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20 comments:
Kim Warga
Dr. K. King
MHP Foundations of Education
April 8, 2008
Critical Reflection #3
Teacher Student Relationships: Teachers as Surrogate Family Members
There are many prominent issues being brought up concerning the US education system. One that sticks out in particular is the student-teacher relationship and how close is too close? Many question whether or not it is morally suitable for a child to be close to his or her teacher and vice versa. The idea of a student-teacher relationship continues to receive a lot of controversy because of the select number of professionals whom violate the teacher-student relationship with their students and become romantically involved with them. As a future teacher, I feel for the morally sound professionals in our line of work. In my opinion, teachers need to form this special bond with their students because it may help students respond and understand the importance of an education. These “supportive and caring relationships within schools promote academic motivation among adolescents” and “can enable students to become more interactive in and out of the classroom” (Askew, 2007). Teachers have an enormous impact on the development of a child.
One high school in Washington administered a special teacher-student program and researched the results. Clover Park High School felt the need to do something about the declining graduation rates among seniors. After receiving a heavy donation from The Bill Gates family, the school completely restructured its usual teaching methods and placed students in small groups with one leading teacher. This approach forms a special camaraderie with the students and their teacher. It allows a student and his or her teacher to completely get to know each other. Knowing another person well can help build a sense of trust and can give a student more of a willingness and desire to learn. Clover Park High School “found success by turning teachers into surrogate family members” (Karlinsky, 2008). The principal, John Seaton explained that, “you’ve got a relationship that is so tight with those kids that they’re willing to share life with you, so you can become part of the solution to their problems” (Karlinsky, 2008). This program has helped increase graduation rates from 39% just a few years ago to 70% today.
Another article written entitled, “School Connectedness – Strengthening Health and Education Outcomes for Teenagers,” supports my view point on this teacher student camaraderie finding that, “receiving empathy, praise and attention from teachers creates a sense of belonging and increases engagement and academic motivation” (Blum & Libbey, 2004). I believe that while parents play an intricate role rearing the student’s mind and morals, the majority of a student’s time is spent with the teachers telling them that they can or can’t overcome their obstacles (Askew, 2007). Perhaps this type of relationship would severely help increase classroom attendance in urban schools. In places with less parent involvement and more struggles to live, a teacher can motivate his or her students and inspire them to stay in school to better their situations.
Numerous sexual allegations have been turning up in school systems between teachers and students throughout the past decade. This has brought about a view opposing the close bond between teachers and students. This policy known as “Zero Tolerance” has separated teacher student connectedness making it harder for teachers to positively influence their students. Teachers now have to watch their every move to make sure they are not violating their student’s space and rights when in the classroom. Teachers are currently urged to maintain their space, avoid being alone, and not engage in socializing or become friends with their students (PSEA, 2007). This is such a shame because now students lack the ability to get to know their teachers. I feel without this relationship, students see teachers only serving as a daunting, disciplinary leader. Teachers are at risk of facing severe allegations which can ruin their careers, because many people question the teacher-student relationship asking how close is too close? After reading articles about close relationships between teachers and students in urban schools, I wonder if more teacher student violation allegations arise in more affluent areas due to increased parental involvement. This would be appalling.
I believe teachers need to form a close bond with students without going overboard. Students need to be motivated, especially when they face various struggles in their lives. From past research and theoretical papers, many feel that these special bonds increase student motivation, academic success, decrease drop out rates and increase graduation rates. I feel that until our government changes its stance on these teacher student relationships, our education system will continue to decline in its effectiveness. What exactly is so wrong about caring for your students as a parents care for their own children? In my eyes, a teacher is like a second parent that helps guide and motivate their students to venture on a path to success.
Blum R. & Libbey, H (2004). School connectedness: Strengthening health and education outcomes for teenagers. Journal of School Health. 74(7), pg 1-76.
Retrieved on April 8, 2008, from ERIC Research Database.
Askew, L. (2007). Teacher-student bonds. USF Collaborative for Children, Families & Communities. Retrieved on April 8, 2008, from http://www.usfcollab.fmhi.usf.edu/researchdetails.cfm?researchID=112.
Karlinsky, N. (April 1, 2008). Inside the high school makes teachers become family.
Retrieved on April 8, 2008, from http://www.ABCnews.com.
Pennsylvania State of Education Association. Staying out of trouble: Part II of teacher student relationships. Retrieved on April 8, 2008, from http://www.heyteach.org/ht_trouble_pt2.cfm.
Lauren Mundy
4/7/08
Critical Reflection and Response 3
Progress in Special Education
I definately believe that the United States has made sufficient progress in special education. Walking around the New York City schools, I see many mainstream classrooms with both general education teachers and special education teachers. Students are also provided with services in speech and reading. Although these services were provided during my childhood school days, I have seen an increase with the services provided by the schools. Special education is an area that I have interest in and it is important to take into account the progress special education has made.
Improvements in special education started in 1975 with the passing of the Education for all Children Act (United States Department of Education, 2007, 1). This law supported all “states and localities in protecting the rights of, meeting the individual needs of, and improving the results for infants, toddlers, children and youths with disabilities and their families” (United States Department of Education, 2007, 1). The laws name later changed later to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (United States Department of Education, 2007). This act was a dramatic improvement in the special education field. Before the acts passing, children with special needs were denied the right to a proper education. In 1970, “one out of every five children with disabilities were given access to an education (United States Department of Education, 2007, 1). Five years later every child with disabilities would have this right.
Today, because of the passing of IDEA, over 200,000 infants and toddlers receive early intervention and services (United States Department of Education, 2007). Many of these services are very convenient for the family and can come right to the child’s house. There are also 6.5 million children in the United States that are provided with special education services in order to improve their education (United States Department of Education, 2007). Thus, this shows the progress in special education that has occurred over the pas thirty years.
In 2004, President Bush “reauthorized” IDEA, Bush included goals that students with learning disabilities must achieve in order to make “adequate yearly progress” (United States Department of Education, 2007, 1). This is part of the No Child Left Behind Act. IDEA and the No Child Left Behind Act have “removed the final barrier that separates special education for general education” (United States Department of Education, 2007, 1). The one downside of this law is that it can put increased stress on both the teacher and student. However, the positives outweigh the negatives. There are also many special education children that have become more mainstreamed in the classroom. Usually, when this occurs the classroom has both a general education and special education teacher. Unlike years ago, where special education and children with disabilities were ignored, today these areas have become central to within the school (United States Department of Education, 2007). In order for the school to be a success, it is essential that the special education program is successful.
The improvements within the special education program have been proven through many studies. More students with special needs have graduated high school and there has been an increase with special needs children having paying jobs (United States Department of Education, 2007). Thus, this all goes back to the improvements within the special education program. With early intervention and special education programs and services provided to children with special education, has enabled for the success of these children in the real word.
Reference List
United States Department of Education (2007). Thirty Years of Progress in Educating
Children with Disabilities through IDEA. Retrieved April 7, 2008, from
http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/history30.
Caryn Berman
In the last few decades, there have been numerous positive and progressive developments made in the United States’ public education system. It’s as diverse as ever and multicultural acceptance and education is growing in popularity. Also, advancements in technology have helped educators to better reach out to their students and expand the learning process. Unfortunately, another aspect that has intensified in the U.S. schools is the issue of violence. It also seems to have grown in popularity; taking the forms of bullying, hazing, gun/weapon violence, and threats. More schools are attempting to take control of the situation through methods such as security guards, metal detectors, or even mandatory school uniforms. Whether or not any of these techniques make a difference in promoting school safety is currently a hot debate. Although, I think another method that is not often used to prevent violence in the schools has to deal with in-class management and strategies.
I think that many of the security measures schools try to use, while meant to keep students safe, tend to produce a more threatening environment than a safe one. School safety needs to be promoted in other ways and inside the classroom is the best place to start. First of all, in terms of classroom management, teachers can promote healthy conflict resolution through peer mediation. In this strategy (closely related to conflict resolution approaches), students receive training in things such as social skills, bias awareness, and empathy development. The aim is to help students develop certain social perspectives (Johnson, 2008, p.342) and learn to recognize and solve problems in constructive ways.
The article, “Making Students Part of the Safe Schools Solution” also advocates for some in class methods to fight school violence. Looking at students as self-directed community builders, as participating citizens, and as resilient learners, the author claims that participation in safe schools’ initiatives can lead to long term benefits and can foster healthy interpersonal relationships (Hill, 1996). In this method, schools can form teams of students as a type of “task force” that reviews safety policies. Other schools have had students analyze other students’ complaints and keep track of occurrences of violence and intimidation (Hill, 1996). Students can also propose changes in school guidelines that can ban certain things that have a tendency to be stolen. When school administrators give students responsibility and respect their suggestions, it builds students confidence, motivating them to work harder towards their goals.
