Changing Our Education System:
For a Better Tomorrow
Arianna Garcia
College of Western Idaho
ENG 102-011W
Leslie Jewkes
May 06, 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013
Preface
This purpose of this blog is focusing on the education system. It talks bout what is currently being done about the issue. Also well as alternatives we my have overlooked in the past. I have learned throughout my research that doing things such as spending more time volunteering at my local schools; does make a difference. Little things like donating a box of pencils can make a difference. So hope this blog can get you feeling inspired to go out and help our community strengthen its education system.
Local Essay
Idaho Education:
Budget Issues
Arianna Garcia
College of Western Idaho
ENG 102-011W
Leslie Jewkes
12 March 2013
Abstract
School funding has been a global issues for the past few years. Every state being affected sin its own ways. Idaho schools have been fairly decent, but struggling nonetheless. Idaho is in a position where its residents, state, and district officials have yet to find a solution to the problems. There has been propositions made and Idaho residents have voiced in favor of focusing on charter schools. However, no changes have actually been made. So far all proposals have been dismissed.
Over the past few years, the education budget has been a high priority locally and globally. Obama administration has proposed a pre-kindergarten program for all 3- and 4-year- olds. Children ages 3 and 4 are eligible to attend preschool for free if they come from a family of four earning $46,100 or less. For families making more than that, the rates would be adjusted based on income (Elliot). Obama’s proposed plan would be phased out over the next 5 years if approved. Education Department officials, including Secretary Arne Duncan, have signaled that pre-kindergarten programs would be a priority during Obama's second term (Elliot). The proposal would increase the number of students in Early Head Start programs from 120,000 to 240,000. That piece of the plan would cost $11.5 billion over its first 10 years (Elliot). Idaho has been working on improving the current issues with education budgeting. Idaho officials’ focus should be on re-building and strengthening the current education system before trying to tackle a new project. The future of Idaho students is what is at stack. Idaho has yet to find a solution and it would not be wise to add to the already hurting budget.
Idaho’s superintendent, Tom Luna, has been working on ways to improve the education concerns of Idahoans. Fall of 2012 Luna presented Idaho voters with three law changes he felt would get Idaho’s education system back on track. Adam Cotterell and Emily R. Saunders wrote article Props 1, 2, and 3: A voter guide to Idaho’s Controversial Education Laws for Boise State Public Radio, providing information about the proposed laws. Proposition 1 corresponds to 2011’s Senate Bill 1108 and deals with labor relations (Cotterell, Saunders). Here are some of the changes Luna wished to make.
• District superintendents, school administrators, and teachers would get an annual evaluation. At least 50 percent of it must be based on measurable student growth. Teachers’ and principals’ evaluations must include parent input.
• School districts no longer have to prove a financial emergency before reducing teacher numbers. School boards can reduce teacher number as their discretion, but cannot consider seniority when deciding who to eliminate (Cotterell, Saunders).
Being able to cut teachers’ numbers without having to prove financial emergency seems a bit harsh. If after annual evaluation, or any other time for that matter, student growth for that teacher has declined or remained the same; cutting teachers seems reasonable. The budget being as poor as it is, citizens of Idaho should want the best teachers in schools. However, such power raises concern for parents. Raquel Valdez, mother to a kindergartener and first grader, stated, “If prop 1 was passed, a concern of mine would have been teachers being pressured to do certain things and being let go for not complying; or teachers being terminated due to bias in the districts.” A concern several others were more than likely to have had as well. No parent wants to see a child’s educator being taken advantage of. Parents want their children to succeed. A factor of a child’s success is a teacher’s performance.
Luna’s Proposition 2 was focused on paying teachers based on their performances. It offered things like bonuses are administrators and teachers for those who showed they have grown since the last standardized test. School staff members could make more the higher graduation rates they have. It seemed as though Superintendent Luna was trying to boost morale for Idaho educators with Proposition 2. Luna’s heart was in the right place, but proposition 2 was a risky idea. When it comes to the budgeting issues, this proposal could have helped or worsened the situation. It would be great if scores on standardized test went up across the state, but there would be a chance the districts would not be able to follow through with bonuses.
Should Proposition 2 have been passed; teachers could have been highly motivated to show district officials why they are important to Idaho’s education system. Taking a look at the Nampa school district, we can look for solutions to strengthen the education system. Idaho voters turned down all of Luna’s proposed laws. Nampa residents get a chance to help their own district this coming week.
