We are facing an educational crisis that has put our state and nation at risk of losing our competitive edge over other developed countries. Our traditional educational system is not producing the positive results necessary to prepare students with the skills, knowledge and values necessary to keep America competitive. In California, this is especially true for Hispanics which is the fastest growing segment of our society. Hispanics in California have an alarming dropout rate of over 50 percent, and only 25 percent of those graduating high school go on to college. Moreover, only 10 percent of those Hispanic students entering college will complete a four-year degree.
Nearly half the school-aged children in California are Hispanic. Their educational performance—particularly in science, mathematics and computer science—lags well behind that of non-Hispanic whites and Asian Americans. California must find a way to overcome Hispanic educational deficits because the state cannot afford to have half of its future workforce unable to take the jobs that are most supportive of the state’s economy, namely science and technology-based jobs.
Factors at every point in a Hispanic student’s education from pre-school through graduate school contribute to the current end result—inadequately educated Californians. Solutions cannot, therefore, be piecemeal. They must address the whole educational pipeline. Yet, our educational system is piecemeal. State standards are an attempt to bring some coherence to the system, but standards alone are far from enough.
The breaches in the pipeline must be eliminated through improvements in teaching and learning, alignment of curriculum, provision of timely academic assistance, creation of a clear pathway for students from pre-school to graduate school to the workplace, and through other innovative means.
As a response to this challenge of educating Latinos and other underserved and underutilized populations, the National Hispanic University (NHU) was established over twenty-four years ago. A private, four-year WASC accredited university in East San Jose, the strategic vision of NHU sees Hispanics, other minorities, and women earning an undergraduate degree or certificate while participating in an invaluable multicultural educational experience leading to educational achievement, career success and economic self-sufficiency. In this vision, NHU serves as the premier institution addressing the critical under-representation of Hispanics and others from underserved communities in higher education and the professions while sharing effective practices with other higher education institutions across the country.
In 2001, NHU established the Latino College Preparatory Academy (LCPA), a small San Jose charter high school for English language learners situated on the NHU campus. The NHU and LCPA connection has created an eight year “pipeline.” Students at LCPA, starting in the 9th grade, move seamlessly through high school and then on to complete a baccalaureate degree, all on the same campus. This model for Hispanic students addresses the dropout problem, academic achievement gap, college-going rate and parental involvement “head on.” This year, the LCPA posted some of the biggest gains in the county on statewide tests. Both schools are now engaged in strong recruitment drives meant to help even more of East San Jose’s most underserved community achieve college success. NHU is a developer and deliverer of innovative higher education solutions and the LCPA has joined it to stunning success at the high school level.
Nearly half of LCPA’s graduating classes over the last two years are attending NHU. Also significant: nearly all of LCPA’s teachers have taken classes at NHU, as have teachers in neighboring school districts.
NHU’s ambitious administrators are planning to double enrollment at the university—which opened a sparkling new campus in 2004—and have recently launched a three-year, $12 million drive, “Illuminating the Future,” in order to effectively serve its present and future student body
First Lady Maria Shriver recently visited NHU and has become a strong proponent of the two schools-one campus theory being pushed by the schools. She was so impressed by NHU students and a meeting with several LCPA student journalists and poets on the high school’s award-winning extracurricular activities that she lobbied—successfully—for my appointment to the California State Board of Education. LCPA Principal Jesse Barajas also won a seat on the state’s Charter School Board.
The innovation, engagement and student-centered learning at NHU and LCPA are fostering successful academic and economic futures for Hispanics in California. One hundred percent of LCPA students who took the Spanish Advanced Placement tests last May passed. This year, at least eight of the current seniors will be applying to Harvard, Princeton, Stanford or Yale. The majority of LCPA students list NHU as their first choice and students like Esther Larios, the founder of LCPA’s nationally-ranked student newspaper, will be attending NHU next fall.
The educational innovators at NHU believe what is needed is a system of linked educational institutions creating the seamless pipeline from pre-school to the workforce. NHU is working with The Latino College Preparatory Academy and feeder schools to align curriculum and provide college credit for some high school courses. The university is developing relationships with other universities, including graduate institutions, to facilitate student movement from undergraduate to graduate study, and is designing a special program to instruct educators in effective methods for teaching science and mathematics to Hispanic and other educationally underserved students.
