students to realize their dream to earn a degree.
The #Drscorner with Dr. Stephen Jones @ DrStephenJones
Dr. Stephen Jones Educational Resources www.studyskills2u.com www.blogtalkradio/Dr-stephen-Jones
A Grandmother’s Love You can tell the love Lora Saname has for her granddaughter who has Autism. Lora give shares her concern for her granddaughter and the limited resources and families who care for Autistic children as she discusses her family’s journey.
My Experiences with Autism By Lora Saname @LobeJean
My name is Lora Saname and I am the proud grandmother of Deja. She is a beautiful young lady who was diagnosed with Autism at the age of three. When I was asked to share my stories, experiences and frustrations with Autism, children and resources, I was happy to do so. Deja has enjoyed the best of care and the worst of care. The best occurred while living in Hawthorne, California, Deja was able to thrive because of speech and behavioral therapy. Funding for these programs was abundant and she received therapy six days a week. Unfortunately for Deja her need to move in with me would be both sweet and bitter. Once Deja became a resident of North County, San Diego we found there was basically no funding for therapy. In less than a month, Deja had gone from an abundance of services to literally nothing at all. During school hours there are aids to help children with special needs, but Deja needs personal attention. She is verbal. But due to her sensitivities to people and sounds she is easily overwhelmed. She is very easily distracted which make her ability to concentrate nonexistent. To say we are close would be an understatement. I began picking Deja up every month from the time she was three months. I welcomed this time, because I lived hours away from her. Otherwise seeing her regularly was not possible. We
would spend one weekend a month together. Deja is the sweetest little girl. She knows nothing about holding grudges or getting angry. We are best friends. She loves to play and adores being the center of attention. While she can tell you with ease her dislikes she is still unable to communicate her needs. She is unable to recall situations where she needs her to convey what is wrong once she becomes unhappy. So to witness the progress made via therapy while living in Hawthorne simply vanish once moving to San Diego made me upset. Where is the support for children and families who are living with Autism? One day while shopping I noticed a sticker on the register that read: “Autism Speaks”. The first thoughts that came to my mind were “So what! What does that mean? Who do they help? There has been no help emotionally or financially for Deja’s father who takes care of her without the help of her mother. As I thought more about it, I realized I have seen other declarations of support. For example, during the professional basketball season, the NBA displayed a banner that stated: “NBA for Autism”. Just as before, I asked what does that mean. What are these so-called clichés doing for our special needs children? What is their purpose? Lebron James nor Kobe Bryant have ever contacted my son for the purpose of offering NBA support. Where do we (families of children with Autism) find support or funding for childcare?
Continue on page 73
Executive Perspective Why We Must Consider Ourselves Educational Stakeholders By Michael A. Robinson, Ed.D. This is a clarion call to all families, community and business leaders; you are needed in the efforts to create quality schools for all American children. It is no longer the sole responsibility of teachers, principals, superintendents and elected/appointed school administrators to create high performing schools. You must become an educational stakeholder. You must get involved. Schools both public and private are the hub of our communities. Show me a community with high achieving schools and I will show you a thriving community. A community low in crime, but high in economic opportunities and treasured amenities. These communities have a common theme; residents, businesses and community leaders understand the importance of great schools. They see themselves as key stakeholders and partners in the academic development of children. They realize and accept there is an inseparable alignment between the quality of life for their children, the profitability of their businesses and the value of their homes when neighborhood schools are beacons of student success. Many within these communities strive to be involved with schools. They seek out opportunities to support, engage and provide for schools. They wear with pride the badge of being an educational stakeholder. Who are our educational stakeholders? They are families who send their best and brightest to schools. They are business leaders who endeavor to hire local graduates. They are tax payers who proudly support their local educational system years after their own children have graduated. These like-minded individuals recognize the significance an excellent educational system represents to the future of their community and the country. What does it mean to be an educational stakeholder? It means, we have to stop waiting for school systems to reach out to us. We cannot expect overburden school districts, with mounting priorities to seek out our support. While many do, their primary focus is on teaching and social development. Albeit thousands of school districts throughout the United States are extraordinary in their ability to connect with all elements of their community. However, there are those who are not as successful. Therefore, community engagement with schools must now become a priority for the conscience minded individuals. Reaching into the schools to provide resources, becoming partners, serving as an educational stakeholder suggests an awareness of the immense importance of an educated society and how it strengthens America’s ability to compete in a global world. When educational stakeholders forge bonds with their local schools they are essentially building a foundation of high standards for student learning in and out of the classrooms. Families, community and business leaders represent the external partners school systems need to sustain their academic gains. Educational stakeholders have the necessary abilities, resources, organizational capacities and opportunities to focus on supporting the accomplishment of the goals and objectives set forth
by the school system for all students. When external educational stakeholders are bold in their engagement and look to be included; they can become strong advocates for the mission of the school district. Educational stakeholders outside the system can provide monetary support, human capital and technological resources to help expand and sustain many of the district’s academic initiatives. This form of collaboration will offer prospects for long-term systemic improvement in student learning. This is why we all must consider becoming an educational stakeholder.
Living Education Everyday
The Journey of Life-Long Learning: All Aboard! By LaRease N. Thomas, Ph.D. @BecomeLLC What comes to mind when you think of learning? A classroom? A book? An online course? In the course of actively navigating the workplace, managing family and community obligations and still trying to have something that resembles a social life, I have often grappled with my desire to continue "learning," but my lack of free time to do so. Through the process of completing one's standard education (elementary through university), the concept of learning often fits into a comfortable and traditional box that includes student, teacher, and course materials. We have shifted our notions in the past decade to also include online and virtual learning. What I propose in this article is that we expand the way we think of and define learning for ourselves, for our families and for our communities.
I love to travel and enjoy investigating the history and the culture of the areas I visit. I never considered this "learning" before, but looked at it as part of the process of travel. However, in preparing for my latest adventure, I have started to reconsider what the process of travel (and planning travel) and other things that we do regularly teach us rather than simply facilitate for us. In reconsidering, below is my list of tips to ensure that I am taking advantage of the opportunities to learn that I encounter each day. Rethink Learning I have decided to rethink what I consider learning. I wholeheartedly believe that we can learn from many sources. Some of my most enlightening moments have come in listening to and pondering things that come out of the mouth of my, now 12-year old, nephew. Children have the benefit of being able to speak and formulate thoughts without the restrictions that knowledge of social propriety place on adults. While sometimes frustrating and embarrassing for adults, taking time to think through WHY a child said what they said versus just focusing on WHAT they say can give you insight into a different point of view. The same can be said for reading editorials, perusing various blogs and engaging in conversations with those who share and those who oppose your point of view. Continue on page 32
Living Education Everyday
Deitrick Haddon Mary Mary Mahalia Jackson Fred Hammond Alexis Spight Yolanda Adams Alvin Darling & Celebration Ashmont Hill Bebe & Cece Winans Jason Nelson Kevin Vasser Le’andria Johnson Pastor Charles Jenkins Rance Allan Donnie McClurkin The Anointed Pace Sister Rev. Maceo Woods Marvin Sapp Leontyne Price
Lucinda Moore Kimberly & Alberta
The best collection of gospel or inspirational music
Living Education eMagazine Internet Radio When it’s Sunday It’s Sunday and Sunday Brunch
Life-Long Learning continued from page 29
and in my corporate life day to day, I take every opportunity in doing the things I love (travel, serving the community, my career) to learn more about myself, about others, about business and finance, and about the ways that I can combine all of my interests to better my community. By taking the task out of learning and making it fun, you will find that you learn when you least expect it. Live It
Utilize Technology There are many tools at our disposal to aid in the life-long learning process. Use them! In addition to the availability of news online, virtual books and video tutorials on everything from flat ironing your hair, to finances, to learning the latest dance moves, one of my favorite online tools is very simply dictionary.com! Whether I am reading an article/book online, writing a proposal or letter or article, or simply trying to think of the right word to say. My mom even hipped me to signing up for the Word of the Day feature on dictionary.com, so each day in my email box, I have the opportunity to learn a new word. This is not new or earth shattering information,
but in rethinking learning, this is an easy, useful, enlightening tool and if nothing else, I get to have fun each day working the Word of the Day into a conversation, email, or text! P.S. - there is also an app! Make Learning Fun I realized at one point in my journey that my learning had stagnated because I had learning in that traditional box. I felt that because I was no longer in college and no longer engaging in the normal types of learning activity, I wasn't learning. I was looking for that big learning gesture rather than taking my own advice from point 1 above. Remember, make learning fun. Take the things that you like to do naturally and make those your learning experiences. I don't naturally learn as much about research and traditional academic topics as I did while at the university, but in my travels, in my community work and in
Finally, as you learn, live your learning. If you are learning a different language, speak it every once in a while as you go about your day. Order your food in French, do all of your counting in Mandarin, give directions in Spanish. Sure, you may have to repeat it in English, if you want your order to be correct, but the
key is practice what you have learned and take every opportunity to utilize your new skills. Talk to people about the new things you have learned, find others with similar interests where you can share experiences and tips. If you don't have a readily available audience, start a blog online where others with like interests will search and find you, keep a journal, travel to a place that honors or specializes in your new learning and immerse yourself. Whether you are learning a language, a new activity or skill, a culture, or just trying to gain new perspective, there are places near and far that can help you along your journey. Learning is a life-long adventure of discovery. Young or old, rich or Continue on page 56
Do something healthy for your child.
Get to know all the teachers, staff and administrators in your child’s schoolhouse.
7 Secrets of How to Launch a Successful Career By Dr. Stephen Jones @DrStephenJones
Many students are launching their careers with excitement and anxiety about the prospects of having a successful career. There is enthusiasm because of the newness of their position and an anticipation of all of the things that will be learned. Each day a new employee meets new colleagues who will share their experiences and inspiration about working at the company that you’ve selected. At the same time you will be meeting other staff members who are new to the company. Take time to get to know people by showing yourself to be friendly. It can greatly benefit you when you need to get things done or you’re considering another position
in the company. Here are some additional things that you must do to keep your career prospects unlimited: 1. Identify a mentor who has your best interest at heart 2. Continue your education by attending seminars offered by your job 3. Volunteer to take an international assignment 4. Attend association meetings in your profession 5. Pursue a graduate degree or the highest level of education possible 6. Continue to be flexible to change in your company Keep a positive attitude in your words and actions
on the job 7. When you feel stuck try something new by asking for other assignments In order to have a successful career you must be highly motivated. Too many people go to their places of employment every day with the wrong attitude. If you go to your job with an attitude of thankfulness and joy it will show up in your work. You cannot control other people’s attitudes but you can control your own. So choose to live with an anticipation of the good things
that are going to happen in your career. Expect new doors to open for your career and be ready with the right education and preparation. Your career can continue to grow because you are keeping a high level of motivation in your words and deeds. Take the time to be a positive influence on others who you are getting to know. Let your motivation and positive attitude spill over to others on your job and in your network. You can have a great career just by staying connected with people that you meet along the way. You will appreciate interacting with your colleagues as they share information that will help you to complete your task.
Why should you join an association in your profession? Joining an association will contribute to your influence with others who are members of your profession. Take time to meet veterans in your profession and talk to them. You will get to learn some of the habits that have helped them to have success. You will also broaden your network of people who can help you when you’re having challenges on your job. I have taken a lot of my fellow association member’s advice and I’ve benefited from it. You should pursue leadership
Also, you never know when you might need a recommendation from someone who has seen your work. There are very good outcomes
roles in your profession. You will learn how to effectively manage your relationships with a lot of people who are tops in your profession.
that happen when people see you giving to others. Even if you never receive anything back you have made a difference in the world around you.
In order to have success in your career you must be willing to change. Places of employment are always changing. The people on your job may change and the policies may change. If you
accept the fact that change will happen, you will be better prepared to accept it. You should be flexible in your response to change. There is always someone watching you and listening to what you are saying. How can you benefit from change? It will take you out of your comfort zone. There are new things that you can learn about yourself just by noticing your response to change. If you choose a positive attitude you will get the result of your positive response. If you choose a negative response you will reap the harvest off that response too. So take change as an opportunity as an opportunity to understand the direction of your company. Then find ways that you can make a contribution. The success in your career depends on your ability to have a nimble mind at all times. Also don’t be afraid to volunteer for an internal or external company project. Remember someone is always watching you. These types of projects give you an opportunity to demonstrate your leadership abilities. For example, you agree to lead an effort to raise funding for a youth program in your neighborhood. You may agree to host a 10K run to raise funds for cancer. The race will put you in contact with other employees in the company Continue on page 76
The Survey Says The staff of LEeM values the views of our readers and we wanted to know your views on a few of the hot button topics in the educational landscape. Here’s what you told us. Is There A Role For Yoga in Public Schools? Should Yoga Be Taught In Public Schools? Yes (76%) No (16.0%) Unsure (8.0%) Is It Time To Pay College Athletes? Should College Athletes Be Paid To Play? Yes (41.7%) No (58.3%) Unsure (8.7%) It has been said that a full scholarship and a chance to earn a degree is payment enough. Do you agree? Yes (54.5%) No (45.5%) Where's the T in PTA? Should teachers have to participate in their school's PTA? Yes (50.7%) No (44.0%) Unsure (5.3%)
By Dr. Susan M. Gardner @PhDSus
The Problem with Transfer Admissions and Credit Evaluation According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 37 million working adults with some college but no degree in America. This number represents over 20% of the adult working population. In my own home state of West Virginia there are over 125,000 adults with some college but no degree—a number larger than total enrollment at West Virginia two and four-year public institutions combined.
Admissions officers and campus administrators know that competition for college enrollment is fierce. In many states, the high school population has been and continues to decline. Fewer high school graduates leave admissions officers scrambling to compete for enrollment. In response, many colleges are turning to transfer students and in particular, adult learners (25 years of age and older), as targeted populations for recruitment. An Increasing Number of Transfer Students and Adult Learners
Colleges and universities need transfer and adult student enrollment. However, we are not always prepared to serve the needs of these students. Transfer students, and adult learners in particular, often get lost in the admissions’ “shuffle.” Institutional processes concerning admission and transcript evaluation are confusing and antiquated at best—designed long before the death of "in loco parentis" and without adult learners in mind. Transfers Struggle with the Admissions Process When transfer students struggle with the admissions process, college understanding or adhering to our processes. After all haven't
Transfer students done this at least once before? According to the National Student Clearinghouse, they have. In fact, one-third of first-year students who started college in 2006 had attended at least one other institution by summer 2011. With these numbers we expect transfer students to be familiar with the college admissions process. Being admitted as a transfer student, however, is a bit more complicated than being admitted as a first-time freshman out of high school— especially since transfer students come to us with credits from other institutions. Prior college work can often slow down the admissions and enrollment process on our campuses. Most higher education professionals will blame the transfer student for this lag time in admissions. Common cited complaints from admissions officers include:
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2014 Super Bowl Predications
Kelly Alexander, Director of Communications and Public Relations, Alexandria City Public Schools. “I am predicting the Denver Broncos will be led by Peyton Manning to victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the first Super Bowl played in New York.”
Curtis Valentine, International Affairs Fellow at Council on Foreign Relations and School Board Member at Prince George's County Public Schools “I am predicting the 49ers will win the Super Bowl this year”
Albert T. Lewis, 2013 Steve Harvey Neighborhood Awards BEST TEACHER “The Denver Broncos. Peyton Manning's window to win the big one is slowly closing and this year he has everything he needs to seal the deal.”
