Teaching Intersections

TEACHING AT THE INTERSECTIONS & 5 Tips for Being an Ally

Honor and teach about your students’ multiple identities.

MONITA K. BELL

ISSUE 53, SUMMER 2016

At the beginning of this article, I felt empathy and understanding for Nicole, an African-American student who wasn’t doing well in her classes.  Its a bit mind blowing that out of all of her teachers, only one thought it would be important to look deeper into the situation and examine her identity and circumstances which were impacting her ability to perform in school.  Sadly, Nicole is an example of the deep racial disparities that exist within absenteeism and dropout rates nationwide.  Armstrong and Wildman also note this in their article Colorblindness Is the New Racism. They state that,”people of color know all too well that society racializes them within a race other than white–whites tend not to notice that their own race carries social meaning-white privilege will continue because a colorblind present does not erase the modern day effects of centuries of racism and white privilege.” (Armstrong & Wildman, 66)

This article used the term intersectional lens which means,” recognizing that race-, gender- and class-related circumstances are contributing to her achievement issues.”  Similar to this term, the term “color insight” (Armstrong & Wildman 69) also aims at at not “sweeping” race under the rug and recognizing that “a racial status quo exists in which society attributes race to each member- it serves to promote equality and to emphasize nondiscrimination among races.” (Armstrong & Wildman 68)  I  believe that both of these ideas are just the beginning of society naming the many social issues that exist within our education systems and contribute to the success of millions of students.  Johnson stated that, “you can’t deal with a problem if you don’t name it, once you name it, you can think, talk, and write about it-make sense of it by seeing how it's connected to other things that explain it and point toward solutions.”(Johnson, 11)   Many of Nicole's teachers were unaware of the privileges their other students had or the biases and cultural identities that were impacting her.  Delpit states that, “those with power are frequently least aware or least willing to acknowledge-its existence.” (Delpit, 24).  If it wasn’t for that one teacher, Nicole most likely would have not been able to graduate. Her teacher stated that, “ helping students like Nicole navigate the world—and the way the world responds to them—is fundamental to her responsibility as an educator.”(Bell, Learning For Justice) I think Torres is implying that it is her job to teach students like Nicole the rules and codes of the dominant culture so that they can navigate through life and I think Lisa Delpit would one hundred percent agree with me.  In closing, I think it is important for us to bear in mind that intersectionality is a framework which was developed to keep track of the barriers that people are subject to due to the impact of racism, sexism, and other types of discrimination. Frameworks are crucial when working to promote change within any system and/or organization.  

    Another topic mentioned in this article was that of social justice.  I was introduced to social justice standards, which I did not know existed.  The K-2 outcome for ID.3 is, “I know that all my group identities are part of me—but that I am always ALL me."(Bell, Learning for Justice)  I can anticipate using this standard at the beginning of the school  year when we are learning about one another's cultures and identities. 

To View Social Justice Standards: Click this link =)

    Best practice in doing this work with students includes giving students space to discuss their, “identities and lived experiences of bias and their own identities which includes instances in which they’ve experienced judgment and bias—and closes with the ways in which they’ve exhibited bias against others.”(Bell, Learning for Justice)  These conversations open the door to further conversations about,” power, internalized oppression and seeing value in one’s culture and community.”(Bell, Learning For Justice)  As stated earlier, Lisa Delpit believes in the power of teaching students the codes of the dominant culture all while embracing students cultural identity.  Similar to code-switching, students learn that yes, there are these biases that are connected to their identities but there is a way to overcome those barriers if they can learn the “codes” to cross into the culture of power. Teaching with intersectionality in mind means  “seeing your students as more than just the thing that stands out in the classroom, as far as race or their gender, and understanding that there’s a long background to all those things.” (Bell, Learning For Justice)  As educators it is important to acknowledge that students from different races and cultural backgrounds will have different experiences based on where they live, go to school, and economic backgrounds.  In the video Five Tips to Be an Ally, it is encouraged for anyone who is not a part of the marginalized groups to be an ally and help fight for their equality. In doing so, you must understand your privilege, support community members without speaking over them, accept that you will make mistakes, and to remember that it is more about your impact than your intent.  

