Problems of Contemporary Education in Perspective

Yesterday,on my commute to school,I noticed a young male and female who attended community college I work at.As I listened to their conversation,it became more and more interesting.The male took his F-graded papers out of his back pocket, and explained to his friend that the professor’s expectations were too high.He also added that he never read the book.His friend replied,”I will write it for you.”His immediate answer was “Great! because I don’t know what to do with this.” I wanted to give my input once I found out the name text which was “Savage Inequalities.”
They exchanged all contact information and agreed on the payment for the paper….$25 dollars.After hearing that conversation,it is clear to see certain students don’t value their education.Other students who are well aware of their capabilities, find a way to start business within the schools and this only leave unsatisfactory level students at their steady unproductive pace.
How can this student benefit from the ongoing feeling of not knowing?Or has he fallen into learned helplessness.I’m not sure of the exact answers to these questions.However,I do feel at the age of college students, your own responsibility level should be at an all time high.As we enter the real world, some things, education per say should have more value in life.Integrity is important.

As mentioned in Chapter 3 of the text the AYP, also known as the Adequate Yearly Progress is of great concern in the education system today.This measurement is determined through the academic success or failure by these schools, through standardized testing.Throughout the semester we have discussed different factors which may lead to a student not performing to his/her best ability.What the government needs to do, is first fix the problem,and then determine the next step to take in fixing the school status.As we all know patience is virtue.yes, these schools need more assistance, in order for betterment.However, such powerful acts need to be lessen so students have time to develop.Should schools implement at home programs, for students to work with their(additional homework)parents to excel in the classroom setting?Could this be the resolution to the problem, at hand?

With the idea of standardized testing the decision maker in most American classrooms, should teachers actually “teach for the test?”

In chapter’s 3 and 4 Meier gives his opinion on why larger school are not always better then the smaller ones. Although bigger school do tend to have more things to offer the students, in a smaller setting students do not have the ability to band together as much and the classes are much more together and in sync. I do agree with this because for high school I went to a small school where my senior class was only about 135 students. It was a much more personal feeling that was offered and everyone knew who everyone was. It was a lot easier to communicate to teachers even if it wasn’t your own because it was to get a hold of a teacher in the same subject. Even though it was a smaller school it was more geared toward a college preparatory so to me that was a specialization and I feel like I came out very well prepared for college.

Another thing that was discussed was how the yearly progress is measured mainly on the results of the standardized testing. This system of measuring on these tests is very isolating because if a school refuses to use this format they risk the possibility of being closed. Also if they want to receive the federal funds that the other schools are receiving they have to follow the format. Again just like I mentioned in chapter 15 about the standardized testing, it is unfair to make an assessment based on a test. Each student and school is unique in their own ways and some students have different strengths. Some students are good test takers while others might be better at writing papers or participation/ in class work. If schools are graded on how well their students do on these tests, then the schools put a much great stress on these tests because they know their funding depends on it. Students should be assessed on an individual basis. The teachers know their students best and know which students put their best foot forward everyday. Just because a student might have a bad day and do poorly on a test or just may not be a good test taker, it should not be the only factor in labeling that student. But I think this comes out of the laziness of the education system. It is much easier to grade a set test then for a teacher to make 25-35 in depth individual assessments on their class. But this isn’t just about the teachers and the schools, it is primarily about the students and their success so they can lead a good life.

Jonathan Kozol is a Harvard University graduate and also a Rhodes scholar who wrote on his investigations on schools all over America. Savage Inequalities goes into depth of Kozol’s experiences of the inequalities he observed between the race and class. Hr came up with drop out rates, school funding, SAT scores, frequent absence’s among students and teachers, reading and math levels, and also the physical well being of the schools. All of his observations led him to the same conclusion, racism still exists, and he feels that the biggest object causing the separation is money.

While reading Savage Inequalities, some of the things Kozol was saying felt like it was just repetition because o how we have basically already talked about the many ways our education system is failing. Basically Kozol blows the lid off of two school in the same district but one is in a wealthier neighborhood then the other, how the one in the wealthier neighborhood gets more funding, even though both schools are public. I thought it was interesting reading about Kozol’s first teaching experience. Even though it was almost 50 years ago, the effects of an over populated school are still the same. He did not even have a classroom for his 4^th grade class. He realized that after the first test he gave how below par his students were. In such a populated setting it is hard to stay focused on every student and it is very easy to let things like this get through.

Although he really doesn’t talk about a way to fix it and only highlights the negative’s in the education system, I do feel that there is a solution for all of this. I don’t know why when money is needed it gets cut from the school first. Funding should not be cut from our school system because it builds our leaders and thinkers for tomorrow. There is plenty of money in other places and our young generation should not have to be the ones to suffer every time.