The Nampa School District is asking voters to approve a $4.3 million levy. In September of 2012, the district learned of some mishandled funds putting those millions in debt (Lutz). There was an error in the budget spending and Nampa school district over spend. Now officials are looking for a solution to getting out of debt. Idaho Press Tribune writer, Nick Groff stated this is his article: Nampa School District $2.8 Million Short in Budget, “The Nampa school district starts the new year $2.4 million short because of a budgeting error that spans two years” (Groff).The reason Nampa school district is asking for the levy is to help get them out of debt. The district will still be in debt, but it would help lower that debt. Unfortunately, “even if the levy is passed, there will still be cuts at student levels,” said Allison Westfall, public information officer for Nampa district, at an open meeting at Lake Ridge Elementary to discuss the levy.
With budgets across the nation being in similar situations, teacher encouragement is greatly needed. Proposition’s 2 ideas of bonuses to teachers and administrators seemed like a fairly decent idea. It would encourage teachers to work harder with their students to reach academic goals. Teachers should not want to work harder with students because there is a cash prize at the end. Yet there are many educators who do everything they can to see their students succeed. This past December, USA TODAY covered a story of Washington teachers wants to pass on a yearly test.
Teachers at Garfield High School, Seattle's largest, said in December that they would pass on giving the latest Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test, a diagnostic tool that also screens students for remedial or gifted classes. Given several times a year, it's also used indirectly to rate teachers, but Garfield teachers say it's not aligned to the state curriculum and produces "meaningless" results. They have until Feb. 22 to administer the test or face unpaid suspension (Toppo).
If Proposition 1 was passed here in Idaho, residents might have seem a similar issue. Teachers would start to feel as though they are a target. If they are feeling as though they are non-important and easily replaced; why would they want officials have another test to judge them on? With all the excitement and teacher and administrator encouragement, it was a little surprising that Idaho did not join the teacher protest as the protest in Washington reached other places.
Luckily, Idaho missed out on this protest, but that does not mean Idaho residents will not see one in the future if the education budget is not resolved. Proposition 3 meant all students and teachers would receive a laptop. Students would be required to attend a study period. Idaho residents rejected all of Superintendent Luna’s laws. Luna’s laws were not perfect, but had definite potential. Many of Idahoans felt Propositions 1, 2, and 3 would have done more harm than good.
Mike Lanza was among Idaho parents angered by Luna’s three school reform plans. Lanza and other parents started a petition and had over 74,000 signatures (Rodine). Members who opposed the propositions were shocked to see lawmakers approve the laws. Mike Lanza said, “I have a couple of elementary school kids, so what’s important to me and some of those basic values, I think, are important to a lot of other people” (Rodine). Idaho residents have their children in mind, but are not coming to an agreement on changes that need to be made.
Opening more charter school in Idaho may be a solution to Idaho’s school issues. Key findings in the Idaho K-12 & School Choice Survey were that majority of Idaho voters (69 percent) support charter schools. Those who “strongly favor” charter schools outnumber those who “strongly oppose” charters by more than 4-1 (Meyers). Also fifty-one percent of Idaho voters rate the state’s public school system “poor” or “fair” (Meyers).
The legislation is aimed at giving more money and resources to help charter schools succeed. These dreams of Idaho lawmakers and those in favor in charter schools may soon be disappointed. The White House released a state-by-state report Sunday on the impacts of the pending sequester -- deep across-the-board spending cuts set to take effect on March 1st if Congress cannot reach a compromise (KTVB). Should a compromise not be reached, Idaho will lose approximately $3.7 million in funding for primary and secondary education, putting around 50 teacher and aide jobs at risk. In addition about 5,000 fewer students would be served and approximately 30 fewer schools would receive funding (KTVB). Cuts at student levels will only make the system even weaker. Idaho students may start to feel as though their education is not as important as parents make it out to be. School drop-out rates may even increase. Which Idaho is in no position to increase the drop-out rate. Below is a map State Impact used in article “While Few Dropout, Indian’s Graduation Rate Slightly Lags Nation” from U.S. Department of Education showing the percentage of students who graduate according to state.
Idaho has a high percentage of graduates, but if school funding is being cut Idaho will see a decrease.