Living Education eMagazine asked a few educators to share their 2014 Super Bowl predictions. These educators have provided their best “Educated Guess” for the upcoming NFL season. Take a look at their picks and see if you agree.
Annie E. Fox, M.Ed, Author, character educator, blogger, tween/teen expert. “I live in San Francisco and I believe they will return to Super Bowl and win it!
Dr. Mike Robinson: CEO, Forest Of The Rain Productions and Living Education eMagazine . “I think this season’s Super Bowl champions will be the Seattle Seahawks. They have a stellar defense and their offense is loaded with playmakers.
Neil Haley, host and producer of the Total Education Network, which is syndicated on 100 plus stations. “I am picking the Steelers. Because when people count them out they do well.”
Opinion
Super Bowl Prediction from a Ravens’ Fan By Vanessa Cooke @TheRealVCooke
I was asked to predict which teams would be in Super Bowl XLVIII. It’s only Week 3 in a long NFL season but there are two teams I’m pretty sure won’t make it; the Washington Redskins, who have one of the worse defenses in the NFL as well as a struggling quarterback, and the Pittsburgh “Struggling” Steelers. Even their Coach, Mike Tomlin admits, “We’re a frustrating group right now.” Could it be the relationship or lack thereof between Todd Haley and Ben Roethlisberger, or the demise of the stop-the-run defense? Anyone who follows me on twitter knows I am a die-hard Baltimore Ravens fan and even to my chagrin over the loss to the Denver Broncos in week one. I honestly believe the Ravens are a team that is rebuilding but may have a chance to repeat (if they meet anyone other than the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game). However, I strongly believe this is Peyton Manning and the Denver Bronco’s year. The Broncos are number one in Total Offense and if the ole saying, “Defense wins championships” is true, the Denver Broncos who are also number one in Rushing Defense will represent the AFC in Super Bowl XLVIII. For the NFC, my prediction is the Seattle Seahawks and not the San Francisco 49ers as most predict. The Seahawks are a very physical team and plays with great intensity. Richard Sherman is ‘The best cornerback in the NFL,” let him tell it, but he is making a strong case for it and a believer out of me. Marshawn Lynch lived up to his nickname, “Beastmode” against the 49ers as he plowed his way to 3 touchdowns. The Seahawks’ defense shut down both Frank Gore and Anquan Boldin and is currently number one in the NFL in Total Defense! John Madden articulated the Detroit Lions would win their Division and make a play for the Super Bowl but as much respect as I have
for Coach Madden, the Super Bowl contender will come out of the NFC West and not the NFC North. Bar any injuries, my prediction is the Denver Broncos will represent the AFC and the Seattle Seahawks will represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLVIII but we all know, anything can happen on Any Given Sunday.
I am loving
I am a dreamer I am caring
I am a son
I am intelligent I am a brother I am a husband
I am a Father
I am strong I am here
I am just like you I am hopeful
I am targeted
I am misunderstood
I am Trayvon Martin By Charles Thomas Jr. @CThomas_Jr.
Life for a black male is one of constant uncertainty, inequity, and misrepresentation. We are often categorized as dangerous, aggressive, angry, thug-like, inferior, intimidating, hopeless, and a litany of other adjectives that do not accurately represent our journey. While the aforementioned characterizations transcend race, they are quite often associated with black males. What more aptly describes the vast majority of us, however, are terms such as father, son, brother, cousin, husband, friend, co-worker, educator, professor, president, mentor, pastor, confidant, and leader. Why these labels are bestowed upon us as an afterthought continues to perplex me. I am not offended by such ignorance, but saddened by such a lack in understanding. Many people consider black men inherently dangerous and they do not even really know why. The stereotypes and misinformation that those who fear black males (for whatever reason) perpetuate are based on secondary, tertiary, quaternary, quinary, or even denary information. Rarely are their experiences direct. Such perpetuations of falsehoods are unacceptable. There is a certain level of xenophobia associated with black males and we would be wise to address such negativity before it is too late. How can you judge me if you don’t even know me? Why are you afraid? Does your lack of understanding make me a threat? Is black male intelligence disconcerting? When I meet you, I don’t think anything. When you meet me, there is always something to it. Even if you don’t say it to me directly, the undertones are always there. “Oh, he speaks so well.” “He dresses so nicely.” “Who did you know to get invited to this event?” Racism still exists. This is not a debatable proposition, but rather a statement of fact. While it is not as overt as it once was, subtle racism is even more dangerous. Do you have any idea what it is like to not only have to be self-aware, but also consider how others
perceive you at all times, even when you know you are doing the right thing? This double consciousness, as WEB Du Bois (1903) suggested, is quite the interesting sensation. There is a duality that exists within black people, especially black males, that is not as prevalent in others. To be American and a “Ni***” is a beautiful and rage-inducing struggle. The Socratic, prophetic, and tragicomic nature of our lives is unrivaled by any other race, ethnicity, or gender. Why are we not afforded the same luxuries as others? Why does it take divine intervention for a black male to buy an Arizona Iced Tea and some Skittles without being profiled? Why can a black male not wear a hoodie while walking home without being murdered for “looking suspicious?” Are we still not equal in the eyes of the law in 2013? Apparently not. Are black male lives truly considered of lesser status and significance than that of a canine? Michael Vick was sentenced to prison for dog fighting. George Zimmerman killed an unarmed black boy and flew away free as a bird. I find something to be monumentally wrong with that scenario. Am I biased? It is probable. I am a black man. Ask yourself, however, would I employ this same level of moral outrage and righteous indignation if an unarmed nonblack child or adult was killed senselessly? Absolutely. I am neither callous to catastrophe nor well-adjusted to injustice. As Dr. King stated, “An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel admonished that, “Indifference to evil is more evil than evil itself.” I am equally infuriated when a black man kills another black man, or any other human for that matter, without cause. In my opinion, those individuals are no better than the KKK. Selfhatred runs deep within our veins and some of us are unaware that it is destroying our lives and the lives of those around us. We are programmed to hate and many of us don’t even try to do anything about it. We act in ways that are unbecoming of gentlemen and scholars. We have to do better. There is more for us out there. Unfortunately, many of our journeys end Continue on page 68
If you missed
Living Education eMagazine Summer Session with host Charles Thomas Jr. @ CThomas_Jr
You missed great live discussion on education and leadership through the young, urban experience Listen to the podcast of Living Education eMagazine Summer Session for inspiring guest and conversation and great information
Living Education eMagazine Summer Session is a Forest Of The Rain Production www.forestoftherin.net
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Organizations You Need To Know Simply put, we believe student engagement is the key to the 21st century. Our mission is to help teachers, schools, and school districts engage students in meaningful learning activities. Activities that are student driven, project based, and enriched by the use of technology. We want to help develop these activities and share them with educators and thus help do a better job preparing our children to excel in the fast-changing world that is the 21st century. http://www.engagingeducators.com/ New Haven Promise is a scholarship and support program created to promote college education as an aspiration for all New Haven public school students; assist graduating students from New Haven to pursue education after high school; and enhance the growth, stability, and economic development of the City of New Haven. The mission of New Haven Promise is to improve city schools and support economic development in New Haven by growing a competitive workforce and increasing homeownership. New Haven Promise is supported by Yale University, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Yale-New Haven Hospital and Wells Fargo. http://newhavenpromise.org/ Staff Development for Educators is America's leading provider of professional development for PreK through Grade 12 educators. Through our On-site PD, PD Events, Web-based PD, and PD Resources, we empower teachers and administrators across the country with solutions to the most challenging issues they face. Our mission is to develop long-term partnerships with educators that create meaningful improvement in student attainment, teacher fulfillment, and school success. We aim to fuel the flame that inspires teachers and leads to lifelong achievement. http://www.sde.com/
Schoolwires is dedicated to K-12 education, and to the people who are part of every local school community — students, families, teachers, administrators, and supporters of education. From the beginning, we’ve believed that a successful school district is a product of total community involvement. That’s why our mobile and Web-based solutions are expressly designed to connect K-12 communities with the information, services and people they need to achieve their district goals. For more than 10 years, our intuitive technologies have been helping administrators and educators, students and parents, communicate and collaborate like never before — to come together around success. Our mission is to connect K-12 communities to the information, services and people they need to achieve student, teacher and district success and to help individuals realize their full potential. http://www.schoolwires.com/Page/1 Educurious combines project-based learning, technology, and connections with real-world experts to capture the imagination and interest of today’s students. Together, these ingredients create a meaningful learning experience that cultivates curious, motivated young people who are ready for college and tomorrow’s careers. Educurious equips teachers with a unique combination of technology and educational tools that inspire students. http://educurious.org/
A lighter side of education
Torn Jeans & Poopy Shoulders By Peter Kauhausen @PKauhausen The excitement ran through my veins!!!!! Today, I was going to ride to school on my brand new bike, it was passed on to me by a family friend, but it was new to me and I felt proud, excited, and now I could be one of the kids!! It was also my first Sport’s Day in this new Country called Canada and my bike was also ready and decorated for the Bike Parade, the first event for the morning. I ate breakfast as fast as I could, got dressed, hoped on my new bike and off to school I went on my new found freedom. Keeping to the side streets was a short cut to the school which also took me past the local church, midway between school and my home. With no worries, being very carefree and peddling along, dreaming of the prizes I was going to win. I had been told and proven that I was a very fast runner, when suddenly my young heart broke. And it had nothing to do with the Church, but I was just at the beginning or end of the church property line, depending on which way you looked at it, when it happened . Getting dressed that morning I had put on my favorite jeans, the jeans that had to be pulled or scraped off me for my mother to wash, the most favorite jeans in the world. And those jeans, from a lot of wear, tear, and washing, had a whole bunch of little tags hanging down from
the cuffs, you know those tags that you can cut off with scissors but never really do. Well one of those tags got very friendly with the chain on my bike! Daydreaming of the prizes I was going to win, and not paying attention, the bike suddenly stopped and I tumbled over it, on to the road and skidded along for a short distance with the bike on top of me. Getting up as quickly as a 7 year old could with scrapped knees and shins, I had to get the jeans out of the chain. Enough damage had already been done and I was going to get into real trouble for ruining the jeans, so I made every possible effort to minimize the damage. Tugging and pulling, tugging and pulling, I tried with all my young might to remove the jeans from the bicycle chain. I stood the bike up and grabbed my jeans near where they caught in the chain and tried to walk it out, I tried to peddle out, tear it out, all to no avail as with each step the jeans would tear more as they had caught right by the seam. And the tear kept getting larger; it went right past my knees. Well what was I going to do? I was at the half way point, either go to school with ripped pants and have everyone laugh at me or go home and change my pants? Being only 7 years old my young pride had already started to show itself in a variety of situations and I was not about to let a whole schoolyard of kids make fun of this European Immigrant, so I returned home. Upon arriving home, my mother went hysterical upon seeing my torn jeans and the bloody mess of my knees and shins but calmed down when I explained what had happened and that there were no other vehicles involved. Now instead of sewing up the jeans or even having me put on a different pair of pants, my mother Continue on page 52
Living Education Everyday
Rural Public Education By John Hill, Ph.D. Executive Director, National Rural Education Association It is difficult to define rural. It is truly in the eyes of the beholder. Better stated, rural is a state of mind. For the purpose of this writing, rural is defined by the 12-item urban-centric NCES locale code system. 80-50-30 is a key numerical combination when describing rural public schools. Eighty percent of the land mass in these United States is classified rural. Fifty percent of the public school districts are located in these areas. Approximately thirty percent of public school students attend those rural public districts. Rural schools differ from state to state and locale to locale. They are bound in local culture and traditions, yet are highly regulated by states. Approximately twenty-six percent of rural students are children of color. New Mexico, Alaska, Arizona, and California students of color make up more than fifty percent of the rural school population. Less than four percent of rural students qualify as English language learners. The challenges vary from district to district. For the purpose of discussion, challenges have been classified into the following categories: rural educational capacity, rural economic development, rural health care,, environment, and technology. Please note all are intertwined and dependent upon one another. Educational Capacity The distribution of financial support is greatly determined by school enrollment. While the overall population in rural locales increased in the last census, the number of districts with decreasing enrollments is increasing. In addition a major source of school funds is local property taxes. The real estate bust and the loss of major employers I rural areas has eroded the tax base. Rural school districts struggle to maintain the quality and quantity of programs. This challenge, decreased educational capacity, has caused rural districts to revisit old grade configurations, create new configurations, implement new delivery systems, and in some instances combine services with another district. Examples include: a K-12 building in a small community, multiple grade levels in the same classroom, sharing teachers among schools and school districts, enrolling students in online classes, sending students to neighboring schools, involving students in community service projects, providing hard to find teachers subsidized and/or affordable
Continue on page 64
EducationalViews
Educational Views
Educational Views are a compilation of perspectives, opinions and thoughts from parents, educators, researchers and community leaders. These brief commentaries are intended to drive larger discussions on issues and challenges facing education. We welcome your view. If you have an interest in sharing your opinions, please contact Forest Of The Rain Productions at editor.forestofther@gmail.com.
Leadership, In The New Normal Reading List
Book by Lt. General Russel Honoré U.S. Army, retired
Leadership in the New Normal is a short course on how to be an effective leader in the 21st century. It describes modern leadership principles and techniques and illustrates them with stories from the author’s vast life experiences, mostly as a military leader. The book is geared to both leaders and those who aspire to be leaders in today’s world – in the fields of business, government, religion, military, academia, etc. The author, Lt. General Russel Honoré (U.S. Army, retired), emerged as a national hero and one of the U.S.’s best-known military leaders in 2005 after spearheading the Task Force responsible for the massive search-and-rescue mission and the restoration of order in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina.
To contact Lt. Gen visit http://www.generalhonore.com/index.html or follow on Twitter @ ltgrusselhonore
Torn Jeans continued from page 46
relied upon the old trick of using safety pins. One safety pin mid-thigh, the second by the knee and the last two, midcalf and lastly, jean bottom. And she sent me back on my way to enjoy Sports Day!! I returned to school, but not in the same spirit and frame of mind as I was at the outset of the morning as my dreams of winning some races and other events
One of the problems Bimbo had was that it would leave its droppings wherever it flew and landed, to which the teacher merrily chased it and cleaned up, much to our delight as it got us away from some of the work. What no one wanted was for Bimbo to land on the head or shoulders because that would cause a real mess, so we were always ducking and trying to stop it from landing anywhere but on our desks.
now had no meaning. Imagine.... a pair of jeans ruining a young fellows day,, especially when the friends you had all saw you arriving at school in your torn pants and started making fun of you.
This day, before Bimbo was allowed out of his cage, the kids were again teasing me about the ripped and torn jeans from the day before.
The next day at school sitting in one of my classes the kids were teasing me again about the state of my jeans from the previous day, when the teacher let her budgie out of the cage. My teacher had a budgie named Bimbo which she would bring to school every second day much to the delight of all the kids. And if, only if, the entire class did their assigned work and were quite doing it, the Teacher, as a treat, would let Bimbo the Budgie out of the cage and allow it to fly around, but with the door closed. This excited and made us little grade ones squeal in delight, but if we squealed or got too excited Bimbo would be put back in the cage.
