Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have long played a vital role in providing quality education and resources to African American students. In recent years, many of these institutions have undergone significant transformations, integrating advanced technology into their campuses. This article highlights 10 high-tech HBCU campuses that are leading the way and fostering innovation in their communities.
North Carolina A&T State University
Ranked as the top producer of African American engineers, North Carolina A&T State University boasts a high-tech environment across its campus. The university offers cutting-edge programs in fields like biotechnology, nanoengineering, and robotics.
Howard University
Howard University’s state-of-the-art Interdisciplinary Research Building showcases the institution’s commitment to fostering innovation through research. The 81,000 square-foot facility houses advanced laboratories for nanotechnology, computational genomics, and more.
Spelman College
This all-female HBCU is an incubator for women in STEM fields. Spelman College’s Innovation Lab offers 3D printing, virtual reality platforms, and other advanced tools for hands-on learning experiences.
Florida A&M University
Florida A&M University’s FAMU-FSU College of Engineering is a hub for multidisciplinary research in emerging industries. With its innovative facilities like the Aero-Propulsion, Mechatronics & Energy Building and the High-Performance Materials Institute, students gain invaluable experience working with cutting-edge technology.
Hampton University
Hampton University’s Proton Therapy Institute showcases its dedication to cancer research and treatment. As one of few proton therapy centers worldwide, the institute gives students access to groundbreaking technology that can significantly improve cancer treatments.
Xavier University of Louisiana
As the leading producer of African American graduates in pharmacy programs, Xavier University of Louisiana has made a name for itself in pharmaceutical sciences. Its advanced research facilities include a biotechnology and genomics center, allowing students to explore innovative fields.
Tuskegee University
With its host of aerospace engineering programs, Tuskegee University is a leader in the field. The Tuskegee Aerospace Science and Engineering Academy offers high-tech resources like a flight simulator to augment student education.
Morgan State University
Research plays a key role at Morgan State University, with dedicated facilities like the Hugo A. Owens Bioinformatics Computational Core for advancing genomics research and engineering. Notably, this facility is largely solar-powered, reflecting the institution’s commitment to sustainability.
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University (TSU) emphasizes its dedication to technological excellence through the TSU Analytics Lab. This center combines data science with machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to address real-world issues.
Bowie State University
With its state-of-the-art computer science building and cybersecurity programs, Bowie State University is at the forefront of digital security innovation. Through partnerships with industry giants such as Google, students have access to advanced resources and professional networking opportunities.
These 10 high-tech HBCU campuses are paving the way for a more inclusive and innovative world in various fields of study. Their ongoing commitment to progress embodies the spirit of HBCUs, ensuring a brighter future for students and our global society as a whole.
With the next presidential race already gaining attention, speculation about potential candidates has also increased. One name that has emerged as a potential nominee for the Republicans is Ron DeSantis, the current Governor of Florida. DeSantis has attracted significant attention due to his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and his conservative policies, but will he make a good president? This article will explore the strengths and weaknesses of DeSantis as a potential president and discuss the likelihood of his success in the role.
Strengths:
Proven leadership: As Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis has demonstrated strong leadership in managing one of the largest states in America. His experience in office gives him valuable knowledge and skills needed for running an administration at the highest level.
Economic policies: Governor DeSantis’ policies have been credited with driving economic development and job growth in Florida, which could translate to successful economic policy on a national level. Additionally, his tax cuts and deregulation measures have been praised by conservatives.
Handling of the COVID-19 pandemic: While controversial, DeSantis’ approach to handling the pandemic in Florida—prioritizing individual freedoms and avoiding strict lockdown measures—has gained him a strong following among conservatives.
Weaknesses:
Controversial COVID-19 approach: The laissez-faire approach that DeSantis took towards managing the pandemic has drawn criticism, with many arguing that it resulted in unnecessary deaths and damage to public health within Florida.
Environmental concerns: Critics have argued that DeSantis has not done enough to combat environmental issues like red tide algae blooms and water pollution during his tenure as governor. This may be seen as a negative for voters concerned about environmental issues.
