Chapter 12 Reflection

According to Chapter 12 those that oppose reform ask “if it ain’t broke, why fix it?” But schools can always use change. For the sake of promoting good education for our children. As our world continues to change so should our schools to empower the students to function accordingly with the changes taking place.

There is a controversy about how to test students to see if they are actually meeting standards and becoming well educated individuals. Many parents do not like the standardized testing. Usually teachers will teach to the test. This way when it comes to test time students will score well. Others say that performance assessment gets closer to a students applied knowledge but it takes more time to assess. I feel that if there is any kind of reform when it comes to testing, that it should include the students “real” applied knowledge. I think that teaching to the test is a waste of time simply because it doesn’t measure the students actual knowledge of the subject.The results are of those that were drilled into them at the beginning of the school year.

Educational reform needs to start with the teachers. If the teachers are not fully qualified to teach, they should not be in a classroom. Also, reform needs to allow teachers to inspire the minds of our students. It needs to allow them to have that one on one basis with them. An to give them the chance to build their students intellect through character and knowledge.

Chapter 11 Reflection

If I could serve in a governing position, I would chose to be a superintendent.

A superintendent hires his principals and supervises them. The superintendent makes decisions on what is best for students. And that is what I like most about that position.

Being a superintendent would be a very interesting job in that they get to “clean house” when needed. As a superintendent I would be able to cultivate relationships with the districts communities. Keeping them up to date with  how a school is performing not only in testing but overall. As a superintendent, building these relationships will help to increase schools budgeting and allow for better school resources such as up to date textbooks and technology.

As a superintendent I would be able to make improvements for school facilities.

A low income school does not need to look the part. A superintendent has the power to make improvements necessary for students to feel proud to attend their school.

Superintendents make up the school's policies and procedures. The most important part of a superintendent job is make schools a solid and safe environment so that a student is allowed to reach his or her highest academic potential. A schools should be considered as a students second home. It is where they spend most of their days. And as a superintendent I would strive to make my schools as safe as possible.

Another reason I would like to be a superintendent is because they are the motivators of our principals and teachers. Through them, they are the ones that bring about the motivation in our educators to help give better instruction to our students.

Chapter 11 Notes

The state legislatures are the most influential actors in establishing school policy. The governor’s office has the power to affect educational policy but often chooses to do so only on limited basis. Governors and state legislatures have the tremendous influence over educational policy and expenditures.

State Board of Education: exercised general control and supervision of schools within the state. It also establishes and enforces minimum standards for the operation of all phases of elementary and secondary education from the state to the local school system level.

Chief state school officer: also known as the superintendent, is responsible for serving as the chief administrator of the state department of education.

State department of education: responsible for carrying out the policies of the state board of education and the laws passed by the state legislature. Most schools, school districts, colleges of education are strongly affected by the policies and actions of the state department

The state creates local school districts to facilitate local control of education. their purpose is to carry out education in a manner that conforms with state policy

Local school board: represents the citizens of the district in setting up a school program, hiring school personnel to operate the schools, determining organizational and administrative policy and evaluating the results of the programs and performance of personnel.

Superintendent of schools: is undeniably the most powerful officer in the local school organization. The most important function is gathering and providing information to the local school board so its members can make informed decision.

School Principals: are generally considered to be a part of the administrative organization, directly accountable to the superintendent and the local school boards. Principals usually interview prospective faculty members and make faculty assignments, supervise and evaluate staff members, schedule students and classes,  manage school budget, administer district discipline policies and procure and dispense supplies. Most importantly, principals are expected to function as instructional leaders for their schools.

Among the most influential forces on the schools are professional education organizations
such as the National education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. State politicians pay attention to these organizations because of their power to influence.
Site based decision making: tended to increase teachers power. The key is that most changes needed to occur at the school level.

Parents are their children's first and primary teachers and the only ones who follow a child’s progress from year to year. PTA or PTO serve as a communications link between parents and the formal school organization with teachers usually acting as representatives of the school. Most PTO are comparatively impotent in achieving educational aims. Strategies to improve partnership between parents and teachers are: frequent parent teacher conferences, homework hotlines, email, workshops and volunteer programs.

