Is the Wake County school board's new economically disadvantaged student performance task force the right step toward helping those students or just window dressing to cover for the resegregation of schools?
As noted in today's article, members of the new school board majority have high hopes that the task force will come up with recommendations for improving the graduation rate, raising student achievement and reducing suspensions.
The new majority argues that the task force, along with the use of neighborhood schools, will accomplish more than what's happened under the diversity policy.
"We have to reach out to meet the students' needs," said school board chairman Ron Margiotta. "We're not just going to talk about it. We're going to do it."
Margiotta contends that the members of the old board didn't want to address the issue of helping individual low-income students.
"I just saw school board members say, 'let's accept what's going on,'" Margiotta said. "That's not the way I see to do it. We need to address the concerns that are really out there."
The critics of the new board majority acknowledge that Wake needs to do a better job of working with low-income students and that there's nothing wrong per se with the task force. But they say the task force doesn't justify ending the diversity policy.
"We don't want to go back in time where we resegregated schools," said Yevonne Brannon of the Great Schools in Wake Coalition. "It's not a healthy thing."
The Rev. William Barber, president of the state NAACP, said it would be "quite sad" to eliminate the diversity policy while the new board is trying to address how to better serve low-income students. He said it's a "false dichotomy" to believe that "undermining the diversity policy" will improve student achievement.
"We're not saying everything is right with the school system," Barber said. "But focusing on eliminating economic diversity doesn't work."
Barber said that if the NAACP gets the 45 minutes it wants at a school board meeting it will present ways to improve student achievement and the graduation rate and reduce suspensions. He said it's wrong to say that they turned down Margiotta's offer of a private meeting because of grandstanding.
Barber said they wanted a public meeting so that all the information would be on the record and not kept private.
Barber also took a job at school board member John Tedesco, the chairman of the new task force. In a Jan. 10 article by Kristen Collins, Tedesco said the NAACP was mired in the past and a member of the "54 percent club," referring to supporters of the diversity policy and the current graduation rate for low-income students.
"Mr. Tedesco has talked about binding the community together," Barber said. "We've (NAACP) been binding the community for 100 years. He hasn't been in office for 100 days."
But Margiotta contends that critics of the new board don't are about the low-income students. He said they just want to grab the power they've lost since the new board majority took control.
Comments
All This Energy And Speculation On Losing Diversity
Tue, 01/19/2010 - 12:58 — RMC10And not one student has been reassigned anywhere yet, not one Magnet school in a low income area has been restructured or closed yet. At the very base of this whole debate is the question of why low income areas HAVE TO BE or BECOME low "areas of achievement." Is it because NAACP groups and Rev. Barber keep telling students and their parents they are indeed underachieving, and that somehow the rich folks in the big houses are at fault, and that by merely sitting in a different school, in the same county, that teaches the same curriculum with the same books, with the same per capita student spending (or higher) the outcome would be different. Rev. Barber is keeping a dream alive for sure - the dream that it's all someone else's fault. He should focus on changing those perceptions within his groups. He should build up the expectations, preach parental, social, and fiscal responsibility for their own children. Rev. Barber is in the perfect position to provide mentoring to both parents and students, but when he continues to stand in the news and blame diversity or lack of diversity, he actually is endorsing diversity as an EXCUSE for the Black communities.
His terms or the kids suffer?
Tue, 01/19/2010 - 08:39 — nancync"Barber said that if the NAACP gets the 45 minutes it wants at a school board meeting it will present ways to improve student achievement and the graduation rate and reduce suspensions. He said it's wrong to say that they turned down Margiotta's offer of a private meeting because of grandstanding."
Excuse me? So he'll take his ways to improve student achievement and go home pouting if he doesn't get a public 45 minutes to say what could easily have been said over how many years???
Now I've just about heard it all! He's not really interested in helping poor black students, he's looking to keep his image relevant.
If he's so worried about his statements being on the public record, can't he get them on the record by divulging them to the media? Can't he provide copies to the media of what he presents in a meeting? Ever heard of a tape recorder?
What a wasted argument he presents.
....
Tue, 01/19/2010 - 09:05 — SideburnsAgreed. Why the secrecy?
