Connecticut College Digital Commons @ Connecticut College 1998-1999 Student Newspapers 4-23-1999 College Voice Vol. 22 No. 20 Connecticut College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/ccnews_1998_1999 Recommended Citation Connecticut College, "College Voice Vol. 22 No. 20" (1999). 1998-1999. 19. https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/ccnews_1998_1999/19 This Newspaper is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Newspapers at Digital Commons @ Connecticut College. It has been accepted for inclusion in 1998-1999 by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Connecticut College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author. MOVIE A TOUCH SCORES & REVIEW OF CLASS SCHEDULES Lawrence & Murphy get a life Carolyn & Company Camels make impressive sp'r~ces up the downtown gains during beginning of dining scene page 4 page 4 spring season. page 12 OLLEGE GICE PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY THE STUDENTS OF CONNOCTTCtlT COLLEGE VOLUME XXII • NUMBER 20 FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 1999 CONNECTtCUT COLLEGE, NEW LONDON, CT Floralia '99 Bands Announced Crawford Confronts Madness in California's Urban Education By NICOLE MANCEVICE as a Second Language leads to sev- bottom" approach called "whole lan- eral problems. Teacbers are afraid to guage." Parents and teachers read out staff writer speak Spanish, and thus instead of loud to students, and after a while "Has California Gone Mad?" On "swimming," many students "sink." they are able to "read along." Th Apnl 15, Dr. Alan Crawford an- Dr. Crawford explained that "many children memorize the text, and they swered tltis question with a simple yet children sbut them [teacbers] off, be- begin to figure out which sentence empham, "Yes!" Dr. Crawford, Pro- cause they cannot understand." As a provides which information. One fessor of CUrriculum and Instruction result of this reaction, Crawford esti- benefit of this approach to reading is at California State University, Los mates that large numbers of students that children learn bow to read from Angeles, explained his answer based will drop out of school in 5 years. authentic text. This type of text hp on the current political status of read- Califomia scbools currently stress real characters, character develop- 109 programs in Califomia. His en- speed and accuracy in reading; stu- ment, and a plot; it contains sentences lightening talk titled "Urban Educa- dents do not gain comprehension that children might actually use in non: Confronting 'Adversity to skills tbrougb phonics, the current different situations. Achieve Equity - Part 4 'Has CaIi- mandatory approach to literacy edu- Crawford explained that these fornia Gone Mad?'" was sponsored cation. Teachers must use "decodable "decisions are not about kids, but by the Education and Human Devel- text," which only contains letters and about politics." California's pride opment departments and Unity sounds that follow the rules of pbon- was burt when the state ranked lower House. ics, for example "Dick and Jane run than Mississippi on national stan- In an attempt to ameliorate the fast." These simple texts have no real dardized testing. The state of Califor- scor~s on standardized testing, Cali- characters, no character development, nia, however, spends less money per fornia reduced class sizes to 20 stu- and no plot. student than Mississippi does. Also, dents in grades K-4. Class reduction The philosophy behind this ap- California tests all children in En- created a huge demand for teacbers, proach to reading is that "the chil- glish, but approximately 40% of the and 60% of the 400 teachers hired by dren are to read out loud, and as they students in California do not speak L.A. Unified have only a college de- are reading out loud they are to listen English. gree and no professional training in to themselves," says Dr. Crawford. Dr. Crawford warns that the state education. There are no substitute "The California Board of Education of education in California has seri- teachers in California because every- thinks that reading comes orally." ous implications for the rest of the one in Califomia wbo is willing to Dr. Crawford shared a story that public schools in the country. Major go into a classroom has already been emphasized what he believes is publisbers are already designing hired as a teacher. Crawford ex- wrong with teaching kids phonics. He phonics textbooks that comply with pressed that California' now has a explained that in a workshop he had the desires of the California Board-of need for about 30,000 bilingual a group of young children dictate a Education. Large states like Califor- teachers, for even though teachers sentence to him. and he wrote the nia are able to decide tbe content of cannot talk to students in