Thursday, February 24, 2011
Recent Criticism of HBCU's Is Neither Reliable Nor Credible
(This is an excerpt of my weekly column in The Loop 21)
A recent blog post in the New York Times asserted that graduates ofHistorically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are receiving far less value from their degrees than the generation that preceded them. While the criticism is new, the underlying data and conclusion are not. The data stems from a 2007 study by Dr. Roland Fryer and Dr. Michael Greenstone. The conclusion is as old as HBCUs themselves, and can be boiled down to this: Black colleges are of a lower quality than traditionally white schools.
If anything hurts HBCUs and, by extension, their graduates in the marketplace it is this falsity, not the “merit” of the study's conclusions.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Rahmbo's Return: Who Will Draw First Blood In the 'Council Wars'
(Excerpt of my weekly column in The Loop 21)
Universally known for his off-color language and abrasive style, former White House Chief of Staff and Congressman Rahm Emanuel tiptoed to victory in the Chicago mayoral race with a silent confidence more fitting of his old boss, President Barack Obama, than a guy who could convincingly deliver a remix of Cee-Lo's “F*ck You.”
Capturing over 54.7 percent of the vote prevented a runoff and convincingly beat his closest challenger Gery Chico, who finished with23 percent and had nothing but kind words to say about Emanuel on the eve of the election: “He's a pathological evader of the truth.”
It’s not clear if Chico is qualified to diagnose such pathology but it doesn't take an expert to see that without significant changes, Chicago will be mired in deficits and dysfunction for years to come.
The deficit is about $1 billion, according to the inspector general. The dropout rate is one of the highest in the nation. Chicagoans are losing their homes so fast that Illinois now has the eighth highest foreclosure rate in the country and the unemployment rate is a staggering 8.6 percent. Sure it's less than the national rate of 10 percent, but how many people have stopped looking for work altogether (and thus are not counted in the official tally)? According to Gallup, the U.S. underemployment rate, which takes into account those working part-time but desire full-time work, is an eye-popping 19.6 percent. So it's safe to say there are a lot of Chicagoans barely holding their heads above the chilly waters of Lake Michigan. So you can imagine the impact this has on the African American community...
Reality Bites: HIV-testing Systems Stay in Denial
Recently, two of my interns got screened for HIV at a mobile health screening van here in DC at my request. I personally have many concerns about the current system of HIV-testing at its best, but on this day, I saw things that raised even more concerns, and subsequent conversations have led to even more concerns of just how both entrenched and broken the current system is. What triggered this was that only one of the interns was asked about injection drug use in the pre-test questioning. We had a conversation about why both weren't asked the same questions, since the questions are about risk factors. The one who was asked about this is more grungy and scruffy-faced with tattoos (I affectionately call him “Dirt bag”; he prefers “Bad ass”). We could only assume that the perception led to the question – the very thing that we need to overcome when we talk about stigma. I blogged about this, and also raised questions about why the questions are even asked. Self-report is not reliable; “yes/no” does not allow for uncertainty; and some are just unrealistic. Seriously: how many women who are having sex with men who are having sex with men know that this is happening?
In response to the blog, I got a strong defense of the need for the questions from an epidemiologist. She stated that we get important information, such as that transmission from needles in Chicago
About the Author
 |
Connect:    Brad's articles on Policy Diary |
Brad Ogilvie spent over a decade working on the "treatment" side of HIV as a clinician and program coordinator in a holistic clinic, and then running an AIDS housing program. During this time period – 1995 to 2005, he witnessed huge advances in the treatment of HIV. He also noticed that the institutions that had grown out of the early HIV/AIDS movement were slow and even resistant to change – often being competitive and divisive along demographic and geographic lines both nationally and internationally. He was increasingly convinced that the "business of AIDS" was big business that placed greater weight on keeping case loads and beds full, rather than stopping the spread of HIV.
As a person living with HIV, he also experienced the “spend-it-or-lose-it” policies that fostered a culture of dependency. Armed with this knowledge and these experiences, he founded The Mosaic Initiative in 2005 to focus solely on stopping the spread of HIV through education and testing. He has worked in conservative and liberal communities in Illinois, Washington DC and rural Kenya.
