Thanks to Sensei Aishitemasu for creating this video.  
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​These are the links that she mentions from her video!  
Links:

'Georgia Principal Fired for Racist Remarks During High School Graduation:'
http://www.mediaite.com/online/georgi...

'Dr. Saida Grundy Responds To Boston University Controversy:'
http://jezebel.com/dr-saida-grundy-re...

'The Failure of American Schools:'
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/a...

'HOW THE PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM HAS FAILED BLACK AND HISPANIC STUDENTS:'
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/vi...

U.S. Department of Education Survey Finds Rampant and Unchecked Racism and Discrimination at the Nation’s Public Schools:
http://www.theroot.com/articles/polit...

'Fact Sheet: How Bad Is the School-to-Prison Pipeline?'
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/t...

'The School To Prison Pipeline: Time To Shut It Down:'
http://neatoday.org/2015/01/05/school...

'3 Must-Know Facts About For-Profit Colleges, Student Debt:'
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-...

'College Degrees Are Becoming The New High School Diploma:' 
http://www.msnbc.com/jansing-co/colle...

'The End of College: Creating the Future of Learning and the University of Everywhere' (Amazon link):
http://www.amazon.com/The-End-College...

'Prepare For 'The End Of College': Here's What Free Higher Ed Looks Like:'
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/0...

Massive Open Online Courses (Wikipedia):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_... 

'80% of today’s jobs are landed through networking:'
http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profil...

'It's all About Who You Know: Networking to Get a Job:'
http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-f...

'Your Name Says More About You Than You Think:'
http://mic.com/articles/109524/your-n...

'A Black College Student Has The Same Chances Of Getting A Job As A White High School Dropout:'
http://thinkprogress.org/education/20...

'For Black Kids in America, a Degree Is No Guarantee:'
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/...

'Elite College Degrees Give Black Grads Little Advantage In The Job Market:' 
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2...

'Ivy League Degrees Matter, But Benefit White Graduates Far More, Says Discouraging Study:'
http://www.bustle.com/articles/69484-...

'Black-White Wealth Gap Has Reached A 24-Year High:'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12...

'Wealth inequality has widened along racial, ethnic lines since end of Great Recession:'
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/...

'Teachers expect less from black and Hispanic students, study shows:'
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/t...

'Professors are Less Likely to Mentor Female and Minority Students, Especially in Business School:'
http://www.thewire.com/culture/2014/0...

'African Americans and Homeschooling: Motivations, Opportunities and Challenges:'
https://books.google.com/books?id=wnF...

'Alternative Education for the 21st Century: Philosophies, Approaches, Visions:'
https://books.google.com/books?id=cab...

What Is The Mexica Movement?
http://www.mexica-movement.org/WHATIS...

I just wanted to share the video above by IamBaal.  He discusses CLEP (College Level Examination Program) which is a credit by examination program available to anyone who wants to earn college level credits by passing an exam.  At the end of the video he also discusses the resources your library has.  

    It has been the information age for quite some time now, but I just recently have begun to learn how to take advantage of the myriad resources available.  This article will cover the resources that libraries have to offer. First I will cover the different types of libraries that exist, and then I will go into the resources available at libraries.  

Types of Libraries
    According to the American Library Association (ALA) website, there are four major types of libraries: academic, public, school, and special.  Academic libraries are libraries housed at higher education institutions.  These libraries are to be used for the research purposes of both student and faculty alike.  Many students also go there as a place to work on their problem sets or study for exams. 
    Public libraries are those libraries that serve communities.  There are several different organizations for public libraries which range from a county wide library system where several towns make up the system and branches of the library have their own books and provide an interlibrary loan system.  Other towns may opt out of this county wide system and be a standalone township library.  Besides county and township libraries, there are also state libraries and Dubbed the World's Largest Library, the Library of Congress, is our national library.  
    Do you remember going to the library during study hall?  Elementary, middle school, and high schools have libraries where students can check out books, peruse reference books, and use the internet. 
    Finally there are specialty libraries where lawyers, doctors, historians, and others can go find in-depth information on a particular topic or field.  Some of these libraries are located in hospitals, private businesses, or organizations.  An example of a specialty library is the David Library of the American Revolution.  Here historians, history buffs, and even ancestors of the American Revolution can go read up on different topics and events from 1750 to 1800.  

http://www.publiclibraries.com/state_library.htm

https://www.loc.gov/   

http://www.dlar.org/


Resources 
    Books

    Reference Books

    Music, Lectures, and Movies

    Academic Journals and Magazines
 
     Job and Career Exploration

     Bloomberg station
    
     Language Learning

     Citizenship

     Tax help and legal advice

     Movie Screenings and Film Festivals
 
      Various community programs for all ages

With the advent of the internet and cloud drives, now you can even check out ebooks which can be sent straight to your kindle wirelessly! 

Gone are the days of always having to make a trip to the library!  Where there are some online resources and databases that you have to be on site, there are other resources you can get straight from your computer in a coffee shop or at home, just type in your library card number and press enter.  It's that easy!   Some libraries even have databases where you can view documentaries. 

And all of these resources could not be possible without the dedication and expertise of the librarians.  If you have a question about databases, programs, or where to find a book, look no further than the librarian.  They are in fact the unsung heroes that have put together all of these resources for the public to see and utilize. 


    

    I've had the pleasure for the past year, to read a few books that have opened my eyes to education in the States and how it affects Black Americans.  These books cover a number of topics from socioeconomic upbringing to the sorting procedures schools undertake to place students in different tracked classes.   
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First Class: The Legacy of Dunbar, America's First Black Public High School by Alison Stewart narrates the rise and fall of Dunbar High School.  While reading First Class, It amazed me how the school had top notched faculty and rigorous academic instruction due to the segregated education systems in the United States.  I include this as a recommendation for others to read because it shows how the Black faculty inspired Dunbar students to achieve their own dreams.  

Some of you may be familiar with Marva Collins from the two 60 Minutes segments visiting her class and following her former students.  There was also a movie starring Cicely Tyson and Morgan Freeman called The Marva Collins Story which detailed the inception of her school.  Her book, Marva Collins' Way, discusses her life, the history of U.S. education, and provides teachers as well as parents how to ensure that their children get a first-rate education.  Collins discusses how black students are wrongfully placed in special education and low track classes because of certain beliefs that teachers have about the students.  Also Collins mentions that every child has great potential but the public schools may squash that by harming the students self image.   

I'm still in the middle of reading this book, but so far it discusses the ins and out of tracking.  The book begins with how the idea of tracking came into U.S. school institutions in the 1920's due to the wave of European Immigrants and the rise in factory work.  After schools became integrated, black students found themselves disproportionately tracked into low track classes which  strongly affected if the student would be adequately prepared for college.  It also discusses how low track classes just expect students to conform while high track classes emphasize leadership traits like creativity, problem solving skills, and critical thinking skills.  

From what I've read so far, Lareau makes it seem like upbringing is the only factor or the prevalent factor that can explain the achievement gap between races.  Perhaps my views will change once I read the book in its entirety.  

Did you know that the era of school desegregation has ended?  This book discusses the community that went to court to overturn the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling.  

I hope you've found these titles to be interesting and perhaps pique your interest in the history of U.S. public education.  

            Several weeks ago, I stumbled across four  videos that I found were excellent and discussed the problems with the American Public Education system in particular systemic racism and its effects on black children.  I hope these videos are interesting and give food for thought. Credit goes to Shawn James and Haseeb2 for creating these videos. 
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