Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / June 12, 1976, edition 1 / Page 2
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THE CAROLINA TIMES SAT.. JUNE 12. 1976 HACKS' CISTIMY IN OWN HANDS . . . RETURNING TO ML0 A BETTER BLACK COMMUNITY, TV .Mm ML Nothing New-Sorry Wc hate to hurst the bubbje of the two Duke University psychologists who think, according to a Thursday morning (June 10) news release, "no one else has discovered" their method for teaching reading. But the record should be set straight. In part flic story reads: Two Duke University psycholo gist, saying the nation's schools are relying on false assumptions in failing to teach hundreds of thousands of poor children to read, have developed what . they claim is a breakthrough , , method of reading instruction.,, r9ril.(1,,( .mirNlitap Lisa 'Wallach say their method, taught over the nine month school year, will result in most disadvantaged children learning to read in the first grade. They say their key to success lies in teaching such children to recognize phonemes-the sounds letters of the alphabet stand for-which most class children already can do before schcol begins. Many educators have long held that children cannot be taught phoneme recognition effectively, recommending that if a child hasn't picked up the ability on his own, teachers should wait until he is older before tyring to master the concept. Wallach is a professor of psy chology at Duke, and his wife is "a lecturer in the Department of Psy chology. They developed their reading program over a five-year period. . They describe their new metifypd and the results of their field research IK and which with "shh." After much trial and error, the Wallachs write, they realize that disadvantaged children need some kind of strategy to apply to a word that can make phonemes recognizable. They discovered that breaking a word up-separating the first sound from the remaining sounds with a pause-accomplished what they were seeking. "If a child can say 'r-ake' and ot', then it isn't hard to tell whether rake or pot starts with the sound 'rr.'" the researchers write, Once a chilo learns to isolate the initial phoneme in a word, he no longer; . has any trouble recognizing it it,, the Wallachs say, arxi working with phonemes in places other than at the start of a word then comes easily. Though their approach seems simple in the perspective of five years' work., the fact that no one else has discovered it is indicative of what Wallach called the shortage of "detective work" in the psychology of reading. With all due respects to the good teachers, we believe they could have saved much of their "five years' work" by spending a few hours with Mrs. Ora Sneed Lee, Mrs. Mildred Amey or any one of countless other dedicated veteran first grade teachers, most of whom are novy retired. They taught reading this way at least forty years ago and there are thousands of their- former pupils in Durham, across the state and nation who .are living testimony. It wasn't until the anti-phonics ty of Chicago Press. While disadvantaged children cen hear the difference between "me" and in a book. "Teaching All ChildrengTo id ;'v" , nYr. " . Read." hist published bv tha UnivtfM s and earlv 1950 s tha inability to tpreaaana comprehend haunted public $cji(oit pupils into nigh school. Unless the Wallachs have discovered .i. i I. . i . "she." Wallach cited as an exaire'T' ra" oticnDca 1,1 n,c ncws in an interview, they do not know' v what tnev havc done is nothing which starts with the sound "'mmm" .new. Job Future Need Not Be Bleak Nearly four million students will be vying for jobs this summer in an already tight labor market. The Labor Department has Estimated that the youth labor forces will - rise to 25.8 million . by July or some 600,000 more than last yean i. With official unemployment figures now at 7.3 per cent overall, and to three to four times that for black youth if we' don't read the handwriting on the wall now, we deserve what is ultimately coming. - Among the thousands of graduates from all levels of educational institu tion v entirely too marry are poorly prepared to compete in a progressively more demanding job market. As we have stated so often in these columns, the time for concern begins at first grade and should head the list of parental attention. " Parents must not be flattered by sweet sounding jargon about their ; children. It is not important. What is important and what will make the difference with each graduate when he reaches the job market is how well that youngster had internalized basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics and used these to build more sophisti cated skills. That disproportionate percentage of unemployment for black youth , can be reduced. A large number of black youth arc going to have to stop wasting so much time in school complaining and go to work. Someone once said education is 25 per cent teaching (if you're lucky) and 75 per ' cent learning. It will behoove us to get on with the task of learning, so that the unemployment figures decrease rather than increase. h t -f- fffl. . . V If' ' '. T0C1EQUAL Replacing T(ie Welfare System Given George McCqvcrn's experience of having his 1972 presidential campaign run aground over his plan fur . an income maintenance system, it's unlikely that welfare reform will play much of a role in the current campaign. ? But whether a Republican or a Democrat is elected in Noycnibcr,f)ne of the first )rdcrs of business will have to be a plan to replace the pre sent welfare system. : ; 1 Part of the reason is that welfare iosts arc. rising sltarply straining federal and local budgets.1 without however, providing adequate assistance toallinnccd. : ' 1 ' JS" Lsxsx year ' welfare costs rose by over 21 per cent, largely because olie rise in unemployment that left many families! without