education midterm exam
What is the Moralistic Justice approach as outlined in the Jencks reading?
- Moralistic Justice as it pertains to equal opportunity in the classroom is defined as rewarding virtue and punishing vice. In simpler terms, rewarding the students that show effort in class with more time spent one on one, and punishing those students who don't show effort by neglecting them and giving them less time one on one compared to the time spent with those students who give effort.
How does school choice, as seen through the different types of schools such as High Tech High, benefit the community?
- Now that there are many different options of schooling kids are able to take after their interests. Traditional schooling was not for every child and restricted society from growing. For example, High Tech High allows the students to get an education that teaches them real-life skills by using hands-on activities; by doing this the students are better prepared to enter the real world. Those students who wen to a more traditional school, who likely followed a common core, will benefit the community through the knowledge they have gained the variety of subjects learned but these students at HTH are able to use their past experiences of real life skills to get ahead.
What is the purpose of education as a public good?
1) To transmit knowledge for work place, and help all students reach their full potential. All these relate to Labree's goal of schooling, which are democratic equality, social mobility and social efficiency.
Q- Describe what makes a charter different from other forms of schools?
A- A charter receives public funding, but also receives more flexibility in experimenting with education and teaching styles. They have increased autonomy In operations in exchange for accountability
What is a main difference between education as a private good and as a public good?
A- Education as a private good is when schools transmit knowledge to all individuals but some will learn more than others with hard work. It is seen as a public good when education is given to help all children reach their full potential, and to create a productive workforce as well as develop democracy and citizenship.
Q- When talking about School Choice, there are some people who are very skeptical of this idea, what would some reasons for this skepticism include?
A- Some of the skepticism comes from its fairness (who chooses), why not just put money in existing system, loss of the "public" mission of schools, and lastly accountability. Accountability is very important because public schools are held to certain standards that charters are not.
Q- How would you say the article "Kill the Indian, Save the Man" connects to the history we talked about in class of "separate but equal"?
A- The Americans wanted the Native Americans to leave their traditions behind and become more "American" so that they would all be equal citizens.However, to do this they forced them into schooling, that was separate from the Americans and reality they were not treated equal at all. They were treated very poorly and barley given the same education as the American children.
Q- What kind of role does the Federal Government have in schooling decisions?
A- The Federal government takes a hands off approach. There involvment is influenced by the Presidents Agenda and they get a say in what decisions are made by regulating funding based on compliance to regulations.
Q- In Minow's article about the Difference Dilemma, what was the issue they were discussing, and what were some of the negative outcomes.
A- The issue was wheather or not to separate students by their differences or keep them all together. They found that when you separate students by differences, negative stigmas or labels emerge that become detrimental to the student. However, they also realized that when you do not separate or lable the studnets they are not able to receive the additional help they need.
Q- In the podcast "The Problem We All Live With", how were they trying to integrate schools and was it working?
A- They were using bussing as a way to integrate schools. They would buss students from one district to a school in another district. This was not working at first because the people at Francis Howle ( a better school) did not want kids from Normandy (failing school) to come to their school. However, after time it was seen that kids at Franic Howle were doing just fine while being integrated
In class we discussed what the three broad goals of schooling are, list all three and describe one.
A- Three broad goals of schooling are Political, Social, and Economic goals. Social goals would be when we educate students to teach them moral values and responsibilities, having social control over youth.
Q: What are arguments for and against school choice?
A: Advocates believe that school choice allows for parental autonomy and agency, consumer forces and market competition, the enhancement of opportunities for disadvantaged groups, and the lead to innovation. Those who oppose school choice believe that it is unfair, more money should be put into existing school systems, there is a loss of the "public" mission of schools, segregation, and a lack of accountability.
What are the three alternative goals for education that Labaree addresses? Describe their focus and identify which are public or private goods.
A: Democratic Equality is a public good which believes that schools should focus on preparing citizens through educational equality, Social Efficiency is a public good which believes that schools should focus on training workers and should be more economy based, and Social Mobility is a private good which believes that schools should prepare schools to compete for social positions and places a greater emphasis on the market.
: What are the characteristics of both education as a private good and as a public good?
