From the Trenches: The Grace Report

No Excuses: Simply Do What You Must to Teach the Children

I have been a Music Teacher, Exceptional Student Education Teacher, Reading Teacher, Curriculum Resource Specialist, Reading Coach, Instructional Coach, and presently I am a Staffing and Compliance Specialist for ESE and ELL students here in the Orange County Public School System in Orlando, FL.

Sometimes I feel like the shadow of JIM CROW has cast itself over our educational system with a vengeance. It is still true that a poor education guarantees a poor lifestyle. Unfortunately, we (minorities) are still separate and unequal. Yes, we are in the same school buildings and it looks like we have access to the same materials, but it is simply not true.

Unfortunately, I have witnessed years of students being retained, staffed into the ESE program, placed in classes the system felt was adequate for the student(s) when it appeared they were not or could not learn. However, the truth is many times the teachers were not properly trained and monitored. Resources, interventions and accommodations were not properly implemented. Another sad truth is there are veteran teachers who literally do not believe that certain students can learn. How do you expect great results on FCAT or any other assessments students are required to take if they are not properly prepared. The easy way out is to blame the students.

I believe all students can learn if they are given equal resources that will be used to edify each student not just the strong student who needs little help anyway. The under resourced students must be exposed to the education we are requiring them to learn. Just opening a book and reading it does not mean you are or have been exposed to the text. The teacher's job is to make the text meaningful and memorable by any means necessary.

To the defense of most districts, the workshops on how to differentiate instruction are provided, how to reach the under resourced are provided, and how to bring instructions to life are provided. Unfortunately, it is not always used on those that need it. I love my district, all my trainings were provided free of charge by my district. I made it a purpose to use the training provided for all students especially those who needed it and as a result I was very successful in the classroom and I am very successful outside of the classroom.

We must educate our parents on what CIVIL RIGHTS means, on what the importance of Education means, on how important it is for them to be involved in their children’s education and how it important it is for them to educate themselves. We must stop the blame game and get involved in our communities. Thurgood Marshall and many others have paved the way for us to continue what they started. Our problem is we blame each other and quit, instead of having the I will die doing what I believe in attitude… Our ancestors did it.

Alisa L. Grace is a Staffing Specialist at Acceleration Academy in Orlando, Florida.

Don't Let Them Leave Us Out...Be Counted!

Make sure you and all your friends and family fill out your U.S. Census Form 2010 and turn it in. Everyone needs to be counted. Go tell your neighbors. Go help your grandparents and other senior citizens fill it out. Make sure every person living in every household is counted. Even a person who does not have a permanent residence needs to be counted. The Census is how the federal government decides how much money will be given to state and local governments for schools, community centers, senior programs, hospitals, etc. It determines where shopping centers and new housing developments will be built. It also determines how many Congressional Representatives each state will get. The Census is completely confidential. So don't be afraid to be listed. The African American community can benefit greatly from all of these resources. However, we are hugely underrepresented in the count. In other words, our communities don't get what they should get because we don't let the government know how many of us are really here. So be counted!

U.S. Department of Education Announces Civil Rights Investigations

Right now students all across Florida are taking the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). This test determines whether 3rd graders will be promoted, whether seniors will graduate, how much funding a school will get and school grades. I have noticed that schools with the largest minority populations are often the ones that have the most trouble reaching that much desired “A” status. This inequality in schools is taking place all across the country. Why is that? And more importantly what can we do about it?

The Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, seems to think these sorts of unequal outcomes in schools is evidence of civil rights abuses. Duncan took part in a march at the legendary Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama this week. He and other leaders were commemorating the 45th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when demonstrators were beaten down as they marched peacefully for the right to vote.

Duncan calls unequal education the “civil rights issue of our time.” After the march, he announced there will be a nationwide investigation of civil rights in public schools. Thirty-eight school districts will be reviewed to see if they are in compliance with the U.S. Constitution’s mandate for equal education for all students.

A good education is often a ticket out of poverty. If a child develops a love of learning and the confidence in his or her learning ability, he or she can get a good education, a good job and become a productive member of society. However, at some point in their schooling, many minority and low income students begin to lose hope in what the educational system can do for them. They look for other ways to get by. Often the other ways lead to the criminal justice system. This contributes to a cycle of criminality and poverty in our communities.

