Did you know?

7% of U.S. public school teachers were threatened with physical injury by a student from at their school in the 2003-2004 school year, down from 2% from five years earlier. 3% were physically attacked in the 2003-2004 school year.

11 of the United States do not permit charter schools.

The high school dropout rate for black and Hispanic males is the highest, with rates at 11% for blacks and 23% for Hispanics compared to only 6% for whites. Males are much more likely to drop out than females.

44% of schools said that the condition of their physical buildings interfered with learning in some capacity. Most commonly to blame for the interference is air conditioning. Principals reported more interference among portable buildings where such elements as lighting, air quality, noise control, and size of the rooms caused concerns.

A new survey of 17-year-olds reveals that almost 20 percent of 1,200 respondents to a national telephone survey do not know who our enemy was in World War II, and more than a quarter think Columbus sailed after 1750. Half do not know whom Sen. McCarthy investigated or what the Renaissance was.

In Chicago, more money is spent housing adult prisoners ($21,000 annually) than educating students ($10,000 annually).

Author Johnathan Kozol started a non profit program called Education Action which intends to be a national support structure aiming to help stem the flight of teachers from underfunded and racially segregated schools.

Good Schools Pennsylvania, the Educational Policy and Leadership Center, Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, and the Education Law Center are among the groups working to encourage the legislature to adopt a new formula that will provide increased state funding for the underfunded districts and reduce the inequality between Pennsylvania school districts.

A study in Harvard showed that changes in economic resources (income) for families can affect the performance of the children in school.

Results from a 2008 study show that over 9,000 schools had already started using distance learning as a tool for their students

Old Chinese Proverb

One who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; one who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.

I think that what this means is that somebody who asks a question may remain a fool temporarily if the question is silly or impractical. However, if the question is important, yet you stifle yourself in fear of judgment, then YOU remain a fool forever for two things, one for not asking what might be an important question, another for changing yourself according to other people's standards.

Project Links

So I'm almost absolutely sure that my grad project will be on underprivileged schools. Here are a few links I could invest in for more information.

http://www.hcz.org/about-us/about-geoffrey-canada/144
http://www.hcz.org/about-us/history
These are about a project called Harlem Zone, as seen on the American Express Member's Project Commercials.


http://www.pps.k12.pa.us/1431107231034057/site/default.asp
http://www.pps.k12.pa.us/pps/site/Directory_List.asp?byType=38
These are links in order to contact Pittsburgh Public Schools and to see which departments I could try to contact. (I'm trying to get in contact with the finance department and Mark Roosevelt)

FURTHER LINKS AS OF 2011

http://www.commoncore.org/wwd.php

http://febp.newamerica.net/

http://www.hcz.org/

http://www.joannejacobs.com/

http://books.google.com/books?id=UEJ3QAukj9oC&dq=Savage Inequities&pg=PP1&ots=ExznHVJiL8&source=bn&sig=3rHXoUEAghuUOxy62ggIAyrKO_8&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result/#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act

http://www.uscharterschools.org/pub/uscs_docs/index.htm

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/fpg/index.html

http://www.altmire.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=427&Itemid=48






http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savage_inequalities
A book about the topic that we started reading in 9th grade.


http://www.inklingsnews.com/archives/5430
An article so I could get an idea of what people go through teaching there and what the surrounding is like.

Groups 2 and 3 Projects

Group 2
1.Grad project teaches time management, research skills, personal growth, goal setting, motivation, and confidence.

2. A learning stretch is when you take the knowledge you already have and use them.

3. A students relationship with their mentor is a professional in that field. The mentor shows the person how to do unique things.

4.Teachers, parents, school board members, and members of the community all sit on a graduation project panel.

Everybody's questions

1. Time management, organization, dedication, patience, responsibility, passion, perseverance, motivation, inspiration,confidence, strength, good research skills, and independent work skills attribute to a student successfully completing a grad project.

2. A grad project is a required demonstration that displays your interests, tool or a guide, hobbies, passions, or concerns about a topic.

Group 3
1. Important pars of a grad project:
Know exactly what to do
Make sure everything is readable
Have lots of detail that explain your project

2. Students choose grad projects based on whats going on in their family, what they love doing, or even based off of their internship. People get ideas on experience and interest.

