report - Sandra Dika, Rima Brusi and Walter Díaz. Contains four papers based on original research (quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods) at the CUA-Center for University Access, University of Puerto Rico.
Presentación de grupo. Resumen del trabajo del Centro Universitario para el Acceso; una mirada a la relación entre la desigualdad social y el acceso a la educación superior; énfasis en los trabajos liderados por estudiantes afiliados al... more
Presentación de grupo. Resumen del trabajo del Centro Universitario para el Acceso; una mirada a la relación entre la desigualdad social y el acceso a la educación superior; énfasis en los trabajos liderados por estudiantes afiliados al centro.
Locked In, Locked Out is a timely, important and engaging ethnographic exploration of the interplay of race, class and the built environment in four gated communities in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The four sites are geographically... more
Locked In, Locked Out is a timely, important and engaging ethnographic exploration of the interplay of race, class and the built environment in four gated communities in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The four sites are geographically close to one another: one could in theory walk easily from one to the next. But two of them are inhabited by relatively well off Ponce families who have erected formidable gates, complete with alarm systems and even metal knifelike contraptions reminiscent of medieval fortresses. They seek to protect themselves from the intrusion of the danger and crime assumed to threaten them from the outside. The other two communities are public housing complexes, where low income families see their access to and from the outside world shaped and limited by an architecture of exclusion and surveillance designed not so much to protect them from crime but rather to protect others from the crime that, for many Puerto Ricans, the government, and the media, they seem to have come to represent. The topic is hardly neutral.
The Precalculus Mega Section project was developed with the main purpose of improving the overall performance of the student body in Pre-calculus, an important gatekeeper course that affects student engagement and completion, with typical... more
The Precalculus Mega Section project was developed with the main purpose of improving the overall performance of the student body in Pre-calculus, an important gatekeeper course that affects student engagement and completion, with typical drop/failure rates of over 50 percent. Strategies such as integration of technology and additional practice time with TA support, helped significantly reduce the withdraw and failure rates that prevail today in this course. Although it was carried out in a large group format (150 students), the experimental sections had better outcomes than current, traditional sections in smaller groups taking the same tests. Results show the design choices and underlying assumptions to be promising and cost-effective, and recommendations include testing the model as a substitute for current remedial coursework on campus and beyond.
Resulta difícil no interpretar esa combinación–eliminar escuelas públicas y a la vez traer vales y chárters a la mesa– como otra cosa que no sea una privatización a gran escala del sistema educativo y una luz verde al uso de fondos... more
Resulta difícil no interpretar esa combinación–eliminar escuelas públicas y a la vez traer vales y chárters a la mesa– como otra cosa que no sea una privatización a gran escala del sistema educativo y una luz verde al uso de fondos públicos para alimentarla. No nos parece que el vínculo que existe entre los fondos buitre que esgrimen nuestra deuda y la industria de escuelas chárter en Estados Unidos sea una coincidencia. Por su parte, Keleher niega que el proceso sea uno de privatización. Y el borrador final del proyecto es notablemente vago en lo que respecta a aspectos críticos de sus propuestas: las chárter podrían ser organizaciones con o sin fines de lucro, los vales podrían o no usarse en escuelas religiosas, y tanto las chárter como las privadas podrían o no aceptar estudiantes de educación especial.