Chapter 14 discussed the civil rights movement, in particular with martin Luther King Jr. These civil rights movements as we have all learned about was for equality among everyone. He wanted the segregation to end everywhere, including the school systems. He pushed for equal learning rights for all students and when schools became integrated and the barrier was broken a battle was won. But that was only the beginning. African American students were still treated differently and in some cases they still are today. The most obvious cases of it are the zoning laws for the public schools. I remember of hearing about a case in Texas where the districts were drawn all different ways and blatantly showed that the lines were drawn around the communities that were more African American then others. Is it ok to deny anyone the right to go to a school because of where they live? Is it ok to change the zoning lines to keep people separated?

It is interesting to see that some institutions say from the beginning that they do not guarantee equal treatment from the beginning if they do not speak English. I have to say I agree and I disagree with this. I do agree with it because I feel that if you are in this country then you should learn to speak the language. But aid should be offered to people to learn how to speak English. But I feel that if they are making a conscious effort to learn English then they should be offered the help. But there are some other immigrants that refuse to learn the language and make it so much more difficult. I work in an Italian bakery and I deal with a lot of customers. Some of the customers are Italian, Albanian and Spanish. I find it very insulting that when I try to wait on the customers and they do not speak English for them to get mad at me. I do not understand why they would get mad at me. I am more then willing to help but because I don’t speak their language it does not give them the right to yell at me.

Chapter 15 tells us about the education system started to change once Nixon came into the white house. Nixon’s administration put much more of an emphasis on getting an education to get a job, they come up with the slogan “go to school to get a job.” This was Nixon’s way to ultimately try and give the economy a bit of a push in in the right direction. One thing that stood out to be that had to do with economy was that now franchises and companies were now educating their employees which ultimately became training ground for future consumers. Courses’ like home economics were now more geared to making the students more aware of advertisings and using the feed back of the students to make the advertising. Fast food chains like McDonalds would promote themselves by saying their stores are good places to gain “work experience”.

Also chapter 15 talked about standardized testing. Standardized testing is topic that can become very heated because it is an unperfected way of measuring students. As we discussed in class there is a big emphasis put on standardized tests and students are more often judged on how they do on these tests instead of assessing the student as a whole. Leon Lessinger who preached that accountability is necessary for being able to work and function in the workforce. This started in the 1970’s and scores on these standardized tests were mad public. Students were now taking more and more of these tests to meet the criteria to possible work in the workforce. These tests become aptitude tests and now students were more limited in what they were able to do. Once they found out what jobs and areas were more suitable for them, they were pushed in that direction instead of being able to make the choice, study and succeed on their own like today.

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.

In Chapter 5, Alfie Kohn describes the inequalities that standardized test imposes on families and students. Recently, an article I read in the New York Times titled “Lost in the school choice Maze” also highlighted how standardized test have caused school choice obstacles for even the brightest of students. The article exemplifies that America core issues in education are being ignored. More monies need to be put into creating the necessary space and quality education that all students can patronize. According to the article 8, 000 plus students are left without high school placement for the fall. Can anyone say overcrowding?

As the students and families try to maneuver the undesired academically segregated schools found in their given districts and communities. Talented minority students are second guessing themselves when they are not accepted to the school of their choice. Reason being standardize exams holds more importance than other factors as in school performance. Especially now with the NCLB this fact has become more apparent.

The application process emplaced can easily be compared to the entrance process found in specialized public high schools.  The schools are requesting of students the heavily weighed standardized test, but are not limited to just excellent in school grades, exams, essays and parents must attend tours and open-houses as well.

The people mainly impacted by the requirements are minorities. Many minorities are at a disadvantage due to the priority given to applicants who are zoned for the better schools. Parents find it overwhelming because they are unprepared and not armed for the process because they have not acquired the knowledge to be the best activists for their kids. Parents need to be accountable for their children education too. Not being in the know of the federal policies that shape the local systems is a true problem a point brought up in this chapter.

When families feel their local community schools cannot produce the quality education they need for their kids an option is made available. I say don’t give an option  let the kids stay in their zone schools so communities will start to standup for their kids’ education. This would force the government to regulate the public schools better. If the focus on improving public schools is not channeled soon privatizing public schools will not look so distant. Why not spend money on the communities that needs it the most and hold those in charge accountable for their results. By giving the options of vouchers and encouraging  families to apply for schools outside of their zone it doesn’t solve the underlining problems.

So, I ask should families be given the option to remove their child from a public school that is not doing too well, due  to their standardized test scores to another that is doing well outside of their community? Would limiting the options of school choice reduce the crippling of America’s public school education today?