In his MLK b'fast speech, he claims he was asked to join the new Student Achievement Committee and then says he doesn't join up when he knows people aren't serious. If he believes the School Board isn't serious, why does he want 45 minutes? Sounds like a whole lotta double talk to me.
It is all about
Tue, 01/19/2010 - 09:19 — woodstockIt is all about self-promotion and theatrics with Barber. His clownish and offensive display at the MLK prayer breakfast (PRAYER breakfast!) on Monday confirms that.
If he had any intention at all to be a helpful voice to advance education in Wake County, he would have accepted the invitation to meet with the BoE leadership by now.
In Billy Barbour's speech
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 23:31 — CaryCurmudgeonIn Billy Barbour's speech today, I believe I heard him say that he had been invited to participate in the ED education committee, but had declined. Can anyone veryify?
Diversity Evidence
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 19:50 — mgoodallIt is not true that there is no evidence on the value of diversity in boosting low-income student performance. See: <http://wakeedpartnership.org/publications/d/kahlenberg%2004.01.09.pdf> pages 9 and 10. We can't judge this based only on a comparison of Charlotte and Raleigh. Charlotte spends more money. There are many variables to consider. The school board owes it to the taxpayers to take a look at the research that has been done rather than base a decision on their individual perceptions. Granted there are liberal and conservative think tanks that will present the numbers in a way that may boost their point of view, but what does the actual scholarship report about this? It does exist. Ignoring it is irresponsible. What is the evidence that creating high poverty schools will boost student achievement?
Argh...
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 22:44 — Bob_SconceSo, again with that faulty logic. You don't need evidence that creating "high poverty schools" will boost performance -- you only need evidence that the diversity policy HASN'T boosted performance. Getting rid of the diversity policy only requires demonstrating that it is ineffective, NOT that it actually hurts students.
Secondly, the scholarship doesn't really matter because it shows (or at least purports to show) the effectiveness of "diversity" elsewhere and not in Wake County, where available data shows the diversity policy to be ineffective. Among WCPSS elementary schools, there is actually a slight positive correlation between performance of low-income students and their percentage in school. In other words, poor elementary students in Wake County do slightly better when grouped together. WCPSS did a study in 2005 that showed the policy to be largely ineffective, improving reading slightly and hurting math slightly. Previous boards refused to do any more studying because they "just knew" it was working.
Third, discounting the difference between Charlotte and Raleigh on the basis that Charlotte gets more money is silly -- Charlotte also has far more poor students, which cost more to educate. In any case, that explaination doesn't explain why Charlotte is improving while Wake County isn't.
I'm not going to bother getting into the studies cited by Kahlenberg, except to say that there's no consensus on the issue in the academy. Heck, some of what he cites is contradictory. (The 1966 Coleman report, for example, was criticized in the Rumburger/Palardy report for methodological problems.) Even if they're right, it's a huge jump from "Look -- poor students perform better at socioeconomically mixed schools" to "If we bus kids around for hours a week to create socioeconomically mixed schools, then poor students will perform better at our schools."
Please Cite
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 23:28 — mgoodallthe WCPSS 2005 study. Where can this be found?
WCPSS 2005 Study
Tue, 01/19/2010 - 09:53 — Eric_Bhttp://www.wcpss.net/evaluation-research/reports/2005/0506reassignment05.pdf
So..
Tue, 01/19/2010 - 09:36 — Bob_SconceAsk the district for it. You can search the blog archives for references to it -- Keung had a blog post about it a while back. It's possible that it was 2003, but I thinkit was 2005. My recollection was that it was a small study that didn't come out the way the district wanted it to, so they took a head-in-the-sand approach and decided not to do a more definitive study.
The entire issue of student
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 20:19 — woodstockThe entire issue of student academic success does not revolve solely around income levels. That is what is so sad about the status quo's approach; they desperately try to boil it down to a one issue argument: diversity. However, there are so many more relevant matters. When at-risk students get the resources they need -- in and outside the school walls -- and parental/guardian/mentor support is encouraged, success increases. Busing kids around the county accomplishes nothing.
and parental/guardian/mentor
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 21:17 — shank56and parental/guardian/mentor support is encouraged,
Are you saying that WCPSS, the municpalities, (including all of Wake County) , the faith communities and other entities have NOT encoraged parental/guardian /mentor support as you reference above?
