Quality of Education: From Pockets of Excellence to Systemic Change

No under 30 of the 56 different nations that took an interest in the Program for Worldwide Understudy Appraisal (PISA) math test had a bigger level of understudies who scored at what might as well be called the propelled level on our National Evaluation of Instructive Advance (NAEP) tests. While 6 percent of U.S. public and private school understudies evaluated as cutting edge in eighth grade arithmetic, 28 percent of Taiwanese understudies did (Hanushek, 2010). This is revealing to me that different nations are using something we are not that is enabling their understudies to exceed expectations pass the U. S. No less than 20 percent of understudies in Hong Kong, Korea, and Finland were exceptionally expert, and 12 different nations had no less than double the level of very proficient understudies as the U.S. also, different nations (Hanushek,2010). This proof demonstrates that only 8 years prior U.S. understudies were failing to meet expectations in math and

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education,” said Martin Luther King Jr., an American minister and activist who advocated for civil rights. His quote effectively describes the purpose of education. Even though this purpose has long been noticed by society, it has not always been freely given. In the past, racial minority groups have been stripped of the opportunity to learn.

The prologue and Chapter 1 of “The smartest kids in the world and how they got that way” describes the origin of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which is an international assessment that measures critical thinking skills (Ripley, 2013, p.15). The chapters revealed the countries that had the top scores and explained what certain countries did in response to those scores. Overall, Ripley (2013) demonstrated curiosity in the educational systems of Finland, Korea and Poland, and planned to send 3 students from the United States to those countries to explore and compare the difference from school there and in the U.S.

There seems to be no perfect answer to the question, “What is the purpose of education?” Every expert and activist probably has a different answer. Martin Luther King said the purpose of education is to, “…enable a man to become more efficient, to achieve with increasing facility the legitimate goals of his life (King, 1947).” Eleanor Roosevelt argued that the purpose of education is good citizenship (Roosevelt, 1930). Others, like Newman (2006), posit that education is a much broader idea. It is the “entire process by which a culture transmits itself across a generation” (Newman, 2006). In trying to form my own idea of the purpose of education, I tried to look at all of these ideas

Dr.Glasser sums up his journal with the goals and outcomes for “The Quality School Curriculum”. With the use of this curriculum, students would become contributing members of society and enthusiastic towards education. Dr.Glasser also suggests the idea of optional retests for students to improve their grade. He also suggests having tests available before the information is taught.

There are several different concepts surrounding the topic of education but most problematic is in regards to the aims of education within society. With several aims proposed by educational philosophers there is confusion surrounding what education is for and which type of education best suits the individual. Lewis (2015) posed that education promotes student learning and potential as well as fostering of community and self esteem within a school environment. Overall education is the defining product of good citizens in contemporary society, with diverse cultures, social norms and political standpoints. Liberal, vocational and wellbeing education will be discussed throughout arguing that a combined approach to education is most relevant within modern society. The ethical obligations for teachers within education will also be discussed.

Education is a very important part of society. I feel that it should teach children how to function in a society, and learn the basics they will need to expand on for the rest of their life. I feel that it is used to teach moral, and ethical standards of living. The schools are used to help the children learn to function in life, and achieve the goals of their choosing. Education is important because without it I firmly believe that society would be a very savage institution. With the things that we teach in today’s schools we give the power to know the basics such as reading, writing, and math but we also give them the ability to function in a society. As a teacher I hope to set my student of fire. I want to see them come alive with a desire to want everything that is out there for them. I want to be able to make a difference in just one person’s life. If I can do this I would feel I have done what I am supposed to do. I want my students to know the world is theirs to take and do with it whatever they may choose.

