Standarized tests

Standardized tests have many flaws and need to be adjusted.  Although they are probably the most cost effective way to assess a school's success, they fail to accomplish that goal.  I think one of the keys changes is to eliminate these tests in elementary schools and maybe middle schools.  I think if the students don't fully understand what the tests mean, they won't fully engage in them.  Many younger students think "Why should I try hard on this, this doesn't affect my grade?"  I think only high school aged students can understand the true meaning of the greater good. Elementary and middle school need to be given alternative ways to assess the students and the schools.  Possibly a more comprehensive assessment involving observing the students and teachers may be a more accurate judgement of how the students are progressing and how the school is performing.

I found the chapter about the asian immigrants being model students very interesting.  While it is most likely not just because these kids are of asian descent, one does wonder why other minority students are not adjusting as well.  Is there something genetically similar between asian-american students that helps them succeed in this culture or maybe the culture they or their descendents came from was more similar to this culture than the cultures that black and latino came from?  This would certainly make the transition easier.  The other thing I thought was interesting was the debate over the similarities between the different asian cultures these kids came from.  Are all asian-americans grouped together because, at least on the critical aspects, similar enough to ignore the miniscule differences or are we all just lazy?  I think it is a third reason.  They are overlooked and grouped because we are still learning about the ins and outs of many asian cultures and don't fully understand those miniscule differences, if they are miniscule at all.  Also, they are still a small proportion of the american population and politics often try to please as many as possible, so focus and research is often directed towards other groups.

Chapter 18 shows the vast inequality that exists in funding public education.  This chapter tells the classic story of the school in the richer community that has everything needed and all the extras that creates successful students and the school down the road that is in a poorer community that doesn't even have books, let alone all the extras of the richer school.  Definitely, students at Groundview immediately start out with a disadvantage that students at Mountainview don't have.  Since school funding is based on the income of the community,  the only thing, besides changing laws, is to encourage the advantaged schools to share their resources with the disadvantaged schools.  Allow the school without the pool to use the pool at the school that has one.  This doesn't solve the problem completely, but at least it gives the students from the poorer schools exposure to these things that they might not know even existed.  This exposure lets students possibly find something they are really interested in that they might not have known about if they weren't exposed to it.

groundview mountainview

The "Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century" article echos an existing sentiment that American kids are growing up much earlier than in the past.  Middle school is a time of many firsts and great change in students, but in recent years these firsts and changes have been occurring earlier in students lives.  This article is a all encompassing call to action the reform the policies of middle schools to adjust for these changes.  Five characteristics associated with being an effective 15-year-old are offered and in my opinion cover the majority of what an effective and healthy person should be.  I think by now it is well known that the middle school experience is much different than it was in the past and changes do need to be made to adjust for these differences.  The one question I have is this:  How to implement these changes?  Do you change the state and national standards to address this problem across the entire nation or do you assess each school individually and develop changes based on each school's need?  I think the latter is the better distribution method.  The types and degrees of changes are going to be unique in each district and, although this is a more costly plan, each district needs a individual plan.

Puberty is definitely one of the major issues of middle school education.  Changes in the human body will override anything else that will go on in the classroom.  When a student has a puberty issue, learning is usually the last thing on their mind.  And nothing will make a class stop more than when a student has a accident.  Diversity in this issue is important to allow every student to go through these changes as semlessly as possible.  As important as puberal diversity is, I think it is a more cultural issue and I don't know the way this issue is dealt with is so diverse that it may upset the classroom learning experience.  Even if it is celebrated by their families, all it may mean is a day or two off of school.  We need to create a secure environment for all students, so they can handle these change or celebrate them in whatever way they wish.

Toward a theory of anti-oppressive education blog

For the most part, I agree with the the solution that researches have developed to make schools helpful spaces for students labelled others.  But I have a little bit of a problem with the second solution to develop helpful spaces within the schools for others to go to for support and help succeding in a world where they are intentionally and unintentionally discriminated against.  The problem I have is, at least I think, not a popular issue, but needs to be, I think, addressed.  That problem is when do these helpful spaces within school help others so much that they actually are given an advantage over students who don't have access to these resources.  I know the idea is to bring others up to a level equal to students not labelled others,  but I believe there has to be a way to check how much change these helpful spaces are creating and there should also be system to check how much, if any, advantage these spaces are giving students allowed to access them over students who aren't allowed to use these resources.  I believe in giving every student an equal opportunity to achieve and I understand this is not the case.  But, should there be a system of checks and measures to see if students who access these spaces ultimately end up with an advantage over students who can't?