Our Unequal Education System-Maya Creamer

It’s the first day of freshman year, the beginning of the next chapter of your life. It should be a time of celebration, of excitement. But when you walk through the front doors of the school, all you feel is anxiety. You know that you probably won’t finish high school. “Kids like you”, who come from families with lineages filled with high-school dropouts, who attend “dropout factories” where more than 40% of kids never earn their diplomas, don’t stand a chance. What’s the point of working hard, earning good grades, and getting involved if you’ll most likely be gone before you even reap the rewards? You feel like giving up, and you haven’t even reached first period.

         The situation I have just described is all too common in the United States. There are children and teenagers across the country who are trapped in this country’s education system, a system built for adolescents with advantages. To succeed, you need the support of your family, the ability to remain focused on your studies. You have to pick up material quickly, and possess not only the motivation to work towards your goals, but the knowledge that you can succeed. Everyone in this room is lucky enough to have been born into these circumstances. We have families that support us, and friends who want us to succeed. We go to a school where we are given the tools that we need for success, and taught how to use them. Unfortunately, many kids in the United States aren’t so lucky.

         The United States has a dropout rate of about 25%, and a population of about 73,000,000 adolescents; according to this statistic, over 18,000,000 of these kids won’t earn their diplomas. Our national education system promises “No Child Left Behind”, so why is it that so many of our youth get left behind and end up dropping out? Is it because they think that at age 16 they have already learned enough? Or, is it just the opposite-because they feel that our education system has failed them? I suspect that if you asked most high school dropouts, they would say the latter. Success in school is based on the ability to regurgitate learned information onto a piece of paper come test time; for students who struggle to do this, school is a nightmare. When you’re penalized for doing something wrong and only rewarded for spouting off the correct answer, it’s easy to get discouraged. School has become a competition to see who’s the “smartest”, one that an increasing number of students feel they are failing at.        

         This feeling of failure is devastating, both for each particular student and the world we live in. A high school diploma is a ticket to success in the real world. For many high school dropouts, it is nearly impossible to advance in the workforce; most will get stuck in entry-level positions, unable to earn a promotion because of their lack of a diploma. They are also at a disadvantage when it comes to salaries. A high school graduate makes an average of $28,000 a year, compared to the $19,000 salary of a high school dropout. That’s an almost 50% increase in earnings, all because of one piece of paper. That piece of paper could be the difference between the ability to support a family and falling below the poverty line; twice as many high school dropouts live below the poverty line than their peers with a high school diploma.

         This is awful, isn’t it? Now, don’t get me wrong, there have been many steps taken to try to improve our education system. Unfortunately, many of these measures have not been nearly as successful as people hoped.

         Charter schools and specialized programs like the Academy are a rising trend in the United States to combat our steadily decreasing academic success. However, I see a real problem with these programs. Pitting kids against each other in a ruthless admissions process often based on a simple lottery, making sure that only the smartest kids are eligible, and using taxpayers’ hard-earned money to guarantee the success of the select few lucky enough to be admitted doesn’t exactly sound like an effective plan to me. What about all those kids who are unable to pass the admissions test to enter these programs, or who aren’t chosen in the random lottery? Or those who are chosen to attend charter schools, but come from low-income families that can’t afford to pay upwards of $10,000 per year in tuition? They deserve a quality education as well!

         The question is, how do we guarantee an equal education for everyone? We can’t change America’s education system overnight, and motivating millions of kids to stay in school is a daunting task. However, we can get the ball rolling. If we start to encourage change at the local level, we are contributing to the eventual change of our entire national system. If you notice educational inequality occurring at Henry Clay, speak up. Talk to Mr. Quenon, or write the school board. They do listen to what we have to say, and despite the way it may seem, they genuinely want to do what’s best for the students. I believe that when the way the system works is changed to better serve the needs of all students, we will see a dramatic decrease in the number of high school dropouts.

         Also, probably even more importantly, remember how lucky we are.

We don’t live in a city like Chicago or Philadelphia, where poor urban neighborhoods feed into overcrowded, underfunded inner-city schools filled with kids who have no motivation to finish high school. We tested into the Liberal Arts Academy, a program that allows us incredible academic opportunities. We are surrounded by teachers and peers who want us to succeed and are willing to help us achieve our goals, and this environment breeds not only success and good grades, but a desire to work hard and become successful. We will all graduate high school, and most of us will go to college; we know that graduating from high school and attending a good college is the best way to start ourselves down the path to success.