                                                 “Ally is a verb.  You have to do the work.” - Francheska 

I think the bottom line is that every day we get a chance to interact with so many kids.  We can either choose to empower or oppress them.  If we don’t begin to consider having an intersectionality mindset, we risk the oppression of many more kids.  Bell states that, “ When we stop seeing our kids as whole people—as whole, nuanced people, with context to gender and race and class—we stop seeing them as real people.”(Bell, Learning For Justice)  We have to educate the WHOLE child.  This includes academic and social emotional needs as well as seeing THEM and the biases that they face in the education system and within society.  

Resources:

Armstrong, M. Wildman, S. (2013) Deconstructing Privilege: Teaching and Learning as Allies in the Classroom.  Routledge.

Bell, M. (Summer, 2016) Learning Through Justice: Teaching through at the Intersections. Issue 53 

Retrieved from: https://www.learningforjustice.org/print/84667?exclude_images=1

Delpit, L. (2006) Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in The Classroom.  The New Press, New York. 

Johnson, A. (2001) Privilege, Power, and Difference.  Mayfield Publishing Company, California. 

5 Tips For Being An Ally 

Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dg86g-QlM0

Learning For Justice: Standards.  

Retrieved from: https://www.learningforjustice.org/frameworks/social-justice-standards?gclid=Cj0KCQjw1rqkBhCTARIsAAHz7K3vKSmVQFeDSXVd_HixP--854yIyfFWRU4U7-NuozPaeuJ1YowGTqQaAo73EALw_wcB

Teach Out Reflection

Educators focus their instruction on academics and due to circumstances that are out of their control, rarely think about the implications of a student's race, identity, and economic status and its impact on the type of education that they receive.  Our education system and structures were put into place during a time period where the industrial revolution was at its peak and the education of the majority of workers was geared towards that.  The social issues that have existed in education were enacted purposefully so that those who hold the power would continue to do so and the working-class and/or poor would stay in their positions, without hopes of moving out of their positions.  

Lisa Delpit and Partick Finn impacted the way I view our education systems and societal structures.  After reading their writing, my intuition was telling me that my colleagues would benefit from learning a bit about their big ideas. I now understand why it is important for educators, like myself, to teach students the codes of the dominant culture while encouraging students to embrace their own home cultures.  I was also reminded that schools are an institute that follows the culture of power.  Economic status directly impacts the type of education one receives.  It is through this learning, that I have begun to educate myself more on this topic.  I find myself watching more Ted talks that focus on student identity and power within the classroom.  I love hearing others' lived experiences and connecting it to my learning thus far.  Therefore, when I was choosing my teach out project, I knew I had to teach her ideas. 

The school I presently work at is an urban school which serves students who identify as white, hispanic, african American, and asian.  Unlike other urban schools, we have worked hard to diversify our staff.  However, even with the diversity, the majority of classroom teachers are white-females.  My school also has a unique culture for that of an inner city school.  We hold all of our students to high expectations and college and/or trade school is the end goal for all Cuffee kids.  Our students are treated with respect, grace, and are taught the necessary academic skills to succeed but not necessarily the skills to move into positions of power.  We also need to have conversations about the reality of their identities and where they will face adversity because of this identity.  

Prior to teaching out, I found myself nervous.  I choose to teach my colleagues because they are safe.  I have known most of them for the better part of 11 years and they all have been my biggest supporters.  I have presented initiatives in which I was given a leadership role to train and pilot new curriculum and assessment tools.  However, this teach out project put me in my risk zone.  I know my colleagues well, and identity and race have always been hard topics to talk about.  Ego’s inevitable get in the way and energy always shifts from one of openness to closed off-ness.  

Upon completion of my teach out session, I felt a huge sense of pride and accomplishment.  As a community, they welcomed the information that I shared.  It began the conversation of identity and race within our community.  It also shifted into a great conversation about how our students become “Cuffee-ized”.  A term that is hard to explain but I’ll do my best.  Cuffee-ized means that a student has learned self-respect, respect for others, respect for their communities, how to advocate for themselves, reflect on their experiences, and persevere through challenging times.  Our students know that the teachers are on their side through the good times and bad times.  Our high school students discuss race and identity regularly.  Teachers look at every student with the assumption that all Cuffee kids can go to college if they choose to.  

