Publications :
Consortium Connections
Connections Will Be Going Green
Beginning with the next edition, Consortium Connections will be published only in electronic form on the Connections On-Line website.
We will send out notices when each new edition is available. To be sure you receive them, please update your information here.
Connections On-Line will contain both PDF and web-based copies of all articles individually, as well as a PDF of the full edition. It will continue to have links to other resources related to the articles, as well as an index of past articles.
In this Issue - Summer 2009
In This Issue
Over the last three years, CYFC has focused its work, and Consortium Connections, on the topic
of Educational Disparities. During that time, Connections articles have explored many issues
related to educational disparities using the Circles of Influence framework found in the center of
this newsletter as a guide. Past issues and articles can be found in Connections On-Line.
This edition of Connections is the last in which attention will be specifically focused on
educational disparities. The “Society” circle – the outer rink of Circles of Influence – is the
theme of the articles herein.
Of all the circles that have been explored during these three years, the society circle has been the
most difficult to address. The influence is so vast, and the issues so big, that it’s hard to nail
down exactly what they are or how they play out in all of the other circles. Society has a huge
impact on the other circles. Some of the influences of societal values and mores influence
include:
• Children’s experiences (how they see the world, acceptable behavior)
• Parenting (parenting books and classes, as well as expectations of parental roles)
• School policies and practices (No Child Left Behind is a product of societal values in
education)
• Community expectations and programs
• Financial support for programs related to children and families
• Society and its collective values also have a significant influence on public and private
policy – and are the major factors in shifts of philosophy guiding policy decisions.
On the other hand, society itself is not readily influenced by one or two children, or families, or
communities. But when there is a broad groundswell of opinion in an area of public interest,
societal foci and processes do change direction.
To address the society circle, we have chosen to focus Connections on three of the biggest
societal influences on children’s learning and achievement: Poverty, racism and the media. Each
article considers how children and families are affected.
Some readers have suggested that we should also be offering solutions or ways to address the
topics we have explored in Connections. Given the limits of a print publication, we have not
done that to date….but it is something we are looking at for the future. With the society circle,
the solutions required are as big and complex as the issues themselves – how do we reduce
poverty? How do we unlearn racism? How do we – or SHOULD we - slow the rapid expansion
of media? Clearly we have to begin somewhere. Identifying the issues, as we have attempted to
do in this publication, is intended to be a start.
Thank you to the many readers who have offered feedback on both the content and format of
Connections. Our next edition of Connections will begin the transition CYFC’s work into our
new area of exploration – the intersection of educational and health disparities. As always, your
feedback is encouraged and welcome!
