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Klein, Elizabeth

Mr. King

A.P. Seminar

26 September 2016

Annotated Bibliography

Cook, Lindsey. U.S. Education: Still Separate and Unequal. U.S. News & World Report, 28

Jan. 2015, www.goo.gl/fYB1Pp. Accessed 24 Sept. 2016.

The author of this article is Lindsey Cook. She is a data editor for U.S. News & World

Report. She is a reputable source because she was promoted from data reporter to data editor,

which indicates that she is good at handling and processing facts and statistics. She also has

three journalism/technology awards, and earned a $20,000 scholarship for computer science in

the newsroom. She has the ability to observe because she works in the Data Mine section of

the U.S. News & World Report, a branch that focuses on publishing articles with data that make

the numbers in the news make sense (U.S. News & World Report). This signifies that part of

her job is to analyze and process data, which gives her access to the evidence that she uses in the

article. If Cook were lying in her findings, she would most likely lose her job and stir up

controversy for her company that would not reflect well on her. But by telling the truth, she

increases readership for her company and continues to do her job without any bumps in the road.

Her expertise comes not necessarily from her knowledge of the subject, but her knowledge of

statistics. As data editor, she knows her way around a set of facts. This would allow her write

an intelligent article where she is able to explain to readers what the data means. Her expertise
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also comes from her aforementioned honors and awards, which show that she is a qualified

individual to write this article. Lastly, her neutrality is shown in her occupation. As a data

editor, she is not paid to give her opinion. Her job is to objectively explain data to readers. She

does not need bias in her article to perform her job, and the only events where a tone that seems

bias is taken in the article, it is backed up with data.

The article concerns the disparity in the United States education system between races. It

suggests that the system is tailored more for white students than any other race, and that this is

causing more and more problems and controversy as the number of black students in the

education system catches up with the number of white students. The article also considers the

lack of opportunities presented for black students to learn and be taught, and that black students

are more likely to be held back than white students. The article then connects its claims to the

school-to-prison pipeline. It concludes by talking about the effects of this educational inequality

on students futures and potential employment opportunities. Because of its discussion of the

differences that black and white students experience, it connects back with my groups

compelling question, which questions the disparities between white and black communities. I

can use it to stress the reasons why reforms must be made to the educational system to decrease

racial bias in society.

Heitzeg, Nancy A. "Education Or Incarceration: Zero Tolerance Policies And The School To

Prison Pipeline." Forum On Public Policy Online, 2009. ERIC,

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ870076.pdf. Accessed 26 Sept. 2016.

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The author of this report is Nancy A. Heitzeg. Heitzeg is a Professor/Chair of Sociology

at St. Catherine University. She is also a Co-Director of the Critical Studies of Race/Ethnicity

Program there at the school, and has a Ph.D. in Sociology. These positions of authority make her

a reputable source because they signify that she has put a lot of time into understanding and

researching her field. The journal she published in is the Forum on Public Policy, which is

published by the Oxford Round Table. The Forum itself is credible enough; however, the

Oxford Round Table has been accused of misinterpreting its relationship with Oxford University,

of which it is not affiliated. The author did not state in the report that she has seen examples of

her suggestions personally, and uses information from organizations like the NAACP and NASP

to provide evidence for her claims. However, she has received several travel grants and research

fund awards to allow her to conduct research in the field, which likely means that shes

witnessed first-hand accounts to complete her reports, giving her the ability to observe the topics

she covers in her work. If the author were untruthful in her work, she would likely lose her job

and any research grants that she applied for or received. She would also lose her reputation, and

probably would not be invited to present at conferences on Sociology as she has in the past.

Telling the truth would be the only good choice for Heitzeg, because she stands to win awards

and recognitions that may result in her receiving more grants and research funds to keep studying

and doing field work. Heitzegs expertise comes from her experience in Sociology and the

research field. Shes won several awards and honors, and has conducted many research reports.

She also has two degrees in the field and holds various authoritative positions at her university.

These factors contribute to her level of expertise, and prove that she is a knowledgeable source

of information on Sociology. When it comes to neutrality, Heitzegs writing very obviously

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contains a tone of bias toward issues like removing zero-tolerance policies in schools, and the

school to prison pipeline. However, every claim she makes is backed up with information from

reputable sources of information, and does not base her report on her opinions. Overall, she

seems like a qualified individual to write a report on Education and Incarceration.

