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The All-Work, No-Play Culture Of South Korean Education
apil 15, 2015
In South Korea,
grim stories of teen suicide come at a regular clip. Recently, two
16-year-old girls in the city of Daejeon jumped to their deaths, leaving
a note saying, "We hate school."
A relentless
focus on education and exams is often to blame. For a typical high
school student, the official school day may end at 4 p.m., but can drag
on for grueling hours at private cram institutes or in-school study
hall, often not wrapping up until 11 p.m.
"Every high school, they do this," high school juniors Han Jae Kyung and Yoon Seoyoon tell NPR.
The 14-hour days in classrooms reflects South Korean society's powerful focus on educational achievement.
It's
no surprise, then, that researchers found more than half the Koreans
age 11 to 15 reported high levels of stress in their daily lives. That's
a higher percentage of stressed out kids than in any of the 30 other
developed nations that are part of the OECD, or Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development.
A race to succeed so intense it can have tragic consequences. And
there are social consequences, too. Many parents say they chose not to
have more children because supporting all the cramming simply costs too
much.
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Daytona Beach, Florida Joins
The Million Father March
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Bethune-Cookman University
President Dr. Edison O. Jackson leads Daytona Beach, Florida back to
school in 2015 Million Father March.
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Bethune-Cookman University President Dr. Edison O. Jackson leads Daytona Beach Florida Back to School in Million Father March.
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Young men from Bethune-Cookman University welcome students back to
Daytona Beach, Florida schools.
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Francetta "Fran" Hendricks,
First Executive Director of The Black Star Project, Passes Away
Francetta "Fran" Hendricks, age 74,
daughter of the late Nathaniel and Sue Verrett, passed away peacefully
from this life on August 4, 2015. She leaves to mourn her loving
husband, Dr. Leon Hendricks; sister, Nataleen Coleman; children, Lynette
Helm and Leon Hendricks; grandchildren, Christopher Helm, Julian and
Kira Hendricks; great-grandchildren, Ethan and Myliah; nephew, Douglas
Coleman; and many other loving family members and friends. Visitation:
August 17, 2015, from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at AR Leak Funeral Home,
18400 S. Pulaski, Country Club Hills, Illinois. Wake/Funeral: August 18,
2015, from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Sanctuary of Holiness COGIC, 700
S. Pulaski, Chicago, Illinois. Interment in Oak Ridge Cemetery,
Hillside, Illinois.
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With Only $5.00, Children and Students Opened a $25.00 Bank Account at First Midwest Bank!
Over 25 families mobilized by The Black Star
Project and J. Michael Carr, of Fathers for the Future, opened $5
Student Bank Accounts at the AKArama Community Service Center in
Chicago's Woodlawn community, on Saturday, August 15th.
The "Bank on
Chicago Student Bank Day" event, sponsored by First Midwest Bank,
provided an opportunity for students 16-23 years of age, and some
younger, to open a student checking or youth savings account on-site.
for $ 5.00 and qualify for a deposit contribution of $20 from the Monroe
Foundation utilizing funding from First Midwest Bank.
Otis C.
Monroe, III, CEO of the Monroe Foundation, stated, "Student Bank Day at
the AKArama Community Service Center, for the second year, continues to
be an empowering and financially educational opportunity for young
children and their families to become part of the financial services
mainstream at an early age or as they plan for college".
The Monroe
Foundation and First Midwest Bank will collaborate in December, 2015
with the AKArama Community Service Center to put families in holiday
bank accounts for the event, " A Holiday Gift of A Bank Account for
You".
For more
information on this upcoming program, contact Athena Williams, project
coordinate and associate executive director of the Monroe Foundation, at
(773) 914-1534.
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Our Next
Sunday University
Sunday, August 23, 2015
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"Flipping Houses"
Learn to rebuild your community and to earn
wealth while you provide quality housing for the people of your
community. Learn how to research, identify, acquire, finance,
rehabilitate and sell properties in your community.
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Professor Attorney Geneva Brown
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and
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Professor D. Drew Williams
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2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
after church, mosque or temple
at
The Black Star Project
3509 South King Drive
Chicago, Illinois
Please call 773.285.9600 to RSVP, for more information or to create a Sunday University in your city.
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Unto Perfect Manhood!
Graduating 8th-grade, rising
9th-grade and transferring 10th-grade young men (and young women) can
register now to attend Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago,
Illinois. Some financial assistance is available. Please call
773.285.8400 for more information.
History:
Hales Franciscan High School is a nationally recognized
not-for-profit, independent Catholic school that has serviced students
throughout Chicago, for over 50 years. Named after Alexander of Hales, a
Franciscan scholar in the Middle Ages, Hales Franciscan High School
opened it's doors in 1962 as an African American, all-male, Catholic
college preparatory high school, dedicated to imparting Christian values
in the Catholic and Franciscan traditions; instilling moral and ethical
ideals, while helping students fulfill their academic potential in a
safe, disciplined and nurturing environment. In 2013, Hales Franciscan
High School became a coeducational institution, enrolling female
students.
