The role of schools and educators in students’ lives is complex and all encompassing. Included in this role, is the task of equipping students to become citizens who are able to and will participate and effectively contribute to a liberal democracy and society. In order for this to occur, the education priced to students must include understanding all aspects of diversity and the diversity of their fellow students and citizens. This diversity encompasses a wide spectrum, including racial, culturally, ethnic, and religious diversity. Providing students with the opportunity to learn about such diversity is particularly important when diversity spurns conflict about how people live together in a society, locally and globally (Kunzman, 2006). In light of the recent events surrounding our involvement in the Middle East, including the events of September 11, the need to teach students and foster understanding of religious diversity has sailed to the forefront of essential issues. The problems that many educators face, especially in public schools, is how to teach religious diversity in general as well as how to do so while staying in the confines of the law.
A vital element of diversity and recently, conflict, is religion. According to the American Religious Identification Survey, 73% of Americans identified themselves as “somewhat religious” and “religious” (American Religious Identification Survey, 2001). While the majority of the population of the United States is Catholic or Protestant, religious diversity in the United States continues to grow (Kunzman, 2006). Because of this fact, schools need to help students to understand religious diversity and foster acceptance between individual students. By doing so, students will be able to better understand the current conflicts surrounding religion in the United States as well as globally. This task is not an easy one, as it requires educators to present religion to students in such as way that will provide students with insight into the lives of others, hopefully encouraging a respect for other members of society, starting with the other students in the classroom.
While it is clear what the role of educators is, the application of such a task can extremely difficult for various reasons. The issue of what is appropriate when teaching religion in the classroom is addressed by law. According to May (2006), there is a distinct difference between religious activity and religious instruction. Religious activity constitutes teaching students that the aspects of one religion are true and should be followed while religious instruction constitutes teaching about religion, such as the beliefs different denominations have and what members believe.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2008), religious activity is strictly prohibited in the classroom and teachers are also prohibited from discouraging activity because of its religious content or encouraging any anti-religious activity. Teaching about religion, especially religious diversity can be very difficult when having to do so within these strict guidelines. Wagner and Benavante-McEnery (2008) offer the insight that by limiting the amount of “God talk” by students in the classroom, educators are actually inhibiting the self-expression of the students in the classroom. Silencing “God talk” sometimes happens in classrooms, as many teachers fear that too much exploration into this topic would welcome some sort of redress. Unfortunately, while teachers are following the guidelines set out for them, they are sometimes discouraging open and direct inquiry (Wagner & Benavente-McEnery, 2008).
In order to teach religious diversity in the classroom, there are certain approaches educators can pursue that fall within the guidelines as well as provide students with engaging material that does indeed foster inquiry. Educators need to not only teach students the factual aspects of different religions, but allow them to explore the religions more independently. Students need not agree with everything they find or learn, but they should respect all perspectives, regardless of how different those perspectives are from their own. An important element of teaching religious diversity is to introduce the idea of “different” not with a negative connotation, but as an essential and beneficial part of the makeup of the United States. Students are often presented with the idea of tolerance and acceptance at an early age, but usually in terms of race and cultural. Due to the increasing religious pluralism in the U.S., religious tolerance and diversity needs to be introduced to students as early as possible (Wagner & Benavente-McEnery, 2008).
It is the responsibility of educators to teach religious diversity to students in order to prepare them to be influential citizens, who are equipped with the knowledge and understanding necessary to succeed. This task includes teaching students about religious diversity. By downplaying its importance because of the tight confines placed upon teaching about religion in the classroom, educators are doing a serious disservice to students, who need to be aware of how to navigate the conflicts caused by religion in a global society. By allowing students to explore different religions, encouraging inquiry, and introducing religious acceptance at an early stage, effectively teaching religious diversity in the classroom can become a reality.
Kosman, B., Mayer, E., & Kosman, A. (2001). The American Religious Identification Survey. The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from http://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_briefs/aris.pdf
Kunzman, R. (2006). Imaginative engagement with religious diversity in public schools classrooms. Religious Education, 101(4), 516-531.
May, C. (2006). Religion’s legal place in the schoolhouse. School Administrator, 63(9), 30-34.
U.S. Department of Education. (2008). Religious expression in public schools 2003.
Retrieved October 18, 2008, from
http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/religionandschools/prayer_guidance.html
Wagner, P. & Benavente-McEnery, L. (2008). Genuine religious olerance: Is it a thing of the
past in public schools? Interchange: A Quarterly Review of Education, 39(3), 327-350.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Educational Empowerment
Educational Empowerment: Higher than the Plain Bottom line
Empowerment, which has its roots in the self-help movement, has become a popular buzzword across many disciplines including education. Empowerment can best be defined as enabling or permitting someone to do something. In educational empowerment, students are encouraged to think on a higher level of realization about themselves, life and the world. The information, knowledge, and way of thinking that was acceptable in previous generations are no longer effective to survive and compete in this ever rapidly changing world. “Adaptation to the changing realties requires higher order thinking skills”. (Brady 2008)
Currently in the American education system, students’ knowledge gained is measured by the outcome of standardized test and exams. This method of evaluation only reflects how well a student was able to regurgitate information back to the instructor. This can be practical in many cases and would accomplish the “bottom-line” for the instructors’ learning goals and objectives for the students. The educational system is set up with uniformed standard learning objectives and not based on individuals’ weaknesses and strengths. In most cases, students who do not work well in the standardized method of instruction can have problems succeeding in school.
In general, there are three “chances” or opportunities to help students in learning: the first is the original encoding of the information to be learned, second the maintenance of that memory of information, and last the retrieval of the learning through test and exams. In each of the examples provided to help students’ learning, educators have the opportunity to expand students thinking and knowledge by taking engaging students to think beyond the basics. It is important to have the information not only retained but ingrained. A successful approach is making a connection of what is being taught to something relevant to the students’ lives. Individuals can remember things that they can connect back to their own personal experiences.(Jansen 2005)
Alfred North Whitehead from England stated in an address in 1916 to the Mathematical Association that the second handedness of the learned world is the secret of its mediocrity. (Brady 2008). Students optimize learning when they are able to make a connection with information and by thinking it through the manner in which they best process it. Some learn best and intrinsically motivated through visuals, audio, or through hands on activities. It would be beneficial for the American society if educators empowered students to become independent thinkers and doers and not reliant on someone spoon-feeding them. A great educator of his time, Paulo Freire, coined the term banking education. This concept of “banking education” discusses and illustrates students as mere “containers” filled by teachers who measures their teaching success by their ability to fill students with knowledge. This can cause laziness and have one accept things in the world as is and not question or challenge it. Students can become robotic as they continually engage in remote memorization and not engage in activities and thinking that would make them more human. (King & Wang, 2007)
The educator is in the place of authority of knowledge and the student is submissive or “oppressed”. Freire mentions that it is not the educator who knows and the pupils who don't, but both are co-learners and educators. It is only through communication the walls of elitism can be broken down and the lateral bridge can be built educational empowerment. (Gadotti 1994)
As we expand more in to this technological era, computers and machines are outsourcing people. “The educated individual is the adapted person, because he is a better “fit” for the world”. (King and Wang p. 201). People need to be more conscience of themselves and the world in which they live in. This has to begin in the early stages of our lives in elementary schools and continue through our workforce training. The lessons to be learned are the same however the questions that are asked have to change. There has to be a revision in the way information is presented, maintained and recalled. This might call for new methodologies of facilitating learning, testing, and relevance. No longer can bottom line education suffice, students need to learn how to tackle issues for themselves, the skills needed to be productive citizens of society. (Brady p.64)
Reference:
Brady, M., (2008, February). Cover the Material-Or Teach Students to Think? Educational Leadership, (Vol. 8, Num. 5, pp.64-67).
Jensen, E., (2005) Teaching with the Brain in Mind (2nd Edition). Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, (p 106).
King, K.P. & Wang, V. (Eds.). (2007). Comparative Adult Education Around the Globe. Hangzhou. PR China: Zheijiang University Press. Worldwide distribution: Transformation Education LLC.
Gadotti, M., (1994) Reading Paulo Freire: His Life & Work. State University of New York Press.
Empowerment, which has its roots in the self-help movement, has become a popular buzzword across many disciplines including education. Empowerment can best be defined as enabling or permitting someone to do something. In educational empowerment, students are encouraged to think on a higher level of realization about themselves, life and the world. The information, knowledge, and way of thinking that was acceptable in previous generations are no longer effective to survive and compete in this ever rapidly changing world. “Adaptation to the changing realties requires higher order thinking skills”. (Brady 2008)
Currently in the American education system, students’ knowledge gained is measured by the outcome of standardized test and exams. This method of evaluation only reflects how well a student was able to regurgitate information back to the instructor. This can be practical in many cases and would accomplish the “bottom-line” for the instructors’ learning goals and objectives for the students. The educational system is set up with uniformed standard learning objectives and not based on individuals’ weaknesses and strengths. In most cases, students who do not work well in the standardized method of instruction can have problems succeeding in school.