resources. Con tinued high unemployment wil mean increasing numbers of people forced onto the welfare rolls. The impact of these costs has already led to calls for federalization of welfare as states and cities, already strapped financially, lace the need to find money for welfare benefits to the victims of our economy. Four fag-staic governors havc come out for federal takeover of welfare costs and many others would look favorably on; such a development. As an interim measure, federal take-over makes sense. It would relieve local budgets, impose lair national standards, and provide assistance to ly YKKONL JOSDAN Extcdn End fcSoul A - i , the most hard-pressed cities and states. But it could only be an interim solution be cause the present welfare system, even with a federal take-over of costs, would remain an in efficient, degrading system that grudgingly aids some while ignoring the needs of others. There would still be a means test to separate "us" from "them," and the program would remain a political f(x)tball, a vehicle for condemning the poor and circulating myths and stereotypes. .'It would be best to start from scratch and devise a system that recognizes the existence of poverty; the necessity to insure minimum living standards for all. and I he need for. a universal system designed to aid. not punish, .'people on the margins of a shaky , economy- that "cannot now provide jobs for all. Some twelve million people are now on the welfare rolls, nearly all. of them. loo old or too young to work. That's only about half the people officially designated as poor, and if you take into account the way the official poverty level has lagged behind inflation, there may be as many as 40 million people who arc actually poor By constructing a system that aids only those who manage to hurdle the barriers of stringent welfare system requirements, aid is denied to other people who arc poor and to the nv'!!ions just above the poverty line but who are also in need. It also creates conflicts between those who work for salaries not much above the welfare allotments and welfare recipients. The answer t: the welfare dilemma is a new income maintenance plan that would consist of a universal refundable credit , income tax. It would work this way: livery one would get a basic cash grant. The poor would keep it all. the near-poor would keep some of it. and middle and upper in come families would havc the grant taxed away. Such a system would provide at least some assistance to the working poor while helping all moderate . income families. It would reverse the present system of., lax welfare that has been estimated at costing over SI 00 billion in tax expenditures - loopholes that favor the wealthy. The benefit levels could be set to encourage work, in contrast to the disincentives built into t lie present welfare system. And the new income maintenance system should be- complcmcntcdy by a national full employment policy to create jobs for all who can work. Such a reform would end the degrading brutaliation of the purest among us while providing minimum living standards for us all. The nation isn't getting its money's worth from the problem-riddled present welfare system and change is long overdue. Congressman Hawkins Column Right-Wingers Hurt Nation's Why is it that at every available opportunity, citizens of ihis country who hold the conservative view, and particularly those in leadership positions in government, oppose the rights of human beings to enjoy a healthy and productive life. The answer to this question must come from outside the realm of reason IN THE LONG RUN. Conservatives present themselves as being opposed to government taking a direct interest in serving the needs of people, particularly poor and disadvantaged people, among whom are the great majority of Blacks and other minorities. Conser vatives oppose government programs designed to meet the needs of those who need most. It almost seems as if conservatives "have a strong hatred for people. . Here we arc. ' in the. year. 1976. ami; conservative hatred Ihigers on,' threatening the rights of individuals, particularly Black people and other minorities, to equal opportunities in educa tion, employment, housing, and other very impor tant areas of human need. As a result, this con servative hat rod finds itself in opposition to the goal of "equal justice for all." The question is "Why?" The conservative argument for opposition to government programs which serve human needs is that these programs arc against the interests of business and industry in making profits, which are viewed by conserva tives as being important to the welfare of our nation. The conservative viewpoint argues that, as profits arc made, the general standard of living rises, and human needs are satisfied. The popular conservative slogans arc: "Leave it to business and industry" and "The private enterprise system A'lll solve the nations problems." We ask ourselves: "Has it done so?" "Will it do so?" If we look back over the course of history, wc find that the conservative argument does not hold water. We have been through recessions, time after time, which have wiped out much of the gains we have achieved in times of plenty. We have a long way to go to bring about a very real and vital concern and interest in serving human needs. The questions we must ask oufselye,s, are: "Is the conservative, profit-oriented viewpoint the right way to achieve the goal of serving human needs?" "Are the interest of people being served any longer by the conservative viewpoint?" There is much reason to doubt that these questions can be answered: "Yes". Certainly a viewpoint that places the inteiests of business and industry above the interests of people is lacking in many ways. It lacks a sense of human understanding and human compassion. Profits arc not the be all and end all of