communities and schools research project ashley mucha ede 302- dr. cao
TRANSCRIPT
Communities and Schools Research Project
Ashley Mucha
EDE 302- Dr. Cao
General Information
New Lothrop- 48460• Longitude: -83.98443
• Latitude: 43.131102
• Land area: 33.36 sq. mi.
• Water area: 0.03 sq. mi.
• Population: 2465• Density: 73.89 (people
per sq. land mile)
• Housing Units:920
Kearsley/Flint- 48506• Longitude: -83.64688• Latitude: 43.047826• Land area: 17.77 sq. mi.• Water area: 0.27 sq. mi.• Population: 33504• Density: 1885.42 (people
per sq. land mile)• Housing Units:14234•
Information from: zipgraphs.com
Flint has a much larger population, New Lothrop has a larger land area and I think that farm land plays a large role in that. Lots of ponds and creeks in New Lothrop also. New Lothrop is much more rural, many houses are far apart because of all the farm land which is the reason for the population density differences.
Marital StatusNew Lothrop- 48460 Kearsley/Flint- 48506
Years in the Same Home
EducationNew Lothrop- 48460
Kearsley/Flint- 48506
Household IncomeNew Lothrop- 48460
Kearsley/Flint- 48506 Median Household Income: 33,163
Median Household Income: 45,921
OccupationNew Lothrop- 48460
Kearsley/Flint- 48506
AgesNew Lothrop- 48460
Kearsley/Flint- 48506
School ComparisonNew Lothrop Elementary Public- Grades PK-6 450 Students 28 Full Time Teachers 17 Classrooms Great Schools Rating:9 100% Attendance rate 23% Eligible for free or
reduced lunch Average- 42%
19 students per FTE teacher
Average- 18
Classroom I observed had 30
Leota Fiedler Elementary Public- Grades 2-5 323 Students 19 Full Time Teachers 30 Classrooms Great Schools Rating: 6 93% Attendance rate 35% Eligible for free or
reduced lunch Average- 42%
21 students per FTE teacher Average- 18
Classroom I observed had 31
Statistics are from 2007-2009, found at greatschools.org
Comparing CommunitiesNew Lothrop Elementary
Located in New Lothrop, Mi The only elementary school in New
Lothrop Public In a very small rural area Located in a village No stop light or 4-way stop School very new, build in
2007
Leota Fiedler Elementary Located in Flint, Mi Kearsley School District Public One of 4 elementary schools More suburban area Many stop lights Much older and smaller school
•Are located in a neighborhood with houses very close•Have many houses for sale in the 1-2 mile radius•Have other schools very close to them (NL- Jr/High, Fiedler- Another Elementary and Middle)
Both Schools:
School ComparisonNew Lothrop Elementary Leota Fiedler Elementary
Ethnicity and Race Comparison
New Lothrop Elementary/ New Lothrop as a whole
Ethnicity and Race Comparison (cont.)
Leota Fiedler Elementary/ Flint 48506 as a whole
Crime Rates
Information from Schooldigger.com
Crime Rates- New Lothrop
Crime in New Lothrop (2006): 0 murders (0.0 per 100,000) 0 rapes (0.0 per 100,000) 1 robbery (167.5 per 100,000) 0 assaults (0.0 per 100,000) 5 burglaries (837.5 per 100,000) 10 thefts (1675.0 per 100,000) 0 auto thefts (0.0 per 100,000)
Information from City-data.com
Enrollment by grade
Enrollment by genderNew Lothrop Elementary Leota Fiedler Elementary
Information from: http://www.education.com/schoolfinder
How are they funded?New Lothrop- Mr. Harnish According to Mr. Harnish, the
elementary school principal, NL Area Public Schools are funded as a unit. The contributions come from two parts: State Local Also get money from
18mills which is part of the local
Fiedler- Mrs. Fonger According to Mrs. Fonger, the
elementary assistant principal, Fiedler Elementary is funded by the state (54%), local (37%), federal (8%).
