Social Equity: In this chapter, the author writes about observations made and issues raised during his visit to schools in 7 U.S. cities. Choose one of these 7 cities and share your thoughts about the observations made or your position on the issues raised.
I chose Brenda Cassellius from Roseville, MN. I teach in SD, so this was in my region. I appreciated the elephant metaphor about how "chains" even after being taken off, continue to hold one back. She was talking about educators and how their dreams are not "free from moving forward." I feel the same about my students' dreams. Once you condition them to believe they aren't smart, often due to testing results, they will always think that. My kids don't know how to dream bigger. They are from a small town with generational poverty -- even if they did have high IQ's, they have never been encouraged to see their lives out of their small box. School doesn't help them any, unless they have someone that really believes in them and allows innovative chances for them to success in real-world things. Testing just reinforces for them that they aren't smart and they should just stay put, continuing the cycle of generational poverty. We need to teach potential!
ReplyDeleteBethel and Tuntutuliak, Alaska stood out to me. I live not far from the reservation and this story made me with of it. Many have sad home lives and there is a big drug/alcohol problem. Many of these kids dont see any importance of school when their daily lives are more of a struggle. I think it be more beneficial to give them some daily and real life lessons rather than focusing on things that really dont relate to their lives. We need to teach them that they can be somebody and that they matter!
ReplyDeleteSocial Equity: In this chapter, the author writes about observations made and issues raised during his visit to schools in 7 U.S. cities. Choose one of these 7 cities and share your thoughts about the observations made or your position on the issues raised.
ReplyDeleteSalt Lake City, Utah. School is a daily regimen of digesting written material quickly, committing it to memory, and drawing on it to navigate timed exams. Every school day attacks a dyslexic’s sense of worth. Shellie Burrow is a strong advocate for kids with learning challenges. It was refreshing to read about her and how’s she advocating for kids. It’s important that we are advocating for our students that have learning challenges and catching it right away so they get the help they need. If we choose to let it slide, students are going to struggle when they are adults.
Social Equity: In this chapter, the author writes about observations made and issues raised during his visit to schools in 7 U.S. cities. Choose one of these 7 cities and share your thoughts about the observations made or your position on the issues raised.
ReplyDeleteBethel and Tuntutuliak, Alaska were the cities that stood out to me most. I have always heard stereotypes of native people and was raised not to believe them. There are reservations in the state that I live and they face so many issues that I would not begin to understand. Mnay of the kids in these school and areas feel that school is the least of their problems and choose not to participate. While in some cases, I do not blame them. I also wonder if there was a way to change that. To give them other tools that would benefit them and encourage them to break the norm or find something to be passionate about. I think this would be a hard cycle to break but also a cycle worth breaking.
The cities in Alaska, Bethel and Tuntutuliak stand out because of the native populations. Things comes close to home as I live near many reservations and have students who come to our school in and out of the reservations. Often times, school is not a priority and just getting by is their way of surviving. So often these children are dealing with drug and alcohol issues within their home and community and when that is a daily threat, school does not feel so important. It would be nice if they were given the tools programs to help them with skills that pertain to what their lives might provide. Life skills that can help them be successful in the real world and give them some sense of meaning and self worth.
ReplyDeleteSelma, Alabama. It was interesting there that segregation took place in the 1970's and it was ruined because the white board of education fired the black superintendent- driving all of the white students out of the school. Obviously it was working well and everyone was accepting each other until this happened and even building a brand new building did not erase or fix the bad decision. Sometimes, things obviously look different until you immerse yourself into the situation and quick judgments are not easily undone or fixed. And then the snow ball continued to roll in that state.
ReplyDeleteI find myself aligned with former Minnesota education leader, Brenda Cassellius — and the perspective that we need to free education systems from the chains of standardized testing. Too often, test scores are treated as the primary measure of both student ability and teacher effectiveness.
ReplyDeleteI believe education should move beyond the mindset that “your test score determines your academic and teaching abilities.” Overemphasis on testing narrows curriculum, increases pressure, and overlooks creativity, problem-solving, and relationship-building. Especially in early childhood and special education settings, growth is multifaceted and cannot be captured fully by standardized measures. Schools should prioritize meaningful learning experiences that develop the whole child rather than reducing success to a number.
Ted Dintersmith highlights observations from Brenda Cassellius in Roseville, Minnesota, which raise important questions about social equity in education. One key issue is the emphasis on standardized tests. While these tests are often used to measure student ability and school performance, they can unintentionally harm students who don’t perform well on them. Students may begin to feel inferior or less capable, even if they excel in other areas like creativity, collaboration, leadership, or practical problem-solving.
ReplyDeleteI feel that standardized scores can inadvertently narrow how we define success. For example, by focusing almost exclusively on math and reading, schools may overlook the many strengths and talents students have. As a result an environment may be created where students’ confidence and engagement suffer if they feel they are being judged only by a single metric.
Similarly, test scores are frequently used to evaluate teachers and staff. While assessment data can provide useful insights, it can also overshadow other qualities that make educators effective, such as their ability to inspire curiosity, foster critical thinking, build relationships, and support social-emotional growth. Teachers may be pressured to “teach to the test” rather than nurture holistic development, which can limit both student and staff potential.
