This week, I'm talking with Suzanne Barbati, director of the Roger and Gloria Jones Children's Center for Science and Technology in downtown Youngstown. The Center goes by the name "Oh Wow," which Suzanne explains is meant to reflect the way children and their families will respond to the new exhibits and programs they plan to offer.
Oh Wow is a new vision for the children's museum, which operated for several years as a more general site. The new version reflects the efforts of a number of local leaders to redefine the community around science and technology, all built on the belief that the Valley's economy can be rebuilt by emphasizing these areas. It also reflects a national anxiety about how well we are preparing children in the "STEM" fields, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
I love the idea of a science and technology-oriented children's museum. My favorite museum as a child was the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. You could walk through a super-size replica of a human heart, look at fetuses of various stages in development, and learn about how the telephone system worked by using a phone system that let you have "conversations" with Disney characters.
Much as I loved that, I grew up to be an English professor, and as a humanist, I'm naturally skeptical of the claim that science and technology are the key to all future success. Yes, we need to improve the quality of education in these fields, just as we do in reading and social studies, and yes, there are real and troublesome achievement gaps in STEM training, with relatively few African-Americans or Hispanics excelling in these fields. On the other hand, as studies by the Sloan Foundation and the Rand Corporation suggest, the much-touted shortage in these fields may be an illusion.
I'm not saying that we shouldn't support Oh Wow (though the name isn't working for me). It will make an important contribution to our community's kids. And speaking of contributions, fundraising is one of the Center's primary concerns these days. You can help by visiting their "donor blog."
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
A nontraditional route to success
Talking with Jeff Magada about Flying High, Inc. made me think about the limitations of traditional forms of education and the value of offering alternatives. Magada's program fills in for young adults for whom traditional schooling just doesn't work. Flying High offers more personalized attention, a stronger focus on job preparation, and more specific training in both job skills and what some term "employability" skills.
This program, and other non-profit private efforts to help at-risk young people prepare for successful adult lives, seem to be growing in our community, no doubt in response -- at least in part and perhaps indirectly -- to problems with the local schools, as well as persistent unemployment and poverty in the area. All of that creates conditions that make preparing for employment difficult for young people, in part because they see so few opportunities. Programs that build leadership skills can help improve participants' economic situations, of course, but they can also build our community. As Flying High says on its website, their goal is to build "self-sufficiency" and to "mobilize young people to be part of neighborhood revitaization efforts." In other words, theirs is an alternative path not only in terms of education and job preparation but also in terms of serving others.
This program, and other non-profit private efforts to help at-risk young people prepare for successful adult lives, seem to be growing in our community, no doubt in response -- at least in part and perhaps indirectly -- to problems with the local schools, as well as persistent unemployment and poverty in the area. All of that creates conditions that make preparing for employment difficult for young people, in part because they see so few opportunities. Programs that build leadership skills can help improve participants' economic situations, of course, but they can also build our community. As Flying High says on its website, their goal is to build "self-sufficiency" and to "mobilize young people to be part of neighborhood revitaization efforts." In other words, theirs is an alternative path not only in terms of education and job preparation but also in terms of serving others.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Diverse Voices
On Lincoln Avenue this week, I'm talking with literary scholar Michele Fazio, who studies multiethnic America literature, much of it also reflecting working-class perspectives. The interview explains, I think, why such work matters, and I hope Michele will inspire you to get reading. Here are some of the books Michele mentioned:
Pietro Di Donato, Christ in Concrete
John Fante, Wait Until Spring, Bandini
Carol Maso, Ghost Dance
Louise Erdrich, Love Medicine
Sherman Alexie, Indian Killer
For longer lists of good working-class literature, visit the Working-Class Literature page at YSU's Center for Working-Class Studies. Wikipedia (of all things) has lists of writers from 9 different ethnic and racial groups on its page for the organization, Multiethnic Literature of the United States. Voices from the Gaps, a web project at the University of Minnesota, provides information on a variety of women writers and artists of color.
Happy reading!