         The difference between our educational experience and that of many students in the United States simply because of our circumstances is unfair. Yes, we may have earned our spot in the Academy through our test scores and yes, I believe that we deserve the academic opportunities we receive. But doesn’t every kid deserve to learn as much as they can in school, and be started down the path to success? There are many kids who are just as intelligent as us, but the current unequal state of the United States education system doesn’t allow them any opportunity to put that intelligence to good use. Remember this, and don’t let the fact that we have had an unequal share of educational opportunities become an excuse for intolerance.

         As Malcolm London, a young poet, activist and educator who grew up in the Chicago public school system, said in his poem entitled “High School Training Ground”, “I open the doors to a building dedicated to building, yet only breaks me down… labels like ‘regulars’ and ‘honors’ resonate…This is a training ground, to sort out ‘regulars’ from the ‘honors’.” He was an ‘honors’, as is everyone in this room. He came out on top, just like we will be lucky enough to do. But this does not give us the right to judge those who come out below us. We are built by our circumstances, and luckily for us, our circumstances are conducive to success. But others aren’t so lucky. Just as they don’t deserve to be denied a good education, they don’t deserve to be judged by those who entered this system with the advantage. Our education system does not benefit everyone equally, but we can change that, and make sure that it doesn’t prevent everyone from being treated equally by their peers. Everyone has potential; some kids just aren’t given an equal chance to let that potential blossom into success.

Works Cited:

- Duncan, Arne. "Interview with Education Secretary Arne Duncan." Interview by Jon Meacham. PBS Video. KET, 25 Mar. 2011. Web. 28 June 2014.

- Foster, Anne. "Time for detente between charter and traditional public schools." Phi Delta Kappan 95: 18-23. Web. 25 June 2014.

- High School Training Ground. Perf. Malcolm London. TED Talks Education. PBS, May 2013. Web. 28 June 2014.

- Swallow, Erica. "Creating Innovators: Why America's Education System Is Obsolete." Forbes. N.p., 25 Apr. 2012. Web. 28 June 2014

- Waiting for "Superman". Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2011. DVD.

Speech- James Jones

I would like to discuss an issue that we should all be familiar with. I aim to propose a few things and avoid boring you by actually letting you hear something new. My topic is the wealth gap that exists in the U.S., I’m sure you are all very excited… that pause was to allow the disappointment show up on your face while you anticipate listening to me drone on about the one percent but if you would lend your attention for a few minutes it would be much appreciated. People often avoid discussing the persistent wealth inequality in the U.S. because the discussion usually follows a manuscript of the same argument. However it is a discussion we must not avoid, we need to understand the problem and begin to take action.                                                                                          What is this wealth gap I speak of? Well it is the difference in the amount of wealth owned between the middle and lower classes and the upper class. Not only does the gap exist between these but also within the upper class itself, the “super rich,” as Anne Lowrey of the New York Times has deemed them, enjoys their well-earned title while the “middle rich” are beginning to fall behind. As somewhat privileged people we may not realize why any of this matters, we may not all have first-hand experience with the results of wealth inequality. The result is an increasing amount of those with virtually no wealth besides the clothes on their backs and a decrease of the wealth held by the middle class. As a nation fairly dependent on the middle class for consumerism and the health of the economy this is a big deal. In reality the strength of the middle class is a necessary component for a healthy nation, this is asserted by many economists. While those who own the companies creating products that the middle class would consume make more and more money that the middle class will enjoy very little of, they don’t realize that eventually there won’t be much money for  their most common consumers to buy their products.                                                                                                          To be able to fully understand why the wealth gap is actually a big deal we need perspective. Over the years the increase of the wealth gap has been a global trend. The U.S. is obviously not the only country suffering an unequal wealth distribution; however for a country that has always aimed to be the city upon a hill we haven’t been too successful. As the current world super power one would assume that our wealth gap couldn’t possibly be that bad on the international scale. Well, one shouldn’t assume anything, especially when considering that the U.S. is ranked fourth on a list of countries’ degree of wealth inequality. For clarification that doesn’t mean we are fourth most equal, it means that we are the fourth most unequal. Naturally the patriot would remember to consider those three countries that are worse than us, sorry patriot it doesn’t change the fact that we have to change. With this ranking in mind you should all be able to realize that something is wrong, and something, should change.   