I was feeling a little down, when BIMBO got out of the cage on his own and started flying around the room, and since Bimbo’s freedom from the cage was not expected, the classroom door was left open, and OUT FLEW BIMBO!!! Right into the hallway!! Once this happened, the teasing of my style of dress from the previous day stopped and everyone was out of that classroom chasing poor Bimbo in the hallway, trying to get him to land on them so we could get him back in his cage. Bimbo flew here, Bimbo flew there, but Bimbo wanted nothing to do with anyone and to the
dismay of the teacher, roosted itself on a hallway loudspeaker. We were all sent back to class and instructed to sit still while the teacher went and got some adult assistance, which was also futile. Giving up any hope of Bimbo returning to the class and into his cage, when suddenly an announcement went out on the loudspeaker and during this announcement, winging his way back into the classroom, was Bimbo, circling once, twice, finally landing on my shoulder and giving me a gift!!! I believe the loudspeaker did it, scare the poop out of Bimbo onto my shoulder. The teacher by this time was walking down the aisle, asking everyone to be very, very, still while she spoke to Bimbo to calm him down, when he suddenly up and flew right into his cage and didn’t move from his perch , until his cage door was closed. The kids stopped teasing me but now they wondered what would make Bimbo fly, straight to me!! After that I never heard any more about my torn jeans!
Transfer Admission continued from page 38
Transcripts arrive too late. Unofficial transcripts are received instead of the required official. Transcripts arrive with classes still listed as “in progress” from a previous institution. Students fail to submit original transcripts from every institution attended. Transfer applicants wait until the last minute to apply. Transfer student wait too long to meet with an advisor and register.
All of these conditions delay the matriculation of transfer students on our campuses making them less likely to enroll. And the less likely they are to actually enroll, the poorer the yield for admissions offices. As a result of poor transfer student yield, campus administrators put more pressure on their enrollment team and in particular, the admissions staff. We
blame admissions staff for not meeting recruitment and yield targets. And, the vicious cycle continues.
Breaking the Cycle Imagine, for a moment, if we focused our energy on changing our institutional processes . . . We know many of our institutional policies and processes are simply not student friendly. And, in some cases, these processes do nothing to benefit institutional retention and completion rates (particularly for transfer students and adult learners). Most transfer students apply for admission, submit transcripts from work
colleges do not create situations where transfer students have the opportunity to sit down virtually or one-on-one with an advisor, faculty member or professional staff member to review student transcripts and provide a definitive answer on what will transfer. As a result, transfer students often feel ignored and mistreated. In talking with transfer students through my work as an enrollment consultant, I commonly hear them articulate frustration with the fact that they are not able to meet with anyone to determine what might transfer. To quote one student: "I could make a much more educated decision about a program of study; or even if this college is the best fit for me if someone would just tell me what credits will transfer." Not knowing what credits transfer is one of the most common complaints I have
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Legendary Roll Band will be coming out with their first album in 10 years Follow them on Twitter @Mothers_Finest
Life-Long Learners Continued from page 32
Transfer Admission continued from page 54
heard in admissions offices during my 16 years in higher education. One reason we haven't changed our practice on college campuses has to do simply with our calendars. We are accustomed to two semesters with a summer off. And, unless your institution is highly selective, transfer students tend to show up on our campuses in mid-to-late summer when faculty, who often make the decisions about the transferability of curriculum are absent from campus life. Evaluating Credit for Equivalency—A New Approach
…old, rich or poor, in an official learning capacity or not, we have many chances each day to discover new things about ourselves and our world. Whether you are reading this from a tablet, from a cell phone, a computer, or on paper (did you really print it out?!?! :), take a moment to think of something you have been wanting to learn more about. It does not have to be anything hard or overly cerebral; it may be a recipe or a question about the new construction in your neighborhood. But think of one thing you want to learn, jump aboard and start the journey. While you are on the journey, grab someone else you know and encourage their continual learning. Let's keep adding people to the learning train until we are all aboard learning, growing and bettering ourselves each day.
Our culture dictates (and I would argue rightly so) that faculty make curriculum decisions. But, rather than involve faculty from the beginning of the admissions process, colleges admit students and deal with the transcript evaluation piece later. As a result of this practice, transcript evaluation often takes place when the student is already frustrated and behind or has taken classes they didn't need to take in the first place. Sometimes we make the process more complicated than it needs to be by bi-furcating the evaluation process—the registrar or registration staff evaluating general education credits and individual departments evaluating credits for program equivalency. We fail to hire, train and retain transfer admissions counselors who can also assist with the evaluation of transfer credit partially because we are afraid to step on the toes of the faculty. However, we could (and should) consider cross-training faculty for these roles and/or inviting faculty (and staff from the registrar’s office) to train admissions staff to conduct an initial evaluation of credit. We could also hire transcript evaluators in the admissions office. These individuals could have a background in academic affairs. Rarely do we consider paying faculty on part-time contracts to assist with the enrollment functions of the college. This separation of enrollment and academics creates silos to detriment of student success. When we wait Continue on page 76
The Classroom What it Means and Advice for Those Entering and Leaving It! By: Stephen R. Flemming The classroom are two words which seem to be simple and rather uninteresting, albeit to those of us in education, is anything but! Those two words have also caught the attention of many in politics and business, but I will discuss that later. The Classroom has come to be understood to and mean more than just the physical space teachers and students occupy and where, for the purpose of teaching and learning we gather. It has come to mean a concept, a theme and a way. The classroom is being a teacher and all that it entails. It is lesson planning, teaching, learning and experiencing. For teachers, the classroom is engagement, cooperation, formative and summative assessment, learning and behavior contracts, attendance incentives, class parties and competitions and yes the important parent phone calls and emails. The classroom is opportunities for parent conferences, lunch break conversations with colleagues, tutoring, extra credit, grading, chalkboards and interactive whiteboards. Our classrooms are places for children to explore, engage in e-learning, video chat with authors from around the world. The classroom is a cornucopia of internet resources for studies in geography and the introductory to the art of dramatic acting as students can develop performances based on scenes from class readings. America’s classrooms are the home of vocabulary bees, science experiments, math adventures, art work, dancing and laughing. The classroom, especially in urban areas, has also come to embody comfort and shelter. It is a platform to share stories while others listen and to listen to stories that others share. In our nation classrooms, both teacher and student have a place to bond, exchange ideas, meet with peers and even shed tears that will finally get noticed. Yes, the classroom is a place for a child to be a child and teacher to love and nurture the child. Who’s In the Classroom? Continue on page 59
Living Education Everyday
The Classroom continued from page 57
steps to positions related to school-based teacher leadership, new teacher coaches, or even the principalship. These are those who see the classroom as a means to achieve a higher and loftier end. Given the opportunity, many shun the idea of ever returning to the classroom. It is important to note that not everyone who holds such titles and positions were anxious to leave the classroom. Many times they are young and ambitious; having barely gotten their metaphoric feet wet before leaping out of the swimming pool and assuming positions of leadership. In my experience as a teacher, a student, and just a casual observer, I have discovered there are four types of teachers with various connections to their classrooms. Firstly, there are those who love the classroom. They are teachers through and through and cannot imagine a calling or career for themselves outside of the classroom. They love teaching and they love learning. The students they teach become their very own children. Retirement, in their minds, will be from the classroom, as a teacher! Secondly, I have seen teachers who show a propensity for academic leadership. They love the classroom and cannot bear to part with it. They enjoy teaching and they love their students. They, however, want to effect change on a larger scale. They assume positions of leadership at the school level or beyond, but always seem to gravitate back to the classroom. Sometimes it may mean meeting with small groups of students in their office for tutoring or by enacting classroom -friendly policies. They do not forget what it means to be a classroom teacher and they are making large-scale decisions grounded in their experiences as a teacher. Thirdly, there are some teachers with the years in the classroom, albeit few in number, have used the profession as
Finally, there are teachers that display disdain but yet remain in the classroom. They are a pain! A few bad apples can spoil the whole barrel. In every single profession and line of work, there are those who deeply despise what they do, yet for reasons that vary, choose to stay. The same can be said of some teachers’ attitudes toward the classroom. They sit at the desk all day and issue mounds of worksheets to a quiet group of students. They are easily annoyed and seem to always count down the minutes until the end of the day, the days until summer, and the years until retirement! Advice Worth Taking For pre-service teachers, who are excited about the challenges that lie ahead in the classroom; who are enthused about the prospect of going into the Continue on page 73
Do something healthy for your child Get to know his teacher today.
Make Your Classroom Island an Oasis Michelle and Rodger Hunwick
Commentary
TeacherZ @askteacherzcom
Hands on a clock never seemed to move fast enough during those last moments of a school day when we were students in school. It's akin to a type of abatement; the world of learning seemed to stand still. Those last few minutes of school lasted far longer than the other several hours. The "ring" of a school bell at the end of a school day brings a sense of euphoria to every student. Elementary to secondary even to college level learners anxiously await the joy of dismissal time. For educators it brings on far different emotions. The range of these feelings are broad and deep. Yes, we too can have a sense of exhilaration but it can just as easily expand expand to the opposite side of the spectrum and be that of down-right frustration. In all professions the end of a work day comes with this mixed bag. Teachers, however, different than all other professions, don't have other adults to communicate, to fall back on or to discuss the days turn-ofevents with; their day is spent only with the clients -- their students. A teacher works each and every day in a classroom filled with: eager, complacent, happy, energetic, exhausted, giddy... well you get the idea... a wide range of students with social-emotional highs and lows. Young minds are uniquely
incredible yet universally malleable. It's a teachers' job to educate each student individually in a differentiated manner in a setting that's conventional and standardized; ha? Well, bring it on; we teachers wouldn't have it any another way. Educators rise to the task. The job has always been to take all these special, yet different personalities and passions, and unify them in learning. It's a monumental task each day. It's an insurmountable task over a career with a lack of professionalpeer support. Teacher’s here's how you can bring the knowledge, help and collaboration of your counterparts into your classroom each and every day.
Marry another educator. That's what I did. We met in high school. We attended the same college and we now work in the same school district. We earned our MA degrees in United States History and Counseling to advance our abilities. We discuss education all day long and support one another as much as needed at home. Peer support and pedagogical advancement can't get any better than this, right? As any teacher can attest, even this type of support isn't enough in the teaching profession. Every minute, of every one of our days, seem to surround education yet the two of us still needed further professional development. Each school year brought on new goals, evaluation processes, methodology and a technology bombardment for which we weren't prepared fully. We wanted that bell ringing euphoria we felt as students at the end of each school day back in our lives; and we found it. Back in early 2009 we started using Twitter to formulate a Professional Learning Network or a PLN. To write that it changed our ability to teach more effectively is a massive understatement. School district Professional Development (PD) provided a limited amount of help for us in moving forward in our careers after a decade or so of teaching. Paid on-line course work and weekend seminars had much the same shortfall. From reading newspaper articles I learned how Twitter was being utilized as a way to network in the world of social media for other professions. As such we created an account under the title TwoTeachers @askteacherzcom and gave it a go. Immediately we found other educators in the "Twitter World" that sought the same professional collaboration. The two of us "followed" other teachers and they followed us back. Suddenly a whole new universe of teacher sharing was unlocked to us. Educators were freely providing lessons, classroom management tid-bits, educational political articles, technology integration help, and advice. We shared back; we tweeted what we knew and more teachers followed. Our PLN was expanding and growing in a near effortless way. As our knowledge of "tweeting" expanded we discovered that there were
these little plays-on-words going on called hash-tags. By placing a "#" in front of a word(s) one could follow a stream of tweets (now this was early-on in the twitter game, so the entire "#" thing was relatively new, that's my ego interjecting). This in turn gave rise to the capability of #hash-tag chatting. At this point, if you are reading this, and a sense of anxiety is coming over you because the "Twitter World" is totally foreign to you, let us be the first to write -- we know the feeling. Our heads were spinning at first as well, have faith, read-on... there is a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. •Profession al Learning Network (PLN) on Twitter: Gateway to a New World
• Teachers Tweet Mastery
• Twitter Chat Schedule • Educators Top Twitter Chats and Hash-Tags In short the collaborative capability of Twitter is limitless. It's easy to get started and you won't regret it. Teaching is an ever-evolving profession and when you're surrounded by students all day you need to interact with your own peers. Don't let your classroom be an island of pedagogical stagnation, make an oasis of opportunity. Bring the knowledge, ideas and work of other educators into the minds of your students by getting involved in the Educational Twitter World today.
Listen to what being talked about on
Parent Talk Live with Host
Dr. Mike Robinson @DrMikeRobinson
Common Core and Parents. What parents need to know about Common Core. His guest is Nita Rudy who is currently the Program Director for the national office of Parents for Public Schools. Meet LT. General Russel L. Honore`. LT General Russel L. Honore` US Army (Ret), was widely hailed by the media as the "Category 5 General" who led Task Force Katrina in the aftermath of the devastating hurricanes that struck the Gulf Coast in the summer of 2005. General Honoré is currently a Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization, where he is working on developing questions to determine levels of preparedness. The Lt. General gives a frank discussion on education in the U.S., social issues and leadership. Teachers Perspective. Albert T. Lewis is an eighth grade language arts teacher at Walker Mill Middle School located in Prince George’s County, Maryland. He was also named winner of the 2013 Steve Harvey Neighborhood Awards for Best Teacher. School Calendars. Tina Bruno is the executive director of the national advocacy organization, The Coalition for a Traditional School Calendar. She says some interesting things about the debate on school calendar. Interview with Dr. Francis Shen on School Board Take Overs. Dr Shen examines the reasons why school board take overs happen and what will make a school board succeed or fail.
Parent Talk Live With Host
Dr. Mike Robinson Information on education you can use
Sundays 8:00 Go to www.forestoftherain.net then Parent Tall Live for details.
Rural Public Schools continued from page 49
housing, forgiveness of teacher loans, and stipends for hard to fill subject areas. The list of interventions is endless. Many times in our history, students and money have decreased to the point where rural schools have closed. Rural Economic Development The life blood of rural public schools is students. When jobs disappear, parents disappear, followed by the disappearance of students. School districts are many times the largest employer in small rural communities and can play a major role in the economic development of the community. This is a new role for rural school leaders that requires them to identify community talents and strengths to build an economic development strategy. Some communities have re-invented themselves as a culture and craft center, others around organic food and wine themes.
Rural Health Care Providing health care in rural communities is becoming extremely challenging. Those who chose to live in sparsely populated rural areas will find themselves far removed from trauma centers. Mental health services are less accessible. Telemedicine offers hope to rural communities. Patients visit kiosks and speak directly with a physician. Many tests can be given and results transmitted via the internet. Some forms of counseling are conducted using internet protocols. Speech therapy and therapists working with students with cochlear implants can be effectively and efficiently provided online. Environment A large segment of the rural population livelihood depends on natural resources. A growing challenge is the conservation of natural resources. Specifically there are growing concerns with
The drought has exacerbated this issue. In some areas water is being used at a greater rate than its return to the aquifers. In other instances, the aquifers are being contaminated. No water equals no people equals no schools. Technology New technologies provide hope and solutions to the challenges mentioned above. Lack of bandwidth in rural communities is the major stumbling block. Some rural schools are served by a dial-up system. Available programs and service are not accessible to those schools. As programs and services become more sophisticated, the required amount of bandwidth to deliver those programs and services increase. Bandwidth is not only an educational issue; it is essential to rural economic development and medical services. Access to bandwidth must become a low cost universal
service The educational, economic, mental and physical well-being of rural America is critical to the health of the country. Research in rural educational issues must be encouraged and finding solutions to educating students in rural public schools in sparsely populated areas that prepares students to participate in a global economy and be an involved citizen is critical. To find out how more about rural education and communities, visit the National Rural Education Association website at www.nrea.net.