Limited support outside the Republican base: While DeSantis enjoys significant support among Republicans, it is uncertain whether he would be able to unite a fractured electorate and secure votes from undecided voters or those with differing political affiliations.
Conclusion:
As a potential presidential candidate, Ron DeSantis possesses several strengths, including his experience as a leader in one of the largest states in the country and his track record of economic success. However, his controversial approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as environmental concerns and doubts about his ability to appeal to votes beyond the Republican base, may be challenges that DeSantis would need to overcome to be seen as a successful president.
Ultimately, whether DeSantis will make a good president will depend on how he addresses these concerns and appeals to the American public during his campaign.
As educators, it’s crucial to teach students about the difference between historical facts and baseless conspiracy theories. The Rothschilds conspiracy is one such theory that has persisted for centuries, often associated with anti-Semitism. In this article, we will delve into the history of the Rothschilds family, debunk popular myths surrounding them, and provide guidance on how to teach students critical thinking skills in analyzing conspiracy theories.
Background on the Rothschild Family:
The Rothschild family, originating from Frankfurt, Germany, became immensely wealthy through their banking business during the late 18th century. Mayer Amschel Rothschild established a banking empire across Europe by sending his five sons to various financial centers, thus laying the foundation of their wealth and influence.
Popular Myths and Their Debunking:
World Domination: A common conspiracy theory is that the Rothschild family secretly controls world events and governments. However, there is no evidence to support this claim. The influence they once had in European financial markets has significantly diminished over time, while their remaining assets are not enough to exert significant control over global affairs.
Manipulating Wars and Revolutions: Stories claim that the Rothschilds have been responsible for inciting wars and revolutions for personal profit. While it’s true that they held financial interests in various countries and funded both sides of some conflicts—common practice among bankers at that time—there is no credible evidence suggesting they orchestrated these events.
Federal Reserve Control: The alleged involvement of the Rothschild family in establishing the United States Federal Reserve System has also contributed to their infamous reputation. However, this claim can be debunked by looking into historical records that clearly outline significant American figures involved in its creation, with no link to the Rothschilds.
Teaching Students About Critical Thinking:
Assessing Credibility: Teach students to evaluate the credibility of sources by examining the author’s background, assessing the quality of evidence provided, and distinguishing between facts and opinions.
Identifying Bias: Educate students on recognizing the underlying biases in materials they encounter, such as political inclinations, personal interests, or preconceived notions.
Analyzing Motivations: Encourage students to consider the motivation behind a conspiracy theory. Understanding the reasons people promote these theories (such as fear or misinformation) can help them be more discerning when faced with new information.
Seeking Independent Verification: Encourage learners to research different sources and perspectives before drawing conclusions, and to seek confirmation from multiple reliable sources.
Conclusion:
Educating students about the Rothschilds conspiracy theory can serve as an excellent lesson in critical thinking, source assessment, and historical context. By debunking popular myths surrounding the Rothschild family, we can equip our students with the necessary cognitive tools to question and analyze conspiracy theories in general—an essential skill for young minds in an increasingly complex world.
This is a writing activity where students are allowed to write in a social context. Here, there are usually partner(s) and a lecturer guiding the students through the process. Collaborative writing draws on the energy and expertise of the group’s members, which often leads to an outcome that’s better than the sum of its parts.
There are various reasons why collaborative writing is a good exercise for students. For one, it helps them view writing as a public, communal act instead of an isolated, private one. Several students write their class assignments in a way that makes sense to them but isn’t persuasive or clear for others. Working in a group and getting feedback from peer reviewers will help them understand that their writing isn’t intended for themselves, but for their readers. This way, collaborative writing will help students develop a concrete sense of the audience and the reason behind why they’re writing what they’re writing.