In general, there are three “chances” or opportunities to help students in learning: the first is the original encoding of the information to be learned, second the maintenance of that memory of information, and last the retrieval of the learning through test and exams. In each of the examples provided to help students’ learning, educators have the opportunity to expand students thinking and knowledge by taking engaging students to think beyond the basics. It is important to have the information not only retained but ingrained. A successful approach is making a connection of what is being taught to something relevant to the students’ lives. Individuals can remember things that they can connect back to their own personal experiences.(Jansen 2005)
Alfred North Whitehead from England stated in an address in 1916 to the Mathematical Association that the second handedness of the learned world is the secret of its mediocrity. (Brady 2008). Students optimize learning when they are able to make a connection with information and by thinking it through the manner in which they best process it. Some learn best and intrinsically motivated through visuals, audio, or through hands on activities. It would be beneficial for the American society if educators empowered students to become independent thinkers and doers and not reliant on someone spoon-feeding them. A great educator of his time, Paulo Freire, coined the term banking education. This concept of “banking education” discusses and illustrates students as mere “containers” filled by teachers who measures their teaching success by their ability to fill students with knowledge. This can cause laziness and have one accept things in the world as is and not question or challenge it. Students can become robotic as they continually engage in remote memorization and not engage in activities and thinking that would make them more human. (King & Wang, 2007)
The educator is in the place of authority of knowledge and the student is submissive or “oppressed”. Freire mentions that it is not the educator who knows and the pupils who don't, but both are co-learners and educators. It is only through communication the walls of elitism can be broken down and the lateral bridge can be built educational empowerment. (Gadotti 1994)
As we expand more in to this technological era, computers and machines are outsourcing people. “The educated individual is the adapted person, because he is a better “fit” for the world”. (King and Wang p. 201). People need to be more conscience of themselves and the world in which they live in. This has to begin in the early stages of our lives in elementary schools and continue through our workforce training. The lessons to be learned are the same however the questions that are asked have to change. There has to be a revision in the way information is presented, maintained and recalled. This might call for new methodologies of facilitating learning, testing, and relevance. No longer can bottom line education suffice, students need to learn how to tackle issues for themselves, the skills needed to be productive citizens of society. (Brady p.64)
Reference:
Brady, M., (2008, February). Cover the Material-Or Teach Students to Think? Educational Leadership, (Vol. 8, Num. 5, pp.64-67).
Jensen, E., (2005) Teaching with the Brain in Mind (2nd Edition). Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, (p 106).
King, K.P. & Wang, V. (Eds.). (2007). Comparative Adult Education Around the Globe. Hangzhou. PR China: Zheijiang University Press. Worldwide distribution: Transformation Education LLC.
Gadotti, M., (1994) Reading Paulo Freire: His Life & Work. State University of New York Press.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Low- Education Adults’ Participation in Informal Learning
Activities: Relationships with Selected Demographic Characteristics
The article, Low-Educational Adults’ Participation in Informal Learning Activities: Relationships with Selected Demographic Characteristics, sourced from the Adult Basic Education and Literacy Journal, 2 (2), 67-73 and authored by Smith, M. C., & Smith, T. J. (2008) is one of a few research studies done on adult learners. The study compares two populations of adults: graduates who have not continued with education and non-graduates who are currently in a learning program (GED or ABE) with low-education adults who did not graduate and have not participated in a GED or ABE program within a year of the study. This study seeks to find out the degree to which these individuals engage in any type of informal learning in their daily happenings. The reasoning behind the study is to bring to the awareness of adult educators that informal learning can be a foundation on which other learning can evolve.
Methods
To investigate the topic, the authors used pre-collected data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), (as cited in Smith and Smith, 2008). The data was obtained via random-digit dialing and computer-assisted interviews. The respondents were questioned about their participation in informal activities. The questions pertinent to the study were: one, whether high school graduates with no education beyond high school, and high school non-graduates presently in a program were more prone to take part in informal learning activities than the group who did not have previous learning and was not in any program? (Smith & Smith, 2008) And two, whether there was a “relationship between participation in informal learning activities among these three adult populations [with reference to] selected demographic characteristics such as gender, income, ethnicity, and age?” (Smith & Smith, 2008) Responses were assessed using the chi-square tests of independence and the Cramer’s V. The second question was, also, assessed by the chi-square tests of independence. However, in addition, Smith and Smith used the phi coefficient to assess strengths of relationships, and binary logical regression for the prediction of a categorical outcome (p. 69).
The method by which the data was obtained was not appropriate for this study because one, there are limitations rising out of surveys that are cross-sectional by design (the sample being taken all at the same time),thus leaving no allowance for continual update; and two, the method of questioning was too informal. A door-to-door would have produced truer responses. The authors’ approach to supporting the thesis made sense. The survey’s format was a viable attempt and the analysis of relationships between the three groups with respect to gender, income, ethnicity and age, was an important feature in collecting differential data samples. However, categorization of the demographic characteristics should have been more detailed. For instance, if gender was broken down into male and female, the results would have been more meaningful because it would have itemized each sex in their participation in informal learning activities. The other concern was the interpretation of the statistical data. For the average layman, the charts did not make much sense, and the authors did not provide footnotes explaining the use of the symbols used in the heading.
Evidence of Thesis Support
In support of the thesis the authors used a wide range of works from other authors. They also incorporated studies from The New Approaches to Lifelong Learning (NALL), and the Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning (LSAL). The strengths of the evidence lie in those works which correlate with the authors’ beliefs that all people participate in some kind of informal learning. They may not all be conscious of it happening but it does happen as interaction with the world and the people occurs. The weaknesses are in the inconclusiveness of an agreed upon definition of ‘informal learning’ by all researchers in this particular area of research. The authors supported the evidence by sharing findings from Tough’s work (Tough, 1971). Tough (as cited in Smith & Smith, 2008) “found that 80% of adult learning is informal and planned by the learner rather than by others (i.e. teachers or employers).” (p. 68). However, his work and findings do not distinguish between low-education adults and those who have a high school diploma or in a program of study. How is the reader to know what part of 80% represent low-education adults (the targeted population) of this study? The other work cited dealt with the clarification of the definition of the term informal learning.
To conduct a relatively well-balanced study, Smith & Smith used Livingstone’s definition of “informal learning”. Smith (as cited in Smith &Smith, 2008) wrote that, “Research on adult learning is bedeviled by the lack of consensus regarding the meaning of the term informal learning.” (p. 67) If there is no set definition, on what are we basing our judgment of what is or is not informal learning? The final evidence of support was the external studies.
In contrast to the findings of Smith and Smith’s study, which concluded that low-education adults showed no interest in informal learning activities, NALL study and the LSAL survey showed, respectively, that low-education adult participants in the study “also engaged in informal learning”, and participants in Portland were quoted as, “being capable of independent study to improve their literacy skills” (p. 68).
Contribution
This type of study is important and would benefit adult educators because it gives insight into the minds of adult learners, more so, low-education adults, a group often stereotyped because of their seemingly lack of interest. But here we see that there is learning taking place as “a natural human activity” (Tough, 2002, working paper #49), somewhat invisible but happening in the absence of consciousness of the individual. As an educator understanding the importance of informal learning as part the learning process, it is a welcomed teaching tool because now that this information has been revealed, facilitators will be able to incorporate this new information in curriculum and program planning. Smith & Smith (2008) also sees it as “an important implication for adult education programs” (p. 73), such as, ABE. The authors see the two - informal and formal - as “sustaining” each other (p. 73). Because of the dropout rate of school-age youths in the low-socioeconomic group, more detailed and invasive research on the relationship between informal learning activities and demographic variables with a particular focus on the differences between males and females in minority groups should be pursued. It is imperative that we find a way to entice them back into or keep them in a learning environment that would encourage them to complete high school with a vision to transfer to a formal setting for the betterment of themselves, their family and society as a whole.
Conclusion
I picked this article because it provides new approach for teaching low-education adults. Did the article do what it set out to do? Smith & Smith set out to show a comparison between adults with former learning and/or engaged in present learning, and low-education adults and informal learning. They were successful in bringing awareness about individuals “invisible” learning (Tough, 2002).The work is significant in that there is much learning to be gained from including this concept into daily teaching practice. It can present an unobstructed transition of knowledge from one form to the next as adult educators become aware of the importance of informal learning as a foundation to possible further learning.
Smith, M. C., & Smith, T. J. (2008). Low-educational adults’ participation in informal learning
activities: Relationships with selected demographic characteristics. Adult Basic Education and
Literacy Journal, 2 (2), 67-73. Retrieved October 1, 2008 from
http://web.ebscohost.com.avoserv.library.fordham.edu/ehost/results?vid=2&hid=117&sid
Tough, A. (2002). The iceberg of informal adult learning. The Research Network for New
Approaches to Lifelong Learning: NALL Working Paper No. 94. Paper presented a the NALL
annual meeting, Toronto. Retrieved October 12, 2008 from
http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/depts/sese/csew/nall/res/49AllenTough
Activities: Relationships with Selected Demographic Characteristics
The article, Low-Educational Adults’ Participation in Informal Learning Activities: Relationships with Selected Demographic Characteristics, sourced from the Adult Basic Education and Literacy Journal, 2 (2), 67-73 and authored by Smith, M. C., & Smith, T. J. (2008) is one of a few research studies done on adult learners. The study compares two populations of adults: graduates who have not continued with education and non-graduates who are currently in a learning program (GED or ABE) with low-education adults who did not graduate and have not participated in a GED or ABE program within a year of the study. This study seeks to find out the degree to which these individuals engage in any type of informal learning in their daily happenings. The reasoning behind the study is to bring to the awareness of adult educators that informal learning can be a foundation on which other learning can evolve.
Methods
To investigate the topic, the authors used pre-collected data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), (as cited in Smith and Smith, 2008). The data was obtained via random-digit dialing and computer-assisted interviews. The respondents were questioned about their participation in informal activities. The questions pertinent to the study were: one, whether high school graduates with no education beyond high school, and high school non-graduates presently in a program were more prone to take part in informal learning activities than the group who did not have previous learning and was not in any program? (Smith & Smith, 2008) And two, whether there was a “relationship between participation in informal learning activities among these three adult populations [with reference to] selected demographic characteristics such as gender, income, ethnicity, and age?” (Smith & Smith, 2008) Responses were assessed using the chi-square tests of independence and the Cramer’s V. The second question was, also, assessed by the chi-square tests of independence. However, in addition, Smith and Smith used the phi coefficient to assess strengths of relationships, and binary logical regression for the prediction of a categorical outcome (p. 69).