Academic Program:
Hales
Franciscan High School is a small, faith-based, Catholic school,
servicing approximately 125 male and female students in grades 9-12.
Class sizes average about 20/1. Students receive a traditional,
classical education, anchored by humanities and the great books, in
addition to participating in weekly colloquia. Senior students are
afforded an opportunity to take classes at our partner schools; Chicago
State University and Shimer College; as part of our dual-enrollment
program.
School Stats:
Freshmen On Track Rate: 90%
Graduation Rate: 97%
College Enrollment: 100%
College Retention: 99%
Demographics:
Number of Students: 125
Gender: 20% Female, 80% Male
Race: 99% Black
Ethnicity: 99% Non-Hispanic
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Report: Student Loan Debt Stratified by Race, Class
By Ronald Roach
June 4, 2015
It's well known that graduating college students in recent years
have faced student loan debt at unprecedented levels far exceeding that
of previous generations of American graduates. Nonetheless, a new report
released by the New York-based Demos public policy organization
documents the patterns of debt along racial and class lines with Black,
Latino, and low-income students taking out higher loans than Whites and
more likely to drop out with significant debt.
In "The Debt Divide: The Racial and Class Bias Behind the 'New
Normal' of Student Borrowing," Demos senior policy analyst Mark Huelsman
details a system that is highly stratified along class and racial
lines. The nation's debt-financed system for college enrollment not only
produces higher loan balances for low-income, Black, and Latino
students, but also results in high numbers of low-income students and
minority students leaving school without receiving a credential,
according to the report.
The author draws upon data from
three U.S. Department of Education surveys, the Federal Reserve's 2013
Survey of Consumer Finances, and existing academic literature, for the
analysis.
- Black and low-income students borrow more, and
more often, to receive a bachelor's degree, even at public institutions.
At 80 percent, the vast majority of Black graduates take on debt,
compared to 63 percent of White graduates. Latino students borrow at the
same rate as White students to attend public colleges and universities,
but borrow at far higher rates to attend private non-profit schools (87
percent to 72 percent, respectively).
- Black and Latino students
are dropping out with debt at higher rates than White students. At all
schools, 39 percent of Black borrowers and 31 percent of Latino students
drop out of college compared to 29 percent of White borrowers.
Thirty-eight percent of low-income borrowers drop out, compared to less
than a quarter of their higher-income peers.
- Associate's degree
borrowing has jumped particularly among Black students over the past
decade. At public institutions, 57 percent of Black associate's degree
recipients borrow (compared to 43 percent of White students), and borrow
nearly $2,000 more than White students. A decade ago, 38 percent of
Black associate's degree recipients borrowed (compared to 32 percent of
White students). In other words, a six-point gap in borrowing between
White and Black associate's degree holders has turned into a 14-point
gap.
- Black students are substantially more likely to cite
financial reasons for not completing a degree program. Nearly 7 in 10
Black dropouts cite student debt as a primary reason for dropping out,
compared to fewer than half of White students.
- Students at
for-profit institutions, who are disproportionately people of color,
face the highest debt burdens and dropout rates.
Click Here to Read the Full Report, The Debt Divide
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Moncks, South Carolina Joins
The 2015 Million Father March
MONCKS CORNER, SC - On Monday, August 17,
2015, Berkeley County School District's first day of school, Berkeley
Middle School will participate in the national Million Father March
(MFM) initiative.
The school is encouraging all fathers to bring their children to school.
Patricia
Hill, guidance counselor at Berkeley Middle School, said, "The faculty
and staff at Berkeley Middle School are excited to be a part of the
Million Father March this year. Research shows that students with
involved fathers score higher on cognitive tests, have higher
self-esteem and possess abilities associated with higher education
achievement. We look forward to working more closely with our fathers
this year to ensure student success!"
The MFM is an
opportunity for men to show their commitment to the educational lives of
their children on the first day of school and throughout the school
year. Since MFM began in 2004, fathers and other significant male
caregivers across the United States and around the world have gathered
to accompany their children to their first day of the new school year.
Each annual MFM marks the beginning of a yearlong commitment by men to
their children's educational success.
"This is a great way
for Berkeley Middle School and schools across this country to begin the
year. Fathers and men must take an active role with our youth! We are
excited to work with our school leaders in this and all other
endeavors," said Pastor Tory Liferidge of Grace Reformed Episcopal
Church.
Principal Mike Wilkerson identified the need to
improve parental involvement at Berkeley Middle School for the upcoming
school year and the initiative addresses that need. When fathers and
children arrive at the school on the first day, they will be ushered
into the Multi-Purpose Room where donuts and coffee will be available.
Fathers will receive nametags, pledge sheets and a badge stating "I took
my child to school today!". School calendars also will be on hand so
fathers can sign up to volunteer or attend activities throughout the
year. Afterward, photos will be taken of each father and his child or
children.
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Quote of the Day
From The Black Star Learning Center
"The people must know before they can act, and there is no educator to compare with the press."
- Ida B. Wells, muckraking journalist.
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