Education: "Proper Maintenance"
Welcome to week 4 of our Summer Blogs. This week will once again be an economics topic due to a change in summer schedules. The government topic schedule for this week will be postponed until July 30th.
Education is the responsibility of a state. As a matter of fact, states constitutions typically have a measure that spells out the duty of the state to provide an "educational institution".
Article 11, Section 10 of the Arizona Constitution states that “… the legislature
shall make such appropriations, to be met by taxation, as shall insure the proper
maintenance of all state educational institutions, and shall make such special appropriations
as shall provide for their development and improvement.”
What is "proper maintenance" and what is "development and improvement"? If a dozen people are asked this question more than likely a dozen different answers will be given. Many believe that with adequate funding, higher teachers salaries, and smaller classes education will improve. While others stand behind the argument that the way education is delivered, improved technology, more student centered, increased real-world connections, that students will learn better and be more successful.
an article published in yesterday's Arizona Republic, Mesa school attracts outside students despite average grade, is a reminder that education may not always be about test scores and graduation rates, but about loving learning.
This brings up a long standing debate: What makes a good education? Is it test scores? Is it graduation rates? Is it a love for learning? Is it popularity of the school or program that can indicate success? If funding is the answer why are some districts, such as Washington DC, that have some of the highest levels in the country performing at the lowest levels?
What is the answer to an improved education system? Would increased funding improve the level of success? What should measure the level of success? Is it a money issue, resource issue or a need to make a fundamental change in our approach to education?
As you consider your response take a look a the links below. You may find some additional ideas or evidence to support your position.
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/education/az-near-bottom-in-per-pupil-spending/article_ff82165c-bb12-59ee-b1dd-164d7cb4b083.html
http://www.theolympian.com/2012/06/15/2141342/plan-offers-jump-off-point-for.html
http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20120624/OPINION/306240006
http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2012/06/18/20120618gilbert-students-can-bring-use-own-tech-devices.html
"A disproportionately high share of Arizona’s children face demographic challenges that have been shown to adversely affect educational achievement, including high poverty rates, low educational attainment of their parents, and lesser frequency of full-time, year-round employment of their parents. In addition, a disproportionately large number of Arizona’s children are English-language learners. All else equal, for the state’s students to realize achievement levels equal to the national average, these demographic challenges mean that the state’s education funding per pupil needs to be greater than the national average". (Page 1 of a Report on the Funding of Education from ASU: link below)
Report on the Funding of Education from ASU) NOT ALL OF THIS LINK IS NECESSARYFOR THIS BLOG TOPIC: Pages 3 - 6 explain how Arizona Ranking in education is determined http://www.asu.edu/budgetcuts/documents/Education_Funding_in_Arizona_Constitutional_Requirement_and_the_Empirical_Record.pdf
A school is succeeding when it is teaching. While some students will work hard to get good grade in core subjects some will work hard in an artistic area. A school should make sure that it has all areas of learning open to the students. Schools can't make people learn or force them to get good grades but they should offer a variety of subjects to all students. If schools have multiple courses they will be able to reach a particular interest of everyone. Learning is possible in any subject. Hopefully if a student finds a course specific to them they will be inspired to learn. A successful school will be teaching students. This can't be judged by scores or grades.
ReplyDeleteIf schools had an increase in funding the educational system would obviously be benefited. Any company can improve with additional financing. While money is always important in a society I believe that teachers are the main foundation of a good school. Teachers can inspire students to learn. The first article stated that “we can never send back “ students. Everyone is different and it is hard to teach people who dislike the subject they are being taught or they have trouble learning a certain subject. I feel that when students can connect with the teacher they can excel in a subject. My teachers have influenced my academic experience. I have had a lot of interesting math teachers and it has grown to be my favorite subject. If the teacher likes their occupation and relate to the students they are able to teach better. Funding should be spent on the teachers. Just giving a student a book or a laptop can't help a student learn. We need to make sure that the people who are working with the students are being supported.
I totally agree with everything you said Brickell. I thin that test scores really are more of a reflection in a way of the student not teacher. Overall, I think sending a student back is wrong and the teachers shouldn't suffer
DeleteAlex,
DeletePlease expand on your response for full credit. When you say "sending a student back" what do you mean? In what way are teachers suffering, from lack of student effort, from lack of funding, or something else. Please be more specific.
I agree that providing extra courses is a great way to foster everyone's passion, but don't you think that each student needs some sort of understanding in the core subjects? If we can't rely on scores, what would you suggest as an alternative grading method?
DeleteIn expansion to my response, I believe that in order to improve the educational system funding should be spent on the teachers. Schools have limited resources and I feel that if a budget was given to the teacher they could determine the materials they wish for their students rather than just giving kids a laptop like they are planning to do in Gilbert. When stating that teachers can’t send a student back I was referring to the article that stated businesses use the top products to create a successful business. Schools can’t get the top products (or students) they are required to teach everyone. I believe that a school is successful if it is able to help all students. Schools shouldn’t be the best if they have the highest scores but if they have the most improvement among student scores.
DeleteThough I don't necessarily agree that funding is a huge issue in the school system, I do agree that whatever funding is gained should go to the teachers! They are the ones that are (if they are doing their job well) preparing us for our future and teaching us how to lead successful and educated lives. They shouldn't be motivated by monetary gain, however, they should want to be there because of their passion to better the lives of students. Overall, I agree on your view on the role of teachers in the lives of their students and that they should be paid more. You're more than correct when you say they are the foundation of our schools. Passionate and involved teachers will be able to accommodate the variety of students you mentioned as well.
DeleteCarlyn, what should teachers be motivated by then other than money? They have to deal with a bunch of things completely unrelated to educated and helping students. Problem students, you went to Gavilan you know what that looks like, parents constanty complaining that the teacher is not doing enough. Also the system is outdated, the video "Paradigm of Eductaion" spells it out best and i highly recommend people go and watch it.
DeleteAn "improved" educational system is definately viewed differently by everybody in the world. Even though funds will always improves the schools resources given to the students does not mean that the scores will improve nor will the efficiency of learning improve. Students who desire to learn but do not have the necessities that students need to learn are still able to out perform the more priveledged students. One way of improving the system is not by throwing money it but instead improve the basic fundamentals and skills that students need to be successful. The answer to an improved educational system is by developing the foundation and build upon it not with resources but instead quality of education taught. Also testing is a great way to reflects what students know however having a pre-test then a final the improvement of students an definately reflect how they've grown as a student. Fundamental change is the best reform for the school educational system due to the fact that the richest skill do not out perform schools that do not always have the greatest test scores. investing in the education system as a whole will definately help but it will not improve the system as a whole to maintain the proper maitenance.
ReplyDeleteAustin,
DeleteThank you for your response. Many people agree that money is not the answer. What specific ways can the basic "fundamentals and skills" and "quality of education taught" be improved? I would love to know your thoughts. Perhaps look at someof the links for food for thought.
To have an improved educational system it is important to give students opportunities to succeed in a variety of subjects, instead of just core subjects. Education would be better improved if more schools gave opportunities for students who are interested in art, performing arts, and etc. to take these classes and have them more interested in school and learning in general.
ReplyDeleteGiving schools more funding may improve study resources and study materials, it does not neccessarily mean that it will improve the performance of student test scores. The only way a students test scores will go up is if they have the desire to learn more and better their own education themselves. Giving more money to educational system will not neccessarily improve a students academic performance in school. The only way for test scores to improve is for teachers to inspire their students to better their own education. Some students may be more difficult to teach than others due to a lack of interest in a certain subject, but teachers can inspire students to have more interest if they themselves are motivated to teach the student. If any funding should be given, it should be given to the teachers because they are the ones who help students improve their education.
I agree with your idea that students' motivation does arise from the amount of motivation that the teachers produce, and therefore the teachers must be compensated well and happy with their job in order to provide the best learning experience for their students. Teachers must be inspiring and full of life in order to keep their students interested in the material that is being taught, and thus raising their test scores. I also agree that students should be offered a better variety of non-core classes that will keep them interested and having fun, while at the same time preparing them for the future. High Schools especially should be focusing on different ways to help students prepare for their future careers they are interested in, instead of just focusing on the core subjects.