The method by which the data was obtained was not appropriate for this study because one, there are limitations rising out of surveys that are cross-sectional by design (the sample being taken all at the same time),thus leaving no allowance for continual update; and two, the method of questioning was too informal. A door-to-door would have produced truer responses. The authors’ approach to supporting the thesis made sense. The survey’s format was a viable attempt and the analysis of relationships between the three groups with respect to gender, income, ethnicity and age, was an important feature in collecting differential data samples. However, categorization of the demographic characteristics should have been more detailed. For instance, if gender was broken down into male and female, the results would have been more meaningful because it would have itemized each sex in their participation in informal learning activities. The other concern was the interpretation of the statistical data. For the average layman, the charts did not make much sense, and the authors did not provide footnotes explaining the use of the symbols used in the heading.
Evidence of Thesis Support
In support of the thesis the authors used a wide range of works from other authors. They also incorporated studies from The New Approaches to Lifelong Learning (NALL), and the Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning (LSAL). The strengths of the evidence lie in those works which correlate with the authors’ beliefs that all people participate in some kind of informal learning. They may not all be conscious of it happening but it does happen as interaction with the world and the people occurs. The weaknesses are in the inconclusiveness of an agreed upon definition of ‘informal learning’ by all researchers in this particular area of research. The authors supported the evidence by sharing findings from Tough’s work (Tough, 1971). Tough (as cited in Smith & Smith, 2008) “found that 80% of adult learning is informal and planned by the learner rather than by others (i.e. teachers or employers).” (p. 68). However, his work and findings do not distinguish between low-education adults and those who have a high school diploma or in a program of study. How is the reader to know what part of 80% represent low-education adults (the targeted population) of this study? The other work cited dealt with the clarification of the definition of the term informal learning.
To conduct a relatively well-balanced study, Smith & Smith used Livingstone’s definition of “informal learning”. Smith (as cited in Smith &Smith, 2008) wrote that, “Research on adult learning is bedeviled by the lack of consensus regarding the meaning of the term informal learning.” (p. 67) If there is no set definition, on what are we basing our judgment of what is or is not informal learning? The final evidence of support was the external studies.
In contrast to the findings of Smith and Smith’s study, which concluded that low-education adults showed no interest in informal learning activities, NALL study and the LSAL survey showed, respectively, that low-education adult participants in the study “also engaged in informal learning”, and participants in Portland were quoted as, “being capable of independent study to improve their literacy skills” (p. 68).
Contribution
This type of study is important and would benefit adult educators because it gives insight into the minds of adult learners, more so, low-education adults, a group often stereotyped because of their seemingly lack of interest. But here we see that there is learning taking place as “a natural human activity” (Tough, 2002, working paper #49), somewhat invisible but happening in the absence of consciousness of the individual. As an educator understanding the importance of informal learning as part the learning process, it is a welcomed teaching tool because now that this information has been revealed, facilitators will be able to incorporate this new information in curriculum and program planning. Smith & Smith (2008) also sees it as “an important implication for adult education programs” (p. 73), such as, ABE. The authors see the two - informal and formal - as “sustaining” each other (p. 73). Because of the dropout rate of school-age youths in the low-socioeconomic group, more detailed and invasive research on the relationship between informal learning activities and demographic variables with a particular focus on the differences between males and females in minority groups should be pursued. It is imperative that we find a way to entice them back into or keep them in a learning environment that would encourage them to complete high school with a vision to transfer to a formal setting for the betterment of themselves, their family and society as a whole.
Conclusion
I picked this article because it provides new approach for teaching low-education adults. Did the article do what it set out to do? Smith & Smith set out to show a comparison between adults with former learning and/or engaged in present learning, and low-education adults and informal learning. They were successful in bringing awareness about individuals “invisible” learning (Tough, 2002).The work is significant in that there is much learning to be gained from including this concept into daily teaching practice. It can present an unobstructed transition of knowledge from one form to the next as adult educators become aware of the importance of informal learning as a foundation to possible further learning.
Smith, M. C., & Smith, T. J. (2008). Low-educational adults’ participation in informal learning
activities: Relationships with selected demographic characteristics. Adult Basic Education and
Literacy Journal, 2 (2), 67-73. Retrieved October 1, 2008 from
http://web.ebscohost.com.avoserv.library.fordham.edu/ehost/results?vid=2&hid=117&sid
Tough, A. (2002). The iceberg of informal adult learning. The Research Network for New
Approaches to Lifelong Learning: NALL Working Paper No. 94. Paper presented a the NALL
annual meeting, Toronto. Retrieved October 12, 2008 from
http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/depts/sese/csew/nall/res/49AllenTough
High school Dropout: A Silent Epidemic
In this paper I will analyze three key factors that affect our nation’s dropout rate. First I will look at the media and the influence it has over our children, and the social effects that is producing .Is it realistic that a sixteen year old, walks around with a $1,500 purse? Is the perception that our children our getting from reality shows realistic ? Second I will look at the G.E.D. and district requirements for high school drop out. Are these requirements to lenient? Is the G.E.D. part of the cause fro this silent epidemic ? Finally I will look at our nations low income families. What roles are minorities playing in this silent epidemic ? Is our school system doing everything it can to involve the parents in their child’s educational choices?
" The best predictor of occupational prestige is the amount of education one
acquires. Financial compensation is usually greater for occupations that require more
ears of education. "( Gollnick & Chinn, p. 91) High School student today are not
focusing on secondary education. Bombarded by the media with reality television, where
sixteen year olds are making millions of dollars a year. Why would they want to dedicate
six years of their life to education? The media paints them such a pretty and achievable
dream, a dream that requires little to no education. A dream that is based on looks, name
brands and fancy cars. Occupational prestige for high school students, has nothing to do
with a respectable profession. They perceive young Hollywood stars and reality
television stars, with higher occupational prestige than doctors or lawyers.
The high school equivalency test, also known as the G.E.D, empowers
students to drop out of high school. U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling
states: “ One reason that the high school drop out crisis is known as the “silent epidemic”
is that the problem is frequently masked or minimized by inconsistent and opaque data
reporting systems. For example, in some districts, a student who leaves school is counted
as a drop out only if he or she is registered as one. In others, a dropout’s promise to get a G.E.D. at an unspecified future date is good enough to merit “graduate” status.” High School student today feel little pressure to graduate, our educational system makes it
extremely easy for these students to drop out of school.
Poverty is another key factor affecting our dropout rates, lower income families
live in such strenuous conditions; living them with no choice but to go to work instead of
school. “Persons in poverty are more likely no to have graduated from high school. Students of color drop out of school in greater proportions than white students, limiting their income potential. Dropout rates are also related to family income. High school graduation rates range from 69% for those from families earning less than $36,539 annually to 93% for those from families earning more than 98, 434.” (Family Income and Higher education Opportunity, 2006) (Gollnick & Chinn P.104) In this country the minority groups, represents more than half of the low income families. The parents of these students, have received little education them selves. Often dealing with a language barrier, these parents feel lost when dealing with their child’s education. As an educator and a single parent, I am aware of the role that I play in my child’s education. I’m also aware that the fact that I am a learner and an educator, facilitates this role for me. To have the resources, it’s just not enough. These parents, need to become aware of the resources, and ways that they can tap in to these resources. Our school system should develop more social activities, as a means for these parents to become involve in their child’s education.
A survey conducted by the Silent Epidemic Organization states: “ Nearly 70 percent of students said that they were not motivated to work hard and two- thirds would have worked harder if more were demanded of them. Approximately one-third left for personal reasons (to get a job, become a parent, or care for family members) and one-third cited failing in school as a major factor. 70 percent were confident they could have graduated, including a majority with low GPAS. More than 80 percent said their chances of staying in school would have increased if classes were more interesting and provided real-world learning. The majority said that higher expectations from teachers and parents and improved supervision would have helped keep them in school.” This survey serves as proof that our school curriculum needs to be revised and transformed to a more current curriculum. It also supports that parents and educators need to work together, and that our expectations need to be higher.
In conclusion the number of teenagers dropping out of high school, is the
highest is ever been in America. Teenagers are dropping out of school to pursue dreams
of fame, fast money and fancy cars. Today’s culture puts a higher weight on fame and the
fast life, than on education. “ Seventeen of the public school systems in 50 major cities
have graduation rates of 50 percent or lower, and the average graduation rate of all 50
systems is 58 percent. The findings are based on the federal Department of Education
statistics for the 2003-2004 school year .” ( Barry Grey 2008, Inteldaily.com) We are all
aware that money makes the world go around. But, are we aware as a country, that
money holds a higher value to our teenagers than education?
References:
Gollnick, D.M & Chinn, P.C., 2009, Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic
Society Eight Edition. Pearson education Inc.
Margaret Spelling, 2008, Press Release, U.S. Department of Education:
Promoting Educational Excellence for all Americans.
