Cultural Diversity

Question 1

The corpus Callosum

Answer 1

Thick bundle of nerves connecting the brains right and left hemispheres. Girls are on average larger than boys- up to 25% larger by adolescence. This enables more “cross Talk” between hemispheres in the female brain.

Question 2

Hippocampus

Answer 2

(another memory storage area in the brain) is larger in girls than in boys, increasing girls’ learning advantage, especially in the language arts.

Question 3

Multitasking

Answer 3

Boys brains not only operate with less blood flow than girls brains, but they are also structured to compartmentalize learning. Thus, girls tend to multitask better than boys do, with fewer attention span problems and greater ability to make quick transitions between lessons.

Question 4

Rest state

Answer 4

The male brain is set to renew, recharge, and reorient itself by entering what neurologists call a rest state. It is predominantly boys who drift off without completing assignments, stop taking notes and fall asleep during lecture, that enter a neural rest state. A girl can be bored with a lesson, but she will nonetheless keep her eyes open, take notes, thus girls tend to recharge and reorient neural focus without rest states. The more words a teacher uses, the more likely boys are to zone out or go into rest state.The Male brain is better suited for symbols,abstractions, diagrams, pictures than words

Question 5

Unmarried households

Answer 5

Since 1990 there has been a rise in births outside of marriages. White women with less than a four-year college degree have the greatest percentage increase.

Question 6

Married Households

Answer 6

From 1968 to 2010 there has been a decrease in income in married households in all three levels: Top third who reported earning more than 89k in 2010, the middle third, and last the bottom third who earned less than 41k.

Question 7

Effects of household marital status on the future income of children

Answer 7

A study that tracked children who were 12-14 years old at the start of 1996 shows that those who didn’t live with both parents were less likely to have moved up to a higher income group 12 years later as adults.

Question 8

time -of-marriage trends bases on college education attainment

Answer 8

The average age of when couples with some college, or a college diploma tend to marry for the first time is around late 20’s - 30;s. Divorce rates also decrease from having some college to earning a full degree.

Question 9

Strategies that accommodate parents in StoneWall Jackson High School. “Pulling the Parents.”

Answer 9

Removal of the counter that past administrators would use to keep parents at bay by principal Steve Constantino. Launched ParentLink to parents, a website that enables them to get day details of the activity done that same day, grades, homework, and attendance. They also accommodate working parents’ schedules and Added directional signs in both spanish and english. Encourages parents’ involvement and usage of the school’s resources for college and career options. Added a new fitness center. Offers an international baccalaureate. Guidance director Rebekah Wright began events for Saturday mornings and breakfast orientations with newcomer parents.

Question 10

Strategies to involve drop out parents in schools in “When Parents d

Answer 11

Do lunch: At-home activities for kids discussed with free ice cream at McDonald’s health and science night, free samples of food offered at a local supermarket for parents so teachers can discuss new math and science standards

Answer 12

Give parents real power: In place of feeble PTAs, many districts sanctioned school improvement teams giving parents power to hire or fire teachers and select texts for kids to study.

Answer 13

Make house calls: teachers schedule home visits to discuss what their child will study and how they can help with homework assignments

Answer 14

Hold parents accountable: required parents to sign “compacts” to how much they should be reading to their child per hour each week. This also includes signatures for dress codes and homework checks

Answer 15

Give parents talking points: schools use internet and voicemail systems to encourage parents to stay informed about what the kids are doing in school. It also may show them what assignments are coming up and when they are due.

Question 16

Understanding the role of poverty in low-performing schools

Answer 16

Communities that suffer the most from poverty experience, “unemployment, homelessness, substance abuse, community violence, domestic violence, child abuse, teen pregnancy, incarcerated parents etc.” Students in high-poverty communities have a disproportionate number of serious health, mental health and behavioral problems. Effects of poverty serve as a barrier to learning, as children living in poverty and exposed to trauma all too often come to school sad, distracted, disruptive, and disengaged.

Question 17

Essential elements of effective high-poverty schools

Answer 17

Leadership in the driving force of school improvement, with a strong leader characterized as one. Adept management,instruction, and constructive engagement of staff, students and families. Extended learning opportunities, curricula aligned to effective students, assessments, and teaching tools.