Such student run programs build a strong community of learners. Involving students in rules and regulations enhances their relationships with others and teaches them valuable practices such as problem solving and action planning (Hill, 1996). In addition to students, faculty needs to be trained in promoting school safety. Almost all adults could use some practice in properly solving conflicts and in effective mediation. When we work towards taking the violence out of the schools in a non-threatening way, students have less distractions; allowing them to better focus on academics (Hill, 1996). Sometimes I think that in trying to make our schools safer with many large security guards and metal detectors; we distract the students even more. Students may not feel as though the safety is done for them, but because of them. Administrators need to let students know that they are working to keep them safe so students don’t feel threatened. That’s why working against school violence in the classroom and giving students leadership will not only help to foster a better learning community and stronger conflict techniques, but could reduce the amount of violent acts as well.
Hill, M. S. (1996, April). Making students part of the safe schools solution. National Association of Secondary School Principals. NASSP Bulletin, 80(579), 24. Retrieved April 7, 2008, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 9579160).
Lauren Buerkle UEGE 5102 Critical Reaction Project #3 4.10.08
Special Education and Minorities
In recent years the overrepresentation of minority children in special education programs in Connecticut has been astounding. In Norwalk, CT during the 2004-2005 school year, black students made up more than 36 percent of the students in special education, while they made up only 25 percent of the entire student body. In the same year, in Windham, CT Hispanic students made up 64 percent of the students in special education programs, but they made up 58 percent of the student body (Salzman, 2005). The statistics reported in other areas of the state were even more alarming. In Hartford, “Hispanics were more than four times as likely as whites to be identified as having a learning disability” (Salzman, 2005). In West Hartford, it was five times more likely for a black student to be labeled as having an emotional disturbance than a white student (Salzman, 2005). In Connecticut as a whole, blacks and Hispanics were eighteen percent more likely than white students to be placed in special education (Salzman, 2005).
There are many reasons why this discrepancy exists. The article points out that it is up to the teachers, social workers, and psychologists to make the decision about whether or not a student is placed into special education services. Along with the intellectual abilities test that each student must take, there are many opportunities for bias in the decision-making process. One important example that the author states is that “educators…can misinterpret cultural cues as evidence of an emotional or intellectual disability” (Salzman, 2005). Many of the tests that students take have been culturally biased. Another issue that results in the overrepresentation of minorities in special education programs is the overcrowding of schools. Many educators who are “burdened” with overcrowded classrooms, often don’t intervene early enough to deal with the problems that many minority students face.
In 2002 a federal class action law suit was filed against Connecticut’s State Board of Education by five families of mentally handicapped students. This law suit forced the state to put more effort into diagnosing certain disabilities in their students. Since the lawsuit, however, progress has been slow-moving. In the past four years “the state has held summits on racial disproportions in special education, inviting state and national experts to talk about methods of reducing the disproportions” (Salzman, 2005). The summit has included about 30 school districts, teachers, legislators, and the family members of students. The goal is improvement. The schools who continue to place too many minority children in special education classes are visited by “monitors” who examine, for a week, the special education placement process in that school. If the disparities continue then the school district is sanctioned. They must spend 15 percent of the money that they receive for special education services on early-intervention programs (Salzman, 2005).
It’s frustrating to hear stories like this. There are so many issues rolled into one major issue. I think that the major problems are that educators are too overwhelmed with overcrowded schools, and they don’t want to spend the time or effort on becoming more familiar with many of the backgrounds and cultures of these minority students. While this may not solve the entire problem, I think that if teachers and other educators were more aware of other cultures they would be able to cut down on the amount of students they place in special education programs. This in itself spawns many other issues. The students who get wrongfully placed into special education programs become stigmatized and looked down upon. This makes a student self-conscious and reserved which with just perpetuate the problem. While it seems that this problem is no longer being overlooked, there is still a long way to go before the problem is solved.
Works Cited
Salzman, A. (2005, November 20). Special education and minorities. New York Times. Retrieved April 7, 2008, from ProQuest Newspapers database.
Critical reflection#3: Understanding and helping GLBT students at risk
By now, we are all fully aware of and familiar with racism, and its effects on the learning environment. A lot has been done on this topic, even at Federal and State level, although a lot more needs to be done as a society to completely eradicate it. In today’s society almost everyone knows and understands how wrong it is to discriminate someone for his/her religion or race, but it is a much sensitive, at times uncomfortable, topic to talk about someone’s sexual orientation. Very often, religious beliefs are at the core of the reasons why people feel uncomfortable about sexuality; many religions see homosexuality as a deviance, something that is punished by God. This is what creates most of the discrimination and intolerance in the society. Frequently, homosexuality has been referred to as a sexual deviance, as a psychological illness, something to cure. In fact, lately there has been a resurgence of “reparative therapy” and “transformation ministry” promoted from ultra-conservative religious groups; they state that homosexuals can be “converted” or cured of their tendencies through aversion therapy, behavior modification and prayer: “These approaches contradict science and research; have no support among health or mental health professional organizations; and have the potential to do serious harm to LGBT students” (Ford, 2003).
The issues that the GLBT student population faces, both in school and outside, are: physical, verbal and sexual abuse in school, discrimination, stigmatization and isolation, which lead to their possibly abusing drugs, alcohol; to engage in high-risk behaviors, to be depressed and to be at higher risk, of their heterosexual counterpart, of suicidal behavior. GLBT students claim they skip school at times in order to avoid being harassed, which leads to a higher drop-out rate which consequently leads to a lower earning-potential (Center for Policy Alternatives, 2007). A lot of GLBT youngsters feel torn between their view of themselves, their feelings and their fear of coming out to their family and friends; they need a safe haven where to feel free to express these feelings without the fear of feeling judged, school should be such a place. Unfortunately it looks like very often this is not the case: “More than 68% of LGBT students reported feeling unsafe in school because of their sexual orientation (GLSEN, 2001)”. Schools should be a safe place for every students, not just LGBT students, in fact the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states that all students are entitled to equal protection under the law.
In order to create a more understanding and accepting society, we need to teach our children not to discriminate and to be tolerant of all people. Children tend to tease anyone who is different from them, in fact bullying has become a national epidemic that is being taken head on in most school district. Unfortunately studies show us that school’s administration and staff do not do enough, or at time nothing at all, to prevent discrimination and violence against its LGBT population. “A study conducted by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Educator Network (GLSEN) examined 42 of the largest school districts in the country and found that almost half received a failing grade when it came to creating a positive climate for sexual minority students” (GLSEN, 1999); which means that school principals, teachers and other school staff do not make it a priority to enforce anti-harassment and zero-tolerance policies in the school, they do not provide support network for sexual minority students. All this has a nefarious effect on the GLBT population, not only they are physically, verbally and sexually abused by their fellow students, but also, according to another GLSEN’s survey “GLBT students unable to identify supportive teachers or staff were more than twice as likely to discontinue their education after secondary school; 24% of GLBT students with no supportive faculty or staff said they did not intend to go to college. Only 10% of GLBT students who did report having one or more supportive faculty staff said they would not go to college” (GLSEN, 2003). As future teachers we need to make sure we show our students that it is not OK to bully someone for any reason; we need to set an example on how to behave, we need to stop any incidents in which negative remarks, name-calling etc are used in order for other students to know that it is not an acceptable behavior, so if they will ever find in a similar situation they will know how to behave. Setting an example, making sure students know that we are available, that we will listen and help them as much as we can will hopefully be the beginning of a very important change in our society.
References:
Center for policy alternatives. (n.d.). Safe schools. Retrieved April 6, 2008, from
http://www.stateaction.org/issues/issue.cfm/issue/SafeSchools.xml
Curtis, C. (2003, November 18). Report: U.S. law neglect LGBT students. Gay.com.
Retrieved April 6, 2008, from
http://shopping.gay.com/news/article.html?2003/11/18/4
Hunter, D. (n.d.). Under attack: Emotional abuse and violence against GLBT youth in
America’s homes and public schools. Retrieved April 6, 2008 from http://www.counselingoutfitters.com/Hunter2.htm
No Longer alone. (April 2008). A resource manual for rural sexual minority youth and
the adults who serve them. Retrieved April 6, 2008 from
http://www.nyacyouth.org/docs/ruralyouth/introduction/index.php
Weiler, E. (December 2003). Making school safe for sexual minority students. Principal
Leadership Magazine, 4(4). Retrieved April 6, 2008 from
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/principals/nassp_glbqt.aspx
Lori Kanarek 4/8/08
Critical Reflection #3-
Virtual Schools in K-12 Learning
Virtual schools are one of the fastest-growing trends in education, but I must start off this paper by saying that I never knew virtual schools existed for k-12 (Clark & Berge, 2005). A virtual school can refer to anything from taking an occasional specialized class online by a traditional student, to an all day school that takes the place of conventional home schooling. I have heard of people taking on-line courses in college, and even for extra-curricular activities in high school, but I had no idea that some students received their k-12 education solely through an on-line curricula. I guess the virtual school is the natural evolution from using technology in the classroom, but there is much controversy surrounding it.
