Chapter 5 Reforming America's Schools

What can be defined as school in America or who created and contributed to the modern school system? My fundamental question was what are the significant contributions (and who contributed) to America’s present school system? Schools in America have gone back years since 1635 starting in Boston, Massachusetts which lead to the first school being named the Boston Latin school. With the opening of the first school many teachers and leaders focused on religious values instead of specific subject areas as we would today. However, there have been changes in the way we teach the future generations that are different from the 1600s. In order to see these changes we have to take a time machine back to the 1800s, 1990s, and 2000s. The 1800s brought Americans the common school movement, Horace Mann, the Committee of Ten, and the Prussian system in America. In addition great advancements have been made in the school system, but not as much advancement has been made since the 1800s. This can be a problem as the internet and technology blossomed in the late 1990s and today many teachers have questioned if we should really teach the same way we did almost 180 years ago. From the past we have gotten common core, standardized testing or teaching children as if they are on an assembly line which all come into question in today’s school system. Programs such as KIPP or Khan academy are showing how children can be in classrooms that are more student led. Also first year teachers can find a way

Educational needs change overtime to fit the ever evolving world and the knowledge required to successfully maneuver through it. Because of these inevitable changes, public school systems today are in need of educational reform. Evidence collected over the the topic of education reform has shown that overall the education system needs reform. However, there are two section in particular that studies have shown to be neglected in most school environments and that have beneficial repercussions for students learning abilities and the skills they learn for real life applications. These two areas of learning include arts programs and sexual education, although they are not the sole area in need of change the do offer valid reform.

The United States Board of Education fosters the mission statement to, “promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access”(U.S. Department of Education). The United States currently uses standardized test to serve as a knowledge check point. The system then compares the test results to develop a black and white curriculum for all students, failing to include aspects of different learning techniques. The standardized results provided excellent information about students ability to comprehend a statement and regurgitate an answer by filling in A, B, or C. The tests fail to promote creativity and diverse thinking. In a perfect

In American two out of three eighth-graders can’t read proficiently and for African American and Hispanic students across the country dropout rates are close to 40 percent and those were just two of the many ways the American Education System has failed its members. Education in the United States is provided by public schools and private schools. Public education is universally required at the kindergarten through twelfth grade level. Budgets and policies are set through locally elected school boards, who have jurisdiction over individual school districts. State governments set overall educational standards, often mandate standardized tests for K–12 public school systems, and supervise, usually through a board of regents, state colleges and universities. Funding for public schools come from the state, local, and federal government. However, with all the aforementioned points of intervention is a new issue which only serves to reinforce my thesis that the American Public Education System or APES for short is a static system in which over governing, overcrowding, and forced assimilation have run rampant.

The graduation rate in the United States is approximately 76 percent compared to the graduation rate in Finland which is 95 percent. Based on this major gap one can conclude that there are differences between both school systems. Students’ education system in the United States have a major dark side. This prohibits students’ from learning during school hours. Though many might feel that the American education system is a model of success, compared to the educational system in Finland, the American education system is in dire need of reform.

The group, Rethinking Schools, opposes the Common Core. Rethinking Schools believe that the standards are going to fail like they have in the past. Many times the Common Core is compared to NCLB when saying there are too many standardized tests implemented that are unnecessary. Also mentioned are factors such as the cost of tests, teachers, and technology. Rethinking Schools defines the purpose of education in a democracy through the democratic equality approach. A quote from David Labaree says, “From the democratic equality approach to schooling, one argues that a democratic society cannot persist unless it prepares all of its young with equal care to take on the full responsibilities of citizenship in a competent manner” (Labaree, 1997).

Ironically the popular proverb “He who opens a school door, closes a prison.” (Wise Old Sayings) exemplifies how sexual abuser teachers have an open door to continuing work as teacher out of been prisoned by their horrible actions. Parents cannot imagine that their daughters and sons are at risk of being sexually abused by teachers in some America’s schools. The truth is dangerous educators still can work in the classroom. Cross the nation children and young adults in the America’s schools were at risk because school’s officials were managing the cases of sexual misconduct teachers with ideology of machismo and secrecy deals, in which have been supporting teachers misconduct behaviors.

America is reaching a pivotal point in modern history. The choice to revamp the American public school system is in the hands of the state lawmakers. The Common Core State Standards Initiative is the solution to this crisis facing our country today. These standards provide a framework in our public schools to help better prepare students for college. Through the implementation of these standards here in the State of Florida we will be helping bring our young scholars to a globally competitive level where the sky is the limit.