Through collaborative writing, students get better clarity about the conventions of academic discourse. When working with their peers, students will learn where their readers falter and even find the reasons. Thus, via collaboration with peers, students realize that academic conventions aren’t mere arbitrary rules, but reflect the readers’ expectations. The conversations and discussions that usually happen in collaborative wiring pave the way to a better understanding of the writing conventions that the students may have either misunderstood or neglected.
Collaborative writing offer students practice in analyzing writing. Typically, it’s easier to notice where a classmate’s writing is going off track than it’s to locate flaws in their own prose. It’s also easier to critique the writing of peers than analyzing the published write-ups that teachers frequently give their students as models.
When they work in a group, students feel encouraged to talk about their writing, explain their points of view, and even defend their ideas, opinions, or writing strategies in peer review sessions. This helps them understand writing as a process better and even boosts their sense of mastery in it. According to an oft-quoted saying, the best way to learn anything is to teach it. When students direct their peers during collaborative writing sessions, they gain new insights and even understand how they can strengthen their own prose.
Collaborative writing draws upon the strengths of all members. While a student may be stronger in organizing and presenting the facts, another may excel in editing or critical thinking skills. When these students come together to work in groups, they learn from each other while completing their assigned tasks.
Teaching students about the ancient Roman calendar is a critical aspect of any history lesson as it helps learners understand how people of the time organized their days, weeks, months, and years. The Roman calendar is perhaps one of the most significant contributions of ancient Rome to the world, and it is a testament to the sophistication and precision of their culture. Therefore, it is important for educators to give learners a glimpse of how this calendar worked and how it was significant in the lives of the Romans.
The ancient Roman calendar, unlike the Gregorian calendar widely used today, consisted of ten months, beginning with March and ending with December. The calendar was lunar-dominated, with most of the months having fewer than thirty days and having a lunar-religious origin. March, May, July, and October were 31 days, while the other months had either 30 or 29 days. February was the shortest month and only had 28 days; however, it was considered the last month of the year.
In addition to the ten month calendar, the Romans also had a system of intercalation, which involved adding an extra “intercalary month” of 27 or 28 days every two years to synchronize the lunar and solar calendars and correct the inaccuracies that arose from the lunar dominance of the calendar. This system was not fixed and was subject to manipulation by political and powerful elites to extend or shorten political terms, making the calendar a political tool.
Teaching students about the Roman calendar requires educators to use various teaching methods that cater to different learner styles. The use of visuals, such as diagrams and charts, can help clarify complex concepts of the lunar and intercalary months. Educators can also use mnemonic devices to help learners remember the names of the months, such as “MAMA” for March, April, May, and June. In addition, creating activities whereby learners create their Roman calendar by symbols and designs that reflect Roman culture helps foster creativity, critical thinking, and research skills.
Furthermore, teachers can emphasize the influence of the ancient Roman calendar on modern-day celebrations and observances. For example, the names of the months of July and August originated from the names of two Roman emperors, Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar, respectively. This approach helps learners understand the relevance of historical events and cultural practices to contemporary society.
In conclusion, teaching students about the ancient Roman calendar is essential in understanding the importance of calendar systems in shaping human societies and cultures. Educators can use different methods to make the concept easy to comprehend and relatable to learners. Overall, the Roman calendar embodies the intellectual and technical achievements of ancient Rome, and its study is integral to understanding human civilization as a whole.
This chair is where students sit on – one after the other, while expressing their writings in words, in front of their peers. It is also referred to as the “chair of distinction.”
An Author’s Chair can solidify learning by letting students fully comprehend their original work. Any chair like a spare teacher’s chair, a student’s chair, or an oversized executive chair can be designated as the Author’s Chair. Each student takes a turn to sit on it, faces the audience that typically consists of their classmates, and reads their narrative aloud. Once the author finishes the narration, the peers in the audience will be asked to share their feedback, ideas for revision, or suggestions as part of their critiquing.
