Board Of Ed Policy Essay

The case of brown v. board of education was one of the biggest turning points for African Americans to becoming accepted into white society at the time. Brown vs. Board of education to this day remains one of, if not the most important cases that African Americans have brought to the surface for the better of the United States. Brown v. Board of Education was not simply about children and education (Silent Covenants pg 11); it was about being equal in a society that claims African Americans were treated equal, when in fact they were definitely not. This case was the starting point for many Americans to realize that separate but equal did not work. The separate but equal label did not make sense either, the

The year is 2012. In the movie Back to the Future II, two years from now, in 2016, Marty McFly travels from the past to save his family’s future. The future is almost upon us, and yet it would seem that our education system has changed little since Back to the Future hit theaters in 1985. “We still have same teachers, in the same parts, in the same schools, with the same level of knowledge, with the same equipment’s, and much the same standard of parental support” (David). Ironically, we have been steadily implementing policy after policy, increasing standards and accountability, promoting oversight and rule… the list goes on, and yet our progress seems minimal, our educators complain of underfunded classrooms, and our legislators complain of underperforming schools. The question of “how to improve our education system” is not getting satisfactorily answered because our system is not broken, merely underdeveloped. The truth is that America has made paces in improving its education technique or system; the problem that remains is for us to entrust our educators with the greater pliability and autonomy that they need to excel.

In my diagnostic essay I wrote about the issues towards education and education reforms. I strongly believe that there needs to be a change in the educational system because it is corrupt. The fact that people are required to pay thousands of dollars or take out loans that put them in debt for years is absurd. Many students are forced to take out loans that put them in debt for years. It also concerns me that low income youths do not have that much of an option, and cannot afford an education. Online, I found an article on Republicanviews.org stating democratic and republican views on education and education reforms. The information in this article states the problems that I ponder the next president and Congress should focus on. This includes reforming financial aid programs for college tuition, creating more teaching jobs and expanding education options for low-income youth. This is one of the biggest challenges that the United States are facing today.

On February 18, 1951 the case of Brown vs. Board of Education was filed causing a massive uproar across the nation. The hearing changed the way Americans viewed segregation and equality during the 1950’s. The Brown vs. Board of Education trial was important because it challenged American’s beliefs on segregation by testing American values such as racial discrimination, educational laws in America, and exposing that separation is not equal.

Although slavery was finally ended at the end of the nineteenth century black people found themselves still in the process of fighting. What they had to fight for was their own rights. The Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the civil war brought about literal freedom but the beliefs and attitudes of whites, especially in the south kept the black people repressed. In this paper I would like to share the research that I found that helped to launch the fight for freedom in every aspect possible for black people and that is the case of Brown vs. Board of education.

“Separate but not equal”! Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. This case violated the 14th Amendment and was unconstitutional. Brown v. Board of Education was one of the foundations of the civil rights movement. This movement helped establish the precedent that “separate-but-equal” education and other services were not equal at all. The argument was allowing black students to attend all-white schools. Many African American children had to walk very far to get to school. Some children even had to walk miles. Parents like Linda Brown knew that this was not right. In Topeka, Kansas, a little African American girl had to walk miles to get to school. Her father knew this was not right, and decided to go to court with many other black parents, that issued the same problem. This is when the fought for equal education began.

The American public educational system is filled with an assortment of problems. Most students are graduating with less knowledge and capability than similar students in other industrialized countries. Classroom disruptions are surprisingly common, and in some classrooms, nearly continuous. The public education system is having difficulty adjusting to the no child left behind act. The No Child Left Behind(NCLB) is a landmark in education reform designed to improve student achievement and change the culture of American’s schools.

As Americans, we have failed in the effort to uphold the truth “...that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights” (The Declaration of Independence). For hundreds of years, we have failed to reach a state of true equality.Though through the years we have made significant strides, racial stereotypes and prejudice still haunt our society today. Hate and division have already left their ugly scars on United States history in the form of slavery, segregation, and inequality. Now we must look to the healing redemption of peace and love to bring us back together.

“Separate But Equal” has to do with the separation of whites and African Americans. The white people thought that the African Americans should be separated from them just because his/or her skin color was different. The African Americans thought that separating them from the white people was a violation of the rights of citizens. There was a court case that dealt with the separation of African Americans and whites. It was called Brown vs. Board of Education. Schools that were separate were not at all equal during this time. The whites had better school equipment and higher educated teachers to help educate his/or her students. The states then made it mandatory to accept students into public schools with no judgement towards his/or her religion or color. Since desegregation there have been numerous beneficial outcomes for African Americans.

1. Read your assignment carefully for content related requirements. Let’s look at the example below. Note that it does not ask for a vague opinion, but requires that your answer be based upon:

There are many cases in history that have a racial element like segregation to it. One of the most important, influential, and more well known court cases that dealt with segregation was Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka. It is commonly understood that Brown vs Board of Education dealt with a little girl suing because she wanted to attend an all white school in her neighborhood. In reality, the case was far more complex than that. In December, 1952, the U.S. Supreme Court had on its docket cases from Kansas, Delaware, the District of Colombia, South Carolina, and Virginia, all of which challenged the constitutionality of racial segregation in public schools” (Citation Here). The U.S. Supreme Court consolidated the five court cases into one and gave it the name that is well known, Brown vs the Board of Education. This case would lead the way in challenging segregation in United States school systems and creating and education system that was more equal for minorities.

After the last few months, I have had time to reflect just how much time serving on the board of education took. while I enjoyed it. It also cost me lots of time with my wife and kids. So I have decided to dedicate more time to them going forward. Unfortunately this means I am withdrawing myself from service with the New Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Moving New Berlin Forward. I am sorry for any inconvenience caused by my decision.

“It is not so very important for a person to learn facts. For that he does not really need a college. He can learn them from books. The value of an education in a liberal arts college is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think something that cannot be learned from textbooks.” (Einstein: His Life and Times, p.185.) This quote was a response to Thomas Edison’s opinion that a college education was useless. As stated, Albert Einstein believed that a college education, more specifically a liberal arts education, gave more than just academic knowledge but a better understanding and preparedness to the world we live in. A liberal arts education will be a more valuable towards academic preparedness and have long lasting results to life after graduation.

Educational policies are the rules, guidelines and or boundaries that have shaped my career as student, a teacher and most recently as an educational administrator. Throughout my career I have not questioned always questioned the reasons for the development of these policies. From the readings in this course, I have begun to examine the how and why of policy development and beginning to understand role the policy analysis has in the evaluation of educational policies over time. The role of the state, the role of the individual within the state, changes to political ideologies and the development of globalization have all directly impacted policy development and the directions that education has taken over the last century.

When it comes to following school policies every teacher should be aware of what is in the student handbook. This tool is used to shed light on the different policies that the district holds parents, students and teachers accountable to. I am going to be honest and say before this essay I had not looked at the Round Lake Area School District 116 School Handbook. The reason why I have not looked at the handbook is the fact that almost all handbooks spell out the same policies. In this essay I will discuss the different policies and how I think my school district could improve on their policies.