Building upon these efforts, San Jose middle schools that feed into the high school districts that, in turn, feed students into NHU and San Jose State University—with whom NHU partners on several joint educational endeavors—will serve as the network of sites to apply scientific methods to the long-term testing of best practices in the teaching of science, mathematics, and computer science. This breakthrough effort provides a framework for the large-scale, longitudinal deployment of best practices that are needed to effectively improve Hispanic higher education outcomes in the state and other communities across the country.
The results of its breakthrough success in higher education achievement are evident: over the years many dedicated and hardworking graduates from NHU/LCPA continue to prove that the shared campus “is a place where dreams come true.”
David Lopez, Ed.D., is the President of National Hispanic University on Story Road in San Jose. An educator with 33 years of experience, 28 of those in higher education, he is a member of the California State Board of Education.
Just in…….
Chuck Reed will announce tomorrow that Madison Nguyen will be his Vice Mayor!
Oh, how comforting it must be to believe that Hispanic academic failure is because they’ve been, along with “other populations,” underserved by our school system. Had I awoke this morning in a partially-vegetative state Mr. Lopez’s essay might have convinced me that it has been our schools—and not Hispanic students—who’ve spent the last forty years racking up all those “F” grades. In the fog of cognitive atrophy I would have forgotten all about the parental negligence that has contributed to four decades of Hispanic students’ academic indifference, hostility to the culture, and chronic absenteeism. In the hum of the flat lining EEG monitor would have been lost the memories of young people choosing gang life over the gift of education, unwed pregnancy above unprecedented opportunity, and racial pride over everything else.
As a product of the very schools that local Hispanic activists have criticized in the press, the courts, and political arena, I am very much aware that not all schools are created equal. In fact, that reality was made clear early on by the popularity of Catholic schools, even amongst low income parents (many of the Hispanic) who had to struggle to pay tuition. Nevertheless, nothing in my experience ever persuaded me that student success, even in an imperfect public school, is anything other than the direct result of student effort.
Oh, I’ve heard the stories about dream-destroying teachers and racist, pigeon-holing counselors, I just never heard about them from any of my classmates. Such recollections are great for self-identifying victims and race merchants, but when you consider that some districts (East Side Union High School, for one) have for forty years employed minority outreach counselors who spend their days making home-calls to truants and counseling indifferent parents, such heart-tugging recollections lose their credibility.
If anyone has underserved this area’s Hispanic students it’s been Hispanic parents, racist rabble-rousers, and well-schooled apologists—not our schools.
Wow, big readership today……doesn’t anyone care?
You know Dad, I never knew you were such a terrible role model. I senced that the drugs you were taking would lead you to this.
My friend Pedro could not belive you were who you post as.
I called Mom. She said that is why she left you.
Please get help. Frustration can be cured
Your loving Son
Just in…….
Chuck Reed will announce tomorrow that Madison Nguyen will be his Vice Mayor!
Posted by just In
Monday, November 20 at 08:46 AM
Ummm…sorry “just in” but you need to rethink your sources…Madison endorsed Cindy..therefore, she’s not looking too good in Chuck’s eyes right now…If he takes the safe route he’ll go for Pyle, Chirco, or Williams…if he takes the smart route he’ll be announcing Dave Cortese as our next vice mayor…and Chuck’s a pretty smart guy…
People who live in Mexico and elsewhere throughout the world who want a better life will find a way to America. It’s a reality.
If the circumstances were such that crossing a boarder was the only hope for a better life for me or my family, I would do the same. Would you?
Finding a better life has been the nature and motivation of we humans for thousands of years. Such conditions and motivations drove desperate souls filled with hope and dreams to set sail from the shores of Europe to discover and settle a new land.
In today’s world, the question is: How do we in this country harness and develop the intellect, creativity and genius of those who are here to compete in today’s markets… teach and motivate our young… and continue the dream we all share?
Understand this, focus on this, and work to make it a reality and all of us will realize the dream we all share.
