SUmmary Of Basic Writing Article

Humaira Zakaria
ENGL C0831
Professor Gleason
Summary
April 20, 2010
Social Justice Initiative for Basic Writing (Summary)

Students enrolled n Basic Writing courses are individuals who are identified as “people of color, poor, working class, veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, documented and undocumented immigrants, and people with disabilities.” These individuals experience social injustice due to the current economic conditions in the United States, and decreased financial support from federal, state and local aids for public schools, adult education and ESL programs.
Funding comes from results from standardized tests that tests to track and measure academic progress and based on the results, reward with financial support. This strategy roadblocks students in their educational progress and limits their access to college, while also hindering students in basic writing courses. Basic writing is also usually referred to as a remedial class, which marginalizes resources needed for the courses. Usually these basic writing courses will not receive new content.
Through the ever decreasing access to funding causes conditions for education for our students to dwindle. These conditions keeps students from completing college. The “remedial” model that basic writing curriculum are centered around “isolates the student and the skill from real college contexts.” The unjust quality of education conditions disrupts students from “successful matriculation and retention.” Even the teachers are part of the unjust education structure. They are not paid enough they have large workloads, and there is no job security. By improving conditions of education for student will vicariously improve the conditions for teachers.
Students have “insufficient access top preparation for college-level courses based on systemic educational inequities in public schools: Insufficient Access to financial aid counseling: Insufficient access to academic advising and personal counseling: Insufficient access to disability services: and Insufficient access to academic and fine arts courses that foster and sustain students growth in areas related to progress in basic writing.”
To solve these insufficiencies, teachers must “re-commit” to the NCTE Resolution “On Support for Motivated but Inadequately Prepared College Students” goals of 1974. These goals are to have the education faculty to allocate funding for students who are motivated but not well prepared for college. Administrators, professors and legislators need to persuade college and university administrator and other stakeholders to allocate sustainable funding for programs that provide access to retention services: advocate for providing basic writing courses that include college level content: remove the label “remedial”: Educate students on obtaining equitable education: Promoting programs using all available means: and Linking basic writing to social justice so that communities gain economic and social wealth.　　

Bernstein, Susan Naomi. “Social Justice Initiative for Basic Writing.” Conference on Basic Writing. 7.1 (2008). Web. 12 April, 2010.