The text itself concerns the ways that zero-tolerance and other policies contribute to the

many students leaving school and ending up in prison. This is the school to prison pipeline and

explains the many factors contributing the increased number of students going through this

metaphorical pipeline. She continues to discuss the numbers of certain ethnicities in prison.

Finally, she discusses the effects of suspension and expulsion from school on incarceration rates

for different races of prisoners. It connects to my groups initial compelling question because it

considers the decreased amount of opportunities that are presented to students of minority races,

and how punishment codes are harsher on students of minority races than white students. I can

use the information in this report to construct an argument that protests these biased punishments

that result in racial disparities in incarceration rates.

Lee, Trymaine. Education racial gap wide as ever according to NAEP. MSNBC, 7 May 2014,

www.goo.gl/BzoqUZ. Accessed 25 Sept. 2016.

The author of this article is Trymaine Lee. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at

MSNBC. He won this award for his coverage of Hurricane Katrina. This prestigious award

gives him an excellent reputability that contributes to his credibility. His ability to observe

comes from the fact that he only covers a few different subjects: guns, poverty, education, and
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news that impacts the black community. This means that it can be assumed that since he only

covers a select few subjects, he is able to gain access to the evidence and information that would

help him write about them. His vested interest is shown in his occupation and stake in the topic

of the article. His occupation is a national journalist, and he represents the newspapers and

companies he reports for. If he were to be untruthful, he would create scandal for his company

and misrepresent them. Additionally, he himself is a black man. He is invested in the article

because he once was in the position of the students he writes about. Therefore, being dishonest

would not make sense for him. However, being honest in his work is what accounted for his

previous awards. He could always stand to win another one, and that is why it would only make

sense for him to be truthful. His expertise is shown in his degrees in Communications and

Journalism. These degrees indicate that he knows how to achieve factual evidence to back up his

claims, and that he is qualified to write this article. His expertise is also shown by his previous

article topics. When he worked for the Huffington Post, he only wrote articles about things that

impacted the black community. This means that he has experience in writing about this topic,

and most likely used it in this article. Finally, his neutrality is contestable. Since he used to

primarily focus on black injustice, he is more likely to take a side in his article. But in this

article, he gives factual evidence and statistics to show why everyone should take the stand

against racial disparity. His opinions are proven by data that convinces the reader as well.

The article is about the differences in educational opportunities between white students

and students of minority races. It starts off by explaining that there is an educational gap

between students of minority races and white students. It gives data that shows that white

students have higher academic performance rates than other minority race students. It goes on to
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suggest that the reason for this is that students of minority races are presented less opportunities

than white students, and that zero-tolerance policies are harsher on them than white students. It

concludes by saying that reforms must be made to the school system to make education equal for

students of every ethnicity. This article connects to my groups question because it questions the

differences between opportunities presented to white students and to students of minority races.

I can use it to add facts to my argument that support the idea that reforms must be made to mend

the injustice in society.

Lochner, Lance, and Enrico Moretti. "The Effect Of Education On Crime: Evidence From Prison

Inmates, Arrests, And Self-Reports." American Economic Review, vol. 94, no. 1, 2001,

pp. 155-189.

This reports authors are Lance Lochner and Enrico Moretti. These are both reputable

sources because they are both professors at esteemed schools, the University of Western Ontario

and UC Berkeley, respectively. Lochner and Moretti are both in the Department of Economics

at their universities. These authoritative positions make them very reputable sources of

information. Lochner has the ability to observe objectively because he has published many other

studies with the same neutral, fact-based information as this work. Morettis ability to observe is

proven by his many different awards for his publications, including the William Bowen Prize by

Princeton University IRS and the IZA Young Labor Economist Award. The authors both have

vested interest in their topic of study because they are professors of economics at their

universities. Being deceitful in their publication would only cause them to lose their reputations
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or their jobs. Being truthful, however, may lead to them winning awards for their work, or being

given money to research future topics. Their expertise on the subject comes from their

occupations, because the qualifications needed for obtaining the position of a professor require a

certain level of study that would make Lochner and Moretti to experts in their fields. The

publication conveys both of the authors neutrality, as it is consistently fact-based. Every

suggestion is backed up with objective data and research. All claims are supported in equations,

charts, graphs, and tables. To conclude, the reports authors have strong credibility that is

proven in their many prior publications, their occupations, and the objectiveness of the research

report itself.

