The election of Barack Obama as President is an achievement for all people, not just minorities, but when it comes to education some feel like it might have even a deeper effect in the minority community.
Read both the articles and comment on this “Obama Effect” and the achievement gap.
Will this “Obama Effect” have the capacity to effect change or is it another way to set up minorities for failure?
http://www.utne.com/Science-Technology/Obamas-Effect-on-Racism-and-Test-Scores.aspx
also read this link-
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/education/23gap.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=obama%20test%20scores&st=cse
Please post coments before the next class-
Thanks
9 comments
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February 25, 2009 at 12:46 am
Melissa Warzinski
Personally, I expected this kind of effect when Obama came to office. I don’t even think it will remain within the walls of schools and tests, it will positively affect the black population in any area that requires confidence and intelligence. Obama has given the black population a shining role model, and something to work for. Think about a son who looks up to his successful father, a doctor’s intern that looks up to a successful doctor, WHY NOT improve your life by striving to get to a point in your life that makes you happy because of another successful person that’s like you. I think that part of the reason Caucasians succeed is because they feel like they have to succeed since “everyone else that’s white seems to,” and now the black population has a similar outlook. The “Obama Effect” is very real, and seems perfectly reasonable. I feel that the achievement gap absolutely relies upon the way you title the “test/puzzle/etc.” Everyone deals with the stereotype threat in some way. As I read these articles it almost makes me sick to think about the fact that the black population needed a presidential election to feel adequate. People are people, it’s unfortunate that this “Obama Effect” has to be such a big deal because it’s disheartening to know that an “effect” needed to take place just to put aspiring students, despite their race, on the same page. Regardless, I am thrilled that the gap is closing in.
February 25, 2009 at 3:36 am
Lauren Straub
I have very mixed feelings about this “Obama Effect.” Right now, I think Obama’s election is a huge boost to black people AND minorities all around the world. His election definitely has the potential to make minorities feel more competent in their own space, as this recent study has shown.
But, I think everyone needs to be aware that just because he is the first black president, he has yet to show us what he can do – as it is still early on in his presidency. This doesn’t mean that I don’t have faith in him, but I feel as if the whole entire world is watching his every move, even more closely than previous presidents. Because of this AND the fact that now all of these researchers practically expect black people to be inspired by Obama, I think a lot of pressure is placed on all black people to step up in the world and I think that a lot of this pressure could end up having negative effects. Some people do well under pressure, while others fail. This fact doesn’t depend on your race, gender, etc., but it does depend on your personality, work traits and how you apply yourself.
Also, I don’t know if anyone else experienced this while they were observing during the election, but there was a lot of chatter among the black students about how now that a black person is president, they don’t have to worry about any previous injustices or prejudices that they once experienced. Hopefully this one day will be true for all minorities, but based on what I heard from these conversations, the students were banking on Obama to make everything easier for them rather than having to work hard for their own futures. Realistically speaking, everyone has to work hard for future success – but minorities definitely have to work harder than whites. Because Obama is our FIRST minority president, I think that this still applies. I’m not trying to say that these kids can’t think positively and hope for a better future, but that everyone should not forget the fact that things don’t change with the snap of a finger but with time and EFFORT. If the students don’t realize that they too have to make a change, this view of a minority president instantly making everything in the world golden might end up affecting them negatively in the end.
February 26, 2009 at 4:25 am
maria cosio
Lauren, you are right! Many people need to realize that obama’s “success story” came from effort and hard work. It sorted of reminded me how one day, I was on the bus. I was hearing a African American male complaining how Obama promised jobs. ANd yet, he still don’t got a job. The young lady, beside him, asked him “Have you even looked recently?” He replied” No, not this week!” I think Obama did make promises but everyone needs to realize that it TAKES TIME and hard work!
Also, it is hard to say that Obama being president is going to lower racism. I actually quite think it might cause some resentment because much of the focus is on how this BLACK president was elected. Much emphasis is only given on him being a minority. But, many whites can start to get bothered that this is all what everyone can talk about.
