Education

Kirwan: ‘We Cannot Do Nothing’

WASHINGTON INFORMER — Kirwan, a former chancellor at the University of Maryland, leads a 25-member commission created in 2016 to recommend any changes in the funding formula.

Published

6 years ago

February 3, 2019

Oakland Post

ANNAPOLIS — The man behind an effort to overhaul Maryland’s education system urges lawmakers to spare no expense on behalf of the state’s nearly 900,000 public school students.

“We as a state cannot do nothing,” said William E. “Brit” Kirwan, who chairs the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education. “I realize this is going to be a difficult issue to come to grips with, but we have to make it happen.”

Kirwan, a former chancellor at the University of Maryland, leads a 25-member commission created in 2016 to recommend any changes in the funding formula. It came up with five policy recommendations: invest in early childhood education; increase teacher salaries and standards; implement college and career ready credentials; provide more resources for low-income students; and establish an independent oversight board to ensure recommendations are followed through.

The proposed cost over a 10-year period would be $3.8 billion.

Kirwan briefed state senators Thursday, Jan. 24 before the Senate’s Education, Health and Environmental Affairs and Budget and Taxation committees. Then he walked across the street to explain plan to the House’s Ways and Means and Appropriations committees.

State Sen. William C. “Bill” Ferguson IV (D-Baltimore City), appointed to the commission last month and vice chair of Budget and Taxation Committee, asked Kirwan what most people envision about the education idea.

“There’s some [trepidation] of, ‘this is all great, but how do we pay for it?’” Ferguson said. “Also, why don’t we just do the things everybody agrees on, like pre-K, or why don’t we just do teacher salary?”

Kirwan pointed out that money toward early childhood without a curriculum won’t help build college and career readiness. He also said a strong curriculum still requires more high-quality teachers.

“The commission feels very strongly that this is not a pick-and-choose your favorite policy area,” he said. “This is an integrated poll. If you pick them apart, you won’t get the results that we know we will get based on what high performers do.”

Gov. Larry Hogan earmarked $325 million in his fiscal 2020 budget proposal for higher education projects, but calls for using the majority of that money for school construction and loans to assist local governments.

However, the commission’s initiatives include:

• $137.5 million in special education.

• $75 million to increase teacher salaries.

• $55 million in poverty grants.

• $2 million for behavioral and other health services.

A few senators such as Sen. Adelaide C. Eckardt, a Republican who represents four counties in the Eastern Shore, inquired about how will the commission establish a funding formula in jurisdictions with demographic changes.

“What’s going to be really difficult for many of our changing income counties on the shore … that we don’t overburden our local jurisdictions,” she said. “There’s only so much additional cost that the counties and the individuals [jurisdictions] in the county can absorbed.”

Kirwan said a committee will be created to determine how to divide the cost to fund these initiatives between the state local school districts. Work will begin after the General Assembly session ends in April and provide a recommendation to the commission and final approval in the fall.

Kirwan reiterated that the commission’s research comes from education systems in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New Jersey. Those states pay its teachers at least 16 percent more in salaries than Maryland. In addition, the research highlights how the three states pay an average of $2,200 more per student than to Maryland.

Student achievement ranks “average” among others states based on figures from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), viewed as the nation’s record.

In 2015, Maryland ranked 29th and 25th in fourth-grade and eighth-grade math, respectively. For reading in the same year for those students, the state ranked 26th among fourth-graders and 18th for eighth-graders.

Sen. Paul Pinsky (D-District 22) of University Park, a member of the commission, assured his colleagues there will be more time to review the plan.

“There will be more time for questions,” he said. “This is only the first overview.”

This article originally appeared in the Washington Informer.

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Art

A Prolific Painter: Artist and Advocate Lois Mailou Jones

Lois Mailou Jones was a prominent African American artist whose career spanned more than seven decades, from the Harlem Renaissance to the modern art movement. She was not only a prolific painter but also an influential educator, bridging cultural gaps and challenging stereotypes through her vibrant and diverse works.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of National Archives, Washington, D.C.

By Tamara Shiloh

Her unique journey of self-expression, dedication to art, and advocacy for African American and African themes made her a crucial figure in the evolution of American art.

Jones was born on Nov. 3, 1905, in Boston. Raised in an intellectual and supportive family, she demonstrated an early interest in art, encouraged by her mother, who believed in the importance of creativity. Lois studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she faced racial challenges but persisted in pursuing her passion.

Her pursuit of higher education led her to the prestigious Design Art School, where she perfected her skills in textile design. Later, Jones attended Harvard University and received further training at the Académie Julian in Paris. This European experience greatly influenced her style and broadened her perspective on art.