Three of the four you mention also endorsed Cindy…. why would they be a better choice?
Maybe he wants to reach out to the Viet community…….
Thank You Dr. Lopez,
Your eloquent approuch to our sensitive Village, fills me with the thought to reawaken my sprit as when I was inspired 40 years ago by Hank Lopez.
We were all farm workers. That is to say we were commited to feeding hundreds of thousands of people with our labor of love. My fondest memories are picking extra fruit or pickles on Sunday for our own canning. Every thing was canned. Wine was made, animals were shared. Many days much of what was prepared was made into Dishes which were shared and carried home by friends and neighbors.
I never knew anything other than an A on my report cards.
In my 7th grade we moved to town. It was foreign, and cold.
I soon found my place and while I did not now belong to the schedule of my earlier years, I found I had to defend my integrety.
I found my place in the chores of being a Mercury News Carrier. While I did not respect the product, I respected my ability to deliver my chosen product.
Since this post is about product that will ultimately knock on your door, that is where my post must share.
For many years, my family and I would gather up our bronze Gallery and set up at the Hispanic Festivals. I need say that the GI fourum were oblivious to our contribution.
Mr. Castillano, the 149 million dollar winner would take movies of our setups year after year as a member of the GI forum.
The look on Mexican Children’s faces as they marveled at the polished bronzes, and looking up to find my face or that of my family, made the connection for a village in transition.
For years I tried to help the 7th graders. That happened to be my hardest transition. I adopted Peter Bernet.
I begin to research why some districts did well when others did not.
It was not until Mary Andrade,La Oferta Review and Yoland Renolds writer for that publication entered my life that I found the most henious situation that existed under our very noses.
Lead exposure, from the very homes and from the yards where these babies played while at the age of hand to mouth.
Those of you that know what lead in a babies blood will do to brain development may remain silent. Those of you that care about Mexican Children in slums and old housing need but to go to home club and purchase lead monitors. Start with your own homes. Tell friends about the horrors of a brain deformed by lead from the birth date to 6 years of age. Never to become normal under any circumstance.
Please see http://www.leadastray.org
There are children 20 years old that were saved by the grass roots knowledge of awareness about lead exposure.
The labs in the East side must be made to conform to law, yet while many of the high lead subjects were attempting to secure their lead levels, none were forthcomming and or difficult to obtain. WHY?
The class action continues. Presently there are 5 families that are a part of this action.
I could be very direct with the responsibility of who should have championed this cause, but I will only say that A woman and an advocate designed the EPA action.
Together we must raise minds that will fill our Universities.
Dr Lopez, you are to be congratulated and saluted for your love of community and care in what is to become of our Children.
I hereby dedicate the next 20 years of my life to the exposure of the exposure of lead contact to babies from housing and playground exposure.
The Village Black Smith
Interesting that only Hispanics can teach English to Hispanics. And that only Hispanics suffer from what is undoubtedly an expensive and entirely useless K-12 public “education” system. Half the students at SJSU take remedial English and math after 12 years of just sitting there listening to badly trained “teachers” and useless text books that offer no real method for learning. Even a third of Cal students take remedial classes—and over two thirds of community “college” students are in remedial classes, some designed for readers at the 3rd grade—after 12 years and a “diploma”. Perhaps Hispanic students are more easily discouraged than Asians and whites. There is no need for an Asian National University for reluctant students. Anyway, how do HNU grads compare to Stanford, Cal and even SJSU grads? (A recent article in the Murky reports that no one gradutes from the CC system.)
What’s the special methodology used at NHU, other than Hispanic role modeling? Who accredits the place? Senor Lopez has an EdD.—oh, oh—and I’ll bet it’s from USC. Lots of words, lots of “special terminology”, very little real info. George Green, AA, BA, MA, UC Berkeley, English and Linguistics.
What do you think the [vice mayor] will do now? anybody know
I think she’s going to have to get that churro cart out of her garage and really work now & that breaks my heart.
good job boys and good luck Chuck.
keep mac close he can only help you!
Lead levels.
Try “EPA Lead levels”. “Children at risk”. “Blood Lead Poisioning of Children” All under EPA. Welcome to our Village!!!