Thinking back to my goals for this teach out project, I believe I was able to meet them all.  I believe that my colleagues began to have an understanding of their own identities and where it places them on the culture of the power line.  We began to dig into the type of school that Cuffee is and what an empowering literacy education would look like for us.  We still have some work ahead of us .  Many of my colleagues came up to me afterwards expressing gratitude for the conversation and a desire to do more work around the topic.  I was extremely pleased by the response it received and I am looking forward to doing more work around Delpit’s and Finn’s ideas at future staff meetings.  

This course, Social Issues in Education, has opened my eyes to the issues within our education system which prevent all students from getting powerful educations.  I will fully admit to being a bit hesitant at the start of this course.  However, being given the opportunity to closely read and digest weekly articles, and having conversations in class have helped me to grow my mindset around issues like identity, race, ethnicity, power, and best practices to educate students who live outside of the culture of power.  I was privileged to get to learn more about these topics in a safe and welcoming space.  I’m grateful for this teach out project, too.  It was an empowering experience to take ownership of the learning.  It was powerful to share the knowledge with others.  The knowledge I learned this summer will be carried with me and kept in mind when I teach.  

Best Practices for Teaching Emergent Bilinguals

Tongue Tied:Richard Rodriguez and Teaching Multilingual Students

By: Ana Santa

Teaching Bilinguals Even If You Are Not One  

By: CUNYNYS Initiative on Emergent Bilinguals

 

 

“Language is enchanting, powerful, magical, useful, personal, natural, all-important”

-Virginia Collier

Richard Rodriguez was native Spanish speaker. In the text, Tongue Tied, Richard shares his experience as an emergent bilingual student attending a school run by nuns. At a very young age richard learned that, “School acknowledges that we have a public identity, and at the beginning of his schooling journey he believed that he “could not speak a single public language”(34) As a student, he quickly was able to identify that there was a difference between classroom language and his home language. One day, his school reached out to parents to ask if they could encourage him to speak more English at home. That was the day that Richard lost a part of his culture and connection with his parents. He quickly began to lose his home language and ability to connect and communicate with his family. One's language is a part of their culture and to disregard the importance of protecting one's ability to speak with their family is mind blowing. This article reminds me of Delpit’s beliefs of a culture of power. Richard attended a catholic school and therefore his parents listened to the nuns because, “how could they have questioned the church authority which those women represented?” The church hold a lot of power within their society and therefore his parents knew that in order for their children to succeed, they must let go of their Spanish and embrace English. Richard entered the culture of power once he accepted the language norms and assimilated into his school community, “That day I moved very far from the disadvantaged child I had been only days earlier. The belief, the calming assurance that I belonged in public, had at last taken hold.”(36)

However, it came with a cost. Richard lost his ability to communicate well with his parents. This caused him to lose his connection with them and a piece of his culture and identity, “as we children learned more and more English, we shared fewer and fewer words with our parents. Sentences needed to be spoken slowly when a child addressed his mother or father, the child would have to repeat him/herself, the young voice would end up saying, ‘Never mind’-the subject was closed.” (37) This reinforces the idea that when a bilingual student enters a school it is important for that community to foster an environment that encourages emergent bilinguals to use all of their linguistic repertoire. If not, the result will be similar to that of Richard's experience. As the English language gets stronger, student’s L1 language gets weaker (if not used simultaneously while acquiring English) and therefore, fewer words are passed between the parent and the child. Silence becomes the norm. Bilingual students are born with a first language, which is the foundation to their L2 language learning. Unfortunately, because it is not the language of power, their home languages quickly become their “private language.” There are many kids who are just like Richard. As educators, we need to support these learners in a way that embraces their full linguistic repertoires. In the text, Teaching Multilingual Children, the author speaks to the strategies that would best support the teaching and language development of bilingual students. Bilingual and/or translanguaging classrooms affirm the importance of home language and public language. This text introduces us to seven guidelines to better understand how teaching English to second language learners can in fact be an enriching experience. Of the seven, I found the first one to be critical, “children use first language acquisition strategies for learning or acquiring a second language.”(Collier, 23) As a first grade teacher of emergent bilinguals, I can attest to how important it is for students to use ALL of their linguistic repertoires when learning to speak, read, and write in English. I have to wonder how different Richard’s education would have been if he was allowed to use translanguaging. His entire learning path would have been different and he wouldn’t have lost his ability to connect with his family. I also think it is imperative that teachers, “Don’t teach a second language in any way that challenges or seeks to eliminate the first language…and…teach standard English and students' home language together. ”(Colier, 227) Framing our emergent bilinguals language abilities as a superpower and something to be proud of will help to foster a community that hones in on students funds of knowledge in their home languages.  