This text contains information about the correlation between increased education and

being incarcerated. It collects data about the education levels of a large group of inmates, and

suggests that someone with a lower education is more likely to be incarcerated. It also compares

the education rates between black inmates and white inmates, and proves that the probability of

incarceration is substantially larger for blacks than for whites (Lochner 160). Lastly, it

considers the effect incarceration has on future opportunities, and how those differ between

different races of inmates. My groups question and this report relate because both open

discussion about the correlation between education and incarceration rates. I can use the

information in this report to question if decreased education opportunities for black students is

part of the reason for racial disparity in prisons.

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Newman, Sanford A.. "America's After-School Choice: The Prime Time For Juvenile

Crime, Or Youth Enrichment And Achievement." ERIC, 2000,

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED445823.pdf. Accessed 23 Sept. 2016.

Sanford Newman is the author of this publication. He is the founder and president of

Voices for Progress, an organization that fights and funds arguments against public issues. He is

also the founder and former president of Project VOTE! and Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. He has

both a J.D. for law and a Bachelors degree in government. He is a reputable source because as

President of three organizations that focus on various injustices in the government, education

system, and elections. His authoritative position gives him a reputation as someone who knows

what theyre talking about and feels strongly about what hes involved in. He has the ability to

observe because he created the aforementioned organizations. This would have given him the

opportunity to see and truly understand the issues hes advocating for and writing about. His

vested interest is best exemplified by the fact that he founded the foundation he brings up in the

report. By being untruthful, the organization that he worked so hard to found would be

perceived with less respect and would most likely lose members. But by being honest, his

organization would receive credit for the research he conducted and organized. This would bring

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids into the public eye. Newmans expertise comes from his law and

government degrees, as well as his experience from being president and founder. The

information he would have received from being in these positions would constitute him as an

expert of sorts, as he wouldve received information that would make him a very knowledgeable

source. Although Newmans neutrality is contestable due to his personal stake in the topic,
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anyone who reads the report cannot deny that each claim stated is supported with factual

evidence and data.

The report covers the correlation between students having an after-school activity and the

likelihood that they will end up in jail. It attempts to prove that having an after-school program

like a club or school organization will keep kids out of jail. The report delves into studies that

were conducted to answer the authors claims. It also includes information about how behavior

plays a role in incarceration, and how the importance of enforcing positive behavior. This report

relates to my groups question because it claims that one of the reasons that students end up in

jail is that they are not presented with the opportunities that will keep them out of trouble. I can

use this information in my essay to offer up examples for reforms that can be made to schools

and programs that can be implemented to make sure that the likelihood of being incarcerated is

lowered for students of every ethnicity.

Stark, Patrick. "Trends In High School Dropout And Completion Rates In The United

States: 1972-2012. Compendium Report. NCES 2015-015." National Center For

Education Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2015/2015015.pdf. Accessed 23 Sept. 2016.

The author of this article is Patrick Stark. He was the project lead for this publication.

He works as a researcher at the American Institutes for Research. Stark has a Masters degree in

Sociology. His reputation comes from his position as researcher. He is paid to be accurate in his

findings, and would not have landed a role as project leader if he was not. Stark also has the

ability to observe. As his job is to collect data, he is obviously able to have access to the
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evidence that supports his topic. This would allow him to write the report with factual examples

that he received first-hand while working at his job. If Stark were being inaccurate about

anything he put in the report, he would likely lose his job because as a researcher, he is paid to

process correct data. Being accurate and truthful is the only thing that makes sense, given his

occupation. Stark also has a level of expertise that few can contest. This is proven by his job,

yet again. To be a researcher means that he must be able to organize information and data in a

systematic way. This would require certain training and qualifications that not everyone

possesses. Lastly, his neutrality is also proven by his job. While claims and arguments are

usually opinion-based, research is a set of statistics. There can be no opinions in what is a fact,

and therefore, Stark must be a neutral party because of his job. Overall, he is one of the most

credible examples that could contribute to this publication because it is his job to be objective.

The information in this research report pertains to dropout rates and the effect dropping

out of high school has on ones future. It brings up statistics on whos more likely to drop out of

school, where the most people drop out of school, what happens to a person after they drop out

of school, and much more. It delves into data concerning ethnicity, age, family income, and

gender. It also provides factual charts and tables to present the aforementioned research. The

report ultimately proves that dropping out of high school has a negative impact upon ones future

and the opportunities they are presented. This report connects to my groups question because it

includes data about ethnicity, education, and incarceration rates. It provides factual evidence to

support our debate on the differences between white and black communities. I can use it to

provide data on how these differences in opportunities affect an incarcerated persons future.