With all Idaho has seen within these last few years, it is obvious officials need to come to a solution. Teachers are a huge factor to strengthening Idaho’s education system. Idaho cannot let teachers give up on students. Illiteracy still holds back more than 120 million young people (UNDP). In order to provide students with a promising future state officials need to find a solution to the budget concerns and boost teacher morale.
Works Cited
Cotterell, Adam and Emily Saunders. “Idaho Voters Resoundingly Reject Propositions 1, 2, and 3.” State Impact Idaho. Boise State Public Radio. 2013. Web.
Cotterell and Saunders speak about the Proposition Superintendent Tom Luna has proposed. They go into detail about each proposal and with what current laws they would correspond with.
DiPerna, Paul. “Idaho K-12 & School Choice Survey: What Do Voters Say about K-12 Education. Polling Paper No. 5. The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. Pages: 1-46: 05 Jan. 2012. Web. 12. Feb. 2013.
The survey covered areas such as charter schools, tax-credits, education spending, and state performance. The study started by going over the key findings of the survey. It then went on to show the results of the survey. The study also provided charts to the survey as well.
Elliott, Philip. “White House allies produce preschool-for-all plan”. The Associated Press News Service. 7, Feb. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.
The article was discussing the possible plans that President Barack Obama is trying to pass. Obama feels as though investing in early head start would be a possible solution to a stronger education system. President Obama feels the age of most importance is 3-4 years.
Groff, Nick. “Nampa School District $2.8 million Short in Budget.” Idaho Press Tribune. 15 August, 2012. Web.
Groff covers what happened in the Nampa district that caused the shortage. Basically some funds were counted for twice. Groff spoke with Superintendent Gary Larsen on what was going to be done to prevent an error like this from happening in the future.
Lutz, Andrea. “Voters Headed to the Polls Tuesday For Local School Levies.” KTVB.COM. Web. 11 March, 2013.
Lutz went over 4 districts (including Nampa) levies. She went into shirt detail about what each district was seeking. Lutz article also advised voters as to when the polls were going to open.
Meyers, Susan. “New Poll: Idaho Voters Support Educational Choice.” The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. 05, Jan. 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
Susan Meyers is one of the founders of The Friedman Foundation. New Poll: Idaho Voters Support Educational Choice, is a summary of the “Idaho K-12 & School Choice Survey.”
Rodine, Kristin. “Students Come First Opponent; Ultimately Voters do get the Final Say.” Idaho Statesman. 11 Nov. 2012. Web. 20. Feb. 2013.
The main idea of this article was to cover why Luna’s Propositions 1, 2, and 3 were denied. She interviewed Mike Lanza. Lanza was a leader in starting petitions to oppose Luna’s propositions.
Stokes, Kyle. “While Few Students Drop Out, Indiana’s Graduation Rate Slightly Lags Nation.” StateImpact.org. 25. Jan. 2013. Web. 29. April. 2013.
Stokes’ article is talking about the dropout rates in Indiana. It goes into detail about the rates of dropouts for different ethics. And also talking about Indiana law makers wanting to increase passes scores for math and English.
“The Millennium Development Goals Report 2012.” United Nations Development Programme. 2013.
The MDG are goals that all the nations decided upon to work on in order to becoming more globally united. This goals have been set to be met by the year 2015. One of the goals is to create a stronger education system globally.
Toppo, Greg. “'Meaningless' measure of student progress, say Seattle boycott leaders. USA Today.01 Feb. 2013.
Toppo covered a report on Washington teachers protesting a standardized test. The article goes on to tell how the protest became popular in with other educators. Other cities in Washington decided to protest as well. The protest started getting support from other schools throughout the United States as well.
Valdez, Raquel. Personal Interview. 29 Feb. 2013.
Raquel is a mother of two who children attend Sherman elementary. We had a face-to-face interview in her home. We spoke about the propositions that were denied and her opinions on the propositions.
WestFall, Allison. Interview. 06 March. 2013.
Allison Westfall had an open meeting about the Levy and how it would be affecting Nampa School districts. She was there to give in sight about the levy program. WestFall allowed all parents of Lake Ridge Students to attend as it was open to all questions.
“White House: How Sequester Would Impact Idaho.” KTVB.com. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.
KTVB did a segment on how the 2013 sequester would be affecting Idaho should congress not come to an agreement. It just spoke about how Idaho schools would be affected. And it offered information on how to see how others states were going to be affected.