DeleteI completely agree with what you said about the variety of subjects and opportunities. We should recognize that not everyone should go to college or take a certain class and that some would do better in vocational training. There is no reason to force kids who are not going to college to flounder in classes designed for college prep if they have another career path in mind. Great post, Nathan.
DeleteI believe that in order to improve the education system, a major change must be made throughout the entire system, in order to provide each student with the same level of success. First of all, the teachers themselves must be evaluated to ensure that they are capable of their tasks and also that they are looking out for their students’ best interests. Teachers should also teach the subject that they are specialized in, and teachers should be removed from the classroom when they are incapable of efficiently teaching their students or when they are doing a “half-ass” job. The curriculum of the schools should also be altered in order to teach students fundamental skills and knowledge that will help them succeed in their future career, rather than just helping them pass the test. If schools are able to do this, it will greatly increase the students’ interest and effort, which in turn will provide for increased learning.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that the government could put forth billions and billions of extra money towards education (if the resources were available), but it would not necessarily improve the quality of the students’ education, even though it would potentially increase the number of resources available to the schools and teachers. Instead, the actual curriculum and teachers must be changed in order to improve the system. For example, Washington DC has the highest per-pupil spending in the country, but the lowest performance. So, while money is needed to sufficiently run the system, it is not the main goal that should be considered for major improvements. I also believe that teachers’ spending should be monitored more closely, as some teachers purchase unnecessary supplies or waste too much paper, which is money that could have been better spent. Students should also be allowed to bring their own electronic devices to school, in order to work on assignments and do research. One major problem that could arise from that however, would be that some underprivileged students may feel singled out due to their lack of technology. Therefore, a plan would have to be constructed to fairly integrate technology into the schools.
As the women who challenged Mr. Vollmer on his view on fixing the education system said, teachers cannot choose or “send-back” problem or incapable, disadvantaged students, they must work to teach and improve each one of them. Therefore, success in the system should be measured by not only test scores, but by evaluating each student’s progress over a specific amount of time in order to determine if they have grown as a student. This will also make sure that the teachers are actually working to improve each student individually, no matter what their background or skill set might have been. Judging the students’ progress by test scores alone is not a fair evaluation of the teachers’ skills due to the fact that some students cannot test as highly as others due to learning disabilities and skill levels.
You made a good point about some teachers wasting paper, but I can't agree that "teachers' spending should be monitored more closely." In my experience the most successful teachers have also been the most creative. To creatively teach a class, an educator would require resources which are not usually purchased by teachers- for example; my calculus class used playdough to better understand calculating volumes on a graph. This would require a lot of time and effort to explain to whoever was monitoring the funds and thus the teacher would probably end up spending a lot of his or her own money rather than going through the hastle if regulation of spending was increased.
DeleteI agree that to imporove the education system, school should provide a variety of courses in their cirriculum to teach students fundemental skills needed in their future careers. I also agree that teachers should be more involved with a students education and find ways to keep students interested in learning in school. Having well-qualified teachers will significantly improve the education system.
DeleteA good education should not be based on appealing test scores or good grades but rather on how well a school prepares a student for the rest of his life. This includes both the social aspect as well as the academic aspect of an educational institution. An improved educational system should not only focus on teaching the core subjects, it should also give students' many options in the "elective" category or "Advanced Placement" category so that the student have the opportunity to hone into a specific interest or to become well-rounded in many. The large options in classes allow the more motivated students who have an idea of what they want to study in college to specialize early on and save a lot of time. Also, the school should be a healthy environment for students to cooperate and socialize. By spending time working together on projects and developing social skills, the student is being prepared not only on the academic level but also on the social level. In short to be an improved educational system, a school must provide a good well-rounded education that prepares a student for college and the rest of his/her life.
ReplyDeleteThe funding a school receives certainly has a role in how successful it can be. Extra funding can definitely help by increasing teacher salaries so they are more motivated to teach and put more effort into their job (not saying that some don't already try their best). It can also help by creating new buildings so that different classes can be created and the number of students per classroom to be a bit smaller. This allows for the student to have a closer relationship with his classmates and teachers and gives him a better chance to have his specific questions answered. Technology is already a huge part of students' lives and it is playing a larger and larger role in schools nowadays. With funding a school could provide new computers, smart boards, and other new technologies for the school. Because technology is such a big part of society, students today must learn how to utilize it for academic reasons.
Tests are an imperfect way of measuring how much a student has learned and how well prepared the student is in that subject but it is the best option schools have. Unless schools want to hire a trained person to interview students one by one to deduce exactly how well he knows the subject material, they will have to use tests. They are efficient and a good window to a student's knowledge even if they might be able to cheat.
I agree with every one of your points. You stated it perfectly when you said how schools should prepare students for the future rather than just give them a few standards to reach. I also liked your points about technology and its potential in schooling.
Deletei like how you acknowledge that "Tests are an imperfect way of measuring how much a student has learned and how well prepared the student is in that subject but it is the best option schools have. " I agree with you, schools don't really have a better alternative that is not as time costuming as interviewing every student by a trained professional. Also, I like your idea of more option in "Advance Placement" category. I feel that with more choices the students have, they are able to get more out of their school career. I've heard there were many schools that don't offer as much classes as other schools which is very unfortunate.
DeleteThere is no simple way to improve education. However, increasing funding could help give teachers greater freedom and ensure that students have all of the materials they need to succeed in school.
ReplyDeleteAlong with financial freedom, greater technological freedom would also benefit schools. The internet allows everyone to know everything at any given moment. Facts, data, definitions, stories, videos; all of these are available online. If students were allowed to have access to these resources- although carefully monitered- at their fingertips, then many could excel in areas that they may have previously found difficult to understand. Students could look up more extensive or differently worded explanations of historical events. They would have quicker access to definitions and grammer rules in language arts. There are even websites which offer practice problems, explanations, graphs, and other resources for every level of math student.
It is also very important, as exemplified by the article about Zaharis elementary school, that students have creative outlets. Musical and artistic stimulation is essention in the formation of well-rounded and intelligent individuals. Activities which are not strictly related to standard curriculums increase student interest and involvement as well as promote brain activity in less accessed areas of the brain.
Finally, success should be measured by a variety of means. Tests- standardized or not- should not be forgotten, but they should also not be the most focused upon section of learning. Perhaps non-standarized testing could even be expanded upon to include not only multiple choice and essay, but also some sort of personal evaluation of a student's understanding by the teacher. Surveys of teachers, students, and parents should be used to assess student interest. Grades, too, should not be abandoned, although they should also not be the only important factor in a student's career.
Bonni, i agree that the internet is a great resource to learn from especially with every at the tip of your fingers. Teachers and students should utilize everything that is available to them on the internet (for educational purposes). Therefore, having greater technological freedom would be a plus. Also, i like that you mentioned the idea of surveys to help assess students interests. This would be valuable into getting a look at how the students feel about not only their interests but also their learning environment which could be used to help our education system. Things that students may find a problem with could be addressed and hopefully making the appropriate changes and modifications, their learning experience could be better.
DeleteI completely agree. I cannot tell you how many times I found myself unable to learn in the classroom yet completely understood a Youtube video. I'm interested in what you think of teachers, administrators, and funding though. WHere should the finding come from and would you pay teachers and administrators more?
DeleteI agree that there is no simple solution. I think the solutions you came up with would be very beneficial to the education system. I feel that measure success is probably the hardest thing to determine. A personal evaluation does seem like a better option then just using tests scores to assess a student’s learning. When you reefer to surveys what kind of survey’s are you talking about?
DeleteThank you all.
