millennica

We agree that high stakes testing is one thing that lowers the bar and is easily fixed. However, I am not hopeful that this easy fix alone will result in students being better prepared for college level work. Too may other factors conspire to keep that from being a reality. Complex situations require multi-pronged solutions and that to solve them we must heed Mencken

While I agree that high stakes tests are a contributing factor to students not being prepared for the rigors of college level work, they aren't the sole factor. NCLB was not passed until 2002. When I first began teaching in the UC System in the early 1990s, California did not have high stakes testing and even then many students weren't well prepared for college level work. The reasons for students not being prepared are complex. There is no doubt that a singular focus on test scores, particularly if teachers feel compelled to teach to the test, is problematic, but to my way of thinking that isn't the only reason students entering college aren't prepared to do college level work.

Information about Charles W. Luckie from HISD Connect website LUCKIE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

An article about Mickey Phoenix and the Luckie Elementary School Can Mickey Phoenix save Luckie Elementary? A stone's throw from downtown, where the East End and Third Ward overlap, there's a hippie living in a school house that blacks used to attend during the days of segregation. Her name is Mickey Phoenix. When I met her yesterday, she rose from her computer desk to greet me, and I realized she was wearing petticoats, because, as she said, "I always wear something that's at least 100 years old." The former Charles W. Luckie Elementary School is 100 years old, although the building Phoenix lives in only dates back to 1918, when the original Luckie school house burned down. http://blogs.chron.com/eastend/2007/07/can...e_luckie_1.html

The Davis no smoking ordinance has been in place for more than decade. Knowing Davis as I do, I doubt that the law will change.

The law is so restrictive that people say the only place it is possible to smoke is in one's home. Here's the municipal code that bans smoking in Davis. City of Davis Municipal Code Section 34.02.010. Prohibition of Smoking in Places Accessible to the General Public Smoking shall be prohibited in the following outdoor areas, except while passing on the way to another destination, within 20 feet or building of or close enough to the following areas for smoke to travel into an area or building, where smoking is prohibited, whichever is greater. Public events including, but not limited to, sports events, entertainment, speaking performances, ceremonies, pageants, and fairs Seating provided by eating establishments and bars Entrances and exits to enclosed public areas Within the entryway of any enclosed public area Stairways Within courtyards and other areas where air circulation may be impeded by architectural, landscaping, or other barriers Areas not open to the sky Any place where people are using or waiting for a service, entry, or a transaction, including but not limited to ATMs, bank teller windows, telephones, ticket lines, bus stops, and cab stands Any places where food and/or drink is offered for sale Children's play areas Public gardens Open windows of any enclosed public area

The City of Davis, CA has a city-wide ban on smoking. 6.6.1) Davis, California = No smoking zone. There is no smoking in Davis by city ordinance. Not in any business establishment nor within 20 feet of any business establishment. The only place you can smoke is in your own home.

Another big difference between UCLA and USC is that UCLA is a public institution, part of the UC System, whereas USC (University of Serious Cash) is a private institution that charges hefty tuition.

USC's main campus is in the West Adams neighbohood approximately 2 miles southwest of downtown LA. WA was once one of LA's richest neighborhoods. In the 20's when whites began moving to other areas, affluent African Americans began moving into WA and for several decades WA was home to affluent AAs. Over time as affluent AA moved to other areas of the city, WA became home to large numbers of working class AA who were followed by the growing Latino population. The areas contains houses of varied architectural styles. Currently, various sections of WA are being gentrified with people purchasing and restoring the houses.