The reported study in the article leaves me wondering. Personally, I believe it is hard to say that it was this ELECTION that affected these test score improvements. There are other factors to consider. HOw did the researchers arrive to this conclusion? How can you be so sure? What were the details of the study? THe article does a poor job in giving us detail of this study. I find it hard to believe! But, I do believe that he is definitely an inspiration to minorities.
As a side note, I do believe that this “Obama effect” is worthy of discussion in our future classrooms. For 416, a writing lesson I thought of was that I showed a video clip of the “Yes we can”. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yq0tMYPDJQ). A good journal entry for our students could be ” Do you belive this? WHat needs to be done in order for CHange to occur? Is Change really possible?” In this way, we are acknowleging this “Obama effect” in our classroom.
February 25, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Kati Ellsberry
I agree with Lauren that Obama’s election is certainly inspiring to minority students, but I have my reservations concerning the “Obama Effect.”
If Obama’s election really eliminated the achievement gap between white and minority students, all the better. However, I find it a little difficult to believe that the election of a black president could erase a gap as large as the New York Times made it out to be. I understand that the election of the first minority president is a huge moral booster and I believe Obama is a great role model for these students. However, I feel that sometimes there is too much pressure on the new president to act in this manner. There are many other influential minority leaders in the country who also serve as great role models and motivators to students and yet few receive the same attention (or pressures) as our new president. I’m not trying to downplay Obama’s accomplishments, but I think its sad that many of these other minority leaders have not been given as much credit.
I truly hope the claims about the shrinking achievement gap are true, but like Dr. Kingsbury (quoted in the NY Times article), I’d really like to see the study replicated successfully. The study has not yet undergone peer review, and I am therefore also a little hesitant to believe the achievement gap has disappeared. Honestly, it just sounds too good to be true. I think Obama’s election was a huge step for minorities and will have many positive and lasting effects, but I think I’ll wait a little bit longer and see what other studies are published in the next few years.
February 26, 2009 at 5:18 am
Chantelle Ethier
I was really intrested in the power the teacher has to change the results of a test, by simply refering to it as a “puzzle” instead of a test. However, I was unclear whether the article was saying blacks improved test scores because of the labels or because of Obama’s election? I presume it was a little of both. Either way, I agree with Lauren in that black Americans are expecting a miracle from Obama. I feel black Americans do feel empowered by this recent election and as a result, they are performing better on tests. However, I think these results will soon plateau, as the stir caused from the election dies down. I hope this is not the case though. However, we must not deny this recent success is attributed to our recent election of Obama. As educators, we need to find out how to keep this momentum going!
February 26, 2009 at 6:10 am
Annie In
I agree with Lauren that the “Obama Effect” gives me mixed feelings. It is very exciting that Obama could have an effect on the achievement gap, but I have to admit that I definitely have doubts about it.
First of all, this experiment that they did was ONE test. And the pressures of stereotype is also just ONE factor that greatly affects the achievement gap. This achievement gap is like poverty– it seems like it is just a never ending cycle. Honestly, the cards are stacked against minorities, especially black students, and the causes don’t just come from stereotypes. It also has to do with socioeconomic status, family, resources, culture and so on. I believe that Obama can have this kind of effect, but I’m not sure if it will be very long lasting and able to really break though everything that is going against black students’ achievement on tests.
But, I definitely believe that a lot can change with just changing the way you think. Self-esteem is crucial to student performance and when you keep telling someone they are stupid…THEY ARE GOING TO BE STUPID. Obama is definitely a GREAT role model, but let’s hope that he will have a good presidency. Like Lauren said, he is being watched. Watched by EVERYONE… his mistakes will be magnified, and I believe that no matter what people say, his race will also be magnified as well. Obama is inspiring, I hope he can just carry out his words with his actions and really have a positive effect on the whole country, especially black students who need it!
