Author Archives: Carolina Julian

Higher education, along with K-12 public education, should be a main priority in the United States. Although many consider K-12 education crucial ,being able to enter a college or university and successfully attaining a college degree should be a priority in educational agendas. As discussed in the article by Joseph Burke, accountability is an important factor that must be addressed within institutions of higher learning. Unlike K-12 schooling where accountability tends to fall on administrators and teachers, universities and colleges have more freedom in deciding where their efforts will be placed and any consequences are dealt with internally. Burke mentions that “to many beleaguered leaders in colleges and universities,accountability appears two-faced, with sponsors and stakeholders demanding more services while supplying less support” in comparison to outsiders who feel that higher learning institutions want more autonomy. Despite the varying perspectives, it is important to understand that colleges and universities function very differently from K-12 schools, and this different aspect of its functioning dictates the services provided to the students. After all, they are institutions designed and mediated by money. The influx or scarcity of capital is so important that it affects students directly. Accountability should be most important when finances within the college or university aren’t being handled properly and are negatively affecting the educational institution. This is specially important in public colleges or universities such as CUNY. With the current economic crisis, public colleges have taken a direct hit from the state budget cuts consequently forcing those institutions to raise tuition fees. Although it is understandable that colleges must make the decision to increase tuition, it should be the state’s responsibility to provide quality education at an affordable rate. Many students find that public colleges, such as CUNY, are an affordable alternative to attaining a college degree. Most of these students join the workforce and contribute to the State; if many of them are shut out because of rising costs, then the State will be losing out. It is extremely important that the government and the states find a budgeting plan that will keep benefiting hard working students, otherwise the U.S. will become internationally incompetent. Education is a costly investment, in regards to finance and effort. However, those in power need to realize that current economic downfalls are impacting every aspect of our society,and most important out of all, education.

The School-Family Connection gave an overarching understanding of the dynamics between school and family influences and how their positive or negative interactions directly impact students. There were two outstanding findings in this collection of data which I believe are the most important factors that influence students’ school and family life. The first one is the misconceptions among stakeholders (p.11). Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions and preconceived ideas among those involved in the school and family settings. As the article notes, “misconception links to mistrust” and this mistrust causes a significant obstacle in communication and understanding. School administrators and teachers, often times, have very specific notions regarding their students’ family support system and when these expectations aren’t met they are unable to adapt and create flexible programs or support sources for their students. Likewise, many parents or caretakers feel that school administrators and teachers have rigid responsibilities which do not meet their child’s needs. The lack of communication diminishes the possibility of positive interaction between those involved. Essentially, this is the core foundations for any human interaction. Without this very basic factor there can never be a healthy relationship between those involved in a student’s educational development.
The second crucial factor is resources that support student progress, especially infrastructure. Apart from having leadership development, intervention programs and outreach strategies (p.13) ,it is imperative that the infrastructure is well organized and flexible enough to these new developments. Without having a structure that allows free flow of communication without the posing obstacles (such as bureaucracy) then the parent-school relationship will not flourish.

Chapter 3, in a nutshell, revises everything we have so far discussed regarding standardized testing. The pros and cons of such measurements are clear cut and so far the system has failed to put it to adequate use. One thing that this chapter discusses in further detail is AYPs. This Adequate Yearly Progress shows the student’s progression throughout the year by means of standardized tests. Meier emphasizes the disparity found with these tests especially for special needs students and English Language learners. Most of these tests aren’t adequately designed for the individual preferences, strengths and needs of each student and it inevitably causes categorization and stratification.
On the other hand, Chapter 4 addresses the role that public education should play as a public institution. Meier argues that the educational system should be a truly democratic organization where its constituents play an active role in decision making. Parents should be given the right to directly influence the functioning of the schools, since, after all, it is their children who will be directly impacted by the strengths and failures of the system. Although Meier makes a valid point, can this really happen since the fundamental structure of the institution is extremely bureaucratic and political? The networks that exist within the system does not disclose enough information to the public and somewhats parent involvement. One prime example of this is the functioning of PTAs. Many PTAs in New York City have limited resources and power because of the hierarchical operations within the schools. Often times they are also restricted to voice their opinions to higher authorities from fear of retribution and discontent from their principals who will, again, further limit their activities. Certain Parent Teacher Associations go so far as to play back door politics along with the Department of Education just to get what they need or want. Although PTAs are just one small example of the “democratic” workings that take place within the educational system. It is ideal for EVERYONE to be involved in every public institution,because after all we are all affected by it, however the system places restrictions. Restrictions naturally caused by the structure and designed to limit outside involvement, this is the nature of politics. However, the main question that one has to address prior to acknowledging the benefits of public participation is, should the educational field even be within political spheres?