I'm going to throw my hat into this ring both to try and understand the Texas Higher Education System and to explain the California Higher Education System. I understand the suggestion and sentiment of having UTAustin, Dallas, El Paso, San Antonio, and Pan-Am join Texas ATM, Texas Tech, and Houston as tier-one universities but wonder how the system would work since as I understand it these schools belong to different systems. I'm not saying it isn't possible just wondering how this would work since I thought the different systems had different governing boards. I know quite a bit about the system in California because I've been on the faculty of one of the UC schools for a while now and my spouse has been a teacher in one of the California community colleges for the same amount of time. All of the UC Schools--Berkeley, Davis, LA, Irvine, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Riverside and now Merced, the newest UC campus- belong to the same system with the same Board of Regents. That doesn't mean that aren't distinctions among the campus, both in tems of programs, prestige and rank, but to my way of thinking, the differences among the UC campuses are not as sharp as it is among the the various Texas Systems. Not to say that the California system doesn't contain a hierarchy; it does. Although all of the UC campuses provide a solid education and the individual campuses have different strengths-- if a student wanted to study agriculture the best UC campus for that is Davis whereas if a student wanted to study cognitive science, the best campus for that is San Diego--LA, Berkeley, SD, Davis are still considered to be the top schools with the others jockeying for a position in the prestige line-up. However, most of the hierachy exists in the three-tiered system with the UC sitting at the top. UCs receive more funding, charge higher fees, have higher admission standards, and can award the PhD than the California State University System. Although the California State University, the mid-level of the system receives less funding, charges lower fees, has lower admission standards that UCs and can only award the first two degrees- Bachelors and Masters Degrees, some of its campuses have programs that don't exist at UC, for example the Bachelors Degree in Architecture is only available at two Cal State Campuses. The third level-- the community colleges are open enrollment institutions that charge exceptionally low fees, award Associate Degrees and certificates in various fields. Each tier of the California System has its own governing board, and is charged with a specific mandate by the Regents, but because the system is all part of the larger system, it is possible for students to move among the three tiers with students moving from a community college where they might complete their lower division courses to one of the Cal State campuses or UC campuses. I'm not touting the California System or saying it is wonderful because having been involved in it for many years, I am aware of its many shortcomings and problems, that may not be visible to ousiders, but I am wondering how Texas with its multiple university sytems, UT, A&M, Tech-- each one able to award PhDs which in the university world equals quite a bit of power and influence would ever agree to merge, cooperate or even agree to equal funding. We have a saying in the academy that the reason the politics are so vicious is because the stakes are so low.

A recent publication of the National Center for Education Statistics examines the effect of part-time enrollment on degree attainment. The complete report, approximately 111 pages, can be ordered by writing to: U.S. Department of Education ED Pubs P.O. Box 1398 Jessup, MD 20794-1398 or call toll free 1-877-4ED-Pubs or order online at http://www.edpubs.org. The citation, executive summary, and one of the main findings follow below: Chen, X. (2007). Part-Time Undergraduates in Postsecondary Education: 2003

Students who attend UCDavis are called Aggies, too. This is because UCDavis was once only an ag school--originally founded in 1905, called the University Farm School and designed to give provide a farm and practical experience for UCBerkeley which offered coursework in botany and such, but nothing in the way of practical experiences. Not until 1959, did UCDavis become part of the UC system as a separate campus. Although it now offers a much wider range of majors-- including the only vet school in the UCSystem-- is still referred to as the ag school and subject to numerous jokes about being rural, backwards, and conservative, particularly when compared to its older more famous urbane, liberal brother UCBerkeley located 90 miles away.

It's good to hear that you agree with me on something, but notice that I qualified my statement with the word sometimes. Although I've never been one to try and change people, that doesn't mean that I won't argue my point and fight to the bitter end for what I think I've earned, which has frequently meant ending up in places where I haven't been wanted.

Yes indeed. Notice how the realtor responded to Calikid when he confronted her: denial. A typical response, "Prejudice, racism, bias? How can you say that? I don't agree." Oh how many times have I heard that response. The stories I could tell, but I'll spare everyone.

The "smooth and gentle" kind of racism is often the most dangerous and it is exactly the kind I was referring to in my previous posts on this topic, the kind I have frequently encountered myself and which I believe can be the most damaging. So "smooth and gentle" that you often don't know what hit you. I understand completely why you decided to walk instead of pushing the envelope to buy a house in RO. Sometimes you simply have to adopt a motto I've coined: The days of saving people from themselves are over. Even though I'm not a Houstonian, I hope you enjoy Houston, a city I'm hoping to relocate to in the near future.