In the district where my child attends school (Seminole Co., FL), just like in many districts across the country, the schools that serve minority and low income populations get the most inexperienced teachers. Might this contribute to the reason these schools also end up with “C” ratings and below and students without faith in education? And in the schools with a majority white and higher economic populations, the minority students are often segregated within the schools and put into tracks. Sometimes those tracks don’t even get counted when determining the school grades. So many of the “A” schools are “A” schools minus the minority scores. So just sending your child to an “A” school doesn’t mean they will get an “A” teacher or an “A” education.

The Department of Education is investigating to see which districts are equal access districts. They will be looking at areas such as student access to college preparatory classes, discriminatory discipline and tracking. School districts that are found in violation of students’ civil rights could lose funding or be referred to the Justice Department. How would your district measure up?

The Florida Congress Proposes an End to FCAT

The Florida Senate proposed a bill this week that could get rid of the dreaded FCAT. Many are saying “good riddance.” There has been a fight over this test since its inception in 1998. As a parent with a third grader who will be taking the test next week (a third grader who has gone from excited, to worried, to anxious, then back to excited) I understand all the emotions wrapped up in this test. Every mommy wants her baby to succeed. I encourage parents to let lawmakers know their concerns about the possible changes that might take place as early as next school year.

The purpose of the test is supposed to be to make sure kids are getting what they are being taught and that seniors are prepared for college or work before they graduate. Though there is evidence of some positive effects from the FCAT (such as higher graduation rates and narrowing achievement gaps), many students are still struggling. So the Florida House of Representatives and Senate have proposed bills to take a look at the FCAT and assessment in general to see how they could be improved to measure student progress.

The Florida Senate introduced a bill that would actually make testing standards more rigorous. Students would have to take end-of-course exams in algebra I, geometry, algebra II, biology and chemistry or physics. Educators will also develop a new English/Language arts exam. These exams could start replacing FCAT for high school students beginning next school year.

After all the pressure and test anxiety over FCAT, making tests harder might seem kind of crazy. But supporters of the bills say students will only rise to meet the added challenge. They say in order to ensure that our students and all of us will have a bright future, we must make sure that they rise to meet the challenge. Right now, 80% of freshman entering community colleges in Florida have to take remedial classes for the first year before they can take any classes that actually count for credit. This is a waste of time and money. The new requirements are supposed to make sure this doesn't keep happening. I don’t have a problem with challenging the students. But just testing to show that kids are having problems isn’t enough. What is in this bill that makes sure that all the students and educators will be prepared to fix the problems and rise to meet the challenge? We have to keep an eye on these lawmakers to make sure ALL the children will be served by this bill.

Till Victory is Won: Who Will Take the Baton?

When I went to the Seminole County School Board Meeting a couple of weeks ago, I must admit I got a little discouraged. The Board heard and responded to the will of the people. That was good. There was a relatively large turnout. That was good.

My concern was about who turned out (or who didn’t). Though the proposal discussed in this meeting would have affected students living in Seminole County, the majority of attendees were over 50 years old (too old to have children who attend Seminole County Public Schools). Where were all the parents? Where were the students? I know that most young adults work. Many were not able to make it due to work schedules. However, everybody was not at work or preoccupied with some important matter. I know a few more parents could have made that meeting.

I remember when working with the NAACP, I would always get asked, “How do we get the young people involved?” This is such an important question. The Civil Rights Movement generation is getting older. After the meeting, I heard one pioneer say, “They could have at least waited until we were dead to try this.” (I won’t mention her name. But please feel free to elaborate on your comment if you read this). I thought that was such a poignant statement. I’ve been thinking about it ever since the meeting. What is going to happen when those who paved the way have moved on?

Ironically, it has been speculated that one reason young people aren’t civically engaged is because of all the advances the older generation fought to make. Schools are integrated. We have black millionaires. We have a black president for goodness sake. So have enough battles been won? Do we still need freedom fighters?