DeleteSam- Teachers, for the amount of work they put in and the amount of time they spend on their job even outside of school hours, are grossly underpaid. However, it would be very difficult to pay them more for such an costly public service. The current system- paying for it with taxes- is acceptable, but it doesn't cover expenses adequately and raising taxes for that purpose wouldn't go well with anyone. There was an idea in Arizona awhile ago to expand the lottery so that the extra money could be devoted to education. This seemed to be a really good idea. Sadly- from what I heard- the lottery was expanded but the money was not devoted to education. I'm sure similar good ideas could be thought up if it were decided that funding for education should be expanded.
Brickell- I was thinking of surveys asking for feedback and ideas on teachers and teaching strategies as well as the general environment of the school. Similar surveys are already implemented with varying results.
Bonni- I wasn't aware of that, but that idea is very interesting. I hate to always say taxes are the way to go; I feel like there is some sort of creative alternative like that.
DeleteBonni, I agree that standardized tests should not be focused on as much as they are. It seems that sometimes they are treated as the most important things because they are used to reflect judgement on the teachers and the school. I feel that education would change for the better if less pressure was put upon students about standardized tests.
DeleteBonni,I love how you started out by saying that "there is no simple way to improve education" because if there was education would obviously be improving. I also wholeheartedly agree that funding would significantly help educational progress at schools even though the funding would be difficult to obtain. The truth is even though it sounds shallow, more money means more motivation and internal improvement. There are many teachers who enjoy teaching and do a good job but there are plenty more who simply go through the motions and don't put enough effort into their jobs. With an increase in salary, teachers would have increased responsibilities and obligations to provide the quality education students need. More money also means more options for classes and more freedom for the way teachers can teach.
DeleteI don't entirely agree with what you stated. While funding might somewhat improve a schools education it might not be very effective. I believe the way to improve education is to motivate teachers and students by giving awards and comparing the teachers and students to each others success. Although money might not give much aid to this it might give a little to education by begin used for technology to help the students and teachers reach their goal.
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ReplyDeleteWhile it's easy to lay blame on financial issues, especially during a time of slouched economic recovery, we can't rely on funding, or lack thereof, as the sole cause of slumping educational performance. This is clearly seen by the Washington DC example.
ReplyDeleteOur society puts a lot of weight on education, not of the individual, but of a group. How well we score on tests and how quickly we can outpace our counterparts. It's all quantified in numbers and the speed at which we are able to perform these tasks when compared to others. These sorts of techniques alone are not enough to gauge performance. Evaluation by teachers, as previously noted by Bonni, should be implemented to give a well rounded picture of academic performance. I know that I personally would prefer to see my efforts recorded and analyzed by a teacher that knows my individual efforts and motivation, rather than automated grading by a computer or a report shipped off to another state.
Indeed, increased funding for educational necessities could never hurt, but there's also the question of investment in technology. The AZ Central article detailing Gilbert Public School's decision to allow students to bring their own electronic devices for learning really suprised me. While we often take out our phones to look something up in class, in my years at DVUSD there's never been a shortage of computers to use when an activity required them. We live in an age of unprecedented technological achievement. We can now access documents and pictures online (in seconds) of events that our grandparents, and even our parents, would not have been able to access. Just how much these advancements go to helping our generation's education could now be questioned... To that effect, it's both a financial and resource issue, as it seems a shame that some students who do not have the financial means for these devices personally could now suffer when compared to others. This is truly ironic considering public education has the duty of creating equal educational oppurtunities for all pupils.
I share similar views with you on the faults of our unwavering testing system. Because numbers are concrete and "prove something" statistically to the rest of the country or world, they will continue to be utilized as a way to rank schools. However like you said, this blunt form of academic measurement leaves out the "individual". Too many variables come into play in each student's life and because a number shows them to have failed a test, it in no way means this student lacks intelligence or a grasp of the subject.
DeleteI agree- obviously- that students should be evaluated personally because it's much more rounded and comprehensive. I don't believe, though, that using electronics in school would hurt underpriveledged students' opportunities. There could easily be a couple sets of notebook laptops in the bookstore for students to check out if they don't have their own device. Currently, the same thing is done with calculators with general success.
DeleteI do agree, as time advances schools are letting students and teachers use their own technology more often. I believe that putting weight on test scores and education though can be very beneficial but also could be stressing towards students. This stress should cause students to work harder but it just causes them to dislike school. By disliking school students are not very willing to learn. On the other hand Test scores and good grades from outstanding students are very inspiration to those not so outstanding students.
DeleteThe quality of education is most important in the improvement of the education system. If students are taught in a safe environment with great teachers than it makes it easier on the student to grasp the lessons and information taught to them everyday. Increasing funding would definitely be a great help in suppling the students and teachers with the means to make this possible. However, funding isn't the only factor, the teachers are very important too. They should be well-qualified not only in their knowledge of the subject they are teaching but also in their approach to learning and how it could affect the students positively. For example, they can find creative ways to teach lessons that the students would enjoy by being involved whether with or without the aid of money. The standardized tests the students take at least once a year are a reflection of their teachers. The science, mathematics, english and reading skills they are being tested on comes directly from what they have learned in class. These tests, although great, shouldn't be the main focus of a student's success. Individual grades are also important.
ReplyDeleteThe fundamental change that is needed in our approach to education is that we should not be so quick in saying that more money is the definite answer to improving our education system. Yes, more funding wouldn't hurt but sometimes it isn't necessary for a great learning experience for the students. The quality of education should be the main focus.
I agree with you that funding isn't the only way to improve our education but that the teachers are important too. I agree with the idea that teachers who are more well qualified, provide a broader, more detailed knowledge in the classroom.
Delete-Kaila Hammon
I completely agree with what you said. The most important way to improve student eduacation quality is not to provide students with more resources, but to provide students with a better learning enviorment and have well-qualified teachers to help them in their studeies and find good ways of teaching students to keep them interested in school subjects.
DeleteI agree that standardized tests should not be focus of a student's success. They are so cut-and-dry and don't account for skills not having to do with reading, writing, and math. I also agree that individual grades are important.
DeleteTo improve our educational system, extreme changes need to be made. More funding is not going to do anything if that money isn't put toward something effective. That being said, reality has to be taken into account- funding and resources are also necessary to keep up with the times and educate students effectively. Only by changing our views and goals in schooling and supporting them wholeheartedly can we improve our state's educational power.
ReplyDeleteOur resources are outdated. Old textbooks don't teach us what we need to know, but textbooks are too expensive to keep replacing. The answer is in technology. The Internet is ever-changing. I like the idea of allowing students to utilize their own technology like Gilbert. That way, less technology would need to be provided to the student population. This would save money in the long run because you would not need to keep buying books.
Funding is another huge problem. However, funding for Arizona's education is not as simple as in other states because there are "high poverty rates, low educational attainment of their parents, and lesser frequency of full-time, year-round employment of their parents" and many English language learners. This explains why Arizona has one of the lowest levels of per-pupil spending. I do believe more money needs to be put into education, even if that means raising taxes. The amount of money spent does not need to be the highest, just more than it is now. Without money, none of the changes can be effectively made- that's just the truth. It is important to note as well however, that Newark, N.J., and Washington, D.C., the places that spend the most per student, have bad levels in performance. Money is not the only issue in education, clearly. I also think it depends on how you are judging performance.
Level of success cannot simply be judged on test scores. Some students may have vast amounts of knowledge but may be unable to overcome test anxiety and numerous other problems to display all they have learned. I think there should be evaluation that encompasses test scores, real life application of skills, even perhaps open ended essay questions on a specific subject matter to see what the students have learned. I also think it is unfair that teachers are under so much pressure based on their students' scores in state and national tests. If they were judged in multiple capacities, their true value as a teacher would be displayed, taking some of the pressure off.
On the topic of teachers, they need to be paid more. I say this as a daughter of a teacher, as a student, and as someone logical. These are the people responsible for educating the future of America. Those in public schools are the kids who are going to be responsible for the direction of our government and our companies. Maybe if more money was spent building the very base of our country, less money would need to be spent later on trying to fix all that Americans have done wrong. By improving children's abilities in critical thinking, improving their communication skills and overall awareness, we would save ourselves so much grief in the long run. To get this quality, we need to spend a little bit more. We need to pay our teachers a little bit more and perhaps even be a little more selective in who we choose to teach the future generations. If we expect our educators to teach English as a second language, handle disabilities, teach classes of 40,etc.- there needs to be some payment.
