TECHNOLOGY & EDUCATION DIGEST
Number 21--August 15, 1997
A Moderated Mailing List
Steve Wildstrom (steve_wildstrom@businessweek.com), Moderator

Return to Technology & Education

Nelson Logan (NALOGAN@aol.com) writes:

Back in mid-February 1995, CNN featured a short segment which included scenes from the Thurgood Marshall Academic High School (San Francisco) in which the discussion was about the fact that every kid in the school had been given a computer to take home. The segment features a teacher with minority students who were excited about the fact that they had these computers. The article reproduced below reveals that in spite of the computers provided the kids, this high school is in trouble. It would be interesting to have an investigative reporter follow up on this story and determine the sources of the problems being encountered.

Nelson A. Logan
===============
Monday, April 28, 1997 Page A15 c1997 San Francisco Chronicle
A School Looking for Answers
Torri Minton, Chronicle Staff Writer

San Francisco's Thurgood Marshall Academic High School opened with a lot of hoopla three years ago -- and a vision of rigorous academia for all. Every student in this racially mixed Bayview District school must take four years each of math and science, and 12 more classes than traditionally required.

But now, despite the high hopes, long school days and hours of nightly homework, worried teachers say 40 percent of freshmen and sophomores are either flunking or failing to finish classes.

They say many students and teachers are so frustrated that they are either leaving the school or seriously considering it. ``Every week, you get another drop note, and it's mostly Latino and black students,'' said modern world history teacher Micia Mosely.

Parents and teachers are at odds over what to do. Some, like Mosely, say there just isn't enough support for students who need extra help.

Others say that perhaps students who are not motivated do not belong at the school. ``We're in a tug-of-war here,'' said Ladeborah Higgs, parent of two Thurgood Marshall students. ``If we have the adults fighting, we can't do anything for the students.''

To help figure out what can be done for the students, a group of parents and teachers have organized a community forum for tonight at 7 p.m. ``We don't want students going through there thinking they are failures,'' said parent Jeanne Crawford, head of the group organizing the forum. ``The kids lose. The teachers lose. . . . It puts everybody in a frustrating position.''

Crawford suggested that prospective students and their parents might be interviewed before enrolling at the school to determine whether the child is prepared and motivated or needs extra help before coming to the school.

Students are accepted into Thurgood Marshall by lottery -- not by test scores as they are at other academic schools such as Lowell High School. The school opened in September 1994 in response to criticism that the district had failed in its 10-year effort to raise test scores of African American and Latino students. It operates under a court order to improve the scholastic achievement of such students in the southeastern part of San Francisco. The school particularly encourages proficiency in math, science and technology. It is also the first school in the city to send a computer home with every student.

All Thurgood Marshall students attend seven classes a day -- more than most other schools -- from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., except for Mondays. Then they have four to five hours of homework each night. And many still struggle. ``You'll see a lot of students crying, stressed out,'' said Jone't Higgs, 15, student body vice president and daughter of Ladeborah Higgs.

Like Jone't Higgs, 16-year-old Japheth Long is also taking a leadership class for officers and other active students. Yet Long is failing his Chinese honors class. He said he was placed in the class without requesting it and that now he cannot get out of it because his schedule is too packed. ``They thought I was a Chinese native speaker,'' Long said. ``But I'm not Chinese. I'm Vietnamese. I'm expected to know how to write and read.''

Another leadership student said she was put into the wrong math class, and now she, too, is failing.

School administrators did not respond to requests for information.

Leadership class teacher Mark Salinas said that when he questions how the school is run, he is accused of wanting lower standards. What he wants, he said, is a better education for all the students, not just the best ones. ``It seems that the priorities are not very high for students who need support,'' Salinas said. ``There needs to be more ongoing training for staff to help students who have tremendous challenges.'' On Salinas' classroom bulletin board is college-level vocabulary posted for the students to learn -- words such as inexorable, maelstrom, sentient and talisman. ``We need to stop business as usual,'' he said, ``and seriously ask ourselves: Are a majority of our students graduating? The way things are going, I don't think so.''

Some teachers say the commitment to academic excellence is what drew them to Thurgood Marshall. Others say it was the ethnic diversity. But it can be overwhelming, teachers say, to try to teach students with such a vast mix of skills and backgrounds. Reading abilities, for example, can range from second grade- to college-level in a single classroom. Motivation fluctuates just as radically.

Some teachers say that if they don't get more time and training to help students who need it most, the whole scholastic vision could fall apart. ``When we came here, we had so much energy, we could move mountains,'' said history teacher, Black Student Union adviser and coach Chris Chatmon. ``But now, it's, `Are we going to be here next year?' ''

Parent Marlyn Bussey, an adviser to the group organizing the forum, said the proliferation of bad grades may be a combination of lack of preparation and poor motivation, and perhaps a failure to understand the huge difference between middle school and high school. ``We certainly don't want to create an elitist school,'' she said. ``We want to be an institution that takes kids wherever they are, with the commitment to excel.''

[This really isn't about technology, but it does show just how hard it is to translate good intentions into good outcomes--MOD]

We have 30 donated 80386 computers in our computer lab at Keolu Elementary School. If anyone has licensed copies of Microsoft Works or Claris for Win 3.1 that they would be willing to donate to our school, let me hear from you. Right now we have licensed versions of WordPerfect 5.1, not too easy for the k-6 students.

