Not in anyway giving anyone permission to plagiarize or copy this and also not verifying the authenticity of any of the information. Also note that there are probably no sources listed and I am not one myself, so don't quote me. This is just some of my homework; thought it might be interesting to someone:
Read "Questionable Assumptions about Schooling". What are some of the critical issues for you? How would you reform schools?
This article, “Questionable Assumptions About Schooling,” identifies some of the issues we currently have in schools and how public opinion is often based on misleading or erroneous assumptions. The author identifies some major, commonly-known issues, as well as some lesser known issues and assumptions about education. Some of the misled assumptions about schooling discussed are the purpose of schools, the best ways to evaluate and improve schools, and the organization strategies of traditional schools.
The most critical issue raised in this article to me was the concept of testing as a means of reforming schools and teachers. The author points out that standardized tests do not allow a teacher to help particular students improve (because of when they are administered), and also do not provide any clues about the proper method of reform. I most liked the quote, “What test scores predict best are other test scores,” because I feel like that is a much better interpretation of their value than the one commonly used by administrators and legislators. Though this class has greatly improved my understanding of standardized testing and its usefulness or effectiveness, I have always felt like these tests are a poor way to evaluate teachers and a bad basis for educational reform.
While I did not think that any of the other issues were as critical, I was very interested in some of the organizational ideas about our schools that the author pointed out as questionable. The concepts of age-grading and single-year teachers are definitely ones that I had never considered alternatives to. I do not currently think that these practices should be eliminated or reformed, but I do think that reconsidering them relatively might yield positive results. In many cases, like for students with special needs or learning disabilities, being grouped by abilities might be much more effective than age. While it may not be productive or efficient for many subjects and grades, I can see how reading groups formed based on students’ reading abilities could enable individual students to reach their maximum potential, rather than the expectations for their grade and age.
As related to this article, I think the most important reforms for schools will be based in changing the public’s perception of what makes schools, teachers, and students most effective. The author identifies some of the troubling ideas that many people perceive about schools, like that we should evaluate them using test scores or promote school competition. I think that both of these ideas are horrible and changing them could do a lot to reform schools for both teachers and students.
The biggest issue, in my opinion, relating to schools was not addressed in this article; money. If I could personally reform schools, I would work to provide the funds and resources to pay teachers properly and provide students with the tools and programs they need to succeed. Though education is considered one of our country’s most important institutions, it is often the first thing that our elected officials will try to shortchange and save money on. We, as taxpayers and voters, allow them to do this even though it is against our best interests and our core values.
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