This becomes the part of my spiel where you have the choice to give me a chance and listen, or, dismiss everything I say. Pick what you like, for the sake of our nation pick the first. We have options and proposals to solve this gap, nothing is guaranteed, but an action of some kind is needed, and that is non-negotiable. The idea of the rich being taxed more heavily than the poor is often proposed however many find it to be a waste of time and don’t understand why their money would have to be taken in order to help the inequality, after all that would be an unequal distribution of taxing. However the “many” neither think about the fact that the highest taxes would be collected from the “few” that hold the majority of wealth nor realize that the poor don’t have the money to pay the taxes that others have the ability to. I apologize if taxing a specific portion of people more seems unfair, but if life was fair we wouldn’t be in this predicament to begin with. Those at the highest points of wealth often take advantage of tax breaks such as donation to charity, if they receive higher taxes they seemingly could just donate more. Well, a decrease in said tax breaks would allow them to contribute to the bettering of the economy as well as the success of the charities they participate in. With more money flowing in from the wealthy the government is aided while a little bit of the strain is taken off of the lower classes. No solution has very immediate effects, however over time solutions can eventually lead to a better U.S. These are just my proposals, if you have a better idea I urge you to give it.                                                    

No one solution can be universally agreed on, but we should have ideas. If you disagree with the proposal I have already given I can give one more. Take your ideas and express them, as individuals we all have the ability to express what we believe, if you have a solution you must propose it to someone. As students you may not think that you could make much of a difference, but very soon you will be able to vote and participate in politics directly. Take advantage of that, go out and do what you can to change what you believe what must be changed.                                      

  I recently met a homeless man that made me happier than most people make me on a daily basis. He walked up to my car after I rolled my window down and greeted him. I handed him money while he thanked me, we talked for about thirty seconds before I had a green light and had to leave. I only gave him a few dollars which obviously didn’t solve his problems, but I wanted to help and I tried. The result was a change in both his and my mood; he was elated as was I. That little action of mine made a little change, it was really that simple. If you want to help with this issue, go forth and give it a shot, because the first step to ending closing this wealth gap is making an attempt.   

•Inequality for All. Dir. Jacob Kornbluth. Perf. Robert Reich. RADiUS-TWC, 2013. Netflix.  

•"Economist Thomas Pikkety Explains Why Income Inequality Is Just Getting Started." Interview. The Huffington Post. N.p., 16 Apr. 2014. Web. 19 June 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/16/thomas-piketty-inequality_n_5159937.html>. 

•Lowrey, Annie. "The Wealth Gap Is Growing in America, Too." The New York Times. N.p., 2 Apr. 2014. Web. 21 June 2014. 

•Davidson, Jacob. "Wealth Inequality Doubled Over Last 10 Years, Study Finds." TIME. N.p., 25 June 2014. Web. 26 June 2014.   

•Wilkinson, Richard G., and Kate Pickett. The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger. New York: Bloomsbury, 2010. Print.

Speech Emmet Allen

“I believe in life. I believe in human beings. I am the enemy of anything that deprives anyone of life.” These words by writer and pacifist Kenneth Patchen are as important in reference to current affairs in the Middle East today as they were to the atrocities of the Third Reich. Because of the moral importance of the preservation of human life, we must consider the best approach for our nation to take in regard to human rights abuses internationally.  

Currently, United States spending to aid Israel is quite substantial. This money is given in the form of grants that are claimed to benefit Israeli society, but can actually hinder development because of the strings attached. The money must be spent on American weapons, and it is estimated that because of the rise in acquisition costs, the grants actually cost the Israeli people up to 600 million dollars.

There are three main reasons that the current spending is unacceptable.

First, the money coming from the U.S. is often used in pursuit of violence in the region that is entirely unnecessary.

Second, Israel’s current actions are in direct violation of international laws that the U.S. supports.

And lastly, Israel is entirely capable of supporting itself without aid.