“Recognize that English and all ‘spoken languages are constantly in a process of change, and they change when they come into contact with other languages” (Corrier, 227)

The short videos from Teaching Bilinguals Even If you are not one, were powerful to listen and watch. Similar to the text, Teaching Multicultural Children, they provided research that backs up the many ideas for how to best teach our emergent bilinguals. The research shows that educators have to, “leverage students' linguistic backgrounds, use the language that they know to expand their english.” When an emergent bilingual uses all of their languages “critically and flexibly” they are “translanguaging”. All of the short videos emphasized the importance of viewing students' language backgrounds as a resource in their learning. Furthermore, creating a classroom culture where bilingualism is something to celebrate is a must. If more teachers could look at languages as tools that we use to be successful in our lives, education, careers, and communities than students like Richard would have opportunities to gain access to the culture of power without losing their linguistic identities.

One of the suggestions that stood out to me was having students create a language and culture portrait. I think it is so powerful to have students identify their language use and as their teacher, it helps me understand what they will need from me as learners. In conclusion, all three of these texts and videos reinforce the importance for bilingual students to be able to express their ideas in whatever language comes naturally. Similar to the students in the documentary, Going to School, we need to be mindful of how we treat and interact with these students, “a society is measured by what we do for those most in need”(Going To School Documentary). Whether be a developmental, physical, or linguistic need. It is our responsibility as educators to provide these students with the access they need to become successful members of society using all of their linguistic abilities to get there. Resources: Ana, Santa. Tongue Tied:Richard Rodriguez. 2004 Ohio Edu. Anna, Santa Tongue Tied: Teaching Multilingual Children. 2004 Ohio Edu. Going To School Documentary Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV_riKQPtQk Teaching Bilinguals Even If You Are Not One Retrieved from: https://www.cuny-nysieb.org/teaching-bilinguals-webseries/

Going To School

Going To School- Ir a la Escuela

A Richard Cohen Film

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV_riKQPtQk

"A society is measured by what we do for those most in need"

Argument Statement

Students with disabilities deserve access to their neighborhood schools.  They should not be required to travel out of their communities/district to attend a school that marginalizes and segregates them from the general education population.  The Individuals with Disabilities Act helps students with disabilities. This film looked at one school district who continued to keep the special education and disabled population separate from the general education students.  They also lacked the means to provide the necessary accommodations for many students with disabilities.  Parent advocates had to especially help those parents whose first language was not English.  

Three Talking Points

1. Before the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Act in 1975, millions of children received inadequate special education services and about 1 million kids with disabilities did not get to go to school at all.  

2. Students with disabilities are often in a separate part of the school, essentially segregated  from the general education population.  Students in a wheel chair would also be placed in a special education classroom simply because they were in a wheel chair.  Parents had to advocate for their children to be placed in a general education classroom and fight for the appropriate accommodations. 

3. Los Angeles Unified School District was accused of systematically violating the civil rights of 65,000 students and not following students IEP.  General education and special education were/are treated as two separate groups.  

RI Laws and The Importance of Pronouns

 Woke Read : They, He, She Easy as ABC

Argument Statement

Kids should be taught to respect peoples names and pronouns.  Kids should also appreciate people and other kids for who they are.

Three Talking Points

1. The book, They, He, She Easy as ABC was culturally responsive and reflected a diverse population of kids. Students/kids can see themselves reflected in the text.

2. Text focuses on teaching about pronouns but it also celebrates differences.  The big message is that even though kids or people may have different pronouns, they still have similar interests and commonalities between one another. 

3. Affirmation: Identifying what feels right helps people know who they are.  Give a sense of belonging. 

Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Guidance for Rhode Island Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students

June 2016

Argument Statement

The Rhode Island Department of Education are committed to providing a safe and supportive learning environment to all Rhode Island students.  These laws support and advocate for the safety and well-being of children.  These laws provide a legal framework to guide school policies and practices related to discrimination based on sex, gender identity and gender expression. (page 1)

Three Talking Points

1. May 2001: RI was the second state in the country to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression. 

2. There are many different laws to protect kids in school.  They include laws on discriminatory practices, access to education records and the safe school act.