Chapter 5 of “Many Children Left Behind” focuses on the growing privatization of schools and testing measurements. The No Child Left Behind act promises to have all students to a satisfactory proficiency level by the year 2014 by giving states, schools and teachers a great amount of responsibility and accountability. It is hoped that with higher accountability there would be a nationwide improvement involving the rigor of states’ curricula, teacher performance, parent involvement, and improve administrative capacities. However, from what we have seen so far, NCLB has failed to bring under-performing students to competitive educational levels. Meier expresses that standardized testing, a provision of NCLB, creates a “one size fits all” quality of teaching. Also,teachers work under a system which advocates testing rigor and not understanding. Meier concludes that this testing is basically dragging down educational performance because testing, by any means, is not able to fully assess a student’s ability, comprehension and intelligence.
Although Meier makes valid points about excessive testing in grades 3-8, there hasn’t been a comprehensive plan to assess a student’s learning progress. Since standardized testing can somewhat assess general understanding, it can and should be used minimally. Excessive testing only causes the “teaching to the test” phenomenon and anxiety. Realistically,tests are a part of education. However, testing shouldn’t be used to the point where teachers are forced to drown their students in testing techniques instead of fully explaining and engaging students. Standardized testing should only be used at certain critical stages in a student’s educational advancement and rigorous standards should be set in a curriculum where the school and teachers will determine if the child has a satisfactory understanding of the subject area. In other words, a happy medium between standardized testing and school/teacher grading.
Another issue that the book addresses is privatization. Although the author is very passionate about her stance against privatization, she is somewhat vague in explaining why she believes NCLB supports this movement. She leaves it up the reader to decipher if there are any private monetary benefits lurking behind privatizing schools. The author goes on to explain that grants and private funding clearly depict favoritism by large companies who only provide funds to schools which benefit that company’s interests. Also, she believes that public schooling should remain as such, public. In my opinion, privatization can be a double edge knife. Up to now school are failing for the dramatic incompetency of the system and schools. It is unfair to blame just one. Privatization would increase responsibility for schools since they are under one single, possibly very demanding private organization. This would be substantial difference from the disjointed bureaucratic system many public schools answer to currently. The downside, however, as pointed out by others in class, is that education would not be seen as an intrinsic benefit for the nation but as a piggy bank . Many of these companies may lack the professional knowledge to fully understand the dynamics of education and be limited to only seeing quantitative results; which brings us back to the issue of testing.
It is definitely an alternative that should be thoroughly explored before exposing the students to its potential dangers. All in all, it is the government’s and our responsibility to fix what is presently broken. By examining and truthfully acknowledging the flaws in the system and working with every branch involving such system (including teachers, students and parents) will there ever be some progress.