A: Education as a private good includes schools transmitting knowledge and skills to individuals, some will learn or attain more than others, and it is believed that hard work leads to better outcomes. Education as a public good includes the transmission of skills and knowledge for a productive workforce, developing democracy and citizenship, teaching a common core, and helping all children reach their full potential.
Q: Who is Jonah Mowry, and what did he struggle with?
A: Jonah Mowry was a student who had major depression and suicidal thoughts for a majority of his time in school. This was caused by bullying that occured everyday.
Q: What are some concerns that come with the voucher process?
A: One major concern is that many of these vouchers are used for private religious institutions. People don't want to have their tax dollars spent on religious education.
Q: What were the five strands of the Progressive Movement and where did John Dewey identify?
A: The five strands were the administrative progressives, child-centered curriculum reformers, militant teachers, advocates of testing and measurement, and political reformers who wanted teachers to help build a better society. John Dewey identified with the child-centered curriculum reformers as he believed in educating the whole child meaning placing a focus on who they are along with their wellbeing and intellectual abilities.
Question: What is a voucher and how is it used in the United States education system?
Answer: A voucher is government funding for a student to attend a school chosen by his or her parents including private schools. This does not mean that tuition is fully covered, it is a supplement to the tuition. Vouchers are commonly used for students at risk or disabled students that require a specialized education.
Question: Thinking back to Kahlenberg's "The Charter School Idea Turns 20," what did conservatives originally think of charter schools and why? Where do they stand on the idea of charter schools today?
Answer: Back when the idea of charter schools was first proposed, conservatives pushed back against the concept based on their belief that society already knew what worked in education and did not want to make such a dramatic change. However, today, conservatives are champions of charter schools and support them. They find themselves opposed by teachers' unions, who are less inclined to support charter schools.
Question: "The Problem We All Live With," This is American Life podcast, explores the problems of failing education in low socio economic areas. One solution to this issue is bussing. Is really a solution? What are the problems that arise from this?
Answer: Bussing is transporting students to schools within or outside their local school district in an effort to reduce segregation in schools. This sounds like a great idea, but bringing kids outside of their own community puts them into a school that they do not necessarily belong in and creates a social disadvantage for them.
What was one of Shanker's ideas behind a charter school which was expressed in the Kahlenberg reading?
Answer: Charter schools were meant to tap into teacher expertise in order to try new things. Shanker wanted charter schools to be a good economic mix so they could provide a favorable environment with peer influences which were positive, good teachers, and active parents
Define schooling as a public good and how this view of education can better society.
Answer: Education seen as a public goods transmits skills/knowledge for a productive workforce, develops democracy and citizenship, and helps all children reach their full potential. If every child is prepared to be a well rounded citizen, our society would function more smoothly and we would have to ability to get more done.
Question: Identify one of Labaree's goals of education in which education is considered a public good and explain why
Answer: In a democratic equality focused system education is considered a public good. In this type of system education is distributed evenly in an attempt to create a population with the awareness necessary to run a democracy.
Question: Give an example that illustrates the difference dilemma in education. .
Answer: In bilingual education acknowledgment of the difference by teaching children in their native language can create barriers to important aspects of the school experience and delay successful integration into society after school. However, non-acknowledgement of the language gap harms the children because their language and cultural differences aren't recognized
Question: How does Jencks' defintion of Democratic Equality differ from Labaree's?
Answer: Jencks looked at democratic equality in the classroom sense and his goal being directly executed, whereas Labaree defined democratic equality addressing the school system as a whole. Labaree was trying to change an instution of schooling, while Jencks was simply attempting to improve students' experiences in the actual classroom.
Question: The Labaree reading, "Public Goods, Private Goods," suggests a variety of reasons why education is flawed, but what is the primary reason he cites and what does it mean?
Answer: Labaree claims that education's problems are political. He means that there are so many different ways in which we might fix education, that the problems lie in people being unable to decide which route to take in order to make education better; the political problems with education lie in people's inability to be decisive.
Question: The Labaree reading, "Public Goods, Private Goods," presents three different approaches to education. What are Labaree's three approaches and how does each serve students and society?
