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Connections

Coming up on Connections: Tuesday, April 10

Christopher Futcher

First hour: How parents of color are shielding their children from negative stereotypes in the media

Second hour: Special re-broadcast: Poet Sara Holbrook, who couldn't answer standardized test questions about her own poems

A recent piece in the Atlantic Monthly explores the efforts parents of color are making to shield their children from negative stereotypes. It highlights how many parents curate books, entertainment, and toys -- either eliminating or adding certain types of media -- with the goal of empowering their children and exposing them to positive images of characters that look like them. Parents say it's a challenge, and the results are mixed. We'll hear from local parents who will share their experiences and what they hope will change. Our guests: 

  • Leslie C. Youngblood, author of Love Like Sky, and aunt
  • Pastor Darryl E. Carter, senior pastor at JHKM Inc., and parent
  • Rodney Fields, parent
  • Shaun Nelms, associate professor at the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester, superintendent of East High School, and parent

Then in our second hour a special re-broadcast, in light of standardized testing beginning this week across New York State. Have you heard the remarkable story of the poet, Sara Holbrook, whose work was selected for standardized test questions in Texas? Holbrook took the test designed for seventh graders, and she couldn't figure out the correct answers to questions about her own poems. And she decided to write about it; see here. Her piece has gone viral, sparking fresh discussion about how tests are created, and what it means that the author of a poem doesn't know the answers to questions about her own work -- on a test designed for kids who are 11 and 12 years old. Our guests:

  • Sara Holbrook, poet and author
  • Jayne Lammers, assistant professor and director of the English language arts teacher education program at the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester
  • Maria Hopkins, associate professor and coordinator of learning outcomes assessment in the School of Education at Nazareth College
Connections
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.