"The researchers go beyond habits of study to the very essence of how students learn. For instance, they say, white children take to symbols and abstractions, Asian children absorb data without context and black children relate better to people than to numbers.

Such theories played a part in the recent decision in Milwaukee to create two public schools, an elementary and a middle school, specifically for young black males. Earlier experiments in other states showed that academic achievement can be raised by tailoring classrooms to reflect the culture and environment from which students come..."

""White children have patterns of abilities, strengths, use of language, social skills and demeanor that teachers take to," Dr. Hale-Benson said in a telephone interview. "When black children differ from these patterns they are penalized."

"Take Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan, Bill Cosby and Eddie Mur phy," Dr. Hale-Benson said. "They have made distinct contributions to American culture, but they would be a kindergarten teacher's worst nightmare. She would wind up tell ing Michael Jackson to sit still, Mi chael Jordan to sit down and Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy to shut up."

I took a class on race last semester...this is ^^ are all racial stereotypes and complete utter BS. John McWhorter (author of a book we read..he's a Black linguist at UC Berkeley)would call this outrageous, and examples anti-intellectualism.  His book was about Blacks and why they struggle in school. One of his reasons was Black's resistance to anything taught that was "white related", because they couldn't relate to it and it didn't refer back to them.

ex from book: "Pride and Prejudice is a white book, why are you reading that?" (he was asked by a fellow black female friend)

He quoted students who refused to learn about Newton in their science class because, "He's just some old white guy i can't relate to", "why can't I Learn about what my own people did?"

Separation from "white" American society is what is driving them apart, and people like that Doctor woman are only going to make things worse. Refusal to learn anything but subjects that you "relate" to will only hurt you academically in the long run, and a limited education is NOT an education.

Did you know that Average SAT scores for Middle-class Blacks in 1995 was 956? The closest to the range by whites was whites in the $10,000 income range with an average score of 941. And blacks from households with graduate degrees, their SAT scores were even lower than the Blacks from Middle-class backgrounds with an average score of 936.

Oh BTW woman, we don't talk about the pilgrims to study/or talk about our ancestors. Not everyone is related to the Pilgrims (durrrrrr), we discuss it due to the pilgrims "connection" to Thanksgiving.

*Racial Stereotype: right there: all whites are related to pilgrims -______-, which is like saying all Asians are from China. My Jewish-Lithuanian maternal grandmother wasn't on the Mayflower... try Holocaust refugee...you know 20th century?

Also Asian children, black children, white children ALL HAVE THE SAME LEARNING ABILITIES you just refuse to acknowledge it because you'd rather pull the race card and discuss something that is completely irrelevant to education. Race does not impact education or how someone learns. This author is an idiot.