Both Lewis Black and Mike Rose make a laundry list of the things that education is not of what they wish it was not. Lewis Black delivers his speech at the beginning of the school year when people are focused on the school year ahead and their hopes for that year, while Mike Rose writes his article as a new years resolution. Both men focus on the structure of our educational system and point out the flaws. For instance, our attentions are focused on education for a very small portion of time, yet the effects of schooling are long lasting. We at times spend millions of dollars on one school campus, yet another stands in disrepair. Charter schools seem to be an improvement over the typical public school, yet only a select number of children will be allowed to attend them. We set up all kinds of testing and protocol to measure how schools are doing, yet we don’t ever truly define what we mean by success or achievement. These tests somehow measure how a teacher and a school or doing, without taking in all of the variables. The people whom we have helping to make the decisions for the direction of education are often not even educators. All of these contradictions and more seem to shape how we do education without addressing the heart of what is actually desired: “to have more young people get an engaging and challenging education”.
Very well written! You did some really good comparing and contrasting with these two examples. The fact that many of these people judging test scores, or measuring a teachers value are not even educators really seems wrong to me. Also, to say that one school is more deserving than another for repair and higher standards is un-American. Aren't we all supposed to be allowed the same opportunity, despite income or race? We have seen this vary drastically in many different articles and movies in this class.
ReplyDeleteYou point out some very good facts,like how spending millions on one school yet much more are failing. Test scores are fine, but I agree we do not define what we mean by achievement.
ReplyDeleteI think the millions that are being spent in the school to make them look nice should be to make the classes smaller higher more teachers so the kids can have a little more one on one with there educators
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