Pietro Di Donato, Christ in Concrete
John Fante, Wait Until Spring, Bandini
Carol Maso, Ghost Dance
Louise Erdrich, Love Medicine
Sherman Alexie, Indian Killer
For longer lists of good working-class literature, visit the Working-Class Literature page at YSU's Center for Working-Class Studies. Wikipedia (of all things) has lists of writers from 9 different ethnic and racial groups on its page for the organization, Multiethnic Literature of the United States. Voices from the Gaps, a web project at the University of Minnesota, provides information on a variety of women writers and artists of color.
Happy reading!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Accountability or Responsibility?
Education policy makers keep telling us that the quality of higher education has declined. Enrollments are up, but those who oversee and fund higher ed tell us that we should be worried about whether colleges are doing their job. That anxiety translates into calls for accountability. YSU, like all public institutions in Ohio, has to publish statistics about things like retention and graduation rates as part of a "college portrait" created through the "Voluntary System of Accountability" (which in Ohio isn't voluntary at all). In order to gain accreditation, we have to demonstrate (among other things) that the University is assessing students' learning.
These efforts raise two questions in my mind. First, why the push for accountability? And second, what kinds of information would best communicate the quality of education offered at a university? My guest on Lincoln Avenue this week, Linda Adler-Kassner, has been examining these questions for several years. She has worked with the Higher Learning Commission, the organization that provides accreditation to YSU, and as President of the Council of Writing Program Administrators, she has been working with colleagues who direct first-year writing programs on campuses around the country on how they should respond to the claim that colleges aren't doing their jobs.
As she suggests, calls for accountability are nothing new, and they generally reflect both genuine concern and a belief that college faculty are not doing our jobs well enough because we don't really understand what students need. As a professor, I work with students every day -- much more than anyone in the Department of Education or the Ohio Board of Regents or at the Educational Testing Service. I know both my students and my field well, and that should earn me your trust. Policy makers disagree, and to be honest, I can understand why. Too many faculty define their work solely in terms of research, and too many blame any difficulties students encounter on the students themselves. That's where Adler-Kassner's focus on responsibility comes in. If I don't want someone else telling me what I should teach and what counts as appropriate learning, then I have to take responsibility for my work as a teacher. My colleagues at YSU do that, in part, through assessment.
That said, I'm troubled by the idea that a bunch of statistics about the University as a whole can possibly reflect the complexity of what happens in our classrooms, and I wonder how useful the information is to prospective students and their parents. The YSU College Portrait provides data on things like the ACT scores of entering students, and it uses some data from a survey on students' experiences, but if I were going to show you the quality of students' learning here, I'd invite you to QUEST, where students present their research every spring, or have you visit a few classes and listen to students discussing problems and issues and ideas. I'd show you faculty research on student learning and have you listen in to my colleagues as they advise students on registration and MA thesis work and what to do after graduation. Most important, I'd sit you down to talk with my students. Of course, none of that can be captured easily.
Real education is a messy business. It can't be reduced to a 5-page report. That's why it works.
These efforts raise two questions in my mind. First, why the push for accountability? And second, what kinds of information would best communicate the quality of education offered at a university? My guest on Lincoln Avenue this week, Linda Adler-Kassner, has been examining these questions for several years. She has worked with the Higher Learning Commission, the organization that provides accreditation to YSU, and as President of the Council of Writing Program Administrators, she has been working with colleagues who direct first-year writing programs on campuses around the country on how they should respond to the claim that colleges aren't doing their jobs.
As she suggests, calls for accountability are nothing new, and they generally reflect both genuine concern and a belief that college faculty are not doing our jobs well enough because we don't really understand what students need. As a professor, I work with students every day -- much more than anyone in the Department of Education or the Ohio Board of Regents or at the Educational Testing Service. I know both my students and my field well, and that should earn me your trust. Policy makers disagree, and to be honest, I can understand why. Too many faculty define their work solely in terms of research, and too many blame any difficulties students encounter on the students themselves. That's where Adler-Kassner's focus on responsibility comes in. If I don't want someone else telling me what I should teach and what counts as appropriate learning, then I have to take responsibility for my work as a teacher. My colleagues at YSU do that, in part, through assessment.