Spanish, sentence on the board. The school national textbooks because the large teachers need to be able to commu- principal walked in later and read the states are also large markets. If you nicate with parents. sentence, and after reading the sen- would like to have a voice in what Dr. Crawford compared the cur- tence, the principal complimented the occurs in the future of educational rent trends in public education in students and left. As the principal shut policy, tben "find people who think Califomia to the methods used in the the door of the classroom, one boy like you do and form a community," former Soviet Union. Bilingual edu- raised his hand. He asked "How did advises Dean Michael James "A com- cation is against state law, and En- he do that? He wasn't here!" This munity begins with two people." glish is the only language allowed in young child did not understand that This year, Dr. Alan Crawford will the public schools. If a teacher is not what he had dictated was based on spend half of his time in nineteen dif- teaching.,aJoreign- language, hut..he wriring, so bow-could the principal ferent countries in the Former Soviet speaks a foreign language in the know what the sentence was about if Union as an affiliate of UNESCO and classroom to communicate with stu- he was not in the room when the stu- the International Reading Associa- dents, then be can be fined $200 for dents dictated it? tion. Dr. Crawford is internationally every day he speaks this language. In contrast to phonics, Dr. known for his expertise in bilingual This structured immersion in English Crawford explained a more "top to education. Voice Interview: Watch Stander Cliff Compton II Floralia XXII will be headlined by They Might Be Giants, God Street Wine, and Das EFX Exploring the Underworld of Conn By LUKE JOHNSON gotiating exclusively with George will be playing the biggest event of evil arm of the tenure committees, down into a small chamber. The a&e editor Clinton and the P Funk All Stars, the the year. By MITCHELL POLATIN popular group unexpectedly raised Luck aside, Clem emphasized features editor Compton seems to escape any direct room was filled with tubes tangled connection to the campus commu- around each other in a seemingly ar- After months of planning, high their price to 50,000 dollars, an the "enormous amount of time" that Cliff Compton works at the cam- nity. He bas been a Watcb Stander at bitrary fashion and it seemed as if hopes, endless phone tag and fierce amount well outside what the College SAC devoted to the search (espe- pus power plant next to the newly steam was coming out of every avail- was able to spend. This left SAC cially Music and Talent Search Di- the powerhouse for the past eighteen negotiations, the Student Activities renovated Black Box Theater. It is years, and he bates his job. able locale. Council (SAC) has announced the without any bands and almost no time rector Barry Klatzkin '01), as well one of the campus's most unassum- Sitting at his desk, Compton told As we entered the tunnel, bands tbat will play Floralia '99. to find replacements. Fortunately, the' as that the money saved from not ing buildings. Nestled bebind me how squirrels found their way into Compton turned to me and said, Headliners They Might Be Giants Council and its search agent were having a fall concert as instrumen- able to find a number of options. tal in making Floralia '99 "the best Branford, the yellow brick power the powerbouse. "I bad a squirrel "Take it slow and keep your head will be joined by Das EFX, God plant funnels power off the street and come bere for a while. She'd come down. You don't want to knock your Street Wine, Static, an as yet uncon- TMBG stood out as the best Floralia people bave ever seen!" onto the campus. A smoke stack right in and sit on your sboulder. We self out," A deep hissing noise ech- firmed group from Boston, and choice, and according to the current He also said that, because there campus buzz, a very popular cboice. are so many bands this year, the pro- stretches thirty feet into the sky, but bad a lot of them in here." Compton oed throughout the tunnel and it was three campus bands on the Floralia even that seems to bury itself behind God Street Wine and Das EFX also gram will be much longer, with mu- glanced up at the window separating nearly impossible to shake the '99 stage. the rooftops of Plant and Branford- aberrantly paranoid suspicion that a scored high. SAC Chair Bachman sic from 10 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. us from a maze of tubes, pipes, ma- The road to such an impressive or behind the occasional black cloud chines and anything else one might hulking serpent lurked somewhere Clem '01 said that SAC members Clem wouldn't elaborate on the lineup was fraught with obstacles, behind the dusty black walls.