According to Amnesty International on August 4, 2014, since July 8 of this year 1400 Palestinians have been killed. This includes at least 252 children.

While there are very real threats for the safety of Israeli citizens, current initiatives are doing nothing to protect them. The people really being targeted by “counter-terrorism” are innocent civilians of the Gaza strip, not those affiliated with organizations such as Hamas. Indiscriminate bombings and overly enthusiastic displays of military power do nothing to defend against attacks, they only succeed in further loss of life, injury, and destruction.

The next issue to discuss is the blatant disregard for international law that has been illustrated repeatedly.

A January 31, 2013 article published by the New York Times discusses the issue.

The Geneva Conventions, which the United States fully supports, prohibit the transfer of civilian populations into occupied territory.

Israeli citizens have been incentivized to buy property in such territories, and have thus shown the lack of authority they find in these laws.

International laws such as those laid out in the Geneva Conventions are not made so that countries can choose which best suit their interest; the agreements made must be upheld and any action that the U.S. government takes to help in the violation of these laws works directly against its own interests.

Many argue that these problems are necessary in order preserve Israel’s economy and military dominance, which leads to my next point regarding Israel’s complete ability to defend itself.

David Bandow of the CATO Institute has discussed this issue in detail. The fact of the matter is that Israel has a powerful economy that is largely driven by its hi-tech sector. It is not economically weak and is in fact the most powerful military entity in its region. There are minor problems in the economy, but in relation to those of the United States they are very insignificant.

Because of the violence done by the Israeli military without justifiable goals, the disregard for international law, and the lack of necessity for US dollars, it is clear that funding should cease.

Bibliography

Life in Occupied Palestine: Eyewitness Stories and Photos, Anna Baltzer, CJME, 2005, film.

Israel/OPT: International Criminal Court key to breaking cycle of injustice for war crimes, Amnesty International, August 14, 2014. Web.

 

Cumming-Bruce, Nick. “U.N. Panel Says Israeli Settlement Policy Violates Law” The New York Times.  Print. January 31, 2013.

Bondow, Doug. “The Case for Ending Aid to Israel.” CATO Institute. Web. June 5, 2012.

Stringer. Smoke and flames are seen following what police said was an Israeli air strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. 2014. The Nation. Web. July 9, 2014.

Speech- Eliza Jane Schaeffer

Eliza Jane Schaeffer

Prison Reform

12/14/14

Logsdon 6^th hour

756 thousand.  That’s how many seconds are in a year. 66 thousand 137. That’s how many dollars are spent on American prisons every second of every year. By the end of my speech, about 34 million dollars will have been spent. And it is not as if the money is going towards something productive. The recidivism rate, or the rate at which released prisoners are re-arrested, is 76.6%. We might as well be burning 50 billion dollars every year. So what’s the problem? Why is our prison system so embarrassingly ineffective? Primarily, it is more punitive than corrective, which leaves inmates aware they have done something wrong but unsure of how to fix it. Then, once in prison, they are treated like animals, which is not conducive to repentance and reform. Finally, once they have completed their sentences, prisoners are simply let loose into the real world, a place nothing like prison, and they struggle to adapt.

After a bit of contemplation, the logic behind prison is flawed. You’re placing at-risk individuals in an isolated environment with other at-risk individuals. You’re introducing white collar criminals and drug users, people who have made mistakes that they now most likely regret, with murderers and sociopaths. In prisons, a twisted hierarchy develops in which those who can boast more offensive crimes take the top seats. Compared to Jeffery the serial killer, Bob the marijuana dealer seems fairly pathetic, and is thus lower on the prison totem pole. This negative environment is counterproductive to reform. A similar system develops in juvenile prisons, which compromises their effectiveness. A study at the University of Montreal revealed that young adults who “were sentenced to juvenile prison were 37 times more likely to be arrested again as adults.” Three of our last presidents have either hinted at or admitted to using drugs in their childhood.  How would their lives be different if they had gone to prison? A prison sentence is the ultimate time-out, but if you think back to your childhood, you’ll recall that time-out was never an effective punishment for bad behavior. My only misdemeanor I clearly recall is when I drew in crayon on our white carpet and had to scrub it out. The constructive punishment made it memorable. So we have two problems: First, prison creates a negative environment that is counterproductive for nonviolent offenders and juveniles. Second, sitting and doing nothing as punishment is not particularly effective. So, naturally I have two solutions. One: end juvenile prisons. Two: replace the prison sentences of juvenile and nonviolent offenders with extensive community service sentences, completed under the supervision of prison officials or community members. A study done by the Post-Release Employment Project found that when such a program was implemented, the recidivism rate decreased by 35%. This way, criminals are not only punished for their crime, but they are also shown the community they damaged when they committed it. And this punishment requires more effort on their part than sitting in a cell would require.

