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Module 9: Educational Equality in Hawai'i
Does educational inequality exist in Hawai'i?
What do the School Status Reports say?
Identify how socio-economic status effects access to education
Compare and contrast school status reports of Hawai'i DOE schools
Explore issues surrounding DOE public schools and socio-economic backgrounds
Examine the relationship between privilege and SES
In Hawai'i, because of high turnover rates and hard-to-fill areas, many of our schools have resorted to recruiting teachers from outside Hawai'i to fill vacant positions. This recruitment practice has proven to be a temporary fix, as many of these "outside" or mainland-recruited teachers tend to leave within the first 3 years of employment. Often the hard-to-fill areas are those on the Leeward Coast of O'ahu and other rural areas on the outer islands.
Last module, we looked at access to education across the nation, and this week we will focus on the idea of educational inequality and specifically what it looks like here in Hawai'i. You will be selecting two schools from two seperate districts to compare and analyze. Through this comparison, we will realize the ways in which social class, ethnicity, education and teacher-preparedness differ among various communities and ultimately access to education differ among various schools.
1. Go to DOE Hawaii School Status and Improvement Reports in ARCH
Then click on the School Status & Improvement Report
Then select a district and school from the drop down menu:
Each district will contain schools at the elementary, middle and high levels
Take some time to browse one or two school status and improvement reports before selecting the two you will compare
You will be selecting 2 schools (same level) from different districts to compare
Note: if you select a middle school from Leeward District, be sure the other school you choose is from a different district and also a middle school
Example: Ilima Intermediate School (Leeward) vs. Mililani Middle School (Central) or Nanakuli High vs. Kalani High
Review the two reports and compare/contrast the two
Answer the questions below in assessments for the two schools
Post your findings in forum 9
2. What do you know about Class and Poverty in the U.S.?
Take the QUIZ
Compare your responses to the Answer Key.
How did you do?
3. What does "privilege" mean? How does it relate to SES?
" Privilege means that some of us have advantages over others for any number of reasons we don't control — like who we are, where we come from, the color of our skin, or certain things that have happened in our lives. " (Laura Willard)
View the short COMIC - by Toby Morris by clicking on the image below and consider these questions:
How does this comic explain privilege?
What does the author mean in the quote below:
"Ultimately, success — or lack thereof — can be about hard work and other factors, some of which are beyond our control"
How might we relate this to our experiences in the classroom, with families, with our own peer relationships?
4. Choose one of the video clips from: People Like Us - a Flim by PBS about Social Class in America
Link to clips from People Like Us
Consider these questions:
What are some ways that people define class?
Recall some of the comments people made:
It's all about money; it's not about money; it's morals and upbringing; it's good
or bad manners -- knowing how to dress, speak, furnish your home, order food in
a restaurant; it's the people you grew up with; race has a lot to do with it; it's an
ability to live with servants; it's how big your house is; it's mental -- a state of
mind; it's an inherited social position; it's looks and popularity; it's the culture
you come from; it's where your daddy works or if your mother came out at the
infirmary ball in New York City.
What do you think about some of the observations made within the video clips?
How do you define class in your own community?
Just for fun......Check out the game below and try playing...see what it says about your taste and what it implies:
What were your results?
Do you agree with the findings? Why or why not?
What were some of the criteria used in the game and what is its basis?
More SES electronic games to check out
Whatʻs Due this Module:
Forum Discussion Quiz 9
What does it mean to be part of a particular class? Would you define your own class as blue collar? White collar? Working class? Middle class? How does stratification of class promote or prevent equality? Is it fair to say we are all equal? Are some more equal than others? And finally how does this translate in education? This week you compared two very different schools and looked at issues of class, socioeconomic backgrounds, education levels of community members and other important topics. Think about what this might mean for your future teaching. In what community do you see yourself teaching? Will issues of Socioeconomic Status be a factor in your teaching career? Think about what role you will play.
Leeward CC - Online Learning Resources
Leeward CC- Writing Center
Leeward CC- Learning Resource Center
Gender Issues in Schools
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