life. Government is not here solely for the pur pose of maintaining and protecting the profits of business and industry: at least, that is not what the purpose of government should be. The purpose of government is to set the conditions lor. or in other ways provide for. the general welfare of our citizens - all of our citizens. Government economic policies should be made to suit this goal. The welfare of its citizens should be the first priority of government. Obviously, this has not been the case. The interests of businss and industry havc been the top priorities of govern ment, often in spite of suffering among certain groups in our society. We very urgently need to change our national priorities. The. "buddy-buddy", relationship between business and industry, on one hatfd. and ,.goye;jDowtan tlu.othoi;noi longoflteitvwtHc in terests of the American people, and its has con tinually served to defeat the interests of Black people and other minorities. Wc must work to help business and industry understand that interests and needs of people are important. Wc must urge government to see that its main responsibility not to profits, but to people. Our nationljt priorities, which help determine government economic policies, must focus on the needs of the citizens of our nation, and those needs are: education, employment, and housing. !C J LETTER TO THE EDITOR How valid, for Orange burg County Law Enforcement Officers is the Oath. "I swear to tell the Truth nothing but the Truth so help me God"? A number of Black eyewit nesses to the killing of Eman uel , Foglc by Orangeburg County Detective Clark Ryder on May 10. 1Q75 repeated this oath and their testimony re vealed that Detective Clark Ryder with the Orangeburg County Sheriff Department, a deputy and the Solicitor wjre not telling the truth about the events leading up to and the senseless shooting of Emanuel Fogle. unarmed, in a ditch partly filled with water und covered by heavy foliage. Mr. Ryder gave svorrK, statements in and out of court that he "positively" wit'iout doubt, saw Dennis Jarrett re move a purse from a parked automobile. The court believed the "Law" "Officer Mr. Clerk Ryder and convicted Dennis, but thank God Dennis could talk and the Judge on the bench was human enough to listen to Dennis and those of us who again knew Clark Ryder was not telling the truth jinderoath. Luckily for Dennis Jarrett he could talk. Doesn't this make you wonder about the shooting at the ditch May 10. 1975? Final rites for Emanuel Foglc were held May 18,1975. Dennis Jarrett was exonerated May 21, 1976. When will the citizens of Orangeburg County demand that lieing under oath not be the order of the day and when will the final rites be given ,tor Orangeburg County Law Enforcement Officals wh lie under oath? Credibility in public office is every citizens' busi ness. Oscar P. Butler. Jr.. President Orangeburg Branch. ' NAACP Sage Advice ; 1 HOO ygARS AGO IWEH MOST PEOPIE COUIP NOT REAP MERCHANTS NATURALLY HUNG SGNS ,ci 747" WERE MMEPATELY RECOGNIZABLE , t. m . i (BOOT &GA, HAT 5GN, ETC.) The sage advice delivered in the commencement address by the Honorable Barbara Jordan at Norfolk State perhaps bears some repetition , here as once again thousands of young graduates pour out into the world of reality. Foremost among the advice was the clear need for students tq develop a capacity that will extend beyond their own careers. It is important to discover whether one will raise his voice for the common good or whether one will join the chorus of those who are look ing out for their own interests. The above thoughts were especially refreshing to hear when one considers the tremendous moral disillusionment that appears at all levels of our govern ment, within the home and family as well as within the schools. Truly, wc need a leader In this country with a positive vision of the future. That positive vision must some how come out and take hold as we seek to over come the Watergates, the sex scandals and the illicit spying in the lives of many Americans for no good reason. It does take courage and commit ment and willingness to stick to any task for a long time in order to reach any ultimate success. Young blacks, must be aware that this is no time to conjure up new myths, new slogans-the old ones will suffice. Young blacks are the ones who can activate solutions to problems. This takes careful and diligent planning. It is better to be educated to some extent than average education. Education ends only with one's physical life. Second best, though it be goodshould not bring contentment. Anyone may get there as a token, but can stay there and move up if heshe is the best. J THE CAROLINA T1MI-S L. I'. AUSTIN Editor-Publisher! 927 1 97 1 'Published every Saturday at V Durham. N. C." ' by United Publishers; Inc. - Mailing Address; P. O. Box 3825 Durham. North Carolina 27702 Second Class Postage Paid af Durham. North Carolina 27702 SUBSCRIPTION RATES One Year $8.50 Sales tax TOTAL J84 Two Years ; 17.00 Sales Tax. $ TOTAL. H.68 Single copy ..... . . 20 Payable In advance. Address all communications and make all checks and money orders payable to THE CAROLINA TIMES. Amalgamated Publishers, Inc., 810 Madison Avenue, New York, N. V., 10017, National Advertising Representative. Member of the United Press International Photo Service. , The Publisher is not responsible for the return of unsolicited news, pictures, or advertising copy unless necessary postage accom panies the copy, Opinion expressed, by columnists in this newspaper do not ' necessarily represent the policy of this newspaper. Principal office located at 436 East Pcttlgrew Street, Durham, North Carolina 27701.
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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June 12, 1976, edition 1
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