Budget Issues
Arianna Garcia
College of Western Idaho
ENG 102-011W
Leslie Jewkes
12 March 2013
Abstract
School funding has been a global issues for the past few years. Every state being affected sin its own ways. Idaho schools have been fairly decent, but struggling nonetheless. Idaho is in a position where its residents, state, and district officials have yet to find a solution to the problems. There has been propositions made and Idaho residents have voiced in favor of focusing on charter schools. However, no changes have actually been made. So far all proposals have been dismissed.
Over the past few years, the education budget has been a high priority locally and globally. Obama administration has proposed a pre-kindergarten program for all 3- and 4-year- olds. Children ages 3 and 4 are eligible to attend preschool for free if they come from a family of four earning $46,100 or less. For families making more than that, the rates would be adjusted based on income (Elliot). Obama’s proposed plan would be phased out over the next 5 years if approved. Education Department officials, including Secretary Arne Duncan, have signaled that pre-kindergarten programs would be a priority during Obama's second term (Elliot). The proposal would increase the number of students in Early Head Start programs from 120,000 to 240,000. That piece of the plan would cost $11.5 billion over its first 10 years (Elliot). Idaho has been working on improving the current issues with education budgeting. Idaho officials’ focus should be on re-building and strengthening the current education system before trying to tackle a new project. The future of Idaho students is what is at stack. Idaho has yet to find a solution and it would not be wise to add to the already hurting budget.
Idaho’s superintendent, Tom Luna, has been working on ways to improve the education concerns of Idahoans. Fall of 2012 Luna presented Idaho voters with three law changes he felt would get Idaho’s education system back on track. Adam Cotterell and Emily R. Saunders wrote article Props 1, 2, and 3: A voter guide to Idaho’s Controversial Education Laws for Boise State Public Radio, providing information about the proposed laws. Proposition 1 corresponds to 2011’s Senate Bill 1108 and deals with labor relations (Cotterell, Saunders). Here are some of the changes Luna wished to make.
• District superintendents, school administrators, and teachers would get an annual evaluation. At least 50 percent of it must be based on measurable student growth. Teachers’ and principals’ evaluations must include parent input.
• School districts no longer have to prove a financial emergency before reducing teacher numbers. School boards can reduce teacher number as their discretion, but cannot consider seniority when deciding who to eliminate (Cotterell, Saunders).
Being able to cut teachers’ numbers without having to prove financial emergency seems a bit harsh. If after annual evaluation, or any other time for that matter, student growth for that teacher has declined or remained the same; cutting teachers seems reasonable. The budget being as poor as it is, citizens of Idaho should want the best teachers in schools. However, such power raises concern for parents. Raquel Valdez, mother to a kindergartener and first grader, stated, “If prop 1 was passed, a concern of mine would have been teachers being pressured to do certain things and being let go for not complying; or teachers being terminated due to bias in the districts.” A concern several others were more than likely to have had as well. No parent wants to see a child’s educator being taken advantage of. Parents want their children to succeed. A factor of a child’s success is a teacher’s performance.
Luna’s Proposition 2 was focused on paying teachers based on their performances. It offered things like bonuses are administrators and teachers for those who showed they have grown since the last standardized test. School staff members could make more the higher graduation rates they have. It seemed as though Superintendent Luna was trying to boost morale for Idaho educators with Proposition 2. Luna’s heart was in the right place, but proposition 2 was a risky idea. When it comes to the budgeting issues, this proposal could have helped or worsened the situation. It would be great if scores on standardized test went up across the state, but there would be a chance the districts would not be able to follow through with bonuses.
Should Proposition 2 have been passed; teachers could have been highly motivated to show district officials why they are important to Idaho’s education system. Taking a look at the Nampa school district, we can look for solutions to strengthen the education system. Idaho voters turned down all of Luna’s proposed laws. Nampa residents get a chance to help their own district this coming week.
The Nampa School District is asking voters to approve a $4.3 million levy. In September of 2012, the district learned of some mishandled funds putting those millions in debt (Lutz). There was an error in the budget spending and Nampa school district over spend. Now officials are looking for a solution to getting out of debt. Idaho Press Tribune writer, Nick Groff stated this is his article: Nampa School District $2.8 Million Short in Budget, “The Nampa school district starts the new year $2.4 million short because of a budgeting error that spans two years” (Groff).The reason Nampa school district is asking for the levy is to help get them out of debt. The district will still be in debt, but it would help lower that debt. Unfortunately, “even if the levy is passed, there will still be cuts at student levels,” said Allison Westfall, public information officer for Nampa district, at an open meeting at Lake Ridge Elementary to discuss the levy.