            Although it would not be feasible to expand this program to violent offenders, we should not forget them. They too have the potential to improve. Currently, however, this potential is seemingly ignored. Despite psychologists’ constant clamoring for a positive reinforcement environment, reform is slow and scarce. In Texas, the recidivism rate is nearly half the national average, and this can partially be attributed to the fact that they reward inmates for good behavior. Well-behaved inmates receive special privileges, instead of losing privileges when they’ve done something wrong. When leading behaviorist BF Skinner came up with the principle of conditioning, he found positive reinforcement, or the reinforcement of desirable behaviors, to be more effective.  Professor James Gilligan experimented with what he called an “anti-prison” in which prisoners were treated with “exactly the same degree of respect and kindness as we would hope they would show to others after they return to the community.” His prison included a re-education program and positive enforcement. Recidivism and incidents of violence nearly disappeared. The Texas prison I mentioned earlier also included career training, education opportunities, therapy, and drug rehabilitation. These constructive programs focus on reforming the individuals, turning them into productive citizens, making sure they won’t make the same mistake twice. Furthermore, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than half of repeat offenders are mentally ill. These people need help, or they’re going to keep following the same worn path they always have, a path that leads straight to jail.

The current system creates mental health problems rather than solving them. Solitary Nation, a Frontline documentary, explored the punishment mechanisms within modern prisons, and what it revealed is horrifying. Inmates who do not comply with prison rules are placed in solitary confinement. They are locked away in a small room for 23 of the 24 hours of the day and denied human interaction. This combination has extremely adverse effects on the mental wellbeing of inmates. The mental regression of one man was tracked over the course of several months. He began his time in solitary determined to make the most of it, but by the end, he was so desperate for human interaction that he slit his wrists and smeared the blood on the door to his cell. For most inmates in solitary confinement, self-mutilation is the only way to catch the attention of the guards, and as miserable as they are, they are willing to resort to desperate measures. Prisoners coming out of solitary confinement were mentally worse off than they were going in. The punishment for self-mutilation is more time in solitary. Thus, an endless cycle of punishment and deterioration is born. Supports claim that major offenders deserve this severe punishment. The Constitution of United States, which bans cruel and unusual punishment, disagrees. Anything that would cause a man to lose his mind certainly qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment.

            And then, violia! You have completed your sentence and you are released, free to roam. But what do you do? No money, no family, no job, no life skills, no home. That’s the cruel reality that many released prisoners face, and that’s why 50% of released prisoners are homeless. Housethehomeless.org joked in a recent article “How to be homeless: have a criminal record.” Suddenly four walls and free food doesn’t seem so bad, even if it means going back to prison. But that’s the exact opposite of what we want. We want them to leave prison changed men and women, ready to do their part for society. We don’t want them to come back, which is why there should be a program that assists released prisoners in adapting to life in the real world. This might include temporary shelter, job search assistance, and therapy. Yes, these reforms would cost money, but they would also drastically reduce the prison population, thus offsetting any additional costs.

Our gut reaction when we hear the word “felon” is one of disgust and contempt. But if we want to reduce the recidivism rate, we need to fight this instinct. We’re innocent until proven guilty in America, but these released criminals, who have already paid their dues, are treated as if they are guilty of crimes they have yet to commit. And that expectation creates a self-fulfilling prophecy and a vicious cycle. “Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody has those days.” We can thank Hannah Montana for this insightful comment, and I say that in the most sincere way possible. Prisoners are people, people who have made mistakes, and it is time we treat them as such. We need constructive programs and punishments, not dehumanization. We need a system that churns out productive citizens, not more criminals. In the end, reform not only saves money, it saves lives, lives that would otherwise be wasted sitting in a prison cell.

