Education Problems



Education Problems Lecture Outline

Issues to consider during group discussion:

1. What are some of the main educational inequalities in the US – social class, race & ethnicity, drop outs, funding, re-segregation, in higher ed.? For what purposes did the US ed. system evolve—what were the values and goals, and how did they shift over time? (D&B ch. 7)

2. How is Socio-Economic Status related to Ed. achievement? What are: “Human Capital” (from home) and “Social Capital” (from community)? How are they related to educational achievement? How would intensive preschool help economically disadvantaged children later on? (Traub, rdg. 37 in C& V)

• How is access to (& quality of) early childhood programs in NYC? (Kozol rdg 38 in C&V)

3. How does unequal school funding affect educational opportunities of poor, minority group children? How unequal are school funding and teacher salaries in NYC area? (Kozol, rdg 42) How does this compare with other readings emphasis on importance of unequal school funding – agree-disagree? (Esp. McKinney et al. web rdg. on MD case; & Traub # 37 C&V)

4. What is the average achievement gap between social classes and racial and ethnic groups, and to some extent genders (in math & science)? Which groups are most disadvantaged? (Dolgon & Baker, ch. 7) What are some measures to reduce educational achievement gaps? (McKinney et al. web rdg.)

• What the STARS program & who does it help? What results in Wicomico County?

• How did Fort Wayne, Indiana Schools decrease the Black-White student achievement gap?

• What did Montgomery County do to increase kindergarten reading, and decreased achievement gaps between racial and ethnic groups, and economic classes?

• How did MD. increased ed. spending help low-income, non-native English speakers, & spec. ed. students?

• What are the pros and cons of Montg. Co’s. decision to drop the “gifted” label, and how has that label affected lower income and minority students?

• How did tutoring projects and faculty working with low-income k-12 students on research help low-income, minority and female students (D&B case studies, ch. 7)

5. Higher Education: What are the economic class differences in college drop-out rates, and why (Leonard rdg. 40 C&V)? How much has cost of college increased in recent decades, & how much has student debt increased? How does this limit access to higher ed.? Which groups get the most aid and breaks in college admissions? (Covert et al.web rdg).

6. What are the key elements of the “No Child Left Behind” Law? What are critiques of the law? What are the two world views on education – “reformers” and “anti-reformers”/ fix the social inequalities view & how do views of each relate to educational research? (Ravitch web rdg.)

Lecture & some key Group Disc. points:

Key Issue I suggested you focus on in readings:

Equal Opportunity for Education as an Ideal VS. Unequal Ed. Opportunities in Practice (D&B ch. 7, Kozol rdg. 38 in C&V)

Unequal funding, especially (D&B ch. 7, Kozol rdg. 38 in C&V)

Racial and Ethnic Achievement Gap in education & how to reduce it (tutoring 7 mentoriing programs, intensive Preschool, all-day kindergarten, teacher-student relationships, etc. (D&B, ch. 7; McKinney et al web rdg.; Traub #37 in C&V)

Teacher Expectations key role in Ed. (eg., see McKinney et al reading, esp. Fletcher part)

Tracking / Labeling of kids abilities (D&B ch.7) affects teacher expectations.

Self-fulfilling prophesy -- kids internalize labels (D&B ch. 7)

School Funding Inequalities – NYC, Texas cases / examples, (Kozol rdg. 38 in C&V, D&B ch. 7)

Affects quality of ed. and Ed. Opportunities…

MD example of increasing spending helping stu. performance (McKinney et al web rdg..)

Sources for School funding (Local, State, and fed. portion of funds)

Link between student’s family Socio-Economic Status (SES) and Ed. Performance (D&B ch. 7; Traub rdg. 37 in C&V)

& role of many other outside the classroom issues that affect students’ education -- in families and communities (poverty, family troubles, unsupportive social networks, etc.) (Ravitch wed rdg. and Kozol rdg. 38 in C&V)

Social Relationships, esp. Teacher-Student Relationship & Teacher Expectations relationship to Student performance, esp. in Fort Wayne, Indiana public school(McKinney et al web rdg., esp. Fletcher part)

Key factors outside classroom that affect student performance (& closely associated with social class/ SES)

Human Capital & Social Capital (Traub rdg. 37 in C&V)

Defined each and noted that development of both by family and community is necessary for students to succeed; schools can’t do all this....

Higher Ed.-- Increasing costs. (Covert et al. web rdg.) & Dopping Higher Ed. level for younger adults compared to older adults

College drop problem, SES class differences in this, & reasons for it (Leonardt rdg. 40 in C&V)?

STARS afterschool program to lessen achievement gaps for low-income students, & results of it(McKinney et al. web rdg.)

Key role of tutoring and mentoring programs to improve student achievement (D&B Ch 7 case studies)

Montgomery county all-day kindergarten (McKinney et al web rdg.) – what they did to successfully to reduce achievement gaps (Race and ethnic, as well as Socla Class/income), but this program costs money…

How did MD. increased ed. spending help student performance and why (McKinney et al web rdg.)?

2 competing views on importance of Ed. Funding in affecting student achievement:

1. School Finding inequalities are a big problem, limiting student opportunities (D&B ch. 7, Kozol rdg. 38 in C&V, McKinney et al. web rdg.)

2. School funding is not the big problem, other issues are more important (Traub rdg. 37 in C&V, Ravitch web rdg. part on “school reformers)

What are the two world views on education – “reformers” view Versus “anti-reformers”/ fix the social inequalities view, & how do views of each relate to educational research? (Ravitch web rdg.)

Other things to know but not discussed in class, or not much:

Key role of intensive early childhood education to do that & reducing achievement gaps between low income minority group members and others. (Traub rdg. 37 in C&V, Kozol rdg. 38 in C&V touches on this some as well)

What are some of the main educational inequalities in the US – social class, race & ethnicity, drop outs, funding, re-segregation, in higher ed.? (D&B ch. 7)

One is Desegregation of schools in 1960s and then later “white flight” out of cities, fleeing desegregation, leave schools with problems and poverty and more recently re-segregation… (D&B, ch. 7)

Unqualified students getting in to college & the aid they receive, and the class and race/ethnicity patterns there (Covert et al. web rdg)

Key elements of the “No Child Left Behind” Law? Critiques / problems of the law & how it has been implemented (Ravitch web rdg.; D&B ch. 7

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