Living Education Everyday
Inequities and Discrimination in Gifted Education: Why Hispanic and Black Students are Under-Represented and the Case of District U-46 By Donna Y. Ford, PhD and long-term educational benefits of gifted services afforded White and Asian students. The probability of so many Hispanic and Black students not being enrolled in gifted programs is statistically impossible; is not by chance. It is my personal and professional Gifted programs have existed in the U.S. for several decades; they were developed to ensure that such advanced students were not just challenged, but also receiving an appropriate education. One rationale is that under-challenged and, thus, under-educated students may become underachievers and otherwise fail to contribute their gifts, talents, and creativity to society. Whether one is an advocate for gifted education or not, it cannot be denied that maximizing the intellectual, academic, and creative abilities of students is a worthy educational, social, and cultural goal. Racial inequities are all too common in gifted education. One is hard pressed in fact to find a school district where Black students and Hispanic students are not under-represented. With approximately 15,000 school districts, finding equitable gifted programs is like looking for a needle in the haystack - not because of the number of school districts but due to the miniscule number (or percentage) of equitable gifted programs.
conclusion that both intentional and unintentional discrimination are the backbone or cornerstone of segregation in gifted education. In terms of segregated placement, Black and Hispanic students rarely attend classes with gifted White students. Regarding segregation in numbers, too few of these students are given the opportunity to be identified as gifted The Role of Prejudice and Discrimination in Under-Representation Prejudice and discrimination permeate all aspect of gifted education screening, labeling, and placement. The sheer magnitude and pervasiveness of underrepresentation indicates that prejudice and discrimination are at work. In the majority of school districts, access to gifted education begins with teacher referrals followed by testing. White teachers make up 85% of the teaching force nationally (Condition of Education, 2013). Deficit thinking (biases, stereotypes, low expectations) by this
The magnitude of Black and Hispanic students’ poor participation in gifted education is staggering, especially when one calculates the number of these students yearly whose gifts and talents have been denied. A look at just one year is quite telling. Hispanic students comprise 25% of public school districts but only16% of gifted programs; they are under-represented by 36%. Even worse, Black students are under-represented by 48% -- they comprise 19% of schools but only 10% of gifted programs (Civil Rights Data Collection, 2012). Combined, at least half a million Hispanic and Black students are being denied the short-term Continue on page 95
Trayvon Martin continued from page 42
prematurely because someone deems us unworthy of our earthly lives. It is a tragedy that black males don’t even have the options to pursue happiness. Our forefathers advanced that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Is it a crime for me to pursue happiness by walking in my neighborhood with an iced tea and Skittles? I didn’t think so, but apparently, I massively underestimated the fear that black males arouse in others. Trayvon Martin will never have the opportunity to become a father, uncle, grandfather, teacher, doctor, lawyer, CEO, entrepreneur, professor or anything else in this life because he was guilty of one thing…being a black male in America. Trayvon Martin will never have the opportunity to mentor a child, tell his wife that he loves her, walk his elderly parents across the street, or vote for the president of the United States. Why? He was guilty of one thing…being a black male in America. Trayvon Martin will never know what it is like to be a college student at an Ivy League institution, graduate with honors, and be the first black male to do anything. Why? Because he was guilty of one thing…being a black male in America. It’s ok little brother. We have your back. We will continue to fight the good fight and carry on despite the system’s attempts to curtail our progress. We will educate ourselves for you. We will teach others for you. We will have kids and name them Trayvon in your honor. We will create scholarships in your name. We will teach our kids very important lessons that your short presence on this earth reaffirmed. We will love our sons and do our very best to protect them. We will stand up for what is right even if we have to stand alone. We will fight the good fight. We will finish the race. We come from a black prophetic tradition in which we are expected to exceed the standards set by the best of those who came before us. We are a
hopeful people. We are a loving people. We are worthy of every blessing God bestows upon us. We also have the intelligence to learn from tragedies and move on with a resolute will and spirit of determination to categorically do what is right, whenever it is right, simply because it is right. You have not lived and died in vain little brother. We will remember you and the countless other lives that were taken from us prematurely. We will not be silent on issues of importance. We will stand up and take our rightful places as proud black men. We won’t let you down. I know I won’t. Your life has reignited a much-needed conversation. Your struggle with an unknown assailant represents more than you will ever know. We will continue to strive to create a world in which truth and light prevail over fear and darkness. We will get to a point where it is acceptable to be a black male in America without any preconditions or preconceived notions regarding what it is to be black. We will get to a place where we can buy iced tea and Skittles and no one bothers us. We will one day live in an America that protects those who are victimized. Dr. King’s dream has yet to materialize, but I am hopeful that it will. You can rest knowing that people love you and care about what happened to you. On July 13, 2013, justice did not prevail. It took the night off. Rest in Heaven little brother. My Father is Trayvon Martin. My brother is Trayvon Martin. My cousin is Trayvon Martin. The legion of black males in this world is Trayvon Martin. I am Trayvon Martin. Everything you did not do and could not do because your life was taken from you, we will do it for you. Namaste!
Do something healthy for your child. Get to know her teacher today.
LAUNCH STUDENT SUCCESS WITH STEM IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL By Dorothy Powers What are the chances that an aerospace engineer knows she’s excited about the field without an early introduction to the science of flight? Or that a biomedical researcher embarks on his career in biophysics without having learned at a young age about the fundamentals of motion? Slim, data suggests. Studies show that students decide as early as second grade whether they like – and think they are good at – math and science. *In other words, by age 7 or 8, they begin telling themselves that they are “good” or “bad” at solving problems. By second grade, some students have already begun to narrow their options, self-selecting out of anything science or math related. At Project Lead The Way, our mission is to prepare students for the global economy. As we reviewed data on the importance of introducing students at a young age to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), we were compelled to take action. We have provided in-school STEM curriculum for millions of middle and high school students since 1997. Recently, we made the decision to bring our activity-, project-, and problem-based curriculum and professional development to elementary school: In fall 2014, we will launch an elementary program, connecting STEM learning for students from kindergarten to career. This is what we know: Students are more likely to see themselves as capable and confident discoverers when they take intellectual risks early and often. As Glory Oljace, author of STEM is Elementary: How Elementary Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Prepares Students to Beat the Gaps!, states, students “cannot be expected to think critically for the first time in STEM subjects in middle school or beyond if they have not had the opportunity throughout elementary grades to experience STEM.”” **Introducing students to STEM when they are young helps them see new perspectives and
discover new talents. Ultimately, it gives students the opportunity to begin a pathway toward many great career options. Early exposure to STEM programs matters for all students, but it is especially important for minority and female students. Data shows a large interest and achievement gap in STEM; African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and women are seriously underrepresented in many STEM fields. *** With the U.S. aiming to regain its global leadership in talent-driven innovation, we must open doors for everyone. The case to engage all students in STEM when they are young is strong. Yet data also shows how challenging it may be in practice to implement. It is common for elementary teachers to shy away from teaching STEM subjects**** , and their apprehension is easy to understand: The Report to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology finds that teachers “lack adequate support, including appropriate professional development as well as interesting and intriguing curricula.” Still, how can we expect a young future aerospace engineer or biomedical researcher to engage in critical thinking and learning unless teachers are equipped with the right knowledge and skills? A fundamental component of the PLTW model is the high level of training and support in both content and pedagogy to position teachers for success. PLTW teachers are known for showing up to class with both the content to capture students’ creativity and skills to facilitate critical thinking – not to mention a support network of teachers experiencing the same things in their own classrooms. We are proud to initiate PLTW’s elementary school program pilot this fall in more than 40 schools across the nation. Teachers and administrators will be reporting back to us with
feedback and insights so that we can make the new program exceptional. We encourage you to check in with us at http://www.pltw.org/elementary to learn more about the pilot and follow a few classrooms—and maybe even catch a glimpse of future satellite engineers, surgeons, and computer programmers. *Change the Equation: http://changetheequation.org/stemtisticstereotypes-start-early **Glory Oljace, author, STEM is Elementary: How Elementary Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Prepares Students to Beat the Gaps! (2012) ***Report by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), September 2010, Prepare and Inspire: K-12 Education in STEM for America’s Future ****Oljace, 2012
Reading List Sean B. Yisrael, Ed.D. The Warrior Principal: New Leadership for Urban Schools is a marriage between the Art of War and effective school leadership principles. It describes the mentality and actions school principals need in order to spearhead the process of successfully reforming a failing and/or struggling urban public school. This book also instructs principals on how to deal with resistance caused by change, district- and buildinglevel politics, and ineffective staff members. It also provides a framework for improving staff morale, boosting student achievement, delegating authority, and creating a positive school culture. The Warrior Principal is a must read for any principal seeking to lead an urban school. This book will provide the tools needed to succeed and become a more efficient and focused driven leader – but most importantly, help them to challenge the status quo – and arm their staff members with the skills needed to face the war on education head on.
The Classroom continued from page 59
of going into the classroom and making a difference in the lives of young children or teenagers, how will you approach the classroom? Which of the four types of teachers will you become? May I suggest you consider one of the first two types of teachers, a teacher who is knowledgeable and compassionate? As you begin your journey into academia, I offer you the following advice, from one teacher to another. First, be sincere and be real; students can smell a phony a mile away. Be firm; be very clear in what you say and mean what you say. Listen; take some time to be a listening ear for your students. It makes a difference. By listening you will find yourself gaining their respect. Change lesson plans or even your approach if it means they will learn. It also shows you care. Embrace the love learning about your students and your subject matter. Love learning how to make that subject matter applicable to your students and do not be afraid to challenge them! Lastly, be humble enough to admit what you do not know and ask for help! An adage that has been around for some time, the origin of which is not certain states, “Your students will not care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Your pedagogical prowess means nothing to them if they do not believe that you are there in that classroom at that moment at that time for them! For those educators entering the classroom for the first time and are excited about the challenges of a new position or career path in academic scholarship, I offer the following five commandments: 1. Thou shalt not forget the experience of “the classroom” and all that it means 2. Thou shalt be an approachable leader 3. Thou shalt remain current on educational research and pedagogy 4. Thou shalt be a voice for students and teachers in thy leadership meetings/conferences
5. Thou shalt teach a class or two every now and then Drowning in a noxious brew, boiling in a cauldron of personal and political agendas in this era of education reform, and faced with an increasing number of corporate influences affecting the goings-on in the classroom, it is important that we as teachers, principals, and advocates, defenders and guardians of the classroom do just that; defend the classroom! We must preserve the classroom as a place for comfort and shelter, a platform to share stories while others listen and to listen to stories that others share. We must preserve the classroom as a safe harbor for teachers and students to bond, exchange ideas and to be among peers and yes even shed those tears that will finally get noticed. These are what make the classroom, the classroom! A Grandmother’s Love continued from page 26
How does my son spend a quiet evening alone or go out for dinner without his child, if I am unable to babysit for her? Where is the help for all of our families? When Deja was diagnosed Autistic in 2004, the chances of a child being born was 1 in 174? Now the chances are as high as 1 in 50 according to an article in the New York Daily news. I am happy to say Deja had a teacher that care enough to nominate her for a bedroom make-over. A wonderful local organization called Cecily's Closet made over Deja’s bedroom and kindly donated clothing, toys, educational books, a keyboard, hair supplies and painted the bedroom. They also, through Hanna’s Murals drew a beautiful mural on the bedroom wall. The story can be viewed currently at this link http://www.cecilyscloset.org/dejas-story.html. Does our government realize they will not be able to ignore this crisis?
New Leaders Higher Education
Dr. Alex Bryan President Kettering College
Dr. Casey Crabill President Onondaga Community College
Teresa Dreyfuss Superintendent/President Rio Hondo College
New Leaders K-12
Dr. Segun Eubanks Chair, BOE Prince George’s County Public Schools
Dr. Lewis Ferebee Superintendent Indianapolis Public Schools
Dr. Carey Wright State Superintendent of Education State of Mississippi
Transfer Admissions continued from page 56
to evaluate transcripts until after students are admitted (and often after they registered and attending class) we create a situation where transfer students feel cheated and misled. In fact, to our transfer students, this feels a bit like a bait and switch. This approach is also detrimental to the institution. This is especially true when we consider the increased emphasis on outcomes and completion. As states move toward performance based funding models. There is greater accountability for higher education to enroll, retain and graduate students. Gone are the days when simply getting students in the door met funding expectations and legislative requirements. When we fail to work directly with transfer students to evaluate prior college credit, we decrease the likelihood that the student will be successful. In addition, we may delay the students’ time to degree completion. Therefore, we set the student and the institution up to fail. By not working more directly with transfer students prior to enrollment, we do the student a huge disservice. Students should have the opportunity to explore how their prior credits will transfer to an institution so that they are able to make an informed decision. Some institutions are already making strides toward this goal. Marshall University (WV) for example, allows transfer prospects and admits to request a credit evaluation prior to enrollment for a small fee. Many of the institutions in the North Carolina system provide transfer students and adult learners with the use of online credit equivalency “calculators.” Campuses should consider these approaches and carefully examine institutional processes related to credit evaluation and equivalency determination so we are focused more directly on transfer and adult and transfer student success and degree attainment. BOXED ITEM Five Key Tips to Share with Transfer
Students 1. Submit only OFFICIAL transcripts along with your application (not after you submit your application) for quicker processing. 2. Remember colleges most colleges will request a copy of official transcripts from EVERY college you have attended. (Don’t assume that because your last college lists all the previous, your application is complete.) 3. Submit your application EARLY and ask to sit down with an advisor to examine your transcript to see what will transfer. 4. Become familiar with the curriculum for your program prior to enrollment. Compare the course curriculum with courses on your previous transcript. Talk these over with an advisor. Familiarity with the curriculum helps you to be your own advocate. 5. If available, request an official transcript evaluation prior to advising and registration (if the admissions office isn’t sure how this happens on your campus, call the registrar). 7 Secrets Launch Career continued from 34 page
then become a part of your larger network. When the race turns out well you will have additional advocates on your job who will never forget what you have done. Your career success is in your hands. You can choose how you will respond to the ups and downs of your career journey. You should be passionate about your job and know that you have a plan that will lead to your next career step. Your career can only become as big and as bright as you expect it to grow. A career is not a race it is a journey.
Stable neighborhoods have a positive effect on the academic success of children. New season of Fair Housing Today Coming Soon.
These are excerpt of student journal entries from a class assignment from Chicago Public Schools. Grand High School teachers wanted to get their students thoughts on the violence their students live through daily after the tragedy in Newtown, Ct. We adapted the journal entries into a social media format.
#OurYouthTheirVoices By Brett Murphy As horrible as the shootings were in Newtown, it is imperative to understand that there are millions of American youth that experience, and live in, a state of fear due to the violent nature of their surroundings every day, every week and every year of their lives. The questions being asked, as well as the discussions that are taking place, regarding gun control and its impact on our youth would be ill served to not look at the whole picture of a society and how it affects us as a nation as a whole. The Monday morning after the shootings in Newtown Connecticut, Mr. Murphy and Mrs. Courtney, teachers at
North Grand High School on the North West side of Chicago (Humboldt Park, a notoriously gang and violence ridden neighborhood) posed the following questions as a guide for the students to write their journal entry for the week:
What were your first thoughts, feelings, reactions, etc. to when you heard about the shooting at an elementary school in Newtown Connecticut? Do you have any 6 or 7 year old relatives? When was the first time you felt fear of guns, violence or for you and your family’s safety?
