| Topic: |
Sociology > Education |
| User: |
"Mike" |
| Date: |
18 Oct 2005 09:09:21 AM |
| Object: |
"Academic building blocks" |
Forum: Academic building blocks
Charles Murray wrote an opinion article on differences in racial
groups' intellectual attainments, "The inequality taboo," in the Oct.
12 Wall Street Journal
(http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110007391). I find it
unbelievable that in 2005 I have to respond to such incredible blather
about the differences between blacks and whites.
I vehemently disagree with the American Psychological Association
report that, "reached the same conclusions as 'The Bell Curve' on the
size and meaningfulness of the black-white difference ... about one
standard deviation in magnitude among subjects who have reached
adolescence; cultural bias in IQ tests does not explain the difference;
and the tests are about equally predictive of educational, social and
economic outcomes for blacks and whites." This is a "no-brainer": the
differences clearly are environmental and cultural.
To start, any class in child development will include information
about the Romanian orphans left in their cribs with no caregiver
stimulation. Unsurprisingly, this had an extremely negative effect on
the growth of their brains compared with babies who received lots of
caring human interaction. Their ability to interact also was severely
stunted.
The brain grows rapidly in early childhood. Children who receive
inadequate interaction, stimulation, nurturing and exposure to
activities that create the foundation for learning in the schoolroom,
will enter school on average 2 years behind their peers. No question:
This is not due to genetics but poor environment.
Many American children facing the greatest economic and social
adversity simply haven't received as much cognitive stimulation. It is
very hard to make up that loss unless a school systematically builds in
additional hours for remediation. How many? Very few schools provide
adequate intervention.
It is not surprising those subgroups, such as deprived black
children, are unable to outperform other subgroups on IQ tests and the
like. The brain, like a muscle, responds to exercise.
Disadvantaged youths do not use vocabularies as large as youngsters
from more advantaged environments. For the disadvantaged, school
becomes increasingly difficult. The gaps in ability widen. Many of the
disadvantaged give up.
This gap is precisely what No Child Left Behind aims to eradicate.
Every child can succeed. Unfortunately, too many enter the school
system way behind. These children's families need interventions,
high-quality preschool and a substantial amount of explicit classroom
instruction.
The bottom line: Children will experience about a year of academic
growth for each grade in school. When a child starts two years behind
and doesn't get substantial remediation to make up the difference, the
problem increases as the child advances in grades. For without a good
foundation in reading, the basis for all learning, the child cannot
master academic content. In schools, children need reading skills to
learn, starting at about third grade. Earlier, children are learning
the skills needed to read.
This is why there has been so much emphasis on reading in the
primary grades. Reading ability predicts school success.
Our brain grows like the rest of our body. It is critical that
underprivileged children receive additional stimulation from caregivers
outside the family to facilitate their intellectual growth so they can
catch up with their advantaged peers.
They need lots of instruction to make up for lost time. The younger
a child, the easier for him or her to absorb the reading skills that
are basic to academic success.
That is not to say children cannot make up for lost time in later
grades. But it is more difficult because more remediation is needed.
They must learn to read and master academic content.
I've read it is easier for kids to learn languages, skating and
bicycle riding at a young age. Their muscles are more limber and
perhaps they don't think as hard about the "what ifs."
These skills become second nature. I learned to skate as an adult.
It was much harder and I don't believe I will ever achieve the skating
skill I would have if I had learned as a youngster. I do know my
children can skate circles around me.
But I've been reading for many years and I never get anxious when I
pick up a book. No one should have to worry about that.
NANCY SALVATO
President
The Basics Project
www.Basicsproject.org
The Basics Project conducts nonprofit, nonpartisan research and
education to promote public awareness of important political, legal and
social issues
.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: "Academic building blocks" |
19 Oct 2005 06:29:11 PM |
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Mike wrote:
Charles Murray wrote an opinion article on differences in racial
groups' intellectual attainments, "The inequality taboo," in the Oct.
12 Wall Street Journal
(http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110007391). I find it
unbelievable that in 2005 I have to respond to such incredible blather
about the differences between blacks and whites.
Charles Murray was a loon who reached those conclusions
before he even bothered to do any research. Which is why
he's willing to cite the penis size and IQ guy.
I vehemently disagree with the American Psychological Association
report that, "reached the same conclusions as 'The Bell Curve' on the
size and meaningfulness of the black-white difference ... about one
standard deviation in magnitude among subjects who have reached
adolescence; cultural bias in IQ tests does not explain the difference;
and the tests are about equally predictive of educational, social and
economic outcomes for blacks and whites." This is a "no-brainer": the
differences clearly are environmental and cultural.
The APA never reached these conclusions. They actually
wrote a report picking apart every last lie of TBC.
.
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