Final Reflection: Colfax-Mingo School

In order to prioritise goals and targets for my own professional development, I look at the influences that have helped me to develop my performance so far and look at what my training has taught me and how it’s reflected in my work. I examine my strengths and weaknesses honestly and try to think about the way I practice in a constructive way. I have to evaluate myself by asking;

Before you start working on this part of your assessment, carry out some planning by answering the following questions.

In April, 2010 the percentage of White Americans with no Hispanic or Latino background was 64.6 percent by April 2015 the percentage decreased to 61.3 percent. While Black or African American increased from 14.8 percent in April 2010 to 15.7 percent in April 2015 and Hispanic or Latino increased from 17.7 percent in April 210 to 20.5 percent in April 2015. ("Population estimates, July 1, 2015, (V2015)") These estimates show us how Polk County has grown in population and ethnicity throughout several years. With the increase in population we cannot leave out poverty levels, “17.7 percent of the suburban population in the Lakeland metro area (Polk County) was living in poverty as of 2010” (Kennedy, 2013). Unfortunately the poverty rate as of 2015 has not had a dramatic change, all age poverty was at 17.3 percent and of that 17.3 percent “ages of 5-17 in families of poverty are 25.1 percent” ("Office of Economic & Demographic Research the Florida Legislature"). Polk County history, size and other areas mentioned so far on this paper are important for determining the number, and types of schools along with class sizes and backgrounds of student’s teachers will be working

Last time I researched, I spent all my time looking up the makeup of Colfax and Mingo, the two towns that make up the Colfax-Mingo School District. This time I researched the median income of each town and how that might affect students and their education.

With the completion of Wilburton Elementary School, enrollment numbers will significantly decrease at the elementary schools in the northwest corridor of Bellevue. Although Wilburton will provide relief for certain schools in Bellevue, it isn’t a viable long-term solution for another highly populated region, Somerset. The regions surrounding Somerset has one of the largest populations under 18 at 24.27%, and a potential to rise even higher, hence the high enrollment numbers in the south corridor of Bellevue. The proposed elementary school* would be able to reduce enrollment numbers in Newport Heights, Woodridge, Somerset, Eastgate, Lake Hills and Spiritridge. The proposed plan would mean a significant reduction in attendance area at the schools listed above, as a result boundary lines will have to be redistricted to incorporate the proposed plan. The proposed boundary shifts also integrates regions with very different ethnic backgrounds, each original region will be well represented in the new school with dominant races such as Hispanic, White and Asian mixed together. The proposed school would also incorporate students of varying academic proficiency, with three original elementary schools ranking in the top 5 of Bellevue, while one representing the lower half of the spectrum based on SBAC test scores. The mix of student proficiencies and cultures would be highly rewarding for students as they converge together with different cultures and study backgrounds, which is

This is a profile of the school community for North Vista Elementary school. I have taught at this school for over ten years and served on the PTA Executive Board for three years. My children attend this school as well. Information for this assignment was gathered from online sources, news articles, phone interviews, and personal experience. Florence School District One is a diverse school district as a whole, and that diversity is a result of the merging of various communities within Florence School District One. For this assignment, I will focus on the North Florence community where my school is situated. The North Florence community has always been one of the poorest communities in Florence.

3). As a BSW student, this involves clearly and respectfully engaging in discussion with classmates or asking the teaching staff questions. This also involves reflection on areas I could further develop. Such as using feedback from colleagues to develop professionally. Personally, sometimes constructive criticism or feedback can be difficult to take. Specifically, when related to areas which require development. Engaging in this process and accepting that feedback makes me feel vulnerable and often leads to defensive behaviors. By completing the self-assessment, I was able to identify I must further develop within this

School administrators, teachers and staff are faced with finding solutions to meet their needs. Student engagement, academic achievement, and school satisfaction are positively impacted when, the needs, of the whole child are met. This case study identifies how a suburban middle school examines the needs of their at-risk student population. Poverty affects a child’s development and educational outcomes beginning in the earliest years of life (Engle, P. L., Black, M. M., 2008).

