Michigan’s students perform near the bottom in national rankings and are on a downward trajectory (Higgins). This is partially a result of curricula throughout the state of Michigan failing to put students in a position to succeed. Many school districts and teachers struggle with developing curricula and lesson plans given time and budget constraints; this is especially prevalent in low-income and minority school districts where teachers are younger and less experienced (French). A prime example of curricula hurting student achievement is a story told at a Michigan ISD assessment and improvement representative meeting of schools “teaching” by having students copy words out of the dictionary as the teacher did not have the skills/capacity/time to create a better lesson. Alarmingly, this type of experience is common as “there’s no support, you’re woefully unprepared, and you’re totally isolated. You’re trying to put these lesson plans together at 10 o’clock at night, and you have to be up at 5 getting prepped. You’re making this curriculum up as you’re going it alone.” (French). All of this in the face of ever changing state standards forcing teachers to constantly change their curricula. On top of this anecdotal evidence, there is also research showing curricula play a larger role on student achievement than state/federal standards and that when curricula is substandard, intervention can have the same impact as replacing a poorly performing teacher with one who is high
“Your county has some of the worst literacy rates in the state. According to your test scores, most of you can barely even read or write. I will be honest with you; I think that the current curriculum breeds stupidity and is only appropriate for people who aspire to complete mediocrity. I may only last one year, but I am, from this point forth, deciding not to follow the curriculum. You can leave your books under your desk, because you will not be needing them. In this class, we will dwell on our ability to think and
Issues of poverty relate to multicultural education because they are both obstacles to overcome as a teacher. In addition, these two might even come hand in hand. In some cases, a child might have to deal with both of these in his/her education, as well as their own learning. To teach a multicultural classroom, one much teach the diverse groups of students in a way that all cultures, ethnicities, and national heritages can learn. Incorporating poverty, including white poverty, into a multicultural classroom means that the teacher must also teach according to their backgrounds and home life. I am passionate about reaching out to those students, so that each and every one of them feel comfortable, excited, and enthusiastic about their learning and education.
What does the word minority mean to me and tell a situation in which the actions of myself or of others toward minority? It's a scholarship that gives one thousand per semester for one year
Imagine a private or a public high school in a rich or middle class area: the halls are crowded with students rushing to get to class. You hear the banging of their lockers being closed and people rushing to get to class. The bell rings to get to first period in the morning. Fred a high school senior is rushing to get to his Advance Placement Biology class on time for a lab. When he walks in he sees the dissection plates, beakers, scalpels out ready for a frog dissection. Now imagine the same picture and setting except that the school is a high school in a low-income area. Picture Fred in the low-income high school walking into his science class and not having a book or resources he needs in order to properly learn the material and do
In my last paper, I discussed the achievement gaps within the low-income African American community at Steele School in Galesburg, IL. Now that I have looked into the history of low-income African American students, I am now going to research even more by exploring trends, issues, evidence-based remediation practices, the preferred learning styles and the identified achievement gap of low-income African American students. Through the chart I am going to display, this will show various ways that low-income African American students are struggling at Steele School. However, I am hoping with the information below I can use this to display to others how certain multicultural education, learning styles, and culturally responsive teaching can enhance learning environments for all underachieving students.
With an increase in rigor in classrooms throughout the United States, there is often the question of its effects for students in low income schools. In addition to the school setting, rigor is also a key factor in quality education. But, will rigor have an impact on these students in high poverty areas? Or will this increased rigor lead to added frustration? In recent years, it has been found that if the level of rigor is increased in the classroom, students of all backgrounds will show improvement on standardized tests. However, due to achievement gaps in low income schools, in comparison to more affluent schools, the level of rigor will require adjustments to meet the needs of the population.
Arriving at the Fresno Convention Center a day ahead of schedule, I was shocked to see people preparing to wait in line overnight, mimicking the pre-Black Friday shoppers frenzy. However instead of shopping for fashionable apparel or discounted electronics, these people were seeking affordable dental care. The people were so desperate that they traveled from all parts of California, sacrificing a few days of warmth, sleep, or work for the prospect of relief. After having spent the previous 3 months fundraising money to attend the California Dental Association Cares Fresno event in order to learn more about dental care in the underserved community, I immediately knew that this event would expose a side of dental health care that I have never
The education system is notorious for teaching its own agenda, and not necessarily all the facts of a situation. For many years, the education system on all levels has been teaching students what it means to have privilege, and how life would be if they did not. Usually, the white students are the subject of privilege, and the minority student are the subject of life with racism, and without privilege. White privilege has been an underlying lesson to students for generations, and contributes to the power and superiority white people feel over everyone else. When the Michael Brown shooting occurred, it opened up many people’s eyes to the inequalities that are being perpetrated by the very education system meant to teach students how to live
It is no coincidence that it is called poor health. What I mean is that the people who have it hardest in this country, those with the lowest incomes, have the worst health. It could just as easily be called minority health, rather than poor health, because the majority of the people living in poverty are racial or ethnic minorities. Many racial minorities in the US suffer from poor health, but not because they have worse genetics, rather from worse educational opportunities. This is a problem of all those in poverty, but since a disproportionate amount of those in poverty are minorities; I am focusing my paper on how to alleviate the educational disparities within the minority population. Studies have shown that education is the ticket
Issue Presented: How can the societal issues of racial disparity be addressed on the state and local levels?
THESIS: Race differences in identity and social position were, and are, more important than class differences in American society.
Is the education system excluding minorities on the basis of gender and culture? The United States has become one of the most culturally diverse places to live in. The increase in minorities immigrating to the United States has drastically risen. With this in mind, should policies, laws, and institutions, such as education, be restructured and modified to include minorities? Due to their personal experiences, Adrienne Rich, Mike Rose, and Bell Hooks in The Presence of Others, believe education can be seen as the practice of exclusion (93). All three authors argue that in order to prevent the exclusion of minorities in schools, modifications must occur within the system. Mike Rose argues that
One of the concerns regarding social justice in education is that there are marginalised groups within society do not having equal access to the learning and life opportunities that they deserve. The concept of social justice stresses that every individual within society is entitled to have equal rights and opportunities. This means that an individual from a lower class background deserves the same opportunities as a person from a wealthier background. It is about becoming aware and recognising that there are certain situations where the application of the same rules to unequal groups can sometimes lead to imbalanced results. It is therefore crucial that the government create a curriculum that can empower every student regardless of their
1. How may a student's social class origin and related factors impact on her/his learning outcomes and how can teachers intervene to effectively address any resulting disadvantages and injustices for students?
Currently, instructors are pressured by state education department to adjust school curricula to meet the expectations of the standardized test. Educators alter the curriculum to “match the [standardized] test” (“How Standardized”). Therefore, instructors are limited and classroom instruction is focused around test preparation for the annual standardized test. Teachers are forced to abandon their creative lessons and “teach the test,” or concentrating only on the material that will be evaluated (“How Standardized”). This frequently involves taking multiple choice tests that are formatted identically to the standardized test and only memorizing facts, formulas, and items included only on the standardized tests (“How Standardized”). Even though test scores may improve, students are not learning how to think critically and perform better in other subjects that are not on the test (“How Standardized”). Instructional time is limited in the other subject areas such as science, social studies, music, and art. Instructors feel “handicapped” and plead to state officials abandon these standardized tests for the sake of the “quality of the instruction in American schools” (Zimmerman 206). School curricula are being modified only to prepare students for a single test, not for education the students need in the future.