As a gay man living with HIV, he has also found that by simply engaging people with open arms rather than closed fists, new alliances, friendships and community partnerships form that will, hopefully, bring a stronger grassroots voice to HIV from a place of common ground that influences better policy and action. Brad lives in Washington, DC and works full-time for William Penn House developing programs for youth and young adults on social justice issues including HIV. His blog Mosaic Initiative is frequently updated and a wealth of information.
As a gay man living with HIV, he has also found that by simply engaging people with open arms rather than closed fists, new alliances, friendships and community partnerships form that will, hopefully, bring a stronger grassroots voice to HIV from a place of common ground that influences better policy and action. Brad lives in Washington, DC and works full-time for William Penn House developing programs for youth and young adults on social justice issues including HIV. His blog Mosaic Initiative is frequently updated and a wealth of information.
Wisconsin Protests: Are Budget Shortfalls an Economic 9/11?
Quick take on the Wisconsin protests, courtesy of Colbert:
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Rahm Emanuel: New Chicago Problem or Old Chicago Politics?
(Excerpt of my weekly column at The Loop 21)
Chicago brouhaha will reach new levels of both relief and resignation once the highly anticipated Mayoral race is over and done with. Everyone pretty much knows that former White House Chief of StaffRahm Emanuel has it in the bag – at the start, polls showed him running no lower than 30 percent. By right before D-Day, he’s still double digits ahead of the competition and raising that by 20 points more. All that was left to talk about was the petty minutiae of residency requirement challenges and a televised hearing on CNN.
What is it about the Windy City these days that has the rest of the nation transfixed? Chicago is the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Political Galaxy, President’s town and new base for the Obama 2012 re-election effort. Of course the President wants his ace in place to keep things running smoothly while he’s canvassing the electoral map.
That explains the media attention surrounding the man affectionately known as “Rahmbo” and his lifelong quest for Mayor of his hometown. Beyond it being a cute political love story of homeboy infatuated with his hood, Emanuel’s candidacy is the Dale Earnhardt, Jr. of politics, reaching inexplicably epic proportions because of who he is and where he worked. Yet, despite the litany of reasons the race has received so much attention, the one missing element is the man’s politics. Voters in Chicago can probably tell you who he is and what he looks like (and, if lucky, can probably tell you how much he can cuss). But, few know what the man stands for and why.
And just as importantly: would voters buy it?
Read more here: http://theloop21.com/politics/rahm-emmanuel-new-chicago-problem-or-old-chicago-politics
Monday, February 14, 2011
Tea Party & Race(ism)
Tea Party antics are acting up again. But, they're not really antics – they're simply the way the operate. As budget talks are in full force, the Tea Party calls for massive budget cuts. Imagine that. Running through the litany of arguments against the Tea Party remains too easy, and quite redundant. Yet, from Public Broadcasting to Americorps, the threat of budget cuts undercuts the plethora of public funding that picks up where private (read: the Tea Party's bread-and-butter) funding has dropped out.
Friday, February 11, 2011
LSAT Freedom Takes Online Learning to a New Place
So Educated, our sister blog, caught up with LSAT Freedom, an LSAT preparation company with a twist.
They caught up with one of the founders and he dished on what they hope to do and how future law students need them now more than ever.
Rob Tauler (far right) graduated from Harvard Law School in 2005. He scored in the 99th percentile on the LSAT (law school admissions test) and has been teaching and tutoring the LSAT for nine years.
Before law school, Rob earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine, where he played on the Men’s Volleyball team and earned honors as a Big West Conference Scholar-Athlete. Rob is the co-founder of LSAT Freedom, an LSAT prep course created and taught exclusively by Harvard Law School grads.
So Educated: Thanks for joining me today Rob.
Rob: Of course. Thank you for your time.
SE: What does LSAT Freedom do, and what led you start it?
Rob: LSAT Freedom is an LSAT prep course created and taught exclusively by Harvard Law grads. My partners and I started LSAT Freedom because we had been doing some LSAT tutoring on our own and we began noticing the frustration of many students with the high cost and low return of their traditional LSAT courses. We knew we could provide a better product than what the traditional companies were offering in a much more affordable way.
