VERBATIM: Closing the belief gap (again)
Sharing the odds and ends in my timeline
Hello Good People,
Let me take you on a trip to Gary, Indiana, where something extraordinary is simmering at 21st Century Charter School. Now, this isn't just your run-of-the-mill educational experiment. This place is flipping the script on what we know about schooling. It’s not just about getting a few college credits while dodging prom dates and pop quizzes. This school is in the business of handing out full-blown college degrees alongside high school diplomas.
You might have heard of programs where high school kids dip their toes into college waters, snagging a few credits here and there. Standard stuff, right? But over at Believe Charter School in Indianapolis—where the warmth for students could thaw the coldest Midwestern winter—about 30% of the gang walks away with an associate's degree. That’s impressive, but 21st Century is pushing the envelope even further.
Enter Zion, a standout from 21st Century.
She’s not just cruising towards graduation in 2025; she’s set to bag a bachelor’s from Indiana University NW in special ed. Picture this: she’s been at 21st Century since kindergarten, snagged her associate degree before she even hit junior year, and now tutors the younger crews for cash. And when she crosses that stage with both her high school diploma and a bachelor’s in hand? The school’s already planning to bring her back, this time at the front of the classroom.
And, so that you know stories I’ve told you before are true, here are the two high school seniors who are licensed pilots now.
And….
Here are Khaya and Abram, two gifted students who moved from private schools to 21st Century to take advance of the college access. They are on track to be doctors in their early 20s.
Khaya started college at age 12. He had taught himself piano and Chinese by then. This month he will become Indiana’s youngest college graduate in history.
When I asked him if he could have achieved his college degree while attending his previous schools, he said no.
My goal in life is to close the belief gap that lowers expectations for young people in forgotten zip codes, so schools like this one, and students like these, keep me going.
Expect more about this story and others in the future.
REAL MEN TEACH: John Brown decided to get a teacher’s certification and enter the classroom - at age 55. [Chalkbeat]
VERBATIM:
In U.S. schools, we faced the palpable social, emotional, and economic impacts of COVID, and we were moved to reckon with the ways that racism pervades every aspect of American life — including education.
In this context, I was asked to step into the (then virtual) classroom as an African American studies teacher at Freire Schools. I was 55 at the time and had spent many years as a basketball coach and a member of the Academic Supports team at Freire High, and decades as an associate minister at a church in West Philadelphia. Having never been a classroom teacher, I would need to begin the teacher certification process and prepare to teach a very timely course during a tumultuous time.
It was daunting — and thrilling. Many arrows pointed to saying no, but two bigger arrows pointed to yes: my faith and the needs of our students. Now, more than ever, the world needs teachers who are brave and unafraid to tackle difficult content, such as racism and antiracism.
More Black teachers? Parents say YES!
A recent study by the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) has shed light on the essential role Black teachers play in the educational experiences of African American students. Surveying 1,200 low- to moderate-income Black parents, the report titled "Hear Us, Believe Us: Centering African American Parent Voices in K-12 Education” reveals a strong desire among Black parents for increased representation and leadership in education. Key findings indicate that schools with more Black teachers enhance parental involvement and lead to better academic and disciplinary outcomes for students.
Why is this important?
With 90% of parents advocating for greater input in educational laws and policies, the study underscores the need for community-centered approaches to foster educational equity and success.
VERBATIM:
Speaking of the UNCF
The largest Black Civil Rights organization in the United States (and one of the largest education organizations in the world) is working with HBCUs to create at least 150,000 spots for children to attend culturally-affirming, high-quality schools. That’s 150k brighter stories that will be told in the future, made possible by a partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies.
TIDBITS
[FOX] University’s first Black graduate hands granddaughter her diploma 59 years later.
[Post News] An epidemic of racial slurs against black students in San Francisco public schools.
[WaPo] Black college president says it’s time to fix Black-Jewish relations.
Alert: Disinformation Campaign Targets U.S. College Protests - [Wired]
A recent investigation reveals that a Russian disinformation network, known as Doppelganger, is exploiting the ongoing college campus protests in the U.S. to sow division and discord. The campaign, highlighted by researchers from Antibot4Navalny, has utilized fake news articles and bot accounts to amplify tensions. This effort includes creating fraudulent articles on websites mimicking reputable sources like the Washington Post and spreading unfounded claims financed by prominent figures. The disinformation strategy extends to digital platforms, including state-run media and Telegram, intensifying narratives that critique U.S. policies and stir political unrest.
Why is this important?
As the U.S. approaches another election cycle, the stakes for recognizing and countering these manipulative tactics are increasingly high, underscoring the need for vigilance in our media consumption.
VERBATIM:
Russia is not alone in this. Together with China and Iran, state media in the three countries have produced nearly 400 articles in English about the campus protests in the space of two weeks, according to NewsGuard, an organization that tracks misinformation online. These governments have also used social media platforms in an official capacity to boost their narratives. A post on X from Nasser Kanaani, a spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, depicted a student protester with the caption “Imprisonment of #freedom in the U.S.A.”
Disinformation around the protests has not been limited to foreign actors, and US-based far-right figures have boosted numerous conspiracies about Soros and others funding the protests, including buying tents for students, which have been repeated in mainstream outlets. But Russia is now seeking to build on those narratives:
“Doppelganger is using preexisting conspiracies about the protests and adopting and expanding it for Kremlin's own purposes, using multiple avenues for increasing support for Trump, while amplifying preexisting and adding its own criticism of Biden.”
As they say, stay woke.
