Eric Ponce

EricPonce@aol.com


12th Grade Government

 

Introduction: More than eighty-five percent of students who attend the New York public school system are member of minority groups.  Unfortunately, the vast majority of students who drop out of the NYC public school system are Hispanics and African Americans.

 

Task: You will write a 4-5 page research paper (using MLA format) detailing and explaining why so many students of color (with an emphasis on NYC public school students) drop out of school. From your subsequent research, you will create a policy on to remedy the problem of the high number of Hispanics and African Americans who drop out of high school.

 

Your research paper should include the following components:

·       A historical view of why students drop out of school.

·       Statistical information on the number of minority students that drop out of NYC public schools.

·       Reasons why so many Hispanics and African Americans drop out of school.

·       Remedies that have been taken to solve the problem.

·       Your analysis why so many minority students drop out of school and what can be done to solve the problem.

 

Process:

 

A. Use the Internet to do the research using the PPA worksheets of the Tips program and handout prepared by the teacher.

 

I.                  Identify the problem

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet1.html

II.               Gathering evidence

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet2.html

III.            Identify causes of the problem

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet3.html

IV.            Evaluate the policy   http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet4.html

V.               Develop a solution to the problem           http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet5.html      

VI.            Selecting the best solution

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet6.html

 

Resources:

http://www.saxakali.com/edwatch/racism_in_schools.htm

 http://www.advocatesforchildren.org/resource/nycfactsheet.php3

 http://www.edpriorities.org/Info/info_StateFun.html

 http://www.saxakali.com/CommunityLinkups/NYCBdEd.htm

 

Standards:

 

The web quest focuses on the following New York Standards in English:

 

·        E2a- Produce a report of information

·         E1c- Read and comprehend informational materials

·        E4a- Demonstrate an understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work

 

The web quest focuses on the following New York Standards in Social Studies:

 

New York State Social Studies Standard 5:Civics, Citizenship, and Government:

·        Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

 

Conclusion:

 

From obtaining and analyzing information from the Internet, students will be able to develop a policy on how to remedy the high number of minority students dropping out of school.

 

 

Evaluation:

 

Grade A (90-100pts)

·       Must have 4-5 typed written pages

·       Research paper must written in MLA format (including MLA citations)

·       Your paper should contain the components as listed in the task above.

 

Note: If your paper does not follow the MLA format and the components listed in the task above, your paper will result in a lower grade.