My View on the Education Debate
EDI 600 Psychological Foundation of Education
School of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
October 21, 2008
Long Island University, C. W. Post
October 21, 2008
On Tuesday, October 21st, at 7 pm, Teachers College will host "Education and the Next President," a debate between Linda Darling-Hammond, education advisor to Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama, and Lisa Graham Keegan, education advisor to Republican nominee John McCain.
Our class today was interesting. We watched the debate via the internet. It took up a majority of the class time, for a duration of about one hour. We learned about the education system and top political issues surrounding it. The debate explained issues such as funding, recognition, and standardized testing affects.
A teacher should not be evaluated based on their student’s achievements. Every classroom is different, not all students perform on the same level. You could have specialized students in your class. They usually don’t score as high as regular students. How can you praise any teacher if no classroom setting is the same? Also, standardized testing should not be the only method for evaluation. Teachers cram for these tests all year without including any other forms of education from your role in society to social debates. Standardized tests are one of the only methods to evaluate a classrooms performance nation wide. They are helpful because it is the same test given to all students and helps to generate an average. However, not all kids take tests well so there should be some kind of alternative.
We can improve our teacher quality by relieving some of the emphasis of standardized tests. Let teachers have more of an influence on the curriculum. Enable them to expand upon subjects and branch out instead of following such steady guidelines. It will make the classroom more interesting and allow the students to become more in depth with certain topics.
I do believe that the reasoning behind poor performance is a lack of resources. There is not enough funding. Money needs to be invested properly because students are lacking the proper tools. We need more money to update technology, textbooks etc. It will not solve the problem in it’s entirety but it a step in the right direction. This will not only increase resources but allow teachers to receive better pay and benefits. It will make the work environment beneficial for all.
Our class today was interesting. We watched the debate via the internet. It took up a majority of the class time, for a duration of about one hour. We learned about the education system and top political issues surrounding it. The debate explained issues such as funding, recognition, and standardized testing affects.
A teacher should not be evaluated based on their student’s achievements. Every classroom is different, not all students perform on the same level. You could have specialized students in your class. They usually don’t score as high as regular students. How can you praise any teacher if no classroom setting is the same? Also, standardized testing should not be the only method for evaluation. Teachers cram for these tests all year without including any other forms of education from your role in society to social debates. Standardized tests are one of the only methods to evaluate a classrooms performance nation wide. They are helpful because it is the same test given to all students and helps to generate an average. However, not all kids take tests well so there should be some kind of alternative.
We can improve our teacher quality by relieving some of the emphasis of standardized tests. Let teachers have more of an influence on the curriculum. Enable them to expand upon subjects and branch out instead of following such steady guidelines. It will make the classroom more interesting and allow the students to become more in depth with certain topics.
I do believe that the reasoning behind poor performance is a lack of resources. There is not enough funding. Money needs to be invested properly because students are lacking the proper tools. We need more money to update technology, textbooks etc. It will not solve the problem in it’s entirety but it a step in the right direction. This will not only increase resources but allow teachers to receive better pay and benefits. It will make the work environment beneficial for all.
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