Silent Epidemic Organization, Why students drop out, silentepidemic.org
Grey, B., 2008, High school drop-out rate in major US cities at nearly 50
percent. Inteldaily.com
" The best predictor of occupational prestige is the amount of education one
acquires. Financial compensation is usually greater for occupations that require more
ears of education. "( Gollnick & Chinn, p. 91) High School student today are not
focusing on secondary education. Bombarded by the media with reality television, where
sixteen year olds are making millions of dollars a year. Why would they want to dedicate
six years of their life to education? The media paints them such a pretty and achievable
dream, a dream that requires little to no education. A dream that is based on looks, name
brands and fancy cars. Occupational prestige for high school students, has nothing to do
with a respectable profession. They perceive young Hollywood stars and reality
television stars, with higher occupational prestige than doctors or lawyers.
The high school equivalency test, also known as the G.E.D, empowers
students to drop out of high school. U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling
states: “ One reason that the high school drop out crisis is known as the “silent epidemic”
is that the problem is frequently masked or minimized by inconsistent and opaque data
reporting systems. For example, in some districts, a student who leaves school is counted
as a drop out only if he or she is registered as one. In others, a dropout’s promise to get a G.E.D. at an unspecified future date is good enough to merit “graduate” status.” High School student today feel little pressure to graduate, our educational system makes it
extremely easy for these students to drop out of school.
Poverty is another key factor affecting our dropout rates, lower income families
live in such strenuous conditions; living them with no choice but to go to work instead of
school. “Persons in poverty are more likely no to have graduated from high school. Students of color drop out of school in greater proportions than white students, limiting their income potential. Dropout rates are also related to family income. High school graduation rates range from 69% for those from families earning less than $36,539 annually to 93% for those from families earning more than 98, 434.” (Family Income and Higher education Opportunity, 2006) (Gollnick & Chinn P.104) In this country the minority groups, represents more than half of the low income families. The parents of these students, have received little education them selves. Often dealing with a language barrier, these parents feel lost when dealing with their child’s education. As an educator and a single parent, I am aware of the role that I play in my child’s education. I’m also aware that the fact that I am a learner and an educator, facilitates this role for me. To have the resources, it’s just not enough. These parents, need to become aware of the resources, and ways that they can tap in to these resources. Our school system should develop more social activities, as a means for these parents to become involve in their child’s education.
A survey conducted by the Silent Epidemic Organization states: “ Nearly 70 percent of students said that they were not motivated to work hard and two- thirds would have worked harder if more were demanded of them. Approximately one-third left for personal reasons (to get a job, become a parent, or care for family members) and one-third cited failing in school as a major factor. 70 percent were confident they could have graduated, including a majority with low GPAS. More than 80 percent said their chances of staying in school would have increased if classes were more interesting and provided real-world learning. The majority said that higher expectations from teachers and parents and improved supervision would have helped keep them in school.” This survey serves as proof that our school curriculum needs to be revised and transformed to a more current curriculum. It also supports that parents and educators need to work together, and that our expectations need to be higher.
In conclusion the number of teenagers dropping out of high school, is the
highest is ever been in America. Teenagers are dropping out of school to pursue dreams
of fame, fast money and fancy cars. Today’s culture puts a higher weight on fame and the
fast life, than on education. “ Seventeen of the public school systems in 50 major cities
have graduation rates of 50 percent or lower, and the average graduation rate of all 50
systems is 58 percent. The findings are based on the federal Department of Education
statistics for the 2003-2004 school year .” ( Barry Grey 2008, Inteldaily.com) We are all
aware that money makes the world go around. But, are we aware as a country, that
money holds a higher value to our teenagers than education?
References:
Gollnick, D.M & Chinn, P.C., 2009, Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic
Society Eight Edition. Pearson education Inc.
Margaret Spelling, 2008, Press Release, U.S. Department of Education:
Promoting Educational Excellence for all Americans.
Silent Epidemic Organization, Why students drop out, silentepidemic.org
Grey, B., 2008, High school drop-out rate in major US cities at nearly 50
percent. Inteldaily.com
Teaching Cross-Cultural Awareness to Children and Families
Teaching Cross-Cultural Awareness to Children and their Families
In most U.S. public schools today, there is a wide variety of different cultures and ethnic backgrounds within the student population, teachers, faculty and staff. The number of immigrant students from other countries entering the school system continues to increase rapidly where it brings a great challenge of incorporating culture awareness within the school environment. According to Vanderbilt University professors Victoria J. Risko and Doris Walker-Dalhouse, “Students whose language, ethnicity, and race are not represented in the school’s dominant culture experience varying degree of success in reading achievement, resulting in persistent gaps in reading achievement and disproportionally higher dropout rates in U.S. high schools” (2007). Teachers and other school community personnel must be able to demonstrate a sense of cultural awareness and modeling amongst the students, school community, and their families. Teachers should be positive role models by respecting cultural differences and promoting social justice within their classrooms and school settings.
Before educators can promote cultural awareness and modeling in the school environment, they must reflect on their own cultural identity and dispositions about their own ethnic background by identifying themselves within that ethnic group. Also, educators must come to terms with their own prejudices and stereotypes they have of certain cultural groups because it can reflect how they approach and treat their students from different racial and ethnic barriers. Teachers must be accepting to the fact that they have biases against certain cultural groups so that they are able to come up with strategies that can overcome these prejudices (Gollnick & Chin 2009). Teachers and other educators should prepare themselves to enhance their essential knowledge, skills, and disposition of working with students of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds because these are the children who need to feel a sense of acceptance and belongingness in the classroom community for them to succeed academically. One way teachers and their school communities can get prepared to teach students from diverse background is by taking the initiative of getting to know the students and their families who attend their schools through on-going welcoming and cultural activities.
According to Darling-Hammond, Wise, and Klein, “If all children are to be effectively taught, teachers must be prepared to address the substantial diversity in experience students bring with them to school-the wide range of languages, cultures, home conditions, learning styles, exceptionalities, abilities, and intelligences (1995).” Also, to be effective in teaching culturally and linguistically diverse children, teachers and school administrators should offer professional development workshops that deal with learning to teach a multicultural atmosphere. These professional development workshops can help teachers learn to incorporate multicultural educational strategies into their classrooms curriculum such as cooperative learning strategies, classroom discussions, access to children‘s literature relating to various ethnic backgrounds on a personal account, and ways to promote school wide acceptance and awareness.
Schools are institutions that should promote social justice within its community and environment. Even though it is the teacher’s role to help encourage cultural awareness within the classroom, the school community must also actively participate in the acceptance of diversity within the school population. School counselors and administrations can develop staff training workshops which might focus on building democracy and social justice within the school community. The administration can set up school wide discussions or debates that deal with certain issues affecting their neighborhoods or local society. It can also address the cultural differences or conflicts that may be present within the school community that can be addressed. The school can also promote cultural celebrations through fairs, shows, concerts, and dances which can enhance self-awareness of various cultures within the school community.
Since many students come from culturally and linguistically diverse families, teachers can help in the promotion of parent involvement within the school setting. Some children come from families who are believe it is the teacher’s role to instruct their children and they shouldn’t be actively involved in their education. Compared to American families, many immigrant families don’t see parent involvement as a necessary or universal aspect of their child’s education (Copeland 2007). Many believe it is they should have limited involvement or access to their child’s academics. Other immigrant parents are quite concern about what views and perspectives their children are learning in schools based on cultures and how it can affect their own cultural aspects. For instance, American parents may encourage individual creativity and would love for their child’s teacher to express individuality in the classroom whereas parents from other cultures might find this disrespectful because it demonstrates a lesser authoritative role from the teacher and gives the child a chance to have freedom of thoughts and opinions (Copeland 2007).
Although some parents might feel involvement should be quite limited based on their culture, there are some parents who would like to participate in their child’s education and building a sense of cultural awareness in their school communities. Professor Mubina Hassanali Kirmani states, “Children and families from diverse backgrounds entering an unfamiliar school can feel isolated and may require special attention……if they are welcomed and acknowledged, they can be empowered to reach their full human potential and make positive contributions to the school community” (2007). To help promote a multicultural atmosphere in many schools particularly in elementary schools, there are several ways children and their families can get involved such as families and students can partake in hands-on activities which may be related to the student’s native language. The acceptance and promotion of various cultural languages can expose the students’ to cultural diversity and enriches language experience for all children. Another way to recognize each student and their families with their cultural background is by collaborating family cultural events through traditional games, photographs, music, dances and meanings of children’s name through display walls. Teachers can also have students and their families conduct classroom discussions which may enhance knowledge of another’s culture that bring a clear understanding to certain controversial topics.
Schools that create a nurturing, caring atmosphere for children and their families from diverse backgrounds are playing important roles to children’s learning and knowledge. To help continue building strong cultural awareness with students and their families, teachers must express to them how important learning about each other’s culture can build a positive, safe classroom environment. The teacher must also express to the students and their families how a negative disposition and bias against another culture can hinder the growth process of building a multicultural atmosphere. The teacher should continue to state the classroom goal of building self-awareness and acceptance of various cultures to help enhance one’s knowledge of cultural diversity.
Works Cited
Copeland, A. (2007). Welcoming International Parents to Your Classroom. Kappa Delta Pi, 66-70
Darling-Hammond, L., Wise, A.E., & Klein, S.P. (1995) A license to teach: Building a profession for the 21st-century schools. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Gollnick, D.M., Chinn, P.C. (2009). Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Kirmani, M. (2007, November) Empowering Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children and Families. Young Children 94-98
Risko, V., & Walker-Dalhouse, D. (2007, September) Tapping Students’ Cultural Funds of Knowledge to Address the Achievement Gap. The Reading Teacher, 61, 98-100
In most U.S. public schools today, there is a wide variety of different cultures and ethnic backgrounds within the student population, teachers, faculty and staff. The number of immigrant students from other countries entering the school system continues to increase rapidly where it brings a great challenge of incorporating culture awareness within the school environment. According to Vanderbilt University professors Victoria J. Risko and Doris Walker-Dalhouse, “Students whose language, ethnicity, and race are not represented in the school’s dominant culture experience varying degree of success in reading achievement, resulting in persistent gaps in reading achievement and disproportionally higher dropout rates in U.S. high schools” (2007). Teachers and other school community personnel must be able to demonstrate a sense of cultural awareness and modeling amongst the students, school community, and their families. Teachers should be positive role models by respecting cultural differences and promoting social justice within their classrooms and school settings.