Works Cited

Granlund, Dave. "US Prison System." Dave Grunland. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2014. <http://www.davegranlund.com/cartoons/2012/07/24/us-prison-system/>.

Solitary Nation. Dir. Dan Edge. Prod. Dan Edge and Elizabeth C. Jones. Frontline. WGBH Educational Foundation, 22 Apr. 2014. Web. 19 June 2014.

Szalavitz, Maia. "Why Juvenile Detention Makes Teens Worse." Time. Time Inc., 07 Aug. 2009. Web. 30 June 2014.

Turner, Allan. "Study Praises Texas for Prison Reforms but Comes with Warning." Houston Chronicle 12 Apr. 2011: n. pag. Houston Chronicle. 12 Apr. 11. Web. 30 June 2014.

Zuckerman, Mortimer B. "Get a Little Less Tough on Crime." US News. N.p., 9 May 2014. Web. 30 June 2014.

"Are Prison Release Practices Creating Homelessness?" Reporting on Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http://www.reportingonhealth.org/blogs/are-prison-release-practices-creating-homelessness>.

"Asked About Marijuana, Paul Says 'I Made Mistakes'" Lexington Herald-Leader. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http://www.kentucky.com/2014/12/05/3577672/asked-about-marijuana-paul-says.html>.

James, Doris J., and Lauren E. Glaze. Mental Health Problems of Prison and Jail Inmates. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2006. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/mhppji.pdf>.

"Making More Effective Use of Our Prisons Through Regimented Labor." Hein Online (n.d.): n. pag. Prea Resource Center. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http://www.prearesourcecenter.org/sites/default/files/library/makingmoreeffectiveuseofourprisonsthroughregimentedlabor.pdf>.

"Positive and Negative Reinforcement and Punishment Effectiveness." Cognitive Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http://cogsci.stackexchange.com/questions/510/positive-and-negative-reinforcement-and-punishment-effectiveness>.

"Prison Could Be Productive- Punishment Fails, Rehabilitation Works." New York Times. New York Times, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Froomfordebate%2F2012%2F12%2F18%2Fprison-could-be-productive%2Fpunishment-fails-rehabilitation-works%3Fmodule%3DArrowsNav%26contentCollection%3Dundefined%26action%3Dkeypress%26region%3DFixedLeft%26pgtype%3Dblogs>.

"Recidivism." National Institute of Justice. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. <http://www.nij.gov/topics/corrections/recidivism/Pages/welcome.aspx>.

Viguerie, Richard A. "A Conservative Case for Prison Reform." The New York Times. The New York Times, 09 June 2013. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/10/opinion/a-conservative-case-for-prison-reform.html?_r=0>.

Speech- Amelia Caldwell

Our education is one of the most important aspects of our early lives. Its purpose is to help us be as successful as we can and want to be. The problem, however, is that not everyone achieves at the same level. Some students don’t even graduate and are not prepared to go on to college after high school. While one could argue that perhaps these lower achieving students simply are not as capable, it is more likely that other factors such as low socio-economic status and lack of opportunity are to blame. Schools haven’t figured out how to close this gap between the achievements of moderate to high-income students and low-income students or those learning English as a second language. This achievement gap is certainly a hot topic in education today. There is another hot topic, however, which just may hold the answer to the first and that is the topic of arts in education. At the very threat of educational funding cuts, parents are signing petitions, making phone calls and writing letters to argue that keeping arts in our schools is important. Sometimes, I wonder though, are people really aware of the benefits of the arts in our schools or do they just want their children to win the Best Band in the Land competition? The topic of arts in education is an important one. Studying the arts has proven connections to success in the classroom, but students from low-income families often lack accessibility. By including the arts with core curriculum in our schools, we can help to close the achievement gap.

