Reflection About Education

The aim of this assignment is to give a reflective account on group presentation and the peer assessment process as well as the development of a personal action plan. It would involve using ‘The What? Model of Structured Reflection’ (Driscoll 2007) to analyse the experience of using a group designed assessment tool to assess my peers and the experience of being peer assessed. Additionally, experience of completing a group presentation would be reflected upon. A personal action plan which identifies areas for personal development and the designed assessment tool is attached as appendix 1 and 2 respectively.

The United States is often referred to as the best country in the world in many areas. It may be, but far from it in education. Out of a total of thirty-four countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, it ranks just fourteenth in reading, seventeenth in science and twenty-fifth in math (Walker). Despite America's status as a country, America's education is failing because of the large emphasis on standardized education, and the flaws of the students, parents, and teachers. How to fix the education system remains to be a problem.

For roughly thirty years, international test scores have shown that the United States is falling behind in the education rankings. Many Asian and European countries have much higher test scores. Professionals have argued for years that these rankings are “Threatening the country’s economic growth”(Carnoy). One test in one year compared to all these countries is very inaccurate and should not be taken so literal. Being that the US is so large, each state is in charge of their own education systems. Many different rules and the way exams are graded could be a variable that is being overlooked year after year. Another variable being overlooked is social class(Carnoy). In many countries, only those who come from middle to upper classes may go to school(Carnoy). Along with that, many there are various regulations that are much

The United States spends more money on education each year than any other country in the world, yet the education system is not thriving. Three decades ago, America was the leader in the quality of high school diplomas, yet, students in the U.S. rate 31st in math literacy and 23rd in science in comparison to the rest of the world. (Federal Reserve Bank of New York) The country that is famous for being the most advanced and innovative country in the world is yielding a generation that is falling behind in the global education race. Public K-12 education is worsening simultaneously with the growing competitiveness of universities. Part of the problem is that teachers are not being paid sufficiently, and many find themselves being laid off. College is getting exponentially more expensive each year. These are only a couple of the issues that the american education system faces today, but the list carries on.

America’s test scores are barely average compared to other countries. 470,000 15-year-old students took the OECD test in math, science, and language arts. The test was scored on a 1,000 point scale. The U.S average score in math was 487 meaning that 24 out of the 34 countries ranked higher. This includes Finland who scored a 541. In science, America scored an average of 502 which placed them at 17th. Once again Finland was a leader on the scoreboard. Finally, in language arts the U.S scored a 500 putting them in 14th place. Finland still ranked higher; they were in the ranks with places like Shanghai. “The brutal fact here is there are many countries that are far ahead of us… this should be a massive wake up call”, says U.S Education Secretary Arnie Duncan (Hechinger). So why is education so important?

As a nation the United States ranks twenty ninth in the world for education. Certainly not the worst, but as such a developed country that claims to be the best, shouldn’t it be higher? Spending on education in America is still low despite the improving economy and it was discovered that “34 states are contributing less funding on a per student basis than they did prior to the recession years” (Lynch). Teachers, as a whole, lack respect throughout the country. And despite the increase in graduation rate, “less than half” (Lynch) are truly prepared for secondary education and life in the real world. All these issues, and many more, stem from our current education system: a push by the federal government for nationally

Throughout history, United States of America has been one of the most vigorous economies in the world. With the most advanced military and serves as a beacon of hope and peace. It is obvious that one would expect United States of America to be at the top of the lists when it comes to education but unfortunately, that is not true. Day by day, our economy is becoming more and more depended on technical notions which leaves us behind in math and science in the world. Our government spends about 10,000 dollars every year on each student in the public education system (Lessons in Education). The solution to our failing school system is not to spend more money, but to spend the money wisely. Not surprisingly, students with high performing teachers develop three times better than students with poor performing teachers. Many agree

The United States education system is currently ranked 17th worldwide (“Global Grade”). According to the dictionary, education is the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life. In a survey conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, adults in the United States scored way below average, and better than only two of the twelve countries it was being compared to (“Why Other Countries Teach Better”). Does the United States really want to be average or below with a skimpy ranking in a subject of such importance? The United States is the superpower leading the world in many ways such as in military or political power, but European and Asian countries are succeeding us in the academic world. Education is the basis of most things in life and one of the most powerful tools a person can obtain, so the United States lacking in it will eventually be detrimental and allow other countries like China to pull ahead in the race to be the best. Americans are competing with more qualified and better educated people from around the world for jobs and success, but it is not their fault they were not properly prepared. Although the United States education system does have its perks, there are many problems that need to be resolved immediately, like the manner in which schools are conducted and the distribution of funding.