Business: have been at the forefront of efforts to restructure public education. They have become both the strongest critics and the staunchest advocates for public schools. Business have donated hundreds of millions of dollars to improve elementary and secondary schools. One major effort on the part of business is to influence school reform is the business roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of the leading U.S. corporations. Many Business leaders are convinced that education reform is essential to the health of U.S. economy

Federal government: The U.S. supreme court has played a particularly important role in changing educational policy in the country. Because of its ruling have altered or reduced the power of state and local educational authorities. In the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the U.S. supreme court ruled that the doctrine of “separate but equal” had no place in public education.

Categorical grants: money that must be spent for designated purposes. Stated generally in the legislation and more percisely by the federal agency administering the funds.
Block grants: are sums of money that come with only minimal federal restrictions and are transferred from the federal government to the state governments as a block of money rather than by categories.

The federal government's most significant efforts have sought to address the needs of children from high poverty areas which are at risk for educational failure. The Compensatory education, is an approach to creating more equal educational opportunities for disadvantaged children.

Chapter 10 Reflection

In the year 2020 many things will change. From technology and books and if we went a bit further, the reduction of paper. Also a change that I predict will occur is we will no longer have traditional school desk, making room for computers.

Technology will change our schools completely. In fact, it already has but in the next decade, teachers will use computer programs even more so to teach lessons. Teachers will be using web based programs to post assignments or classroom bulletins. Seeing that this is through the World Wide Web, students will be able access their classroom information from anywhere. The school's curriculum will be more computer based than it is now. Computers today is how students learn and at the rate that technology is being introduced in schools, students will only be using computers with the teacher as the facilitator.
Teachers will be able to post the assignment for the day or week and with each student having a computer, they will be able to have that lesson pop up on their screen giving them the ability to view and perhaps write their own notes which is where the reduction of paper comes into play. Teachers are now asking for powerpoints and other means of presenting and turning in assignments. Some teachers are now preferring to have students email assigned homework to them. With “Word” students are able to write their papers and send it out through email. Paper in this manner will certainly be reduced.
I forecast that there will no longer be the traditional student desks in the classrooms. The classrooms will have computer tables that run the length of the classroom allowing for more room, much like a computer lab but in a regular classroom setting. Each student will be assigned a computer and through it, they will be able to view the lesson as the teacher is presenting it.
One of the biggest changes I see taking place in the future in our schools is textbooks. With the introduction of the Ipad and kyndal, schools will slowly set aside the hard copy textbook and instead give each student access to their class textbook through these devices. Students will be able to take quizzes on the lesson and perhaps their exams, much like we do in online college courses.
Many changes have already occurred in our schools but with technology today making a big impact in our present day, technology is where our educational change will occur in the year 2020.

Chapter 9 Reflection

In reading Chapter 9 I was confused about all the different types of philosophies that the chapter described. As the chapter continued to describe all the different types of philosophies,I began to see how a teacher needs to have a philosophy to guide them. That each falls into a different category and how each is essential in how it affects a students ability to learn. Teachers each have a different philosophy from which they teach by. In taking the Philosophy of Education self inventory, I found that my philosophy of education leans toward Perennialism. It was an eye opener for me to see what I thought my philosophy was, ended up being the opposite. I believe that a student should be pushed to do his or her very best and that lazy work is unacceptable. This type of thinking was described as perennialsim in the chapter.
Some teachers chose to borrow from various philosophies by choosing what looks attractive. This can become a problem in that it show inconsistency and liable to confuse everyone. Therefore it is important that teachers adopt a philosophy from which to teach by.

I concluded that no matter what philosophy is adopted that moral values such as honesty, respect for others, and fairness should be taught in order for students to thrive in schools and in their communities.