Gil
#7 Gil Hernandez says in regard to academic performance,
Lead exposure, from the very homes and from the yards where these babies played while at the age of hand to mouth.
One area of lead exposure that is overlooked in East San Jose is the Reid-Hillview (RHV) airport. General aviation fuel contains 2 grams of lead per gallon, which is 4 times the amount of lead that used to be in car fuel, and 75% of the lead is emitted into the atmosphere via the exhaust.
At RHV, each year, between 60% to 70% of all aircraft operations (takeoff and landing equal 2 operations) are from aircraft simply flying in circles practicing takeoffs and landings. Consequently, the lead pollution from these aircraft shower onto local residents and their yards, gardens, playgrounds, schools, etc.
http://www.airnav.com/airport/KRHV
An environmental group recently filed a petition with the EPA to remove the lead from GA fuel since it can negatively affect communities adjacent to the airport.
“In a petition filed on October 12, 2006 Bluewater Network urged the EPA to reduce or eliminate lead from general aviation (non-jet) aircraft fuel—something it has failed to do despite the well documented human health impacts of lead exposure. As a result of the use of leaded aviation gasoline, people at or near general aviation airports may be exposed to elevated levels of lead.”
http://www.bluewaternetwork.org/campaign_gw_lead_fuel_aviation.htm
Current medical research is showing that any amount of lead in the blood of children younger than 6 can result in permanent cognitive impairment.
http://www.reidhillview.com/bloodlead1.pdf
Additionally, I have researched the lead pollution, and the economic damage, caused by RHV. These links contain that data.
http://www.reidhillview.com/#9 Lead
http://www.reidhillview.com/#1 Economics
http://www.reidhillview.com/#11 Economics
http://www.reidhillview.com/links.htm#sat Satellite photo of RHV
http://www.reidhillview.com/ General RHV information
Of course, airplane noise has also been shown to negatively affect academic performance, but that is another subject.
http://www.reidhillview.com/#10
It is more than apparent that a recreational airport does not belong in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
Have a merry Thanksgiving everyone.
Thank you for your post Mr. Lopez. It is always uplifting to hear success stories from our community – especially when it comes to academia. Best of luck to you.
#2ff
Right or wrong, Mr. Lopez is doing what he thinks will work to solve the problem. He is educating some “at risk” kids and trying to make San Jose a better place to live. Would you please tell us about what you are doing to help problem children or any other projects in which you volunteer. What are you doing to make San Jose a better place?
Mr. Lopez, your insight into improving LATINO education is just like the requests for all other highly specialized programs, give us all the tax payer money we want and don’t try and over see what we do. I find race based education to be terribly bigoted and closed minded ie, support for Aztlan etc.
The Latino community is a net burden to the tax payers of this country and I as a European American
will not accept ANY blame for this. If you want a PRIVATE institution then have a PRIVATE institution, stay out of the taxpayers wallet.
The cost of the Latino community trying to find itself has already come at too high a cost to my community and I am quite frankly tired of an already dumbed down educational system so “under represented groups” won’t fall behind. I also have to deal with an educational system that needs to make “under represented groups” feel better by bashing whites specifically and America generally without any understanding of what that does to European American children.
If your experiment does not work, who will you blame next. Your lack of desire for Latinos to be Americans first is short changing everyone.
JTF (#14),
Before assigning me the task of justifying my right to express the criticism contained in my post, it might be a good idea for you to reread what I actually wrote. My criticism had nothing to do with the school and everything to do with Mr. Lopez’s blatant, self-serving scapegoating of the public school system.
Though you may be quite willing to award victim status to any minority with the chutzpah to claim it, I’m not. The disproportionate failure of Hispanic students in California is not because they are victims, underserved, or exposed to toxic substances. To suggest otherwise does real harm to efforts to put hard work and personal accountability back into the how-to-get-ahead equation, not to mention being terribly unfair to many dedicated educators (current and retired). No upgrading of textbooks, reduction in class size, or lowering of grade standards could do more to improve Hispanic academic achievement than would an increased emphasis in the home on education and personal discipline.
