Separate and Unequal: Funding for Failure
In Separate and Unequal: Funding for Failure in California Public Schools, guests explore how the widening “achievement gap” in California threatens the social, political and economic future of the state. What are the causes of this gap and what could be the consequences if it persists or grows? What strategies could be used to develop better education policy in California? Is increased funding sufficient? Guests explore what else is needed from a policy perspective to improve schools through equitable spending, while also describing teaching methods and school restructuring to improve student performance.
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Patricia Gándara is associate director of the Linguistic Minority Research Institute at UC-Davis and has authored books and articles on such subjects as peer-group influence and college-going behavior of low-income Latino and other ethnic minority students.
Mark Baldassare is director of research and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, and directs a large-scale public opinion project profiling social, economic and political forces at work in California elections and in shaping the state’s public policies.
W. Norton Grubb who has a doctorate in economics from Harvard, is now the David Gardner Chair in Higher Education at UC-Berkeley. His research interests encompass a variety of topics in the economics of education, and his books include Honored But Invisible: An Inside Look at Teaching in Community Colleges and The Roles of Evaluation for Education and Training: Plain Talk on the Field of Dreams.
Paul Bressoud is a history teacher and union leader at Eureka High School in Northern California.
Sehba Zhumkhawala is founder and director of Knowledge Is Power Program Heartwood Academy in San Jose, a tuition-free, open-enrollment public middle school that has outperformed both the state and the district on the standardized state tests by a dramatic degree.
Rosita Martinez is co-founder of Padres Unidos which was born out of a struggle at Valverde Elementary School in Denver in which parents removed a principal for refusing to stop forcing Mexican children to eat their lunches from the cafeteria floor as a form of punishment. Through Padres and its youth initiative, Jovenes Unidos, students, parents and families learn that the public schools have always been a reflection of the broader contradictions in American society.
William Hauck is a trustee and board finance committee chair of the California State University system as well as president of the California Business Roundtable, whose mission is to improve the state’s business climate through the direct involvement of private sector CEOs to identify and influence public policy. He has been a top aide to a Republican California governor and two Democratic speakers of the California State Assembly.
Separate and Unequal: Funding for Failure in California
Pre-listening
Before listening to this edition of A World of Possibilities, respond to the prompts below in order to ignite your background knowledge and connect the themes of this episode to your life experiences.
- What does social equity mean to you?
- Is it important to you that students in the
In this episode of A World of Possibilities, host Mark Sommer explores the growing achievement gap among students in
As you listen, think about the following questions:
- What are we talking about when we refer to an “achievement gap” among students? What are the causes of the achievement gap and what could be the consequences in the future if the gap in
- What strategies could be used to develop better education policy in
- What teaching methods are being employed in some
Listening Guide
Use the graphic organizer to record your thoughts as you listen to this addition of A World of Possibilities. Use the left side of the organizer to record the main ideas and supporting details presented during the show. Then use the right side of the organizer to respond to these points with questions, connections or applications that resonate with your life or work.
Dr. Patricia Gandara – Professor of Education, University of California-Davis
List the main ideas and interesting | Respond with questions, connections or applications to your life or work. |
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Mark Baldassare – Demographer, Public Policy Institute of
Main ideas and interesting points | Questions, connections, applications |
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Dr. W. Norton Grubb – David Gardener Chair in Higher Ed. UC-
Main ideas and interesting points | Questions, connections, applications |
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Paul Bressoud – History Teacher,
Main ideas and interesting points | Questions, connections, applications |
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Sehba Zhumkhawala and Rosita Martinez, Principal and Parent at a
Main ideas and interesting points | Questions, connections, applications |
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Discussion Questions
Dr. Patricia Gandara – Professor of Education at the
- How would you define the achievement gap?
- Patricia Gandara explains that Latinos and other immigrant minorities, as well as people of the underclass, are suffering most from the achievement gap. She believes part of the solution would involve addressing social isolation and the problems with middle class and white advantage? How do you think it would feel to be socially isolated? What would an educational system with social equity look like?
List the societal advantages enjoyed by the groups below:
Underclass | Underclass white | Middle class minority and/or immigrant | Middle class white | Upper class |
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Analyze the differences. What did you find?
- What strategies could be implemented in schools to bring about greater social inclusion?
- The story of Alex is an example of a bright kid whose social context hindered his college aspirations. Dr. Gandara suggests that adequate counseling and more attention to dealing with the challenges of his troubled community and home life could have provided a way for him to attend an Ivy League school. What elements might more effective counseling include?
- How can schools foster a more inclusive relationship between students of varied backgrounds?
Mark Baldassare – Demographer, Public Policy Institute of
- As the demographics of
- Describe the cause and effect relationship between the people we fail to educate today and the society we will live in ten to twenty years down the line. What will be the consequences if we fail to provide equal and adequate education to the full range of students in public schools today?
- What is functional literacy? What is citizen literacy? How can we teach citizen literacy?
- List what you believe to be the most important components of each term:
Functional Literacy | Citizen Literacy |
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Dr. W. Norton Grubb – David Gardener Chair in Higher Ed. UC-
- How did Proposition 13, a 1978 voter-approved initiative that dramatically reduced local funding for public schools, affect the quality of
- The dream of American education is an egalitarian system of schools across the country in which every student receives a quality education-- but enormous inequities remain. Dr. Grubb suggests that one of the greatest disparities is between what different schools demand of students. What should all schools require of their pupils? At the same time, what should their students expect of their schools?
- Why is equalizing spending not a sufficient solution to the inequities in our public schools? What else needs to be done?
- What is a learning community? How can learning communities facilitate citizen literacy?
Paul Bressoud – History Teacher,
- With current trends in test accountability and the growth of charter schools, competition between schools has dramatically increased. What are the positive and negative the effects of this competition?
- School accountability applies not just to administrators and teachers. What stakeholders in the educational system need to be held accountable for the outcomes of their efforts and how can their progress best be measured?
Sehba Zhumkhawala and Rosita Martinez, Principal and Parent at a
- How is the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) redefining the roles of school?
- What should be the roles and responsibilities of public schools in the 21st century?
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