Author Archives: Kim Rybacki

Some follow up regarding some issues we have been discussing:

1 – Various levels of analysis and/or sites for disagreement:

• ideology
• decisions
• implementation

2 – Some research regarding merit pay, charter schools:

• GothamSchools Article: Harvard Study of merit pay program in NYC
• NY Times article: Negotiations in NYC regarding merit pay study
• National Center on Performance Incentives: Publications regarding Outcomes on students and teachers
• National Charter School Research Project website
• CREDO National Charter School Study (Stanford University) website
• National Education Policy Center Study on Expenditure and Revenues in Charter Schools vs Traditional Public Schools

3 – Some information on teacher and principal certification

• New York State teacher certification
• School administration requirements
• Leadership Academy website

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Rubber Rooms

From reading this chapter, I feel the value and role of education has changed. Usually, I would think that education is a creative process. Its aim is to develop the capacities that are within all of us. Education equips us with morals and material knowledge. These days we focus more on a particular subject or particular classes that are related to our career goals. For example, being in college, I hear students say they do not care about their overall GPA but they do care about their major GPA. But they are just being realistic. To survive in interviews that is what stands out these days. Is this fair? Is not their a contradiction? We are forced to learn all subjects but then maybe in college the curriculum is difficult that is why most of us focus on “the subjects we need in order to survive and get a job?” After school activities are a great addition to the education system. This works as an incentive for students. I remember one of my classmates in grade school used to listen to his teacher whenever she would remind him he cannot go to the gym for extra basketball games after school. He was a very bright student but he needed to be reminded and stay focused. In fact I am still in touch with him and he has become a lawyer. Little things like activities changes things. However, how does society value these activities? Would people still vote towards extra funds to go to educational classes instead of extracurricular activities if such debates were presented? I do greatly value vocational training and involvement of more activities these days in classrooms. Real world can be harsh and hectic. Balancing school, extra activities and vocational training prepares us for the real world and teaches how to work under pressure. But question is how much of this extra work and activities are ok to combine with education? I noticed in college apps if you do not list tons of activities, students will not stand a chance. Is that fair? Does it become too hectic? Who decides?

Chapter 9, focused on the importance of human capital.I agree with the claim that Horace Mann made,he thought that “public schooling would increase community wealth.”For  the most part many public schools focused on the importance of preparing students for the job market.However, there are many afterschools job-readiness programs in New York City.According to a specific non-profit organization, there main goal is to teach high school students what they didn’t learn in the classroom.

As the text mentions, high schools began to “adopt vocatonal education programs.”This was one of my main concerns in high schools.I tried to understand why there were so many programs in the guidance counselors office, and each student was assigned to one.I always wanted to take classes that were in another major.However, it was mandatory to follow the cirriculum for being a Sport Medicine major.

Education was considered a democracy,which  should help develop in each individuals own timing.With this in mind, the amount of knowledge intake by a student can both shape him/her and shape “the society toward ever nobler ends.”For many students like myself, we seek education after high school.However, we are sometimes unaware of the major we would like to pursue.Do you think, from personal experience high school in present days focus soley on shaping students for bettering themselves, and society?Does high school cirriculum provide students with the best education possible?Many students in high school are apart of organizations, and teams, we all know they receive good grades to prevent being dropped from a team?How does that help them, shape themselves for the better, or even society?

Chapter 9 discusses much of the issues we see today in our capitalistic society where people are viewed as human capital. This ideology refers to the stock of competences, knowledge

and personality attributes embodied in the ability to perform labor so as to produce economic value. These are the attributes gained by a worker or student through education and experience.

The chapter, furthermore, discusses how many high school students and parents felt a sudden pressure to be in school to get the credentials necessary to attain a job. The emphasis on

education to serve economic goals and widen the social development of youth shaped the advancements of modern schools. Suddenly, schools went from being an institution that

“theoretically” served as a means of bringing unity between the wealthy and poor into becoming a socially stratifying institution that separated the successful from the incompetent.

One of the major questions presented was if different courses of study should be offered to students ending their education at the secondary level and those planning on attending college (pg

238). In other words, should preparation for life differ from preparation for college? This is still a problem that many people still debate today. Many parents argue that high schools are not

properly educating their children and getting them ready for their transition into college. They also argue that since many schools, especially in the United States, teach to the test many students

graduate having memorized a lot of information and enter the collegial level remembering little of what was taught. How does this kind of learning properly educate students for either the college

level or real life? Are vocational schools currently replacing traditional colleges?

Five Minds for the Future (Howard Gardner)

Ken Robinson

Dewey’s Pedagogic Creed

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Recent international reports (PISA) have reflected the United States’ mediocre rank in education. Currently, United States’ students score about average (among industrialized nations) in Reading and Science and below average in Math. When considering what is often considered a failing or inadequate pubic school system, it is important to consider what – in our opinion – makes education effective. We will return to this question throughout the semester. Here is the list that was generated in class on February 2nd.