Also 18 mill, grants, and other donations.
This is similar to the schools in the surrounding area. A little more than some of them.
**Both schools are right near the state average, a little bit above.
Spending per PupilNew Lothrop Elementary The New Lothrop spends
$7,699 per pupil in current expenditures.
The district spends 63% on instruction
32% on support services 5% on other elementary
and secondary
expenditures.
Leota Fiedler Elementary The Kearsley spends
$7,563 per pupil in current expenditures.
The district spends 60% on instruction
36% on support services 4% on other elementary
and secondary expenditures.
Information from: http://www.education.com/schoolfinder
How do they deal with funding Shortages
New Lothrop Elementary They have many fundraisers for activities
they can’t support with the funding they get. Mackinac Trip Odyssey of the Mind Other groups and organizatons
** They do not cut any activities because they feel they are all equally important for the kids to be involved in
Leota Fiedler Elementary They do nothing in the issues of funding
shortages, they have no extracurricular activities or school clubs as a result of this.
Things for students to doNew Lothrop Elementary Girl Scouts/Boy
Scouts/Brownies/ Cub Scouts Odyssey of the Mind Club
Wrestling Cheerleading Soccer
AAU Basketball Tutoring LatchKey
Fiedler Elementary Some sports offered through
the community such as, basketball.
**The differences in what is offered shows a great deal about how the students are cared for by their school, in my opinion**
Other Information
New Lothrop Community Schools
In the New Lothrop
School District, 8% of students have an IEP (Individualized Education Program).
Kearsley Community Schools
In the Kearsley School
District, 13% of students have an IEP.
The Kearsley School
District serves 1% English Language Learners
Information from: http://www.education.com/schoolfinder
Area Surrounding the SchoolNew Lothrop Elementary
In the same parking lot as the Jr./High School.
Nice Black top Brand new playground Located near many
housing opportunities Small neighborhoods
nearby. Newly paved street Mostly farm land
roads are not busy
Leota Fiedler Elementary
Located in the back of a neighborhood
Extremely small parking lot Seems cramped Much older school inside
and out The roads have potholes
and not very well defined lines around the neighborhood
A busy road is within 2 miles
Road ConditionsNew Lothrop Elementary Leota Fiedler Elementary
Area directly around New Lothrop Elementary
•Religion Center•Affiliated with Elementary
•New Playground
•Water tower
•Junior High/ High School
•District Library located
inside Elementary
school
Area directly around Leota Fiedler Elementary
•Many houses•A neighborhood•Playground•Neighborhood watch
Classroom ObservationNew Lothrop Elementary Large classroom Enough space for activities Lots of artwork in the
classroom and hallway Very large hallways Students seem to work well
together Many different classroom
setups; some desks and other types of table
Leota Fiedler Elementary Narrow hallways Small classrooms Not enough room on the
carpet for all students to sit on it
Not much room between hexagon tables where the children sit
Not all children in the class can see the teacher’s desk
Lots of artwork and colorful posters up in the classroom
Both Classrooms In both classrooms students do what
they are asked of by the teacher. Teachers interact in a positive ways in
both. In my opinion, I got a good impression
from the teachers and feel of the school in both locations.
MEAP Score ComparisonFor grade 5
New Lothrop Elementary Leota Fiedler Elementary
Homes around New Lothrop Elementary
A home for sale
My house with farmland all around it
A house in the more rural areal
Apartments near the school
Another neighbor-hood on the other side of NL about 4 blocks from
the school
Farm next to my house
Homes around Leota Fiedler Elementary
Nice homes in the area
A home for sale in the neighborhood
A house that doesn’t quite fitin the neighborhood
Home ComparisonNew Lothrop Homes in New Lothrop
are larger and mostly old farm houses.
