Scary Facts from Discussion:
- Black and latino males are the most likely demographic to drop out of high school.
- Just under 30% of black males will graduate once they enter high school.
- Bronx High School of Science has a student body made up of less than 5% of students who are actually Bronx residents.
- Stuyvesant High School's most recent freshman class accepted fewer than 10 black students.
- New York State's current budget proposal asks for more funding to maintain prisons than to maintain schools.
Overall, the discussion around the circumstances that lead black and latino males towards dropping out was a bit shallow, which is really disappointing in some respects. The only seemingly invested members on the panel were Dr. Hill, Dr. Nuguero, and Ruben Diaz Jr., who are all well educated on the matter and could offer the sound analysis on fixing the problems within schools. Dr. Nuguero provided some interesting insight to the problem, however he was not as vocally open as Dr. Hill.
John Legend seems to have used this opportunity to advocate charter schools and advocate standardized testing while also pointing to the lack of aesthetic education in schools across NYC. It's individuals like Mr. Legend who make bold policy statements and end up on school boards to make the systemic problem worse without really owning up to any form of personal responsibility. He has the perception that "charter schools are public schools" and that the most troubled students do end up going to charter schools at the same rates as public schools (because obviously if a school is funded by public tax-dollars everyone has equal access to those resources, right?). I'm guessing that John doesn't believe in data (particularly admissions data of charters vs. public schools) unless it's to measure the efficacy of educators.
Needless to say, amongst an audience of educators, John Legend made few friends... But we love his music. :)
It was interesting watching Dr. Hill keep John Legend honest most of the time:
Legend: "I feel that there need to be ways for students to demonstrate their learning. So using a test to determine if a student can perform at grade level in reading and math is necessary."
Dr. Hill: "Do you understand the difference between a test and an assessment? There are other ways for a student to demonstrate that they can think, analyze, read, and calculate."
Legend: "Test and assessment are synonymous to me."
Legend: "I find it interesting and troubling that now schools don't offer the arts as much anymore since the arts were an outlet for me to motivate myself to get through school."
Dr. Hill: "The arts aren't offered anymore because the schools are too busy preparing students for your state tests!"
Eric Snow and Common were really just celebrity figures. They had little to contribute to the discussion in terms of the complex nature of the problem within our schools. Though they offer interesting things to say about the matter, they are in no way a part of the imminent solution.
Common: "Let God's light shine through you." ?
Common: (When asked about dealing with bullies in school) "Love conquers all." ?
Ruben Diaz, Jr. contributed what he could from his perspective as a politician in Albany. Though his influence is very vital towards any future solution on this matter, there was a limited amount of feedback that he could offer in terms of creating a comprehensive solution to these problems. It was comforting to hear that he stands as a thorn in Mayor Bloomberg's side in terms of advocating the reformation of public schools and keeping them operational.
As a side note: The deputy mayor showed up to open the dialogue, but had no intention of representing the mayor or advocating minorities and their struggles in graduating. The office of the mayor is not interested in participating in dialogues such as these for some strange reason (even though the city has the most to gain and are the most capable of facilitating the changes necessary to curb these trends).
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