Reading through many articles on virtual schools, I learned that there are many benefits. One of the greatest objectives is that students have access to an expanded curriculum, and the virtual schools make accessible courses that students would otherwise not be able to take (Clark & Berge, 2005). Another major advantage of virtual schools is that it can extend equitable access to high quality education to students from high-need urban and rural schools, low achieving students, and students with special needs (Clark & Berge, 2005). The on-line courses can allow students to select their own pace so methods and interaction can be customized to meet the learner’s needs (Paget & Rombeck, 2007). Many parents chose to enroll their children in virtual schools because they were dissatisfied with the public schools; expansion of educational choice was a key benefit of this option (Clark & Berge, 2005).
A virtual school, even though it may have its benefits, is very controversial. I personally would worry that the lack of face-to-face interaction would negatively affect the children. I think one of the biggest disadvantages of virtual schools is the lack of classroom-based socialization. Vygotsky developed a social development theory suggesting that social interaction among children plays a major role in cognitive development (Johnson, pg 284). For these children who are enrolled in virtual schools, they will not get the chance to learn from their peers, and learn about their peers different cultures and backgrounds. Also, there may be difficulty in providing good oversight. Many critics question how the virtual schools can assure children will get the hours of instruction required by state law (Rado, 2006). Another problem with this type of education is that the parent essentially becomes the teacher, but they are not qualified to take on that role.
Overall, I think that virtual schools are great if they act as a supplement to a traditional education, but they should never take the place of flesh and blood teachers and peers. Especially at young ages such as pre-school and kindergarten, peer socialization is extremely important. For those parents who choose to keep their children home rather then sending them to school because they want their children to understand the family’s religious and moral values, I think these parents are doing their children an injustice. These parents can spend all the time they want after school educating their children on personal beliefs, but during the day these children should be allowed to learn from their peers and experience life. A huge part of k-12 education comes from children being in a classroom, interacting with other students, and learning to think independently from their parents. I don’t think a computer should ever take the place of face-to-face communication.
References
Johnson, J. A., Musial, D, Hall, G. E., Gollnick, D. M., & Dupuis, V. L. (2005).
Foundations of American Education. 14th Ed. Boston: Pearson Education.
Clark, Tom., Berge, Zane. (2005). Virtual Schools and eLearning: Planning for Success. Paper presented at the 19th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and
Learning. Retrieved April 8, 2008, from http:/www/uwex.edu/disted/conference/
Rado, Diane. (2006, July 13). Virtual school may open in Illinois. Chicago Tribune.
Retrieved April 8, 2008, from
http://www.studentsfirst.us/news/contentview.asp?c=181650
Paget, Mindie., Rombeck, Terry. (2007, May 13). Virtual school, Internet offer resources
to parents. LJWorld.com. Retrieved April 8, 2008, from
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/may/13/virtual_school_internet_offer_resources_parents/?print
Critical Reflection and Reaction Project 1
Running head: CRITICAL REFLECTION PROJECT 3
Critical Reflection and Reaction Project 3
Hot Topic: Should anti-plagiarism software be used in schools?
Marijana Ljutic
Fordham University
April 6, 2008
Critical Reflection and Reaction Project 2
Educators stress to students the importance of citing material that is not one’s
own. Many teachers make the assumption that their students understand the definition of
plagiarism and know how to properly cite sources. The definition of the verb plagiarize
according to the Oxford American Dictionary is, “to take and use (another person’s ideas
or writings or invention) as one’s own” (Ehrlich, Flexner, Carruth and Hawkins, 1980, p.
681).This is a reoccurring issue, which follows students throughout their academic
careers. For example, college professors often have to explain and clarify students
concerns about citing sources. Technology has provided more outside resources for
students to use academically, but also has provided even more confusion on how to
properly cite online sources.
Plagiarism has always been an issue, which relates to academic integrity. Should
an educator trust their students to turn in their own work or be constantly checking the
integrity of the work through the use of anti-plagiarism software? -Educator’s s should
set a class session aside in the beginning of every academic year and teach students about
plagiarism and how to avoid it through the use of citing ones sources. Handing students
out a style guide sheet with proper citations would help teachers and students avoid the
problem of plagiarism. Students will no longer have the excuse that they were not taught
how to properly cite by the teacher because the information would have been explained
and provided to them in class. If the educator has taken the steps to ensure that his/her
students understand the severity of plagiarism and have been taught how to properly cite
sources then there would be no need for anti-plagiarism software to be used in schools.
Using anti-plagiarism software blatantly tells students that the integrity of their
Critical Reflection and Reaction Project 3
work cannot be trusted and needs to be double checked. Most teachers are familiar with
the quality of work that their students produce. In most cases teachers are able to detect if
their student is not using their own words to convey a message. Some educators see no
issue with using anti-plagiarism software to ensure that students are honest in their work.
There will always be students who are dishonest with their work and the anti-plagiarism
software makes it more efficient and effective to pin point those students out to teachers.
This issue is controversial and the implications for using anti-plagiarism software in
schools is complicated.
In the article “Anti plagiarism Software takes On the Honor Code” by Paula
Wasley discusses the issue of using anti-plagiarism software. Wasley states:
“Other colleges with "modified honor codes," jointly administered by faculty and students, often emphasize a system of "relative responsibilities": Students are responsible for honesty, and faculty members are obliged to ensure everyone plays fair. In that context, says Mr. Dodd, using the software as a check can be “seen as perfectly sensible and reasonable” (Wasley, 2008, p. 1).
Anti-plagiarism software such as turn it in.com are commonly used in middle schools,
high schools and colleges across the nation in order to detect dishonesty in students work.
The software programs are effective and thorough in pin pointing segments of the
students work which are not their own. Computers have made cheating easier for
students because there are online sites in which students can purchase a paper for a price.
Anti-plagiarism software would be able to easily detect if an entire paper were
plagiarized and from what source was the material taken from. There are benefits for
schools using anti-plagiarism software for example, to not unknowingly assume that
students are handing in honest work when it is plagiarized or even purchased. Using the
Critical Reflection and Reaction Project 4
software also keeps students on their guard about making sure that they properly cite all
sources used in their work. The flip side of this is that using anti-plagiarism software
blatantly tells students that the integrity of their work cannot be trusted and needs to be
double checked.
It is a contradiction for schools to hold students to an honor code system but yet
not expect them to follow it by checking their work for cheating. An honor code system
is suppose to enforce integrity and value that students and teachers have of each other and
their work. Plagiarism is a widespread problem that does not affect solely students but
professionals as well. Politicians, journalists, authors and other professionals have been
found guilty and accused of plagiarism in their work. This is a serious issue that needs to
be addressed but policing plagiarism through the use of software but rather educating
people on how to avoid it. Many cases of plagiarism are a result of ignorance of how to
properly cite material that is being used or a laziness of not doing the work, which is
involved for the task/assignment. Students who are found to plagiarize in many cases
procrastinate to do the assignment and it makes plagiarism more appealing because the
amount of work at that point seems unmanageable in the students mind. Instead of asking
the teacher for an extension or managing their time more wisely the student plagiarizes.
In that case the student should have to face the consequences for plagiarizing especially if
no attempt was made by the student to cite the sources that he/she used.
Turn it in .com is only one cite that is used to detect plagiarism but the article
“New Software Helps Expose Plagiarism” explain another cite that can be used for
plagiarism detection. The article states that the program, “Plagiarism-Finder highlights
Critical Reflection and Reaction Project 5
suspect passages and includes links to matching Web pages. A detailed report gives the
user a comprehensive source list and the percentage of text copied from each source, as
well as the document's overall percentage of copied text. If the program shows a large
number of concurrent sources, plagiarism is likely” (Anonymous, 2004, pg.1). Many
articles display a supportive stance that anti-plagiarism software should be used in
schools but one cannot help to question: “Should a student’s academic integrity be trusted
or is academic integrity an unrealistic standard?”
Critical Reflection and Reaction Project 6
Works Cited
Anonymous. NEW SOFTWARE HELPS EXPOSE PLAGIARISM. (2004, October).
Principal Leadership, 5(2), 56. Retrieved April 6, 2008, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 709645651).
http://proquest.umi.com.avoserv.library.fordham.edu/pqdweb?index=5&did=709645651&SrchMode=1&sid=7&Fmt=4&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1207520176&clientId=9148
Ehrlich, Eugene, Flexner, Stuart Berg, Carruth, Gorton and Joyce M. Hawkins (1980).
Oxford American Dictionary. Heald Colleges Edition. Avon Books, Inc. Oxford
University Press, Inc. pg. 681.
Wasley, Paul (2008, February). Anti plagiarism Software takes On the Honor
Code. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 54(25), A12. Retrieved April 6, 2008, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1444297881).
http://proquest.umi.com.avoserv.library.fordham.edu/pqdweb?index=1&did=1444297881&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1207511327&clientId=9148
Sarah Connell
April 8, 2008
UEGE5102
School Board Controversies
In a time of confusing school politics, school board controversies continue to erupt due to disagreements within varying echelons of the public school community. While countless examples might be used to illustrate this weakening within what is meant to be an efficient school system, I have chosen to first analyze an incident which took place in one of my local Massachusetts school districts.
