tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285353362748898720.post3681872533278425342..comments2024-03-28T06:53:24.022-05:00Comments on a blog about school: Equity: Thinking Beyond Facilities (Guest Post)Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12919030671050831251noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285353362748898720.post-82952289439080052792013-01-08T02:23:50.628-06:002013-01-08T02:23:50.628-06:00Facilities are important. For example, my impress...Facilities are important. For example, my impression is that ICCSD utilizes mixed-age grouping throughout the district at the elementary level. It reached its extreme at Lincoln which (until recently) combined three grades together. Lincoln had to give up its ELP room and other spaces to finally get to combining two grade levels. <br /><br />The key question is whether this decision was driven by pedagogical reasons or financial/political ones. My impression is that it is the latter, and it is related to the desire to have small, K-6 neighborhood schools (for some of residents). <br /><br />This leads to a kind of "age diversity," which is thought to be not harmful, but it also likely increases economic segregation, which is what the diversity policy is trying to address. Parentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285353362748898720.post-7726649565439651262013-01-05T20:24:58.753-06:002013-01-05T20:24:58.753-06:00Doris--point taken--I should probably have read th...Doris--point taken--I should probably have read that as an expression of the magnitude of the problem.<br /><br />Karen Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13075997477474697121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285353362748898720.post-79548441858879398472013-01-05T17:45:49.441-06:002013-01-05T17:45:49.441-06:00Hi, Karen W
I think you are unfairly taking Jim T...Hi, Karen W<br /><br />I think you are unfairly taking Jim Throgmorton's comments out of context. Here is the full presentation from the newspaper below. <br /><br /><br />Iowa City Councilor Jim Throgmorton, also a professor emeritus of urban planning at the University of Iowa, said the school poverty disparities involve all of the communities in the school district, not just Iowa City.<br /><br />“The difficulty is that we cannot control in Iowa City what North Liberty and Coralville do,” said Throgmorton, who has a Ph.D. in urban and regional planning. “Unless we can come up with a unified policy on a regional scale, we can’t achieve too much. ... It’s not obvious to me how the situation could be improved.”Dorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285353362748898720.post-8579574876987014892013-01-05T09:35:00.528-06:002013-01-05T09:35:00.528-06:00The P-C has an article this morning on the propose...The P-C has an article this morning on the proposed diversity policy. Looking forward to comments.<br /><br />http://www.press-citizen.com/interactive/article/20130105/NEWS01/301050028/BALANCING-EDUCATION-INCOME<br /><br />My favorite quote, from Iowa City City Council member Jim Throgmorton: “The difficulty is that we cannot control in Iowa City what North Liberty and Coralville do.”<br /><br />If Iowa City could just force the rest of us in line, there wouldn't be a problem. Right.Karen Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13075997477474697121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285353362748898720.post-2114091149542968432012-12-19T09:22:37.141-06:002012-12-19T09:22:37.141-06:00Thanks, KD -- Here is that link in clickable form...Thanks, KD -- Here is <a href="http://jenmardunc.blogspot.com/2012/12/nclb-and-race-based-grading.html" rel="nofollow">that link in clickable form</a>.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07559356125770114400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285353362748898720.post-60844503961992419432012-12-18T10:15:07.869-06:002012-12-18T10:15:07.869-06:00Great post by Karen W. Thanks Chris for posting i...Great post by Karen W. Thanks Chris for posting it.<br /><br />Why isn't there more recognition in the district of "stepping up" by some groups of parents?<br /><br />I read this blog post which also ties into equity issues. I'm not sure that I entirely understand it, but I found it a bit troubling.<br /><br />http://jenmardunc.blogspot.com/2012/12/nclb-and-race-based-grading.htmlKDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07883213697051461818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285353362748898720.post-76068501410142715372012-12-18T07:33:30.259-06:002012-12-18T07:33:30.259-06:00Thanks for that post, Karen.
And yet "pare...Thanks for that post, Karen. <br /><br />And yet "parent involvement" is all the rage -- which manifests itself in Iowa City in the endless requirements for parent signatures on homework and daily planners, etc. (some of which affect students' grades), and in the assignment of homework to kids who are too young to do it well without parental assistance, and, as you point out, on the reliance on parents to supplement parts of the curriculum with work at home. <br /><br />I agree that the more the district makes parent involvement an integral part of whether a student performs well, the more disadvantaged some kids will be. That was the main reason cited last month for why <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/10/french-president-proposes-banning-homework/" rel="nofollow">France was considering banning homework</a>:<br /><br />"The justification for this proposed ban? Inequality. According to a statement from an official at the French Embassy, 'When it comes to homework, the President said it should be done during school hours rather than at home, in order to establish equal opportunities.' Homework favors the wealthy, [French President François] Hollande argues, because they are more likely to have a good working environment at home, including parents with the time and energy to help them with their work."<br /><br />Will Iowa City recognize that homework is an equity issue?Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07559356125770114400noreply@blogger.com