The strategy of using an Author’s Chair has several advantages, which are as follows:
It’s an effective formative assessment
It enhances students’ comprehension of a text and apply what they have learned to their own writing
It helps develop students’ perception of authorship
It encourages peer editing and collaborative learning skills
It emphasizes that students’ experiences and ideas are of value
It inspires students to write more as they get a willing audience to listen to them and critique their creation
It develops listening skills, along with critical thinking and reflection
It enhances students’ overall writing and speaking skills
The first step to using an Author’s Chair is to select a special chair that stands out. In case there’s no spare teacher’s chair or big executive chair, a student’s chair can be labeled with a colorful sticker as the ‘Author’s Chair.’ The key is to make it inviting and exciting for students to look forward to sitting on it and sharing their writing with their peers.
The second step is where the teacher explains how they will use the Author’s chair to the students. This will be followed by a student who’s the first to sit on the chair and share his writing. Once the narration finishes, the teacher will invite listeners to raise their hands if they want to comment or suggest anything to the author of the text.
The teacher could let the author decide which classmates get to critique his writing. For instance, the author may get to call on three classmates, two of whom share positive feedback or comments, while another talks about something confusing or unlikeable in the text that has just been read.
This is a type of expression whereby students can reply to stories and express their content-related understanding via acting, dramatic performance, and role-playing. In other words, dramatic arts are a form of narrative performed in front of an audience. These narratives and the way they are depicted could be in different styles, which are called genres.
Comedy and tragedy are the two oldest genres. While a comedy typically ends on a positive note where the protagonist wins and includes significant doses of humor, a tragedy is bleaker and involves a story that usually ends with the protagonist’s death or failure. However, sometimes, these genres could just refer to the story’s negative or positive outcome. Often, there may be narratives where multiple genres overlap, and it becomes difficult to fit them into a clearly-defined category.
In the classroom, dramatic arts can act as pivotal outlets for self-expression. Additionally, they get the students involved in different ways – physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. The use of dramatic arts in education leads to holistic learning, speeds up personality development, and imparts students with vital life skills, such as leadership, problem-solving, cooperation, and collaboration.
Real education isn’t about spoon-feeding pieces of information to students and them absorbing it all without any question or reason. Education should stimulate smart learning, creativity, logical reasoning, and critical thinking in students. Dramatic arts can help in the education process. For instance, by asking students to enact a historical scene, the teacher may make it easier for them to remember and understand the names, events, and dates of a historical event without cramming. Even role play or puppetry can encourage effective learning by promoting public speaking skills, interpersonal and group communication, etc.
Some key benefits of dramatic arts for students are:
Becoming competent in self-expression: Through creative expression, students can build a broader perception of several matters and realize the importance of self-expression, which prepares them to tackle life’s crests and troughs later on.
Accepting constructive criticism: Students learn to accept constructive feedback and criticism, which help them work on their weak areas, thus eventually strengthening them.
Learning life skills: Dramatic arts in the classroom can teach students various life skills like compassion, problem-solving, confidence, empathy, teamwork, cooperation, and collaboration.
Enhanced personality development: The use of dramatic arts in education also accelerates students’ personality development and boosts their self-esteem and confidence.
Learning to lead: Dramatic arts can also teach students to imbibe skills pertaining to leadership and teamwork.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher learning that were established to provide African Americans with the quality education they were denied due to racial segregation. However, despite their rich history and contributions to academia, HBCUs face a major challenge in the modern world: keeping pace with technological advancements.
In this article, we will address the possible reasons why HBCUs are falling behind in technology and offer potential solutions to bridge the gap.
Factors Contributing to HBCU’s Struggle in Technology:
1. Funding Disparity: One of the most significant factors limiting HBCU’s progress in technology is the lack of adequate funding. According to a recent study, predominantly white institutions (PWIs) receive around three times more federal research funding than HBCUs. A smaller budget translates to fewer resources for investments in technology, including hardware, software, training faculty members, and hiring tech-focused staff.
2. Limited Infrastructure: Along with inadequate funding, many HBCUs tend to have older infrastructure that can hinder the implementation of cutting-edge technology. Upgrading or integrating new tech can be costly and disruptive, making it difficult for these schools to remain competitive with PWIs.