This particular incident involves Quabbin Regional High School’s rehiring policies of their varsity athletics coaching staff. During this controversial incident, a successful teacher and coach named Evan Barringer was discouraged from reapplying for his coaching position when a disgruntled parent called in a favor with a personal acquaintance and member of the school board. This school board member proceeded to write a twelve page letter to the superintendent requesting that Barringer not be rehired. The incident stemmed from a prospective female basketball player who was cut from the varsity squad. Despite the recommendation of the Athletic director, Ted Gamula, that Barringer be rehired, the superintendent (who had never seen him coach and had only spent one year in the district) chose not to renew his contract. Although Barringer maintained the support of his girl’s basketball squad, the personal interest of a school board member (not related to the incident) took precedent in this situation. Further more, a local teacher, Gene Rich, reported that he had received a request that he apply for the coaching position and was told, “We are going to get Barringer” (Wilson, 2007). Barringer’s response to the situation is as follows, “What if two parents don’t like a teacher — get a school committee member on board and then the school committee member writes a 12-page manifesto against that teacher? Is that going to cost the teacher their job?” (Wilson, 2007).
Certainly, this is not the first time that school politics have compromised the employment of a worthy coach or teacher within a school system. Barringer is only one example of the emerging school board controversies which spring from a hiring system that allows for the personal judgment of an individual. The superintendent alleged that coaching positions were annual titles and opted to post the job externally where as Quabbin has traditionally posted such positions internally. Barringer’s release from coaching is the result of a poor distribution of power combined with the elevation of personal interests of school board members as opposed to the interests of an entire school community.
Unfortunately, Barringer’s fears came to fruition during another incident at an elite high school of New York, Horace Mann, when the personal interests of a school board became a particularly difficult obstacle when members’ own children (Horace Mann students) came under scrutiny. This incident at Horace Mann, stemmed from inappropriate comments made about a teacher, Danielle McGuire, on student Facebook pages. Following McGuire’s call for consequences, the school board opted not to renew her contract because they claimed she had broken Facebook’s terms of agreement in using a pseudonym to view the posts of her online critics. McGuire says, “The issue of privacy was misapplied totally” (Sherman, 2008, p. 108). Despite the support of many students who praised McGuire as a great educator, she was not rehired by Horace Mann. McGuire speaks about the incident as follows, “It was so clearly about the culture of money and power and lack of willingness to really take a firm stand over what was right and wrong” (Sherman, 2008, p. 108). Once again, the personal ties forged between school officials and parents (at times, even referring to school officials who are parents of students within the school community) results in school board controversies due to biased decision making which will not elevate the school community as a whole.
In the case of both Barringer and McGuire’s unfortunate terminations, the root of unjust actions can be found within the presence of personal issues amongst school board members. While personal ties to one’s community seem to be an inevitable reality within such organizations, extent of corruption which ensued seems unfathomable. At what point should a teenager’s tears about exclusion from the basketball team cause an innocent man to loose his job? When is it appropriate for a teacher to be fired for monitoring a public website on which she is the topic of discussion? Most logical people would agree that neither of these incidents can be rightly justified. Both decisions are the result of personal vendettas, which were taken a step too far.
References
Sherman, G. (2008, April 7). Testing Horace Mann. New York Magazine, 22-108.
Wilson, J. (2007, October 23). Quabbin's move miffs hoop coach. Worcester Telegram and Gazette.
John Cortez
Information Literacy Skills: Developing Critical Thinking for the Modern World
The process of writing a research paper is not the same today as it was fifty years ago. This is due to the multitude of technological advances that have been made during this time span. Technology, of course, has affected how the final product is presented and stored—we have moved from typewriters and slide projectors to digital word processors and computerized presentations—but it has had perhaps an even greater impact on the gathering of information. With computers, digital media, and the Internet have come new and more accessible sources of information: digital text, online venues like blogs for communication, and audio and visual resources such as podcasts and video streaming, to name a few. This influx of information has necessitated an understanding of how to handle it, which is where a focus on information literacy has become of great importance for educators and learners alike. Rockman (2004) defines information literacy as "a set of abilities that allow a person to recognize when information is needed and to effectively and efficiently act on that need" (p. 1). That is, being information literate involves knowing when a certain type information is needed and how best to retrieve it and use it.
It is imperative for today's educators to cultivate information literacy skills in students in order for them to become lifelong, self-regulated learners (Rockman, 2004, p. 2). This is because these skills themselves serve to foster skills of critical thinking. Students must learn to discern what information is valuable and trustworthy in an environment with "too much information, . . . not all of equal value" (Rockman, 2004, p. 1). Today's students will grow up looking to new media to find out information about their health, for instance, or about the stock market and their investments. They first need to know how to find these resources, and then how to decide between valuable and tenuous information. They need to know the difference, that is, between an opinion on a blog and a documented study cited on the Internet before making an informed decision. In this light, information literacy focuses on a student-centered learning experience: students must learn to think for themselves amidst a bombardment of information from around the world. Thus to develop the critical thinking in learners that is essential for real life applications, it is not sufficient simply to give students information that they must take as fact. Students must be able to find and use necessary information on their own. It is even proposed that fostering information literacy is an act of social justice, giving rise to free and critical thought amongst the ideas put forth by people from around the world (Clyde, 2005, pp. 95-96).
Because information literacy skills underlie critical thinking in the modern world, educators must be responsible for implementing them in curricula. Since it is a student-centered set of skills, a curriculum must stress student-centered activities in the classroom that work hand-in-hand with the development of information literacy. Bartlett (2005) proposes a classroom in which students are actively involved in obtaining information for projects: some, in his example, are e-mailing a company to ask about the ergonomics of one of its products, while others are actually out of class interviewing a local health inspector (p. 58). These activities represent different ways to access information. In a classroom, it is important to have work stations where students can access the Internet and perhaps the school's intranet, through which students throughout the school can share their ideas (Bartlett, 2005, p. 59). Such a design is student-centered and stresses the active retrieval of information through modern technology. This retrieval must have some guidance so that students know what is available to them and what information is valuable, and so another essential element of an information literate school community is the school librarian, who has "exceptional information research skills, knowledge of student searching behavior, and a commitment to the importance of information literacy in the lives of students" (Curzon, 2004, p. 29). Teachers can set up sessions in the library during which the librarian can model proper ways of researching, evaluating, and using information. These ideas travel back to the classroom to be used in projects and learning. Librarians can also recommend information resources that teachers can model by using them in class. If a school does not have a librarian, the school can make similar arrangements with a local public library.
As educators, we are responsible for helping students learn to think for themselves. The implications of this duty, however, are different today than they were only half a century ago. Students must think within the context of their own culture, and today's world culture is one with information at its fingertips. Can we hand over biology facts to our students today but take no part in their ability to learn about health conditions later on in life? Can we teach them interest formulas but dismiss their need to know how to find out about how banks deal with their money? Information literacy speaks to the connection that must exist between the classroom and the outside world if students are to develop valuable skills for their lives. Students need to be able to learn on their own—to obtain and work with valuable information on their own. By involving in the curriculum student-centered activities that foster the use of information, with guidance from librarians or others who can explain the uses and merits of different resources, educators can develop the critical thinking skills in students that are necessary in today's information-laden world.
References
Bartlett, J. (2005). Curriculum integration and information literacy: Developing independent learners. In J. Henri & M. Asselin (Eds.), Leadership issues in the information literate school community (pp. 51-63). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Clyde, L. A. (2005). Policy, social justice and the information literate school community. In J. Henri & M. Asselin (Eds.), Leadership issues in the information literate school community (pp. 93-104). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Curzon, S. C. (2004). Developing faculty-librarian partnerships in information literacy. In I. F. Rockman (Ed.), Integrating information literacy into the higher education curriculum: Practical models for transformation (pp. 29-45). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Rockman, I. F. (2004). Introduction: The importance of information literacy. In I. F. Rockman (Ed.), Integrating information literacy into the higher education curriculum: Practical models for transformation (pp. 1-28). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Jennifer Daniels
Ashley Donofrio
UEGE 5102.002
10 April 2008
Podcast – Helping Students Excel Through the Formation
of a Surrogate Family and Grouping in Schools
Ashley: Hello! This is Ashley and Jennifer welcoming all those who are tuning in to our very first podcast. We are very excited, and ready to discuss our first hot topic of education: Helping Students Excel Through the Formation of a Surrogate Family and Grouping in Schools.
Jennifer: Let’s begin with a discussion about what exactly this idea of a surrogate family formed in schools is.
Ashley: The idea derives from what is known as looping, or persistent grouping. This is a new trend that has been popping up in schools across the nation. According to the article, Teacher and Parent Perspectives on Looping, looping is classified as the same teacher or teachers educating and caring for a group of students for at least two years (Hegde & Cassidy, 2004). In some high schools, students are broken up into small groups and are usually paired with the same teachers for all four years (Karlinsky, 2008).