Write about your experiences regarding loss due violence: Family, friends, yourself, etc. Loss doesn’t have to mean death. It can mean loss of innocence, freedom, childhood, etc. What do you think we, as young people and a nation, can do to stop senseless killing?
This was not an easy journal prompt to write or for the students to reflect upon. The teachers worried that the students would feel disconnected, a “well this happens around us all the time” type of attitude. The responses that they received were shocking, and, ultimately, very powerful. They were so impressed at the depth of student’s answers that they felt it was necessary to share them with as many people as possible. Most importantly, they felt that teachers in their own building had to “really understand” the experience that their students had lived, how their everyday life (especially in school) were effected and most importantly be aware of the psychological issues that this present us as a school. The students then typed their responses and Mr. Murphy and Mrs. Courtney compiled their responses regarding their personal experiences into an incredibly powerful document. It is hard to read. It is hard to imagine any child having to live and cope with experiences such as this. It is often said that students “need to leave their baggage at the door” when they come to school. I have no doubt after reading these journal entries that you will understand what an impossible task that is and that we, as a nation, need to not only come to an
understanding come to an understanding that this is indeed a REAL problem, but something that we must meet head on. To read the journals, please go to www.ouryouththeirvoices.com Mr. Murphy’s and Mrs. Courtney’s Freshman Seminar Classes
Newton Journal Entries What is your first memory, fear or experience due to guns and violence?
#OurYouthTheirVoice Voice 1 @voice1 My first time of fear that I had over a gun was when my dad pulled it out on my mother and she was crying on the floor with a gun in her face, so I got on top my mother crying telling my dad to go away and I thought he was going to shoot us both.
Voice 2 @voice2 @voice1 To be honest I have had a gun held up to my head before in the 6th grade. I was walking home and out of nowhere. They said don’t turn around then they told me don`t walk on this street boy. Then the gun was not on my head any more. Then 10 seconds later I turned around and I saw 3 people running away from me….
Voice 2 @voice2 @voice1 Since that day I never walked on that street ever again I know who did it and why they did it but keep it low key Murphy. I am not scared to die because whenever you walk out your house. It’s a gamble you can get shot anytime any day. Death will get you at one point. I know the truth now I know I can get shot at any time. That why I am scared to die and no one knows the truth they… Voice 2 @voice2 @voice1 … don’t know that they can die second you leave your house. That how I feel.
Voice 3 @voice3 @Voice 2 @voice1 Fears come to us when we have ugly experiences in our lives. My fear of violence and gangs started when my brother got killed because of being involved with gangs. My brother was just 14 years old when they kidnapped him and killed him. He was starting to do better at school and he had set his goals already but no, violence and gangs had to get on his way and ruin it all. I still can’t get over it….
Voice 4 @voice4 @Voice 2 @voice1 … Every time I think about him, it hurts me even more because he was my bro, my support, I knew I could count on him because he was older than me, until one morning I woke up and everything was gone. Everything.
Voice 5 @voice5 @voice2 The First Time I Ever Experienced Guns Was When I Was 10. During The Summer me, my mom and my sister loved to go to the park. It was right around the corner. One Night it was getting late and we started to hear screaming and gunshots. It was a gang fight. We had Recently moved to Humboldt park area and that was the first memory about this place. Voice 5 @voice5 @voice2 That was the worst night of my life, a day I’ll never forget. I saw people dead on the sidewalk, bottles being thrown, People screaming for help. I was scared. As we were walking home we saw a teenager being dragged underneath a car from the opposite gang. I cried every night remembering.
Voice 5 @voice5 @voice2 I don’t feel safe at home, it’s something I’ll never forget and I still remember it to this day. Still today I’ve never set a foot in the same park.
Voice 6 @vioce6 @voice1 I remember when I was at the park on the monkey bars and there was also a family and a couple enjoying the beautiful day. A gang fight broke out and there was a shooting and this happened like a block away from the school park and I was hit in the thigh with a stray bullet.
Voice 6 @voice6 @voice1 That’s when I said wow! That could have hit me anywhere or anyone I was lucky to get hit when I did. All three of my brothers and I have a bullet hole that we got from our old neighborhood community we all as a nation should have stronger charges to penalize theses aholes.
Voice 7@voice7 @voice5 The first time I experience someone dying was when I was nine or ten years old and one of my friends got shot and killed and seeing him lying in the ground was pretty sad.
Voice 7 @voice7 @voice5 My first time I had fear of a gun was when I was in my front porch and had two different gangs shooting from one side of the block to the other side.
Voice 7 @voice7 @voice7 I Lost My Boy Best Friend From Gun Violence &’ Gang Wars On August 2, 2012.. I Went To His Funeral, I Seen Him in the Casket, He Didn’t Look The Same, He Was A Good Person A Great Basketball Player At The YMCA A Wonderful Friend, And Too See That He’s No Longer
Voice 7 @voice7 @voice7 Involved In Those Who Love Him Life No More Its Sad. He Didn’t Deserve To Die But Yet I Guess That Was God Sign Telling Him It Was Time To Join Him In Heaven Above.
Voice 8 @voice8 @voice1 I’ve grown up being around violence a lot so it’s nothing new to me at all. My mom will try not to have violence around me or my sister by not allowing us to play with toy guns because she didn’t want us growing up playing with guns is ok. But there just so much violence in our family that it was hard to stay away from all that
Voice 8 @voice8 @voice1 I’ve lost six cousins, three uncles, two aunts, and three friends all from a bullet taking their lives. It’s not that I don’t care about the family’s problem or insensitive about the situation, I really do feel bad because no one should see their six year old son/daughter get buried. It just happens a lot around here that it’s really anything new.
Voice 9 @voice9 The first time I felt fear for guns was, well every day. Where not safe in this world we have to go through the thoughts of “am I going to die today“why because of all the gun violence that’s going on in the world?
Voice 10 @voice10 @Voice 2 @voice1@voice3 We’re not safe no here, now living in this is normal, were not safe in school and barely in our own homes, people worried about the world ending but it already did, We walking dead in the world of hell, cause the not much living when we wake up every day with the fear of dying.
Voice 11 @voice11 @voice3 This gets me scared because usually during the night, my mom goes out to a fitness class and gets home like at 8pm and theirs gangbangers living on the next street of my house…;
Voice 11 @voice11 @voice3.. and it scares me because in the summer there were gangbangers walking down my street and this car stooped hard and got out the car and followed the other gangbangers with a bat.
Voice 12 @voice12 @voice9 My first time I felt scared of the gun was when I was in the 7 grade summer vacation I was in my house and 3 shots pop out everyone went outside to see what was happening and it was a drive-buy they shoot a person on the right leg and in the neck.
Voice 12 @voice12 @voice9 I had a uncle that was in a band he sang Mexican music he was going to this concert a black truck stop in front of the bus and 6 people got out and just started to shoot on the bus like crazy they kill everyone in the bus including my uncle there was no survivor.
Voice 13 @voice13 @voice9 The first time I felt fear of guns, violence, or mine and my family’s safety was when I was in school and a student brought a knife. Although no one was hurt and the boy was caught I was still scared. Now sometimes even if I am in school I am still in fear that someone may bring a weapon.
Voice 14 @voice14 @voice12 As me and my sister as child my uncle had a gun, my cousin was playing with it and she pointed to my sisters head and she told us only air was going to come out of it. But when she press it a little metal ball came and got stuck in the middle of my sisters head, since then I don’t trust no one with guns.
Voice 15 @voice15 @voice4 @voice9 Kids these days live in fear everyday walking home, taking the bus anything that keeps us out the house is dangerous and it’s not good to live the way we do. Anybody can be an innocent by-stander and people accuse innocent kids of being gang members.
Voice 15 @voice15 @voice4 @voice9 It’s pretty messed up to me. Another thing that scares me walking home is like being raped because there are a lot of nasty guys in this world. People are so worried about stuff that doesn’t matter they should start worrying about things that do matter
Living Education Everyday
Comfort Food for Those Chilly Fall Nights Recipes and Photography
By Kim Carrington
Sweet Potato Bread 1 1/2 cups raw sugar 1/2 cup vegetable oil OR substitute with 1/2 cup applesauce and only 2 TBS oil 2 eggs 1 3/4 cups sifted unbleached allpurpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/3 cup water 1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes OR substitute with organic canned organic sweet potatoes or pumpkin 1/2 cup chopped pecans Directions 1. Combine sugar and oil; beat well. Add eggs and beat. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture alternately with water. Stir in sweet potatoes and chopped nuts. 2. Pour batter into greased 9x5 inch loaf pan (or 2 small loaf pans). Bake at 350 degrees F for about one hour.
4 Reasons Universities Don’t Invest in Organizational Development & Why They Now Should By DAVID E. GOLDBERG @ deg511
When I took training as a leadership coach at Georgetown University, many of my colleagues in cohort 30 were in human resources (HR) or organizational development (OD). As I had just resigned my tenure as an engineering professor at the University of Illinois, learning amidst these people was disorienting on at least two fronts. First, engineering is more technology and thing oriented and HR/OD is more people and organization oriented, and routine discussion of social, emotional, and personal matters in a classroom setting seemed a bit weird. Second, my colleagues all belonged to organizations that believed in the importance of investment, staff, and concerted effort to improve their organizations & I had belonged to an organization that invested almost nothing in its improvement as an organization. I had expected the first of these going in, but the starkness of the significant investment that many if not most organizations make in themselves as organizations was bracing when compared to the almost non-existent expenditure of universities in this area. And as I have continued to reflect on this contrast, I remain more than a bit puzzled. Organizations in the private sector understandably grasp the importance of organizational excellence and think of it as an investment that delivers a reasonable return, and expenditures are calibrated accordingly on such things as leadership development, teamwork training and facilitation, executive coaching, and so forth. Many of my Georgetown colleagues were attached to or consultants to organizations in the Federal government, and even there, substantial sums were expended to improve organizational effectiveness in the alphabet soup of Washington, DC. Why was it that my university–for that matter, almost all universities–spend so little on developing their
organizations qua organizations? 4 Reasons Universities Don’t Invest in OD As I thought about this point, I was puzzled, but in thinking about it, there are a number of reasons why universities have not invested in organizational development to this point: University life has been stable for a long time. Universities go back to the University of Bologna founded in 1088. Although universities have changed over the years, they have been quite stable, and traditional governance and structure have appeared to serve the institutions for a quite a long time. The university has been viewed as an assembly of experts. Over that period of time, the university has been viewed largely as a loose assembly of quasi-independent experts. Yes, departmental specialization was a relatively recent invention of the 19th century, and specialization intensified around the time of World War 2, but professors have been hired for their academic excellence and expertise for nearly 10 centuries. The primary tool of “development” of the university is sabbatical, and each of the experts is supposed to renew him or herself professional several times over the course of their academic career, but no team or institutional development takes place among faculty, by and large. Faculty members would resist OD methods if they were introduced. Elsewhere (here), I have written about how universities may actually retard faculty development, and if this is so, fairly early stage faculty would tend to resist OD methods if they were introduced. In engineering, for example, hard-core “rigorous” engineering professors would reject methods coming from less technical fields as being
too soft or “not rigorous” regardless how much they were needed or useful. It is reasonable to imagine that other disciplinary experts would reject out-of-discipline expertise out of hand (except for HR/OD faculty members perhaps). Universities are not led and managed, they are administered and governed. And the language that we use surrounding the university is interesting. Professors and the university require governance and administration, not management and leadership. In coaching, we distinguish between administration, management, and leadership as a distinction between past, present, and future. Those selected to take a place in the university hierarchy are called “administrators” and their job is to bring forth a somewhat smoother version of the past going forward. Faculty members expect to be involved in “governing” the university through committee work and quasi-democratic process. To accept OD methods in the university is tacit admission that the university needs leadership and management and to risk diminishing faculty voice in governance. This helps us understand why organizational development is not being used in universities, and interestingly, the list also helps us understand why OD is needed, badly and now. The Times They Are a Changin’ bob_dylan_by_daniel_kramer1Although universities have not used organizational development methods because of their stability, their nature as an assembly of experts, resistance from faculty members in early stages of adult development, and because of their leadership structure and culture, universities now face exogenous forces that flips the logic of previous times. This blog has written about each of the matters, and so we simply summarize the counterpoint to each of the 4 points of the previous section: MOOCs & the democratization of research are destabilizing a 10-century consensus of the nature of the university. The notion of expertise is under attack in the
classroom and the laboratory. Returns to expertise are diminishing rapidly. Faculty members need exactly the kinds of deep development and coaching that OD methods can bring to the organization and to individuals within it. If the notion of a residential university is to survive, it needs more leadership and management, less administration, and reforms to permit innovation and maintain faculty governance, both. As such, I predict that organizational development methods and coaching will increase in usage as these forces are faced. Bringing OD to the university without provoking a faculty reaction requires sensitivity to the culture of the university, an understanding of the importance of faculty governance, and a respect for the traditions of the faculty and the university. ThreeJoy Associates brings those things to its work. Write me at deg@threejoy.com to understand ways in which these methods may be helpful in promoting innovation and effective change in your organization. - See more at: http://threejoy.com/2013/07/22/4-reasonsuniversities-dont-invest-in-organizationaldevelopment-why-they-nowshould/#sthash.oK1EGFVj.dpuf Reprinted from ThreeJoy℠ Associates, Inc. with permission Threejoy website, July 23, 2013.
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FANTASY FOOTBALL: WHY I LOVE THE GAME By Dr. Elwood L. Robinson I am one of the founding members of the North Carolina Fantasy Football League (NCFFL), which was started by a group of pickup basketball players in 1990, in Durham, North Carolina. An article appeared in the Durham Morning Herald about us and the reporter was fascinated about this phenomenon that was just beginning across the country. We were certainly one of the first leagues in the modern fantasy football era. For twenty-three now, I have looked forward to the NCFFL Draft as the true “rites of passage” into the fall or as someone would say, “the football season.” I play because I love the game, and the competition between the guys/girls in the leagues is fierce. The bottom line is that it’s just plain fun. I get to own a team. This seems like every business persons dream, to own a football team. I drafted Emmitt Smith during our inaugural season and the rest they say is history. I dominated my league for several years. There is the data and technical aspect of fantasy football that I find a little disturbing. It is more than the numbers for me. It’s emotional and highly personal in terms of the players and teams that I draft. I am a Dallas Cowboys fan and in 23 years I have never drafted a Washington Redskins player. Now that is personal. Although I have to admit that I came close to drafting a Washington player last year, almost drafted RG3. I believe that fantasy football brings out the kid in all of us. It is indeed mindless and deceptively complicated fun. There are countless media outlets that give us exhaustive amounts of data on each player, the stadium, weather conditions, defense, time of game, and any other statistical analysis that can leave you overwhelmed. I don’t even pay attention to the bye week during the draft. In the end, fantasy football is a game of chance and therein lies the fun. You can, of course, elevate your odds of victory by an increased awareness and scholarly approach to the game. But let’s be clear, no amount of preplanning will give you only a slight advantage. You can strategize all you want, but ultimately chance is the mitigating factor in the success of your team. Last year, I turned in my starting lineup on week 1 and never changed by lineup again during the season. I won the Super Bowl. I play because it’s a change of pace from the day-to-day grind of reality. It gives me the opportunity to stay connected to friends in a unique and exciting manner. We always hold the NCFFL Draft live in Durham, North Carolina. When I moved to Boston, the guys allowed me to continue via telephone as they consumed pizza and beer. They thought it was importance that I continued to participate because I was one of the founding owners of the league. It has been twenty-three years of catching up on each Continue on page 117
Hopes for this Academic Year
“My hope for the academic school year is that across all domains of academia, professionals will become increasingly able to identify and address student underlying needs. Most are adept at making determinations on superficial needs that provide insufficient strategies and interventions. This paradigm shift diversifies service delivery and instruction such that academia becomes a welcoming safe haven for all learners, a place with low risk for psychic injury”. -Donald Grant, Ph.D. “I believe that by tying my goals to the institutional goals, we can foster a sense of cohesion. At Michigan State University, our President has described our efforts of developing a World-Grant Institution. Intrinsically tied to her vision is the goal of being a world-class and worldwide serving institution. With this in mind, I hope to lead my staff to reimagine our most basic processes this year so that we have a level of confidence that they are utilize best-practices and that they consider a more global lens. I also believe that our team has an opportunity to strengthen our own connections and ties to one another since we have a very young leadership group to Michigan State. As we do this, it will also be critical to strengthen our ties across campus and benchmark regionally and nationally with colleagues we see as leaders in the profession. With these two essential goals, I believe we can begin to strengthen our ability to foster student success for all Spartans.” -Ray Gasser, Ph.D.
