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Homeroom: April 2012 Archives

April 2012 Archives

"By Hammer and Hand all Arts do Stand"

By Mohammad Ibrar on April 19, 2012 6:22 PM   |   Comments   |   Bookmark and Share
The Mechanics' Institute is New York's oldest technical school; providing tradesmen and workers with tuition-free evening instruction in trades-related education since 1820. The school was opened under the banner of The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York. "The aims of the society were to provide cultural, educational, and social services to families of skilled craftsmen," according to the Institute's catalog.

Alongside the technical school stands The Library of The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen, which has been open to the public and researchers for almost two centuries. The library houses more than 110,000 volumes as well as museum pieces and historical displays of manufactured items such as locks, blueprint designs, books and other significant cultural collections. The library continues to promote an understanding of urban work and its history.

The school offers tuition free technical programs in different construction trades and disciplines, such as electrical technology, HVAC systems, construction documents and design, project management, plumbing design,  facilities management, AutoCAD and many more. The admissions process is simple. Applicants only need a current vocation in the intended field of study, college transcript, H.S. diploma or GED, and official documents to accompany the application. Additionally, students must complete an entrance evaluation "to assess entry-level competencies."

The institute is founded on the principles to help tradesmen to rise beyond their current standing by instilling them with the knowledge necessary to do their jobs more efficiently. With the slogan, "By hammer and hand all arts do stand," they continue to provide, "privately endowed free evening instruction to respectable young men and women to improve themselves in their daily vocations, and to assist those who were obliged to become wage earners before completing their desired education."

The Mechanics' Institute is located on 20 West 44th street, and is marked on the list of the National Register of Historic Places. With more than 180,000 alumni, it continues to be a hidden gem in New York City. Visit www.MechanicsInstitute.org for more information.

Teachers use Music to Teach Math

By Mohammad Ibrar on April 12, 2012 2:47 PM   |   Comment   |   Bookmark and Share
In San Bruno California, elementary school students are learning fractions by playing music. The program is called Academic Music. Students in the program are taught math concepts under a curriculum that revolves around music. The curriculum was designed by two individuals; Endre Balogh, a music instructor and Susan Courey, a San Francisco State University researcher. The creative program is crescending, and will eventually be available for other teachers to use in classrooms.

In Allen Elementary School, students learn the essentials of reading notes and from there learn how to add notes, "which is essentially adding fractions," writes Caitlin Esch of NPR. "A recent study found that students who went through the program tested better on fractions. The average score of the Academic Music students was nearly double that of students in the regular math class."

Study finds insufficient resources at high-needs schools

By Jennifer MacGregor on April 5, 2012 3:03 PM   |   Comment   |   Bookmark and Share
High-needs schools in New York City are failing students in the most basic of ways, due to budgetary restraints that prevent schools from hiring enough teachers to provide necessary programs. A report by The Campaign for Educational Equity at Teachers College released this month studied 34 of these schools in New York City, finding that many of them are not providing services they are required to provide by law.

According to the National Education Access Network of Teachers College:

“Although the decisions of New York’s highest court in Campaign for Educational Equity (CFE) v. State of New York had led the legislature to enact funding reforms that promised high need districts throughout the state substantial funding increases, the governor and the legislature have reneged on these commitments. This year’s state aid budget cut over $2 billion in education funding.”

The report, entitled “Reviewing Resources: An Assessment of the Availability of Basic Educational Resources in High-Needs New York City Schools,” states that: 

"In spite of new rhetoric about preparing students for college and career, schools reported substantial gaps in the basic curriculum, including deficits in science, math, social studies, English language arts, technology, languages other than English, health, physical education, art, music, and library skills. [The 34 schools] also reported a paucity of experiential learning opportunities and inadequate offerings for more academically advanced students. Schools noted significant gaps in their capacity to provide of an ‘expanded platform of programs for at-risk students’ including insufficient school-based supports; insufficient supports after school; insufficient resources for Saturday programs; and inadequate availability of summer school for struggling students.”

Read the preliminary report in its entirety here (Word document).

Higher Education Budget Cuts, and Unprecedented Campus Expansion Across the U.S.

By Mohammad Ibrar on April 2, 2012 7:06 PM   |   Comments   |   Bookmark and Share
Universities and colleges across the nation are experiencing a building boom, yet budgets and resources are declining. According to Mcgraw-Hill Construction, around $11 billion in new facilities have been created in each of the last two years, which was twice the amount spent on facilities a decade ago.

Jon Marcus from the Hechinger Report writes, "More than $384 million in projects are in process and another $515 million are in the planning and design stages at the University of Buffalo, part of the State University of New York, a system whose budget has been cut by $1.1 billion over the last three years. Virginia Tech has $696 million in construction newly finished, under way or ready to start, and the University of Nebraska has nearly $600 million."

With all the new construction, more cuts and changes are being made across the board: universities are decreasing enrollment, boosting tuition, removing jobs and falling into debt. "The public University of California system has $8.9 billion in construction going up at its 10 campuses and five medical centers, and the California State University system has $161 million. California has cut billions of dollars in operating money from its public universities," writes Marcus. "At UC campuses, student fees rose 18 percent this year. Since the beginning of the fiscal crisis, 4,400 employees have been laid off and 3,570 positions have been eliminated in the UC system."

Civil Rights study finds racial disparities still prevalent in schools

By Jennifer MacGregor on April 2, 2012 6:29 PM   |   Comments   |   Bookmark and Share
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released data showing the disparity in educational resources and attainment for minority students. The National Education Access Network highlighted some key findings from the OCR’s Civil Rights Data Collection study:

"Only 29% of high-minority schools offered calculus courses, though 55% of schools with the lowest Black and Hispanic enrollment offered calculus.

Teachers in high-minority schools were paid, on average, $2,251 less per year than their peers teaching in low-minority schools in the same district.

While Black students make up only 18% of students surveyed, Black students account for 35% of students suspended more than once and 39% of school expulsions.

56% of all 4th graders retained at the end of the 2009-2010 school year were Black.

Taken together, Black and Hispanic students represented more than 70% of total cases referred to law enforcement."

The OCR will soon be releasing the results from their longitudinal study, chronicling the changes in the data set over time.
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