With budgets across the nation being in similar situations, teacher encouragement is greatly needed. Proposition’s 2 ideas of bonuses to teachers and administrators seemed like a fairly decent idea. It would encourage teachers to work harder with their students to reach academic goals. Teachers should not want to work harder with students because there is a cash prize at the end. Yet there are many educators who do everything they can to see their students succeed. This past December, USA TODAY covered a story of Washington teachers wants to pass on a yearly test.
Teachers at Garfield High School, Seattle's largest, said in December that they would pass on giving the latest Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test, a diagnostic tool that also screens students for remedial or gifted classes. Given several times a year, it's also used indirectly to rate teachers, but Garfield teachers say it's not aligned to the state curriculum and produces "meaningless" results. They have until Feb. 22 to administer the test or face unpaid suspension (Toppo).
If Proposition 1 was passed here in Idaho, residents might have seem a similar issue. Teachers would start to feel as though they are a target. If they are feeling as though they are non-important and easily replaced; why would they want officials have another test to judge them on? With all the excitement and teacher and administrator encouragement, it was a little surprising that Idaho did not join the teacher protest as the protest in Washington reached other places.
Luckily, Idaho missed out on this protest, but that does not mean Idaho residents will not see one in the future if the education budget is not resolved. Proposition 3 meant all students and teachers would receive a laptop. Students would be required to attend a study period. Idaho residents rejected all of Superintendent Luna’s laws. Luna’s laws were not perfect, but had definite potential. Many of Idahoans felt Propositions 1, 2, and 3 would have done more harm than good.
Mike Lanza was among Idaho parents angered by Luna’s three school reform plans. Lanza and other parents started a petition and had over 74,000 signatures (Rodine). Members who opposed the propositions were shocked to see lawmakers approve the laws. Mike Lanza said, “I have a couple of elementary school kids, so what’s important to me and some of those basic values, I think, are important to a lot of other people” (Rodine). Idaho residents have their children in mind, but are not coming to an agreement on changes that need to be made.
Opening more charter school in Idaho may be a solution to Idaho’s school issues. Key findings in the Idaho K-12 & School Choice Survey were that majority of Idaho voters (69 percent) support charter schools. Those who “strongly favor” charter schools outnumber those who “strongly oppose” charters by more than 4-1 (Meyers). Also fifty-one percent of Idaho voters rate the state’s public school system “poor” or “fair” (Meyers).
The legislation is aimed at giving more money and resources to help charter schools succeed. These dreams of Idaho lawmakers and those in favor in charter schools may soon be disappointed. The White House released a state-by-state report Sunday on the impacts of the pending sequester -- deep across-the-board spending cuts set to take effect on March 1st if Congress cannot reach a compromise (KTVB). Should a compromise not be reached, Idaho will lose approximately $3.7 million in funding for primary and secondary education, putting around 50 teacher and aide jobs at risk. In addition about 5,000 fewer students would be served and approximately 30 fewer schools would receive funding (KTVB). Cuts at student levels will only make the system even weaker. Idaho students may start to feel as though their education is not as important as parents make it out to be. School drop-out rates may even increase. Which Idaho is in no position to increase the drop-out rate. Below is a map State Impact used in article “While Few Dropout, Indian’s Graduation Rate Slightly Lags Nation” from U.S. Department of Education showing the percentage of students who graduate according to state.
Idaho has a high percentage of graduates, but if school funding is being cut Idaho will see a decrease. With all Idaho has seen within these last few years, it is obvious officials need to come to a solution. Teachers are a huge factor to strengthening Idaho’s education system. Idaho cannot let teachers give up on students. Illiteracy still holds back more than 120 million young people (UNDP). In order to provide students with a promising future state officials need to find a solution to the budget concerns and boost teacher morale.
Works Cited
Cotterell, Adam and Emily Saunders. “Idaho Voters Resoundingly Reject Propositions 1, 2, and 3.” State Impact Idaho. Boise State Public Radio. 2013. Web.