Before educators can promote cultural awareness and modeling in the school environment, they must reflect on their own cultural identity and dispositions about their own ethnic background by identifying themselves within that ethnic group. Also, educators must come to terms with their own prejudices and stereotypes they have of certain cultural groups because it can reflect how they approach and treat their students from different racial and ethnic barriers. Teachers must be accepting to the fact that they have biases against certain cultural groups so that they are able to come up with strategies that can overcome these prejudices (Gollnick & Chin 2009). Teachers and other educators should prepare themselves to enhance their essential knowledge, skills, and disposition of working with students of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds because these are the children who need to feel a sense of acceptance and belongingness in the classroom community for them to succeed academically. One way teachers and their school communities can get prepared to teach students from diverse background is by taking the initiative of getting to know the students and their families who attend their schools through on-going welcoming and cultural activities.
According to Darling-Hammond, Wise, and Klein, “If all children are to be effectively taught, teachers must be prepared to address the substantial diversity in experience students bring with them to school-the wide range of languages, cultures, home conditions, learning styles, exceptionalities, abilities, and intelligences (1995).” Also, to be effective in teaching culturally and linguistically diverse children, teachers and school administrators should offer professional development workshops that deal with learning to teach a multicultural atmosphere. These professional development workshops can help teachers learn to incorporate multicultural educational strategies into their classrooms curriculum such as cooperative learning strategies, classroom discussions, access to children‘s literature relating to various ethnic backgrounds on a personal account, and ways to promote school wide acceptance and awareness.
Schools are institutions that should promote social justice within its community and environment. Even though it is the teacher’s role to help encourage cultural awareness within the classroom, the school community must also actively participate in the acceptance of diversity within the school population. School counselors and administrations can develop staff training workshops which might focus on building democracy and social justice within the school community. The administration can set up school wide discussions or debates that deal with certain issues affecting their neighborhoods or local society. It can also address the cultural differences or conflicts that may be present within the school community that can be addressed. The school can also promote cultural celebrations through fairs, shows, concerts, and dances which can enhance self-awareness of various cultures within the school community.
Since many students come from culturally and linguistically diverse families, teachers can help in the promotion of parent involvement within the school setting. Some children come from families who are believe it is the teacher’s role to instruct their children and they shouldn’t be actively involved in their education. Compared to American families, many immigrant families don’t see parent involvement as a necessary or universal aspect of their child’s education (Copeland 2007). Many believe it is they should have limited involvement or access to their child’s academics. Other immigrant parents are quite concern about what views and perspectives their children are learning in schools based on cultures and how it can affect their own cultural aspects. For instance, American parents may encourage individual creativity and would love for their child’s teacher to express individuality in the classroom whereas parents from other cultures might find this disrespectful because it demonstrates a lesser authoritative role from the teacher and gives the child a chance to have freedom of thoughts and opinions (Copeland 2007).
Although some parents might feel involvement should be quite limited based on their culture, there are some parents who would like to participate in their child’s education and building a sense of cultural awareness in their school communities. Professor Mubina Hassanali Kirmani states, “Children and families from diverse backgrounds entering an unfamiliar school can feel isolated and may require special attention……if they are welcomed and acknowledged, they can be empowered to reach their full human potential and make positive contributions to the school community” (2007). To help promote a multicultural atmosphere in many schools particularly in elementary schools, there are several ways children and their families can get involved such as families and students can partake in hands-on activities which may be related to the student’s native language. The acceptance and promotion of various cultural languages can expose the students’ to cultural diversity and enriches language experience for all children. Another way to recognize each student and their families with their cultural background is by collaborating family cultural events through traditional games, photographs, music, dances and meanings of children’s name through display walls. Teachers can also have students and their families conduct classroom discussions which may enhance knowledge of another’s culture that bring a clear understanding to certain controversial topics.
Schools that create a nurturing, caring atmosphere for children and their families from diverse backgrounds are playing important roles to children’s learning and knowledge. To help continue building strong cultural awareness with students and their families, teachers must express to them how important learning about each other’s culture can build a positive, safe classroom environment. The teacher must also express to the students and their families how a negative disposition and bias against another culture can hinder the growth process of building a multicultural atmosphere. The teacher should continue to state the classroom goal of building self-awareness and acceptance of various cultures to help enhance one’s knowledge of cultural diversity.
Works Cited
Copeland, A. (2007). Welcoming International Parents to Your Classroom. Kappa Delta Pi, 66-70
Darling-Hammond, L., Wise, A.E., & Klein, S.P. (1995) A license to teach: Building a profession for the 21st-century schools. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Gollnick, D.M., Chinn, P.C. (2009). Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Kirmani, M. (2007, November) Empowering Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children and Families. Young Children 94-98
Risko, V., & Walker-Dalhouse, D. (2007, September) Tapping Students’ Cultural Funds of Knowledge to Address the Achievement Gap. The Reading Teacher, 61, 98-100
Why is the US Falling Behind in Math & Science Compared to Asian Countries?
Why is the United States falling behind in math and science compared to Asian countries? Numerous cross national statistics and research studies such as the Third International Mathematics and Science Study have indicated that Singapore, Korea, China, Japan and Taiwan are among the top scoring nations in the world. As these patterns emerge, many Americans fear for the country’s national economic growth. They suppose that there is a close relationship between education and economic development. Regardless of the degree of truth in this idea, the United States still needs to improve its schools. Understanding why these trends are occurring and determining how best to go about reforming math and science education is critical. Several of the believed contributing factors to America’s decline in these areas include: the nature of the classroom learning tasks, the set standards and curricula, the teacher preparation and continuing development, and the cultural attitudes and beliefs.
The nature of instructional tasks can ultimately make or break learning. Over the years, the United States has made a name for itself by utilizing a drill kill approach towards teaching mathematics. Students were and in many settings still are stuck on the procedures and facts of the subject. They are not being exposed to complex problems and proofs that can lead to greater conceptual understanding. In science, much of the same holds true. Students are memorizing the facts, but are failing to accurately apply the learned concepts into practical situations. Unlike the Unites States, many top scoring Asian societies focus more on promoting concepts of reasoning and critical thinking skills. Students there are exploring problems, observing teacher models, and reflecting on the content. It appears as though, “American students [are] participating skills while Asian students [are] thinking” (Zemelman, Daniels, & Hyde, 2005, p.114). Reforming mathematics and science teaching practices in the United States must involve a change in the classroom learning tasks. Instruction should aim to encourage math or science talk, develop conceptual knowledge, apply content to the real-world, and connect sets of ideas logically.
Standards and curricula are meant to provide a framework of sequenced topics to be covered at a particular level and subject. They do not necessarily guarantee educational success though. In recent years, the United States standards based education movement has advocated that standards should guide teaching and learning in all schools districts around the country. However, in comparison to their Asian counterparts the quality of the United States curriculum is considered to be “a mile wide inch deep” (Schmidt, Wang, & McKnight, 2005, p. 555). In other words, too many topics are covered in each grade and not enough time is dedicated to explore subject matter in depth. In the high achieving Asian countries, students spend much more time on one specific topic. Additionally, the curriculum in these nations seems to flow smoothly. Where as in the United States, the curriculum is not as coherent; the same topics come and go in differing grades. This fragmentation and repetition in standards and curricular does not allow for high quality instruction. United States educators must alter the existing principles and perhaps nationalize them to ensure consistency and rigor.
Teacher preparation and continuing development also greatly impacts learning. Students ought to be taught by the best possible educators in all grade levels and subjects. United States elementary school teachers should not be expected to teach multiple content areas. Newton (2007) proposes that this is a generalist approach towards early education. These years actually lay the foundation for learning and the content should not be viewed as basic and easily understood. Therefore, the United States may benefit by adapting Chinese ways in hiring specialized teachers even in primary school. Further, providing all teachers with the adequate time and support to plan lessons, reflect on their teaching practices, and share their insights with their colleagues is a key ingredient in effective teaching. In many Asian countries teachers spend a much lower percent of their time actually teaching. Instead, they work in professional study groups to research and develop their skills. Modeling these implications in an American school setting and encouraging teachers not to work in isolation may be another solution to our education challenges.
Each culture has different beliefs, values, and attitudes that directly affect education. Comparing and contrasting the educational practices in the Unites States with those of top scoring Asian countries has presented many of these underlying principles. For instance, many of the children here have a different way of life. More students in America watch television, play sports, and hold jobs. Shen (2005) suggests that the position of schooling in their lives is much less central than that of students in societies like Japan or Korea. In addition, other factors such as the increasing diversity of the United States contribute to a greater number of students learning the content in a non-native language. In Asian countries this does not occur nearly as often. Thus, not all policies and practices can be successfully translated to other education systems.
In conclusion, there is no simple explanation as to why America is not performing as well as Asian nations in mathematics and science. Many of the reasons presented do shed light on some possibilities; however, others do exist. By learning from other countries and understanding that Asian schools are not perfect models, the United States can significantly improve its own educational practices. Being a global economic competitor might in fact rely on the quality of math and science education, but nonetheless America should be proud of its technological advancements thus far and should definitely strive to continue this success by making efforts to overcome these new challenges.