While this is a bit off topic, I think education needs to be reformed in general in the entire United States. U.S. education seems pitiful lately compared to other major world powers. The Southwest is the more progressive part of the U.S. (at least in my life experience) and I believe there is a real opportunity for educational trailblazing here. I think a shift in focus, money, and quality needs to go towards education for us to be true competitors in the world. Without a solid base, a skyscraper crumbles.
Sam, I completely agree with your mentioning of teacher salaries. With the amount of work that they do in this day and age- it's far too overdue for them to be paid the salary they truly deserve.
DeleteHowever, I don't think raising taxes would necessarily assist the educational system entirely, given that other programs take a bigger share of the funds than they should. I say cut the frivolous spending and completely reformat state and national budgets, then move to taxation.
Justine- I agree that more money should be spent on education as compared to other things. I'm just not sure that a bigger share would ever be given to education and it's crucial that it get more funding so I figured taxes might be the only way to do that.
DeleteIn order to improve the education system, schools need to refocus their efforts to the individual rather than the one size fits all mechanics that is prevalent today. Each and every student is unique in some way or another as the veteran high school English teacher pointed out to Mr. Vollmer. Businesses strive to manufacture uniform consistent products. Schools are not businesses; they are institutions that should have the goal of producing students with unique interests and individual strengths. Therefore the business-like approach of simply pumping money into the education system is not the answer to improving the system although it helps. For example, schools need to be able to have the funding for teachers who would be effective educators but choose not to have a career in the education field due solely to the low salary. The measure of success as of now seems to be how high the average test scores are instead of the dropout rate. Schools are too focused on being "A+" to care whether or not their students actually want to be there. Students should want to come to school to experience new horizons, to convey their opinions in a safe setting, and most importantly to expand their knowledge. It's the students' attitude towards learning that will determine the success of the system. Positively influencing students' attitudes must begin with individual attention. Teachers have to be trained to be more geared towards individual needs and desires as opposed to GPA. Thus, students will be more engaged in their own learning which in turn will greatly improve success in the education system.
ReplyDeleteA school that appeals to all students would definitely improve. If all the different styles of teaching were taught students would enjoy their class as well as learn more. I feel that if the student can connect with the teacher the student will work better and in turn do better in class. I agree that focusing on individual needs would enhance the educational environment. This nicer environment would hopefully inspire kids to continue their education.
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DeleteI agree that a school works better when attending to student's individual needs! Everyone has a different learning style and some need more help than others. I also like the way you compared business manufacturing to schools.
Delete-Kaila Hammon
The thing is, humans tend to get stuck in a rut. If there's a system of teaching that worked in 1900, it's not going to change that much. What we need to realize is that students have different ways of learning, and that there are many more ways of obtaining information than just having them read a textbook. A more dynamic classroom could not only teach more effectively but make the whole learning experience more fun for the student.
ReplyDeleteIn Mr. Merill's Physics class, we don't learn things the conventional way: the students aren't told an equation and then instructed to use it. Rather, we do an experiment or two to derive why this equation is relevant and so forth. In my opinion, if we just read out of the textbook, we would have much more of a struggle in grasping concepts.
There is no one golden method that will teach a student correctly, and using a wide array of techniques (smartphones, learning why a method is used, hands-on application, etc...) will ensure the learning of many more students, if not all of them.
As for funding, it's not like the buildings need to be rebuilt of anything. It's more of the teachers' being able to employ a vast array of teaching techniques in order to achieve the ultimate success of having a fellow human gain in their knowledge of the universe.
Draxton, I'm really glad you mentioned that different students require different teaching techniques.. I feel like that's a major issue as well- despite these "workshops" teachers keep insisting they learn from. It definitely needs to be encouraged more.
DeleteYet, I disagree about the funding statement. It's not just building maintenance... classes that actually require materials; art, media, etc are slowly becoming more and more detrimental as supplies are running low. It's not all about teaching methods, they need the tools as well.
I agree with Justine, funding does need to increase. There are some programs that do wonders for the students that are getting forgotten. I do however, whole heartedly agree with what you said about how there is no "golden method" in teaching. All students are different, which in turn calls for different teaching techniques.
DeleteHowever Draxton, is simply expanding our methods of teaching going to be the end all, cure all? Are there still not kids who will lack a desire to learn, or who are genetically incapable of learning at any pace quick enough to fit into a class room? Yes, we need to expand beyond the textbook and the lecture, but ought we to change our measurements of success in the class room to more than test scores?
DeleteI agree that teachers need to employ a wide range of techniques, but quite frankly, people seem to teach even if they hate what they're teaching. Isn't some sort of funding needed to bump up teacher salaries or a better process for teacher certification needed?
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ReplyDeleteA good education is one that is provided for all people; one that delivers academic success and strives to meet the needs of the students. An epidemic of poor education related rates (graduation rates, test scores, funding, teacher salaries, ect.) is sweeping the nation. But the strategy for improving the education system is complicated. I believe the answer lies within our teachers and administration-to an extent. Everyone learns a little differently. Everyone works better with certain types of people. But what makes a student successful is working hard in a proper learning environment with a caring teacher. I have had amazing teachers and I've had not so great teachers. How do I determine the difference? The way the teacher cares. A caring teacher takes pride in the way their children exceed and always try to meet the student's individual learning needs. However, teachers deserve more caring themselves and that is where funding could help. I think teachers are underpaid for the amount of work they put into providing education for students; an education that greatly affects the future of America. Not only do teachers come to school every day, but they also spend many hours outside of work creating lesson plans and grading papers. Teachers should be given a larger spending budget from extra funding to buy the proper tools and equipment to more efficiently teach their class. Contrary to the opinions stated in the Arizona Daily Star article, funding isn't the only way to improve the education system or measure the success of a school. Test scores and graduation rates are a good way to measure the success of a school because students being taught efficiently and willingly will more than likely exceed in school and graduate. And when test scores and graduation rates rise nationwide, we will know that changes in the education system are working.
ReplyDelete-Kaila Hammon
I love how you pointed out that a caring teacher can make all the difference. With a teacher who truly cares, anyone can succeed! I however disagree that the rise of test scores with determine if the changes in the educational systems are working or not. What about those students who are very intelligent, and have a great love for learning, that just don't test well? I believe it is individual progress that will more correctly measure the success of these educational changes.
DeleteI agree that teachers play a large part in a student's learning experience and therefore the extra funding should go toward them. When funding is low, schools would sometimes lay off the newer teachers, even when they are the best teachers in their field. They would then assign teachers from other subjects to fill in the gap. This kind of practice is detrimental to the students because they end up not learning anything. Schools should hire teachers that demonstrate expertise in what they teach and are passionate about their job.
DeleteIn the past, I have been fortunate enough to enlighten myself on just exactly how economically corrupted the Arizona educational system truly is dating all the way back to 1998 creation of the School Facilities Board. Upon its creation to respond to the Arizona school shut-downs, the SFB decided that the educational funding would have to depend on population which makes perfect sense until you look at the two cents per dollar ratios set at that time. As a result of the false promises the SFB left Arizonans with, teachers slowly but surely became forced to commit to expensive out-of-pocket spending just to supply their classrooms. With a lack of proper supplies and salaries to fund them, teachers quickly began losing their jobs; hence the ginormous class sizes we have today. With larger classes, there are less one on one connections between teachers and their pupils. To “fix” this, the United States decided to reward “excelling” schools with increases in funding through standardized tests. It was the simple idea of No Child Left Behind that has ultimately shifted out country’s educational system to only meet the bare minimum. If teachers are only being paid to meet the bare minimum, there’s no incentive for promoting a higher quality of learning since they won’t be compensated anyway.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, there are the infamous budget cuts that have stricken public schools across the nation. In 2011, Arizona alone faced an over 60 million dollar debt. To resolve this, politicians thought it would be a jolly good idea to cut $198 million from universities and $183 million from K-12 level schools. Nowadays, Arizona school districts spend about $6,000 per student, while the rest of the nation spends around $9,000 per student on average. It’s not too hard to see why Arizona is at the bottom of the heap when it comes to education quality. The ironic thing however, is that our very own Boulder Creek High School puts out about $6,240 per student while other Arizona schools spend $7,000/pupil and yet, Boulder Creek is considered an excelling school. Why?