Cotterell and Saunders speak about the Proposition Superintendent Tom Luna has proposed. They go into detail about each proposal and with what current laws they would correspond with.
DiPerna, Paul. “Idaho K-12 & School Choice Survey: What Do Voters Say about K-12 Education. Polling Paper No. 5. The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. Pages: 1-46: 05 Jan. 2012. Web. 12. Feb. 2013.
The survey covered areas such as charter schools, tax-credits, education spending, and state performance. The study started by going over the key findings of the survey. It then went on to show the results of the survey. The study also provided charts to the survey as well.
Elliott, Philip. “White House allies produce preschool-for-all plan”. The Associated Press News Service. 7, Feb. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.
The article was discussing the possible plans that President Barack Obama is trying to pass. Obama feels as though investing in early head start would be a possible solution to a stronger education system. President Obama feels the age of most importance is 3-4 years.
Groff, Nick. “Nampa School District $2.8 million Short in Budget.” Idaho Press Tribune. 15 August, 2012. Web.
Groff covers what happened in the Nampa district that caused the shortage. Basically some funds were counted for twice. Groff spoke with Superintendent Gary Larsen on what was going to be done to prevent an error like this from happening in the future.
Lutz, Andrea. “Voters Headed to the Polls Tuesday For Local School Levies.” KTVB.COM. Web. 11 March, 2013.
Lutz went over 4 districts (including Nampa) levies. She went into shirt detail about what each district was seeking. Lutz article also advised voters as to when the polls were going to open.
Meyers, Susan. “New Poll: Idaho Voters Support Educational Choice.” The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. 05, Jan. 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
Susan Meyers is one of the founders of The Friedman Foundation. New Poll: Idaho Voters Support Educational Choice, is a summary of the “Idaho K-12 & School Choice Survey.”
Rodine, Kristin. “Students Come First Opponent; Ultimately Voters do get the Final Say.” Idaho Statesman. 11 Nov. 2012. Web. 20. Feb. 2013.
The main idea of this article was to cover why Luna’s Propositions 1, 2, and 3 were denied. She interviewed Mike Lanza. Lanza was a leader in starting petitions to oppose Luna’s propositions.
Stokes, Kyle. “While Few Students Drop Out, Indiana’s Graduation Rate Slightly Lags Nation.” StateImpact.org. 25. Jan. 2013. Web. 29. April. 2013.
Stokes’ article is talking about the dropout rates in Indiana. It goes into detail about the rates of dropouts for different ethics. And also talking about Indiana law makers wanting to increase passes scores for math and English.
“The Millennium Development Goals Report 2012.” United Nations Development Programme. 2013.
The MDG are goals that all the nations decided upon to work on in order to becoming more globally united. This goals have been set to be met by the year 2015. One of the goals is to create a stronger education system globally.
Toppo, Greg. “'Meaningless' measure of student progress, say Seattle boycott leaders. USA Today.01 Feb. 2013.
Toppo covered a report on Washington teachers protesting a standardized test. The article goes on to tell how the protest became popular in with other educators. Other cities in Washington decided to protest as well. The protest started getting support from other schools throughout the United States as well.
Valdez, Raquel. Personal Interview. 29 Feb. 2013.
Raquel is a mother of two who children attend Sherman elementary. We had a face-to-face interview in her home. We spoke about the propositions that were denied and her opinions on the propositions.
WestFall, Allison. Interview. 06 March. 2013.
Allison Westfall had an open meeting about the Levy and how it would be affecting Nampa School districts. She was there to give in sight about the levy program. WestFall allowed all parents of Lake Ridge Students to attend as it was open to all questions.
“White House: How Sequester Would Impact Idaho.” KTVB.com. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.
KTVB did a segment on how the 2013 sequester would be affecting Idaho should congress not come to an agreement. It just spoke about how Idaho schools would be affected. And it offered information on how to see how others states were going to be affected.
Personal Writing
Public Service Announcement
Mother of student: “Hey honey Jacob’s teacher sent home a list of supplies that need to be purchased for his class.”
Father of student: “Pencils, paper, notebooks, markers. I thought we brought all this at the beginning of the year?”
Mother of student: “We did, but they need more.”
Father of student: “And the school cannot provide them?”
Mother of student: “I guess not. Come on let’s make a run to the store.”
Request for school supplies from parents throughout the year have become common place.
It may be an inconvenience, but when we donate; we are giving encouragement to our students.