Mr. Lopez may well be “doing what he thinks will work to solve the problem,” but by choosing to lay the blame on the public schools for the particular failures of a unique group he does a great disservice to the truth that serves real solutions.
#16 ff
Please reread what I actually wrote. I awarded no person the status of victom. I only asked that you share with us what you are doing or have done to make San Jose a better home. Give us a feel for where your priorities lie. Do you volunteer on local non-profits, serve on local boards, sit on city commissions, volunteer at public schools or all of the above? In San Jose, what is important enough to make you give freely of your time and money?
Just The Facts,
I absolutely understood what you wrote. You came to the defense of a man justifying his institution, in part, on the assumed victim status of Hispanic students, then challenged me for having the audacity to single out that assumption and criticize it. So, tell me, how else was I to read your reaction? If you didn’t agree with Mr. Lopez’s contention, why would you have questioned my comments?
As for the biased, unsubstantiated standard you created (Mr. Lopez as the altruistic provider of an otherwise unobtainable education), why would I even think of responding? Obviously you equate volunteering with credibility (I don’t), but are you suggesting Mr. Lopez is a volunteer, or that his school does not put cash into the pockets of scores of educators and administrators? If that was your assumption, I have to wonder why? Is it because he is a minority well-versed in the lexicon of victimology? Geez, is that all it takes to make you swoon?
As for my priorities, that’s simple: try my best to question all assumptions, sort out what truth is there, and criticize buncombe whenever it crosses my path.
Three of the four you mention also endorsed Cindy…. why would they be a better choice?
Maybe he wants to reach out to the Viet community…….
Posted by to #5
Tuesday, November 21 at 08:52 AM
This is true…I am sorry I was not clear; Nguyen’s way of endorsement was a lot different then that of Williams, Chirco, or Pyle…madison was predicted to endorse Chuck along with the majority of the Viet community..but many were shocked to see her jumping on the “Go Cindy” bandwagon…
And I completely agree that it would be nice to show the diversity of the city through the selection of our elected officials, but in the case of Madison her lack of experience combined with her lack of clarified goals or intent for the City of SJ would not be smart…we shouldnt elect people to office based on their race and community affiliations…Image does play a MAJOR role in politics, but so does intelligence
Williams, Chirco, and Pyle are councilmembers that play it “safe” usually..not much drama comes from their offices (forgetting the whole Pyle/Campos calling out of Cortese in relation to lobbyist meetings, which was a complete scheme that played out days before the elections)…They are potential vice mayors because they surely won’t get in Chuck’s way…
And then there is Cortese..he has 2 years left in office…he shares the same goals and morals as Chuck…and he really wants to see a change in City Hall…we know where he stands on issues and we can be assured that another NORCAL or COMCAST scandal won’t come from Chuck and Cortese..the only thing I see that could be an issue with this would be the fact that if Cortese is selected, it may be argued that a woman should have been vice mayor….
But, hey we’ll see..
#20,
Thank you for volunteering your brain as a classroom exhibit in today’s installment of “Understanding Cognitive Limitations.”
In an almost made-to-order demonstration of emotional bleed over, you seize upon the term “Hispanic failure” and, ignoring its prominence as a factor cited by the essayist, take it so far out of context that you wind up a race-fueled fog. Contrary to your opening paragraph, no “myths” are on the table here, and just because a problem can be quantified as a fraction does not render it insignificant (something a half-wit shouldn’t need to be told). Context and comprehension and contemplative thought are really important elements in public discourse and in life, even if they are, like our culture, on the wane.
When an educator writes that Hispanic classroom performance “lags well behind that of non-Hispanic whites and Asian Americans,” then respondents do not deserve to be attacked or accused of targeting Hispanics for referring to the issue as “Hispanic failure.” That you, allegedly a college-level educator, did so with such obvious emotion sheds light onto why, in a society where group difference is emphasized, hard truths about group problems are so rarely discussed honestly. Your inability to set aside your racial identity and conquer your prejudices is not the exception, it is the rule—a rule that, in fairness, applies to people of all races (which is why our society depends on the laws, standards, rules, and requirements that minority groups often view as unfair obstacles).