I believe that there are students in the Westerly School System whose economic standing puts them at a disadvantage. Students who are part of lower income families may not be able to afford the materials required in order to succeed in the classroom. Many classes require the purchase of other materials such as calculators and review books. Items like this may not seem like big expenditures, but to low income families, it may be hard to find money to buy these things. These students may also miss out out great opportunities such as field trips where they can bond with fellow students and teachers. There are many field trips that are available throughout students WHS career but, many of these field trips can be expensive especially for lower

The community that will be assessed in this project is Desoto, Texas. To be more specific, the community will be half of the boundary within Desoto East Middle School limits. I initially found interests in this community by looking at the demographics and health issues found in Parkland Hospital’s Community Health Needs Assessment completed in 2016. Like most of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, I am unfamiliar with the Desoto, Texas area. I hope to find out who the key informants are, the strengths and weaknesses of the community, what is being done to address the weaknesses of the community, and more about the Desoto Independent School District.

1) Account for ways in which your individual reflection and dialogue with others, including your curriculum design group and the class as a whole, have helped to grow and develop as an adult educator. You should make reference to your original learning goal and discuss some of the skills you have developed throughout the course. You should begin by summarizing, in no more than 20 words, what the central thesis or key insight you have gained as an educator. (approximately 2 pages)

The statistics of children in poverty struggling with their academic studies are sadly apart of an ongoing list. “More than 15 million children were living below the Federal poverty line in 2009. These children are at increased risk for poor health and developmental outcomes concurrently, including lower vaccination rates, higher rates of severe chronic disease, and conditions that require medical attention, and more cognitive and behavioral difficulties” (Kaminski, Jennifer W). More often than not these children are ignored, overlooked, and given the cold shoulder. “A high school student can’t read because her family can’t afford the glasses she needs. Another can’t drink his tap water because it’s contaminated. An eighth-grader can’t call his friends because his family has no phone. A tenth-grader can’t get online because she doesn’t have electricity, let alone a computer” (Ford). Citizens of Ponca City overlook these underprivileged children because they think they do not have the power, or money to help them. Little do they know, Ponca City High School has the power to create an after school club to encourage and assist in students academics. This is the best idea because teachers and volunteers care for these kids, and will go out of their way to encourage and help them reach their highest potential. Not only can these volunteers help with homework, they can inspire a student to go to college, start a career path, and overall change their mindset that they will never be

Throughout the years, there have been many concerns over the state of the American educational system regarding the academic performance of students. In addition, there have been other issues regarding education that need to be addressed; a few examples question the heavier involvement from the U.S. Federal Government and segregation amongst students. During my time volunteering at the Knox County Museum of Education, I’ve learned about the history of Knox County schools and have gained valuable insight on some of these pressing matters that have been affecting our community. As time unfolds, few realize the importance of educational systems and how they play a key role in early childhood development. Through research, we can gain a better understanding of how society functions because it is closely linked with our educational system.

There are many social problems that affect the community of Census Tract (CT) 79, the most rampant being poverty. In 2015 it was reported 56.6% of children and 36.6% of adults residing in the community lived below the poverty line (U.S Census Bureau, 2015). While in Tulsa County the percentages are significantly less with 23.5% of children and 13.1% of adults living below the poverty line (U.S Census Bureau, 2015). One-way poverty affects this population, and many other low-income communities, is through the school system. While half of all people from high-income families have a bachelor’s degree by age 25, just 1 in 10 people from low-income families do (U.S Congress, 2014).

After driving the around the area near the school , I went home to explore the demographic information of the school from its TEA Report Card. As I looked over the report card the first thing I noticed was the schools performance index report. In almost every area they had received achieved higher than what their targeted school was, except in student progress, which was 3 points below what their target was. After reading this I would ask the principal how the school was planning on raising student progress without putting too much pressure on the students and teachers. I also noticed that almost fifty percent of the students enrolled at the school were classified as being “Economically Disadvantaged” , and over 80% of the students enrolled were Hispanic and White.