Get out there and support your local schools.
Ideas on how you can help are available at: www.boostup.org
Mother of student: “Hey honey Jacob’s teacher sent home a list of supplies that need to be purchased for his class.”
Father of student: “Pencils, paper, notebooks, markers. I thought we brought all this at the beginning of the year?”
Mother of student: “We did, but they need more.”
Father of student: “And the school cannot provide them?”
Mother of student: “I guess not. Come on let’s make a run to the store.”
Request for school supplies from parents throughout the year have become common place.
It may be an inconvenience, but when we donate; we are giving encouragement to our students.
Get out there and support your local schools.
Ideas on how you can help are available at: www.boostup.org
Personal Writing
Why Did I Choose This Topic?
Arianna Garcia
Entry Date: March 15, 2013
Diary Entry #1
I have to say I love that I choose the topic of developing a stronger education system. At the
same time; it is starting to make me very sad. My son started his first year as a student in the
Nampa school district. I was excited for all first time holiday parties I was going to volunteer
for, the field trips we were going to take, and him learning about art and music. As the year started to get going I realized none of that was going to happen. With Nampa schools lacking in funds; my son has had only 2 event parties in which only 3 parents were able to attend. They both were a first come first serve basis. My spouse and I however, were able to attend Thanksgiving lunch with him. For that I am thankful! I understand that living in Nampa because of the budget error that occurred over 2 years; my son will miss out on a lot of the things I was able to do when I was in school. I hate knowing my community is in such a crisis and there is only so much I can do to help. Things like music and P.E. are becoming less important in the funding and do not agree with that. In the long run it is best that I am now aware of the issue and may not be an expert, but I am learning more and more.
Arianna Garcia
Entry Date: March 15, 2013
Diary Entry #1
I have to say I love that I choose the topic of developing a stronger education system. At the
same time; it is starting to make me very sad. My son started his first year as a student in the
Nampa school district. I was excited for all first time holiday parties I was going to volunteer
for, the field trips we were going to take, and him learning about art and music. As the year started to get going I realized none of that was going to happen. With Nampa schools lacking in funds; my son has had only 2 event parties in which only 3 parents were able to attend. They both were a first come first serve basis. My spouse and I however, were able to attend Thanksgiving lunch with him. For that I am thankful! I understand that living in Nampa because of the budget error that occurred over 2 years; my son will miss out on a lot of the things I was able to do when I was in school. I hate knowing my community is in such a crisis and there is only so much I can do to help. Things like music and P.E. are becoming less important in the funding and do not agree with that. In the long run it is best that I am now aware of the issue and may not be an expert, but I am learning more and more.
Interview
Interview with Raquel Valdez
Parent of two students of Sherman Elementary
Question: Did you support any of the Propositions Superintendent Tom Luna proposed?
Answer: No.
Question: Which were you least in favor of?
Answer: Proposition 1. If prop 1 was passed, a concern of mine would have been teachers being pressured to do certain things and
being let go for not complying; Or teachers being terminated due to bias in the districts.
Question: Do you think global reform of the education system can be achieved?
Answer; I hope so. I believe it can as long as we start acting like we actually care about our students.
Question: Do you mean “we” as in us parents or who are you referring to?
Answer: Well I guess everyone. Parents’ yes otherwise kids would not go to school at all. And our state officials. I mean I find it ridiculous that every other year cops get new cars and every year the schools lose more programs.
Question: The districts are asking voters to approve levies. Are you in support of Nampa’s levy?
Answer: Yes. I mean I don’t see why I would oppose it. It sucks that if approved we won’t even see that money go to schools. I mean they will but only to help clear debt.
Parent of two students of Sherman Elementary
Question: Did you support any of the Propositions Superintendent Tom Luna proposed?
Answer: No.
Question: Which were you least in favor of?
Answer: Proposition 1. If prop 1 was passed, a concern of mine would have been teachers being pressured to do certain things and
being let go for not complying; Or teachers being terminated due to bias in the districts.
Question: Do you think global reform of the education system can be achieved?
Answer; I hope so. I believe it can as long as we start acting like we actually care about our students.
Question: Do you mean “we” as in us parents or who are you referring to?
Answer: Well I guess everyone. Parents’ yes otherwise kids would not go to school at all. And our state officials. I mean I find it ridiculous that every other year cops get new cars and every year the schools lose more programs.
