U of M News Wire: September 27, 2007

 
U of M study finds that U.S. high school dropout rate higher than thought and hasn’t improved in years

By Mark Cassutt
U of M News Wire
 
University of Minnesota sociologists have found that the U.S. high school dropout rate is considerably higher than most people think -- with one in four students not graduating -- and has not improved appreciably in recent decades.  Their findings point to discrepancies in the two major data sources on which most governmental and non-governmental agencies base their findings.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) is widely used by governmental and non-governmental sources -- from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to the White House -- to report high school dropout rates. The CPS paints a rosy picture, showing dropout rates at about 10 percent in recent years and declining some 40 percent over the past generation. On the other hand, measures of high school completion based on the National Center for Education Statistics’ Common Core of Data survey (CCD) paint a darker picture, with high school completion rates holding steady at about 75 percent in recent decades.

University of Minnesota sociology professor John Robert Warren and graduate student Andrew Halpern-Manners found that whether the dropout rate is high or low -- and improving or not -- depends entirely on which data source observers base their estimates. From the more commonly-used CPS, people typically conclude that about 10 percent of young people drop out; from the CCD, people usually describe a dropout “crisis” with at least one in four students failing to graduate.

The data sources also differ with respect to how they count private high school graduates and GED recipients. However, after accounting for the differences, the researchers found that about half of the discrepancy still remained and is attributable to misreporting of high school enrollment and completion status by individuals who respond to the CPS surveys. The researchers conclude that reports using the CCD- -- which is based on administrative records, not individuals’ responses to surveys -- tell the more accurate, complete story.

An article based on their findings, titled  “Is the Glass Emptying or Filling Up:  Reconciling Divergent Trends in High School Completion and Dropout,” appears in the most recent issue of Educational Researcher.
 
 
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U of M to give public rare glimpse of the 500-year-old map that was first to use the word America
Map is one of only four in the world and only one in the Americas

By Christopher James
U of M News Wire

The University of Minnesota Libraries will give the public a rare glimpse of one of the Libraries’ most valuable items on Monday, Oct. 1, when it begins to display a 500-year-old map that was the first to include the word America.

The university’s James Ford Bell Library is presenting the special exhibit, “The Map that Named America, 1507-2007,” to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Waldseemüller gores globe, a map created in 1507 and part of the collection of the university’s James Ford Bell Library.

“The map is extraordinary because it is the first to include the word 'America,”' assigned to land that we now call South America, and the first to depict these newly-discovered lands as separate from Asia,” said Marguerite Ragnow, curator of the U of M's James Ford Bell Library.

Minnesota industrialist James Ford Bell purchased the map in 1954 for an undisclosed amount of money. Three other copies of the map still exist, but the Bell Library’s copy is the only one that remains in the Americas -- the others are in European collections. One of those other copies was auctioned at Christie’s in London in 2005 for approximately $1 million. The Bell’s copy is considered more valuable than the copy that was sold at Christie’s, because it is in its original condition.

The U of M’s map is a single sheet of paper 9.5 x 15 inches printed with 12 connected globe-like segments. The map is designed to be cut out and pasted onto a sphere to form a globe map of the world.

In 1507, German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller created two maps, printed from engraved woodblocks, depicting newly-discovered lands in the western Atlantic. These were drawn from sailors' charts and other documents, including the popular accounts of explorer Amerigo Vespucci.

One of Waldseemüller’s maps was the globe gores (the one now owned by the Bell Library); the other was a larger 12-panel wall map, a copy of which is owned by the U.S. Library of Congress. The Library of Congress purchased the wall map for approximately $10 million in 2003.

“The 500th anniversary of the Waldseemüller gores globe raises important questions,” Ragnow said. “For example, how has the meaning and connotation of the word 'America' changed in the 500 years since the creation of the map? What does 'America' mean today? The exhibit's emphasis on the map that named America brings the relevance of these issues into the 21st century.”

The map is the centerpiece of the exhibit, which presents an array of documents related to Atlantic exploration including a first edition of the Cosmographiae Introductio (the book printed to explain the map), and 16th-century navigation manuals.

“The Map that Named America: 1507-2007” exhibit is free and open to the public from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. Gallery hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Friday and from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday. The James Ford Bell Library is inside Wilson Library at 309 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis. For a parking map go to: www1.umn.edu/twincities/maps/OMWL/


 
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Growing Concerns
A parenting question-and-answer column with Dr. Martha Erickson of the University of Minnesota
 
Question:  My 9-year-old son (a third grader) was always a sweet, easy-going, happy child. But in the last few weeks he’s become increasingly belligerent with his sisters and sullen with us. I keep hearing that kids go into adolescent rebellion earlier than ever, but could this possibly be what’s up with a 9-year-old?
 
Answer:  Many parents do bemoan the fact that their children become adolescents way too soon these days. However, even as children approach adolescence, such a sudden change in behavior is not typical. It is more likely that your son is experiencing stress in some part of his life. Often when children are sad or anxious, it comes out as anger. And those feelings often are expressed in the relative safety of home -- albeit in a way that makes life hard for the rest of the family. There are several steps you can take to uncover the reasons for your son’s behavior change and to support him through whatever is bothering him.
 
• Talk calmly and directly to your son about the changes you have noticed. In a supportive way, tell him you think something must be bothering him and you would like to help him deal with it. Encourage him to tell you about his schoolwork, the ride on the school bus, and his experiences with his peers in the lunchroom or on the playground.  Are there areas of his life where he is feeling socially rejected or unable to keep up with his peers or the expectations of teachers or coaches?
 
• Ask for a special conference with your son’s teacher to learn about how he gets along with his peers and how he is doing in his schoolwork. In third grade, academic tasks increase in their difficulty and complexity and sometimes learning problems become apparent at that time. Build a partnership with his teacher to ensure that you are working together to offer extra support and encouragement, even as you both let him know he will not be allowed to take his feelings out on others.
 
• Look closely at what is happening at home or in the neighborhood. Has there been a change in your work situation? Has there been increased conflict with your spouse or other family members? Is there anything new with his sisters, even a recent success that triggered jealousy, especially if things were not going so well for your son?
 
Hopefully by considering and addressing the potential areas of stress in your son’s life -- and pulling together with his teacher -- you will be able to support your son through this challenging time. But if the difficult behavior continues for more than a few weeks, I urge you to seek help from a mental health professional. Sullen, aggressive behavior often reflects underlying emotional problems, including depression. Getting help early is the surest way to help your son recover his relaxed, sunny personality.
 
 
Dr. Erickson is a senior fellow and director of the Harris Programs in the Center for Early Childhood Education at the University of Minnesota
 
Want to hear more parenting advice?
Dr. Erickson and her daughter can be heard every Sunday, from 2 - 4 pm, on “Good Enough Moms,” on FM107.1 radio in the Twin Cities or via Webcast at www.FM1071.com