Answer: Labaree's three approaches to education are the Democratic Equality Approach, the Social Efficiency Approach, and the Social Mobility Approach. The goal of Democratic Equality is for schools to prepare students for political roles, so it is a public good. The goal of Social Efficiency is for schools to prepare students for market roles in the economy, so it is a public good that serves the private sector. The goal of Social Mobility is for schools to prepare students for successful social competition, so it is a private good for personal consumption.
What is Minow's Difference Dilemma?
Answer: Minow identified an ironic trend in the school system in his Difference Dilemma. He recognized that when teachers single out students because they are different than other students, whether socially, academically, economically, other students may notice and the original student would then suffer because of it. The original student could feel separated from other students or feel as if he/she doesn't fit in with their classmates. The irony in this is that they are benefiting academically by receiving extra help and attention, but are socially neglected.
Question: Describe one argument against vouchers.
Answer: One argument against vouchers is that they create a lack of accountability. This stems from the divide in regulations of public schools vs private schools. Since people use the vouchers to get away from more heavily regulated public schools and into less regulated private schools, it creates concern over the quality of education in places that aren't held to certain standards.
Question: Describe one of Labaree's goals and determine or not it is a private or public good.
Answer: One of Labaree's goals was Democratic Equality. He defined it as a systemic way of treating every student equally, regardless of performance or background. In this case, since democratic equality is available to all students, it is a public good.
Question: Minow's "The Dilemma of Difference" explains the pros and the cons to the separation of minority groups and the integration of minority groups. What is one of her arguments as to why separation would not work and what is one of her arguments as to why integration would not work?
Answer: One of Minow's arguments is that separation of minority groups promotes distrust between whichever minority group she may be referring to and the dominant group. The minority group is highlighted as different if members of it cannot interact with the dominant group. However, Minow also says that integration can promote dominant versus minority groups, or even cause members of the minority group to become isolated amongst the much larger dominant group.
What was one of the harsh conditions upon which Indian boarding schools endured? Describe one way those schools effected the native american population.
Answer: One of the rules of Indian boarding schools that made them particularly harsh was that they had to be self-sufficient. This meant that the students had to work along with going to class in order to make money for the school to continue its operations. This lead to the students schools being turned into internment camps where they were working most of the day to provide for the school. One way this schools effected the native american population was by killing almost 50% of their youth with the spread of horrible diseases within the schools. Overall, Indian Boarding schools represent a dark time in the American educational systems history, but we must learn from them in order to avoid repeating these mistakes.
Question: What are two roles of the school district in the overall educational system?
Answer: One role of the local district is to select the curriculum requirements that their schools will have to adhere to. Another is to make sure their schools are adhering to all federal and state requirements for schools.
Question: In Jencks article "Who Must We Treat Equally for Educational Opportunity to Be Equal?," he explores "principled reasons for deviating from the simple formula of equality." Describe two possibilities of how Ms. Higgins will treat her third grade students and which way in your perspective will be more beneficial.
Answer: One way she could treat her students is through utilitarianism, which provides more resources to the student who preforms the best. Another way would be through democratic equality which would provide every student with equal resources no matter their skill level. I think democratic equality would be most beneficial in a third grade class room because you are trying to build a foundation for every child, not leave certain students at a disadvantage.
Why does Porter believe public school is becoming increasingly compartmentalized, and what are some policy prescriptions that Porter addresses as a potential solution to closing the achievement gap between poorer and more affluent students?
Answer: Porter thinks that public schools are compartmentalized because they are supported by real estate taxes which are much higher in wealthier areas, and those schools in wealthier areas become completely separated from the schools in less fortunate ideas. Porter proposes the idea of helping less affluent parents by teaching them the best practices in parenting as it relates to their child's education, assisting them in balancing the overlapping demands of work and family, and even raising their pay.
Briefly describe the Yoder case and explain one impact it had on education.
Answer: The Yoder case was a 1970's court case between the Amish community and the state in which The Amish community believed that for religious reasons their children should not have to oblige to the idea of compulsory schooling. Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Amish in that their children would not have to attend school after the eight grade, this was a major win for those who believed some children should be allowed to be schooled outside of the traditional public or private school system.
What was one way the administrative progressives differ from the child-centered progressives?