Homes are kept up Only 2 small
neighborhoods A bit larger lot sizes
Kearsley- Flint Homes are much smaller Look more run down Main neighborhood
where the school is located but there are many other subdivisions
Very small lot sizes
Resources in the Community
New Lothrop District Area No fast food 2 bars/ restaurant 2 banks 1 gas station 1 family owned grocery
store Zumba, Chiropractor,
Barber/Hair salon, Gym, Car Body Shop, Pizza Parlor
No Public Transportation
Kearsley District Area Subway, McDonalds, and
Halo Burger within 2 miles Bowling alley Pizza Places RiteAid Many Gas stations Kroger Liquor Stores Athletic Center Many other small shops
for various things.
Gas Station in New Lothrop- Village East
Gas Station Near Leota Fiedler Elementary
•BP•Admiral•Kroger Gas Station•And many more within 5 miles from the school.
Businesses near New Lothrop Elementary
Businesses near Leota Fiedler Elementary
Businesses The businesses in both areas for the
most part are very well maintained with the exception of businesses that are closed down.
The exteriors looked clean and taken care of
Grocery StoreNew Lothrop- Confer’s
Very small store Not many options More expensive VERY friendly staff Owners are active in the
community Small produce section but it is in
scale with the rest of the store. People walk or drive to
the store as it is very close to the school.
Kearsley- Kroger Large store Lots of options More sales Cheaper items Staff not as friendly Much more activity going on inside
the store. Could be because of the time of day
Much larger frozen section People drive or take the bus This store is about 2-3 miles from
the school.
** No comparable grocery store in New Lothrop within a reasonable distance
New Lothrop Grocery StoreConfer’s Family Food
Market
Confer’s Family Market Has all fresh meat from the local area Cuts all their deli meat and cheeses as people request it Does not have a fresh bread or baked sections but does have a donut
counter near the front Has movie rentals Sections are relatively small compared to other grocery stores I personally use this grocery store, I always see people I know and the
staff is always friendly to everyone who enters the building. People seem to stop in for just a few items at a time. From my experience at this store the staff offers extra help to any elderly
customers and that is the only differences in treatment I’ve witnessed.
Fiedler’s closest Grocery Store- Kroger
Kroger Has a much larger produce section Many more people inside the Kroger Had carts full of random food items, didn’t see much fresh meat or produce among the
items. Lots of prepackaged meats unlike Confer’s which is all packaged there. Larger Deli Sections Sections were larger than the family owned store. Staff not as friendly Most people were shopping through each isle getting lots of things for a
whole week. Saw people using EBT Food cards. I did not see any differences in how the staff treats different customers. Also has gas as well.
Grocery Stores
Most people at the Flint store were shopping for a whole week and had full carts it seems to me they set aside one time to get their groceries. In New Lothrop, people stop in as they need things because the store is close to most everyone in the small town. I saw people using EBT food cards in Flint but did not see anyone in New Lothrop using them, this definitely says something about the socioeconomic status differences which also relates to the income of the people in these areas.
Grocery Store Cont. When this project started I planned on
comparing Confer’s Family Food Market to Denny’s which was a family owned grocery store about 2 blocks from Fiedler Elementary but it tragically burnt down about 2 weeks after the semester began.
TransportationNew Lothrop People own cars and that
is the main mode of transportation.
Walking Bicycles No public transportation
Flint- Kearsley It seems that most people own
cars. There is public transportation
via Mass Transportation Authority (MTA)
MTA Bus FaresGeneral Public $1.25ADA Certified $0.50Reduced Fare Eligible $0.50Transfer $0.10
http://www.mtaflint.org/fares.shtml
TransportationNew Lothrop Flint- Kearsley
Charts/Data from city-data.com
Can people get the things they need?
In both of these communities people can get their basic necessities.
In Flint, things are closer in proximity and there are more options.
In New Lothrop, there are not many options and for some things people will have to travel to one of the surrounding towns to get things they want or need. They also have to find their own way to get where they need to go.
