Category Archives: Adolescent Development

Jacob Rogers, Tennessee Teen, Commits Suicide After Years Of Anti-Gay Bullying

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“Nothing burns me more than this as an adult.”

A Tennessee teen has taken his own life after being subjected to anti-gay bullying which, friends say, officials at his high school did little to prevent.  As Nashville NBC affiliate WSMV is reporting, Jacob Rogers had been bullied at Cheatham County Central High School for the past four years, but at the start of his senior year, it had become so bad he dropped out of school. “He started coming home his senior year saying ‘I don’t want to go back. Everyone is so mean. They call me a faggot, they call me gay, a queer,’” friend Kaelynn Mooningham is quoted by MSNBC as saying.

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After-school tutoring likely to end as dozens of states pursue No Child Left Behind waivers

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By Associated Press, Published: October 30

MINNEAPOLIS — Dozens of states intend to apply for waivers that would free their schools from a federal requirement that they set aside hundreds of millions of dollars a year for after-school tutoring, a program many researchers say has been ineffective.

The 2002 No Child Left Behind law requires school districts that repeatedly fail to meet its benchmarks to set aside federal money to pay for outside tutors. But studies released in the past five years have found mixed results, at best, from the program.

They say it has suffered from participation rates as low as 20 percent, uneven quality among tutors, a lack of coordination between tutors and teachers, poor oversight by the states and a prohibition against giving the lowest achieving students priority. Also, they say, there has been no connection between students’ success and tutors’ paychecks.

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Males believe discussing problems is a waste of time

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ScienceDaily (Aug. 22, 2011) — A new University of Missouri study finds that boys feel that discussing problems is a waste of time.”For years, popular psychologists have insisted that boys and men would like to talk about their problems but are held back by fears of embarrassment or appearing weak,” said Amanda J. Rose, associate professor of psychological sciences in the MU College of Arts and Science. “However, when we asked young people how talking about their problems would make them feel, boys didn’t express angst or distress about discussing problems any more than girls. Instead, boys’ responses suggest that they just don’t see talking about problems to be a particularly useful activity.”

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Texas Teachers May Get Access To Confidential Student Criminal Histories

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Texas Teachers May Get Access To Confidential Student Criminal Histories

juvenile_jail_0320I believe this law creates another barrier for students of color specifically African-American and Latino male students. I am concerned young colored boys who are presently seen as anti-intellectual and troublesome will receive even more negative prejudicial treatments. As such, Texas’ public school teachers may now present a student as a threat after reading their criminal record and have the student removed from their classroom.

What argument could the student present in their defense?

In America, a criminal record is a death sentence; regardless if the crime was felonious or not. As a result, the accused’ employment opportunities fade swiftly and everyday survival becomes vital. In addition, boys of color already feel alienated from public education and this law drops another (racial profiling) rock upon their heads. In the end, this law will hasten boys’ suspensions, expulsions and eventually personal hardship.   It’s simply math, color boys’ who are not in schools are on track to the prison industry system.  Thanks Texas for helping the prison enrollment swell with fresh faces.

 

Robert A. Williams

How Bout that Dragon?

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Back on the block.  The Invisible Dragon blog is possibly my best friend since 2007.  I have some great interests in the areas of literacy and african american males and sport engagement.  Hopefully we will catch up in the coming days…have so much to share.

 

The Invisible Dragon