Economically speaking, Boulder Creek High School has made quite a few good decisions that have provided a steady stream of “customers” for years to come. Aside from its marginal existence amidst countless middle school dumping grounds, Boulder Creek prides itself with gimmicks like an eco-friendly campus, countless expensive trips and even state of the art technology to try to provide top notch quality. However, other state schools like Moon Valley High School also have earned an excelling title and yet, they do not have such “luxurious” attractions as BCHS because they use their extra funding on improving the curriculum and teacher salaries. Same “quality” as defined by the board, yet different outlets for spending. Educational improvement needs to be tackled not only on a legislative level when deciding state budgets, but also the way teachers are pushing the information. There is no need to determine a school’s quality by compromising a student’s desire to learn and future.
I agree with your points about how money is best spent on simple but effective means of teaching. I was wondering whether you believe that the board's ratings are appropriate and encompassing and if not, what you think should be used to grade quality of education.
DeleteJustine- You're awesome. Where did you get all this info??? Do you consider Boulder Creek an excelling school, and would you rather they put the money towards the curriculum (because that seems to make the most sense to me)?
DeleteWhile I agree that more money needs to be put towards teacher's salaries, I find it imperative that our school looks for ways to incorporate new and emerging technology into the curriculum. This will provide a stimulating environment for students to become introduced to the same capacities that are taking over the workplace. This will ease the transition to a largely technology centered society that I believe we are headed.
DeleteI agree with Samantha, this information is truly startling, and definitely puts things into perspective for BCHS personally - kudos to Justine. I think tried and true methods that recieve funding are definitely useful, but as a generation facing increasing pressure to succeed in spite our peers, in such a way that was not even present ten years ago (Think of class averages), different methods to help us succeed should be found and fostered with this funding, as we're seeing currently with new technology.
DeleteThe fundamental goal for public education can be divided into two parts: the first is to offer our population the basic knowledge needed to become able adults, then to guide them through the development of their own individuality. The first part is simple. We can all agree that a country can not advance when a majority of its citizens doesn’t know how to read or write. Only with literacy and numeracy can students begin to delve deeper into their critical thinking. It is the latter part of the goal that is often neglected by schools. Educators always feel incompetent because they focus too much on test performance. While standardized tests are good indicators of a school's progress, having high scores should not be the sole definition of successful education. Just like how the English teacher had told Vollmer, there are all kinds of students in a school, and improvement can only be gained by making the best out of each of their abilities. We can't expect everyone to ace the tests just as not everyone is going to become groundbreaking researchers or ambitious politicians. In fact, many who had received excellent grades throughout school later find themselves lost or unhappy as they reach the workforce. They are either unsure of what they can do or doesn’t like the career path they’ve chosen. It is because schools merely teach us to perform well on all kinds of difficult tests but forget to teach us how to make a life out of our unique specialty. A good education should guide us into self actualization, to discover our worth, to construct our own view of the world... to teach us how to think but not tell us what to think.
ReplyDeleteFunding of course can be beneficial to a school --- there is always a need for money to develop a variety of courses to inspire the students' inner enthusiasm for learning and to select teachers who can push students to realize their full potentials --- but that’s not the point. Before any more money and action goes to waste, schools definitely need to first redefine the very purpose of education.
I completely agree with your viewpoint on standardized testing. The evaluation of a school's success relies way too much on these tests when some students are gifted in much more creative areas than just memorizing facts and figures. I also love what you said about the funding factor of education; what's the point of spending thousands of dollars on a school when the students aren't even inspired to learn? Too many schools miss the more important aspects of education (like preparing students for the future) and simply worry about the ranking of a school, and that will just push potential progress in a backwards direction. The way we approach education has be changed before it is improved.
DeleteWith how our education system functions (and with such competition among us to do well and succeed), even though we conciously want a change to standardized testing systems I feel like it's become so ingrained into our culture that I don't think we could function completely without it. We rely so much on it, even our perceptions of ourselves and one another as a student body are affected by how well we do on these sorts of exams. It's pretty odd - Even though we know we have diverse, individual skill sets and talents and can respect that, we still fall short in judging when it comes to how well we score on a test that treats us as the same. So I definitely agree with you Carlyn, our whole approach to education has to change before it can significantly improve.
DeleteThe purpose of education is said to be to give students a chance "to learn how to learn". In other words, to prepare them for the outside world in which they enter secondary schooling in a college/university or choose to begin their role in the workforce of America. Being able to recall small tidbits of information such as Pythagoras’ Theorem, is not likely to behoove one in their new career. Also, when learning the ropes of your college courses, random equations and theorems that you have gathered during your years of high school may not necessarily serve any purpose, however, the techniques you used and the steps you took to grasp a new concept are what will make or break you when learning something new. The question then becomes how do we measure a school’s educational success unless we were to follow each and every graduate analyzing their actions to determine if they are using their education to make a positive impact. Even then, whose to say what they are doing is or is not positive. The problem in America’s education system, is its tendency to judge students on a holistic scale. Because we as humans are individuals, none two alike, this system can in no way accurately represent the “success” of its students.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, in order to improve said “educational success” there must be a fundamental change in system: the individual, not the student body must be accounted for. One simple change that needs to come about to support the individual is a smaller student to teacher ratio. More students per teacher means less time the teacher has for each individual student. A class with ten students to one teacher as opposed to a class of forty students to one teacher will have the advantage of a close connection to each student, as well as a personal connection to their teacher. This personal connection allows the student to receive an education that is unique to them. Too many variables are involved in the lives of a student (as well as a teacher) to say that a score on a test separates that student from the “smart” students. An individually geared education in which your teacher knows who you are as a student, would allow for the teacher to acknowledge a testing fluke or small misconception that would account for a low test score, and still know that that student is intelligent and has a grasp of the subject. Now how do we lower this student to teacher ratio? It’s a known fact that a teacher’s salary is not quite as a appealing as a lawyer’s or doctor’s, however the importance of the job perhaps surmounts any other. To teach the future of a country is to ensure that your country will persevere. Increased funding in the pockets of teachers as well as benefits to a teaching career should be enacted to make teaching a more desirable job. Money aside however, a teacher has to love to teach. There is a complete difference in the atmosphere of a classroom in which a teacher is passionate about her subject and about the students’ futures than a classroom in which the teacher is melancholy and monotonous. This is something that can’t be bought, or sold, or created. And this is where the fundamental change for the individual must come about.
I agree that education needs to become more individualized, but do you think that the methods of teaching should change as well as teacher salary and teacher to student ratio? Do you approve of current testing, or do you think more lab based or Socratic seminar type curriculum changes would benefit students?
DeleteA student receives a good education when they know more at the end of the program than when they started. High test scores and graduation rates may be the best way to show how successful a school is, but what really matters is how a student takes what they learn and apply to their future.
ReplyDeleteIn order for students to get the most out of their education, they need to be passionate about learning. Better financial aid and stricter school policies can keep students in line but overall students need to have a desire to learn. Increased funding does allow more learning material to be brought into the classroom and allows teachers to expand their curriculum. For example, at Boulder Creek new science labs were built to allow more students to get the full experiences that come with their science classes. Smart Boards have also been put up in most of the classrooms which brings in more technology and allows teachers to connect better with their students.