Answer: The administrative progressives attempted to take a linear approach to teaching, almost treating the students as if they were workers in a factory; they heavily emphasized task specialization and shorter class times overall. The child-centered progressives, on the other hand, wanted to educate "the whole child" and heavily emphasized lecture and discipline.
What was one belief that advocates of school-choice held differently from skeptics?
Answer: The advocates of school-choice thought that schools had more of a consumer focus on competition in the market which leads to innovation, whereas the skeptics thought there was a loss of the idea of schools as a public good and that schools now had a lack of accountability.
Question: What was the Coleman report and can you explain its findings?
Answer: The coleman report was a massive survey sanctioned by the United States government to study the lack of educational opportunities for those who are a part of a minority group. The study found that students of different ethnicities mostly attended separate schools, but that their facilities were relatively similar. The study also determined that test scores were significantly lower for the African-American population when compared to the White population.
How does Minow define the "difference dilemma?" and how is this reappearing today?
Answer: The difference dilemma has multiple levels; on its most basic level, it questions how schools define certain students as different. The main dilemma, however, arises out of the question on how schools can help those seen as different without stigmatizing them because of their differences. This is reappearing today as a consideration of whether schools should be structured to replicate the larger community in terms of population mix or whether they should create an exclave for that community.
Question: The three broad goals of schooling are broken into groups: political, social and economic. Describe one of these in detail.
Answer: The social goals of a school relate to establishing strong moral values and advocating the importance of holding social responsibilities. This could in turn ease the pressure on parenting at home as their children will be learning proper manners and etiquette at school. Lastly, the school sytem is supposed to help control children and make sure they are disciplined.
In the Labaree reading, which goal does Labaree claim is the most influential factor in American education, and how does this relate to the idea of education and the "American Dream"?
Answer: The social mobility goal is the most influential factor, because supporters of this goal support the idea that education is a commodity and that it should prepare individuals to compete for social positions. The correlation between social mobility and the American Dream is that education is the vehicle to personal success, and that people are rewarded based on their talent or abilities
In which of Labaree's three goals of education is education considered a private good and why?
Answer: The social mobility goal. In this form it is accepted that some will learn more than others and that hard work will lead to better outcomes. The social mobility goal views education as status and the more of it you accumulate, the higher you are in society.
What is the difference between weak humane justice and strong humane justice according to Jencks, and what is a potential problem that could arise if a teacher only follows one of these goals?
Answer: Weak humane justice is the idea that students who have been disadvantaged academically in the past should receive more attention in the classroom, whereas strong humane justice is the idea that students who have been disadvantaged in any way in the past should be compensated for in the classroom. Also, the definition of "disadvantaged" is unclear, and a problem that could arise out of this is that some students who are disadvantaged may have no interest in succeeding whereas a student who is not considered disadvantaged does have an interest in succeeding.
Question: The text by David Labaree highlights three aims of the school system. What are these three objectives? identify them and briefly describe one of the elements and what it entails about the educational system. \
Democratic equality as defined by Labaree is an expression of democratic political ideals and as a mechanism for preparing children to play constructive roles in society."It is fueled by society's norms of placement of individuals into categories.
Who was dewey and what did he believe?
Dewey was a firm believer in educating "the whole child." He didn't just care about standardization and testing, but believed that the background and experiences of each child were important in their educational experience. With society constantly changing, these reformers wanted to build children with skills to help them succeed in an unknown world.
Benefits of High Tech High
High School High approaches education with project based learning in which students have the freedom to learn from the mistakes. This technique better prepares students with innovative, creative thinking, communication, and solution seeking skills that makes the students dynamic which make them competitive for education beyond high school and the workforce.
How was integration for the girl in the podcast similar and/or different from when desegregation was first attempted in the mid-1900s?
Integration was different for the girl in the podcast due to the fact that the other students welcomed and accepted her even though she was black. Back in the 1950s, most children would've been racist against the students integrating into the white schools. Furthermore, similarly to the parents during the 1950s, the parents of Francis Howell did not want the students from Normandy, a predominantly black population, to come to Francis Howell; they believed that these students would harm their child's education
Were schools for Native Americans during the 1800s truly "equalizers"?