3. Organizing an event, showing pictures, or showing in person are a few ways students demonstrate their knowledge of a topic.

4. To make presentations more interesting, you should have passion and interest in what you've done. Your self esteem should be very high and you should be happy to show what you've done. You also should show videos, hands on work and graphics to make people more interested in your project.

Everybody's questions

1. A graduation project is a project that allows a panel of judges to see how you have progressed over time during high school. It is also a chance for a student to reach out to the community and make a difference by making an action plan and having some type of event.

2.To successfully complete the grad project, you have to be able to work on the project for long periods of time. You have to do research and be able to conduct yourself in a professional manner whenever you meet someone. You have to be organized and meet deadlines and know how to set goals.

Three Extra Questions About Grad Project

a. What have you heard about the graduation project at City High? Do you know any students in 12th grade who have already graduated that completed their projects? What were their experiences?

I was told to give it a lot of time and thought. One of my advisory in 10th grade told me she had to work on hers all of her break because it was due very soon. A lot of it I also saw in mostly door to door promotions as well. As far as people, the only one I heard of was the one I mentioned who was supposed to write a novel but didn't and failed.

b. What are some interests you have that you might like to structure a project around?

I am interested in English and education. Hopefully my paper could take an investigative perspective to lack of fundamentals in education. I don't usually do journalism, but I think that would be the best type of format for my paper.

c. What are some concerns that you have about the graduation project?

Not getting in contact with the people I need to talk to. Not finding the right people to ask questions. Not finding any schools I could support for something I plan further.

Blogging Article Assignment

* What is blogging, according to the article?

Blogging is described as a past time, a livelihood, and even sometimes, an obsession.

* How many blogs has the blog-tracking company, Technorati, counted?

Technorati has counted 2.5 million blogs on the internet.

* What percentage of online users uses blogs, according to Jupiter Research?

Only about four percent of online users read or use blogs.

* What reason does Richard Wiggins give for writing blogs?

He says that he is just getting something off of his chest and does not really view his frequent blogging as a problem.

* How does Scott Lederer justify the time he spends blogging?

He says that he feels that he's participating in something important because him along with other members are all working together.

* What does Jeff Jarvis mean by "the obligation to blog"?

He means that it is not an addiction but rather an obligation to keep in contact with the people reading his blog because he feels as if it involves him into a conversation.

* According to Barbara Quint, what is it about blogging that makes it more attractive than cash?

Because it gives an ideal of immortality for the writer, making them feel that their posts are timeless and will live on forever on the internet.

* What are some of the pitfalls to frequent blogging?* Do you think constant blogging indicates signs of an unhealthy obsession or a harmless, spirited pastime? Why?

Pitfalls of blogging can include constant checking or posting in any situation at any time. It can lead to being on the computer constantly and stopping interactions with others. I think this is along the lines of a workaholic in a sense that it's not an addiction, but people cannot stop themselves. Blogging frequently if you have amazing ideas that you have to get out is one thing, however blogging about live as you live it leans more towards the unhealthy side.

* What makes another person's blog worth reading?

If they share the same ideas as you, like the same music, are creative, or have something interesting to say. If they post weekly, monthly or randomly can contribute at times.

* By what "rules" do you think fellow bloggers should abide, and why?

I think there should be no rules. A blog is essentially a diary, just on the web, so you should be able to express yourself to your highest ability, as long as not promoting an illegal activity of course. I think moderation is important and you should know your boundaries, but that's a personal choice. As a community, however, no rules should be set.

Grad Project Ideas...

At first, I thought that I would write a book for my grad project. In ninth grade, this seemed to be the easiest thing to do because I was interested in creative writing. Quickly a year later, I was shot down when I asked a senior then if someone in his class had chose to write a novel as a project. The senior said yes. When I asked him what grade he got, he said that his friend had failed.

That's when I went back to back to ninth grade thought of reading Savage Inequalities, a book about about education. I took a look at City High, prior schools and I've been to and though maybe education would be the path to research, specifically underprivileged schools. I could interview Mark Roosevelt, superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools and maybe talk to possibly somebody who manages a budget to see what they need the most. The paper shouldn't be hard. This class should be interesting.