If America wants to compete on the world level in education, we need to change our approach drastically. We have already started minor changes that were for better or for worse. In President Bush', No Child Left Behind Act, all students around the country had to be brought up to a certain standard which was great for the general education. However, at the same time it held the advanced students back and did not allow them to reach their full potential. If our students want to reach their full potential then we need better changes. We need to decrease the amount of students in each class so teachers can get one on one with each student, make students want to come to school to focus on learning, and create more in depth standards to raise the bar in our educational system.
I don't know if I can really consider No Child Left Behind good for general education at all; what makes you think that? To me it seemed to suppress achievement and make a teacher's job about test scores rather than teaching.
DeleteI agree with what you said in your last sentence about changes that need to be made. Basically all of those changes can be made with money; it takes money to buy Smart Boards and hire more teachers. Boulder Creek applied to a federal grant to get the Smart Boards, so the money is not coming from the state government. Your entry wasn't really clear on the financial point, but I think a logical conclusion is that Arizona needs to spend more money on education.
DeleteTo be honest I could care less about the No Child Left Behind, I just didn't want to slam Bush too hard as to start controversy or anything. The reason why I said it would be good for general education was because if lower level kids were struggling they would be focused on more to improve themselves and their grades and not fall behind.
DeleteSean- Hahaha I appreciate your honesty! I understand more what you mean now. :)
DeleteI don't really agree with your statement that high test scores and graduation rates are the best way to measure success rates because there are so many factors that go into that, rather than just if they know the information or not, that influence the results. However, I do agree with you on the part about the students actually wanting to learn. That is probably one of the biggest hurdles that education officials face and need to overcome. Once they can figure out how to actually get the students motivated about learning- and I think that teachers and how they teach play a huge role in that- one of their biggest problems will be fixed and then they can focus one the other parts like finding a more accurate way of measuring their successes.
DeleteThough we all would love to believe that money can solve the problems in today's educational system, that is simply not the case. No amount of state or federal expenditure can dramatically improve the way a student learns. Can it help? Yes, of course! But money is not what fuels the intellect of a student or the true passion of a teacher to aid his/her students on the road to a successful, knowledge-filled life.
ReplyDeleteAt Arizona Girl's State, Secretary of State Ken Bennett gave us a presentation on how the state budget is divided. The fact of the matter is that state governments (Arizona specifically) already appropriate roughly 50% or more of their general fund (monies collected from sales and income tax) on K-12 education alone! For the state of Arizona, that is an average of 5 billion dollars a year. The remainder of the general fund splits among higher education, health and welfare, prisons and courts, and other general expenditures. In addition to that money, property taxes contribute to local schools in respective districts and the federal government also contributes. All together, K-12 education receives about 11 billion dollars a year in Arizona--more than of the others listed above(coming in close second is health and welfare). These distributed monies are relatively proportional when compared with other states. My point here is that Arizona has already made it a number 1 priority to fund schools, contrary to popular belief. The only way for the state to spend even more is to raise taxes. Even with education as a priority, it is still suffering--that is simply because money is not the issue.
There really is no black and white answer as to what will solve the education system problem--if there was, it would be improving. The basis of the problem is that some schools do not realize that all students have different ways of learning and each should be accommodated as well as humanly possible. As stated in the :Improving education is everybody's business" article, we can't just throw away students that have unconventional learning strategies! For example, in this age, many students rely on technology as a way to learn--it's just how our brains are starting to develop and schools need to allow those students who prosper with use of technology to do so! (With appropriate restrictions, of course). Additionally, as described in the Zaharis Elementary School article, it is important to teach students life long learning skills and not just drill standardized test material into their heads when they will likely forget it or not utilize it anyway! It is not a mystery why so many students decide to drop out of high school! It is not just because they are bored, but because their brains cannot absorb information as well as they would like due to teaching strategies that are not suitable for them!
The closest thing to a black and white solution is to prepare students not to just succeed on standardized tests to help state standards, but to prepare them for life. Give them opportunities to learn from their peers as well as teach their peers--money can't buy that.
I agree with what you said about the importance of finding a way for all students, even those with unconventional learning strategies. There is no such thing as a normal way to learn, everyone is different. If we spend all our time focussing on the testing outcomes, how will those students who learn different or don't test well ever learn? I love how you pointed out that money can't buy the deep love of a teacher for their students and their desire to see them succeed.
DeleteI completely agree with what you said about funding. I believe that there needs to be oversight into how money gets spent. It all comes down to the simple fact that those closest to the students know them best. Parents, teachers, and principals have a far better understanding of the needs of local schools and children, not politicians. Continuing to funnel more money through the Department of Education in an attempt to dictate the education policy from Washington will fail to improve academic outcomes.
DeleteI tend to believe that funding, when used effectively, can have a positive impact on the education of a student body; for example, interesting and engaging electives can mean the difference between a dull school experience or a period of excitement and growth, but this addition of special classes means more funding to pay for the materials and the teachers. However, I share your sentiment that there are absolutely no black and white solutions to the educational crisis, but a mindset must be undertaken to prepare the students of the future for their lives outside of high school.
DeleteWhile more money in the education systems is always welcome, it won't solve all of the problems that our educational systems face today. There is far too much focus on testing scores and not on the students as individuals. Many educators focus on what makes themselves, their schools, or their districts look good and not on what will help their students succeed. Students need lesson plans more catered to their level of understanding, to the students individually, not on what will "improve the ranking of the school". Students shouldn't be prepared to "ace the test" but instead to succeed in what ever life throughs at them. Its hard to properly evaluate a schools or an individual students progress or success through testing. Each and every student is different and may react differently to testing. It just may be that the schools smartest student is a bad test taker. What then? The level of success should be measured by individual progress, not of a one test performance.
ReplyDeleteThe constitution was set in place to protect and to ensure the protection of the citizens under which its jurisdiction reaches. This means when something is not working, it gets changed. Several schools in Gilbert are attempting to fix the broken education system by reaching out to their students through technology. By initiating the BYOT program, these schools will allow students to use their own technology in the class room and make it more affordable for those who can't afford the hight prices of main stream electronics. Teachers will use the technology to further the advancement and involvement of their classes. How better for a teacher to further their class along then by "speaking their language"?
The world is rapidly evolving yet many districts dig in their heels and resist that change. Just think of how great the progress of students would be if they were given every opportunity to succeed! Money is not the problem. The lack of student centered education is.
You have some interesting ideas. I especially like what you said about "speaking their language" and electronics. However, if tests were abolished, how might teachers go about evaluating students' progess? Classes are large and without some sort of numerical way of tracking, student education would be completely based on the bias of the teacher, it seems.
DeleteI completely understand where you are coming from. I do not think that all testing should be abolished, I simply think that the high regard in which we place some tests should be reevaluated. Testing does have its advantages, but it seems to over-shadow the individual progress that a student has shown.
DeleteI really like what you said about students being taught individually and how schools are always focusing on being better than other schools. If students and teachers were more connected on a one to one basis, then the teachers could inspire their students to succeed and have a great future. Your other point on the competition between schools is spot on. Teachers need to put more focus on their students so they can be successful in the real world today.
DeleteThere is much i agree with what you said but at the same time i disagreed on many things you stated. I agree that money will help somewhat but not solve all problems with education. I do not agree that all focus is put towards test scores and not towards individuals. I do not agree because i have witnessed teachers trying to fit to all of the students needs in their classroom. Also students are measured somewhat by how they are individuality functioning in class by assignments. I believe that many teachers are trying very hard to help students learn but are not doing it effectively.
Deletei completlely agree about changing how we are taught. However a complete reform of our education system will cost to much, be time consuming and just too draining for some teachers to support the change. In result more people are unwilling to change due to the energy it will take to reform and rethimk our educational systm. Even though i do aree with you it will always be resisted until change is absolutely needed.
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ReplyDeleteTo improve the education system in America, the government needs to involve professionals who are experts in teaching and learning in the decision making process when policies are determined. In no other profession would people who have no real expertise in the profession be deciding what is best for that profession. Can we imagine letting politicians make decisions about how a restaurant is run or about how to manufacture something? Even when the government does get involved in other types of business, the day to day operations are determined by those with expertise. However, when it comes to education, there is no requirement that someone who is a master of teaching and learning or school administration be involved. Usually those policies are determined at the national or state level by politicians. They are often well intentioned but uninformed if they do not really understand child development and good research based learning theory.