Jones’s career began in textile design, creating works that were used by leading textile companies. However, her true passion was painting. During the Harlem Renaissance, she moved away from textile design to focus on fine art, exploring themes that reflected her heritage and the African diaspora.

Her early works were influenced by European Post-Impressionism, featuring landscapes and still life, but Jones’s style evolved over time. After spending time in Haiti, she was deeply inspired by Caribbean culture, and her palette became more vivid, her subject matter more symbolic. The influence of African and Caribbean culture is evident in her later works, where she used bright colors and geometric patterns to convey the spirit and stories of the people she encountered.

Her contributions to African American art were significant during a time when Black artists struggled for recognition. She often focused on themes of African heritage, pride, and unity, blending African illustrations and portraits with Western artistic techniques to create a unique visual language that celebrated Black culture.

She was also a dedicated educator. She began her teaching career at Palmer Memorial Institute in North Carolina and later became a professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she taught for almost 50 years. Through her teaching, she influenced generations of young Black artists, encouraging them to explore and express their cultural heritage through art.

In the 1930s and 1940s, she worked to exhibit her work alongside other Black artists, helping to create a platform for voices that had long been excluded from mainstream galleries.

Recognition and Legacy

Jones achieved significant recognition throughout her lifetime, both in the United States and internationally. She exhibited her work across the globe, including in Paris, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Jones continued painting until her death in 1998, leaving behind a rich legacy of artistic achievements and contributions to art education. She broke boundaries by celebrating Black identity and heritage at a time when these themes were often marginalized.

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California Black Media

New California Law Will Protect Students During Extreme Weather

On Sept. 22, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will protect students from extreme weather conditions by requiring the California Department of Education to develop guidelines for school districts to implement during weather patterns harmful to student health. Authored by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger), “Yahushua’s Law” or Senate Bill 1248 addresses an extreme heat-related fatality in Lake Elsinore. During the summer of 2023, a student died after participating in physical education suffered extreme heat-related illness.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Yahushua Robinson

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Sept. 22, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will protect students from extreme weather conditions by requiring the California Department of Education to develop guidelines for school districts to implement during weather patterns harmful to student health.

Authored by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger), “Yahushua’s Law” or Senate Bill 1248 addresses an extreme heat-related fatality in Lake Elsinore. During the summer of 2023, a student died after participating in physical education suffered extreme heat-related illness.

“No student should ever lose their life on campus to extreme weather when we can take steps to protect them by preparing statewide plans to minimize exposure to the most harmful elements of exposure,” Sen. Hurtado stated last Spring. “I commend the family of Yahushua Robinson, the twelve-year student who lost his life due to heat related illness during on-campus physical education, for lending their emotional strength and compassion for others in order to help ensure that no other student loses their life this way.”

Supporters of the legislation say the lack of uniform guidelines and protocols across schools and school districts in California intensifies the issue, creating an urgent need for safeguards to ensure student safety during extreme weather conditions.

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California Black Media

More Than 1.2 Million Youth Pre-Registered to Vote, Secretary of State Weber Announced

Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber announced on Sept. 26 that more than 1.2 million young people between the ages of 16 and 17-years-old have pre-registered to vote since the state launched the initiative in September 2016. The state program automatically activates voter registration for pre-registered youth when they turn 18 years of age.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber. Photo Courtesy of ShirleyWeber.com.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Weber, who has visited dozens of high schools across the state to promote voting initiatives, said that students are eager to vote and look forward to casting their first ballot, and “the numbers back them up.”

“Young Californians want to be engaged, active participants in our democracy and they can position themselves to do so by preregistering to vote,” said Weber.

Weber said that she is committed to encouraging young people to pre-register to vote, adding that she looks forward to partnering with the California Department of Education, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, school officials, and leaders of community-based organizations to expand this effort.

According to Weber’s office, approximately 42% of young voters are registered Democrats, while over 13% are registered Republicans. Another 35% of young voters registered as having “no party preference.”

For more information, Californians can visit the online pre-registration website at www.RegisterToVote.ca.gov. Registration is open to residents who are 16 or 17 and meet all the following criteria:

A United States citizen and a resident of California.
18 years old or older on Election Day.
Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony
Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court.

More information about pre-registration for California youth can be found at sos.ca.gov/elections/pre-register-16-vote-18.

Upcoming key deadlines and dates for the November 5, 2024, General Election can be found at here.

Plus, visit http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/statewide-elections/2024-primary/section-08-general-election-calendar.pdf to view a complete California General Election Calendar with more voting details and updates.