Empowering Journalists Against Disinformation in the Digital Age
As the 2024 election approaches, journalists are confronting an increasingly complex battlefield of political disinformation, compounded by deepfakes and echo chambers. A recent webinar by the National Press Club Journalism Institute, part of a series focused on ethics and disinformation, provided crucial insights for reporters. Panel experts, including technology and democracy reporters from prominent news organizations, discussed strategies to counteract misinformation effectively. They emphasized the importance of deep community engagement, prebunking anticipated falsehoods, and the careful handling of generative AI-generated disinformation. With 53% of Americans concerned about the accuracy of news during elections, the webinar underscored the necessity for transparency and meticulous verification processes in journalism to uphold public trust and ensure informed voter decisions.
Monkeys, Shakespeare, and the Infinite Game of Chance
The scene: a group of Celebes crested macaques at Paignton Zoo, armed with nothing but a keyboard and a boundless opportunity to prove a wild mathematical theory—the infinite monkey theorem. This notion, cooked up by mathematician Émile Borel, suggests that given an infinite amount of time and random keystrokes, these monkeys could theoretically hammer out Shakespeare's entire portfolio. The result? A few pages heavy on the letter "S," and absolutely nothing that resembles "Hamlet."
Manon Bischoff's piece, "The Mathematical Case for Monkeys Producing Shakespeare—Eventually," takes us on a bizarre ride through this experiment. It's a story that blends the absurdity of monkeys on typewriters with the stark madness of infinite possibilities in mathematics. The macaques, bless their hearts, weren't just fooling around—they were unwitting participants in a cosmic joke about probability and time.
Enter Ergon Cugler de Moraes Silva, a data analyst who dared to calculate the actual odds of these primates—or any random character generator—accidentally crafting a line as iconic as "To be, or not to be." The numbers are mind-boggling. We're talking about waiting around 9.35 x 10^58 years, which makes the age of our universe seem like a brief commercial break.
Bischoff's exploration into this quirky corner of science and literature is a wild ride that shows just how outlandish theoretical math can get when it collides with the literary genius of Shakespeare. It's a reminder that in the grand scale of infinity, the house always wins, but damn, isn't it fun to play the game?
Kindergarten math is often too basic [Hechinger]
A Hechinger piece by Holly Korbey argues that traditional curriculums too often limit young learners to basic counting and shapes, potentially stunting their mathematical development. There is hope, though. Innovative programs like SpringMath in the Chichester School District are setting new standards. By incorporating advanced concepts and interactive activities into daily lessons, these initiatives are not only enhancing students' understanding of numbers but also paving the way for future academic success across all subjects.
Why is this important?
VERBATIM:
Kindergarten may be math’s most important year — it lays the groundwork for understanding the relationship between number and quantity and helps develop “number sense,” or how numbers relate to each other, experts and researchers say.
But too often teachers spend that crucial year reinforcing basic information students may already know. Research shows that many kindergarteners learn early on how to count and recognize basic shapes — two areas that make up the majority of kindergarten math content. Though basic math content is crucial for students who begin school with little math knowledge, a growing body of research argues more comprehensive kindergarten math instruction that moves beyond counting could help more students become successful in math later on.
The Trillion Dollar Equation
I must have been absent the day my schools taught about the very smart people who discovered math althogrithms that made them fortunes and generated wealth for many others.
I never learned about history’s richest mathematician. Jim Simons loved numbers more than toys as a kid, and it wasn't long before he was knee-deep in academia, snagging a Ph.D. from Berkeley at 23. But Jim’s wasn’t one to stay put. Teaching at MIT, breaking codes for the Pentagon—hell, he even got fired for calling BS on a glossy story about Vietnam.
He left academia to apply the bonds between physics and geometry to develop the Chern-Simons Invariant and flip Wall Street on its head. He started Renaissance Technologies, a hedge fund where scientists run the show and mathematicians call the shots, proving that the smartest guys in the room aren't always where you expect them to be.
I’m still digging into the story, but it bolsters my claim that we are valorizing all the wrong people in society. People like Simons use the power of their intellect to break advance entire industries, while others claim drinking bleach might cure deadly viruses.
Here’s a great video that goes deep on the evolution of the most profitable math equations.
Revitalizing Education in Pine Bluff: Friendship Aspire Academy's Impact
Greg Toppo pulls a long yarn in his The 74 piece about a bright spot in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, a city facing sharp population decline and educational challenges. The Friendship Aspire Academy is a beacon of hope and transformation. Housed in a striking building that once served as a church, this charter school has quickly become a cornerstone for the community since its inauguration six years ago. The school's commitment to robust educational programs, including extensive before and after-care, coupled with a focus on literacy and math, has not only lifted academic standards but also revitalized community trust.
Under the leadership of Principal Jherrithan Dukes and with a faculty predominantly composed of Black educators, the school emphasizes the importance of representation in teaching, which has shown to have profound benefits, especially for students of color. The impact of Friendship Aspire is palpable, with students consistently performing above grade level and actively engaging in enriching activities that connect their learning to real-world applications.
As Friendship Aspire Academy continues to grow, adding more schools to its network, it is redefining the educational landscape in Pine Bluff, providing a model of how targeted educational interventions can foster community renewal and hope.
How public schools can save themselves
Public schools are hit with a discordant symphony of issues. Chronic absenteeism of students and teachers. Declining enrollment. Fiscal cliffs. Teacher shortages. Lagging achievement. I could go on, but the point isn’t to condemn public schools. We just need to admit there are challenge and there are solutions.
That’s what Kate and I discussed on this week’s Citizen Stewart Show.
Check it out:
And that’s all, folks!