Chapter 9 notes

Chapter nine discusses different types of philosophies that teachers use to teach students.
Philosophy as described in the chapter “forms the intellectual underpinning on which the practice of education rests.” Philosophy is divided into several areas that are important to teaching: Metaphysics, epistemology, axiology and logic.

Metaphysics: Involves the attempt to explain the nature of the real world or nature of existence. It tries to answer the question “What is real?” The curriculum explains reality to students and it represents what a community believes is worth knowing.

Epistemology: deals with questions regarding knowledge and knowing. Skeptics, question if we are really able to know what the truth is. Agnostics, are convinced that there are no truths. Epistemology deals not only with nature of truth but with the ways we can know reality. Teachers work to focus on helping students find the most effective  way of coming to know, gaining new knowledge.

Axiology: focuses on the nature of what we value and how we value it. hedonists believe in seeking pleasure an living for the moment. Stoics seedk to be unaffected by pleasure or pain. There are two subtopics for Axiology: Ethics, takes us into the realm of values that relate to good and bad behavior. Aesthetics: deals with the question of values regarding beauty and art. And lastly,Logic: is the branch of philosophy that deals with reasoning.

Four philosophies that are influential in American education: Perennialism, essentialism, romanticism and progressivism.

Perennialism: views truth and human nature as constant, objective and unchanging. In schools particular emphasis is placed on literature and humanities. Perennialists believe that traditional subjects provide greatest insight into the human condition. They believe that education is preparation for life and believe that is should not attempt to imitate life or be lifelike. They believe that a person learns through disciplined study of the great works and ideas of human history

Essentialism: is a uniquely American philosophy of education that began in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Essentialists do not focus as intently on truth as Perennialists do. They are less concerned with the classic as being primary. They search for what will help a person live a productive life today.

Romanticism: is based on writing of Jean Jacques Rousseau. They consider the individual more important than needs of society. The purpose of education is individual self-fulfillment. Education must help the students develop physically, intellectually, socially and morally.

Progressivism: views nature as being in flux, as ever changing. They believe that the place to begin an education is with students rather than the subject matter. They believe the school should be democratic in structure so children can learn to live well in a democracy and become good citizens

Behaviorism: is an educational approach that emerged directly from the pioneering research of B.F. Skinner. Skinner developed a theory called Operant conditioning which viewed learning as as the learner’s response to various stimuli. behaviorist uses clear objectives, establishes a learning environment that provides positive reinforcement, closely monitors and gives feedback on progress.

Eclecticism embodies the idea that truth can be found anywhere and therefore people should select from various doctrines, systems and sources. The eclectic teacher selects what he or she believes to be the most attractive features of several philosophies. Borrowing from different philosophies and determining which one will be most useful.

Teachers have different philosophies in which they use to teach their students. Which ever type of philosophy the teacher adopts they should include philosophies that teach moral values and those that the student can take and use for the choices they will make in the future.

Chapter 8 Reflection

Chapter 8 spoke about the issues that play a big role in a teachers life, ethics and laws.
Ethicis plays a big role in a teachers life. Teachers ethically influence students. The way they treat their students sends a very powerful message. By creating a classroom climate that is safe and that exhibits trust is another form of ethics that teachers should portray Showing and discusing values of respect, honesty and responsibility will influence students in real life events.
Most parents want their children to be taught by some one who upholds good ethical values. A teacher is some one whom the child spends most his or her day. Parents want teachers who will have a positive influence on their children. A teacher who has shows postive ethics will have a great influence on students. Those students will come to remember and appreciate it in the end. Ethics also plays a major role for teachers when it comes down to doing what is right. Speaking up when something is seen as not morally correct. and having the courage or willpower to act.
Teachers are also affected by the laws.  In the case for dismissal. The most commons reasons for dismissal are insubordination, incompetence and conduct unbecoming of a teacher.
Teachers have to be mindful of the laws imposed by their state as well as federal laws.They have to remember that the students also have their individual rights even after they graduate.
Even though some laws continue to change, teachers, for their own protection as well as those of their students should be reminded of what those laws are to protect themselves and those they are teaching.