My Educational Experiences

REFERENCES

1. http://www.act.org/aap/
2. http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=93
3. http://www.worthingtonlacrosse.org/index.php?p=custom1
4. http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/risk.html
5. http://www.cityacademy.org/
6. http://4hcampohio.osu.edu/
7. http://amp.osu.edu/at/
8. http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/no-child-left-behind/
9. http://www.eku.edu/
10. http://www.magnificaths.org/

Charter School Conversion

Last week I read an article on http://www.cleveland.com/ about Mayor Jackson and his support of the conversion of some Cleveland public schools to charter schools. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/07/post_485.html  I have been thinking about this all weekend and I think I really like this idea.  After I first read the article I wasn't so sure about the idea but after thinking all weekend about it the idea has grown on me.  Although it may seem drastic, the situation is Cleveland public schools is absolutley horrible.  Why not try something drastic?  Why not try something new because the old way of doing things is not effective.  The ulimate goal in my mind is to provide the best education to everyone and if converting public schools into charter schools can accomplish that, then I say do it.  Changes would not come until after the upcoming school year, but I am curious to see how this story unfolds.     

No Child Left Behind

When I read about No Child Left Behind, I have visions of the Common School.  Talking about "creating a common culture, providing equal oppourtunity in the labor market, ensuring that all students would have equal educational oppourtunity..."(Spring 446).
I can not help but wonder have we made any progress in the field of education or are we just going in circles? 
It makes me very uneasy when we talk about treating everyone the same, when every student is not the same.  Or when we talk about "promoting a national culture" (Spring 455).  To me I flashback to the Anglo Americans and how it had to be done their way and their culture was the one being promoted.  I had a hard time reading this chapter because I can see change, but for as much time that has passed I would have thought our educational system would be much better than what it is today. 

Spring, Joel H. (2011) The American School : a global context from the puritans to the Obama era. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.