That said, I'm troubled by the idea that a bunch of statistics about the University as a whole can possibly reflect the complexity of what happens in our classrooms, and I wonder how useful the information is to prospective students and their parents. The YSU College Portrait provides data on things like the ACT scores of entering students, and it uses some data from a survey on students' experiences, but if I were going to show you the quality of students' learning here, I'd invite you to QUEST, where students present their research every spring, or have you visit a few classes and listen to students discussing problems and issues and ideas. I'd show you faculty research on student learning and have you listen in to my colleagues as they advise students on registration and MA thesis work and what to do after graduation. Most important, I'd sit you down to talk with my students. Of course, none of that can be captured easily.
Real education is a messy business. It can't be reduced to a 5-page report. That's why it works.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Small Press, Big Vision
Talking with Phil Brady about Etruscan Press was a special treat for me, because long, long ago, when I was still an undergraduate, I did some work with small presses. Our conversation reminded me of the incredibly hopeful, committed vision that inspires this kind of work.
Small presses like Etruscan make new writing available without regard to sales and markets. In that sense, they provide the practical side of art for its own sake. As Brady says in our interview, because their support comes from donors and institutions, not sales, they can choose books based on artistic value, not their potential popularity. With small press books, writers create, editors and publishers provide space for, and readers pay attention to fresh voices and perspectives. The work itself, not the size of the audience, is what matters most.
While big press books that sell millions of copies may have more immediate, obvious influence, small presses matter for different reasons. They make it possible for artists to do their work without having to fit their vision into the often narrow confines of existing models. Put simply, they make true creativity possible. They protect us -- not just writers but also readers -- from sliding into cultural conformity.
Happily, such work is sometimes rewarded. Several Etruscan books have been nominated for major awards, and the press's book of writers' responses to 9/11 drew considerable attention. As Brady suggests, that kind of recognition validates the work of the press. But that's not why he does this work. It's all about the writing itself, about supporting writers and providing readers with the best quality books.
Doing this can be joyful work. You can hear that in the way Brady talks about Etruscan. It's also stubbornly optimistic work. Small press publishers and authors know that their work will reach small audiences, but they persist, because they believe that what matters is not the size of the audience but the audacity of the creative vision.
Small presses like Etruscan make new writing available without regard to sales and markets. In that sense, they provide the practical side of art for its own sake. As Brady says in our interview, because their support comes from donors and institutions, not sales, they can choose books based on artistic value, not their potential popularity. With small press books, writers create, editors and publishers provide space for, and readers pay attention to fresh voices and perspectives. The work itself, not the size of the audience, is what matters most.
While big press books that sell millions of copies may have more immediate, obvious influence, small presses matter for different reasons. They make it possible for artists to do their work without having to fit their vision into the often narrow confines of existing models. Put simply, they make true creativity possible. They protect us -- not just writers but also readers -- from sliding into cultural conformity.
Happily, such work is sometimes rewarded. Several Etruscan books have been nominated for major awards, and the press's book of writers' responses to 9/11 drew considerable attention. As Brady suggests, that kind of recognition validates the work of the press. But that's not why he does this work. It's all about the writing itself, about supporting writers and providing readers with the best quality books.
Doing this can be joyful work. You can hear that in the way Brady talks about Etruscan. It's also stubbornly optimistic work. Small press publishers and authors know that their work will reach small audiences, but they persist, because they believe that what matters is not the size of the audience but the audacity of the creative vision.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Future of Manufacturing, Part II
Scott Paul runs an unusual organization. The Alliance for American Manufacturing is a joint effort of US steel companies and the United Steelworkers of America. Such a labor-management partnership may seem like a contradiction in terms, but as he explains in our conversation, both workers and companies have a stake in preserving, or better yet restoring, manufacturing as a cornerstone of the US economy.
It's not just that workers need jobs, though of course they do -- as anyone in the Mahoning Valley can attest. It's also that companies need consumers, and in order to afford to buy products, people need jobs. More than that, they need jobs that pay well. Too many Americans have accepted a sad and problematic story line about how the demise of American manufacturing is the fault of workers and especially unions. No doubt, organized labor is far from perfect, and yes, labor costs are higher when companies pay decent wages and provide good benefits. But jobs like that have a ripple effect in a community, creating additional jobs and spreading prosperity through a community.