Aloha from Hawaii

Peggy Nakamoto
Technology Coordinator
Keolu Elementary
http://www.k12.hi.us/~keolu/index.html

[We've had a number of questions about the Geo0rgia Youth Science & Technology Center. Here's a description from its CEO--MOD]

Georgia Youth Science & Technology Center, Inc. is a private, non-profit educational organization affiliated with Southern Polytechnic State University just outside Atlanta, GA. The program is establishing regional centers to promote interest and enthusiasm in science and the technologies, particularly among elementary and middle (junior) high teachers and students.

Teachers may receive staff development training in hands-on science teaching, field trips; educational technology training; and, other assistance. Students may have Saturday or After School programs; classroom presentations and assemblies; and summer or day camps.

Our observation has been that there can never be any single Tech-Ed answer since there is such diversity of need among schools. While one school may request advance training in networking or web design, another may need student and teacher courses in basic keyboarding, for example. Our centers are flexible enough to provide these varied needs.

We need to advance Tech-Ed training from where it is, not where we think it should be.

Additional information is available from jthompso@spsu.edu or at: http://www.spsu.edu/gystc/gystc.html

Thanks.

Jim L. Thompson
President & CEO
GEORGIA YOUTH SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY CENTERS, Inc.
1100 S. Marietta Pkwy.
Marietta (Atlanta), GA, USA 30060-2896
Telephone (770) 528-4978
Facsimile (770) 528-4980

[Here's one for all of you oyut thetre still trying to cope with Apple Iis--MOD] Laine Houghton (laine@shell.rmi.net) writes:

I tried to get Jack Friess to subscribe to Tech-ED but he has too much to handle as it is. In mid 96 Jack was looking for Apple II programmers and I became aware of the project.

What they have put together is a low cost solution to networking. They will be introducing a how-to manual bundled with all the necessary free ware. The idea was to allow Apple II's, Mac's, and PC's to connect to a single server and thus the net.

This small Catholic school doesn't have deep pockets and might prove a solution to rural schools.

Below is an excerpt from one of our last Apple II team discussions.

------------------------------------------------------

From: Jack Friess email: jfriess@spacs.k12.wi.us

You requested:

>Please send me your release again.

Okay, you should have it. It really isn't a complete update and doesn't cover any of the Apple II Email Project at all--its just an announcement about Jay's work, and accomplishments, on our WATF network project.

>I'd love to see what became of the project.

The development of Apple II workstation/network software is either on hold, or has pooped out. I found Kermit-65 terminal software (who told me about that--thanks), which Laine did some tweaking on and wrote a very nice menu over-lay, that we are using. It isn't as powerful probably as having the full-blown network software that we were envisioning, but it is nice/simple enough for us to use with our network. I don't really have time to invest in the Apple side of things at this point (even just to coordinate a development group), so I guess our ideas/plans will just have to sit for now....

Something that always looms over us is the question about how much longer Apple IIs will be used in schools. Most schools (according to our little survey) that have Apples plan on keeping them until they die, but I'm not so sure how much of a roll they will take in a full-blown network environment. We'll use them for now, until we are able to get more Mac's or PC's into the classrooms. My hunch?

That is what other schools will do too, except for a few nostalgic diehards! And for the //e, without GUI, TCP/IP, and graphics, and very limited resources, it doesn't seem too promising.

Sometimes it seems all the thought and work we put into developing a network system for the Apple was a waste. But I don't think so AT ALL. We worked at the edges of capabilities of that machine, and helped to define just what it was we (in schools) need and want. But mostly, we defined what the Apple would be capable of, and how it could be used, in the multi-platform network environment.

All our team's work actually brought us our current solution (serial connection and Kermit-65). I owe a lot of thanks to everyone for all the participation and work--even that which might seem right now as not being useful. For without it, we would not have 50+ Apples talking to the world from our classrooms!!

We will be putting together a "How To" installation manual for our low-cost, multi-platform network this fall. [Anyone interested in helping?] Prominent in that manual will be the Apple II networking installation information and user guides. So, our team will be mentioned and will get credit for the design and development of the A2 serial system. And schools around the world will have access to some neat, powerful, and inexpensive wide area networking solutions specifically designed for the educational environment.

I hope to put together a more "formal" report on progress, etc. of the Apple II Email Project. Please standby....

Later....

Jack

I thought you may be interested in a virtual conference on Web Based Training and On-Line Learning that will be taking place on the Web from Sept. 15th-19th, 1997.

Information about the conference, the keynoters and the workshops can be found at: http://www.trainingplace.com/learn97/

Russ Williams

NetNovel, at http://www.netnovel.com, involves over seven hundred students from fifty-five Arkansas high schools. Visit our web site for additional details.

Randy Daniel
Publisher
Little Rock, AR

Has anyone seen the latest issue of the Atlantic, with the story on the dubious nature of the "benefits" of computers and the internet in our schools, particularly K-8 ? Quite sobering. I have read the book, Silicon Snake Oil, whose author is quoted a few times in the article. Both are well worth checking out.

Kevin Sullivan

Archives of this list are available at www.businessweek.com/bwplus/teched/charter.htm

To subscribe, send mail to listserv@listserv.businessweek.com with the message body: subscribe tech-ed (your name)

To unsubscribe, send mail to listserv@listserv.businessweek.com with the message body: signoff tech-ed