The final chapter of ” The American School” by Joel Spring gives an updated view on the struggles that the American educational system still faces. What is very prominent in today’s educational woes are the political wars regarding important policies. Spring describes that Democrats and Republican have very different views on important topics such as language instruction and ending poverty. The constant tug of war between Democrats and Republicans prevent any progress on improving our current educational system. Conservative and liberal ideas become so polarized that a consensus is never reached. Behind this tug of war between political parties is the private interests of each. As Spring notes, the Reagan, Bush and Clinton administration only created closer ties between the needs of business and the functioning of public schools. Policies were enacted without effective basis and erroneous logic, such as No Child Left Behind. Although the core ideology of having students within a state to have equal education might be effective the means to measure success are flawed. Excessive testing just created a system of “teaching to the test” and anxiety ridden students. Unfortunately, no proper policy will never be implemented if there continues to be disagreement between the parties. The effects of such back and forth is causing the country to be unbalanced and this unbalanced country cannot compete globally, as many politicians claim to want to do. As discussed in class and in previous chapters, there needs to be a new understanding and definition of education. Money, business, and politics are deeply involved in the educational system and it is greatly affecting students. They are no longer children or teenagers but numbers. Although many teachers may have passion for their admirable profession, the system which they succumb to limits their abilities and their performance. The current administration proposed in 2009 to begin a program of massive technology data collection to track students’ and teachers’ progress. However, where is the massive program to track the government’s effectiveness? Can you really only limit success or failure of a student to the teacher, when there is an enormous disjointed educational network of standards and broad curricula which they have to follow? Often times the government and its leaders fail to see their own flaws and failures, even when its right in front of them.

In Savage Inequalities, Kozol details the harsh environment of inner city schools and the reprehensible management of such that affect poor children. Kozol specially emphasizes the deep segregation found among schools, especially in class and race. He describes the disturbing reality of many poor /Black or Latino schools without proper plumbing, clean environments and saturated of hazardous conditions (such as chained doors). Kozol goes on to mention that proper spending and tax raises would be a solution to many of these issues because more money would go to these schools, hence attracting better teachers and consequently improving school quality.
Although it is fair to say that the quality of education in the United States (especially for poor Blacks or Latinos) can be caused by the deeply entrenched segregation, reasons are more diverse than what Kozol explains. Many of the countries problems can be easily blamed on the many “-isms”, such as classicism and racism, however, many institutions are structurally disjointed and especially the educational structure. The first main problem that education in our country faces is curricula. The disparity among what children learn in one side of the country or even in one part of the city essentially causes inequality. The Departments of Education nationwide work seemingly differently and uniquely, and although fair democracy is one main reason to support this, is it fair education for ALL children nationwide? There have been cases where drug and violence infested high schools have been completely reformed, thanks to the discipline and organization brought on by a determined leader (such as the case of East Side High School in Paterson, NJ). This would be possible nationwide if school leaders and administrators nationwide had one main goal and a concise plan to reach it. The lack of communication and structure within the school system itself often times diminishes this window of opportunity.
Another important factor that Kozol fails to mention is family values. If a child is not taught from an early age to value his/her education, is the school solely responsible to inspire the individual? If things were to improve as a society, we would have to realistically re-evaluate our priorities. Along with this, we would have to look at ourselves and examine if we are the cause of the problem. In Savage Inequalities, Kozol affirms the importance of investing more money on schools. The road to higher investments leads to higher taxes. It is beyond clear that many in the United States are against higher taxes, even for beneficial contributions to education. The United States is currently undergoing a budget crisis where political battles ensue if, how much and for who taxes should be hiked. Even when raising taxes means universal health care, many decline the opportunity. Although class and race may be a contributor, the failure of the system for underprivileged students also has to be attributed for the inadequacy of the organizational infrastructure and the lack of awareness and care by many of us.

In ” Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria”, Tatum begins by clearly defining racism as a “system of disadvantage based on race”. Unlike other ideas that racism are just overt discriminatory behaviors towards those belonging to a specific race, this definition embraces the fact that these actions belong to a larger system enmeshed with societal and governmental structures. Racism, like many other behaviors, is learned from a young age which at the same time evolves with the development of racial identity. Tatum emphasizes the importance of empowering African American children and reinforcing the notion that their race or skin color is not inferior or flawed. This will obviously need to start at home but also be continued at school. Teachers must be honest and open about discussing racial differences and issues with young children by using methods that are suitable for their cognitive developmental stage. By openly addressing questions and concerns, not only do African American children benefit, but White children learn to appreciate the struggle of the African American community and their contribution to end social injustice. Although racial issues do not often arise in educational settings, especially in younger grades, teachers must face the challenge of enlightening youngsters so that their notions of race and racial inequalities are not distorted and biased. In middle school and high school, these discussions should be opened to analysis and debate so that students have the opportunity to assess historical events and societal norms, thus allowing them room to formulate their own opinions and ideas.

