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NAM Round Table
The NAM Round Table consists of news, insights, visions, ramblings and rants from the writers at New America Media.
[ filed under: california education ] By Theresa Dang Last week I picked up the San Jose Mercury News and a headline, “1 in 4 California students drop out before graduating,” caught my attention. According to the article, the dropout rate for California public schools from grades 9- 12, for the 2006- 2007 school year, was 24.2 percent- a most alarming and disturbing figure. When calculated, it turns out that 150, 000 students drop out every year, and many turn to gangs and crimes, creating a domino effect of social problems in our society. It has also been reported that California will spend $33 million over the next three years for a new system of tracking students so that there will be accurate data available about the graduation, dropout, or “other” rate of each school year. (The other category consists of students who have moved to a different state, passed away, or students who have dropped out, but later received their GED). As a student attending one of the most doubtful schools in the East Side Union High School District, I’d agree that a 24 percent dropout rate is not ideal, but neither are the solutions. First, spending $33 million for a mere tracking system that keeps tabs on students is not worth it, when the resources could be used to actually deal with the issue. With any part of that money, we could work to alleviate or actually fix the problems in our schools. That money could provide our public schools with more after school programs, community youth centers (to keep students out of trouble), homework help centers, or even better, teachers who can keep the classroom lively. We already know what the problem is: students can’t stay in school. What more data do we need? Before money is spent, school officials must recognize that California is simply not up to standard. Whether it’s our dropout rate, the teacher’s standards to educate their students, the STAR test every student dreads, or even our school lunches, I beg school officials to stop turning a blind eye to this mounting crisis. If we can improve our schools and decrease the dropout rate, we can decrease gang violence and crime. If we pour all this attention, time, effort, and money into our public school system, we need to also ensure that their, and our, future is secure. Theresa Dang is a writer for SV Debug comments |
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Yes.Yes.Yes. After spending three months of unpaid time researching ways to bridge digital divide, I found myself disheartened by the number of studies & stats funded by philanthropic and government dollars. We know what the problems are. Though I see wonderful Kodak moments of the results of their projects, I’ve come to suspect that way too much non-profit money ends supporting the already privileged and/or wealthy. We must find ways to fund active organizations in the community that are doing the the hard work, loving and actually being truly present for these kids.
By Meryl Steinberg · Posted on Aug 4, 09:18 AMI loved the honesty of the article. I am a positive thinker that was a 21 veteran of the Detroit Public Schools. As the nation knows, it has the worst drop out rate in entire nation. I taught below 8 mile and lived in Corktown, Detroit’ oldest neighborhood. Of course we heard nightly gunshots by thugs that wanted to flaunt their gun muscle. Imagine getting gang influence from Chicago, NYC, Miami, LA, and other cities fighting for drug territory,and you get the most dangerous city in America. Just Google Detroit homeless on You Tube or Detroit Ghetto. You will see what Detroiters have to contend with everyday.
The media didn’t tell you about my wife’s students. Ask anyone if they have heard of Jalen Rose, the ESPN sports announcer and former NBA player,and educational philantropist. My wife taught him Spanish. Her mentee is Maria Costa of Brimstone Pictures. She told my wife that she remembers how my wife would be a surrogate mom to her and counsel her. I brought my wife to Kauai as a reward for making me decide to choose between heroin abuse or her. I never would have met the innocent angels that are literally trapped in the crossfire in Detroit. I am now using the lessons that the survivors taught me. You might want to know about Dr.Ben Carson of Hopkins, the new series on cable about America’s most prestigious medical institution. He graduated from Detroit Southwestern years ago. Oh I have the real stories. They inspire students, not doom and gloom statistics. If the drop out program is working for you, leave me here in paradise. But if the national statistics are right, realize that you now have someone that will teach your community how it was done in a city that is experiencing major trauma. The FBI is investigating the paper trail of squandered public funds. Guess where I have seen some of your non profit directors? On vacation in Kauai. You will know who they are by asking them where would their dream vacation be. If they say Hawaii, Bingo. We learned not to snitch in Detroit. Ask your administrators to check out there credibility and motivation a little more thoroughly. I know communities will be contacting me after they get tired of the same results. I have contacted the Coachella Valley Schools because I read an article about the Purepecha of Michoacan. I told them that I am of Purepecha descent, but I think they are going to stick with their finely marketed after school program because they are research based. They just don’t get it. Who suffers? We all do. Drop outs cost the nation a lot. If you know any one there, ask them what they are waiting for, a natural disaster. Isn’t the nation’s drop out rate disaster enough?So how in the world do you get anyone to graduate there in a city with squandered resources and millions of dollars that have been paid to teacher trainers who come in from Harvard and other great ivory tower institutions asking Detroit teachers how we can stand it. They run off with the cash, but the statistics show that it didn’t work.
I had to resign for a bigger purpose. I have formed a company where your community can see the other side of the story. I have something a lot more concrete than data. I have real graduates that I mentored since they were in my art program. Some were in special ed. Some were African American, one was Jewish. Another was Muslim, and some were gang bangers until they got turned on to some art and I shared how I almost lost my own life and dropped out of high school in Adrian,Michigan when I was 16. I got involved with heroin abuse until an angel came into my life. I ended up marrying Marie Magdalene Ryan. We now have five children. My mentees encouraged me to go on a national level because they wanted their stories of success to inspire other kids in the nation that really don’t understand what it is like to live in the ‘hood when you know tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. I introduced screen printing as an alternative to selling dope. I want any educator seriously interested in reaching the “unreachable ” to Google Hector Tapia Perez Detroit to check out my credentials. Then mention this article because it cuts through all the nonsense. Tell your community to have us inspire leaders from within the ranks of at risk kids. We are not rewarding hard working teachers enough. Have I got some suggestions on that issue. It involves Hawaii. We also need to hype up the good in the ‘hood. I taught differently in the D. Now I live in paradise on earth, Kauai. I just met a Heather Ryan who works with at risk kids here. Great last name! I hope to work with her here.
Aloha,
Hector By Hector Tapia Perez · Posted on Aug 11, 11:44 AM
Teresa Dang you are part of the problem, since you protest in support of amnesty for low IQ unmotivated illegal aliens instead of supporting enforcement of the immigration laws along with increased numbers of legal immigrants with a higher IQ and education motivation.
Oh and by the way what you support also discriminates against Asians, Africans, and Europeans, since 30 Latin Americans benefit from illegal immigration for every one non-Latino beneficiary.
By Vinh Le · Posted on Aug 19, 01:30 PMWe fight drop out rates!
Teens transform their lives through The Entrepreneurial Course for High School Students. See The Power Within videos on You Tube:
By Dorothy Suter · Posted on Oct 6, 10:31 PMLink to video 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W230Wlp_nx4
The Power Within – Part 2 of 2
link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFI3auJHWeU