Dr. Jeffrey Kidder
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Dr. Jeffrey Kidder is helping kids in the Newark Public Schools
get turned on to science with the outreach program he developed
named Project M.O.S.T.(Middle School Opportunities in Science
and Technology). This initiative aims at improving science
achievement among Newark’s middle-schoolers. Dr. Kidder
believes science education across the board is poor, especially
in the urban areas. Project M.O.S.T. reaches students before
they “fall through the cracks.” By the time Newark’s
students reach high school, many have already ruled out college
as a possibility, making success doubtful. Thus, middle school
becomes the critical juncture.
Dr. Jamie Lew
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Dr. Jamie Lew will discuss second generation Asian Americans
and is writing a book on how the socioeconomic and class differences
among second generation Korean Americans effect their academic
achievement and success. She has done extensive research on
Asian Americans as a whole. There is a popular sentiment that
Asian Americans are “model minorities,” that is,
Asian Americans are stereotyped as the minority group that
achieves academic success, hold middle-class values of working
hard, excel at entrepreneurship, and are economically successful
above all other minority groups. She has found that although
this stereotype is true for many Asian Americans it is not
true for all. This notion ends up harming those Asian Americans
that are poor and are struggling academically. Often teachers
overlook their needs assuming they aren't in need of help.
Also, these poor failing students often blame themselves,
believing they are failing because of their own inadequacies
rather than the “system” failing them.
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