Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 3 October 2003 — Page 4
PAGE A4
THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2003
Councilwoman Nytes teaches 5 th graders about government
Special to The Recorder All Saints t'atholir School I'lOli graders recently hail a special visitor to their classroom - Councilwoman Jackie Nytes. Nytes spoke to the class about Indiana and Indiana government. “The students are cur rent ly studying government, a ml I thought it would be most appropriate lor someone who actually participates in the state government Income and speak, said liOh grade teacher JoAnn McKee. Nytes gave each student a large map of Indiana so they could become familiar with the state in which they reside. She discussed topics like - What does
the inavi >r d< >? What does the governor do? Where does money for government spending come from? 1 low do you become registered to vote? Who is on the CityCounty Council? Nytes also took the children to the computer lab to show them how to find out, via the Internet, who their representative in Congress is. She also explained the City of bid ianapolis Web site, and how to use all of the tools on the site. All Saints Catholic School^is located at N. Belleview Place. For more information on the school, call (.JIT) or visit www.allsaintscatholic.org.
City-County Council member Jackie Nytes works with students at All Saints Catholic School.
Opinions differ on standardized testing in schools
By JOSHUA COHEN Staff Writer The Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress, otherwise known to students across the state ;us the 1STF.P. is something chiklrencancountondealingwith during their educational careers. It is something they are told is important for them and their futures. Most children never question this, instead choosing to believe what the powers that be tell them. However, everyone does not buy into the story that standardized testing is used to measure a child’s progress and knowledge in school. "The problem with this traekingsystem is that the goal is not to identify the student who has the highest basic skills in the five content areas," Leroy Robinson, a teacher in laiurcnce Township and Recorder columnist, wrote. “The goal will be to identify those students who are the most uneducated and can best serve the corporate structure." Not everyone agrees with this assessment, however. “The ISTT.P lets educators
know where students are and where they need to be," said John DeBoe, principal at McFarland Middle School. “It gives teachers an idea of what needs to be worked on with the students, as well as with themselves.” According to the Department of Education Web site, the 1STEP sen es as a non-reference test that allows comparisonsoflndianastudent achievement with national norms. In other words, it is used to gather statistics for states to see how close their educational standards are to the rest ofthe country. However, a “norm” in Indiana may he different than in another state. President Bush’s No Child I a 1 ft Behind Act is an attempt at making standards across the country the same. But can a child who merely "meets the standard” be a success in the world? Standards are set to make sure those being taught do not fall below a certain level. But without proper encouragement, children will not go much higher than the established standard. “Children rise to the level of expectations you set for them,” said Doris J. Thompson, principal of Charity Dye Elementary School. Thompson’s school has raised
its 1STEP scores consistently in recent years due to the high standards they place on students. Robinson believes the standards are merely set to find w hich students will best fill the status quo. “Corporations do not want or need highly educated and inde-pendent-thinking people. This shrinking class of intelligent individuals is known to make difficult employees, asking too many questions, and having too much independence, which allows them to quit their jobs and work for themselves," he said. Another reason so much emphasis is placed on the ISTEP is the accountability ofteachers. The No Child Left Behind Act calls for responsibility on the teacher’s part to educate their students. “If the students don’t do well, we could lose our jobs,” said Frank Bonner, a 6 lh grade social studies teacher at McFarland. What all educators seem to agree on, how ever, is that they want the best for their students. Although standardized testing may have ulterior motives, it encourages teachers to teach and students to learn. Hopefully they are learning the right things.
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THERE SHE IS, MISS AMERICA Miss Florida crowned queen
Electronic Urban Report
If you w r ere watch ing the M iss America pageant, you just may have noticed that it ended up being a sista 2 sista thing, so to speak. Last year’s reigning Miss America, Erika Harold, an African American, passed the crown on to Ericka Dunlap, another African American. Miss Florida, to be exact. To say that Dunlap, a 21-year-old aspiring lawyer from Orlando was freaked out when her name was called, is putting it mildly. She kept repeating “Oh my God” over and over. Dunlap, the daughter of a Florida roofing contractor and a registered nurse, seized the title after winning the annual pageant’s talent contest by crooning the inspirational anthem “If I Could.” Dunlap, who wants to specialize in entertainment and sports law after studies at the University of Central Florida, will receive a $50,000 scholar-
ship and a lucrative yearlong speaking tour to tout her social program of cultural diversity and inclusiveness. Ericka Dunlap “The ideal of inclusion is what our nation needs right now. We are facing very tough times. People aren’t being as inclusive as they should,” she said after her crowning. Speaking of which, unlike her recent predecessors, who carried the crown with them and wore it only after being asked, Dunlap had no problem sporting hers proudly. Miss Hawaii Kanoelani Gibson was first mnnerup and Miss Wisconsin Tina Sauerhammer was second runnerup. Miss Maryland Marina Harrison, another Afri-can-American woman, and Miss California Nicole Lamarche rounded out the final five.
BRIEFS ► Continued from Paqe 1
Rally to support Martin University Responding to reports that Martin University in Indianapolis has faced recent financial struggles, the presidents of Indiana's 30 other nonprofit, accredited private colleges and universities have rallied to support one of their own. Working through their association, the Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI), the presidents of every ICI member institution and numerous corporate board members raised $10,500 in unrestricted funds to present to Martin University. "The difficulties faced by Martin University in 2003 are ones that virtually every independent college in Indiana has faced at some point in its history,” said Hans Giesecke, ICI’s president. "This was an opportunity for individuals associated with independent higher education in Indiana to provide support for a relatively young institution that is still establishing its alumni and donor base.” ICI Chair Parker Marden, president of Manchester College, indicated that the expression of solidarity and support for the leadership and mission of Martin University was much more than
monetary.
Father Boniface Hardin founded Martin University in 1977. Originally known as Martin Center College, the institution has grown to offer a variety of bachelor and master's degree
programs.
SBC donates funds As part of the 2003 SBC Excelerator grants initiative in I Indiana, the SBC Foundation recently presented the Indianapolis Black Alumni Council with a grant for $7,500. The grant will help fund the development of interactive web-based recruitment services to introduce historical black colleges and universities as an option for college-bound students in
Indianapolis.
SBC Excelerator is a multimil-lion-dollar competitive grants program, founded on the principle that technology access and resources can improve the lives of people in communities across
the nation.
J
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