Yes, that is what I am
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 21:28 — woodstockYes, that is what I am saying. With the current busing situtation, WCPSS actually creates additional barriers to parental/guardian/mentor support for at-risk kids.
"Yes, that is what I am
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 23:15 — user12345"Yes, that is what I am saying. With the current busing situtation, WCPSS actually creates additional barriers to parental/guardian/mentor support for at-risk kids."
Woodstock ... are you kidding? ... what % of the failing students are bussed anywhere ... 40% of the schools are full of poor kids today that are not getting on any bus and simply go to their neighborhood school ... they get little parental/guardian/mentor support today in their own neighborhood school ... why to you think add a few more who were going to Leesville will turn that situation around?
"...they get little
Tue, 01/19/2010 - 08:01 — woodstock"...they get little parental/guardian/mentor support today in their own neighborhood school"
Exactly. Please try to keep up.
Do you know how ignorant you
Tue, 01/19/2010 - 09:30 — user12345Do you know how ignorant you sound saying that by concentrating all the poor kids in their own neighborhood schools and creating large centers of poverty that parent/ etc. will come out of the woodwork to make life great ... if that were the case, ghettos would be the place to live ... stop drinking the Kool Aid ...
LOL! Please, I beg of you
Tue, 01/19/2010 - 09:56 — woodstockLOL! Please, I beg of you to employ your powers of comprehension. I was talking about the need to increase parental/guardian/mentor involvement and that there needs to be increased outreach efforts to ensure this happens. How you construed that to mean I want all poor kids in one school is astounding. What the hell are you drinking?
we have been ignoring the evidence
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 20:02 — snordone"what does the actual scholarship report about this"
Cite Your Decade of Research
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 20:50 — mgoodallAnd I'll be happy to read it.
start with some books
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 21:20 — snordone"Whatever it takes" by Paul Tough is about the Harlem Children's Zone but does a very nice job of summarizing the research in an easy to read manner (good to get your feet wet). Then start reading heavier books "Changing the Odds for Children at Risk" by Susan Neuman, which goes through the influence of public policy on educating ED kids (not light reading). Then move on to some books that are very education focused and summarize the peer-reviewed literature - "Schools that work - where all children read and write" by Richard Allington and Partricia Cunningham. Then after that start reading the individual papers.
I work at a homework haven in SE Raleigh twice a week, and all our kids except one are reading way below grade level. The problem is that they continue to be moved up in grade even though they can't read well - it makes everything hard, and they get frustrated and angry. I have spent an hour doing one math word problem with a 5th grader who reads at a 2nd level. How can we expect children to become engaged in science, math and social studies when they read at a grade level 2-3 grades behind? That is the heart of our dropout problem in my opinion. We can meet for coffee if you want to talk more. Here is the thing, I wish that more people would advocate for our ED children - BUT it must be advocacy of substance otherwise it hurts them more than it helps.
Well Said!
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 22:47 — JanisTangoWell said snordone! I agree that is a huge problem with our dropout rate. I've seen kids that don't get the material that is being discussed and they become totally disengaged. It's amazing how some of these children become excited about learning when they really feel like they get it! I heard Ann Delinger from WEP say they have no choice but to move them to the next grade because they age out of the classes. I think that is a really poor excuse. We need to come up with an alternative for these kids. What is the point of moving them if they can't do the work at the next level.
....
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 15:07 — Sideburnshttp://www.wral.com/news/video/6830038/
Go to about the 2 hour mark for some "Friends of Diversity".
That may be one of the more
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 17:31 — woodstockThat is THE most offensive thing I ever listened to.
Wow! Mr Barber is a nut...a very loud ignorant nut! He apparently thinks if he shouts his lies, threats and insults loud enough the ignorant will listen. Fortunately, his pathetic theatrics are just so much noise.
As for Jim Goodmon, he is a complete idiot.
As for Jim Goodmon, he is a complete idiot.