What I saw people doing in the area
New Lothrop People walking around
the town at different times of the day
Children playing in their yards, even though it’s cold.
Large groups of women walk together for exercise
Many children walk to and from school
Flint People getting their mail Two children playing with
sidewalk chalk in their driveway
Lots of children walk to and from school because of the close proximity
What the principals see are important qualities in future educators
New Lothrop- Mr. Harnish Always “swimming” going
the extra mile and being involved in the school. Not just showing up on time and leaving when the bell rings.
Involvement in the persons own community
Classroom Management Interview skills are
very important to him as well.
Fiedler- Mrs. Fonger Skills in Language Arts,
Reading and Writing. Classroom management
** She didn’t have much to say on this topic because this was her first year as principal.
Other Info During the course of this assignment Fiedler
Elementary was in danger of being closed by the Kearsley District.
A few weeks ago they did find out that Fiedler will be open next year.
To me this shows something about the socioeconomic status of this area, many people are moving out and people aren’t moving in. This makes the number of elementary schools they need less than what they have right now.
Closing one of the schools will greatly impact this area, home values will decrease and
students in that schools parameter will have to be bussed to another school.
Lots Of “For Sale” Signs While I was driving around the Kearsley area, I saw
numerous for sale signs. On many businesses, pieces of land, and homes. The one that I felt had a huge impact was a center for children that had park like things and colorful buildings. I’m not exactly sure what the business had been but one of the buildings sais “camp” something. I feel that something like this closing really impacts the community especially since there is already not much for children to do to keep them out of trouble.
My Community/ Growing Up
I didn’t grow up in either of these areas. I grew up in the more rural side of Flushing which is very comparable to New Lothrop. I have lived in New Lothrop for 10 years and in that time I have observed: Most people are related in some way Everyone is friendly to one another and help their friends and neighbors in many
situations. Children have lots of things to do and are outside playing with neighbors and friends
daily. The school has many events for the children to be part of which was much different from
Fiedler
My Community of New Lothrop is extremely child friendly.
If I grew up in Flint I think my life would be very different if I would have
lived in Flint. I wouldn't have had as many activities to do
related to the school I might not have been involved in the same
activities and because of that I might not be pursuing the same career.
I would feel drastically different about the world because I am used to a rural farm town life with no fast food within 10 miles or some other businesses offered.
I would feel different about my future because the people seem to be nurtured a little bit differently there.
Contributing Factors The rage of class is a huge factor, most people in New Lothrop are part of the working
class. Most people work at least one job and make a higher annual income of the people in Flint. This makes them able to attain more things they want and need which contributes to a higher number of people completing higher education to get good jobs and have a good future. In My opinion in my smaller community people are pushed more to succeed and less people are forgotten about.
It seems that in the schools children are nurtured more in New Lothrop and are expected to succeed. In Kearsley they are nurtured but it seems like too often children are written off.
The school/community relationship in New Lothrop is extremely high parents are extremely involved in their children's education. In Kearsley, at least the class I observe, it seem parents are too busy to help children with homework or to do other things associated with the schools
Community LeaderNew Lothrop If I was a community leader
in New Lothrop, I would help businesses to promote themselves because though there are many businesses they come and go very quickly because they can not afford to stay open because of lack of business. I would help to promote buying locally.
Kearsley- Flint If I was a community
leader in Kearsley/Flint I would work to improve the road conditions and promote safety and community togetherness to try to bridge gaps and create a community where people help each other a little more than I have viewed.
What I’ve Learned I have learned that these two communities are a lot
different than I had originally thought. The schools are somewhat similar, but the communities are very different.
Kearsley is much more suburban and has many businesses and schools around its schools.
New Lothrop is very small and rural. People are much more friendly in New Lothrop.
Communities need a lot of work for them to run successfully. Socioeconomic status plays a big role and makes people very different from one another.