SE: There is a host of competition in the LSAT preparation business. What truly sets you apart from the competition? Are there any guarantees you are willing to offer to your customers?
Rob: LSAT Freedom sets itself apart from other LSAT prep companies because of the excellence and breadth of instruction we offer at a very reasonable price. We are completely online, which cuts down on our overhead and allows us to offer our course at under $500, which is the lowest price point on the market for a full-length LSAT course. When you consider that our LSAT course dedicates over 90 hours explaining over 1,000 actual LSAT problems, and provides feedback to students who have questions on any explanations, this really is a great deal for such a large amount of quality instruction. We also stand by the quality of our instruction, offering a money back guarantee within one-week of your purchase of our course.
SE: Will international customers be a focus? I don't think the other LSAT prep companies have an international presence.
Rob: International students are a big part of our customer base, largely because our course is accessible from anywhere and is available around the clock. This is a big advantage if you are prepping for the LSAT abroad, as you can prep from anywhere in the world and still have first rate instruction. We've got you covered. Plus, we have also found that our international students are drawn to our course because they are confident that Harvard Law School grads will produce a quality product.
SE: Are there any current or future partnerships with universities? One particular gripe that students have (and rightfully so) is the financial burden of preparing and sitting for the LSAT. For instance, at my alma mater Virginia Commonwealth University, the dean and I looked into integrating LSAT preparation into the curriculum. Actually making it a class one could earn credits for and use financial aid to finance. Have you considered anything like that?
Rob: We have made several on-campus visits, but have not yet thought about formal partnerships with universities. Universities would better serve their students (and in turn themselves) by offering these options in my opinion. We would certainly be open to it.
SE: Do you see yourself venturing into other test preparation – GRE, MCAT, and so forth? Do you foresee admissions consulting?
Rob: For now, our focus is on our online LSAT course. The future is bright however, and we may have different offerings in the coming years.
SE: Obviously, technology plays a larger role in your product distribution than at traditional test prep companies. Clearly, it cuts down on cost. But do you also feel that not only can it be just as effective but even more so?
Rob: It is absolutely more effective. Studies have shown, in fact, that online learning is superior to classroom instruction. Recently, the U.S. Department of Education completed a 12-year analysis of research on the subject. The study found that higher education students in online learning environments generally performed better than those in face-to-face courses. One reason online learning is more effective is the efficiency in which it operates. No time is wasted driving to class, chit-chatting with other students (who only make you nervous anyway), and laughing at canned jokes from the instructor. LSAT preparation online focuses only on what is most important: instruction and practice. Unlike a classroom course, LSAT Freedom allows you to revisit tutorials as many times as you like and review difficult problems for as long as you like until you learn what you need to know. Obviously, in this type of educational setting, you will learn more and much more efficiently. Many of our students, in fact, are former students of other test prep companies that were not satisfied.
SE: Law school is notoriously slow to adopt technology. Do you believe law schools should embrace technology more, whether it is electronic case books, online classes, or what have you?
Rob: Now that you mention it, I would even say that the legal profession as a whole is notoriously slow to adopt technology. So much of law is rooted in tradition that it is often difficult for change to occur as fast as it would in other professions, where technology provides a clearer commercial advantage. My prediction is that we will begin to see some of the changes you mention as this next generation of tech-savvy law school graduates begins to assume positions of power. Certainly, electronic case books would be great from the perspective of a cash-strapped student (which I can certainly relate to, having been in that situation myself), as traditional law school case books are often quite expensive. Plus, I'd much rather have everything on an iPad then have to lug around three casebooks.
SE: Ten years from now, what would you like to be able to say about your business?
Rob: I would like to be able to say that LSAT Freedom completely changed the LSAT prep market and the way people approached LSAT prep. Right now, many students feel obligated to fork over $1500 for an LSAT prep course just because everyone else is doing it. With technology being what it is, and with studies showing the online learning is superior to classroom learning, I think students will come to find that they can get a superior LSAT preparation course without paying for a corporate LSAT course. If LSAT Freedom is part of that change, we would be very gratified.
SE: Attorneys are by nature risk-averse. What led you to start a business during a recession?
