Are We Really Preparing Our Students At Be The Leaders Of Tomorrow?

We, as leaders, must educate our teachers so we can properly equip them with the skills necessary to support students of poverty. An area of concern for me is hiring the right people for the job. When hiring teachers to work in a low-income district, it is necessary to have the important conversations related to students of poverty. Our turnover rate is higher than the state average so as a leader, we need to take the steps necessary to hire the best candidates for the job. Once staff is hired, our school must support them with the training to build the best team for our students. Working in a school district with a high poverty, it is essential that we provide professional development opportunities for our staff focusing on students of poverty. This course has provided me with multiple resources that could be utilized in the creation of staff professional development. If teachers fill their toolboxes with the right mechanisms, our students will benefit throughout their

Teachers shape the minds of students to realize what their purpose is in life. Lately, because of certain educational reforms, it has been hard for teachers to say what they need to say. “In 40-plus states, the math and English guidelines determine the knowledge students have to master by the end of each grade, what they’ll be tested on this year, and in many cases, how teachers and principals will be rated at their jobs once those test scores are released” (Strauss). Most educational reforms are adopting standardized testing and should be reconsidered. Statistics even show that since we have taken part in reforms like No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and Common Core State Standards math and reading are declining. These standards tell teachers what to teach and what the students should know by the end of the school year. The reforms also evaluate teacher performance by how well the students learn the information. Some people believe educational reforms should not be telling teachers how to teach their students, and others believe that the reforms are absolutely fine the way they are. However the truth is educational reforms are yet to be perfected.

In order for African American students to be successful there has to be an understanding of how to instruct our African American students. Teachers have to understand and build upon their culture. It is a schools’ responsibility to provide teachers with professional development, but it is the teachers’ responsibility to seek professional growth as well. Professional development has to be ongoing and just like students, teachers have to be life-long

Mike Rose blames the failing success of students fully on teachers when in reality teachers have the ability and responsibility to be the savior, but in order for teachers to become the savior they have to be fully qualified to teach their curriculum. Mike Rose wrote this essay about himself when he was a student, now back then teachers were ill prepared and could teach any curriculum that they wished even though they weren’t fully educated in that area. The educational system has changed since then and teachers are now more fully equipped with knowledge for a certain field that

The American education system is failing the generations of the future. Society neglects the children born into impoverished areas, while mainly white upper class children participate in superior educational activities. Low-income neighborhoods often produce schools with low scoring students. Therefore the government transitions these schools into impersonal factories. The phrase diversity masquerades the reality of re-segregation of schools. Many schools across the country are utilizing the phrase diversity, yet the statistics reveal that over ninety percent of the students are black or Hispanic. Creating successful environments is extremely difficult and subsequently results in serious consequences for the American education system.

The following information was gathered during a discussion with Dr. Clayton Mork from the Crescent School District. He shared his personal view of the role of an instructional leader. Also his view of how instructional leadership practices relate to student achievement. Dr. Mork shared two instructional leadership actions and outcomes he implemented at Crescent School District related to student achievement. Dr. Mork also explained his philosophy of curriculum development regarding involvement of teaching staff.

We will house kids who are products of all facets of society. For example, children of immigrants, children who have affluence, children who are loved and cared for greatly and children who may be in a situation of neglect. Teaching is about reaching out to each student, helping them to overcome challenges and be the best that they can be. It seems that an increasing number of these challenges may not be academic in nature. I believe that conquering these challenges actually beings with the little community forming within our classrooms. As teachers we have the obligation to teach our students how to have respect and compassion for one another. How to be on the same team and work together, no matter each person’s background.

Payne’s (2008) poverty contends that management of low-income families tends to focus on the natural development of their children with little of no regard to cognitive intervention. The poverty theory developed by Payne (1998) focuses on remediation of the economically disadvantaged to remediate their deficits. A latent effect of such miseducation of teachers and school leaders is that students will internalize the views of educational leadership within their schools, consequently resulting ion additional negative outcomes. It is arguable that individuals living in impoverished settings may hold mainstream values and ideas, but lack the resources to enact the values into their lives.

Just like in any other profession or aspect of life, there are many myths that threaten education in public schools. Many people believe that teachers are the most important influence in a student’s academic achievement. In reality, educators have a very little influence in student achievement compared to other influences in the students’ lives that is out of the teachers control. It has been proposed that teachers don’t need to go to school to learn how to educate, they just need knowledge of the subject matter. This could be extremely destructive to student learning because they would not have the proper skills to instruct a classroom. Another common misconception is that instructors in

Teachers can’t bring change in the achievement gap by becoming better educators. The teachers are not the only people in the students’ lives that can help the students achieve better grades. The blame for the achievement gap should be shared with the adults in the students’ lives and the community (McKinstry). The youth that are falling behind academically are usually fighting one or more of this barriers: retention in grade level, poor attendance, behavioral problems, low socioeconomic status, low achievement, substance abuse, or teenage pregnancy

I was born in a city with one of the nation’s worst public school systems. The District of Columbia Public School district has been under an education reform for the past decade and there has been a lot of work to bring justice to the students there. That is where I started – and from there I still found myself enrolled in low performing schools without a solid budget or plan. Regardless of the status of my school and the budget it’s district has created, I was able to graduate from high school and attend a four-year university in one of the most ethically diverse cities in our country. This is the kind of opportunity I want for all children that come from the city like me. I have been inspired by all of my educators to pursue a career in teaching and I am motivated to create this opportunity for all students in my classroom.

Schools are facing major issues due to several reasons discussed by superintendents and principals. These issues hinder the learning curriculum standards set by the government. The No Child Left Behind Act is a mandate set forth by the federal government. “The major focus of No Child Left Behind is to close student achievement gaps by providing all children with a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education.” But they still face a dilemma, they need talented leaders to meet the challenges of schools and districts. In order to fulfill the Act set forth by the government, these talented leaders are essential for schools in order to fulfill the “promise of excellence and opportunity for all children”. There are numerous issues discussed that have been found to have the most impact on school and district improvement. The first is money and mandates, not to my surprise. Insufficient funding is the biggest challenge faced by superintendents and principals. Even when the money is there, the mandates pose a problem. It’s like a circle of issues that they cannot get out of. There

The authors’ also go on to mention how “American educators need to lead the development of a new, shared vision for our public schools. If they do not create an inclusive vision for our public schools and learn how to raise much more students to mastery levels of learning, the American dream and the quality of life we cherished will be unsustainable in a global economy” (Pg. 6, Introduction). Though this statement is true in theory and concept – I ask the question: “how can ALL students be held accountable for the same mastery levels if ALL students do not learn the same way, have different learning styles, varied disabilities, speak different languages, etc.?” The answer is simple: They Cannot!

Teaching is a very rewarding career if you learn and understand how to work with the diversity of the classrooms we teach in. As teachers, we need to be more vigilant of where are students come from. Before we can teach we need to know who we are teaching and what background, knowledge, and customs they bring with them to the classroom. We must also be aware of the factors that are relevant to the academic achievement of the students we currently teach. There are many of these factors, but I want to focus on two; teacher quality and low teacher expectations.

Current reforms and initiatives based on the national education standards focus on student’s achievement and teacher’s preparation. Educational researchers and curriculum designers continuously find problems with standards and requirements on a state level and how the state and local boards of education focus highly on advanced placement and cultural literacy. A key focus is also accountability for students, schools, and school-districts in regards to academic performance. A new factor that has surfaced is school choice (charter schools and home schooling) and character development. Progressive teachers are able to guide learners to new experiences in every lesson. However; they are sensitive to unique and different learning styles which