Comfort Food Continued from page 84
Meat Max This is a huge sandwich I use for birthday parties, game parties, PTA meetings and any other fun or informal gatherings. Don't be intimidated by the yeast bread. It's very easy to make especially if you use Quick Rise Yeast instead of regular yeast. Bread/Bun 1 package Quick Rise Yeast 4-6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2 cups water 1/4 olive oil or butter 2 tsp salt 1/2 cup sweetener of choice (raw sugar, honey, agave nectar, reg. sugar, maple syrup) (I use raw sugar or honey) You will need a large baking pan 14X14 in and 3 inches deep. My pan is from Wilton and is well worth the money and it's not expensive. You will need a large baking pan 14X14 in and 3 inches deep. My pan is from Wilton and is well worth the money and it's not expensive. Place the water, oil, salt and sweetener in sauce pan and heat to combine and dissolve salt and sweetener. You may have to cool the water mixture to bring to a tepid temperature. The mixture should be rather warm to the touch; but not hot In a large bowl place 2 cups of the flour and sprinkle the pack of yeast over the flour. Mix through with a wooden spoon. Add the warm water mixture, mixing with the spoon or electric mixer. Continue to gradually add additional flour while mixing with spoon. Sprinkle about 3/4 cup of flour on table or cutting board and turn the flour mixture/dough out of the bowl onto the floured table/cutting board. Knead the flour mixture/dough using the heel of your palm to form the dough into a ball while gradually adding additional flour. You may not need all 6 cups flour. Continue to knead the dough rolling it and pushing it into an elastic ball for about 5-7 minutes. Add small amounts of flour. Pour a small amount of olive oil over the dough ball kneading the last few times. Then let the dough ball rest for ten minutes. Oil the baking pan and sprinkle the pan with a small amount of corn meal. Roll the dough out to the size of the pan and place in pan to rise 'til double in size (about an hour, maybe an hour and a half). Bake in a preheated hot oven on 375 for about 20 minutes until brown on top. Melt together 1/2 stick of butter with 1/4 cup of honey. Mix honey and butter and brush on top of bun when you remove the bun from the oven. Let rest until ready to fill.
Filling 1 1/2 lbs shaved smoked turkey breast (sometimes I buy 2 lbs; but use a little less) 1 1/2 lbs shaved Virginia or honey baked ham 2 lbs red leaf lettuce 1 lb green curly leaf lettuce 1 large red onion 1 large cucumber 3-4 large organic tomatoes 2 lbs of cheeses (cheddar, American, provolone, parmesan, whatever mix of cheese you like) 1 pack fresh basil, 1 pack fresh oregano fresh ground black pepper mayonnaise Wash all vegetables and slice the onions and tomatoes very thinly. Using a serrated bread knife, slice the bun in half as you would a regular hamburger bun. Lay the bottom half on the tray or cutting board from which you intend to serve. Spread mayonnaise on both sides of the bun. The layer of mayonnaise needs to be a little thicker than expected because the bread is thick and there are a lot of ingredients. Place half the lettuce leaves on the bottom half of bun laying the curly edge of leaf to the edge of the bun and the stalk of the leaf towards the center of the bun. Cover the entire bottom. Then lay the slices of tomatoes on the lettuce covering the entire bottom, then the onion slices and the basil and oregano. Place a thin layer of the deli meat on a cookie sheet and cheese over the meat, melt in oven. Turn the melted cheese/deli meat combo onto the tomato, onion, herb layer with the melted cheese facing downward towards the tomatoes. Place the rest of the deli meat on top of the cheese/meat layer. Top with another layer of lettuce and then place the bun on top! Everybody loves this sandwich even folk who claim they don't like tomatoes or onions or cold cuts. You slice the whole sandwich across the center as you would a pie, then turn clockwise to cut across the other half which makes four large sections which can be cut into 4 slices each. Depending on the appetites of your guests and the way you cut the Meat Max, you can serve 8-16 people. I usually serve with refrigerated kosher dill pickles, kettle-cooked chips and cold drinks. Call or email sixmommy@msn.com with any questions.
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Traditional Ways to Apply for Jobs in a Tough Economy Marcia Robinson MBA, SPHR founded The HBCU Career Center to support the career and professional development of the students, alumni, staff and diverse communities of America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Robinson has over 15 years of Career Center management and Human Resources experience. She has an AS in Electronic Engineering Technology, a BS in Business Management and a MBA with emphasis in Human Resources Management. Find her onFacebook and Twitter. @HBCUCareerCntr @TheHBCUCareerCenter
I meet many people who believe that a job search is totally about online applications and computerized Application Tracking Systems that devour their resumes and cover letters. I have to keep reminding them that online is not the only way to apply for jobs, especially in a tough economy. In addition to uploading your resumes to job boards, think about these five traditional ways to get your resume in front of key Human Resources personnel. 1. Meet Employers to Apply for Jobs at Job Fairs Job fairs are a great way to connect directly with recruiters and employers. It is really easy to research job fairs happening near you on the internet. Using keywords can help you identify job fairs which might be of specific interest to you. For example, if you have an interest in employers who focus on recruiting diverse job seekers, then you could search with a keyword phrase such as “diversity Job fairs near Philadelphia.� Look at job fairs on college campuses near you as well. Some state run colleges and universities will invite the general public to job fairs on their campus. Depending on the type of job fair, job seekers could be interviewed and hired right on the spot. 2. Mail your Resume and Cover Letter Don't be shy about looking up the mailing address for a Human Resources department and actually dropping an application packet in the mail. If you have the money, consider express mail directly to the hiring manager's attention. Mail also allows you to have your resume, cover letter and reference list printed on professional resume paper. 3. Fax your cover letter and Resume With the growth of email, online applications and social media, many job seekers have abandoned the fax machine. This is a good thing for you, since it means you can probably easily submit a resume and
cover letter via fax and get it right into the hands of a Human Resources representative. Don't forget to use a cover memo with your faxed job application, so that it can be routed appropriately. 4. Take your Job Application Directly to the Company If the company where you are applying is local to you, why not go in and drop off your job application? Some major retailers with locations everywhere not only have Human Resource offices on premises, they might even have a job application kiosk where job seekers can sit and complete a job application. 5. Ask Someone to Hand Deliver your Job Application Everyone knows that there are thousands of jobs that are not advertised publicly. Additionally, some companies advertise job openings internally among their current employees before they announce jobs outside. Some companies also encourage current employees to refer their friends and former colleagues to fill job openings. Some companies even give great referral bonuses to a current employee who makes a referral who ultimately gets hired. Asking someone to hand deliver your application could give you a leg up in the job search. The HBCU Career Center Supporting the professional and career development of HBCU students, alumni, staff and the communities they serve! Keeping HBCU's Respected, Resilient and Relevant. 484.949.5267
Inequities of Gifted Children continued from page 67
Majority White teaching profession contributes to under-referrals of Black and Hispanic students for gifted education programs (Ford, 2013a; Ford, Grantham, & Whiting, 2008). Should Black and Hispanic students be referred, again, this is rare, and then testing becomes the second barrier. More often than not, school personnel select tests that favor White students and, thus, close doors to gifted education for Hispanic and Black students. It is no wonder that gifted education has come to the attention of the Office for Civil Rights, Department of Justice, and the Courts for possible violation of civil rights laws. Several districts are under a consent decree to reduce and/or eliminate the underrepresentation of these two groups in gifted programs. In the next section, I describe the most recent court case where a school district (U-46 in
http://www.maldef.org/news/releases/maldef_u46_d iscrimination_case/. District U-46 is located in Elgin, Illinois and serves approximately 40,000 students. Hispanic and White students often represent the same percentage of students (40-46% each), depending on the school year. Black students comprise 7-8% of the district. Hispanic students in U-46 are not homogeneous in terms of language - some are English only speakers, some have exited ELL (English Language Learner) services, and some are Spanish speakers only (20%). This focus on language proficiency is important. Hispanic students who were born in the U.S. and/or speak English only, and who exit ELL services (are bilingual and/or
Elgin, IL) was found to be guilty The United States District Court case of intentional regarding U-46’s segregated services for discrimination in gifted Hispanic students is the court case of their gifted the century regarding gifted education programs for two segregation -- just as Brown v. Board of reasons: (1) the Education (1954) is for all of education. District ran two segregated gifted programs in grades 4 to 6 – one for White English proficient), their under-representation students and one for former ELL Hispanic students should not be an issue. and (2) the District’s policies, procedures, and instruments were discriminatory against Hispanic In July 2013, Judge Robert Gettlemen issued a and Black students. decision holding that District U-46 intentionally discriminated against Hispanic students in their gifted programs (placement), and found problems Discrimination in Gifted Education: U-46 Found with policies and instruments for screening and Guilty as Charged identification for Hispanic and Black students. To To eliminate barriers to gifted education, litigation understand the gravity of the ruling, the court case is often the last and/or best option. The United must be dissected in at least two parts: (1) States District Court case regarding U-46’s programming/placement and (2) policies, segregated services for gifted Hispanic students is procedures, and instruments. the court case of the century regarding gifted education segregation -- just as Brown v. Board of Racially Segregated Gifted Programs: Hispanic Education (1954) is for all of education. and White Students. The Court findings offer gifted education an unprecedented opportunity to underscore and act upon programming, policy, and testing approaches that are fair, non-discriminatory, equitable, and hence support the success of all gifted students. The court consent is available at
The District operated two separate gifted programs in grades 4-6 SWAS (School Within A School) and was comprised almost exclusively of White students (97%); the rest were Hispanic (2%) and Black (1%). SET/SWAS (Spanish English Transition School Within A School) contained only Hispanic students Continue on page 107
Butterflies from Heaven Author Jennifer Minnite @JenniferMinnite jminnite@gmail.com Butterflies from Heaven begins with six-year-old Sophia getting ready for her first day back at school after the death of her baby brother. With the help of her wise grandmother’s inspirational story about butterflies from heaven, Sophia learns that there is hope after the loss of a loved one and comes home to pass on that hope to her family. Author Jennifer Minnite and husband have three children and one special child in heaven. Almost six years ago, their third child was born with a very rare heart defect and only lived for 12 days.
Author Jennifer Minnite
After the passing of their child, Jennifer Minnite started to write a children’s book to help heal and explain their son’s death to the rest of their family in a way that young children could understand.
Supporting Students in Foster Care: A School-Based Intervention By Charles A. Williams, III PhD ABSTRACT Foster youth in America disproportionately face the likelihood of negative outcomes—i.e., incarceration, homelessness and high school dropout. Their level of social and cognitive functioning is often comprised due to the reasons for placement, i.e., physical and sexual abuse, neglect and maltreatment. This also calls for an exploration of evidence-based practices, which can support foster youth in formal learning environments. One such approach could be to offer social skills training, while pairing foster youth with mentors. This enhanced mentoring model could improve overall outcomes, while specifically supporting educational attainment. INTRODUCTION For the roughly 500,000 youth in foster care in America, the likelihood of facing negative outcomes—i.e., incarceration, low college attendance, poor health, high school dropout, homelessness, economic problems, and early parenting— is quite high (Berzin, 2010; Gramkowski, Kools, Paul, Boyer, Monasterio, & Robbins, 2009; Leve, Fisher, & Chamberlain, 2009). Moreover, “a sizable literature details the disparities in the child welfare system population compared to the general population on indicators of health, mental health, and social and economic well-being” (Leve et al., 2009, p. 1870). Also, Landsverk, Burns, Stambaugh, and Reutz (2009) state that between one-half and threefourths of children and youth in foster care experience behavior and social-emotional problems (given the traumatic experiences which they face –often repeatedly), which warrant intervention. OUT OF HOME PLACEMENT
Several factors may lead to a child being placed in foster care. Specifically, Leve et al. (2009) report that the most common reasons for child placement are parental neglect (67%), physical abuse (16%), sexual abuse (9%), and psychological abuse (7%), with much of this taking place in early childhood. Often, these early child hood experiences can lead foster care youth to develop internalizing and externalizing problems (Stein, 2001). Repeatedly experiencing traumas related to placement into the child welfare system, may lead specifically to poor academic achievement, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and lower future expectations. It can also lead to higher rates of emotional difficulties and mental illness (Rosario, Salzinger, Feldman, & Ng-Mak, 2008; Stein, 2001), further explaining the disproportionality of negative outcomes for foster care youth. This, then, requires an
effective intervention. MENTORING FOSTER YOUTH According to a report by the Corporation for National and Community Service titled Mentoring Children in Foster care: considerations and partnerships for Senior Corp Directors, foster care youth are in need of mentors or adult role models (Kaplan et al., 2009). Mentoring is often defined as the contribution of a trusted, non-parental adult in the life of a child or youth (Gordon, Iwamoto, Ward, Potts, & Boyd, 2009). “The presence of a positive, trusted, adult role model has been recognized as a protective factor against violence and other maladaptive outcomes for youth” (Cheng, Haynie, Brenner, Wright, Chung, & Simons-Morton, 2008, p. 944). However, traditional mentoring efforts may be enhanced by adding a social skills training component, thereby, making even more likely that foster youth will maintain and develop social competence. SOCIAL SKILLS The study of social skills has a rich history reaching back several decades, with early researchers providing a theoretical template for both the conceptualization and study of social skills (Quay, 1986).
