Comparing Long Island Schools
Long Island is a great place to grow up and receive an education. Each town is unique and offers a different education for its students.
Welcome back to the final blog post of the semester! I have really enjoyed getting to blog and having the opportunity to dive into critical issues that need to be addressed. This last post is actually going to be different because for the last assignment we were to compare and contrast two Long Island communities. For this project, I studied the districts of Commack and Island Trees. While I learned a lot about the two districts I researched, this blog will focus on the districts that a classmate researched. This blog post will focus on the comparison of the Oceanside and Hempstead school districts.
To start, just scrolling through and seeing how my classmate organized her information was very appealing. It was extremely easy to follow and the visuals made for an extra touch. Initially comparing the districts, it is clear that the students in Oceanside scored way higher on their standardized tests than that of the students of Hempstead. It is also important to note that the students of Hempstead had way higher participation in these standardized tests. Oceanside had nearly half of their students opt out of taking the English and Math exams. Oceanside also has a higher graduation rate which was important to point out as their district has over 1,000 less students than Hempstead. The ethnic differences are what really stood out to me as Hempstead was predominantly composed of students that are of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, while Oceanside is predominantly white. Both schools have a program set up to determine whether students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, and nearly half the students in Hempstead meet the requirements. Overall, the differences are very apparent between the districts. It is clear that the educational experiences and opportunities are quite different, and the students from Oceanside may have a better learning experience and success rate just by the education they are receiving.
After viewing my classmate’s video presentation on the districts, I came to the conclusion that we analyzed these districts very similarly. My classmate was actually a native of Oceanside, so she got to experience the education from that district. We both pinpointed the same differences such as the primary ethnicities in both districts as well as the major differences in test scores. It was just very apparent from viewing the districts that the kids at Oceanside are more likely to receive a better education from the higher quality opportunities that the district offers. They have more access to devices than Hempstead and that is also something important as Oceanside spends more money per student. Overall, I think my classmate had a very insightful presentation and I feel that I learned a lot about the districts through her research and analysis.
References
Gehrig, E. (n.d.). Community comparison project. Wakelet. https://wakelet.com/wake/1G-Bsq0fsyo0jWM8fuwQd
12 maps of Long Island New York ideas: Long Island, island, Long Island NY. Pinterest. (2019, April 5). https://www.pinterest.com/BurbsNewYork/maps-of-long-island-new-york/
Hi Jessica, I also enjoyed the experience of having a blog this semester. I also live in Long Island and I do feel that it is a great place to grow up and receive an education. The Community Comparison project was a great way to take a look into different schools in different towns and see what each school is like and what it offers. Each school is so different, but all have the main goal. Being an educator is so impactful on many students lives and it is important that we do our best in that role. I live very close to oceanside and Hempstead schools so I familiar with those, it is cool to take a look into them more indepth and see the differences and similarities. The Community Comparison project was a good way to see as an educator that each school we can teach in has to be perfect for each individual teacher. Each town is so unique and does offer a different education for its students!
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your final blog post, I came to realize that we both examined Emma Gehrig's wakelet of the community comparison project. I thought it was interesting how Oceanside also has a higher graduation rate which was important to point out as their district has over 1,000 less students than Hempstead. I think Long Island is special in a way that all the communities it is made up of, are all different. Each town has a different ethnic background. Hempstead is mainly black, hispanic or latino and Oceanside is predominantly white. Both schools have a program set up to determine whether students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, and nearly half the students in Hempstead meet the requirements. It is sad but true that good kids are influenced by their communities crime, violence and poverty. I learned at a young age that where you live, shapes how you live. Great job on this reflection and have a great break. Good luck on all of your finals!