EDUC 181: Race, Class, and Culture in Education

Fall 2005

T TH 4-5:45pm / Location: Engineering 2 194

Kip Téllez, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Education Department
Social Science I, Room 253
University of California, Santa Cruz
1156 High Street  Santa Cruz, CA  95064
(831) 459-2208

ktellez@cats.ucsc.edu

http://education.ucsc.edu/faculty/ktellez/

Office Hours: W 1-4 or by appointment

Course Reader: Mele Wheaton

I believe that education is the fundamental method of social progress and reform. 

--John Dewey, from “My Pedagogic Creed”, 1897

Now (you) tell my momma I belong in the slow class
It's bad enough we on welfare
You trying to put me on the school bus with the space for the wheel chair
Im trying to get the car with the chromy wheels here

-Kanye West, from "We Don't Care", 2004

Course Description:

EDUC 181 examines the schooling experience and educational attainment of racial/ethnic minority students in the United States. Focuses primarily on domestic minorities.  Addresses issues of variability between and within minority groups and the role of cultural, structural, and psychological factors in the educational attainment of these students.

Readings (in alphabetical order), availiable at ERES (password: tellez) or at SlugBooks

António Goldsmith, P. (2004). Schools’ racial mix, students’ optimism, and the black-white and latino-white achievement gaps. Sociology of Education, 77, 121-147
Articles and related materials on the The Bell Curve at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bell_Curve.
Austin-Smtih, D., & Fryer, R.G. (2005). An economic analysis of "acting white." Quarterly Journal of Economics, 120 (2): 551-583
Bailey, F., & Pransky, K. (2005). Are “other people’s children” constructivist learners too? Theory Into Practice, 44, 19- (16-28).
Becker, B.E., & Luthar, S.S. (2002). Social-emotional factors affecting achievement outcomes among disadvantaged students: Closing the achievement gap. Educational Psychologist, 37(4), 197-214.
Bennett, K.P., & LeCompte, M.D. (1990). The way schools work (Chapter 5). New York: Longman.Clotfelter, C.T., Ladd, H.F., & Vigdor, J. (2004). Who teaches whom? Race and the distribution of novice teachers. Economics of Education Review, 24, 377-392.
Darling-Hammond, L. (1995). Inequality and access to knowledge. In J.A. Banks and C.A. McGee-Banks (Eds.), Handbook of research in multicultural education (pp. 465-483). NY: MacMillan
Farkas, G. (2003). Racial disparities and discrimination: What do we know, how do we know it, and what do we need to know? Teachers College Record, 105, 1119-1146.
Felicano, Does Selective Migration Matter? Explaining Ethnic Disparities in Educational Attainment among
Immigrants’ Childken. International Migration Review, 39(4), 841-871
Foster, M. (1995). African-American teachers and culturally relevant pedagogy. In J.A. Banks and C.A. McGee-Banks (Eds.), Handbook of research in multicultural education (pp. 570-581). NY: MacMillan
García, J., & Donmoyer, R. (2005). Providing technical assistance to improve student performance: Insights from the collaborative inquiry project. Theory Into Practice, 44, 63- (1-13).
Jencks, C. (1998). Racial bias in testing. In C. Jencks & M. Phillips (Eds.), The black-white test score gap (pp. 55-85). Washington, D.C.: Brookings
McCarthy, C. (1990). Chapter 2, Mainstream accounts of racial inequality in schooling. From Race and Curriclum. NY: Falmer.
Ogbu, J.U. (1998). Voluntary and involuntary minorities: A cultural-ecological theory of school performance with some implications for education. Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 29(2), 155-188).
Poplin, M., & Rivera, J. (2005). Merging social justice and accountability: Educating qualified and effective teachers. Theory Into Practice, 44, 27- (1-15)
Richardson, T., & Silvestri, T. (1999). White identity formation: A developmental process. In R.H. Sheets & E. Hollins (Eds.), Racial and ethnic identity in school practices (pp. 49-63). Mahweh, NJ: LEA.
Rumberger, R.W., & Gandara, P. (2004). Seeking equity in the education of California's English learners. Teachers College Record, 106, 2032-2056
Siegal, B. (1974). Conceptual approaches to models for the analysis of the educative process in American communities. In G. Spindler (Ed.), Education and cultural processes. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehardt, Winston.
Téllez, K., & Estep, M. (1997). Latino youth gangs and the meaning of school. The High School Journal,81(2), 69-81.
Torres, C.A. (1998). Democracy, education, and multiculturalism. Lanham, MD: Rowan & Littlefield.
Trumbull, E., Greenfield, P.M., Quiroz, B. (2003). Cultural values and learning in education. In B. Williams (Ed.), Closing the achievement gap: A vision for changing beliefs and practices (pp. 67-97). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development .
Williams, B. (2003). What else do we need to know and do? In B. Williams (Ed.), Closing the achievement gap: A vision for changing beliefs and practices (pp. 13-23). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Other readings may be assigned during the course.