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 20:07 — AngelaWand sadly, that man is the head of a media outlet that dispenses "news" ( I use that term loosely) to our area.
scary!
That clown does not
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 21:18 — woodstockThat clown does not dispense my news.
maybe not yours (or
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 21:22 — AngelaWmaybe not yours (or mine)...just sayin'
Great speech, full of ships.
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 18:43 — CaryCurmudgeonGreat speech, full of ships.
...right, ships.
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 18:58 — woodstock...right, ships.
I really appreciate
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 14:42 — shearertwI really appreciate teachers. I especially appreciate teachers when my kids have good ones as they do this year. A good teacher can make WCPSS bearable. However, just because someone is a teacher or claims to be doesn't mean they know squat....Bob is 100% correct, per usual. The numbers don't bear out the "teachers" claim. There may be isolated cases where some form of diversity is associated with a "good" class here and there but that' truly meaningless with regard to the issue under discussion. THE QUESTION: Does diversity improve ED performance? ANSWER: No. We have a 10 year experiment with an entire school system to prove it. A single observation of a "good" diverse class this year by a "teacher" cannot refute a 10 year long experiment involving possibly 500-600K students.
Wrong
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 14:58 — supportwcpssYour question is stated incorrectly. Question: Does the diversity policy as implemented by WCPSS improve ED performance?
And I believe the answer leans towards no even though we have no data to back up either position. And to throw out 54% yet again is as dumb as you claim the current policy is.
But continue to ramble...
"We're not saying everything
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 13:59 — shearertw"We're not saying everything is right with the school system," Barber said. "But focusing on eliminating economic diversity doesn't work."
This why I love when Rev. Barber talks....His ability to fluidly speak in non-sense is facinating. He's like Joe Biden times 10!
Focusing on economic diversity is what has been established to not work. That's why NOT focusing on it anymore will allow us to move on to something that actually may work. "Focusing on eliminating" is like saying "I'm working reality hard at not wasting my time".
Read how the KC, MO schools spent $1 billion dollars.
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 12:44 — TOPASSISTANTI challenge N&O reporter T. Keung Hui, Rev. William Barber, Yevonne Brannon, board chairman Ron Margiotta, along with other board members to read the Cato Policy Analysis No. 298 to seek answers before we try to solve the minority challenges with more money. We have spent $7 trillion dollars on LBJ’s great society and it has not worked, so why does anyone think what Raleigh has done for the past four generations will either? http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-298.htmlThe bottom line for education is the same today as when our ancestors went to school in log cabin style schools. It is up to the parent and student to get the child a good education. Research the following, Cato Policy Analysis No. 298, March 16, 1998, Money And School Performance: Lessons from the Kansas City Desegregation Experiment, by Paul Ciotti.For decades critics of the public schools have been saying, "You can't solve educational problems by throwing money at them." The education establishment and its supporters have replied, "No one's ever tried." In Kansas City they did try. To improve the education of black students and encourage desegregation, a federal judge invited the Kansas City, Missouri, School District to come up with a cost-is-no-object educational plan and ordered local and state taxpayers to find the money to pay for it. Taxpayers throughout the state of Missouri coughed up $1billion to build new schools. It did not work!........Kansas City spent as much as $11,700 per pupil (1998 TAX DOLLAR VAULE)--more money per pupil, on a cost of living adjusted basis, than any other of the 280 largest districts in the country. The money bought higher teachers' salaries, 15 new schools, and such amenities as an Olympic-sized swimming pool with an underwater viewing room, television and animation studios, a robotics lab, a 25-acre wildlife sanctuary, a zoo, a model United Nations with simultaneous translation capability, and field trips to Mexico and Senegal. The student-teacher ratio was 12 or 13 to 1, the lowest of any major school district in the country.The results were dismal. Test scores did not rise; the black-white gap did not diminish; and there was less, not greater, integration.The Kansas City experiment suggests that, indeed, educational problems can't be solved by throwing money at them, that the structural problems of our current educational system are far more important than a lack of material resources, and that the focus on desegregation diverted attention from the real problem, low achievement. Most of what I have written are quotes for the report.http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-298.html
$64 M Question - what's in it?