Emphasizing multiple measures of success, such as student engagement, creativity, resilience, and interpersonal skills would help to ensure that schools support all students and recognize the full contributions of staff, rather than reducing education to numbers on a test. I think that this perspective encourages a more equitable and human-centered approach to learning.
In What School Could Be, Ted Dintersmith discusses social equity during his visits to schools across the United States. One place he visits is Bethel and the nearby village of Tuntutuliak, small and remote communities in western Alaska. These locations highlight some of the biggest challenges and opportunities related to educational equity.
ReplyDeleteDuring his visit, Dintersmith observes that schools in these communities face significant obstacles. The villages are extremely remote, resources are limited, and many students come from families experiencing poverty. Access to materials, programs, and opportunities that are common in larger cities can be difficult. Despite these challenges, Dintersmith notices that the students and educators demonstrate resilience and a strong sense of community. Teachers often work hard to connect learning to the local culture, environment, and everyday life in the village.
The visit to Bethel and Tuntutuliak raises important questions about how education systems can better serve students in rural and Indigenous communities. Standardized approaches to education may not always reflect the realities of students’ lives in these areas. I believe Dintersmith’s observations show that schools should place more value on local knowledge, culture, and real-world learning experiences. When education connects to students’ communities and identities, it can become much more meaningful and engaging.
Overall, the example of Bethel and Tuntutuliak illustrates that social equity in education is not only about funding but also about ensuring that all students—no matter where they live—have learning experiences that respect their culture, support their needs, and prepare them for their future.
Social Equity: In this chapter, the author writes about observations made and issues raised during his visit to schools in 7 U.S. cities. Choose one of these 7 cities and share your thoughts about the observations made or your position on the issues raised. Roseville, Minnestoa- Social equity plays a big role in how students perform on standardized tests. I believe standardized tests are unfair and can hurt students chances for opportunities in school. Students look at their scores and think they are not smart if they do not score in the meets or exceeds. This only makes students think they should not take any advanced classes when in all actuality they are motivated enough to take those classes and succeed right along with those students who met or exceeded their MCA scores. Standardized tests don't test what you are interested in they only test what the state thinks is important. We all have different experiences that affect how we answer questions from the tests. Our environment plays a big part in how we answer questions. Even when students underperform on standardized test out in the real world they can be very successful. I believe we need to look at how we can change our standardized tests.
ReplyDeleteI chose Roseville, Minnesota because I work in a school in South Dakota so it is somewhat close to home. Standardized test scores should not define student success or ability. Educators should work to move beyond test-focused instruction and instead highlight students’ strengths through more meaningful and applied learning experiences.
ReplyDeleteRelying heavily on standardized tests can create a narrow view of student potential. More emphasis should be put on skills like problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity—areas that are not always reflected in test scores but are essential for success beyond school.
As a special education teacher, this really resonated with me because often time my kiddos do not do well on standardized tests because that is not where their strengths lie or how they learn. It’s a reminder that while testing is often a requirement, it should not be the sole measure of a student’s ability. Students have a wide range of strengths, and it’s important to create opportunities for them to demonstrate their learning in different ways.
Social Equity: In this chapter, the author writes about observations made and issues raised during his visit to schools in 7 U.S. cities. Choose one of these 7 cities and share your thoughts about the observations made or your position on the issues raised.
ReplyDeleteI'm choosing the 2 villages in Alaska to share my thoughts on because many small communities can relate to this. Yes, in SD we aren't secluded but in some places we have to drive hours to get to a city where we can do shopping etc. I do believe we should teach about our history of our state etc. My school just added a SD class for our 7th graders for a semester. It's shocking on how much they don't know about SD and all the fun they are having in this class. It raised my awareness that in remote areas I truly believe students are not receiving the same eduation they do in other places. I know teachers are probably doing their best but why does it have to be so different?
I chose August, Maine. The observations of this area alarm me because I am not from an area of high homelessness. It makes you realize why many of these kids living in homelessness never have a chance to be successful. They are moving from shelter to shelter, never receiving a consistent education. With busses picking them up from the shelters, it is a given that they are going to be the victims of bullying. This would make it much harder to want to attend school.
ReplyDeleteI chose Roseville Minnesota because we rely so much on standardized test to tell how well our kids and school is doing that we really miss the boat on the other aspects of teaching and preparing our kids for life after high school. Taking a test does not tell if this kid will be successful at the next level of education. I have seen kids do terrible on the ACT test and yet they are on the Deans list in college. I am glad that a lot of colleges are starting to look beyond a test score for college admission and some colleges don’t even require a test to get in. They give every kid a chance to succeed.
ReplyDeleteI chose Roseville, Minnesota with Brenda Cassellius. I chose this one because I am not a fan of standardized testing. I believe there is much more to a student than a test score. I love her saying about the chained up elepphant!! It's so true and a great analogy! I also love that she is fighting for her students to have the same impactful childhood that she did. She believes in all students and knows that they are more than a test score. She believes that it's time to "take the chains" off educators and allow them to move forward to be innnovative in our classrooms; I love that!! It's time to move forward!!
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