When you look into things such as length of school, cost of schooling, and the early ages of schooling, then we will see how countries like the U.K. are surpassing the United States in education. In the future the United States could catch up to other countries. In general the United States are not at the top of education, they still have a lot of things to improve on to better their system. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for us and how we improve on our

The most recent was done in 2015, with the U.S., unsurprisingly, falling behind several countries in every single subject. The test evaluates seventy-two countries, but of the 35 nations in the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), the state’s rank 30th in math and 24th in science (Pew Research); an almost embarrassing ranking given the near boastful and arrogant vibe America gives off. The fact is, America has never been a country that tests well. It’s never been a country that has placed first in international research and tests (Washington Post, Valerie Strauss July 2, 2012). The difference between America and other countries that don’t impress on tests, is that America cares about education. Or at least, they pretend to. They market themselves as a nation that does. Every year politicians come up with plans and spout reasons why the system is bad, or proof that they can fix it. So the question is why hasn’t anything

Despite the United States being one of the most powerful, wealthy countries in the world, the US education system does not even rank in the top ten educational systems in the world. The country has a graduation rate of 80%, yet students still are not prepared for the future. Schools in the United States have become a place for nothing but learning how to memorize facts, take tests, and does not focus on preparing students for their futures. The US educational system is limiting students, it needs to be more suited to the individual student’s interests and begin to focus on actual learning.

An intersectional reflection of my dichotomous relationship with higher education is what fuels my desire to pursue a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. As a first-generation college student, earning a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees profoundly altered the trajectory of my family out of years of generational poverty. As a result of embracing higher education, I possess the ability to think critically and creatively, with a passion and hunger for lifelong learning. Contrarily, the experience also left some biological, psychological, and social scarring. Macroaggressions, tokenism, and implicit bias have all contributed to the way that I now live, learn, and work in the world. While these experiences did not prevent the completion of my education, it has led others to abandon the pursuit, and certainly presents an enigma to many colleges and universities around the country eager to recruit and retain scholars that identify as Black/African-American, first-generation, and/or low socioeconomic status. The majority of my professional experience revolves around this very conundrum and the time has now come to pursue extensive and original research in this chosen field.

This semester has had its ups and downs. The highs and the lows that defined my life at that time. However that being said I still spent the most time learning this semester than I have ever before in school. With the help of the amazing staff and teachers i've had access to through GCI. Even if my grade did not reflect it at the time I was absorbing more information than I ever had before. I now have a level of confidence in my writing that I have never had before. The fact that I can convey my ideas through writing more effectively makes me ecstatic.

“Schooling the world” was a film based on schools around the world. The Director Carol Black focuses on India schooling and American schooling. The purpose of this film is to show that Americans think education should be one way and not different ways. The schooling in India has changed over time and locals are struggling with the changes. In the older schooling in India is was based on crops and the community. Very few people went to school, but many worked in the fields and in homes. Children are now being sent to boarding school in other towns and leaving their homes to get a better education. Many small towns in India are struggling with the new concept of learning and young people's views on money and communities. Throughout the film I agreed with most of the points in the film, I do disagree with some of the views the older Indian generation has.

After reading these articles I believe they offer some interesting insight that will altmently help me as an educator. Although I did not necessarily agree with everything thing i read, they research made these points valid towards education, and what is potentially best for students in classrooms across the world in the 21st century. Some of these ideas I will be able to immediately apply to my everyday teaching, and hopefully help students in my classroom learn the content better, and create a better learning environment.