3. Lack of Industry Partnerships: Collaborations between academic institutions and the tech industry play a crucial role in fostering innovation. While PWIs often engage with leading tech firms for research projects or internships, HBCUs may have fewer opportunities due to limited connections with those companies.
4. Underrepresentation in STEM Fields: Disparities in enrollment and graduation rates contribute to the underrepresentation of African American students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Lower STEM participation rates may impact an HBCU’s ability to attract talented students interested in pursuing technology-related careers.
Potential Solutions:
1. Increase Federal Funding: Lobbying for increased federal funding could help HBCUs build better technological infrastructure, support faculty development, and attract more students. Closing the funding gap would put HBCUs in a better position to compete on a level playing field.
2. Strengthen Industry Partnerships: Fostering stronger relationships with key technology companies could provide resources, internships, and job opportunities for HBCU students. Exposure to real-world tech applications would help students gain practical experience while enhancing research and academic programs.
3. Encourage STEM Education: HBCUs can take steps like providing scholarships and hosting STEM-related events to attract talented students interested in tech fields. By fostering an inclusive environment with ample opportunities for growth, HBCUs can increase representation in STEM fields.
4. Investment in Technology Infrastructure: Obtaining grants and private donations can help HBCUs invest in updating their technology infrastructure, including modernizing classrooms and installing industry-standard software.
Conclusion:
While HBCUs face numerous challenges in adapting to the rapidly evolving technology landscape, these historical institutions have proven time and again that they can adapt and overcome obstacles when provided the necessary resources. By addressing funding disparities, fostering industry partnerships, encouraging STEM education, and investing in updated infrastructure, HBCUs can continue to produce skilled graduates who contribute significantly to the global workforce in today’s digital age.
With less than two years left in office, President Barack Obama still has a lofty agenda when it comes to education in America. From supporting wider access to universal Pre-K all the way up to a proposal for two free years of community college for everyone, President Obama has taken an immersive approach to education that challenges the status quo. When it is all said and done, what will President Obama’s college diversity legacy look like?
More people of color in college leadership positions
Though he has not introduced any official legislation that demands more people of color in leadership spots, the President’s mere presence in the nation’s highest position has paved the way for others to step up in their own industries. I predict a steep rise in minority faculty members, deans and college presidents in the coming decade due indirectly to the example set by this President. His push for more minority graduates will also mean more minority college leaders being fed into university systems.
More minorities graduating from college
The rate of students entering colleges across the nation was already at a record-high when President Obama took office, but so was college debt. Between unchecked student loan interest rates and for-profit universities recruiting non-traditional and minority students without the right support programs in place for those students to graduate, the college landscape had become ineffective for many of the nation’s students. In his tenure, President Obama has worked hard to make the cost of college more affordable, through more federal Pell grants and more federally-backed student loans, as well as loan repayment programs that offer caps on income or loan forgiveness clauses. This has helped all students but an argument can be made that making college more affordable will prove a long-term improvement when it comes to minority graduates who were deterred by the high cost in the first place.
Specifically, President Obama has put minority-friendly programs in place like My Brother’s Keeperthat address the specific problems that particular groups face when it comes to obtaining an education. He has also made K-12 schools more accountable for getting their students college-ready with federally-funded incentives like Race to the Top, which focuses on closing the achievement gap between white and minority students. In order to feed colleges more minority students who are ready for the tasks, the grades that come before the college years must be considered – and the President seems get that, and to have a good grasp of the bigger picture of what a college education means for minorities.
More high-skilled minorities in the workforce
With his proposal for tuition-free community college for the first two years for all students, President Obama is ensuring that this next generation of high school graduates will be able to elevate their educations beyond the K-12 years. This applies to all students, but here again is a point where minorities will benefit most. By essentially making the first two years of a college education an extension of the high school years, with some performance requirements attached, minorities will not face the financial roadblock that often accompanies entering college right after high school. Perhaps the area where minorities will see the biggest boost if this proposal becomes law is in the portion that will allow older students who never completed college right after high school to go back to school too. Non-traditional minority students will not have to go the for-profit college route to return to school or find a way to carve out tuition to community colleges from household budgets.
