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Library BlogAlseny Barry's posts

3 years ago

Brown Bag Discussion--College Admission Scandal

Last summer, we held weekly “brownbag” discussions every Friday after work. The discussion centered around controversial topics in education such as affirmative action and school uniforms. We kicked off this summer’s series last Friday where we discussed the recent college admissions scandal. About two months ago, several celebrities (along with other affluent parents) were accused of bribing officials to influence admissions into prestigious colleges for their children. We discussed the entire admissions process and whether it is a fair assessment or indicator of one’s succes...

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Alseny Barry

4 years ago

Improving Schools by Coaching New Principles.

Most of my recent blogs have targeted the efficiency and academic impact of private, charter, and public schools. As you might expect, this is an ongoing debate with no end in sight. I am particularly interested in school improvement. In this piece from

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Alseny Barry

4 years ago

Private Schools and Demographics

Most of my recent blogs have focused on the efficiency (or lack thereof) of public and private schools. There is an assumption that private schools, based on their reputation and costs, is much better than public schools. Is this really the case? According to a

1499 Reads 2 Comments

Alseny Barry

4 years ago

Global Education-D-n-R

Group 1:Mamadou is a pious Muslim who lives with his three daughters living in a tiny village Mauritania. Despite not receiving an education, he’s aware of its importance. He wants to send his three daughters to school, but he fears that his conservative community will not allow him to do so. How can we help Mam...

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Alseny Barry

4 years ago

The Test-Optional Movement

Some colleges across the country have started to question the value of standardized test scores as part of their admissions requirements. Princeton and Stanford recently joined the

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Alseny Barry

4 years ago

It's Time We Face Our Public Education Woes

In my previous blog post, I talked about President Trump and Secretary of Education Besty Davo's plan to give more money and create more opportunities for parents to send their children to private and charter schools. But are private and charter schools really that much be...

1168 Reads 1 Comment

Alseny Barry

4 years ago

Privatising Schooling

Research shows that private schools are more effective than public schools. As a result, there is a movement to privatize public education around the country through charter schools and vouchers. Charter schools are publicly funded, but privately operated. There are approximately three million students attending charter schools around the country. They have shown tremendous p...

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Alseny Barry

5 years ago

The Rise of High Tech in Africa

Africa has not seen the full potential in the rise of technology yet. This has provided enormous opportunities for innovators longing to diversify the use of technology in Africa. Take the story of Karuiki. He was born in a farming village where electricity was scarce. His superb grades in primary school qualified him to attend a pr...

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Alseny Barry

5 years ago

Does Reducing Class Size Improve Learning?

The problem of oversized classrooms is not a new issue in education. It has been a contentious issue since the 1980s. In the early 80's, Tennessee’s General Assembly funded a study on class sizes. The study found that reducing class sizes can lead to gains in reading and math. However, reducing class sizes has its trade-offs. Class Sizes Matter, an organization that advocates for smaller classes in NYC public schools have recently filed a complaint with the State Education Department affirming the state has failed to meet required classroom sizes.

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Alseny Barry

5 years ago

Unprepared High School Graduates

High school is designed to prepare any student for college academics. In the united states, different states have disparate requirements to graduate. In Washington DC, Maryland the general requirement to obtain a high school diploma is 24 credits. However, despite graduation rates rapidly increasing in the past years, students are not gaining the essentials skills to be successful in college. Recent low scores on exams have shown schools are giving out diplomas to students who are not prepared for college. In 2016, 69 percent graduates graduated within f...

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