The nature of instructional tasks can ultimately make or break learning. Over the years, the United States has made a name for itself by utilizing a drill kill approach towards teaching mathematics. Students were and in many settings still are stuck on the procedures and facts of the subject. They are not being exposed to complex problems and proofs that can lead to greater conceptual understanding. In science, much of the same holds true. Students are memorizing the facts, but are failing to accurately apply the learned concepts into practical situations. Unlike the Unites States, many top scoring Asian societies focus more on promoting concepts of reasoning and critical thinking skills. Students there are exploring problems, observing teacher models, and reflecting on the content. It appears as though, “American students [are] participating skills while Asian students [are] thinking” (Zemelman, Daniels, & Hyde, 2005, p.114). Reforming mathematics and science teaching practices in the United States must involve a change in the classroom learning tasks. Instruction should aim to encourage math or science talk, develop conceptual knowledge, apply content to the real-world, and connect sets of ideas logically.
Standards and curricula are meant to provide a framework of sequenced topics to be covered at a particular level and subject. They do not necessarily guarantee educational success though. In recent years, the United States standards based education movement has advocated that standards should guide teaching and learning in all schools districts around the country. However, in comparison to their Asian counterparts the quality of the United States curriculum is considered to be “a mile wide inch deep” (Schmidt, Wang, & McKnight, 2005, p. 555). In other words, too many topics are covered in each grade and not enough time is dedicated to explore subject matter in depth. In the high achieving Asian countries, students spend much more time on one specific topic. Additionally, the curriculum in these nations seems to flow smoothly. Where as in the United States, the curriculum is not as coherent; the same topics come and go in differing grades. This fragmentation and repetition in standards and curricular does not allow for high quality instruction. United States educators must alter the existing principles and perhaps nationalize them to ensure consistency and rigor.
Teacher preparation and continuing development also greatly impacts learning. Students ought to be taught by the best possible educators in all grade levels and subjects. United States elementary school teachers should not be expected to teach multiple content areas. Newton (2007) proposes that this is a generalist approach towards early education. These years actually lay the foundation for learning and the content should not be viewed as basic and easily understood. Therefore, the United States may benefit by adapting Chinese ways in hiring specialized teachers even in primary school. Further, providing all teachers with the adequate time and support to plan lessons, reflect on their teaching practices, and share their insights with their colleagues is a key ingredient in effective teaching. In many Asian countries teachers spend a much lower percent of their time actually teaching. Instead, they work in professional study groups to research and develop their skills. Modeling these implications in an American school setting and encouraging teachers not to work in isolation may be another solution to our education challenges.
Each culture has different beliefs, values, and attitudes that directly affect education. Comparing and contrasting the educational practices in the Unites States with those of top scoring Asian countries has presented many of these underlying principles. For instance, many of the children here have a different way of life. More students in America watch television, play sports, and hold jobs. Shen (2005) suggests that the position of schooling in their lives is much less central than that of students in societies like Japan or Korea. In addition, other factors such as the increasing diversity of the United States contribute to a greater number of students learning the content in a non-native language. In Asian countries this does not occur nearly as often. Thus, not all policies and practices can be successfully translated to other education systems.
In conclusion, there is no simple explanation as to why America is not performing as well as Asian nations in mathematics and science. Many of the reasons presented do shed light on some possibilities; however, others do exist. By learning from other countries and understanding that Asian schools are not perfect models, the United States can significantly improve its own educational practices. Being a global economic competitor might in fact rely on the quality of math and science education, but nonetheless America should be proud of its technological advancements thus far and should definitely strive to continue this success by making efforts to overcome these new challenges.
References
Hutchison, K.B. (2006). Confronting America’s challenge in math and science education. International Educator, 15(4), 4-7. Retrieved October, 16, 2008, from Proquest.
Leung, F. K. S. (2005). Some characteristics of East Asian mathematics classrooms based on data from the TIMSS 1999 video study. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 60, 100-215. Retrieved October 15, 2008, from ERIC.
Miller, D. C., Sen, A., Mally, L. B., & Owen, E. (2007). Comparative indicators of education in the United States and other G-8 countries [Electronic version]. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
Newton, X. (2007). Reflections on math reforms in the U.S.: A cross national perspective. Phi Delta Kappan, 88(9), 681-685. Retrieved October 16, 2008, from Proquest.
Schmidt, W. H., Wang, H. C., & McKnight, C.C. (2005). Curriculum coherence: An examination of U.S. mathematics and science content standards from an international perspective. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 37(5), 525-559. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from ERIC.
Shen, C. (2005). How American middle schools differ from schools of five Asian countries: Based on cross national data from TIMSS 1999. Educational Research and Evaluation, 11(2), 179-199. Retrieved October 17, 2008, from ERIC.
Viadero, D. (2008). Researchers gain insight into education’s impact on nation’s productivity: International comparisons help refine understanding. Education Week, 27(34), 17-19. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from Proquest.
Zemelman, S., Daniels, H., & Hyde, A. (2005). Best practice: Today’s standards for teaching and learning in America’s schools (3rd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Hutchison, K.B. (2006). Confronting America’s challenge in math and science education. International Educator, 15(4), 4-7. Retrieved October, 16, 2008, from Proquest.
Leung, F. K. S. (2005). Some characteristics of East Asian mathematics classrooms based on data from the TIMSS 1999 video study. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 60, 100-215. Retrieved October 15, 2008, from ERIC.
Miller, D. C., Sen, A., Mally, L. B., & Owen, E. (2007). Comparative indicators of education in the United States and other G-8 countries [Electronic version]. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
Newton, X. (2007). Reflections on math reforms in the U.S.: A cross national perspective. Phi Delta Kappan, 88(9), 681-685. Retrieved October 16, 2008, from Proquest.
Schmidt, W. H., Wang, H. C., & McKnight, C.C. (2005). Curriculum coherence: An examination of U.S. mathematics and science content standards from an international perspective. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 37(5), 525-559. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from ERIC.
Shen, C. (2005). How American middle schools differ from schools of five Asian countries: Based on cross national data from TIMSS 1999. Educational Research and Evaluation, 11(2), 179-199. Retrieved October 17, 2008, from ERIC.
Viadero, D. (2008). Researchers gain insight into education’s impact on nation’s productivity: International comparisons help refine understanding. Education Week, 27(34), 17-19. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from Proquest.
Zemelman, S., Daniels, H., & Hyde, A. (2005). Best practice: Today’s standards for teaching and learning in America’s schools (3rd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Do charter schools hinder multicultural education efforts?
by Irene Sarno
Multicultural education theories and charter school missions uphold basic constitutional principles. Multicultural education supports the ideal of equitable learning for all, where as charter schools support the freedom of school choice. However, this right to choose may in fact hinder the efforts of multiculturalism.
Multicultural education attempts to reduce intergroup conflict by supporting culture, diversity, equality, social justice, and democracy in the classroom. Teaching and learning incorporates the diversity of students through education equitably. Educators working with families and communities can create an environment that is supportive of multiculturalism. Thus, schools should become models for the expression of human rights and respect for cultural and group differences. (Gollnick & Chinn, 2008, pg.4)
As defined by The Center for Educational Reform (2007), charter schools are public schools that operate under a contract or "charter" which details the school's mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success. The charter school movement believes giving individual schools greater freedom to make education more effective by addressing the needs of the community served. Charter schools operate on the three basic principles of choice, accountability and freedom. Primarily, charter schools afford families the opportunity to pick the school most suitable for their child’s education. Next, charter schools are judged on how well they meet the student achievement goals established by their charter contract. Lastly, although charter schools must adhere to the same major laws and regulations as all other public schools, they are free to establish curriculum and procedures to support the charter.
Charter schools are increasing in popularity; so much so, that is has become a hot topic in Election 2008 amongst the candidates for President. Their popularity can be attributed by the innovative, accountable education they provide and as with multicultural theories, focus on the needs of its students. Also aligned with multiculturalism, charter schools typically engage local businesses and other organizations to help provide resources and services to the school and its families. (Wyans, 2008) Thus, charter schools act as a catalyst to improve the public school system.
Although the popularity of charter schools is on the rise, there are still disadvantages associated with them. Due to the limited number of charter schools, the size of the student body for each school is also limited. Many charter schools cater to affluent and academically gifted students, as opposed to high-risk, high cost students. (Wyans, 2008) Hence, dependent upon acceptance procedures, fairness and equality may be compromised. Multicultural educators continually tout the benefits of racial and ethnic diversity in schools, yet findings show charter schools are largely more segregated than public schools (Gollnick & Chinn, 2008, p.77). Based on the study of ten California school districts by Amy Stuart Wells (1993) the issue of racial equity is one of concern.
Despite many parents' preferences for integrated schools and choice policies, many state charter laws are not explicitly supportive of racial diversity. Even where legislative requirements do exist, most charter schools were found to be non-compliant (Wells, 1993). Even when charter schools attempt to diversify the student body, the racial segregation of the local communities coupled with the lack of affordable transportation for “out of district’ students results in an impossible goal. Lastly, As Stuart Wells notes, wealthy communities, have more access to the types of resources that are necessary to create viable schools. Since there exists a parallel between segregation by race and poverty and educational inequality this segregation may result in serious problem for students left behind. With appropriate civil rights policies, integration is possible. Using the lesson of Brown v. Board of Education, this issue should be addressed and resolved. (Frankenberg & Lee, 2003) Thus, instead, the right to choose attending a charter school, in fact becomes a privilege due to the inequities that abound.