Though not required readings, the following documents might be helpful:

The latest report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (Warning: This file is 2.8 MB.)
A recent report from RAND on the achievement gap.

On-line resources

CA State Department of Education
www.cde.ca.gov

National Association for Multicultural Education
www.inform.umd.edu/NAME

ERIC Clearinghouse for Urban Education www.eric-web.tc.columbia.edu  

US Census www.census.gov

The National Center for Educational Statistics is a good resource for achievement by ethnicity.  Use the Condition of Education reports and search for the statistic of your choice. 

Course Schedule

Please note that the schedule and readings may be modified during the quarter.  Regular attendance is the best way to ensure that you are kept up-to-date. 

* The final exam will consist of four essay questions as well as 20 short answer questions. Content for the final is the intersection of the readings and course notes.  Comments on your final exam will be sent to your email address approximately one week after the end of the quarter.  Exams or Paper #2 will be kept in my office until the second week of the Winter quarter, during which time you can pick them up.  Please check website for next quarter's office hours.

Assignments/Examination:

1. Paper 1 (8 pages minimum double spaced, 1.5 inch right margin): Analyze and evaluate at least four theories of differential school success by race/class and argue in favor of one explanation.  Please use at least 4 sources beyond those provided in the class materials. 

Please use the citation style of the American Psychological Association.  A Google search for APA style should yield enough information so that you do not need to buy the APA manual.

Grading criteria (40 Points Possible)

Comprehensiveness—Does the paper contain sufficient sources to address the topic?  Does it address each theory as fully as possible in the context of the course? 

Analysis—Are the theories explained well?  Is there sufficient support for the chosen theory?  Is the argumentation supported by the paper’s sources or or other primary data sources? 

Clarity—Is the writing clear enough to understand the analysis?  Does the paper’s organization enhance its argumentation?  Are terms used appropriately?  NOTE:  Grammar and usage errors will be checked in the paper; however, we will not be providing a full copy-edit of your work. 

Each criterion is weighted equally. 

2. You may choose either Paper 2 or the Final Exam (Each 30 Points Possible)

Paper 2 (5-7 pages):  The second paper invites you to address the educative experiences of a student group who share an identifiable culture.  This paper should include a demographic analysis of the group, an analysis of their school success, innovations—if any—designed to enhance school success, and projections for the future.  Feel free to use personal school experiences in this work.  At least 4 sources beyond those provided in the class must inform your paper.  

Please use the citation style of the American Psychological Association.   

Grading criteria

Comprehensiveness—Does the paper include sufficient sources to address the topic?  Does the paper demonstrate a comprehensive and coherent understanding of the chosen cultural group?

Analysis— Is the analysis clear and supported by the sources? 

Clarity—Is the writing clear enough to understand the analysis?  Does the paper’s organization enhance its analysis?  Are terms used appropriately?  NOTE:  Papers will be reviewed for usage only to the extent needed.  Each usage error will be checked in the paper; however, we will not be providing a copy-edit of papers.

Each criterion is weighted equally. 

OR

Final Exam: The final exam is a comprehensive, to be taken in class.

3. Group Presentation (20 Points Possible): Your task in the group presentation is to prepare a presentation that you believe describes and analyzes a theory of differential school success using resources and a medium of your choice. Grading criteria to follow.

4. Group Mini-Reviews (10 Points possible): Your task in the Group Mini-Review is to participate in analyzing a short text given your group in class. You must participate in all the reviews but one to receive full points.

Grading Scale: 100 A+; 93-99 A, 90-92 A-; 87-89 B+; 83-86 B; 80-82 B-; 77-79 C+; 73-76 C; and so on.

This course both respects and adheres to the UCSC guidelines for academic integrity (http://oasas.ucsc.edu/avcue/integrity/)