ReplyDeleteAlso, we should recognize that not everyone should go to college and that some would do better in vocational training. There is no reason to force kids who are not going to college to flounder in classes designed for college prep. They should be diverted to vocational training where they can learn skilled trades instead of being subjected to analysis of 'The Crucible.' For example, a trained electrician will make far more money than someone who barely graduated from a school that wasn't designed for them in the first place, and is now doomed to a meagerly existence in low-level service jobs.
I am absolutely for increasing, or at least redistributing, funds to public schools. However, I think there needs to be oversight into how money gets spent. In theory there is, but if the oversight was working, I think we'd see drastically improved results. The reason we don't see widespread improvement is because the funds aren't being spent well.
I agree with you on your position that the education system should be overseen by education professionals with years of expertise in the area. However, I don't believe there is just a simple way of shifting how funds are spent throughout our education system to improve overall success. Giving schools more or less money doesn't make their students any more or less likely to be successful.
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DeleteEducation, unlike a restaurant, is not a private enterprise (at least not yet). And the government DOES NOT make most of the decisions regarding education funding. True, there is federal funding, but education is explicitly defined as the duty of the STATE. Most decisions regarding funding are done by the VOTERS. They vote through taxes and overrides. The federal government does not. The voters who turn out to these elections more often than not are the elderly who do not want to pay taxes to support education. In order to increase funding at the state level, parents of current K-12 students need to become more active with their patriotic duty to vote. And Jack is right. More money does not guarantee success. However Ali, you are on the mark when you say that their needs to be better handling of the funding once it is secured
DeleteThat is truly a great answer to our educational system. why shuld a librarian tell an electrician how to do their job. Or why should we prepare for chemistyr when we need to learn geometry. It is comon sense. Your perspective is one i really agree with and to use experinced people to make educated decisions on their own proffesion.
DeleteI completely agree with your opinion that the people in charge of designing the curriculum need to recognize that not everyone will go to college or even wants to. They need to make a change and start offering more specialized classes that will actually be useful to the student if they don't intend to or can't go to college in the future. Separating regular classes from classes designed to prep students for college is a great idea.
DeleteTo truly enhance and better the educational system in America, a desire needs to be programmed into students at an early age- a desire to truly better oneself through education specifically. Since some lack innate self-motivation, this needs to be implemented abroad. The most important thing a student needs to be taught is to love learning. Although idealistic in nature, if this is achieved not only will students strive to absorb as much knowledge and desirable qualities in school, but also will it transpire to endeavors later in life. Even with relative small class sizes, students will manage to fall through the cracks or will "coast" and never reach their true potential. But with an ideology that learning will only benefit them later in life, students will be more inclined to take advanced classes despite the workload or stay after class for tutoring to make sure they truly grasp the curriculum. Regardless of intelligence or natural ability, student's will try their best, which is rare in the current system. In turn this will only benefit the overall education for America's children and better prepare them for the workforce.
ReplyDeleteIn a broad sense, yes increased funding will help the system as it now stands. However, ONLY if these funds a wisely allocated. At first, funds should only be used for more teacher training in interweaving technology into the curriculum and for hiring new teachers to accommodate class size. Also, funds should used immediately for new, applicable technology to use for curriculum. With new technology and teachers that know how to use them, the learning environment will be greatly improved. Additional funding should be used with frugality and priority until the current system is in a more healthy state. Then, should teachers be tossed raises and bonuses, as this will only reward them for a job well done and entice other desirable candidates for the position.
A fundamental change needs to first be made in the system- one that will change the outlook of the students. Only then will additional funding aid each and every student by providing a more dynamic and well-rounded education. Until then, throwing money at the problem will only help the students who've self-motivation, not the entire bunch.
I absolutely believe that fostering a love for learning from a young age would expand the limits of a student. The student would enjoy coming to school for the sake of learning rather than having the feeling of forced education. With this said, it would require the effort of parents, teachers, and the young-minded students to plant the seed that is the student's love of learning and to water it as the student gets older so that it does not die.
DeleteI agree with you on the fact that students who don't want to learn are going to act the same in a small size classroom and well as a large size classroom and that this change has to come from the drive of wanting to learn. I like your ideas on how our funds should be spent. Hiring teachers is a very wise way of spending money. We really do need to change the outlook of education to students.
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ReplyDeleteMoney does not solve all problems. Throwing more funding down the metaphorical drain that is K-12 education without a real modification of the education system will simply be a waste. Our graduation rates may be behind other countries, but how many more children do we educate? And what percentage of their population don't they educate? But graduation rates ought not to be the focus of our education system. If we decided to teach our students, rather than present them with material they simply regurgitate, graduation rates would naturally grow, because of a desire to learn given from the educator to the student. In the words of Mr. Merrill, "High School teaches you how to learn.
ReplyDeleteAlex,
DeleteCan you please expand on your response for full credit. What do you mean by "decided to teach our students" and why do you think that graduation rates would increase if your advice of "deciding to teach" was followed? What evidence can be drawn from the available sources to support your position?
The desire to learn is essential to success and I agree that an educator can be critical but I am also curious to know what role you think the student play in the desire to learn.
Please take the time to expand your thoughts. Thank you.
In the article from the Olympian, it shared the statistic that "88 percent of voters and 94 percent of teachers agree that teacher and school leader evaluations should be based on multiple measures, not just student achievement." This implies that currently, teacher's are only measured by their students performance. So, to raise their scores, rather than promote thinking skills and logic, teachers push students to simply memorize the material on the test , and quote the textbook verbatim, without thinking. Teachers after all, "can't send back [their] blueberries" (thetowntalk). Since teachers have to accept all students no matter their prior education and natural IQ, they must put forth their efforts to help these kids pass tests, not learn valuable learning and thinking skills. If the stress in our education system was placed on teaching kids how to learn, and not memorizing material, more children would be better prepared to cope with higher levels of education, and life in general.
DeleteAlso, the desire of a student is developed long before they enter a class room. A teacher is a critical component yes, especially for the younger grades, but a strong influence at home is the biggest part of the development of a desire for lifelong learning. A student always has the choice to want to learn though, and once they can be introduced in any sphere of their life to this desire, it then becomes their responsibility to foster that desire. And since it is unlikely that all students that see this desire or have it presented to them will keep it, we must judge teachers by mediums other than test scores, so that they can teach other students valuable skills without the immense pressure of needing high test scores across the board. So the true catalyst for change will take place in the home with motivating parents. And this is unlikely to change, unless mainstream America changes its priorities.
DeleteOf course more money would improve the education system, assuming the money is actually put towards bettering schools. Increased funding for schools could mean hiring more teachers, creating smaller and more intimate classes, and purchasing technology that would prepare students for future jobs and such. Money can open many doors for schools. It can ensure that students get tutoring if they need it, and it can create a wider variety of classes and advanced placement courses. However, this is only feasible if money can be put towards education and it stays there. The first source mentions efforts to make Arizona's penny tax permenant. It will never help, though, if educational funding keeps getting cut.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I think that more technology in the classroom would be great for preparing students for jobs in modern America where most jobs involve modern technology. The schools in Gilbert are experimenting with a good idea, allowing kids to bring their own technology to class, so long as there are measures to ensure that all of the students get access to the tech.
I really like what you said about how money can improve schooling. I'd love to hear your ideas on the evaluation of schools. Are tests and board evaluations sufficient? If not what should they be replaced with and how?
DeleteWell, Bonni, standardized tests are a good starting point for evaluationg schools; even though they don't account for individuality, they show that kids are learning something. However, I think that the AIMS tests should be replaced with older, more proven, and less lenient exams. Combining the exams with board evaluations may be the most effective way to evaluate schools. At least I can't think of a better way to make sure that the kids are learning and that the teachers are doing their jobs (with a bit of human common sense involved in the evaluation).