In conclusion, the charter school movement is a very promising reform of increasing educational standards in the United States. However, in order to create a system that allows students to attend Charter schools on an equitable basis, guiding principles should be strictly followed and monitored. Any publicly funded schools should enforce policy to ensure racial/ethnic/religious integration, thus abiding by the multicultural principle of meeting the diversified needs of all students. Charter schools should be a place where all students could be effectively educated.
REFERENCES:
Wyans, J. (2008, Sptember 25) The Pros and Cons of Charter School Systems, http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1038682/the_pros_and_cons_of_charter_school.html?cat=4
Gollnick, D., and Chinn, P., (2008). Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society, Eighth Edition, Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education.
The Center for Educational Reform. (2007) Just the FAQS: Charter Schools. http://www.edreform.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=document&documentID=60
Amy Stuart Wells. (1998). Beyond the Rhetoric of Charter School Reform: A Study of Ten California School Districts. http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/docs/charter.pdf
Frankenberg, E. and Lee, C. (2003, September 5). Charter schools and race: A lost opportunity for integrated education. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 11(32). http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v11n32.
Multicultural education theories and charter school missions uphold basic constitutional principles. Multicultural education supports the ideal of equitable learning for all, where as charter schools support the freedom of school choice. However, this right to choose may in fact hinder the efforts of multiculturalism.
Multicultural education attempts to reduce intergroup conflict by supporting culture, diversity, equality, social justice, and democracy in the classroom. Teaching and learning incorporates the diversity of students through education equitably. Educators working with families and communities can create an environment that is supportive of multiculturalism. Thus, schools should become models for the expression of human rights and respect for cultural and group differences. (Gollnick & Chinn, 2008, pg.4)
As defined by The Center for Educational Reform (2007), charter schools are public schools that operate under a contract or "charter" which details the school's mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success. The charter school movement believes giving individual schools greater freedom to make education more effective by addressing the needs of the community served. Charter schools operate on the three basic principles of choice, accountability and freedom. Primarily, charter schools afford families the opportunity to pick the school most suitable for their child’s education. Next, charter schools are judged on how well they meet the student achievement goals established by their charter contract. Lastly, although charter schools must adhere to the same major laws and regulations as all other public schools, they are free to establish curriculum and procedures to support the charter.
Charter schools are increasing in popularity; so much so, that is has become a hot topic in Election 2008 amongst the candidates for President. Their popularity can be attributed by the innovative, accountable education they provide and as with multicultural theories, focus on the needs of its students. Also aligned with multiculturalism, charter schools typically engage local businesses and other organizations to help provide resources and services to the school and its families. (Wyans, 2008) Thus, charter schools act as a catalyst to improve the public school system.
Although the popularity of charter schools is on the rise, there are still disadvantages associated with them. Due to the limited number of charter schools, the size of the student body for each school is also limited. Many charter schools cater to affluent and academically gifted students, as opposed to high-risk, high cost students. (Wyans, 2008) Hence, dependent upon acceptance procedures, fairness and equality may be compromised. Multicultural educators continually tout the benefits of racial and ethnic diversity in schools, yet findings show charter schools are largely more segregated than public schools (Gollnick & Chinn, 2008, p.77). Based on the study of ten California school districts by Amy Stuart Wells (1993) the issue of racial equity is one of concern.
Despite many parents' preferences for integrated schools and choice policies, many state charter laws are not explicitly supportive of racial diversity. Even where legislative requirements do exist, most charter schools were found to be non-compliant (Wells, 1993). Even when charter schools attempt to diversify the student body, the racial segregation of the local communities coupled with the lack of affordable transportation for “out of district’ students results in an impossible goal. Lastly, As Stuart Wells notes, wealthy communities, have more access to the types of resources that are necessary to create viable schools. Since there exists a parallel between segregation by race and poverty and educational inequality this segregation may result in serious problem for students left behind. With appropriate civil rights policies, integration is possible. Using the lesson of Brown v. Board of Education, this issue should be addressed and resolved. (Frankenberg & Lee, 2003) Thus, instead, the right to choose attending a charter school, in fact becomes a privilege due to the inequities that abound.
In conclusion, the charter school movement is a very promising reform of increasing educational standards in the United States. However, in order to create a system that allows students to attend Charter schools on an equitable basis, guiding principles should be strictly followed and monitored. Any publicly funded schools should enforce policy to ensure racial/ethnic/religious integration, thus abiding by the multicultural principle of meeting the diversified needs of all students. Charter schools should be a place where all students could be effectively educated.
REFERENCES:
Wyans, J. (2008, Sptember 25) The Pros and Cons of Charter School Systems, http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1038682/the_pros_and_cons_of_charter_school.html?cat=4
Gollnick, D., and Chinn, P., (2008). Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society, Eighth Edition, Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education.
The Center for Educational Reform. (2007) Just the FAQS: Charter Schools. http://www.edreform.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=document&documentID=60
Amy Stuart Wells. (1998). Beyond the Rhetoric of Charter School Reform: A Study of Ten California School Districts. http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/docs/charter.pdf
Frankenberg, E. and Lee, C. (2003, September 5). Charter schools and race: A lost opportunity for integrated education. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 11(32). http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v11n32.
Monday, October 20, 2008
School Funding Reform
The public’s perception of public schools across the United State is faltering. Many schools are not reaching the unofficial standards set by parents and community members or the formal standards set by the government in No Child Left Behind. Students attending urban schools are suffering the most, and many people blame this on the lack of funding that these schools must work with. School funding is usually linked to school success and causes much controversy since all parents want their children to get the best education possible. Most professionals argue that school funding reform is necessary for success of our public schools, but how to realize fair reforms is under much debate.
However, it is not all bad news for America’s public schools. Suzanne Weiss (1999) found that after the church, the public shows the most confidence in the public education system. Parents generally have good perceptions about their local schools, but show much less confidence in public schools as a whole. Overall, teachers show more confidence than the rest of the public in public schools. On the other hand, most people think that public schools are not as good as they used to be. Minorities have the lowest confidence in their schools. This is most likely due to high percentage of minorities in urban and inner-city schools that do not receive the same funding as suburban and rural schools. These urban schools must work with less materials and outdated technology to attempt to achieve the same results as other well funded schools. While the public shows interest in increasing the amount of money spent on urban schools, there is no consensus over how to allocate spending and increase performance in schools.
Several groups have examined school funding reform and they have found similar things. The need for funding reform is indisputable. Kevin Carey (2002) outlines the challenges that students in low income areas face. Low income students are behind their peers in almost every academic area and student achievement is linked to school funding levels. In other words, schools that receive adequate funding have students who perform better on standardized tests and other academic benchmarks. Some people argue that spending has been increased in recent years, but that there has not been a consistent increase in academic performance. However, Carey argues that much of the increased spending has gone towards special education programs, where positive results on national standards test are rarely seen.
Almost all the national committees who study school funding reform argue for a system that provides adequate school finance. “An adequate school finance system should provide for and ensure the use of sufficient funds necessary to develop and maintain the needed capacity to provide every student with a reasonable opportunity to accomplish expected education objectives that are clearly articulated and measurable” (National Conference of State Legislation, 1998, p.20). The National Conference of State Legislatures goes on to explain that we must create a knowledge base of educational objectives and funds to meet those objectives. Instead of simply giving schools more or less money, there should be a clear purpose of what the money is going towards and what those programs should accomplish. It proposes a systematic examination of the needs and successes of the educational programs that the state funds. If these programs are not successful or do not meet the agreed upon accountability measures, then they will not receive additional funding. NCSL believes that this will make the funds being used more effective and help increase students success.
The Committee for Economic Development (2004) also argues for funding policies that align with standards-based reform. They agree that the school funding system should be redesigned to coincide with higher performance. The Committee would like resources to be distributed more effectively, teacher pay to reflect the labor market, incentives for improved performance, and a link between funding and meeting educational standards. If these goals are meet, CED believes that schools will perform better. They would like budget committees to focus on the output of funding instead of the input. In other words, the outcome and results of the funds should be focused on instead of the amount of funds going to each school. If some schools need more money to succeed at the same level as other schools that would be considered fair. They believe that school budgets should be calculated based on individual students and their needs, not simply by the tax bracket that most of the population the school serves falls into. They also argue for the use of performance incentives, which may improve student outcomes.
These national committees have spent a lot of time and money conducting studies that tell us that schools need more funds, and that these funds should be based on the outcome of their use. However, none of these groups give concrete ways in which to reach these goals. In order to help all students and teachers continue to meet the high standards that society has set for public schools, funding does need to be examined. Especially in low income areas, the ways in which schools are funded may need to be changed dramatically. However, we cannot simply change the amount of money that goes to each school. The money must be allocated in a fair and effective way. The suggestions set forth by various national committees provide a good framework for basing funding on the success of the programs that it covers. When schools and programs are held accountable for what they claim to do, then parents, teachers, and students will see positive changes within their schools.
References
Carey, K., & Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (2002, November 5). Education funding and low-income children: A review of current research. (ERIC) Retrieved October 18, 2008, from ERIC database.
Committee for Economic Development. (2004, January 1). Investing in learning: School funding policies to foster high performance. Executive Summary. (ERIC). Retrieved October 18, 2008 from ERIC database.
National Conference of State Legislatures. (1998, July 1). Educational adequacy: Building an adequate school finance system. (ERIC) Retrieved October 18, 2008 from ERIC database.
Weiss, S., & Education Commission of the States. (1999, January 1). Americans’ perceptions about public education. (ERIC) Retrieved October 18, 2008 from ERIC database.
