The Current Educational Reform Movement

The year is 2012. In the movie Back to the Future II, two years from now, in 2016, Marty McFly travels from the past to save his family’s future. The future is almost upon us, and yet it would seem that our education system has changed little since Back to the Future hit theaters in 1985. “We still have same teachers, in the same parts, in the same schools, with the same level of knowledge, with the same equipment’s, and much the same standard of parental support” (David). Ironically, we have been steadily implementing policy after policy, increasing standards and accountability, promoting oversight and rule… the list goes on, and yet our progress seems minimal, our educators complain of underfunded classrooms, and our legislators complain of underperforming schools. The question of “how to improve our education system” is not getting satisfactorily answered because our system is not broken, merely underdeveloped. The truth is that America has made paces in improving its education technique or system; the problem that remains is for us to entrust our educators with the greater pliability and autonomy that they need to excel.

Their eyes met from across the room, and any student paying close enough attention could see the loathing in the teacher’s eyes as the principal walks into the room for the bi-semester teacher evaluation. In the blink of an eye the teacher returns her focus back on the students, but the obvious exchange between the two individuals makes those of us in the classroom that understand the source of the icy gaze extremely uncomfortable. My teacher hates the principal with a passion. Ever since the principal assumed control of the school three years prior to this particular evaluation, she terrorized my band director. Through micromanaging, criticizing relentlessly, organizing meetings incessantly, and sabotaging schedules, my principal fostered a hate from not only my band director, but also from the majority of teachers in my high school. The attitude and leadership techniques utilized by my former principal directly contradicts current theories of the scholarly community on how to effectively lead a school.

Throughout the master 's program, I have learned from a variety of classes about educational reforms, shifts in pedagogical practices, technology integration and the role of American education among other things. Authentic intellectual work has an important role to play in all of those areas. In BEF 503, we studied reform movements during the Progressive Era which called for school centralization, curriculum differentiation, and social reform through education. Those reform movements laid the foundation for future educational changes, and many of the things that drive politics in education today saw their beginnings during the Progressive Era. Even today, educational reformers are pushing for a change in educational standards and practices through common core. The biggest affect the common core has had on social studies is through the literacy standards, and the implementation of authentic intellectual work could increase the rigor, as well as student engagement in the social studies classroom. We also studied the National Assessment of Educational Progress which is a national report of student progress over time. Researchers argue that students who engage in authentic intellectual work show an increase in their standardized test scores. Therefore, students can only benefit from authentic intellectual work if implemented and assessed correctly. Since authentic intellectual work provides students with the opportunity to present information in a variety of

In 1630, John Winthrop dreamt that America was a “City on the Hill”, predestined for preeminence. In 1776, the American Colonies proclaimed independence with the affirmation that all men are equal, free, and blessed with the sacred rights to life, liberty, and happiness. These uniquely American ideals ideals characterized the young democracy in contrast to the oppressive monarchies of Europe. European citizens saw the correlation between America’s greatness and its democratic principles. The liberties that America furnished to all men, regardless of status, gave citizens pride in their nation and drew envy from constituents of tyrannical monarchies. The notions of equality and freedom, however, did not extend to all of America’s population;

“In 1983 American education reform entered a new era. It was in that year that the federal government published a report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education entitled A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform. Commissioned in August 1981 by President Ronald Reagan's secretary of education, Terrel H. Bell, and chaired by David P.” (1). School reform has been poisoning our American educational system for 33 years and keeps on going with Obamas’ No Child Left Behind. This article should inform you on how school reform had developed, what is still causing the problem, and how school reform affects society.

The portfolio can effectively be used for summative and formative assessment. The first evaluation will involve a private conversation between the student and the educator. This would be a formative assessment. This assessment concentrates on observing the students response to instruction. Formative assessment gives instant feedback to the educator and student

I would like to advocate for the education reform and the CCSS because I do not believe that these tests can prepare children for the outside world. Moreover, educations approach towards student should change. I would like to help families understand the test do not define the ability of their children and their student, so they do not need to be disappointed with them. I want to advocate on this issue because I believe in each child and understand teach a child is unique and different, and their potential differs from many others. Schools must become a place for children to feel safe and wanted and although, High school students are at risk many students in elementary years are at risk as well. If this education system does not change fewer

Michigan is a bottom 10 state in education performance, according to one key recent measure.

It has been brought to the school’s attention that there is a need for a more perpetual and comprehensive assessment of students while they are served in the Gifted and Talented Program. Formative assessments provide opportunities to evaluate student performance while the students are being served in the Gifted and Talented Program. Portfolios are an excellent way to evaluate student performance while also helping self-direct their learning and thereby improving students’ aim in attaining particular educational goals. Initial testing is conducted to determine placement when considering eligibility for placement in the program. However, our plight lies in the ability to formally document a student’s progress and involvement once they have entered and are participating in the program. An effective tool for documenting student progress and achievement in abstract disciplines is a portfolio. Portfolios are a way to showcase student work that meet specific criteria while also allowing the student to choose from their work samples. The portfolio provides a tangible representation of each student as well as evidence of educational progress. In other words, portfolios focus on the individuality of aptitudes of each student, which is a trait that has set this student apart from their peers and warranted service in the Gifted and Talented Program. (Paulson, Paulson, & Meyer, 1991) The school must endeavor to provide

Ever since I was a young girl, I dreamed of having a career that helped people. Growing up I had two younger siblings and I would help my mother take care of them as much as I could. I really enjoyed it and decided I wanted to become a nurse that worked with infants. I told my mother about my dream, I was nine years old at the time and she just gave me a heartbroken look and said, “That may never be able to come true because that job requires schooling and any type of education is far out of our family’s budget.” I was upset to be informed that.

A woman’s job is to cook, clean, and bear children. Although it may not remain true now, many thought this for most of history. A woman had her duty to her husband and that served as almost all of her worth. During the Enlightenment, some women began to question this norm and to voice their unhappiness. The Enlightenment period was an intellectual movement that sought to reform society and advance knowledge. Even with all of the Enlightenment’s great advancements, women still did not possess many rights. Women continued to be “oppressed and kept to the private sphere,” separated from men. These societal pressures faced by women are, arguably, the main topic of Mary

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 education reformed that happened that changed this nation for the better giving them hope. The children reading and writing for themselves. People that enjoy teaching the children giving them the attention and help they need and along the way learning too.

The education system in the United States undoubtedly needs reform. The country's educational system was at one time the envy of the world, yet today it has slipped to mediocre at best. Although most people agree that the system needs reform, there are a wide variety of different ideas about how to do so. Some call for privatization of the system, other believe standardization is the proper route, and still others call for more liberalization and resources be devoted to the system similar to some other countries such as Finland. Although many other systems around the world have shown remarkable results, simply mimicking these systems' may not show the same results in the U.S. due to cultural or other differences. Therefore, the different ideas regarding educational reform have been highly polarizing and also subject to different ideological perspectives. This analysis will briefly present some of the themes and perspectives that are involved in this critical debate.

Education reform is a topic that every student, parent and teacher should be interested in because it effects everyone in the community. Many different approaches to education reform have been tried, and even though they seem to work for the time being, there are always more improvements that need to be made. One of the best ideas that has been discussed in the most recent years is getting the parents and students more involved in the actual reform process. Many school administrators see a problem with involving students, even though they are the ones most affected by the changes within schools. Student’s opinions should be taken into consideration because they are the ones who see what happens inside the school and within the classroom, and are the most affected by it. Involving parents and students in the reform of their schools will improve the quality of education, improve parent and teacher relationships and reduce parent and student complaints.