Now you may be wondering, how on earth will the arts of all things, help to close the achievement gap. Let me tell you, that although the arts are underappreciated in the school system these days, they can alter a child’s learning patterns and capabilities for the better. Recent studies by Lois Hetland and Ellen Winner have proven that the arts have a correlation with certain academic achievements. For example, there is proven causation between the practice of acting in the classroom and improved verbal skills and between music listening and instruction and improved spatial reasoning. Spatial reasoning, the ability to position and orient ourselves in a daily environment, is related to traditional academic subjects such as math and science. Links have also been found between the study of dance and strong spatial reasoning skills, as well as between learning music and success in mathematics. There are other studies underway to show whether there is a correlation between arts education and school subjects such as mathematics, reading, and verbal skills.  Research conducted by the Dana Foundation shows that an interest in the arts leads to an increased motivation for success in the classroom. They also found links between high levels of music training and the ability to manipulate information from working and long-term memory; in children, there are links between music and skills in geometry. The intense study of acting leads to memory improvement. Finally, dancers’ use of observational learning of choreography is able to be transferred to other cognitive skills.

The PBS documentary, Arts and the Mind, directed by Leo Eaton, explores how the arts affect communities as a whole.  The first half of the program shows us how the arts help improve school performance of children, build creativity for problem solving and enhance learning capability. The brain is like a muscle, it needs exercise. It is the same as training for a sport. By studying an art, different parts of the brain are exercised to create one strong “muscle.” Studying the arts can act as a conditioning method for other types of learning and hones the brain for traditional academic activities.

Before attending high school, I attended a school focused on the arts where, in addition to having in-depth classes focused on nine arts areas, core curriculum teachers incorporated the arts into daily learning activities. They had us draw, sing, dance, and write poems. Although these activities may seem like “busy work,” they are actually quite helpful. Even this year I have a teacher who likes to incorporate artsy components for teaching. The topics we use these activities for are the topics everyone in my class has mastered the most. Taking notes and listening to lectures is not enough. We need a different way of learning that includes the arts. We need a rigorous curriculum that has the arts incorporated. We need to sing songs about derivatives in AP Calculus, and write poems about fast twitch vs. slow twitch muscles in Human Anatomy class. How am I supposed to know how to do a quotient rule derivative without the song Ms. Dewees taught me? If we incorporate the arts with our core classes, students will be able to learn the lesson more efficiently and will remember the content longer. 

Current core content in Kentucky requires schools implement the arts by requiring one credit hour of study in Arts and Humanities during high school. This is in contrast to the recommendation of Eric Jensen, author of Arts with the Brain in Mind, who says the arts should be considered a major discipline in education. Jensen demonstrates that the arts are assessable, brain-based, culturally necessary, inclusive, wide-ranging, meaning it can be applied to all subjects, have survival value, and have no detrimental impact on learning. There is proof that the arts can be a major discipline in school just like mathematics, science, and language.

The arts certainly have positive impact on learning for anyone who has access to them. Including arts-rich content in our schools is one way for low-income students to gain access. The National Endowment for the Arts did a study that found low socio-economic status students with a high level of arts education are more likely to graduate from high school, enroll in college, graduate from college, and are even more likely to register to vote than low socio-economic status students with a low level of arts education. The study shows that 96% of low-income students who attend schools with a high emphasis on the arts graduate from high school as compared to 78% of low-income students who did not attend a school with an arts emphasis. Not only this, but 71% of low-income students with a strong arts education attend college after high school while just 48% of low-income students from schools with minimal emphasis on the arts attend college.

The evidence is clear. An education rich in the arts boosts learning for all groups of students and has been shown specifically to narrow the achievement gap between high income and low income students. But how can we, as high school students, affect the achievement gap? We need to advocate for the arts in our schools. We need to share our artistic abilities with our classmates. We need to encourage our friends to become invested in arts-related activities, whether it is signing up for art classes, joining the choir, or auditioning for the school play. We need to equip ourselves with knowledge about the arts, and we need to share this knowledge with our parents, teachers, and school administrators. By speaking up and standing up for the inclusion of arts in education we can change the stereotypes society has formed about the students who take arts-focused classes and the success of low-income students in our community. We have the opportunity to better the future. Join me. Be smart. Fill the gap with arts.

 Bibliography

Arts and the Mind. Dir. Leo Eaton. TPT National Productions and Eaton Creative, 2012. Documentary.

Damasio, Antonio. “Art and the New Biology of the Mind.” Italian Academy Forum. Columbia University. 2006. Lecture.

The Dana Foundation. "Learning, Arts, and the Brain: The Dana Consortium Report on Arts and Cognition." wjh.harvard.edu. Dana Press, 2008. Web.