President Obama has always been outspoken about his goals of breaking down barriers in the way of minorities who want to obtain a college education, particularly young men of color. As he completes his term in office, I expect to see him confront these initiatives with even more aggression to cement his legacy as a President that worked hard to improve the diversity on American college campuses.
**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.**
A new insurance commercial shows comedian Mindy Kaling embracing what it means to be invisible: As Kaling walks down the grocery aisle messily eating ice cream, she uses her “cloak” of invisibility to feel up the muscles of a handsome basketball player.
Kaling, who is of South Asian descent, successfully makes the point of how people look through her, until the punchline arrives: Nationwide Insurance sees her and will take care of her.
As a black female academic, I know only too well what it feels like to have people look right though you. Let me give one instance – from just a few weeks ago, when I felt unrecognized for who I am.
I approached the podium of the lecture hall at the university at which I am a tenured professor. It was the first day of class and the instructor of the previous course was still around, talking informally with her students. Looking around the podium, I noticed that the classroom was not equipped with a computer.
I asked my colleague, whom I did not know, if there was a computer hidden in the cabinet. She proceeded to instruct me: “faculty are provided computers, they bring their computers, and use a dongle to project on the screen.”
Her words told me she didn’t recognize me as faculty; she did not see me as professor.
So, I responded: “This faculty was provided a computer which she has brought. This faculty has not taught in a classroom that is not equipped with a computer before today.”
Without missing a beat, she said, “When the professor arrives, she’ll have the right set up. Are you the teaching assistant?” “I’m the professor,” I told her emphatically. She gave me a confused and befuddled look, before saying “Oh.”
Black academics are almost invisible
What’s the point of this anecdotal evidence, and does it have anything to do with race and gender? I bring this up to illustrate a larger problem which is a huge topic of conversation among black academics and other professionals across the country.
Actor David Oyelowo expressed a larger sentiment, when analyzingthe “Selma” Oscar snub (in which only the film’s song won an award but its director and actors were not even nominated) recently, he said:
“We, as black people, have been celebrated more for when we are subservient; when we are not being leaders or kings or being in the center of our own narrative, driving it forward.”
Let me first put things in perspective: a recent American Association of University Professors (AAUP) studyshows that around 25% of professors at doctoral degree granting universities are women.
However, according to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, at that same level of research institution, African Americans make up less than 5% of faculty and fewer than half of those professors are women.
The small number of African-American women academics makes us mostly invisible: if you can’t see us, you don’t have to engage with us or with our perspectives.
Such episodes have longer term consequences
While episodes of “misrecognition,” as the one that I experienced, may seem harmless, they are actually not so. Psychologists call them acts of “micro aggression.”
Micro aggression is the name given to behaviors that are a result of biases against marginalized groups. Such behaviors often leave people feeling uncomfortable or insulted.
One study states that “micro aggressions result in high degrees of stress for blacks because of denigrating messages: ‘You do not belong,’ ‘You are abnormal,’ ‘You are intellectually inferior,’ ‘You cannot be trusted,’ and ‘You are all the same.’”
The authors conclude that “feelings of powerlessness, invisibility, forced compliance and loss of integrity, as well as pressure to represent one’s group are some of the consequences.”
My colleague’s refusal to “see” me smacked of racial bias, conveyed through an act of micro aggression. My physical package as a middle-aged, professionally dressed black woman did not correspond with her idea of what a professor looks like.
She couldn’t see me as the leader of the class and couldn’t recognize me as a professional equal.
With a few short sentences, and, I assume, without malice, that colleague dismissed my experience, education, and training at the same time that she undermined my authority in front of 60 students.