February 26, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Kati Ellsberry
In response to Marie’s point that Obama should be recognized as biracial -
Obama has actually spoken on this many times. In a lot of his speeches he has discussed the topic, but he has also said that he personally identifies himself as an black man. The following is a quote from an interview he did with the New York Times in July of 2004 when he was asked why he doesn’t often push the biracial issue:
“If I was arrested for armed robbery and my mug shot was on the television screen, people wouldn’t be debating if I was African-American or not. I’d be a black man going to jail. Now if that’s true when bad things are happening, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be proud of being a black man when good things are happening, too”
Just thought I’d throw it out there as food for thought (sorry – I took a class on the language of politics last spring and this was the topic of my final paper).
February 26, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Reggie Stout
I hope I have time later to respond to some of the interesting discussions we’ve started here, but specifically regarding the articles on the “Obama Effect,” I am shocked and a little dubious of the “test” or questionaire that resulted in the finding that the achievement gap is officially closed. Yeah, I know that’ not really the sum total of the claim, but I’m riffing here. I would love to know more about the kinds of questions the test included. Issues that affect the achievement gap–learned helplessness, self-deffeated stereotypes, low self-efficacy resulting from self-esteem and cultural expectation issues, etc.–are all addressed to some degree by the Obama presidency and the new cultural model it provides. But, I would guess that these factors would help close the achievement gap over time, not instantaneously. My suspicion, which could only be confirmed with more information ont he test, is that perhaps the peaked interest in political and current events is the real catalyst for the equalized performance on this test.
February 26, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Grace Yang
“Tom Jacobs reports for Miller McCune that biases against black people registered significantly lower after Obama’s election in certain research.”
I can see how that could happen. It would seem a bit backwards to hate black people for no real reason when you have a “black” president.
“The researchers conclude that endorsing Obama helps people establish their ‘moral credentials’ as non-prejudiced people,” Jacobs writes, “and thus makes them more comfortable expressing opinions that could be regarded by some as racist.”
I beg to differ. This statement says since we have a “black” president people feel more comfortable using racial slurs? If anything, I’d expect the opposite effect. This article overall seems a bit shoddy. Okay next article!
“The study has not yet undergone peer review, and two academics who read it on Thursday said they would be interested to see if other researchers would be able to replicate its results.”
I’d be interested as well!
I’m all for encouraging students to perform better in their academics however, it’s a bit sad that this effect is attributed to just one individual. We don’t even know how well he will carry out his plans and promises. Let’s all hope that he gets us out of this economic rut and keeps the “Obama Effect” going full throttle. But this brings me to another topic, when Obama had won the election all the status updates on Facebook everyone was suddenly all about black power. Nearly all my high school friends are black and I remember some of their status updates were surprisingly ignorant. I wanted to post my status as “even my mom, a middle age korean immigrant, voted for Obama, n it wasn’t just cuz he’s black.” The fact we have a “black president” should provide black people with inspiration but then what? Similar to Maria’s observation of the unemployed complaining black dude, the most obnoxious Facebook statuses in regards to Obama’s victory were made by my most ignorant black friends. When Young Jeezy’s “My President is Black” came on the radio all I could do was shake my head. He said “nigga” twice in the intro alone. Needless to say I changed the station every time that song came on but not before telling Jeezy, “actually he’s HALF black and half white.” However, Kati pointed out, Obama identifies himself as a black man since he LOOKS mostly black. I understand that but I can’t help that it still bugs me. This is a bit off topic (okay it’s WAY off topic) but Kimora Lee Simmons, CEO of the babyphat and phatfarm clothing lines used get so much racist heat from black females for being married to Russell Simmons, a black hiphop mogul. The funny thing is that she is half black but LOOKS like a very tall and voluptuous Asian chick. Okay I don’t know where I’m going with this anymore but I clearly left the “Obama Effect” topic a while ago in my mental meandering. Sorry!