Education reform is the goal set forth to change the public education system. This topic has been discussed for many years, and still remains a topic that is debated regularly. We will discuss some factors that can contribute to successful school reform. In my opinion, successful school reform starts with strengthening the link between school, family, and the community. If these areas are coherent, reform can surely take place. There should also be a link that connects policies and practices to research. Every aspect of instruction should be driven by proven research that shows these actions to be beneficial to ALL students. Therefore, teachers should also be provided with professional learning opportunities that help meet the needs of all

The United States school systems are in trouble, and so are its teachers and principals. Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of the Washington DC public schools is enforcing standardized tests. There was a law passed, “No child left behind,” which stated that by 2014 every child in the United States should be proficient in English and mathematics. This law brought along the DC Cast Standardized Test. Rhee took this law very seriously. She was going from school to school meeting with its principal and going back and looking at the test scores since he/she became the principal of that school. If the test scores of that school went down drastically since during their time as principal, she fired them. She also kept her eye out for teachers and had them working hard to bring up the student’s test scores. If the students do poorly on these tests, both the teachers and principals’ jobs are at stake. Basically, if the test scores did not go up, they had to find another job, and I do not think that is fair. Teachers and principals should not suffer for the student’s performance, because student test performance can be poor due to many things. Also, some students just do not care, and no matter how hard the teachers try, they do not want to learn the material.

In this report, I plan to summarize five principles that I will follow in my capacity as a researcher and use them to make a difference in the field of education. The principles that I plan to follow have been shaped by many factors, including my parents, education, and the experience I gained working for schools.

I pursue my education in the United States with expectation to be awe-struck by American advanced education system where students are equipped with critical thinking, abilities to realize their full potential as well as freedom to express themselves. However, the situation I have experienced tells me otherwise. It is just like that of China. I have gone through all these troubles only to find it is not worth the trip. This set me pondering the flawed American education system that kills students’ creativity and aspiration to advance. The oppressive ambience of American schools stifles, intimidates and destroys students and turns them into the mouthpiece of one voice, that of schools, the pervasive corporations and the government. Funding is limited, curriculum creativity-smothering, and teachers oppressive. These problems, if left unattended, are hindering America from greater progress and a greater height that she used to enjoy academically, scientifically or culturally. Thus, in order to change the American public school system for the better, the government must grant more funds to improve teacher-student ratio and to enlarge access to more and higher quality resources; the schools must adopt alternative evaluation measures that incorporate portfolio assessment and peer reviews; and the schools must create more focused, logical and students-friendly curriculums to meet students’ growing demand for academic excellence.

In the Article, “Let's Really Reform Our School” the author, Anita Garland, stated that schools around the country are corrupt and we have to change them drastically to get a better result. I agree with what the author is stating of how to make a change. I believe that the schools understand that the system is damaged, but I think the schools are confused about how to cure this problem. Just like this article says, we need to save the education system by taking away the troublemakers who have no desire to learn, allowing the children that do want to learn to get an education, changing the cafeteria food to be more healthy, low fat and nutritious, providing more energy and better diets, and also adding school uniform policies to limit out the distraction of other classmates.

Overall, Ravitch presented several strong points about the nature of the current school reforms. First, the market is not the best way to deliver public services. Ravitch stated that business leaders favor the idea of modeling schools like the marketplace, however structuring schools so that they function like a business destroys communities and replaces them with consumers (Ravitch, 2011, p. 221). New York City offers an example of why the business model does not work in the school system. In 2002, Mayor Bloomberg restructured New York’s school system into a corporate model. Consequently, all decisions were made by the city’s Department of Education with close supervision of every classroom to ensure mandates were being followed. Therefore, eliminating all checks and balances on executive power. Ravitch argued that complete power in the wrong hands can generate a system of perversion and legal wrongdoing (Ravitch, 2011, p. 73, 77). Furthermore, there is no direct evidence that centralized control promotes school improvements. On the 2007 NAEP, the cities with the highest scores were Charlotte and Austin, neither of which had centralized power (Ravitch, 2011, p. 91).

As I continue working through my vision in my building, I want to continue to mirror to my faculty the importance that educators not focus on “changing” the child, but rather supporting the development of positive characteristics that will enhance the child’s future options in life. We can accomplish this as educators by holding all students to high standards for them to be successful upon graduation. We have to try to build them up with a certain attitude. (Follett, 2003) This attitude would include reflecting on the positives in each student, thinking outside the box for each student and openness to change ourselves within the classroom. As an effective instructor, I developed the ability to enhance the curriculum by continually reflecting on my instruction in order to assist my students. This has created a learning environment not only based on the students’ individual needs but focused on their future goals. As a leader, I hope to continue this practice as I work beside my faculty in helping them reflect on their instruction through observations, dialogue and being visible in the classrooms.