Rob: Well, in many ways the recession has really helped us along. When people are pinching pennies, paying for a traditional LSAT course is a lot harder to swallow. I think the current economic environment has made it easier for us to do well. Plus, when the economy does poorly, it usually causes some students and young professionals to use law school as a way to ride out the recession, which has, in fact happened, as the number of students taking the LSAT has increased in recent years.
SE: Thank you for joining me. Is there anything else you would like to add?
Rob: Thanks again for the opportunity to come on and discuss our course. I hope it will be useful to your audience in becoming informed about the dynamic LSAT prep market and the future of test prep services generally.
About the author
 |
| Connect: john [at] policydiary.com |
A proud graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, John is currently a Master's of Public Health candidate at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University where he is studying health policy & management. He is also a weekly contributor to theloop21.com, and founder of So Educated (www.soeducated.com), an education policy and reform blog focused on widening the debate surrounding education and empowering parents and teachers - frequently the least thought of.
Areas of interest include health care reform and education reform, particularly: access to health care, health care exchanges, and Medicare and Medicaid; in addition, charter schools, K-12 funding, and educational equality.
John is wholeheartedly determined to contribute to the rapidly changing dialogue in the health care and education communities. He has made continuous contributions by conducting research, publishing articles, interviewing practitioners and professors, and engaging students through on-campus organizations.
John's publishings have appeared in fora such as: The Orlando Sentinel, The Daily Voice, Frum Forum (formerly New Majority) Wiretap magazine, Black Web 2.0, The Daily Californian, Club Relaford, HipHopRepublican.com and Policy Net. In addition, his commentary has been dissected on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, CNN, Think Progress, Yahoo News, and Mediaite.
Previously, he served as a legislative fellow in the offices of the Honorable David Englin (D) and David Bulova (D) of the Virginia House of Delegates, in the 2009 and 2010 legislative sessions, respectively. John also interned in the office of the State Attorney General of Virginia, and completed a Governor's Fellowship in the Office of Gov. Bob McDonnell where he worked with the deputy secretary of health on projects regarding aging, HIT and disability.
Profits, Regulations and Politics
Since the new Congress was seated last month, among the flurry of activities has been the House repeal of the Healthcare law and, more recently, an effort to strip the FDA of its authority to control greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. There are many tangents that can be taken when looking at these acts such as cynically wondering how Congress can think that it is ok to choke our air while simultaneously making access to healthcare more challenging for those with pre-existing health conditions - the very people most likely to suffer from unhealthy environments. For politicians and political couch-surfers, this is great fodder, but I'm not sure that this approach is the way to promote a sharing of information that results in a more informed populace that can better understand the issues and the paradigm shifts we all need to make.
Basically, there are two main forces at play here: corporations and regulatory agencies. Corporations have one main task - to make a profit. It is this group that gets people to shriek that government is broken, but then ignores the history that is riddled with examples of corporations putting profit for the bigwigs ahead of concerns for their employees or the communities in which they operate (including the global community). Acid rains, burning lakes, fish kills, nuclear meltdowns, deadly sweat shop fires. The list is endless, but rarely do corporations talk about community responsibility. Regulatory agencies are supposed to look out for the greater good of all of us but often lose sight of this and seem to create regulations because that is what they do. It is often people just staying in their boxes and acting as if society is some inert being. When these regulatory agencies create unnecessary or burdensome regulations, they play right into the hands of the big corporations, as it is often just the big players that can afford to jump through the loopholes, and create the clout to make the loopholes work for them. The cynicism of big industry is that they will create a narrative about "Main Street, USA" suffering from over-regulation, but big industry really has no interest in them either. This is true not just of the for-profit world, but is true for the non-profit sector as well. The big charities take most of the pie, but they make it difficult for new ideas and innovations to sway their work. I continue to see this not just with HIV work but in a number of ways where good people reflexively reject new ideas out-of-hand without discussion.