Ignorance is not an excuse
Often such incidents get attributed to a youthful appearance. Upon hearing the story, my husband tried to point out how the “confusion” happened. Generally a pessimist, he is forever an optimist when it comes to matters of race – likely due to his own Anglo-Saxon background.
“Sweetie, you referred to yourself in the third person rather than in the first person,” he reasoned. “You confused her.” “Besides,” he continued, “you look young.” “Maybe you should take it as a compliment,” he suggested.
The course’s teaching assistant, having watched the entire episode, expressed somewhat similar sentiments. “That happens to me all the time,” she said and suggested her Latina background and youthful appearance, as an explanation.
That I was “misrecognized” might be a function of my outfit and my youthful appearance, she ventured.
I understand that none of us — neither Oyelowo, the Latina graduate student, nor I — is the victim of lynching or Jim Crow-era discrimination. Oyelowo starred in a well-received movie in a lead role.
My colleague was astute enough to see I was part of the university community, albeit as a graduate student rather than as tenured faculty. There was no harm done, and there was no foul play. Right?
Not exactly.
The consequences of such micro aggressions add up: they equal “death by a thousand cuts,” as one colleague calls them. They result in diminished mental and physical well-being, and they are shown to “increase the risk of stress, depression, the common cold, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and mortality.”
What in academic language is called micro aggression, is, in fact, experienced as “aggression.” This aggressive tendency comes from a shared experience among dominant white culture, namely, a refusal to see the import and impact of racism, as described by Jessica Nelson, Glenn Adams and Phia S Salter, researchers at the University of Kansas and Texas A&M University.
“Although popular and scientific understandings tend to portray ignorance as a lack of knowledge,” the researchers say, “this work emphasizes that ignorance itself is a form of knowledge that makes it possible to ignore or remain unaware of things that might otherwise be obvious.”
As with the law, ignorance is no excuse. Not then. Not now. Not ever.
**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.**
A guest post by Beth Ellor
Picture a 5th Grade classroom in Chinatown on New York’s Lower East Side. Twenty-seven mostly Asian children – when I use the classic ‘clap, clap, clap-clap-clap’ signal, they fall silent immediately, eyes on me. Thorough plans from their teacher, including Social Studies – based on a Scholastic News magazine article about Selma and Civil Rights.
How do we introduce this to first generation immigrants (based on their accented English and preference for conversing in Chinese) who clearly have no context for that time? We read the article round-robin (a rarity these days), but the follow-up questions are met with blank stares. To enliven the short article, I’ve found some archival photos online to project on the Smartboard, and invite some discussion of how people might have felt then, seeing the shocking images on TV for the first time ever. Then I continue to a video from the recent 50 year anniversary celebration, specifically the speech made by John Lewis before he introduced President Obama. Immediately I regret this, for so many reasons.
The computer is set to the wrong screen resolution, stretching the images too wide. The sound quality is poor, and Rep. Lewis, with his strong Southern accent and also choked with emotion, induces snickers and imitations. My heart freezes. The mikes, positioned for the tall president, virtually obscure the much shorter Georgia Representative Lewis, so he appears to be bobbing in and out of sight. Suddenly, a Civil Rights icon and personal hero of mine is being subjected to derisive whispers and mirth. I find myself reminding them sharply that this man was willing to give his life for his beliefs throughout the Civil Rights struggle, and on that day, he almost did. The youngsters straighten their faces and attempt to pay attention, but there is no resonance for them. Someone else’s fight in some distant time, and definitely not about them. Epic Fail.
During lunch, I examine the bulletin boards around the room, which are based on their study of the Civil War era. Contemporary illustrations have been pinned up, surrounded by hand-written responses by the children. Around an engraving of enslaved people hoeing land and planting, an overseer on horseback holding a whip, and a white man lounging against a fence, watching, the children have noted: “The people want to get all the work done.” “He needs to make sure the work gets done.” (The overseer) And “He is watching to make sure the work will be finished in time.” (The white man) No-one remarks on the whip, the ethnicity of the characters, or the leisurely stance of the slave-owner.