Jennifer: The purpose is that students develop relationships not only with their fellow students but with their teachers. Forming relationships on the basis of academics develops into deeper relationships as they spend more and more time together, where teachers and students become like a family. The teachers and students become a support group on which the students can rely on academically, but also socially and even emotionally.
Ashley: So why do many feel this is necessary or beneficial to students, teachers, the schools, or even parents?
Jennifer: Well, let’s backtrack a little bit into the history of education in the United States. Around the time of the Civil War, rapid social and economic changes occurred. With a changing economy, influx of immigrant families, and developing cities, diversity set in and schools became the grounds for unification and Americanization. Without losing the integrity and responsibilities of what was taught in the home, schools were “intended to supplement the work of the home” (Thompson, 1997, p. 315).
Ashley: This applies to today. Schools are still intended to be responsible for learning as well as a place where students develop cognitively, socially, and emotionally. This is exactly what schools forming surrogate families are trying to do. On top of providing an education, teachers form relationships with their students through looping so that they can better understand them and then be able to teach them in ways that best suit their needs and wants as learners.
Jennifer: By forming these relationships, teachers can better understand the students’ abilities, backgrounds, improvements, and goals. Daniel Burke, a school superintendent in Antioch, Illinois and advocate of looping, put it this way: he compared teachers to pediatricians. Parents do not send their children to a different pediatrician each year because they realize that their doctor’s growing knowledge of their child makes managing their health more effective. The same concept here can be applied to teachers; once a teacher spends a year with a student, the teacher knows the strengths and weaknesses that the student possesses and knows exactly how to address them through particular teaching methods (Burke, 1996).
Ashley: In one study, ninety-two percent of teachers using this system claim that they got to know their students better, and could more effectively cater to their needs as students.
Let’s take a look at more of the advantages of forming surrogate families and looping in schools today. Research on this matter has shown that these practices “improve both student performance and job satisfaction for teachers” (Burke, 1996, p. 360).
Jennifer: I would think that it is beneficial to teachers because they can see more long-term results and the effectiveness of their instruction and work as educators, role models, and surrogate family members.
Ashley: Yes. Also, the teachers of the schools that implement these practices state that they felt “quality learning time was lost” at the beginning of each school year because that time was spent getting to know a whole class of new students and their needs, teaching and carrying out the classroom rules, learning new students’ goals and expectations, as well as communicating the teacher’s expectations (Burke, 1996, p. 361).
Jennifer: The more teachers show that they care about their students, the more motivated students become (Johnson, Musial, Gollnick, & Dupuis, 2008). Looping and the surrogate family make many things easier, such as transitions from one grade to another. The members of the group know what to expect from their teacher and fellow students, as well as become more motivated to face new challenges that lie ahead knowing that they can rely on each other.
Ashley: Other studies also report that sixty-nine percent of teachers using this procedure noticed that their students were more motivated in class and participated more (Burke, 1996).
Jennifer: Despite the overall positive responses to these practices looping and the formation of surrogate families in schools is still relatively new and not very common. Why do you think this is? (Hegde & Cassidy, 2004)
Ashley: Well, along with any new development comes its disadvantages. Many people question this newer system, especially with the emphasis of standardized tests, statistics, and competitiveness. The idea of the surrogate family emphasizes more cooperative learning and other aspects of education besides test results and meeting standards. Of course, teachers want to ensure that students are learning, but take into account what these standardizes tests fail to notice (Johnson, Musial, Gollnick, & Dupuis, 2008).
Jennifer: Within the surrogate family, teachers see the students beyond the test results. They see the students’ performances on a day-to-day basis, which one- or two-day tests cannot assess. The teachers are aware of and take into account the context in which the students learn. They are aware that they do or do not have access to proper learning materials. They know how well or poorly they respond to certain assessments. With the surrogate family, teachers can know even more about the students and therefore cater to their needs and help them perform well in school. Therefore, this contrast of interests may be one reason why many schools are still not looking into this type of education.
Ashley: Others wonder if it would be difficult for teachers to create lesson plans for a growing, developing group. However, even though they are teaching the same students, teachers must plan lessons for a new age group.
Jennifer: Many teachers who have participated in looping claim that making these new lesson plans is not as difficult as it seems. It depends on their philosophy of education. For example, teachers who believe in individualization of the curriculum focus on particular students and arrange the curriculum around that student’s abilities and needs, no matter what grade level. Also, teachers, at least in New York, are certified to teach certain grade levels. Looping and the formation of surrogate families occur within the designated certification grade levels (Hegde & Cassidy, 2004).
Ashley: In other words, teachers will be fully certified and prepared to teach a full multi-year cycle.
Jennifer: Another disadvantage is that there is no set way to arrange looping and the formation of a surrogate family.
Ashley: For example, how does the school decide to group the students? Will they implement homogeneous or heterogeneous grouping? How do they decide to pair students with particular teachers? (Johnson, Musial, Gollnick, & Dupuis, 2008)
Jennifer: After the looping cycle is complete, how will students adjust to a different teacher and possibly different philosophies of education? Will social skills be effected? Will these decisions that the school makes help or harm students’ education?
Ashley: Many of these questions are still unanswered, but that doesn’t mean that we should disregard the establishment of the surrogate family and looping in schools. Along with the advantages we previously mentioned, the significant academic improvements and dramatic increases in graduation rates from schools that used these tactics should be enough to continue research on this matter and consider these teaching methods as ways that will help students excel (Karlinsky, 2008).
Ashley: We hope that you have enjoyed our podcast, and that you have thought about and gained some information about this hot topic.
Ashley and Jennifer: Thanks for listening!
References
Burke, D.L. (1996). Multi-year teacher/student relationships are a long-overdue arrangement. Phi Delta Kappan, 77, 360-361.
Hegde, A.V. & Cassidy, D.J. (2004). Teacher and parent perspectives on looping. Early Childhood Education Journal, 32, 133-138.
Johnson, J.A., Musial, D., Hall, G.E., Gollnick, D.M., & Dupuis, V.L. (2008). Foundations of American education: Perspectives on education in a changing world (14th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.
Karlinsky, N. (2008, April 1). Inside the high school makes teachers become family. ABC News. Retrieved April 9, 2008, from http://www.abcnews.com
Thompson, A. (1997). Surrogate family values: The refeminization of teaching. Educational Theory, 47, 315-340.
Shannon Morgenstern
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students
One of the major concerns affecting schools is the harassment directed towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students. Students will verbally abuse and assault children who have different sexual orientations than they do increasing violence and fear in the school system. Because of this harassment, LGBT students will often withdraw from schoolwork and begin to view school as a place of fear rather than as an encouraging environment in which they can learn. Teachers have the responsibility to use their power in the school to promote acceptance of these students.
In schools there are high rates of harassment and violence directed towards LGBT students. It was found in a study of high school and college LGBT students that children realize their sexual orientation between the ages of ten and eleven on average. Boys realize their sexual orientation earlier than girls (D’Augelli, Pilkington, & Hershberger, 2002). Youths generally do not “come out” until the age of seventeen and then only to a trusted friend. Most students remain “closeted” throughout high school. (D’Augelli et al., 2002). When their peers make assumptions about their sexual orientation, or if they do choose to come out, LGBT youths often become a target of verbal abuse and harassment. In the research study, 59% of LGBT youths reported verbal abuse, 24% were threatened with violence, 11% had objects thrown at them, 11% had been physically attacked, 2% were threatened with weapons, 5% were sexually assaulted, and 20% were threatened with violence (D’Augelli et al., 2002). Suicide rates are also much higher for LGBT students with 42% of males and 25% of females contemplating it (D’Augelli et al., 2002). 48% of these students contemplated suicide because of their sexual orientation (D’Augelli et al., 2002). Even if a student does not become a victim of harassment, he or she may do poorly academically (D’Augelli et al., 2002). Poor performance results from students who feel worthless and afraid in school. This type of atmosphere inhibits learning and concentration.
There are many steps a teacher can take to help LGBT students in school and help others become aware and accepting of different sexual orientations. A teacher’s own awareness of this issue is the first step in making a change in the classroom. For example, a teacher can look for signs of increased depression, isolation, and a drop in academic performance in a student who is being harassed. It is also important to create a zero tolerance policy for harassment in the classroom. A teacher should not, for example, allow a child to label something he or she does not like as “gay.” Also, it is important to let students know that there are consequences of treating other students with disrespect. However, one should never single a child out in front of their peers for their sexual orientation. Instead, a teacher must let all students know that he or she is on their side and wants to help them succeed. A teacher can perhaps speak with a student in private if he or she notices difficulties with peers. Teachers can also form clubs at school which promote LGBT rights. This club may bring in guest speakers or give performances to the student body in a concerted effort to promote awareness.
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) of Boston recently held its 18th annual conference in England. A coordinator of that conference stated, “…we wanted to speak to the idea that students as well as parents and schools can get involved in terms of their activism..” (Jacobs, 2008). This quote exemplifies the importance of bringing a range of people into the school, from faculty to parents to the students themselves, in order to promote LGBT rights. At this conference, workshops were also held to teach students how to express themselves. The conference also had inspiring and educational films and performances. It is important for LGBT youths to see others of the same sexual orientation happy and successful because they provide role models for children. Teachers can bring these same ideas into the classroom and school by showing films and educating the student body.