It is this lack of discussion that keeps us polarized and from looking both more authentically at the issues and at what our options are. In this case, for example, it is true that the EPA - as with all federal agencies - routinely overstep their bounds on regulation and can make things onerous. President Obama has cited as much recently, and I think is making a sincere effort to make government more efficient and flexible. GW Bush did much the same post 9-11, making it far easier to establish a non-profit and drastically cutting down the bureaucracy from what had been about a 2-year ordeal to a fairly straight-forward 6-month process. The challenge is to balance the tension between allowing for opportunities while maintaining checks and balances so that people are not shirking responsibilities and doing harm in pursuit of profit.
When these two sides become political footballs for the lobbying groups - corporate as well as non-profit and charity groups - is when things really start to fall apart, as sides get chosen and blame gets tossed around. We as grassroots folks are told to leave it to experts, but haven't we heard tales of experts being horribly wrong over the past decade (on everything from the economy to HIV/AIDS). Why do we keep falling for the false authority? Mostly because, I suspect, we are easily duped by their fear-inducing and anger-inflaming messages that succeed because we don't talk. What I think we need to start doing is exercising our ability to sit around a table and have conversations on the challenges we face - reaching across all divides - and be willing to put literally everything on the table as negotiable. Forget the rules, forget the experts. What I am increasingly seeing is that there are many who are calling for this, but few who are actually doing it. The result is the perpetuation of the "either/or" divide when really "yes, and..." is what we need.
When these two sides become political footballs for the lobbying groups - corporate as well as non-profit and charity groups - is when things really start to fall apart, as sides get chosen and blame gets tossed around. We as grassroots folks are told to leave it to experts, but haven't we heard tales of experts being horribly wrong over the past decade (on everything from the economy to HIV/AIDS). Why do we keep falling for the false authority? Mostly because, I suspect, we are easily duped by their fear-inducing and anger-inflaming messages that succeed because we don't talk. What I think we need to start doing is exercising our ability to sit around a table and have conversations on the challenges we face - reaching across all divides - and be willing to put literally everything on the table as negotiable. Forget the rules, forget the experts. What I am increasingly seeing is that there are many who are calling for this, but few who are actually doing it. The result is the perpetuation of the "either/or" divide when really "yes, and..." is what we need.
About the Author
|
| Connect: Brad's articles on Policy Diary |
Brad Ogilvie spent over a decade working on the "treatment" side of HIV as a clinician and program coordinator in a holistic clinic, and then running an AIDS housing program. During this time period – 1995 to 2005, he witnessed huge advances in the treatment of HIV. He also noticed that the institutions that had grown out of the early HIV/AIDS movement were slow and even resistant to change – often being competitive and divisive along demographic and geographic lines both nationally and internationally. He was increasingly convinced that the "business of AIDS" was big business that placed greater weight on keeping case loads and beds full, rather than stopping the spread of HIV.
As a person living with HIV, he also experienced the “spend-it-or-lose-it” policies that fostered a culture of dependency. Armed with this knowledge and these experiences, he founded The Mosaic Initiative in 2005 to focus solely on stopping the spread of HIV through education and testing. He has worked in conservative and liberal communities in Illinois, Washington DC and rural Kenya.
As a gay man living with HIV, he has also found that by simply engaging people with open arms rather than closed fists, new alliances, friendships and community partnerships form that will, hopefully, bring a stronger grassroots voice to HIV from a place of common ground that influences better policy and action. Brad lives in Washington, DC and works full-time for William Penn House developing programs for youth and young adults on social justice issues including HIV. His blog Mosaic Initiative is frequently updated and a wealth of information.
As a gay man living with HIV, he has also found that by simply engaging people with open arms rather than closed fists, new alliances, friendships and community partnerships form that will, hopefully, bring a stronger grassroots voice to HIV from a place of common ground that influences better policy and action. Brad lives in Washington, DC and works full-time for William Penn House developing programs for youth and young adults on social justice issues including HIV. His blog Mosaic Initiative is frequently updated and a wealth of information.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Black History Month: You're White
In case you haven't heard, it's Black History Month. For all my White Siblings out there, chill out - our collective stranglehold on power and privilege is not going anywhere, at least not soon. If you can't hear my sarcasm, please increase the size of your font. Some people have quipped that, "White History month lasts 11 months." They're almost right. They forgot to add a month – February. Except, it's not the "textbook" history many are used to, but the in-your-face-history that says, "You're White."