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Living Education Everyday
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Growing up, I wasn't a fan of store bought canned tomato soup; but NOW?! Yes, I make my own and it is delicious! You can use the tomatoes available at the farmers market or local grocer. I used beautiful purple, orange, yellow and red heirloom tomatoes I bought at a great organic store in College Park. You only need a few simple ingredients. Tomato Soup 2 lbs. of tomatoes 2 cloves garlic 1 bunch basil 1 bunch oregano 3/4 cup of olive oil kosher salt and black pepper corns 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream Wash the tomatoes and cut them up in large chunks. Place as many pieces as you can in the blender to fill 3/4 way up (not to the top). Add the peeled fresh garlic, basil, oregano, olive oil, a little water just to help the blender work. Blend on smoothie or liquefy setting. Add the cream and continue to blend. Taste and add the salt and pepper corns to suit your taste. Pour half of the mixture into a sauce pan. Add the rest of the tomatoes to the blender and blend. Add to the sauce pan and heat on low to medium until steaming hot. Mix periodically. Taste and add more salt and/or pepper salt and/or pepper if needed. You can serve this with a cheese pizza instead of the traditional grilled cheese sandwich. Cheese Pizza 1 package of Quick Rise Yeast 4-5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 3/4 cup water 1 cup milk 1/2 cup olive oil 2 tsp. salt 2 TBS raw sugar 2-3 lbs. cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, smoked cheddar, Monterey jack) Place water, milk, olive oil, salt and sugar in sauce pan and heat until warm, not hot. Place 2 cups flour in large bowl and sprinkle dry yeast over flour and mix. Pour the warm water mixture into flour and mix with wooden spoon. Gradually add more flour and mix until the dough is too stiff to use spoon. Then use your hands to knead the flour into the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured table or cutting board and continue gradually adding flour to dough and kneading to form a soft, round elastic dough ball. You may not need all 5 cups of flour. Let the ball rest for 10 minutes, then roll out and place on a light oiled pizza stone or cookie sheet. If you use the cookie sheet, oil with olive oil and dust with a light layer of corn meal. Place the rolled out dough onto your baking pan, drizzle a little olive oil over entire dough and sprinkle grated cheeses of your choice on top. Bake in hot, preheated oven at 425 until cheese is melted and slightly browned, about 15-20 minutes. Take out, slice and serve with steaming hot tomato soup. You can garnish the cheese pizza with arugala or little bits of sausage the last 5 minutes of baking, if you like. However, this pizza is good just with the cheese.
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Gimpel (1998) refer to two different ways to conceptualize/define social skills, which concentrate on three general types of constructs. These are peer acceptance and behavioral and social validity. Stephens (1978) created a comprehensive listing of four broad categories and 30 sub categories of social skills, which were used to create a social skills training curriculum (these 30 sub categories have been used by other theorists and educators to address social skills issues). These four broad categories are: 1. Self-related. Accepting consequences; ethical behavior; expressing feelings; positive attitude toward self; responsible behavior; self-care 2. Environmental behaviors. Care for the environment; dealing with emergencies; lunchroom behavior;
gaining attention; greeting others; helping others; making conversation; organized play; positive attitude; toward others; playing informally; property: own and others Out of these four broad categories, six explicit skills can be constructed and they are: 1 Responds to teasing or name calling by ignoring, changing the subject, or using some other constructive means 2 Responds to physical assault by leaving the situation, calling for help, or using some other constructive
movement around environment 3 Task related behaviors. Asking and answering questions; attending behavior; classroom discussion; completing tasks; following directions; group activities; independent work; on - task behavior; performing before others; quality of work 4 Interpersonal behaviors coping with conflict;
non-aggressive words rather than physical action or aggressive words. SCHOOL-BASED SOCIAL SKILLS
As has been mentioned, foster youth struggle with externalizing and internalizing problems, which can lead to academic challenges. This is the case because children and youth, who face these types of social and emotional challenges, find it difficult to connect with peers as well as receive support from teachers. In fact, research suggests that children who face such challenges often lack social competence, i.e., they are not socially-skilled. Furthermore, Lane, Gresham and O’Shaughnessy (2002) pointed out children who exhibit disruptive/acting out behaviors in the classroom (externalizing behaviors) may underachieve academically, given that their acting out behaviors may cause them “to miss out on essential instructional activities” (p.321). O’Shaughness y (2002) also states that “over time,
means 3 Walks away from peer when angry to avoid hitting 4 Refuses the request of another politely 5 Expresses anger with
this lack of participation in classroom activities results in academic under achievement” (p.321). Such statements suggest a relationship between students’ social competence, or the lack thereof, and their academic performance. It also Continue on page 105
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A healthy class starts with a healthy teacher. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Educators Take Subway to Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement By LEeM Staff Quality schools are the result of strong communities and what makes strong communities are businesses that aspire to be part of the community. The staff of Living Education eMagazine in part one of its series on “The Business of Education and Community Engagement” explored how Adetutu Anifowos and Joy Davis college graduates responded to the lack of opportunities in their field of study by tapping into their entrepreneurial spirits and in turn created opportunities for others. LEeM: What is your educational background? Adetutu Anifowos: I earned my degree from the University of Chicago in Industrial Design. LEeM: Why did you become an entrepreneur? Adetutu Anifowosh: It was by chance. I opened my first store about 20 years ago. My husband and I were saving to buy a house when the opportunity presented itself. My husband’s best friend owned a subway store and we found out there was a store on the market. My husband suggested instead of buying a house, why not buy this store and I could run the store. I said sure why not. LEeM: Did you have any hesitation? Adetutu Anifowosh: No, I had just moved here from Chicago. I was new to the city of Baltimore. I was having a hard time breaking into my field. LEeM: Did you have a business background? Adetutu Anifowosh: No, I do not. My husband does, he studied Finance and Business in college. LEeM: It seems as if you just stepped out on faith? Adetutu Anifowosh: I did! I was trying to break into my field; I was having a really hard time. So, I said why not! Why not try this and see what happens. LEeM: What field were you attempting to enter? Adetutu Anifowosh: The Industrial Design field which is a tough field for minorities. I was having a really hard time finding opportunities in my field.
Adetutu Anifowosh Subway Owner
LEeM: So you come to Baltimore where your husband attended college, you were having difficulty entering your field of study, so why Subway?
Adetutu Anifowosh: My husband’s best friend owned Subway store and he told us that a store was on the market and 20 years ago, there was no waiting list to secure a Subway franchise like there is now, so when stores are available and if you knew a current owner, it helps facilitate your process to secure a location. LEeM: How long have you been the owner of this midtown Baltimore location? Adetutu Anifowosh: This location is one of the first in Baltimore. We purchased this location about 20 years ago, in the fall of 1993. LEeM: What were some of the challenges you faced as an aspiring entrepreneur? Adetutu Anifowosh: Financing and staffing were my two biggest challenges. Financing was a challenge because it was hard get bank financing even though it is a franchise. It was really hard to get financing as a small business owner. If we had not been saving we probably could not have done it. Also staffing was a challenge. It was hard staffing the store. LEeM: What advice would give young people or anyone aspiring to become an entrepreneur? Adetutu Anifowosh: If you have an idea you need to go for it, you need to follow through with it. Sometimes you will come up against obstacles you need to stick with it. LEeM: Do you have any regrets becoming an entrepreneur? Adetutu Anifowosh: No, No I don’t. Things have changed. Times are different now, but I do not have any regrets. LEeM: Do you ever think about your field of study? Adetutu Anifowosh: I do every once in a while. Last year, I went back to school for a refresher course. I am looking to do other things. I am considering circling back to my roots of Industrial Design. LEeM: When you go back to your roots, do you see your journey as an entrepreneur or one where you work for someone? Adetutu Anifowosh: Yes, I see myself as an entrepreneur. I could never work for anyone. So, I am considering starting my own design company, something along those lines. Continue on page 113
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suggests that foster youth may benefit from developing social competence through social skills training (and mentoring). MENTORING AS A TOOL TO IMPROVE SOCIAL SKILLS Mentoring has also been found to specifically improve conduct problems and social skills in school-aged youth (Brown & Enriques, 1997; Cheng et al., 2008; Horn & Kolbo, 2000; Wyatt, 2009; Zand et al., 2009). This is the case because as children learn, grow and develop, they seek out regular and consistent, high quality, positive interactions with significant adults in their lives (Draper, Siegel, White, Solis, & Mishna, 2009). Through positive social relationships, with these significant adults, children often learn and model appropriate social responses to such things as conflict and disappointment; and they learn such things as how to effectively communicate and express feelings and emotions (Williams, 2006). Mentoring has not only been shown to address social skills and behavior problems, but as has been previously mentioned it can also influence academic achievement (Glomb, Buckley, Minskoff, & Rogers, 2006;
Gresham, 1998; Williams, 2006). A DYNAMIC SCHOOL-BASED INTERVENTION: MENTORING AND SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING A dynamic mentoring model-which blends traditional mentoring and social skills training could have an overall positive impact on socially desirable outcomes for these very vulnerable youth, specifically academic performance. Also, given that most states have compulsory education laws for children and youth (up until the ages 15-17), schools could serve as ‘service sites’ for such efforts. Moreover, by using the schools as a base of sorts for a mentoring program – enhanced with social skills training, it is likely to support recruitment efforts. This could be the case, given that the community may be more invested in insuring positive outcomes for their youth as opposed to say recruiting atlarge -- in a city or town. In the final analysis, given that students – foster youth notwithstanding, are required by law to attend school, it would stand that school could serve
as optimal site for interventions aimed at youth. In this instance, a recommendation is being made that education professionals become more aware of the fact that foster youth are also their students; and that they should become more familiar with the challenges they face. This, in turn, will enable educational professionals to advocate for evidence-based practices to serve them. The author feels that mentoring- enhanced with social skills training, is such a practice for which educational professionals should be advocating. References Atkinson, M. (2008). Aging out of foster care: Towards a universal safety net for former foster care youth. Harvard Civil Rights—Civil Liberties Law Review, 43, 183–212. Bandura, A. (1965). Influence of models’ reinforcement contingencies on the acquisition of imitative responses. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1, 589–595. Barron-McKeagney, T., Woody, J. D., & D’Souza, H., J. (2002). Mentoring at-risk Latino children and their parents: Analysis of the parent-child relationship and family strength. Families in Society, 83, 285–292. Baumrind, D. (1991). The influence of parenting style on adolescent competence and substance abuse. Journal of Early Adolescence, 11, 56–95. Berzin, S. (2010).
Understanding foster youth outcomes: Is propensity scoring better than traditional methods? Research on Social Work Practice, 20, 100–111. Cheng, T. L., Haynie, D., Brenner, R., Wright, J. L., Chung, S., & Simons-Morton, B. (2008). Effectiveness of a mentor-implemented violence prevention intervention for assaultinjured youths presenting to the emergency department: results of a randomized trial. Pediatrics, 122, 938–946. Drolet, M., Paquin, M., & Soutyrine, M. (2007). Strengths-based approach and coping strategies used by parents whose young children exhibit violent behavior: Collaboration between schools and parents. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 24, 437–453. Farrell, A. D., Myer, A. L., Sullivan, T. N., & Kung, E. M. (2003). Evaluation of the responding in peaceful and positive ways (RIPP) seventh grade violence prevention curriculum. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 12, 101–120. Flannery, D. J., & Williams, L. (1999). Effective youth violence prevention. In T. P. Gullotta & S. J. McElhaney (Eds.), Violence in homes and communities: Prevention, intervention, and treatment (pp. 207–244). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Fowler, P., Toro, P., & Miles, B. (2009). Pathways to and from homelessness and associated psychosocial outcomes among adolescents leaving the foster care system. American Journal of Public Health, 99, 1453– 1458 Glomb, N. K, Buckley, L. D., Minskoff, E. D., & Rogers, S. (2006). The learning leaders mentoring program for children with ADHD and learning disabilities. Preventing School Failure, 50, 31–35. Gordon, D., Iwamoto, D., Ward, N., Potts, R., & Boyd, E. (2009). Mentoring urban black middle school male students: implications
for academic achievement. The Journal of Negro Education, 78, 277–289, 362–364. Gresham, F. M. (1988). Social skills: Conceptual and applied aspects of assessment, training and social validation. In J. C. Witt, S. N. Elliott, & F. M. Gresham (Eds.), Handbook of behavior therapy in education (pp. 523–543). New York: Plenum Press. Hamilton, S., & Hamilton, M. (1990). Linking up: Final report on a mentoring program for youth. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University, Department of Human Development and Family Studies. Horn, K. A., & Kolbo, J. R. (2000). Using the cumulative strategies model for drug abuse prevention: A small group analysis of the choices program. American Journal of Health Studies, 16, 7–23. Jent, J., & Niec, L. (2009). Cognitive behavioral principles within group mentoring: A randomized pilot study. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 31, 203–219. Jones-Brown, D. D., & Henriques, Z. W. (1997). Promises and pitfalls of mentoring as a juvenile justice strategy. Social Justice, 24, 212–233. Kaplan, S. J., Skolnik, L., & Turnbull, A. (2009). Enhancing the empowerment of youth in foster care support services. Child Welfare, 88, 133–161. Landsverk, J. A., Burns, B. J., Stambaugh, L. F., & Reutz, J. A. (2009). Psychosocial interventions for children and adolescents in foster care: review of research literature. Child Welfare, 88, 49–69. Leve, L., Fisher, P., & Chamberlain, P. (2009). Multidimensional treatment foster care as a preventive intervention to promote resiliency among youth in the child welfare system. Journal of Personality, 77, 1869– 1902.
McMahon, S. D., & Washborn, J. J. (2003). Violence prevention: an evaluation of program effects with urban African American students. Journal of Primary Prevention, 24, 43–62. O’Donnell, L., Stueve, A., & Myint-U, A. (2009). Parenting and violence toward self, partners, and others among inner-city young adults. American Journal of Public Health, 99(12), 2255–2260. Quay, H. C. (1986). Classification. In H. C. Quay & J. S. Werry (Eds.), Psychological disorders of childhood (pp. 1–34). New York: Wiley Rich, J. (2009). Wrong place, wrong time: Trauma and violence in the lives of young black men. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press Rosario, M., Salzinger, S., Feldman, R., & NgMak, D. (2008). Intervening processes between youths’ exposure to community violence and internalizing symptoms over time: The roles of social support and coping. American Journal of Community Psychology, 41, 43–62. Shaw, J. (January 26, 2010). Beneficiary and victim of the system: Sick child, no support…but hope. The Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved April 22, 2011, from www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/8266492 2.html. Sheehan, K., DiCara, J., LeBailly, S., & Christoffer K. (1999) Adopting the gang model: Peer mentoring for violence prevention. American Academy of Pediatrics, 104, 50–54. Stein, M. (2001). Young people aging out of care: the poverty of theory. Child and Youth Services Review, 28, 422–443. Stephens, T. M. (1978). Social skills in the classroom. Columbus, OH: Cedar Press. Wheeler, E., & Stomfay-Stitz, A. (2008). Responding to urban violence: What teachers tell us they can and must do in their classrooms. Childhood Education, 84(3), 158 – 160.