While LGBT students are often targeted by their peers for their differences, teachers can take steps to alleviate this harassment and promote social change. It is important to first recognize the problems and difficulties which come with being an LGBT student, and then work to help these students feel better about themselves and their role in the classroom and in school. Teachers may work with counselors and other leaders in the school to encourage acceptance and tolerance from other students.
References:
D'Augelli, A. R., Pilkington, N. W. & Hershberger, S. L. (2002). Incidence and mental health
impact of sexual orientation victimization of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths in high school. School Psychology Quarterly, 17(2), 148-167. Retrieved April 10, 2008, from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pdh&AN=spq-17-2-1
48&site=ehost-live PsycARTICLES.
Jacobs, E. (2008, March 31). LGBT safe zone: GLSEN conference comes to English High. Edge.
Retrieved April 10, 2008, from http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?
ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=72246.
Julie Moritz
UEGE 5102
April 10, 2008
Critical Reflection and Reaction #3 – School Violence
Over the past decade, the issue of school violence has become a rising concern among Americans. From the shocking school shootings at Columbine High School to the daily threats made in schools across the country, these incidents have seemingly become more common. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, “During the 2005-2006 school year, 86 percent of public schools reported that at least one violent crime, theft, or other crime occurred at their school” (NCES, 2007, p. iv). Prior to the late 1990’s, many considered school violence to be primarily an inner-city problem. More recently, however, we have seen these problems reach far beyond city limits and into small rural and suburban communities such as Columbine. Communities must understand that school violence can involve any sort of unacceptable behavior, such as bullying, threatening, or extorting. As this behavior spans a broad range of improper actions, it is important for parents, school officials and community members to recognize them and to hold their children and students accountable for the consequences.
In an effort to control violence within school walls, many officials have introduced metal detectors in order to check for concealed weapons, such as guns and knives (McDermott, 1997). In addition, schools have increased security staffs. Consequently, school hallways are now comprised of security guards and scanning devices in addition to teachers and students. As a result, many individuals argue that these added protocols not only invade students’ privacy, but also add to the spreading of fear throughout communities. These critics believe that teachers and administrators must work more closely with students via educational programs, such as violence awareness and prevention plans, instead of relying solely on physical security measures.
In order to effectively address this issue, I think that it is important to examine each school community separately. While a solution may be suitable for one specific school or area, it may be inappropriate for another. For example, even though metal detectors may work efficiently within communities with higher crime rates, installing them in every school across the country is not the answer. When considering the vast amount of schools, it is important to recognize that a large number of these institutions have never had an extreme act of violence involving weapons, nor is there any reason to believe that they will experience one in the future. The solution, therefore, lies in the school administration’s ability to recognize potential violent behavior and incorporate the necessary preventive programs that will educate teachers, students, and parents alike.
Although the degree of violent behavior may vary within schools across the country, there are essential steps that all educators and administrators should take in order to create a safe environment. School officials must ensure that the school’s disciplinary code is actively taught to all students and enforced by all teachers. By clearly identifying desirable and unacceptable behavior, educators may implement “…the strongest tool for growing the base of nonaggressive, behaviorally skilled students” (Larson, 2005). By the same token, it is also extremely important to educate and train staff members to deal with crisis response, enabling them to effectively respond to any type of violent situation on school grounds. Protocols to deal with an aggressive student, exit the building or contact support staff should be clearly expressed (Larson, 2008, p. 2). Through these approaches, we may begin to successfully build the proper foundations to stifle school violence before it begins.
References
Larson, J. (2008). Angry and aggressive students. Principal Leadership, 8, 2.
Larson, J. (2005). Think first: Addressing aggressive behavior in secondary schools. New York: Guilford Press.
McDermott, A. (1997). U.S. schools: Security by metal detector? Retrieved April 8,
2008, from http://www.cnn.com/US/9712/02/school.security/
National Center for Educational Statistics (2007). Indicators of school crime and safety: 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2007, from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/2008021.pdf
Jaclyn Peluso
Critical Reflection # 3: Legal risks as an Educator
Every individual is responsible and held accountable for his/her own actions, especially while on the job. There are many legal risks that educators take under their belt when it comes to being liable and responsible for their students. Liability is defined as “responsibility for the failure to use reasonable care when such failure results in injury to another” (Johnson, Musial, Hall, Gollnick & Dupuis, 2008, pg. 210). Teachers are responsible for providing students with a safe, well-supervised, and nurturing environment. If they do not, this will result in educational malpractice, where an educator is neglecting their duties, evidentially leading to a serious and detrimental sentence on that of the educator. Teachers have certain rights and responsibilities, like every individual, that they must abide by with extreme caution.
In order for a teacher to even be considered to be hired, they must have the criteria necessary to satisfy the conditions of employment. These include successful completion of a professional preparation program, being credentialed or licensed by the state, and receiving a contract from the school they wish to be hired by (Johnson, Musial, Hall, Gollnick & Dupuis, 2008). The expectations of what educators need in order to teach are far from simplistic and broad, they are complex and demanding. They have to meet certain performance criterion in which they demonstrate satisfactory performance in order to reach tenure and tenured rights during the probationary period (Johnson, Musial, Hall, Gollnick & Dupuis, 2008). Becoming tenured is not only effected by how the teacher performs within the school but also outside the school as citizens, putting great stress on the actions and moral decisions educators make. Though this puts a lot of pressure on educators, I feel this is an important standard that they must meet if we want competent, effective teachers in the classrooms.
On the other hand, there are enabling laws that allow teachers to do certain things and this is seen through the First, Tenth, and Fourteenth Amendments. The First Amendment ensures freedom of religion, speech, the press, and the right to petition. The Tenth Amendment reflects the power of each individual state while the Fourteenth Amendment protects certain privileges of citizens. Also due to the Fourteenth Amendment, teachers are entitled to due process which is defined as “legal procedures that must be followed to safeguard individuals from arbitrary, capricious, or unreasonable policies, practices, or actions (Johnson, Musial, Hall, Gollnick & Dupuis, 2008, pg. 199).
“As professionals they must also assume the heavy responsibility for educating young people” (Johnson, Musial, Hall, Gollnick & Dupuis, 2008, pg. 199). As mentioned earlier, teachers are not only responsible for themselves but for each individual student they have under their wing. From this, much controversy can arise and so can many positive aspects. One positive aspect could be that the educator betters the lives of their students, as their job intends them to do. The pressure exerted on teachers to perform to their best capability can be looked at as both positive and negative. I think there is a fine balance between the rights and responsibilities teachers possess and the legal risks they take everyday as an educator, all being well worth it in the end.
References:
Johnson, J.A., Musial, D., Hall, G.E., Gollnick, D.M., & Dupuis, V.L. (2008). Foundations of American education: Perspectives on education in a changing world (14th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.
Eric Jeraci
UEGE 5102
Dr. King
4/10/08
Violence in Schools
In recent years, teachers are faced with a dilemma that was often never considered an issue: the well-being and safety of students in the classroom. Throughout the years, there was always a level of expectance as to what was acceptable and expected in the classroom. However, in spite of recent events, there have been increased safety measures on the part of educators and administration to enforce particular guidelines and codes of conduct for the students to follow. Is the problem that students are being subjected to these things via the internet, or is it the influence at home that affects their better judgment? It is hard to identify the source of the majority of conflicts within schools, but most agree that “weaponry is easily and infinitely available” and will continue to be prevalent among youth in the years to come (Angert, 2008). As a result, instead of focusing on important issues in American school systems, such as class size and school funding, administrators and educators alike devote much of their time to preventing violent behavior from occurring within the school setting.
What are the possible solutions to overcoming this problem? Many solutions are attempted up until today, but few were actually effective. Thousands of schools across the United States have potentially higher risk than others and may even implement bag checks and metal detection at the door as students enter the building. Teachers must always be aware and “remain on guard. Educators await the moment when a crash will be heard within the classroom” (Angert, 2008). The primary focus on learning in the classrooms has been clouded by fear of the unimaginable. Most teachers have in the back of their minds the countless school shootings that have occurred throughout the years and pray that they may never even come close to experiencing the horrific stories that they read about in the papers. Some may wonder what type of world we live in today when education has become dominated by the fear of death or traumatic injury that might occur in the classroom.