The NAACP just named Roslyn M. Brock as the chairman of the board. I was encouraged by this announcement. The NAACP is making an effort to reinvigorate the freedom movement. Ms. Brock (44) is an intelligent, accomplished and committed leader (and she's a Florida girl). She has established her agenda to work on improvements in education, the criminal justice system, health care, economic empowerment and civic engagement. She also will work to reestablish the NAACP as a multicultural organization that addresses the needs of all disenfranchised people. Go to www.whoisroslynbrock.com to read about her. Benjamin Jealous, at 37, is the youngest president the organization has ever had. Both of these leaders are too young to have had to experience racial segregation. However, they are fired up about the work. What can we do to motivate other young people?

Equal Education Threatened in Seminole County Florida

The school board in Seminole County Florida will vote tomorrow on a controversial rezoning plan. The proposed plan has raised the attention of parents and community groups such as the local NAACP and Goldsboro Front Porch. If approved by the school board, this plan will affect all students living in the Northeast and Northwest clusters. Currently, students living in the North part of Seminole County are able to choose from a pool of schools called “clusters.” If some school board members (and parents living in the more affluent sections of the county) have their way, students will be forced to go to “neighborhood” schools.

The clusters were set up in 1998 to ensure that schools would be integrated and that all students would have access to quality education. The Supreme Court ruled in 1954 that schools were to be integrated. The federal government observed many school districts including Seminole County for decades to make sure the integration orders were obeyed. Seminole County worked for many years to get out from under the regulation of the federal government. The district instituted the school choice program in 1998 to settle the desegregation case against Seminole County. They achieved what is known as “unitary status” in 2005, meaning they had eliminated all vestiges of discrimination.

Now some fear that since the district is not being watched by the federal government, they could be reversing the many years of desegregation work. The school board says the reason for the proposed changes has nothing to do with reversing integration but is instead an effort to eliminate the cost of busing students. Community leaders say the reason for this rezoning plan is to keep minority and low-income students out of the more affluent neighborhood schools as parents at these schools feel minority and low income students are bringing down test scores. The community leaders such as Seminole County NAACP president Turner Clayton, Jr. also feel this plan will severely hurt the schools in lower-income neighborhoods. Clayton fears minority and low-income students will lose access to quality teachers and funding if schools are not fully integrated.

The school board will meet and vote on Tuesday, February 9 at 5:30 p.m. It is very important that the members of the community show up and call to voice their concerns. The meeting will be at the Educational Support Center located at 400 E. Lake Mary Blvd in Lake Mary. The following are school board members and contact information:

Diane Bauer: 407-320-0495 or 407-695-3552e-mail:Diane_Bauer@scps.k12.fl.us
Jeanne Morris: 407-320-0385e-mail:Jeanne_Morris@scps.k12.fl.us
*Sylvia Pond: 407-320-0371e-mail:Sylvia_Pond@scps.k12.fl.us
Sandra Robinson: 407-320-0381e-mail:Sandra_Robinson@scps.k12.fl.us
*Dede Schaffner: 407-320-0588e-mail:Dede_Schaffner@scps.k12.fl.us

*Expressed support for rezoning.

President Proclaims Black Economic Empowerment

I am always inspired and awestruck when I consider the seemingly unscalable mountains African Americans have had to climb and imagine the unbreakable barriers African Americans somehow managed to break. My soul looks back and wonders over God’s amazing grace toward our people.

President Barack Obama honored the strength and determination of African Americans in his Official Annual Proclamation of African American History Month on February 1, 2010. The theme for African American History Month is “Black Economic Empowerment.” The President urged all Americans to “honor the African Americans who overcame injustice and inequality to achieve financial independence and the security of self empowerment that comes with it.”

The President also expressed his administration’s commitment to overcome today’s challenges through extending credit to small businesses that will enable them to thrive, reversing tax breaks for large corporations that move operations overseas instead of hiring Americans, and giving breaks to companies that provide jobs to stimulate America’s economy. He also stressed that education is key. Therefore, the Obama administration will invest in schools and work to make college available to all students to prepare them to compete in a global economy.

The President pledged to do his part. However, he acknowledges that neither he nor the U.S. government can do it alone. Just as it took the commitment and determination of regular people to break those barriers and climb those mountains of history, it will take the same commitment and determination today. President Obama calls on parents and community leaders to partner with him to “push our children to reach for the full measure of their potential, just as the innovators who succeeded in previous generations pushed their children to achieve something greater.”

You can go to http://www.asalh.org/ to download the entire Presidential Proclamation and learn more about the origin and founders of African American History month.