DeleteI couldn't agree more with what you said about keeping financial aid in place for education. If a school was set a certain amount of money and they built their whole budget around that, then that would be great for everyone, but if the funding keeps getting cut then the school goes into debt and causes even more problems for the districts to deal with. I like your last sentence as well about Gilbert schools letting students bring their own technology to school because they might be able to understand subjects more due to them having better knowledge about their own equipment.
DeleteI completely agree, Kandace. Our schools need and deserve a proper funding that they're not exactly receiving at this moment, and it's not fair to the students. I also agree that in our rapidly advancing world, incorporating technology into our curriculum could only benefit all involved, and would allow us to keep our heads above the rising tides of new computers and the like.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, no matter what the budget is that the school has, the only way to improve the education system is to really try to teach the student so that they learn the material and can recall the information- that they can make it pertinent and useful in their lives; not just teach the material, test on it, and move on leaving the student able to just forget everything, which is what usually happens. An improved education system would measure success on the student's ability to retain and apply the information, make it useful in their lives. One test can't show everything that the student is capable of and how much they actually learned. The way to measure it is to look at the class work, the day-to-day assignments and homework to see if they really understand it because a lot of the time test results and class work grades don't match up. It is really a resource issue- in terms of teachers that actually enjoy teaching and the subject that they teach and the method of which they go about doing it- than it is a funding issue. While funding is important, it is not the only aspect or even the deciding factor of whether a school is of good quality. The best quality schools are the ones that recognize that not every student is different and not every student learns the same way or even at the same pace and try to accommodate that the best way they can. In addition, our approach to education isn't the greatest because trying to standardize everyone does nothing but hurt everyone. Trying to bring all the students to middle ground hinders the high achievers and may not be the best approach to help bring the kids at the bottom up.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about trying to standardize everyone ends up hurting them. Every student has his/her unique strengths and weaknesses therefore it would be impossible and unfair to measure them with just a test. In the past, I had often crammed the day before a big test. I did well on the test but ended up forgetting everything afterwards. Education is helpful when it is given to the students not just so they can memorize it for a test, but when they can truly embrace the knowledge and apply it to their lives.
DeleteI like that you targeted the process of learning. So many times we are caught up in completing standards that teachers don't make it necessary for their students to retain information. I think this is a huge problem that schools have an I am glad that you pointed it out. It will also help me personally when thinking about how I can benefit and improve education.
DeleteI agree with you completely. Standardizing tests can only hurt students, and is not an apt reflection of how well a student has comprehended a subject. However, if we set our standards to an even higher level, we not only help the students who are higher achievers, but we also raise the scores of the kids at the bottom. Though it would be a difficult transition to make for those who are used to being babied in class, the end result would justify the means.
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ReplyDeleteThe answer is much simpler then people think, accountability. If kids fail classes or the AIMS test there are no reprecutions(in mid school and younger), but these are the things in which teachers are judged hardest. Teachers are also asked to do a truck load of things completely unrelated to education and keeps them from doing productive lesson planning and spending more time with students. Also as students we need to realize that teachers are there to educate us not to baby us and explain every little thing especially if you were not paying attention when they went over it in great detail. Some students also do not deserve the right to a free education,we are the only country in the world to educate our entire populous if people do not try in school, school should not try to help them its that simple.
ReplyDeleteJosh I love your unique perspective on the topic and it started to get me thinking. Maybe we shouldn't make it mandatory for kids to go to (high)school. The more motivated students and those students with supportive parents would still go to school and these are the students who would most likely do better in a normal educational environment anyways. The schools would be smaller which would allow a smaller student to teacher ratio and the students would be around other students like them who are all at least semi-motivated to learn. Not as much funding would be needed since the student body across the county would be reduced. With more inclined peers and a more personal education, the students in school would in theory learn more and take on a better attitude towards education. As for the unmotivated students with unsupportive parents, they can still go to school if they so please or they can immediately join the workforce working jobs they'll probably end up getting anyways. However, instead of wasting years learning specialized subjects like calculus, physics, biology, chemistry, ect, they can develop skills in the work force that allows them to climb up the promotion ladder. After several years, if the U.S. starts getting overflowed with blue-collar workers, more people will start taking school more seriously and we'll be back in the current situation we're in right now except the students will be more inclined to succeed.
DeleteExactly Andrew we need trade schools. There is nothing wrong with someone being a plummer, mechanice or contractor those are all admirable professions that i believe everyone will benefit from higher quality professionals in these areas of work.
DeleteJosh, that response might have hit the nail on the head. Taking accountability as students might not solve all of our problems, but it would eliminate quite a share of them. What would really help us taking accountability would be somehow instilling a thirst for knowledge within ourselves- I know that if I personally don't care for a subject, my grade in that class lowers considerably, which is not fair on the teacher taking the heat for that or for my fellow students, as it lowers the class average. What we need to remind ourselves as students is that these classes offered to us are not chores, but privileges, and I hypothesize that if we keep that in mind, we will be much more apt to take responsibility for our grades and our educations.
DeleteThe answer to an improved education system will come in a fundamental change in our approach to education. Azstarnet (first source) claims that with increased spending of $177 million a year, the state will ensure that kids are able to read effectively by the end of 3rd grade. This standard of reading should not have to come with a $177 million increase in spending. Instead, the standard should come from a drive to learn by the not only the students and parents, but the teachers and administrators. As thetowntalk (second source) states that it takes more than the school to improve education. The whole community needs to work together to promote positive ideas of education. Each member of the community has experienced an education at some point in their lives. If they forget the importance of that fundamental way of life, then they are showing others in the generations under them that the importance of education just does not exist. Lisa Vaughan, a teacher who taught overseas once told me that there are kids out there who would die for half the education each student in Arizona receives. Learning is such a gift, and it is the job of every person to remind others of this.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that an improved education system will not arise from increased spending on education, that will only cause more financial problems for the country. Instead, an improvement in the system must arise from the support of the teachers and the community, who both must be involved in education and the well being of the students in the system. You can pay teachers all the money in the world, but if they are not motivated to help their students succeed, then the education system will not improve.
DeleteI believe that funding, relating things learned to the real world, etc. are all ways to help provide a good education to students, but some of these ways to help education are more efficient and more appropriate than others. Funding I believe is not a very effective way to help the success of education because money is hard to get a hold of but by connecting things leaned in the classroom to the real world as an example is way more effective and appropriate because one can see the principle being used in the real world. This does not just explain something better, but also shows that why what is being learned is important. I also think that grading is very important because it does not only reward the students that work hard to get to good grade, but it also helps inspire other students to do better in school as something to work towards. Finally, I also think that making a change on how educations in school is approached by evaluating how effective teachers are by test and if a teacher is not efficiently effective, than they can be taught by the most effective teachers how to be better educators.
ReplyDeleteI think that in order to improve our education system, we need proper funding and to instill a desire to teach and to learn in our facilities.
ReplyDeleteInstead of spending, say, $750,000 on a soccer feild for Guatamala Bay, hows about we spend money where it's actually needed- on our schools. The time spent in a public school is radically altering to a student's character, and our schools are the factories churning out future citizens and voters. Our sports and our arts departments do not need to be cut when the government could be supporting them, and the jobs of our educators do not need to be plagued with a low paycheck (which could prevent more people from persuing the career, causing a larger student to teacher ratio). The people who are sculpting our children into productive members of society deserve much more than a minimum wage check and a poor facility to work in.
As for enthusiasm reguarding teaching and learning, some funding could be directed towards teacher seminars that help to educate newer teachers on the best methods to be used and how to deal with different personality types, to overcome difficulties with students.
Students, on the other hand, need to be somehow taught that learning is not a chore, but a privaledge. The stigma attached to schooling (that it's boring, not to be enjoyed, ect..) needs to be erased, so that we can procure a new breed of student- one that has the motivation and hunger to aquire new knowledge, instead of our present student, who is in class because they are forced to be there.
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