Segregation/Desegregation

Wednesday's discussion of segregation was very interesting. I had never thought of segregation as an issue that still existed today. It wasn't until Keri-Ann asked if we had went to segregated schools that I really thought about it. I grew up in pretty much an all white suburban town. In all my years of schooling I never felt like I was missing out on something because of a lack of diversity. In all honesty, I don't think it would have made that much of a difference. Learning material about math, science and english would not have been different had there been diversity in the class. The only subject it would have made a difference in is possibly history. I think that having more diversity would have enhanced the social aspect of education. Being able to learn about different cultures would have been interesting. I think now that I am in college, it is more important to have a wide range of cultures in the class because it allows us to learn about different backgrounds and experiences. This article talks about how private schools play a role in segregating schools.

Another issue that was touched upon was the issue of funding. Kozol writes on page 245 that in 31 states, districts with the highest percentage of minority students receive less funding per pupil than do districts with the fewest minority children. This was hard to believe. I feel that schools should receive the same amount of funding regardless of the amount of minority students. Funding is a big reason why there are such differences between the low income and upper level schools. If we can start equally dividing funds and giving money to those who need it most, we can become a step closer to closing the achievement gap between students of lower and upper classes. Unfortunately, it is hard to believe that this issue will be solved anytime soon, thus allowing the issue of unequal education to further perpetuate.

No Child Left Behind

NCLB was enacted with the goal to eliminate the achievement gap between black and white students and the one between the poor and middle-class students. It plans to accomplish this goal in just a 12 year span. Although I feel that this is a step in the right direction, I wonder if it will be achieved. Issues in education have been around for a long time in our society I feel it will be difficult to create such a level of equality in just 12 years. One aspect the NCLB lacks is a guide as to how to eliminate the gap. As was said in class, it has a one size fits all approach. It does not take into account the diversity present in our society. One solution will not be able to work for everyone. At the same time, I'm not sure what would be a possible solution. I know Kerri-Ann wants us to think more about solutions but the more I think about, the more frustrated I get. I think that it will be difficult to come up with a solution to the issue of inequality in our education system. There are many aspects which I feel need to be restructured, which goes back to of course, unequal resources. Funds should be divided based on who needs them the most. By using property taxes as a source of funding, there will never be equality between those in poor and middle-class areas. We cannot expect children to learn and succeed if they do not have the proper materials to do so. Another aspect I feel needs to be changed is the curriculum. Standardized tests like the SAT can have a great impact on a the future of a child's education. If we are going to continue to use standardized testing we must ensure fairness by making sure that all schools are teaching the same curriculum. When the issue of standardized testing was also brought up in class there is a lot negativity towards these tests because they put so much pressure on the children and the teachers. I remember when i had to take these tests that I would be so nervous. The nerves alone were enough to make me lose focus. If these tests were made out to be just another test, I think it would be beneficial. There wouldn't be as much stress put on the students. If we had a common curriculum throughout the country, I feel that standardized testing would not be so horrible because it would be able to provide a basis for comparison among the students. In theory, I think if we were able to fix the issue of funding and create a set curriculum, we would be able to lessen the gap. What frustrates me is that these solutions have probably been thought of before, but yet not much has changed. I wonder if the necessary steps will be taken to provide for a feasible solution.

We also talked briefly about the issue of accountability and who should be held responsible when the children fail. It is interesting that the government is not held accountable when they are the ones making up the policies that are being followed. They should be held somewhat accountable, because if the students fail it shows a flaw in the system they created. I don't think that the government should be held accountable 100% of the time. As shown in the Rosenthal experiment, teachers can influence their student's performance. (This article gives information on the study.) Since teachers play an important role in their student's learning experience, they should also be held accountable. Teachers should be observed in order to ensure that they are doing their job. I think random observations would work best even though if I were a teacher I wouldn't like that. But I think that if a teacher knows that he/she is going to be observed, then he/she will make sure the kids are on their best behavior and make sure to present a great lesson plan. We need to make sure that our teachers are doing the best job that they can. We need to make sure that the students are receiving the best education possible because years from now they will be the ones running the country.

Inequity in Cirriculum

In class we discussed how the policy makers don't understand the lives of the people they are making policies for. I never thought about how the people in power cannot relate to people lower classes. It it unfair that the people in the lower classes are not getting the representation they deserve. I think a good idea would be to implement some sort of board in which members from different economic classes and locations discuss policies in order to have everyones opinion represented. I don't know if this would be put into action because I doubt that those in power would want to give it up. While searching around the New York City Department of Education website, I found a lot of interesting information. Fair Student Funding was initiated in spring 2007 to ensure more equality within the schools. I am interested to see what changes, if any, this policy brings about. The website also gives information on Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Klein program Children First which is designed to fundamentally transform the school system.

We also discussed the issue of standardized testing. These tests are so important and can determine so much. Tests like the SAT can determine whether or not someone will be accepted into a certain college. So much importance is placed on one test. Factors such as nerves, poor test taking skills, or even poor conditions of the testing location can affect a grade. Because of this I think it is unfair to put so much importance on one test. Another complaint about the SAT that I have heard is that white middle class men make up the test. In my opinion that makes the test bias. Children in urban areas often learn different materials. It relates back to how policy makers don't understand the people who the policies are for. This makes me realize how unfair our system really is. It is sad to say, but I feel that it will stay this way for a while. We all want to do something to change it, but what, and how? Is it possible to drastically change our system in order to make it more equal and efficient?