However, it is not all bad news for America’s public schools. Suzanne Weiss (1999) found that after the church, the public shows the most confidence in the public education system. Parents generally have good perceptions about their local schools, but show much less confidence in public schools as a whole. Overall, teachers show more confidence than the rest of the public in public schools. On the other hand, most people think that public schools are not as good as they used to be. Minorities have the lowest confidence in their schools. This is most likely due to high percentage of minorities in urban and inner-city schools that do not receive the same funding as suburban and rural schools. These urban schools must work with less materials and outdated technology to attempt to achieve the same results as other well funded schools. While the public shows interest in increasing the amount of money spent on urban schools, there is no consensus over how to allocate spending and increase performance in schools.
Several groups have examined school funding reform and they have found similar things. The need for funding reform is indisputable. Kevin Carey (2002) outlines the challenges that students in low income areas face. Low income students are behind their peers in almost every academic area and student achievement is linked to school funding levels. In other words, schools that receive adequate funding have students who perform better on standardized tests and other academic benchmarks. Some people argue that spending has been increased in recent years, but that there has not been a consistent increase in academic performance. However, Carey argues that much of the increased spending has gone towards special education programs, where positive results on national standards test are rarely seen.
Almost all the national committees who study school funding reform argue for a system that provides adequate school finance. “An adequate school finance system should provide for and ensure the use of sufficient funds necessary to develop and maintain the needed capacity to provide every student with a reasonable opportunity to accomplish expected education objectives that are clearly articulated and measurable” (National Conference of State Legislation, 1998, p.20). The National Conference of State Legislatures goes on to explain that we must create a knowledge base of educational objectives and funds to meet those objectives. Instead of simply giving schools more or less money, there should be a clear purpose of what the money is going towards and what those programs should accomplish. It proposes a systematic examination of the needs and successes of the educational programs that the state funds. If these programs are not successful or do not meet the agreed upon accountability measures, then they will not receive additional funding. NCSL believes that this will make the funds being used more effective and help increase students success.
The Committee for Economic Development (2004) also argues for funding policies that align with standards-based reform. They agree that the school funding system should be redesigned to coincide with higher performance. The Committee would like resources to be distributed more effectively, teacher pay to reflect the labor market, incentives for improved performance, and a link between funding and meeting educational standards. If these goals are meet, CED believes that schools will perform better. They would like budget committees to focus on the output of funding instead of the input. In other words, the outcome and results of the funds should be focused on instead of the amount of funds going to each school. If some schools need more money to succeed at the same level as other schools that would be considered fair. They believe that school budgets should be calculated based on individual students and their needs, not simply by the tax bracket that most of the population the school serves falls into. They also argue for the use of performance incentives, which may improve student outcomes.
These national committees have spent a lot of time and money conducting studies that tell us that schools need more funds, and that these funds should be based on the outcome of their use. However, none of these groups give concrete ways in which to reach these goals. In order to help all students and teachers continue to meet the high standards that society has set for public schools, funding does need to be examined. Especially in low income areas, the ways in which schools are funded may need to be changed dramatically. However, we cannot simply change the amount of money that goes to each school. The money must be allocated in a fair and effective way. The suggestions set forth by various national committees provide a good framework for basing funding on the success of the programs that it covers. When schools and programs are held accountable for what they claim to do, then parents, teachers, and students will see positive changes within their schools.
References
Carey, K., & Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (2002, November 5). Education funding and low-income children: A review of current research. (ERIC) Retrieved October 18, 2008, from ERIC database.
Committee for Economic Development. (2004, January 1). Investing in learning: School funding policies to foster high performance. Executive Summary. (ERIC). Retrieved October 18, 2008 from ERIC database.
National Conference of State Legislatures. (1998, July 1). Educational adequacy: Building an adequate school finance system. (ERIC) Retrieved October 18, 2008 from ERIC database.
Weiss, S., & Education Commission of the States. (1999, January 1). Americans’ perceptions about public education. (ERIC) Retrieved October 18, 2008 from ERIC database.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The Influence of Religion in American Schools: Are the Two Truly Separate?
The topic of religion is one of the most controversial issues in public schools today. Many people, regardless of race or ethnicity, claim ties to a religious affiliation. For many citizens, religion also plays an important part in daily life. This is evident when religious groups pressure school administrations to change the curriculum to conform to a specific religion’s beliefs. Due to the vast religious diversity that exists amongst the American population, the federal law constitutes that there must be a separation of church and state in public affairs. However, many citizens argue that the influence of religion seems to permeate in curriculums of schools across the United States.
One of the most notorious debates regarding religion in public schools is the dispute over the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. In classrooms across the country, students are mandated to recite the pledge daily. Some parents argue that requiring children to say this recitation forces them to believe in a monotheistic religion, or that it imposes the beliefs of one specific religion. The article Supreme Court Hears Pledge of Allegiance Case describes the origins of the pledge, stating Congress amended the original salute to include the phrase “under God” in response to religious groups petitioning during the Cold War (2004, pg.3). The fear of communism was palpable during this period in history, and the purpose for including this phrase was to instill a sense of unity in the American people. According to Charles Russo and Ralph Mawdsley’s article, The Supreme Court and the Pledge of Allegiance: a hollow victory, the decision made by the Supreme Court regarding the phrase “under God” within the pledge of allegiance “did not restrain anyone from worshiping God within the meaning of the First Amendment since they neither relate to nor exact anything in opposition to religion” (2004, pg. 262). Students have the choice to not participate in the pledge if they desire. Although the Supreme Court did not find the phrase to be unconstitutional, this ongoing debate continues to be rehashed in courtrooms across the country.
Another debate regarding religion in schools is the teaching of evolution versus creation. Different religions have various beliefs on how the world was created and how human life came to exist. As John Caiazza states in his article, The Evolution Versus Religion Controversy: How Two Mystiques Evolved Into Politics, both sides of the debates have differing views on the same issues, “such as the veracity of the Bible, whether ethics and religion should be explained reductively, and whether nature is a divine creation, of which man is the apex, or a material universe in which the existence of man is the merest accident” (2005, pg. 104). Currently in the United States, the states decide what is taught in schools. Each state may choose whether or not to teach evolution from a scientific perspective.
Although the federal law rules that church and state must be separated in public affairs, it is hard to divide the two when each religion is so truly unique in its beliefs. It seems that in a country that was founded by people who escaped religious persecution, there will always be some sort of controversy when it comes to one’s personal beliefs especially in a society as pluralistic and diverse as the United States.
Works Cited.
Caiazza, J. (2005, Spring2005). The Evolution Versus Religion Controversy: How Two Mystiques Devolved Into Politics. Modern Age, 47(2), 104-112. Retrieved October 19, 2008, from Professional Development Collection database.
Russo, C., & Mawdsley, R. (2004, December). The Supreme Court and the pledge of allegiance: a hollow victory. Education & the Law, 16(4), 261-267. Retrieved October 18, 2008, doi:10.1080/0953996042000311062.
Supreme Court Hears Pledge Of Allegiance Case. (2004, April). Education USA (Aspen Publishers Inc.), Retrieved October 18, 2008, from Education Research Complete database.
One of the most notorious debates regarding religion in public schools is the dispute over the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. In classrooms across the country, students are mandated to recite the pledge daily. Some parents argue that requiring children to say this recitation forces them to believe in a monotheistic religion, or that it imposes the beliefs of one specific religion. The article Supreme Court Hears Pledge of Allegiance Case describes the origins of the pledge, stating Congress amended the original salute to include the phrase “under God” in response to religious groups petitioning during the Cold War (2004, pg.3). The fear of communism was palpable during this period in history, and the purpose for including this phrase was to instill a sense of unity in the American people. According to Charles Russo and Ralph Mawdsley’s article, The Supreme Court and the Pledge of Allegiance: a hollow victory, the decision made by the Supreme Court regarding the phrase “under God” within the pledge of allegiance “did not restrain anyone from worshiping God within the meaning of the First Amendment since they neither relate to nor exact anything in opposition to religion” (2004, pg. 262). Students have the choice to not participate in the pledge if they desire. Although the Supreme Court did not find the phrase to be unconstitutional, this ongoing debate continues to be rehashed in courtrooms across the country.
Another debate regarding religion in schools is the teaching of evolution versus creation. Different religions have various beliefs on how the world was created and how human life came to exist. As John Caiazza states in his article, The Evolution Versus Religion Controversy: How Two Mystiques Evolved Into Politics, both sides of the debates have differing views on the same issues, “such as the veracity of the Bible, whether ethics and religion should be explained reductively, and whether nature is a divine creation, of which man is the apex, or a material universe in which the existence of man is the merest accident” (2005, pg. 104). Currently in the United States, the states decide what is taught in schools. Each state may choose whether or not to teach evolution from a scientific perspective.
Although the federal law rules that church and state must be separated in public affairs, it is hard to divide the two when each religion is so truly unique in its beliefs. It seems that in a country that was founded by people who escaped religious persecution, there will always be some sort of controversy when it comes to one’s personal beliefs especially in a society as pluralistic and diverse as the United States.
Works Cited.
Caiazza, J. (2005, Spring2005). The Evolution Versus Religion Controversy: How Two Mystiques Devolved Into Politics. Modern Age, 47(2), 104-112. Retrieved October 19, 2008, from Professional Development Collection database.
Russo, C., & Mawdsley, R. (2004, December). The Supreme Court and the pledge of allegiance: a hollow victory. Education & the Law, 16(4), 261-267. Retrieved October 18, 2008, doi:10.1080/0953996042000311062.
Supreme Court Hears Pledge Of Allegiance Case. (2004, April). Education USA (Aspen Publishers Inc.), Retrieved October 18, 2008, from Education Research Complete database.
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