i US does less a good job correlating between what you want to do for a career Chapter 12 Education school A What makes American education unique a Very diverse b No federal educational policy unlike other countries i No child left behind c Secondary education is not related to careers and what you learn in class 1 Europe does a good job with this d Drop out rate i Higher in US than in western cultures B History of American school i School was for wealthy liberal arts focus a 1800s b 1890 c 1920s d 1950s e 1950s f 1970s h 1990s i 2000s i Laws about mandatory attendance because of child labor laws to avoid children taking adults jobs i Americanize immigrants i Preparation for work and life well rounded citizen i Sputnik science education i Vietnam civil rights ii g 1980s If they did not pass the class they would have to go to Vietnam i Achievement scores below other countries ii Shifted to a more traditionalist posture again i Back to basics reading writing arithmetic i No child left behind C Trends in U S Education a Traditionalists vs progressives i Traditionalists argue that the purpose of education is to teach the basics English science math history and foreign languages 1 Increase student knowledge and intellectual powers ii Progressive purpose of education is to prepare students for life liberal arts focus teach them about citizenship home family living vocation physical health gratifying use of leisure time and effective personality growth 1 Recognized as individuals 2 Treated in culturally sensitive manner 3 Trained to be capable of participating in the community D Alternative Forms of Education to get students out of schools that are not high quality a Magnet schools i Take a school and build it back up ii Theme schools within public school systems iii Have specific focus in one area b Charter schools i Focus in one area ii Hybrid between public and private iii Free from most district level rules and regulations iv Controversy 1 Get public takes away from public schools c Vouchers d Tech prep schools i Government money that subsidizes private school tuition i Vocational school ii Focus on students not going to college iii Allows students to be career focused on a 2 year associates degree along with their high school diploma e Open enrollment f Home schooling i Can go to any public school in the district ii Parents that value education are going to take advantage of this iii I e want to go to a school that is outside your district that offers a foreign language that your school doesn t you are able to do this iv Will improve public education because of increased competition for students i Originated from Christian conservatives to shield children from immoral ii Some go to school a day so they can still participate in activities clubs iii Do well on standardized tests secular influences 1 Inconclusive E No Child Left Behind Act started to prevent students from failing did not hold kids back even if they were not academically on the same level as the other students About accountability making sure they are getting everything out of education holds them accountable for kids that were not being taught a 4 principles i Schools should be held accountable for the success of their students rewarded punished with success failure ii Local control of the schools should be increased iii Parents students should have expanded options iv Specific teaching methods should be promoted b Test students yearly in grades 3 8 c Back to traditionalism emphasizes achievement in reading other core areas d Passed 2001 e Schools rewarded or punished f g Expanded options h Specific teaching methods promoted i Local control increased because you can do different things to achieve the test scores Issues i Teachers are teaching to the test ii Those weak students incapable of passing and those strong students that will pass under any circumstances are ignored by teachers iii Do not teach history in elementary school anymore because it is not on the FCAT iv Higher quality teachers are in the higher quality schools v Not teaching children to think critically vi Gap has gotten wider from low income children and middle income children F Middle Schools a Junior highs vs middle schools i Junior highs high schools for junior adolescents 1 Structured same way as high schools 2 Not seen to be well suited for special needs of early adolescents so b K 8 and 9 12 is a better model switched to middle school i Smaller number of adolescents in k 8 schools ii Presence of younger children changes interaction patterns between adolescents and teachers c The middle school slump i Larger than grade schools 1 Negative transition because of puberty and low self esteem 2 Adolescents spend less time in the company of friends and more time with relative strangers than children do Little peer continuity between the seven teachers they have 3 ii More impersonal because of more students 1 Feel anonymous more likely to misbehave less engaged 2 Less likely for teachers to develop close relationships with students because now they have 180 students instead of only having 30 iii Less time spent with one teacher 1 1 teacher to 6 or 7 teachers iv Less time spent with close friends 1 Every class has different students G 6 3 3 model a K 5 b 6 8 c 9 12 d 8 4 model i K 8 1 One less transition 2 Teachers act more warm and friendly because there are little kids that are still there 3 Not common H Avoiding problems in middle school a Performance goal structure competition is the focus and getting the highest grade i Less likely to ask for help because they do not want to seem ignorant ii More likely to feel angry and be depressed b Task mastery structure focus on the effort rather than the grade at the end i More likely to value learning and more likely to ask for help from their teachers I Successful Middle Schools a Teachers with special training b Middle schoolers need to feel that their opinions and thoughts are respected c Rigorous relevant curriculum i Relating to what you are learning to real life d Supportive respectful atmosphere e Parental involvement i Parents that are more supportive typically have children that do better in school ii More monitoring Strive to ensure the success of all students f g Be part of the larger civic community i Interaction with businesses and community service centers h Encouraged to develop good health habits J Characteristics of good schools a Size i Smaller is better ii More likely to be involved in
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