In attacking those who criticized aspects of the Lopez essay you resort to some of the same muddled, self-serving rhetoric he used. There is nothing extraordinary about the circumstances faced by Hispanic students. There have always been poor people in America, always been newcomers, always been resentment. Likewise, there have always been disparities in the educational institutions serving them. Traditionally, obstacles to success have been viewed in this country not as a great injustice, but as an integral subplot in The American Dream.
The idea that failure is a product of society rather than the individual is easy to claim, difficult to disprove, and shamefully overused.
You identify yourself as “not Hispanic.” Okay, I guess that is supposed to mean something… to somebody… somewhere. Instead, you inform us, you are “Chicano” or “Xicano.” Wow! I would’ve thought, from the way you separated yourself from people of European descent, that you were a pureblood Native American. Could it be that you, a Chicano, don’t realize that you too are of European descent? If the idea of that disturbs you and your comforting, divisive identity, don’t go near an Atlas or you might bump into your surname on a map of Spain.
It is at times like this that my joy and safety for our Village reaches it’s peak.
To have such gifts as Dr. Lopez, Ben Beacham, and Responce2the ignorant.
Jack VanZant, Tom Mc, Chuck Reed, Sam Licardo. and of course all of you. Today is truly a day of Thanks.
I was awakened by a magnificent sun raise. There will be much for my beautiful family to share today. My choice to share with my industrious children will be the Hope that eminates from this web site.
When Hope is near, can Happiness be far behind.
Happy ThanksGiving!!!!
The Village Black Smith
How comforting it must feel to believe that being of European decent ensues entitlement. To make claims to Hispanic failure would be like claiming that all white people are racist. Each of these groups would like to buy into the other’s popular myth without a doubt. But that’s the trouble with these sorts of myths: only a fraction of a fraction of them is true.
There is no Hispanic failure. I am witness only to Hispanic success. What country are you all living in? Oh, yeah, a country that influences the opinions of its citizens through popular media by overexposing them to recurring negative images of an already disadvantaged group of people. If you had a sliver of human decency inside yourself and actually sat down with a young Hispanic, you’d see the brilliance they possess and the ambitions they seek to accomplish. But why would you do such a thing? I don’t blame you. I would avoid being stood corrected.
Hispanics are such an easy target because of their visibility. If Canadians were swarming the States and were of a high profile, you’d blame everything on them, too. You’d call them failures, too, if they weren’t doing anything less curing diseases. But Mexicans are the ones immigrating into our country, not Canadians—probably because they would like to keep away from people who have world views like yourself.
Funny that when I think of Canadians, I don’t think of them as a dumb lot. But I don’t think of them as a smart lot either. Ever think about that one, Media Spounge?
If there is any reason why Hispanics do not realize their full-potential, it would mostly be because of our public education. Public Ed dumbs them down. Public ed squashes their hopes, especially when it’s contaminated by narrow-minded folks like yourself. But I’ll tell you what. For years I taught college-level English courses to white children coming from the same public education system as “these” Hispanics you’re so bent on deeming unintelligible. I was not impressed by your alledgedly successful white students. So yes, I think the public school system has something to do with this.
I do give you that there are some Hispanics who make poor personal choices that negatively affect their lives and the image of the people. But given their circumstances, what choices do they have? Especially living in a country full of people who would rather annihilate institutions such as The National Hispanic University, which serve to give these youths a positive alternative.
And to the person who thinks it’s interesting that only Hispanics can only teach other Hispanics English. Did you not read the writing of the above philistines? Apparently the white person who taught them English did a swell job.
I, by the way, am not Hispanic. I’m Chicano. Sometimes Xicano. But is the latter too Mexican for you?
FF
You make too many assumptions-I didn’t support or negate your comments or Mr. Lopez’s, I simply questioned if your actions match your words. Unless you site your contributions to our city, we will understand that you make none.