Hetland, Lois & Winner, Ellen. "Cognitive Transfer from Arts Education to Non-arts Outcomes: Research Evidence and Policy Implications." Handbook of Research and Policy in Art Education (2004): 135-62. www2.bc.edu. Taylor & Francis, 23 Feb. 2004. Web.

Jensen, Eric. Arts with the Brain in Mind. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2001. Print.

Speech - Meagan Hale

Final Exam Speech

            As 2014 comes to a close we look back on the year at both our accomplishments and our failures. On December 31^st, 2013 at 11:59 pm we promised ourselves that in the year to come we would be more organized, we would procrastinate less, lose weight, get all A’s, and overall just be a better version of ourselves. But how many kid’s New Year resolution is it to just get through another year? How many just want to go to school without getting beat up? Or teased to the point of no return? How many kid’s New Year resolution is to draw less attention to themselves in hope that they don’t get harassed? No one should have to wish for that.

“According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying and 160,000 kids stay home every day because of fear of bullying” (bullyingstatistics.org). Can you imagine that? Coming to school every day and instead of focusing on learning you are constantly terrified to step into the hallway where you may come face to face with your tormentor. Always looking over your shoulder, running from safe place to safe place hoping with everything in you to avoid being physically or emotionally attacked. Bullying is a pandemic that is discussed but never dealt with. So much so that a documentary titled Bully was made. The documentary follows several kids who are victims of bullying. Tragically some were so severely bullied that they took their own lives to escape what they felt was a never-ending nightmare. Why is a problem that is so widely known still existing? Is it because some kids will always be mean? Partially. The other part would be that no one is doing anything about it. Even in the documentary, teachers and principles admitted that nothing was being done. They claimed that there is no cure for bullying; that it can’t be stopped. Will we settle for that answer?

         My purpose is not to point fingers or accuse anyone of being a bully. I think of myself as incredibly lucky to be surrounded by my fellow academy students who are some of the kindest people I have ever met. I don’t believe that any of my peers are bullies. I do have a problem though, both with myself and with my fellow students. We do nothing. Last year during the first week of school, I came through the front doors excited for a new year, ready to see my friends, and thankful I wasn’t a freshman anymore. It wasn’t long before I started to see other students mess with the incoming freshmen who had enough problems as it was. I saw a boy with a backpack bigger than he was carrying books and papers and as if I was in a Disney Channel movie some guy smacks everything out of the kids hands. Everyone including me looked, but that is all I did. Looked. This kid had “bully me,” written all over him and instead of helping him I did nothing. Now I said I wasn’t going to point fingers but I am sure everyone has had one of those moments. I strongly believe we are all good people but when the discussion of bullying comes up we have a tendency to check out because we aren’t bullies. Here’s the issue. You’re right. You don’t beat anyone up for fun, and you don’t knock books out of their hands, or tease them for something they can’t help so yes, you are not a bully. You are something else entirely. You are the kid that watches another kid get bullied and does absolutely nothing about it. You don’t defend the kid, or shame the bully, or even tell a teacher, you simply keep walking. We are bystanders. So just remember, doing nothing at all is doing something.

         So here is what I am asking you to do. I am not asking you to go out and be Robin Hood or your friendly Henry Clay Spider Man, I just want to challenge you and myself to do something. Anything. To pick up the kids books, to tell the bully how ignorant they are being, to tell a teacher. It is our job to protect one another. We like to pretend that bullying isn’t that prevalent and it’s not a problem at our school, just at other schools, but that is how bullying has become such a destructive act, by pretending its everywhere but where you are. In 2015 and every year after make it a priority to stop bullying. One less kid afraid to come to school, one less family torn apart by a child who commits suicide to relieve their pain, one less kid to become a statistic.

Works Cited

Bully. Dir. Lee Hirsch. 2012. Documentary.

"The BULLY Project." The BULLY Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 June 2014.

"Bullying and Suicide." - Bullying Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.

"CNN Official Interview: Dr. Phil Talks about Bullying." Interview by Anderson Cooper. CNN. Atlanta, Georgia, 06 Oct. 2010. Television.

Vanderberg, Hope. Vicious: True Stories by Teens about Bullying. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Pub., 2012. Print.

"What Are the Effects of Bullying?" Pathstone Mental Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 July 2014.