Whiting, S., & Mallory, J. (2007). A longitudinal study to determine the effects of mentoring on middle school youngsters by nursing and other college students. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 204, 197–208. Williams, C. A. (2006). The effects of social skills and media on student achievement in elementary school students. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Temple University, PA. Wyatt, S. (2009). The brotherhood: empowering adolescent African American males toward excellence. Professional School Counseling, 12, 463–470. Inequities of Gifted Programs continued from page 95
who had exited ELL classes (they were bilingual and/or English proficient). Note that SET/SWAS was not designed for Hispanic students who were native English speaker; nor was it designed for Black students. White and Hispanic gifted students were housed in different school buildings and never attended classes or activities together. What was the District’s rationale for SET/SWAS? The District defended the SET/SWAS program by arguing that, although the English skills of students placed in that program (most all of whom had passed through the District’s ELL program satisfactorily or were otherwise sufficiently English proficient) were enough to participate in the regular classrooms taught in English, those students were not proficient enough in English to participate in English-only classrooms operating at the advanced academic levels of the mainstream SWAS program. Thus, according to the District, SET/SWAS, which is taught in both English and Spanish, allowed these students to acquire English skills while providing them with a curriculum designed for gifted students (Gentlemen, pp. 28-29). Judge Gentlemen concluded otherwise – these Hispanic gifted students who had exited ELL services were capable of attending Continue on page 110
Living Education eMagazine
Inequities of Gifted Programs continued from 107
with White gifted students -- and the bilingual gifted teachers in SET/SWAS could and should have been assigned to SWAS in order to support the gifted Hispanic students. The Court’s decision renewed the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) principle that ‘separate is inherently unequal’. … The court finds the District’s method of identifying gifted Minority Students was flawed and resulted in an obvious disparate impact on those students by separating them from their gifted White peers…. By singling out most[ly] all Hispanic students for the segregated SET/SWAS program, the District deprived these children of that educational opportunity based on their ethnicity (p. 27).
eliminated, not included; (c) Use of both verbal and math scores at arbitrary designated levels for screening and for identification – using one subscale would have increased access for Hispanic and Black students; (d) Use of weighted matrix, as well as content and criteria in weighted matrices that favored achievement and traditional measures – weights and content of matrix favored White students; (e) No reliance on a nonverbal test (Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test) for admission to
In addition to physically segregated programs intentionally based on race (with language used as the excuse by District U-46, the Court found that policies, procedures and instruments adopted to screen and identify gifted students resulted in a “serious disparate impact” on minority students – Hispanic and Black students for SWAS.
SET/SWAS ends at grade 6, resulting in one gifted program at middle school (SWAS). Thus, the cycle of under-representation continued in middle school for these former ELL Hispanic students. Discrimination and Segregation by the Numbers: Policies, Procedures, and Instruments In addition to physically segregated programs intentionally based on race (with language used as the excuse by District U-46), the Court found that policies, procedures and instruments adopted to screen and identify gifted students resulted in a “serious disparate impact” on minority students – Hispanic and Black students for SWAS. Discrimination was found regarding: (a) Tests selected and sued for screening and for identification – traditional tests were used rather than including non-verbal test or subscale; (b) Designated cutoff scores for screening and identification – set at level to ensure Hispanic and Black students would be
SWAS even though NNAT was effective for SET-SWAS. (f) Re-testing Hispanic students in SETSWAS for middle school gifted program (SWAS) – White students were not retested. (g) Timing of testing – testing was too close to summer, which favored White students who are less affected by summer loss; (h) Use of parental referrals – parental referrals favor White families and
disadvantage Hispanic and Black families who are less like to be aware of gifted education opportunities, who are not familiar with policies, procedures, and forms, and who have less social and cultural capital; and (i) Use of teacher referrals – teachers seldom refer Hispanic students and rarely refer Black students for gifted education; teachers over-refer White students. Learning From Gifted Education Discrimination in U-46 “… one can only wonder how many other highly talented and gifted Hispanic children were educated in an unnecessarily segregated setting rather than integrated
choice but to seek legal support to force districts uphold civil rights laws. References Allport, G. W. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Ford, D.Y., Grantham, T.C., & Whiting, G.W. (2008). Culturally and linguistically diverse students in gifted education: Recruitment and retention issues. Exceptional Children, 74(3), 289308. Ford, D.Y. (2010). Reversing underachievement among gifted Black students: Theory, Research and Practice (2nd ed.). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
Discrimination has no place in the field of education. Our schools must live up to their promise and mission to advocate for all gifted students. A non-negotiable part of this goal consists of examining and eliminating all barriers that Hispanic and Black students’ access to gifted education. with the full range of children in the District” (Gentlemen, p. 30). Discrimination and segregation have no place in school settings and gifted education is not exempt from ensuring that Black and Hispanic have equitable access to gifted education. The court case of McFadden v. Board of Education for Illinois School District U-46 represents a clarion call to all educators to legally (and ethically) fulfill the promise and intent of Brown v. Board of Education (1954): Segregated programs are inherently unequal. Discrimination has no place in the field of education. Our schools must live up to their promise and mission to advocate for all gifted students. A non-negotiable part of this goal consists of examining and eliminating all barriers that Hispanic and Black students’ access to gifted education. Racially segregated gifted programs due to having separate programs and adhering to discriminatory policies, procedures, and instruments must be eliminated. If not, we have no
Ford, D.Y. (2011). Equity issues and multiculturalism in the under-representation of Black students in gifted education: Dogmatism at its worst. In D. Ambrose, R.J. Sternberg, & Sriraman, B. (Eds.), Confronting dogmatism in gifted education. (pp. 80-94). New York: Routledge. Ford, D.Y. (2013a). Recruiting and retaining culturally different students in gifted education: A guide for ending under-representation by ensuring equity. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press. Ford, D.Y. (2013b). Gifted underrepresentation and prejudice – Learning from Allport and Merton. Gifted Child Today, 36, 62-67. Merton, R. K. (1957). Social theory and social structure. New York, NY: Free Press.
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Entrepreneurship continued from page 104
LEeM: I noticed you have a lot of young people working here, is that by design (no pun intended)? Do you see yourself as a mentor? Adetutu Anifowosh: Everyone who works here goes to school. I speak to them frequently about the importance of school and I tell them they have to stay in school. I work around their school schedules. I tell them, I encourage them. I tell them that I came to this country, I was not born here, and I was born in England. I came here to go to school and I put myself through school, by working while taking classes. It is very important that they all stay in school. My staff love working for me, I tell them I will support them, provide references when they are looking for work in their fields. LEeM: Why did you pick this location, right in the heart of the community? Adetutu Anifowosh: My husband attended the University of Baltimore and he believed this location was representative of the city. He grew up in Baltimore and has spent a lot of time in this area. So when the location became available he said this is something we can do in the city and for the city. LEeM: When you are mentoring to your young staff, do you encourage them to think as an entrepreneur? Adetutu Anifowosh: I encourage them to go to school. Because even if you are going to own your own business you should have a college degree? I share my story with them when I have the opportunity. I tell them they need to earn their college degree, before they can begin to think about any next steps. LEeM: Thank you for sharing your story. Adetutu Anifowosh: Thank You.
Entrepreneurship continue on page 115
In Education, Fair Housing and Academic Research Today Partners in School Innovation Awarded Funding from W.K Kellogg Foundation. Partners in School Innovation (Partners) has an almost 20-year history of supporting underserved public schools and districts in urban areas. The organization was founded in 1993 by Julien Phillips, a former Peace Corps volunteer and McKinsey & Co. partner, and Kim Grose, a Rhodes Scholar and social justice advocate, to create systemic improvements in low-performing public schools. In their first year, Julien and Kim recruited and trained nine college graduates (each of whom committed to two years of service), and identified three San Francisco Bay Area schools that needed help. The fledgling organization was selected as one of California’s first AmeriCorps programs. “Following our successes in the Bay Area and Michigan, we are excited for this opportunity to bring the Partners district and school transformation approach to support proven leaders in the Mississippi Delta,” said Derek Mitchell, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Partners. “We are looking forward to working with our school partners and district leaders in Indianola and Sunflower County to develop sustainable transformation at all levels of their system to the benefit of all students, but especially those in the most challenged schools.” Please let me know if you have any other questions. http://www.partnersinschools.org/ Advocates Display Their Support for HUD’s New Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing regulation September 17, 2013 was the deadline for final comments regarding the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s new Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing regulations (AFFH). Several leading social justice advocacy groups provided written comments which overwhelmingly supported HUD’s new AFFH regulations. Early in the summer, shortly after release of the proposed changes to the regulations, many of those civil rights organizations led by the National Fair Housing Alliance released a joint statement indicating their approval of HUD’s new AAFFH Regulations. “We are pleased to see that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today issued an important proposed regulation under the Fair Housing Act. The draft regulation entitled, “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing” implements Section 3608 of the Act. The Fair Housing Act has two goals: to end housing discrimination and to promote diverse, inclusive communities. This section of the Fair Housing Act speaks directly to the second goal, embodying our strongly-held American values of fair access and equal opportunity.” Continue on page 116
Entrepreneurship continued from page 113
LEeM: What is your educational background? Joy Dukes: I attended The Ohio State University, where I majored in Business with an emphasis on Marketing. LEeM: How long have you been on the campus of Morgan State University? Joy Dukes: I have been on the campus for six years. We opened the doors on September 27, 2007 LEeM: Why did you become an entrepreneur? Joy Dukes Subway Owner on the campus of Morgan State University
Joy Dukes: What inspired me to step out on and become an entrepreneur was the fact that I always had a plan and
that I always had a vision. I was fortunate at that stage of my life to start defining what my purpose was and through that avenue that I had was my skill set, which was hospitality and food service. LEeM: What aspect of being an entrepreneur appealed to you the most? Joy Dukes: What appealed the most to me about becoming an entrepreneur was having an opportunity to live my vision. I had my own plan and idea of what I wanted to do with my life? Becoming an entrepreneur was a pathway for me to achieve a level of independence I desired. LEeM: What questions should aspiring entrepreneur ask of themselves?
LEeM: Why hospitality?
Joy Dukes: You should have your own plan or an idea what you want to do. What do you want to bring to the world? What is your unique factor? What is that incredible thing that you can do that no one else can do it the way that you do? Once you know what that is, you need to package it, rather it’s a product or service, you have to take that vision at some point and make it a plan. Then you put that plan and vision in a formulated manner, what we call in business your business plan. Once you have that, you next job is to go out and drive that vision, through finding investors and resources to assist you in bringing your vision into existence.
Joy Dukes: I had been working in the industry for several years, so during that time I developed a plan for what I wanted to do. I knew because of my prior life in the military and working under systems, being on the corporate level, I was looking for something that would embrace the fact that I needed structure. So, franchising by definition does that for you. So, I knew that was going to be my approach into being independent, being a business owner. My further vision was to take my independence, to live my Entrepreneurship continue on page 117
What’s Trending continued from page 114
Survey: State Higher Education, K-12 Systems Collaborating on Common Core Implementation It’s widely understood that implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is going to require collaboration between public K-12 systems and higher education institutions to help ensure the K-12 curriculum reform is on track for the 2014-15 academic year. In a national survey report released recently by the Center on Education Policy at George Washington University, the states that have adopted the CCSS indicate that their K-12 and higher education systems have begun working together to implement the standards. Of the 40 states whose state education officials responded to the survey, K-12 officials in 16 states indicated that their states are facing major challenges, and officials in 19 states reported minor challenges in collaborating with higher education. http://diverseeducation.com/article/56281/#
Fantasy Football continued from page 89
catching up on each other’s lives and finding out just how much we have changed since the last time we were together at last year’s Draft. Then there is the lamenting our individual luck in building a roster, chiding one another for another bad draft or taking a kicker or a defensive team too early, and the good natured “mild” trash-talking that is so familiar to the world of sports. My advice to you is to enjoy and have fun with Fantasy Football. It’s just fantasy, or is it? Entrepreneurship and Subway continued from page 115
vision, to live my dream. To create the type of company I wanted to have so that I can not only a business that generated revenue, but could also provide me template for the formula to provide services to the community, rather it was through mentoring or auxiliary programs that had a community outreach umbrella that would allow me to bring in the youth and teach them the trade that I have. LEeM: When did you know you were destined to be your own boss? Joy Dukes: I knew two years before I left the company I was working for that I was going to do something. For several years, I worked for a great organization Thompson Hospitability. Fortunately at the time my role as the training and development director resulted in the direct oversight of all food brands and that allowed me to work closely with a few national brands. LEeM: Why Subway? Joy Dukes: My role at Thompson Hospitality as the Training and Development Director required me to become the resident expert in all brands we worked with at the time. That included Pizza Hut, Chick-fil-A, and a number of others; along with way, we began to partner with Subway at several of the colleges and universities we operated. To become the expert, I attended franchise training and as I was sitting there I knew this was the brand for me. I knew it was the product.
LEeM: How did Subway fit with your vision and life mission? Joy Dukes: I knew I wanted to operate within a university setting or even in the heart of a community. I struggled with the idea of bringing something to the community that I knew was going to be food but may not offer the best meal options (health wise for the community) and because I also knew it was going to be a brand name establishment I was concerned with selecting the right brand. The brands that kept coming to mind were those with less than healthy meal options. Now let me say, that they are not bad places to eat, because I have eaten at many of them, but we are getting into the age of consciousness and health consciousness and that spoke to me as an aspiring entrepreneur and a person who is community oriented. While those brands were nice and had years of proven success they were not the brands for me, it was they did not speak to my vision. Something said these are not the brands for you. It is not what you wanted to do. LEeM: How did you really know the other brands were not for you? Joy Dukes: I have that connectivity that whatever I bring I want it to be of value to the community that I serve. I was sitting in Subway training and all though there are many menu items that I would consider indulgent that does not follow the health consciousness model there are many things that are very healthy for our customers. If you are conscious, if you plan, if you select, you can come to a subway and really and get that dietary need met. That was it! This is what I was going to do! LEeM: Now you know you the brand you and the products to serve, how did it happen? Joy Dukes: I was at Morgan State University working with Thompson Hospitality; we were at a point in the operations of closing down the student union while preparing to open up the new student center. As an insider in the organization, I knew we did not want to carry
any national brands to the new student center. One of my responsibilities at the time was to develop internal brands. I created for the organization a brand that looks national from the leader boards to uniforms and that is what I did. But I knew they were not going to take Subway up to the new student center. So, as I am in my office one day, I began to consider the possibility of approaching the CEO, to see if he would consider asking the Warren Thompson, president of Thompson Hospitality. I just asked and just like that the answer was yes. We will do that if you are serious. LEeM: Why did you ask your boss to help you become your own boss? Joy Dukes: It is the old adage if you let your thoughts become limiting factors in your life, it will make you not ask the question or step out on faith. You will never know. LEeM: Mr. Thompson said yes, why? Joy Dukes: Because they knew that I was always trying to find something else to do with my life. I grew with the company. I was one of the first directors LEeM: What words of advice to give students, young people here on the campus of Morgan State University who aspire to be entrepreneurs? Joy Dukes: Do the work. It starts with first understanding that whatever brand, that whatever brand you are trying to build the first brand you have to build is yourself. So, do the work. Do the work on yourself. Understand that being successful as you may define it, because a lot of time success is define by monetary means. I understand, you invest in school you did graduate to work a low paying job and honor to those who do that. You put an investment in yourself and that is key, because that is your education. That is an example of you building your brand. Understand that to be successful you are going to have to 100% accountable for you and everything that happens to you along the way. LEeM: Why are you so passionate about the student at Morgan State University who work for you? Joy Dukes: Yes, again to the young people who aspire to successful; if you have a plan and you have a vision of where you want to go you have to be the one that makes it happen. The world owes you nothing. You have to work hard for it. It is a fallacy that because we are here that things are just going to happen the way we want them to happen. No one is going to give you a job, just because you went to school. My mentor gave me some great advice and I will like to pass it one. He always looked to promote people who did not seek the easy way out or make multiple excuses for failure of their team or their own performance. Learn to take accountability for your actions. How you respond to adversity is going to determine the outcome. Many of the students at Morgan come from similar backgrounds as I do. Many are the first in their families to attend college. I tell them if you do not believe that your past determines your future, look in the mirror, because you are living that truth that your past does not determine your future.
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