JTF (#23),
So, you’ve questioned if my actions match my words. What words, I wondered? Since you’ve demanded I list my civic contributions—providing an ultimatum to boot, I have to conclude (not assume) that somewhere in my comments I criticized someone’s civic contributions. Let’s see: in post #2 I criticized the educator for playing the blame game but said nothing negative about his efforts or motivations. In post #16 I responded to a post in which you, apparently unable to factually contradict anything I wrote (but nonetheless desperately compelled to attack me), challenged me to list how I’m helping make San Jose a better community. Again, I criticized no one’s civic efforts. In post #19 I explained how absurd I thought your comments were in post #18, but wrote not a word about civic contributions.
Bottom line: nothing I wrote has anything to do with the “actions” you demand I list. For some reason you feel authorized to ask (or demand with consequences) whatever pops into your head. What, I wonder, will you ask next? Will you ask to know how much I pay in taxes? Inquire of my medical history? Or demand to know if I recycle?
Look, I understand your frustration. I write things that upset you, things that are confrontational, things that you won’t allow yourself to accept. In the posts above I zeroed right in on the essayist’s use of victim nonsense that, though taken for granted by the indoctrinated masses, is something for which I have no tolerance. I wrote from experience and study, with the assumption that I had it right, though fully prepared, as always, to be corrected or proven wrong (in other words, fully prepared to learn something).
I don’t expect to learn anything from you or anyone else who confuses being annoying with being provocative. I also don’t expect to learn anything from the likes of “Response2theIgnorant,” a college-level English teacher who’d like to rewrite history using 7th grade writing skills. Now there’s the perfect professor to use as Exhibit A in the case against affirmative action.
Fortunately, there are many on this board with input and criticisms worth digesting, no matter that I have no idea of their civic contributions or recycling habits.
You wrote that if I fail to cite my contributions, “we” will understand that you make none. That use of we: was it in reference to all other readers of this site, or to just you and the other aliases under which you post?
Exposing liberal hypocrisy is like picking low hanging fruit – it’s that easy.
Consider..
“When it comes to helping the needy, Brooks writes: “For too long, liberals have been claiming they are the most virtuous members of American society. Although they usually give less to charity, they have nevertheless lambasted conservatives for their callousness in the face of social injustice.”“
…
“… secular liberals who believe fervently in government entitlement programs give far less to charity. They want everyone’s tax dollars to support charitable causes and are reluctant to write checks to those causes, even when governments don’t provide them with enough money.”
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/204/story_20419_1.html
Viva Fidel!
I read the responses to my note on what we are doing at the National Hispanic University with interest and amusement. FYI…the idea of having a university address the needs of a certaiin population is not a new one in this country. The Historically Black Colleges of the south today produce 80% of the black leadership in this country. If you do a little research, you’ll find that these fine institutions provide some of the best trained medical professsionals, engineers, teachers and on and on…Yeshiva and Brandies were started to educate jewish folks that were not allowed into Harvard at one time. Also, its important to note that we are importing about 250K engineers to this country each year and China will produce about 300K engineers this year. The US will produce about 15K. If we are to remain competetive in this global economy we’d better look for more creative and effective means of educating our future workforce. NHU’s work and partnerships e.g., San Jose State are an attempt to address this challenge and crisis. I invite you to come visit our campus and I’m sure you’ll find that you might even be able to play a part in helping to educate California’s future workforce.
The Pres
Who among us can ace this test?
1895 Eighth Grade Final Exam
Remember when our grandparents, great-grandparents, and such stated that they only had an 8th grade education?
Well, check this out. – – –
This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, KS, USA. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.
8th GRADE FINAL EXAM
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.
2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no Modifications.
3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.
4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb? Give Principal Parts of lie, lay and run
5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation.
7. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs , what is it worth at
50cts/bushel, deducting 1050lbs. for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per meter?
8 Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance
around which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.
U. S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U. S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, and 1865.
Orthography (Time, one hour)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, and syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, sub vocals, diphthong, cognate letters, and linguals?
4. Give four substitutes for caret ‘u’.
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final ‘e.’ Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane,
fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.
Geography (Time, one hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver,
Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall & Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.
Also notice that the exam took five hours to complete.
Gives the saying “she/he only had an 8th grade education” a whole new meaning, doesn’ t it?
What happened to us? It is kind of humbling, isn’t it?