In recent events, a third grade teacher in Waycross, Georgia was plotted against by her students that had a vendetta against her because she yelled at a student for standing on his desk. These children planned “to knock out, handcuff and stab their teacher were met with shock by neighbors and with doubt by psychiatry experts who said it is unlikely that children that young seriously intended to hurt anyone” (“Experts dubious, 2008). The students, an 8-year-old boy and two girls ages 9 and 10, brought a knife, crystal paperweight, and duct tape to complete the task with each delegated responsibilities, including covering the windows, distracting the teacher, and cleaning up afterwards. The children, “deemed too young to have had criminal intent,” cannot be tried for the attempted assault or possible murder of the teacher, but they were suspended as a result of the planned attack and bringing weapons to school (“Experts dubious,” 2008). Child psyichiatrist Dr. Louis Kraus from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago stated that younger students tend to bring knives and other weapons to school, “but often it's more a matter of showing off or acting tough than part of a deliberate assault attempt” (“Experts dubious,” 2008). Nevertheless, the premeditation behind this story is what makes it so serious and shocking to hear about for educators and prospective educators alike.
This rather disheartening picture of students, especially at such young an age and when such acts are primarily committed in secondary schools and colleges, makes the situation of violence in the classrooms all the more clear. There is really no other way to continue to carry out the everyday tasks in the classroom without being overly cautious and expecting the worst to occur. In an age where violence and killing is the norm and is glamorized by the media in film, television, video games and music, we must be aware of our surroundings and sacrifice certain rights in order to continue with our daily lives. Without this extra precaution on the part of teachers, the outcome could be fatal for everyone involved.
References
Angert, Betsy L. “School Shootings; Standards Kill Students and Society” Online Submission. (2008) http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED500253&site=ehost-live
“Experts dubious about 3rd-graders’ plot.” MSNBC. (2008, April) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23905909/.
Melissa Marrero
Critical Reflection #3
Violence in Schools: Causes and Classroom Strategies for Prevention
How often do we turn on the news or pick up a newspaper and learn about another incident of school violence? The incidents of violence in schools continue to fluctuate but remain an ongoing challenge in many educational environments. Educators have always been concerned with their own safety as well as the safety of their students but with the recent rise in violence in schools, more is being asked of teachers. Numerous studies have explored many aspects of school violence—its causes and strategies for maintaining safe schools, for example.
The devastating events at Columbine High School in 1999 and Virginia Tech in early 2007 stress the importance of early intervention when dealing with signs of violence. The teenagers involved with the Columbine shooting exhibited anti-social and often very violent behavior. The young man responsible for the deaths at Virginia Tech also displayed similar behavior. Educators did the best they could for the two Columbine students. Teachers viewed their writing as disturbing and acknowledged the displays of anger and hatred towards the school and other students. In both cases, educators could not have known that such events would take place (Constitutional Rights Foundation, 2007). As a result of these two devastating events and many more like them, schools have implemented programs to deter violence and to get help for those students who might have deeper problems than educators might be able to address themselves. Some signs might not be recognizable by educators but can be seen by health care providers and community service leaders.
What is a safe school? McDaniel (2000) defines a safe school as “one whose physical features, layout and policies and procedures are designed to minimize the impact of disruptions and intrusions that might prevent the school from fulfilling its educational mission” (p.3). McDaniel suggests schools form committees made up of teachers, parents, students, and members of the community to ensure the schools’ safety. She also suggests, as many other experts do, that schools be caring and inviting environments where students feel welcome and supported. The steps that schools have to take to ensure students, as well as staff and administration, are safe are relatively simple. Educators must simply be aware of signs of violence or any differences in behavior. School boards have implemented workshops for teachers as a part of professional development. Teachers also have several resources to teach students how to deal with stress or peer pressure. Many websites for educators provide lesson plans dealing with school violence as a way to deter future acts of violence in schools.
The causes of school violence are known. Possible solutions and preventative strategies are taught to educators. So why is school violence still an issue? A pattern in the manner school violence is carried out and how it starts is acknowledged but every student is different and so is every school environment. Educators must be aware of possible signs of violence and keep their eyes and ears open for other clues that students might be experiencing difficulties at home or with other students. By creating safe and caring school environments and teaching students about violence, educators are a step closer to putting a stop to school violence.
References
Constitutional Rights Foundation (2007). The Challenge of School Violence. Retrieved April 8, 2008. Website: http://www.crf-usa.org/network/network13_1/challenge_of_school_violence.htm
McDaniel, J., & North Carolina State Dept. of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, R. (2000, January 1). How To Establish and Maintain Safe, Orderly, and Caring Schools. . (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED478531) Retrieved April 10, 2008, from ERIC database.
Kathy, Domenica, and Michelle
PODCAST SCRIPT
Sex Education
- Hello listeners! It’s Kathy! And Domenica! We’re back! It’s the 2nd installment of our audio critical reflections!
- We’ve got a special treat for you today folks! We’re going to be discussing the very controversial topic of sexual education in schools.
- Michelle Costantino is here today, the principal of a local high school, to help us get the inside scoop of how this debate is affecting today’s schools.
- Before we get the discussion started, we want to give our listeners a quick overview of the issues surrounding sex education in schools today.
- It is such a big topic to go into. The issues are mainly the general type of sex ed discussion in schools, what age to start the education, and what to include in these discussions.
- That is what I have heard is one of the biggest issues – what types of things schools should cover in their sex ed classes. Contraceptives, abstinence, oral sex, etc.
- Michelle, do you know some statistics of youth in America?
- Teen pregnancy is a major problem in youth all over the country – 1 MILLION teens in America will become pregnant within the next year. More than ½ of these cases are 17 years old or younger.
- That’s incredibly high – and pregnancy isn’t the only problem america’s youth is facing. Right now in North America, there are 1.3 million cases of HIV and AIDS. 3 million American teenagers get STDs every year.
- Do you ever encounter these situations in your school?
- Of course, every day. Schools around the world are living proof of these statistics.
- And do you find that some races, ethnicities and social classes are more prone to falling into these categories than others?
- Definitely, there is a much higher rate of HIV and AIDS cases among the African American population. 49% of all new HIV and AIDS cases are African Americans. Non-Hispanic blacks ages 19-24 are 20 times more likely than whites to contract this disease as well.
- These rates bring about a lot of buzz about what type of sexual education is right for students, and how much of it is appropriate.
- There are 3 different sexual education programs in schools today: abstinence-only, abstinence plus, and non abstinence programs.
- 15% of Americans believe that abstinence-only education should be taught in school. This does not include any discussion of oral sex, STDs, or contraceptives. 30% of schools in America use this technique.
- The majority of the population agrees that a technique called abstinence plus is the best way to confront sexual education in the schools. 47% of schools implement this type of program. In this type of program, although abstinence is taught as best, it acknowledges that some teens do not abstain.
- These schools teach about condoms and contraceptives.
- Those who believe in non-abstinence programs think that schools should not teach that abstinence is the best thing. It should teach students how to make good, informed decisions about sex. There is a lot of debate within the schools about how we should educate our students about sex.
- As a principal of a high school, I have trouble selecting a sex education program that is the best fit for my students. I constantly have to worry what the administration will say or even the parents. I can’t please everyone. I just want what is best for my students. What do you guys suggest I do?
- Well, Michelle, that is a very hard question to answer. One factor that plays into what people think is religion. For example, Catholic universities ban contraceptives in their health offices and usually don’t encourage any sexual activity.
- This kind of school would advocate an abstinence-only sex education program because they believe that people should not engage in pre-marital sexual activity.
- Other non-Catholic schools would take another approach. Some schools have high teen pregnancy and STD rates. They know that some of their students are engaging in sexual activity and think that the best thing to do is teach the safe ways to practice sex and the repercussions that may come from having unprotected sex.
- Yeah, in my high school we have a rather high teen pregnancy rate as well as STD rate so an abstinence-plus program is one that benefits them most, because it deals with reality.
- Politics is another factor that is considered when choosing a sex education program. Some schools do not have proper funding for extensive programs. They cannot afford to hire professional sex education instructors, training courses or materials.
- Funding also plays a major role in how much programming the schools can have in relation to sexual education. As we all know, funding stems from legislation and who’s in office. Under the Bush Administration funding for extensive sex ed programs has faltered. When he was first in office he wanted to put a certain amount of funding towards these programs, but then got much criticism and realized that it went against the political views he supposedly had on abortion, and sex.
- Legislation changes either every four to eight years, so this is an important factor when it comes to making decisions on politicians. We see this in the 2008 presidential race. Democratic candidate Barack Obama says there should be a progressive sex education programming starting from younger ages.
- That’s a great point – What time is the right time to introduce our students to this material? I’ve heard some people say that it’s important to start basic education on human anatomies as early as kindergarten.
- I was in a PTA meeting and my parents had these concerns. Some parents felt like talking about sex is not the role of schools. One parent said that she knows her daughter knows about sex and believes that abstinence is the only and right way to go, but is concerned that by introducing things like contraceptives she may get more interested in engaging in sexual activity.
- Well, the harsh reality is that some parents do not and will not talk to their children about sex. Students are hearing about sex from their peers and getting the wrong ideas about it, for example- the ways to protect themselves may never be mentioned. They might think sex is the “cool thing” to do.
- This is why so many believe that some form of sex education needs to exist in schools. Students should be taught the truth and real consequences of being active and of being abstinent.
- In schools people who are sexually active are often viewed as popular.
- 40% of teens have engaged in oral sex, 25% with more than one partner and 70% of those cases have never used a condom. The majority of teens say that their sexual behavior is similar to their peers.