No, because they were severely underfunded, understaffed and the conditions the Native American students were forced to live under were abhorrent and subhuman. In addition, these schools operated under the Labaree goal of Social Efficiency, and tracked these students into the careers that they "thought would be the best fit" such as agricultural trade for the males and domestic skills for the girls. While this is not inherently bad, it is not equal when compared to the curriculum of the White schools, where students learned arithmetic and classical languages that primed them for higher education and for higher social status later on. To be an equalizer, the same curriculum from the White schools is supposed to be applied to the Native American schools, but this was not the case.
What was the goal and intention of charter schools when first introduced?
Schools that are teacher-led and integrate students of different racial, ethnic, economic, and religious backgrounds
What is a critical difference between the Social Efficiency and Social Mobility goals of schooling as outlined by Labaree? -
Social Efficiency views education as a public good and seeks to create citizens that will contribute to the overall good of society, while Social Mobility views education as a private good that only serves the individual by giving them the best chance to get the upper hand or have more opportunities to gain higher status such as higher paying jobs.
Vouchers are provided, mostly to low income families, to provide kids with better educational opportunities. Some families use these vouchers to send their kids to private schools, many of which are religiously affiliated. Here lies the issue: are we disobeying the separation of church and state if these families are using government funds to send their child to a religiously affiliated school?
Supporters of vouchers would argue that the money belongs to the family, and it's their right to send their child to a religiously affiliated school if they desire to do so. However, it's easy to follow the money and see how it starts with the government and eventually ends up in the hands of a religiously affiliated entity. Clearly, there is some gray area surrounding this topic.
Early American Schooling: Describe features of the Common School (early 1800s) and motives behind the structure.
The Common school was funded by local property taxes and governed by local school committees. The schools were open to all white children and taught core values of citizenship. The Common school was created to "americanize" individuals.
Give a brief summary of separate but equal.
The Plessy decision set the precedent that "separate" facilities for blacks and whites were constitutional as long as they were "equal." The "separate but equal" doctrine was quickly extended to cover many areas of public life, such as restaurants, theaters, restrooms, and public schools.
What is the difference dilemma?
The difference dilemma talks about two underserved minority groups in this case the Special ED and language learners. When trying to meet the needs of one community the other minority group is left and when trying to help that community it causes segregation.
How might one of the goals Labree discuss help a disadvantaged student like those mentioned by Minow?
The goal of social efficiency is meant to allow the individual to be equipped with skills that will prepare them to be able to fulfill a certain role in society which will not only benefit themselves but also the public good. Social efficiency can help those who are disadvantaged, such as special needs kids, by providing education on life skills they will need after school; as Minow discusses, it is a battle of whether or not to put these students in the mainstream classroom or not. By integrating them into the mainstream classroom they are able to learn these life skills from their peers which can further help them in the real world when they, say, for instance, get a job; in doing this they are then benefiting themselves but also taking away a potential cost in society as the job they are fulfilling is most likely better suited for them.
How do vouchers benefit students living in low poverty areas?
Vouchers allow students who are living in low poverty areas the opportunity of choice and to be able to gain a good education. The lack of education is one of the root problems to poverty so by giving the students a chance to escape from this life they are able to gain experience and be put on the same playing field as those who are born into a life that puts them on track for success. As Kennedy discussed, while there have been many controversial things with vouchers, such as religion, they have been successful in granting students opportunities.
What are vouchers used for and what is one of their pitfalls?
Vouchers are used to help students of low income or who are zoned into low preforming schools achieve a "better" education at a more successful or better funded school. Vouchers are federal funds allocated to the family of the student that help cover the cost of tuition (if at a private school), school supplies and transportation. A pitfall of Vouchers is that in their early use, they were only used as means to avoid integration and allow white students to have the option to go to a school that was not yet integrated.
How do the ideologies of education, civil rights, and economic development differ from Booker T Washington and W.E.B Dubois?
W>E.B Dubois's aim was competition amidst Caucasian individuals and the African American race. Moreover, it advocated for the pursuit of higher education for African Americans as well as protesting and highlighting the systematic oppression African Americans faced in southern portions of the United States. Booker T Washington, on the other hand, wanted to primarily focus on African Americans being well equipped for the workforce and to be publicly schooled.