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Republicans Didn’t Kill Healthcare Reform – Democrats Did
(An excerpt of my weekly column in The Loop 21)
Long before federal judges in Virginia and most recently Florida ruled the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“health reform law”) to be unconstitutional, there were Democrats acting as though it already was. Whether Democrats feared the Tea Party, making an uncomfortable stand or just fear itself, they basically walked around with an “L” on their foreheads.
While the GOP has offered little to nothing aside from a catchy slogan (“Repeal and Replace”), the important thing is that they’ve offered it as a cohesive bloc. There doesn’t seem to be any discrepancy among the American people about which way the GOP feels about the health reform law. (Now this isn’t to say that polls show repeal to be the most popular option. Clearly it is not, according to a recent poll by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.) Furthermore, all 26 attorney generals pursuing lawsuits against the federal government are Republicans suing on behalf of Republican governors. So it’s far from a secret that repeal is the word of the day on the GOP’s flash cards.
RELATED STORIES:
- Fla. Judge Rules Obama's Healthcare Overhaul Unconstitutional
- 'Government Takeover' of Healthcare Called 'Lie of the Year'
- The GOP's 5 Most Absurd Lies About Healthcare Reform, Debunked
A cohesive strategy of attack is the first line of defense. Sure, no one including the GOP can tell you what they do support but at least you know what they do not. If politics were a ladder, at least that’d be a step up (albeit a very small one).
Contrast that with the Democrats who have always had a fractured caucus. A multitude of Democrats threatened sinking the law pretty much as soon as it emerged from committee. Included were: The Blue Dogs(self-labeled fiscal hawks) who believed that it would be far too expensive and increase the deficit; progressives who countered that without the public option or more strict enforcement on insurance companies they wouldn’t support the bill; and Rep. Bart Stupak who threatened that if funding for abortion wasn’t restricted he controlled enough votes to scuttle everything. Rare is it when all Democrats or Republicans think alike. But such antics have costs Democrats dearly. It’s the reason that most Americans don’t realize “a quarter of those who oppose the health-care law say the legislation is faulty because it did not go far enough not because it pushed change too far,” according to the Washington Post.
After all, both groups have separate constituencies even within their own parties to cater to and contend with. However, the extent to which Democrats engaged in forcing the hand of other Democrats weakened this bill before it even became law. The GOP didn’t have to craft eloquent talking points against it, even though they attempted to. Instead, they could have just done what most of us do during the holidays and re-gifted what some Democrats were already giving us. Same value, less hassle.
Read more here: http://theloop21.com/politics/republicans-didn%E2%80%99t-kill-healthcare-reform-%E2%80%93-democrats-did
About the Author
|
| Connect: john [at] policydiary.com |
A proud graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, John is currently a Master's of Public Health candidate at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University where he is studying health policy & management. He is also a weekly contributor to theloop21.com, and founder of So Educated (www.soeducated.com), an education policy and reform blog focused on widening the debate surrounding education and empowering parents and teachers - frequently the least thought of.
Areas of interest include health care reform and education reform, particularly: access to health care, health care exchanges, and Medicare and Medicaid; in addition, charter schools, K-12 funding, and educational equality.
John is wholeheartedly determined to contribute to the rapidly changing dialogue in the health care and education communities. He has made continuous contributions by conducting research, publishing articles, interviewing practitioners and professors, and engaging students through on-campus organizations.
John's publishings have appeared in fora such as: The Orlando Sentinel, The Daily Voice, Frum Forum (formerly New Majority) Wiretap magazine, Black Web 2.0, The Daily Californian, Club Relaford, HipHopRepublican.com and Policy Net. In addition, his commentary has been dissected on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, CNN, Think Progress, Yahoo News, and Mediaite.
Previously, he served as a legislative fellow in the offices of the Honorable David Englin (D) and David Bulova (D) of the Virginia House of Delegates, in the 2009 and 2010 legislative sessions, respectively. John also interned in the office of the State Attorney General of Virginia, and completed a Governor's Fellowship in the Office of Gov. Bob McDonnell where he worked with the deputy secretary of health on projects regarding aging, HIT and disability.
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