3. There are many terms, concepts, and developmental understandings of gender identity, gender expression, and gender diversity.  Educators and administrators need to familiarize themselves with the terms and the policy's that are at the district and state level which serve as a means to prevent discrimination. 

Bringing Joy Back Into The Classroom

Recommitting To The Joyful Classroom

https://rethinkingschools.org/articles/recommitting-to-the-joyful-classroom/

By The editors of Rethinking Schools

I've always had a misconception around joy. When I think of joy I equate it to happiness when in reality one can be joyful during some of the most challenging of times. I'm reminded of when COVID became a pandemic and we all had to find joy as a means to keep going. Meeting on Zoom, singing songs or rereading their favorite story was a joyful experience during a really hard and scary time.  

In the article, Recommitting To The Joyful Classroom I found much of what the authors wrote resonating with me, especially with the quote 

 "We must reject district initiatives that begin from a narrative of “learning loss,” echoing the tired lines used over the decades to track students by their test scores with problematic and inaccurate assessments tied to ineffective and deadening teaching."

Learning Loss and achievement gaps are all the rage in schools today.  There is a huge drive to get kids "caught up" and providing all students with a rigorous tier one curriculum followed up with intensive tier 2 and 3 interventions.  This to me feels very political.  The ones choosing the curriculum are the ones who hold the power in what is being taught. Finn stated that, "Teachers and students are locked into a system of rules and roles that none of us understand."(Finn, 5)  We are locked into teaching curriculum that many of our marginalized populations cannot connect to.  As teachers, we are mandated to assess our emergent bilinguals English fluency when they are still acquiring the language and using that information to identify students with "learning loss" and "achievement gaps." None of it makes sense for the learner but we do it anyways.  What administrators need to ask is, "What interests our students?  What funds of knowledge do they bring with them?  What are their cultural backgrounds?"

"Instead of surrendering to despair, let us choose to create a different path." 

As educators we can choose the path that is the best for our students.  When June arrives, and I have checked off all of the necessary curriculum and assessment boxes, I find my classroom is the most joyous.  What is the shift?  Well, it is simple.  We spend time researching animals that are of interest to the group.  We visit two local zoos and learn more about the animals we researched.  There is a themed camping week where all literacy, math, and science activities connect to camping themes.  We participate in creative challenges and have choices in our writing.  I choose a different path that incorporates the common core and capitalizes on student interests and funds of knowledge. 

"Students experience joy from their connection with one another, how we invite their lives into the curriculum, the new insights sparked from their studies, their engagement in things that matter. Joy is the product of our respect for our students as intellectuals, writers, artists, and activists." 

Inviting students lives into the classroom is a huge part of being a culturally responsive teacher.  When students feel that their language, culture, and identities are a part of their classroom community, it allows them to show their authentic selves.  In the text, Literacy with An Attitude by Patrick Finn, he discusses the types of schools.  There are working-class, middle-class, affluent professional, and elite schools.  These schools all had different dominant themes.  Thinking about the themes, the only one which would encompass respect for students intellectual ability and joyful learning would be affluent and elite schools.  poor, working, and middle class schools do not allow for such things. 

Bringing Joy back into the classroom and Finn's article connect to the text written by Zaretta Hammond, titled Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain.  She believes that culturally responsive teaching is the antidote to inequality.  She also believes that culturally responsive teaching is about, "helping culturally and linguistically diverse students who have been marginalized in schools build their skill and capacity to do rigorous work. The focus isn’t on motivation but on improving their brainpower and information processing skills....it is the ability to level up their cognition so that they are ready for the rigor. "  I think it is important to remember that joy in the classroom is achieved when the educators decide to encompass culturally responsive teaching along side with district mandates so that students can see themselves within their classroom and the curriculum they are learning.  

Click on the link below to hear Zaretta Hammond discuss culturally responsive teaching and its implications on students ability to access content and curriculum.  

 ihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxhF7TZqDyA

Resources:

Finn, Patrick.  1999  Literacy With an Attitude Educating Working-Class Children in Their own Self-Interest State University of New York Press.