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 12:26 — RMC10Lots and lots of Federal, State, County money in the forms of grants, handouts, bonuses, No Child Left Behind - Money, Title 1 - money, Free/Reduced Lunch programs - money, PLC's - money, grants, AHDD, ADA, Special Needs - yup - money, Bussing programs for diversity - money - often to pay cab fares each way, special busses that pick up right to the door service. It's Always All About The Money. The free and reduced breakfast/lunch programs are the best though, because usually folks eligible for that program are already getting foodstamps as well, for ostensibly the same reason - three meals a day, of which the school gets money for two of those meals.
Public Schools are like their own little tax collecting empire. Money wise it's like parents of one child are getting to support 1 or 2 more other children thru the use of tax dollar support.
The prior WCPSS administration was smart enough to figure out every little angle on the money grab landscape, mostly to the detriment of our children. Bussing for diversity - socio program that is failing (or at least out of vogue). Year Round Schools = which made the bussing for diversity a 12-month a year money making ponzi scheme. Pandering to diversity w/o responsibility from students and their parents = high suspension rates, high drop out rates, low graduation rates, classroom disruption, even murders all without recourse from school administration. If they can't control a tween or teen, who will control that adult they will become. We need to stop making it so darned easy for at risk kids to fail, and setting them up for an easy opt out by setting expectations and personal responsibility too low.
Well Ronny...
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 09:40 — supportwcpssYour true colors come out. This is all about power for you isn't it. Very nice of you to label everyone who is a critic of the current board as people who don't care about low-income students.
Can't hid it for too long, can you Ronny...
Thanks you once again for
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 10:33 — woodstockThanks you once again for the glimpse into your character. Perhaps one day you will learn that your ignorant and disrespectful approach to the change you claim to seek is not very productive.
..."not very
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 11:43 — carson79..."not very productive"
Pot meet kettle. Seriously please just get Support's personal email and send these things to her directly. If you are not adding anything whatsoever to the discussion I don't see the point of sharing with everyone your personal remarks about him/her.
LOL Seriously, if you don't
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 16:13 — woodstockLOL Seriously, if you don't see the point, then take your own advice and ignore my posts. Problem solved.
BTW: I've added to this discussion and actively worked for change for a hell of a lot longer than you have been around posting your incessant questions.
What is the point of this
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 08:44 — woodstockWhat is the point of this vaque summary?
Perhaps the N&O needs to just face the fact that they no longer want to put out a daily edition of their paper. On Mondays in particular, it is hardly worth the effort to retrieve the paper from the driveway.
--------------------------------------
BTW, regarding the subject of the article -- helping low-income kids achieve academically -- what have the naysayers brought to the table besides demands that we return to the abject failure of the status quo, threats of lawsuits, and disengenuous claims of resegregation?
first step
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 10:13 — stepbystepI think the task force is an excellent place to begin BEFORE getting rid of the old or starting something new. There are a lot of bright people in the school system, in public and private community agencies and organizations, in faith communities, in area colleges and universities, and who are living in poverty who care about economically disadvantaged students. Many of those folks deal with economically disadantaged families on a regular basis and have perspectives that I'm guessing many of us are not privy to. In addition, I am aware of numerous efforts underway in the school system to address the needs of economically disadvantaged students: Title 1 teachers, reading specialists in non-Title 1 schools, TAP pilot program at Wilburn, organized one-on-one-volunteer-tutoring efforts, the dedicated time for PLTs to examine and act on data this school year, and preschools at some elementary schools are just a few examples that come to mind. I hope the task force will examine those and other efforts and discern which ones are working? which ones aren't? which ones do we need more of? what's missing? what is the cost/benefit of each? Are there practices in place that need to be addressed, such as how math development is encouraged or hindered? Part of the discernment would be to ask lots of questions about school environment--does being in a high poverty, an economically balanced, or a high wealth (but public) school make a difference to students? to teachers? to achievement? to the community--both immediate neighborhood and broader?
I know that Mr. Tedesco has spent quite a bit of time researching other communities and their schools, and that information can be useful. However, it's also important to closely examine what's unique about our community and school system. There are a lot of questions to be addressed in WCPSS. There are lots of positive things happening, and there is room for improvement.
