Student Blogs - NYU Steinhardt

Voice of Witness

2012-02-09T11:21:45Z

Warning: even if this post doesn’t seem to be about education, it sort of really is.

Last night NYU’s Institute of Public Knowledge hosted a book discussion. The book was In this Place, Not of it: Narratives from Women’s Prisons. The discussants were editors Robin Levi and Ayelet Waldman, and narrator Francesca Salavieri. The co-sponsor was Voice of Witness, which is a nonprofit book series that gives voice to victims of injustice.

The discussion itself was pretty harrowing. Francesca spoke of life on the inside, of the routine abuses, of the deaths of friends, of the sense of utter hopelessness. The editors provided an overview of the prison system, based on the oral histories of women currently and formerly incarcerated, and on their own experiences working in the legal system.

What makes this relevant to an education blog is not the content itself - although more people should definitely be educated about the shit going on in American prisons - but the form of its presentation. Voice of Witness is expanding rapidly - volumes on North Korea, Colombia and the DRC are in the works - but what really sets it apart is that it considers the experience not just of the narrator, but also the reader. It does this through educational (there it is) resources and networks, which work to promote and discuss the books, spreading their field of influence. If the goal is to get the voices of victims of injustice heard, then education is of crucial importance.

You can read more about what Voice of Witness is all about here: http://www.voiceofwitness.org/

It should come as not surprise that it is an initiative of Dave Eggers, the literary-activist juggernaut.

Also, the Institute of Public Knowledge is a pretty awesome set-up. Not that NYU needs another tuition-funded institute, but still, they run a tight ship, and there was free wine and cheese (which I suppose I technically paid for). Something about the building - 20 Cooper Square - makes it seem like important shit happens there. Makes me want to drop International Education for Journalism.

This is teacher-librarian Luis Soriano and his 2 burros, Alfa...

2012-02-02T13:01:45Z

This is teacher-librarian Luis Soriano and his 2 burros, Alfa and Beto, working the Caribbean end of Colombia.

Now let’s talk about fair teacher pay and incentive schemes.

The Value of Teachers

2012-02-01T22:38:57Z

The Value of Teachers :

New York Times -

A better piece on the worth of teachers. Although let’s be honest; is there anything surprising in the assertion that good teachers are better than bad teachers?

While this piece explains that a “great teacher” is among the top 16% of educators, it doesn’t explain the criteria behind this ranking. Teacher quality doesn’t have to be directly tied to experience or qualifications, but this article seems to want to make good teaching a question of some inherent ability. I think anyone who has ever stood in front of a class knows it isn’t that simple.

And likely they also know that even if you’re a great teacher, chances are you’re not working in isolation. Just who is doing all the value-adding in these tests?

Anyway, at least there’s some quantified evidence for the potential positive impact of teachers. But what does it count for if we can’t answer the question of how do we make great teachers?

Shadrack McGill, Alabama State Senator, Says Keeping Teacher Pay Low 'A Biblical Principle'

2012-02-01T22:29:14Z

Shadrack McGill, Alabama State Senator, Says Keeping Teacher Pay Low 'A Biblical Principle':

The Huffington Post -

Posting this is a bit like shooting fish in a barrel; there should probably be a separate blog just for ridiculous quotes by old, rich, white, teacher-hating guys.

I will say this, though: I though the GOP were the guys who did understand the principles of supply and demand. You know, capitalism and all that.

I don’t think raising teachers’ pay is the solution to all America’s educational woes, but I do think there needs to be an effort (by the GOP and perhaps Huffpost) to better justice to the debate than this.

What You (Really) Need to Know (spoiler alert: it's mostly about education)

2012-01-23T22:24:00Z

What You (Really) Need to Know (spoiler alert: it's mostly about education):

New York Times -

Fascinating point about how conservative higher education can be, in terms of enshrining the past and sticking to its methods.

The implications raised here are clearly only intended for Americans, though. While learning a second language may be less important than ever for native English speakers, it must be more important than ever for everyone else. So if edu reforms mean less focus on second languages, where does that place non-English speaking countries? As interesting as this article is, I think it doesn’t know whether to treat education as a conservative or progressive force. Then again who does?

Rick Steves: Study abroad is necessity, not luxury

2012-01-23T22:18:00Z

Rick Steves: Study abroad is necessity, not luxury:

USA Today -

“Students who travel learn that fear is for people who don’t get out much. And they learn that the flip side of fear is understanding. Travelers learn to celebrate, rather than fear, the diversity on our planet.”

This, I think, is the most important aspect of study abroad. This article and plenty of others mention that study abroad provides necessary job skills, or promotes foreign trade, or whatever. While I don’t doubt those things are true, studying abroad for the sake of some potential future payoff still seems to be missing the more immediate benefit; that of being far away from whatever you know and take for granted, of having your feathers ruffled, of being forced to think outside whichever box you’d previously lived in.

North Korea Says Dictator, Kim Jong-il, Dies

2011-12-19T09:32:00Z

North Korea Says Dictator, Kim Jong-il, Dies:

New York Times -

OK so the headline sucks, but this is still a huge deal. Not a deal that would usually be discussed on an edu-blog, but it does kind of tie into one of my main areas of interest.

How do you explain to your people that their semi-divine leader has died unexpectedly of a heart attack while on a train?

And given that 2012 was supposed to be a sort of messianic time of plenty in the country (according to the Dear Leader and Co.), what do you tell the people now?

Judging by the videos circulating, a lot of carefully orchestrated mourning is being filmed and disseminated. Behind that though there must be some pretty serious shocks to the North Korean psyche. So what do you say? What do you teach?

No Child Left Behind waivers require big changes fast

2011-12-18T14:01:00Z

No Child Left Behind waivers require big changes fast:

Sacramento Bee -

With 11 states already applying for No Child Left Behind waivers, and 28 more preparing to do so, I wonder what kind of future lies ahead for the program.

The concern, really, isn’t with what becomes of NCLB, it’s with whether there is any real, stable strategy in place for improving schooling on a state or federal level. The federal government has a bunch of big ideas, but maybe not so much continuity between them. On the state level, it sounds like education reform is becoming just another way for governors to toot their own horns.

Just Buy These 10 Books Now: Zócalo Presents the best non-Fiction of 2011.

2011-12-12T09:44:00Z

Just Buy These 10 Books Now: Zócalo Presents the best non-Fiction of 2011. :

Zocalo (who I intend to reference a lot in the future) -

List season is upon us!

Again, this isn’t directly edu-related, but it proves that I haven’t done nearly enough reading this year, and is a fascination mix of titles. I’m heading straight for the Castañeda.

Can universities save cities?

2011-12-12T09:41:00Z

Can universities save cities?:

Anyone on the west coast? This looks like a great event, with implications well beyond the US. Look at the amount of money being pushed into Chinese universities, and not just in its most famous metropolises.