- There’s another important topic- oral sex. A big question is whether or not having oral sex is considered being sexually active.
- This is a major debate. Some people think that because you cannot get pregnant oral sex is not sex, what they don’t realize is that you can contract all of the same STD’s (Chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, herpes).
- I agree that we should educate our students, but I have seen that many students do not want to hear this from us because they do not feel comfortable.
- It’s true. Students may be uncomfortable hearing it from teachers, and their parents won’t talk about it with them, especially oral sex, but someone needs to talk to them.
- The school has an obligation to teach students about their well being, more than just the facts out of their textbooks. Students need to be prepared for life after college.
- Yeah, sexual education discussions are not going to be the most comfortable things for students, teachers, or parents to talk about, but they are topics that are very necessary and important.
- Schools have been exploring alternative ways to integrate sexual education in schools. For example, peer-led discussion groups are common. College students are often found traveling to local high schools and middle schools to give advice to younger students.
- These are often called “peer educators.” They are effective because students relate best with their own peers. When talking with their peers, students are more open and comfortable talking about sensitive subjects like sex.
- Okay listeners, I hope you learned a lot from our discussion today.
- Thanks Michelle, for giving us a glimpse of what is happening inside the schools. We hope we helped your search for the correct sexual education program.
- Thank you for having me! It’s always helpful to get outside opinions from the experts.
- Tune in next time for more hot topics in American schools!
Critical Reflection- The New York City Small Schools Movement
New York City has been one of many school systems nationwide creating small schools organized around a particular theme, especially at the high school level. New Visions for Public Schools, a non-profit organization that has been instrumental in the creation of small schools, addresses potential small school students as they state, “You will be safe. … Everybody will know your name. … You will learn fewer subjects well. … Your work will be exciting and demanding. … You will work with teachers and other educators in partner organizations” (New Visions for Public Schools, 2005). Small schools are designed to provide personalized instruction, small class sizes, and achieve higher attendance and graduation rates than larger, more impersonal high schools. Small schools located within the Theodore Roosevelt Educational Complex (located across the street from Fordham’s Bronx campus) include Fordham High School for the Arts, Belmont Preparatory High School, Bronx High School for Law and Community Service, and Fordham Leadership Academy for Business and Technology, among others (Advocates for the Children of New York). There are mixed results and differing opinions about the effectiveness of these new schools and their abilities to transform the mostly dismal educational landscape in low-income areas of New York City.
There have been some improvements made by the small schools movement in educational achievement levels. For example, Theodore Roosevelt High School (mentioned above), a massive high school which occupies an entire city block, had a four-year graduation rate of 33% in 2000 (Advocates for the Children of New York). Attendance was very low, and only 53% of students passed the Regents math exam, while only 12% passed the Regents English exam (Advocates for the Children of New York). Of the five mini-schools that now occupy the building, Belmont Preparatory High School has the best graduation rate, with 50% of students graduating within four years. At Belmont, 58% of students pass the English Regents exam, and 31% pass the math Regents exam (Advocates for the Children of New York). Except for the math scores, Belmont at least seems to be at least a small improvement over the old Roosevelt High School. However, these scores and graduation rate are certainly not anywhere near where they should be, and it is appalling that a fifty percent graduation rate is the best to be found in the building. So, while this particular small school seems to have made some improvements, there is still much work to be done to ensure that all students, no matter whether they attend a public high school in the Bronx or in a more affluent area such as Westchester, receive the same quality education.
One criticism of the small schools movement is that students with disabilities are limited in their choices, while one reason why small schools are cited as the answer to high school reform is that they promote student and parent choice. In a report titled ‘Small Schools, Few Choices: How New York City’s High School Reform Effort Left Students with Disabilities Behind’, prepared by Parents for Inclusive Education and the New York Lawyers for Public Interest, it was noted that new small schools are not required to provide services for students who have more than minimal special needs for the first two years they are operating. New schools must offer classes for those students with disabilities who require separate instruction by the third year of their operation, but not all small schools have complied with this mandate. Students with disabilities, then, must ‘choose’ the larger high schools that are facing the withdrawal of some of their funding to finance the small high schools located in their buildings (Sweet, 2006).
Another criticism of the small schools movement is that it does not do enough to address the issue of segregation in the schools. Noted education critic Jonathon Kozol writes that schools are still extremely segregated, fifty years after Brown v. Board. Kozol believes that the themes of some of the high schools appeal to different racial groups, which results in even greater segregation. He believes that some high schools themes appeal to overwhelmingly white, middle to upper class families, while others are designed to appeal to African-American and Latino families. Kozol writes,
Small schools are usually less chaotic than big schools; they are sometimes more intimate and relaxed than big schools. But the small school concept, which no one is
proposing for the schools in white suburban districts, is essentially an anti-riot strategy
for segregated children, an anti-turbulence measure, a short-term solution to perceived
chaos in large segregated schools. Small, segregated, and unequal schools are only an
incremental improvement over large, segregated, and unequal schools. They don’t
address the basic issues (Kozol, 2006).
Kozol proposes that Mayor Bloomberg should ensure that the schools are integrated, by providing incentives for schools that enroll students of all races and ethnicities, and suggests a voluntary integration program in conjunction with schools in New York City’s affluent suburbs (Kozol, 2006).
The office of Gifford Miller, speaker of the Council of New York City, investigated the claims of small schools and found some disparities between what the schools claimed to do and what actually happened. They found that when small schools were forced to share space with other schools in large buildings that already had a school crime rate higher than average, the small schools were not able to reverse these negative effects. In evaluating the effects of small schools within nine larger school buildings, located in the Bronx and Brooklyn, the report investigated whether or not each small school (thirty-four in total) had the following often-touted characteristics: ‘small class size’, ‘teachers and administrators know students’, ‘personalized environment’, and ‘schools do not share safety agents’, and found that none of the schools indeed possessed these traits. The committee recommended that small schools should not be located within large, struggling schools, that each school in a building should be similar in size and culture, that resources should be allocated so that each small school has what it needs, and does not have to fight for resources with the other small schools in the building. The report also suggests that each small school have a separate entrance, one that does not require students to pass through metal detectors (Miller, 2005).
The small schools movement has at least some potential to improve education in New York City. I believe hat the teacher still plays a very large role in making his or her classes engaging and ensuring that none of his or her students ‘fall through the cracks’ and fail to receive an appropriate education. This job is made easier in small schools, in which teachers do not have to teach up to 150 students per day. I am concerned that small schools do reinforce segregation, and that they do not include students with disabilities, and believe that steps should be taken to remedy these issues. I think, however, that while it is important to realize that small schools do have flaws, they do have the potential to provide a more individualized education, in which students can develop and explore their own unique interests. Small schools should not be abandoned yet, but rather should be required to fulfill their promises and provide an intellectually challenging, individualized education for students.
Works Cited
Advocates for the Children of New York. (2008). Belmont Preparatory High School.
Accessed 9 April 2008 from http://www.insideschools.org/fs/school_profile.php?
id=1163&page=2.
Advocates for the Children of New York. (2008). H.S. 435 Theodore Roosevelt High
School. Accessed 9 April 2008 from http://www.insideschools.org/fs/school_
profile.php?id=999&page=2.
Kozol, J. (16 January 2006). Segregated Schools: Shame of the City. The Gotham
Gazette. Accessed 9 April 2008 from http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/
20060116/202/1718.
Miller, G. (August 2005). Sharing Space: Rethinking the Implementation of Small High
School Reform in New York City. New York: The Speaker of the Council of New York City. Accessed 8 April 2008 from
http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/pdf/govpub/2130small_schools_final3.pdf
New Visions for Public Schools. (2005). 2005-2006 Guide to NYC Small High Schools.
Accessed 9 April 2008 from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/
custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_Search
Value_0=ED491086&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED491086.
Sweet, K., Parents for Inclusive Education, and New York Lawyers for the Public
Interest. Small Schools, Few Choices: How New York City’s High School Reform
Effort Left Students with Disabiliites Behind. Accessed 7 April 2008 from
http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/pdf/govpub/2130small_schools_final3.pdf.
Kathy, Domenica, and Michelle
References for podcast
Parker, T.J (2001). School-based sex education: A new millennium update. ERIC digest. Retrieved April 8, 2008. http://www.ericdigests.org/2002-3/sex.htm
Rosenbaum, M.D. (2004). Sex education in public schools. Retrieved April 8, 2008, from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1622610
Warner, J. (2003). Most teens don’t use protection during oral sex. Journal of pediatric psychology. Retrieved April, 8, 2008, from http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/ohe/library/Sexhealth/articles/oralsex.htm
Strasburger, V.C., (2007). Teen pregnancy rates. Retrieved April 9, 2008, from http://www.coolnurse.com/teen_pregnancy_rates.htm
University Of California, San Francisco (2005). Teens Believe Oral Sex Is Safer, More Acceptable To Peers. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 8, 2008. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/04/050411135016.htm
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