We've seen that locally. Local leaders as well as unions worked hard to persuade GM to assign the Cruze to the Lordstown plant. Why? Because 1500 jobs matter, and not just to the 1500 workers who have them. 1500 jobs means thousands of purchases at local businesses, requiring hundreds of hours of labor by clerks and other store personnel. 1500 jobs means thousands of doctor's visits by people with good insurance, requiring hundreds of hours of labor by clerical workers, nurses, accountants, janitors, and others who help keep clinics and hospitals running smoothly. And 1500 jobs bring thousands of dollars into city, county, and state budgets, providing not just jobs but also increased safety and quality of life for everyone.
It might not be pretty, and no doubt many local leaders want us to "get over" our history as an industrial community. But as Scott Paul reminds us, the future of manufacturing is really the future of our economy. Maybe you're a lawyer, a technical writer, or an elementary school teacher, doing work that seems far removed from steel mills and auto plants. Doesn't matter. Manufacturing matters to you.
It's not just that workers need jobs, though of course they do -- as anyone in the Mahoning Valley can attest. It's also that companies need consumers, and in order to afford to buy products, people need jobs. More than that, they need jobs that pay well. Too many Americans have accepted a sad and problematic story line about how the demise of American manufacturing is the fault of workers and especially unions. No doubt, organized labor is far from perfect, and yes, labor costs are higher when companies pay decent wages and provide good benefits. But jobs like that have a ripple effect in a community, creating additional jobs and spreading prosperity through a community.
We've seen that locally. Local leaders as well as unions worked hard to persuade GM to assign the Cruze to the Lordstown plant. Why? Because 1500 jobs matter, and not just to the 1500 workers who have them. 1500 jobs means thousands of purchases at local businesses, requiring hundreds of hours of labor by clerks and other store personnel. 1500 jobs means thousands of doctor's visits by people with good insurance, requiring hundreds of hours of labor by clerical workers, nurses, accountants, janitors, and others who help keep clinics and hospitals running smoothly. And 1500 jobs bring thousands of dollars into city, county, and state budgets, providing not just jobs but also increased safety and quality of life for everyone.
It might not be pretty, and no doubt many local leaders want us to "get over" our history as an industrial community. But as Scott Paul reminds us, the future of manufacturing is really the future of our economy. Maybe you're a lawyer, a technical writer, or an elementary school teacher, doing work that seems far removed from steel mills and auto plants. Doesn't matter. Manufacturing matters to you.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Future of Manufacturing
Richard McCormack, editor and publisher of Manufacturing and Technology News, offers a grim view of the state of manufacturing in America, but nothing he says will come as a surprise to listeners in Youngstown. We know all too well not only that both the amount of stuff that America makes and the number of jobs involved have shrunk over the last 30 years. And we know, too, how little federal policies are doing to change the trend.
Equally important, we understand why manufacturing jobs matter. The economic story of the Mahoning Valley illustrates this all too well. Even beyond the high levels of unemployment locally, we can see how the shift from manufacturing to service jobs affects families and the community. Service jobs pay less, often allow people to work fewer hours, and often fewer benefits than manufacturing jobs, and all of that matters not just to those who hold these jobs but to their families and the community at large. After all, if people earn more, they also spend more, and a single manufacturing job can help support several more jobs in other sectors. Some economics have suggested that the U.S. can thrive by sending manufacturing jobs out of the country and focusing on research and design, management, and various forms of creative work. As McCormick explains, that just doesn't work. We need manufacturing, not just here in the Mahoning Valley but across the country.
You can hear more of Richard McCormack's analysis by checking out some of the videos from his visit, available now on the Center for Working-Class Studies website.
Equally important, we understand why manufacturing jobs matter. The economic story of the Mahoning Valley illustrates this all too well. Even beyond the high levels of unemployment locally, we can see how the shift from manufacturing to service jobs affects families and the community. Service jobs pay less, often allow people to work fewer hours, and often fewer benefits than manufacturing jobs, and all of that matters not just to those who hold these jobs but to their families and the community at large. After all, if people earn more, they also spend more, and a single manufacturing job can help support several more jobs in other sectors. Some economics have suggested that the U.S. can thrive by sending manufacturing jobs out of the country and focusing on research and design, management, and various forms of creative work. As McCormick explains, that just doesn't work. We need manufacturing, not just here in the Mahoning Valley but across the country.
You can hear more of Richard McCormack's analysis by checking out some of the videos from his visit, available now on the Center for Working-Class Studies website.
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