“Our educational goal [is] the production of caring, competent, loving, lovable people” . The students found in the schools across the United State are the future of America. They are the doctors, teachers, business people, lawyers and many other roles, that will be out in the workforce in the years to come. What they learn in school will impact them immensely; it is the responsibility of a teacher to give students the best education in order to ensure the common good of the future. It is essential for students to not only learn content matter, but also the skills to enable them to participate in a democracy. Due to standardized testing, the emphasis of education has become on score and rankings rather than learning. A standardized test does not look at the whole student, the scores provided are on a very narrow aspect of education. In the classroom, there are countless ways for teachers to assess the student as a whole person not as just a score. Standardized tests scores should not be the sole criteria for determining a student’s academic achievement.

Getting educated is very important for every person. It goes without saying that each of us has to have a proper education. We learn how to read, count and write. These are the basic abilities we acquire and use during our life. Is there any other purpose of education or it is aimed only at giving us a possibility to communicate our ideas and satisfy basic needs? During centuries, there were different interpretations of the purpose of education. Many scientists, pedagogues and philosophers tried to answer the question: what is the purpose of education? Taking into consideration the needs and tendencies of a modern society, we can assume that the purpose of education is to prepare students to be self-sufficient citizens capable of solving

The pursuit of knowledge, and the focus to enrich lives. Education from its core should require us to think and question everything, so that we may better understand the world and universe we live in. However this system has been twisted and corrupted. Instead of being taught how to think for ourselves, we are being taught how to think like everyone else. We are being groomed to become the work force of our country. To think and act the way we ought to. The education system has turned into a “means to an end” in the eyes of students. High school, and college have become no more than stepping stones to the adult world. We come to class, we do our homework, and take our tests. Mindless and brainless we slowly take one semester at a time, until the day we graduate and walk into the workforce. Education is power, but not the power of the educated. Education give power to those choosing the what is taught in schools. They choose what we are supposed to learn and how we are taught. Schooling is used as somewhat of a brainwashing method to make students follow in the footsteps of those who came before. Slowly preparing them to work for your land and

Robert Maynard Hutchins describes it as “The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.” We should give our youth the way to educate themselves. Edward Everett said that “Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.”

Since, the starting of PISA the results from the assessment along with TIMMS, and PIRLS have received a number of mixed reactions from countries around the world. According to Patrick Gonzales a research analyst at the National Center of Education and Statistics the United States 2012 PISA findings were not surprising. According to PISA 2012, the United States currently ranks 17th in reading, 27th in mathematics, and 20th in science (PISA 2012 US, 2012). Over the years, the results from the Nation’s Report Card an ongoing national assessment of fourth, eight, and twelve graders provides a similar insight into of what students can and cannot do in the U.S. Therefore, PISA results did not provide much new insight into the strengths and weaknesses

Education is one of the most important things for a society to prosper and be safe which forms the character and intelligence of the individuals around the world. Education makes one able to understand what is happening in the world logically and clearly. Education enables individuals to put their potential to use and make a difference in the future. It is essential for individuals to be educated in a way that they will expand their knowledge vastly. An ideal educational model is very difficult to achieve, and is often argued over by people in society.

Technically education consists of well-defined segments preliminary starting from formal/ professional education and in an ideal world it never ends. As Sydney J. Harris American journalist Quotes “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows”. Education brings about the change in physical, mental and social development of an individual develops insight and beliefs about the purpose of education, conveys strength to one's sentiments, and widens the perceptions and leading to a healthier attitude of viewing at realism. In the words of Bill Beattie, one of the famous authors and writers “The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think - rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men.” Education is answerable for the enhancement of a cultured civilization and makes individuals of society self-sufficient. One of the views about education is that education supports at creating good teachers. Today is the world where we are passing through a great changeover. The old ways of teaching learning process is found to be obsolete. A superior prospect of psychological belief is being truly required. In the above statement prospective it is important to have ethical standards setup for education in order to channelize the best possible knowledge to the students,

Through the long history,educators,thinkers,politicians and scholars have answered the question of what education is in different ways: some see it from the perspective of educational value,some see it from the perspective of educational purposes,some see it from the perspective of educational content and methods,and some see it from the