I fall back on my own stereotypes of China under Chairman Mao, with the devotion of workers to collectivism, common goals of productivity, and self-effacing obedience. 60 plus years have passed since the Cultural Revolution, but how do Civil Rights images look to an Asian immigrant compared to a child born in the South Bronx, in Newark, NJ, or in Selma, Alabama? How does a teacher bring up the subject effectively in a 5th Grade classroom in Chinatown? And does it matter?
So it was with perfect synchronicity that I attended a meeting on May 12th called Digging Deeper: Teaching Rights and Social Justice in a Post-(Michael) Brown Era, offered by the Institute for Public Knowledge at NYU, in partnership with:
International Perspectives on Human Rights Ed, International Ed Program, Dept. of Humanities and Social Services, Steinhardt School.
NYU Partnership Schools Program
Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools, NYU.
The event was spearheaded by Carol Anne Spreen, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Steinhardt, NYU, and Chrissie Monaghan, Ph.D. Coordinator, NYC-RTE.
Also on hand was David E. Kirkland, who spoke from both a professional and personal perspective about the systemic factors influencing people and communities of color in recent times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgOoLi1iE7k – for a video with Assistant Professor of English Education David Kirkland discussing how we can understand the complex literate lives of urban youth in and outside of the classroom and the experiences that develop their identity and engagement with the larger world.
Following these presentations, short introductions were given by representatives of organizations which provide various forms of support and expertise to schools and public forums. I was already familiar with several of these, such as
While each of these offer distinctive resources and focus, every educator who cares about increasing the depth of exposure and understanding of their students will find a wealth of support here. As with all resources, find the one(s) which meet your needs, match your voice and purpose, and stick with it.
To return briefly to my 5th graders – the educators I spoke to had two important messages.
it is best to start with personal stories and experiences before launching into the topic, so that you can create common ground between your students and the theme you plan to launch.
(this especially from Facing History, Facing Ourselvespresenter Daniel Braunfeld), create the plans around the age and experience of the students themselves. What works for one group may be entirely inaccessible for another of the same age/grade, so Facing History curriculum is always developed together with teachers on site, not scripted in a pre-digested format.
An article in Scholastic in 5th Grade will be too early and a mismatch for the children’s historical perspective, compared to mine after decades of living through it myself! I hope they will eventually get to discover for themselves, using one of these wonderful programs which are free and available to teachers and schools everywhere!
Beth Ellor has explored the New York City schools as a parent, as an early childhood teacher, and as a retiree currently providing professional development to inner city schools (as an independent contractor for a celebrated i3 provider). Also a substitute teacher in a wide range of schools, she is a close observer of the reality behind the rhetoric of school success, struggle and reform.
Exactly what sort of safe sex should be taught to our young students is always a topic of debate. As we recently saw in Texas, abstinence-only programs don’t seem to work and can even lead to higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases. Telling kids too much about how to have sex bothers many parents, educators and lawmakers, though. It seems that the jury is still out on the best way to empower students with sex-ed knowledge. One topic that is never debated, or even discussed, as it relates to sex education is fertility itself and that needs to change, according to some experts.
In a story that ran in The Guardian, reproductive specialist Dr. Geeta Nargund says that schools are spending so much time trying to prevent pregnancy that young people are missing out on important knowledge about their own fertility. In her own practice Nargund counsels many women who did not have the facts about their own ability to conceive children until it was too late for it to happen naturally.
That, argues Nargund, is grounded in the misconception that women who wait to have children until they are financially and emotionally ready can do so later in life. The real science is much starker and fertility drops dramatically after women hit their 30s, and continues to fall with each passing year.
I think Nargund has a valid point. If we want students to have all the facts about sex, then let’s not just present one side of the story. Women who want to wait to have children should certainly be able to make that choice but should have all of the information in front of them.
What’s your stance on sex education as it relates to fertility?