I am hopeful that the task force will be asking these and lots of other questions before they recommend any major changes.
Keung, do you have any information about their meeting plans?
Here is the voice of reason
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 11:50 — mstoutjI hope people read this comment (First Step) carefully. It shows the voice of reason. As a teacher in the system, I see so many valid, active programs to reach all children. Be sure you (the board committee) talk to those who are actually out there working to make a difference. I see for myself that part of what works to improve students' learning is keeping classrooms diverse. Ask us!
So...
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 11:57 — Bob_SconceI'm asking. How does it work? Please note that I'm skeptical because the numbers don't appear to bear out your contention that diverse classrooms help improve learning.
I see it.
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 12:18 — mstoutjI see it in my own classroom. I have had the most diverse classrooms this year. I teach classes that are evenly diverse and I am watching most students expand their skills and learning greatly (and with few management problems). I have to say that other years where there was not so much diversity, this was not true! I can only speak to what I see daily.
Really? Is there data to
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 16:22 — woodstockReally? Is there data to demonstrate that the diversity has translated to greater academic success for low-income students?
According the data I have, the graduation rates for low-income students in Wake County is dropping as busing for diversity increases. Enloe high school is proud of its diversity, yet the low-income students there perform worse than just about any place in Wake County.
So, please quantify the benefits of diversity.
Huh...
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 12:38 — Bob_SconceOk. So you're seeing students "expand their skills" and "learning greatly." Why is that related to diversity? How is your class diverse? In what way does that diversity mean that kids learn more? Why do your results not show up in test scores? You're not giving any specifics.
And, please don't take thing wrong, but I should mention that you don't seem to be using English very well, which makes me doubt that you're actually a WCPSS teacher: "I have had the most diverse classrooms this year," "evenly diverse," "I am watching most students expand their skills and learning greatly."
Frankly, between the lack of specifics and the somewhat tortured language, both your posts sound like a bit like a bad college entrance essay where the applicant was asked to talk about a subject that he knows nothing about. No offense, but ... are you sure that you're a teacher and not an 11th grader pretending to be a teacher?
If you are an 11th grader, I'd be much more interested in how the diversity in your classes has helped you to learn, or how you've seen it help others learn.
Spot on Bob Sconce. Lots
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 14:23 — changewcpssSpot on Bob Sconce. Lots of status quo scrambling and impersonating teachers to push their agenda.
Normally, I enjoy your posts
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 14:06 — Athey01because they are reasoned and focused on the topic, rather than the person; however, your response to this blogger seems a little heavy handed. I assumed she was a teacher, but English may not have been her/his native language. The blogger was only sharing their personal experience, which you can discount or accept, but your characterization of her/his remarks seemed a tad much .
I thought that too until I
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 14:20 — loriacI thought that too until I saw the followup response.
Oh, dear!
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 12:51 — mstoutjOh, dear! Now I do feel badly. I should have checked with my English peers to make sure that I wrote clearly and correctly. I do not want to cause shame for my fellow teachers because I know none of us deserve it! But, then, I think that is getting a bit personal when, if fact, it is the students we are concerned with helping. I am not use to these blogs. It seems that they are mostly attacks on the authors instead of offering open-minded discussions about ways to improve situations. So, I guess I should not waste any more time with them and instead get to grading papers!
So...
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 16:26 — Bob_SconceI was not trying to attack you personally, which is why I used expressions like "no offense" and "please don't take this wrong." It appears that I was not successful, and I apologize. It was not my intention to hurt your feelings. But, as a matter of fact, your English is not particularly good ("feel badly," for example) and that does make me doubt that you are, indeed, a Wake County teacher.
Please prove me wrong. Give me some details. Tell us what you teach (you don't have to mention the school or even specific classes -- saying "I teach advanced high school math," for example, is fine) and then tell some stories about how diversity has been beneficial in your classroom. I don't want student names or anything, but would like something more than just a general assertion that diversity is a wonderful thing.
yes - post some nonsense,
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 13:24 — loriacyes - post some nonsense, then claim that you aren't being heard.... sounds familiar.