First off, let me note that this is the 500th post on this blog since it first started at the beginning of the school year in 2006. There have been many contributors over the past 1+ year, from Adam Lang and Adam Petras to Ryan Greenfield, Micah Lanier, Suchita Shah, Katie Mioni, Justin Rabbach, Paul Axel, Andrew Voss, and many others. I've been very excited by the content that has been posted and the quality of the opinions expressed, all in a manner that is respectful and dignified. Here's to the next 500 posts being just as good, and maybe, dare I say, a little better.
Mike Hahn's column today in the BH got me thinking (per usual). I love my Tuesday mornings, not only because I have just one class, but also because I expect their to be something in his column that will have my blood boiling. Take a look at his piece, and then read my (somewhat lengthy) response.
I would disagree that holistic admissions don't have a place in determining who gets accepted to this university, but I think that Mr. Hahn is absolutely correct in noting that the problem with diversity on campus starts in K-12 education.
On holistic admissions, I have to point out that the policy isn't just about race. I got into this university based on the holistic admissions policy, and I'm a middle-class white kid from Madison. Holistic admissions helped me because although my GPA and class rank weren't the best, I had a number of extra-curriculars that demonstrated leadership and community service. All of that is considered with holistic admissions, and in my opinion should play an equal factor to grades.
On the issue of dropout rates, etc. I find it refreshing to hear a prominent voice of the Republican Party on campus talking about the need to fix the funding of public education in our state. Mr. Hahn notes that, "I doubt very much that will help if we don’t first identify the root cause of why minorities in our state are so far behind academically."
But Mr. Hahn has already identified the problem in this very column. Reading, and most specifically 3rd grade reading scores, are the most telling statistic of future graduation rates. The Dept. of Corrections even uses 3rd grade reading test scores to predict how many incarcerations our state will see in the next decade. That's how strong the correlation is.
Bottom line: If a kid is reading at grade level in 3rd grade, they are significantly more likely to graduate high school and significantly less likely to commit a felony.
Now that we've addressed the problem, we need to find a solution. The good news here is that the solution has also already been found.
Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) is a program that was started ten years ago in Wisconsin. It provides grants for schools to lower class sizes in core academic subject areas (reading, math, etc.) to a ratio of no more than 15:1. Read that again, no classes with more than 15 students.
We all hear that small class sizes are important to learning, but has SAGE really worked? In fact it has. And for which demographic has SAGE had the biggest impact? African American males.
All of this data (and there is a plethora of it) is available on the Dept. of Public Instruction's website. If you have some time, I suggest that you check it out.
It seems to me as though we have identified the REAL problem with our lack of diversity, and we have found a SOLUTION that has made a measurable impact. The issue now is adequately funding this proven program. Unfortunately, the Republicans in the Assembly don't seem to want to make this investment in Wisconsin's future.
I can only hope that 2008 will bring people to the legislature who want to fully fund SAGE in all K-3 classrooms across Wisconsin. It's time to end our war on public education, it's time to move forward again. We have the tools to do it, will the Assembly make it happen?
Mike Hahn's column today in the BH got me thinking (per usual). I love my Tuesday mornings, not only because I have just one class, but also because I expect their to be something in his column that will have my blood boiling. Take a look at his piece, and then read my (somewhat lengthy) response.
I would disagree that holistic admissions don't have a place in determining who gets accepted to this university, but I think that Mr. Hahn is absolutely correct in noting that the problem with diversity on campus starts in K-12 education.
On holistic admissions, I have to point out that the policy isn't just about race. I got into this university based on the holistic admissions policy, and I'm a middle-class white kid from Madison. Holistic admissions helped me because although my GPA and class rank weren't the best, I had a number of extra-curriculars that demonstrated leadership and community service. All of that is considered with holistic admissions, and in my opinion should play an equal factor to grades.
On the issue of dropout rates, etc. I find it refreshing to hear a prominent voice of the Republican Party on campus talking about the need to fix the funding of public education in our state. Mr. Hahn notes that, "I doubt very much that will help if we don’t first identify the root cause of why minorities in our state are so far behind academically."
But Mr. Hahn has already identified the problem in this very column. Reading, and most specifically 3rd grade reading scores, are the most telling statistic of future graduation rates. The Dept. of Corrections even uses 3rd grade reading test scores to predict how many incarcerations our state will see in the next decade. That's how strong the correlation is.
Bottom line: If a kid is reading at grade level in 3rd grade, they are significantly more likely to graduate high school and significantly less likely to commit a felony.
Now that we've addressed the problem, we need to find a solution. The good news here is that the solution has also already been found.
Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) is a program that was started ten years ago in Wisconsin. It provides grants for schools to lower class sizes in core academic subject areas (reading, math, etc.) to a ratio of no more than 15:1. Read that again, no classes with more than 15 students.
We all hear that small class sizes are important to learning, but has SAGE really worked? In fact it has. And for which demographic has SAGE had the biggest impact? African American males.
All of this data (and there is a plethora of it) is available on the Dept. of Public Instruction's website. If you have some time, I suggest that you check it out.
It seems to me as though we have identified the REAL problem with our lack of diversity, and we have found a SOLUTION that has made a measurable impact. The issue now is adequately funding this proven program. Unfortunately, the Republicans in the Assembly don't seem to want to make this investment in Wisconsin's future.
I can only hope that 2008 will bring people to the legislature who want to fully fund SAGE in all K-3 classrooms across Wisconsin. It's time to end our war on public education, it's time to move forward again. We have the tools to do it, will the Assembly make it happen?
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