What was of special interest in this chapter was the use of textbooks in schools, specifically during segregation. Many history books of the time failed to fully depict the struggle of the African American community or diminished the importance of certain African American figures throughout history. Some textbooks were written solely geared towards the African American community while others for the white population. Not only that but the pictures within these textbooks excluded black characters and if included, the pictures were vague and left it to the readers “imagination” to decide what was the character’s race. Eventually, publishing companies such as McGraw-Hill and Houghton Miflin were pushed to incorporate photographs of African American children and fully depicting African American involvement in history.

In our discussion from last class regarding media and its influence on children, books were vaguely mentioned as also having a strong contribution in shaping education. It is quite clear from the reading that books can be used ineffectively when imparting information. Historians, publishers and artists portray their own perspectives in books that many children and adolescents absorb throughout their studies. The questions is, are they fully reliable and whose responsibility is it to regulate the content? Another problem that arises when discussing the content of textbooks is the depiction of American history versus World history. As discussed in class, there is a certain bias when books report US and foreign conflicts. The U.S. always made the right decision, always victorious. From personal experience, many textbooks give a false impression of reality and many students attain this false impression and information. Although we can’t escape political or religious inclinations concealed in a historians writing or our personal opinions, textbook publishing companies should strive to remain neutral and objective when describing certain events.

Poverty is an issue that will always affect our nation or any capitalistic nation for that matter. Since it has such a deeply rooted effect on social structures it will inevitably impact education. “In the 1960’s it was commonly believed that discrimination and poverty were the two basic problems preventing the use of schools as a means of discovering and classifying talent for services to the national economy and national defense” (p 371), and with the goal of advancing society through education Congress enacted the Economic Opportunity Act (1964) and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965). With these acts and later programs such as Head Start and No Child Left Behind, the government took on a more active role in reducing poverty by instituting outreach programs for underprivileged children and increasing funding for specific areas within schools. Human resources were also exhausted to aid the battle against poverty. Although there is a clear correlation between education and poverty, poverty is not something that can be easily eradicated by adjusting statutes within the educational system. Even if resources are highly available in a school, the student’s direct environment (e.g. family, neighborhood) are great determinants of the student’s progress. The attempt to bring equality, even if it is for global competition, is an admirable one but the government is limited or limits itself to simply dealing with the surface.

Another flaw to this approach is the government’s erroneous definition of talent and how it is inter related to poverty. The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) was developed to “determine everyone’s place in society” and being able to categorize between those “capable of going to college and those considered incapable”. Aside from the argument that the test is not valid or reliable, how can there be equal opportunities for all students, especially those in poverty, when the measures to define their capacities are by nature discriminatory? No Child Left Behind is a prime example of the system’s failure. NCLB advocated for standardized-based education, where assessments (such as the SAT) would give all students equal opportunity to succeed. Schools and teachers were given the highest accountability for their student’s achievement on these tests and each individual state was responsible for setting the standard. This eventually led to segregation within schools between the talented and the untalented or the smart and the dumb. High minority and poverty schools score significantly less on these assessments where you can see the disparity among socioeconomic status and race. Clearly, what was implemented to promote equality is actually creating great inequality.

There are many factors that lead and maintain individuals in poverty. Education can be a fierce tool to combating the rising poverty numbers, but only if the strategies are inclusive of external factors. Nonetheless, is the government’s “cookie cutter” strategies something that can be adjusted or is its stratified political structure preventing progress?