Recommitting To The Joyful Classroom 

Retrieved from: https://rethinkingschools.org/articles/recommitting-to-the-joyful-classroom

Zaretta Hammond :  ihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxhF7TZqDyA

Summary: Other People's Children & Literacy With An Attitude

 Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom

Written by Lisa Dlpit

Delpit argues that there is a “culture of power” and educators must teach students the rules and codes of the dominant culture.  She proposes that there are five aspects of power within American society. 

1. Issues of power are enacted in classrooms.

2. There are codes of rules for participating in power, that is, there is a culture of power.

3. The rules of the culture of power are a reflection of the rules of the culture of those who have power. 

4. If you are not already a participant in the culture of power, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier.

5. Those with power are frequently least aware-or least willing to acknowledge-its existence.  Those with less power are often most aware of it. 

Educators need to teach how to use formal English within a system where success is directly linked to entering into the “culture of power.  One’s education is directly related to one's future job and therefore determines one’s future economic status.  Economic status determines whether or not you are able to gain access into the dominant culture.  Therefore, providing students direct instruction and access to the social, academic, and codes of power, will help students to potentially enter into the culture of power as adults.  Educators also need to encourage students to see the value in their own cultures, language, style, speech, values and expectations.  Using both styles of language, speech, and writing allows students to see that there are more than one “right” way to communicate. 

Literacy With An Attitude:

Educating Working-Class Children in Their Own Self-Interest

Patrick J. Finn

Patrick Finn is the author of the text: Literacy With An Attitude: Educating Working-Class Children in Their Own Self-Interest.  In chapters one and two, he explains that there are distinct differences between the literacy education that students receive.  The type of instruction one receives is dependent upon the type of school they attend.  If a child attends an elite school then they receive an empowering literacy education; one in which trains them for a life in power.  If a child attends a working or middle class school, then they receive a domesticating education; one in which prepares them for a life in domestic or mechanical jobs.  Finn argues that when students begin school in such drastic different systems, the odds are set for them. Due to these differences, the likelihood of students whose families are within the lower economic statuses, do not receive an empowering education and therefore do not receive powerful literacy instruction.  This is the kind of literacy which leads one to positions of power and authority. 

Patrick Finn uses researcher Jean Anyon's study to explain the four different types of schools.  Her study looked at fifth grade classes from five different public elementary schools.  These schools ranged from rich to not-so-rich neighborhoods.  From this study it was found that there are indeed distinct differences between the education of students in working, middle, affluent, and executive elite schools. Below I have listed the types of schools, their dominant themes, and how students behaved and were taught within these schools.  

1. Working Class Schools

• Dominant theme was resistance,

• "Students resisted teachers' efforts to teach and vandalized school property. Children are developing a relationship to the economy, authority, and work that is appropriate preparation for wage labor-labor that is mechanical and routine."(pg.12)

2. Middle Class Schools

• Dominant theme was possibility.  

• "There is an understanding of the economy, authority, and work that is appropriate for White-collar working class and middle class jobs." (pg 14) 

3. Affluent Class Schools

• Dominant theme was individualism and humanitarianism.

• "Children develop a relationship to the economy, authority, and work that is appropriate for artists, intellectuals, legal, and scientific experts and other professionals whose work is creative, intrinsically satisfying for most people and rewarded with social power and high salaries."(pg 18)

4. Executive Elite Schools

• Dominant theme was excellence, top-quality performance.

• "Children develop a relationship to the economy, authority, and work that is different from all other schools.  The point of school work is to achieve, to excel, to prepare for life at the top."(pg 20)

Finn wraps up chapter two with this quote:

“I’d like to hope that a child’s expectations are not determined on the day she or he enters kindergarten, but it would be foolish to entertain such a hope unless there are some drastic changes made.” -Patrick Finn 

Schools have not changed since this study was completed.  If we think about the school we teach in or the schools our own kids attend, we would want them to be in a place where the theme was excellence and top quality performance.  These two chapters provide insight into the education system and the type of instruction one receives.  The cycle cannot break unless changes are made.  That means, all students need to have access to an education that expects them to achieve, excel, and prepare for a life at the top.