Question: The districts are asking voters to approve levies. Are you in support of Nampa’s levy?
Answer: Yes. I mean I don’t see why I would oppose it. It sucks that if approved we won’t even see that money go to schools. I mean they will but only to help clear debt.
Interview
Group interview with Allison WestFall, a Nampa District Representative, at Lake Ridge Elementary.
Question: Will the approval of the levy stop budget cuts?
Answer: Even if the levy is passed, there will still be cuts at student levels
Question: At what level (staff/student) will we see cuts?
Answer: Answered with question one. Student level.
Question: If the levy is approved but sequester is not settled, how will that affect the levy program?
Answer: We do not yet have the exact numbers of Idaho cuts so cannot answer.
Question: How long will to be before we no longer have budget cuts at student level?
Answer: That is a question that will depend on the outcome of the levy and any further levy programs that may be passed or failed.
Question: Will the levy program affect our taxes?
Answer: No.
Question: Will there be cuts at teacher levels?
Answer: Yes, there is a good possibility of teacher pay cuts.
Question: But we will not lose school members?
Answer: No, we will not be terminating educators.
Question: Will the approval of the levy stop budget cuts?
Answer: Even if the levy is passed, there will still be cuts at student levels
Question: At what level (staff/student) will we see cuts?
Answer: Answered with question one. Student level.
Question: If the levy is approved but sequester is not settled, how will that affect the levy program?
Answer: We do not yet have the exact numbers of Idaho cuts so cannot answer.
Question: How long will to be before we no longer have budget cuts at student level?
Answer: That is a question that will depend on the outcome of the levy and any further levy programs that may be passed or failed.
Question: Will the levy program affect our taxes?
Answer: No.
Question: Will there be cuts at teacher levels?
Answer: Yes, there is a good possibility of teacher pay cuts.
Question: But we will not lose school members?
Answer: No, we will not be terminating educators.
Letter of Inquiry
Letter of Inquiry
02 Feb. 2013
Hello Superintendent Tom Luna,
My name is Arianna Garcia, I am currently conducting research for a college paper focusing on Idaho’s education system. Of course you were the first person who can to mind. I have a few questions I would like to ask you regarding the current funding issues in area such as in District 131, Nampa. If you have the time and would be willing to participate in my research; it would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to your response. Here are a few questions I have for you. Thank you for your time.
Arianna Garcia.
1. Now that election time has come and gone, what is your next course of action?
2. What types of changes can we expect to see in schools over the next school year?
3. What can parents do to help local schools with budget issues?
4. Will there be a reduction of teachers?
02 Feb. 2013
Hello Superintendent Tom Luna,
My name is Arianna Garcia, I am currently conducting research for a college paper focusing on Idaho’s education system. Of course you were the first person who can to mind. I have a few questions I would like to ask you regarding the current funding issues in area such as in District 131, Nampa. If you have the time and would be willing to participate in my research; it would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to your response. Here are a few questions I have for you. Thank you for your time.
Arianna Garcia.
1. Now that election time has come and gone, what is your next course of action?
2. What types of changes can we expect to see in schools over the next school year?
3. What can parents do to help local schools with budget issues?
4. Will there be a reduction of teachers?
Letter of Inquiry
Letter of Inquiry
17 Feb. 2013
Hello Allison Westfall,
My name is Arianna Garcia. I am a college student working on a research paper revolving around Idaho’s education system. Since you are a representative for the Nampa School District, I would like to conduct an interview with you. My son attends Lake Ridge Elementary and I was advised you will holding a meeting there on the 26th. Will you have time to answer questions at the meeting? If not will you be willing to answer some questions of mine via email? I look forward to your response. Should email be more convenient for you I have included a few questions. Thank you again!
Arianna Garcia.
1. Will the approval of the levy stop budget cuts?
2. How long will to be before we no longer have budget cuts at student level?
3. Will there be cuts at teacher levels?
17 Feb. 2013
Hello Allison Westfall,
My name is Arianna Garcia. I am a college student working on a research paper revolving around Idaho’s education system. Since you are a representative for the Nampa School District, I would like to conduct an interview with you. My son attends Lake Ridge Elementary and I was advised you will holding a meeting there on the 26th. Will you have time to answer questions at the meeting? If not will you be willing to answer some questions of mine via email? I look forward to your response. Should email be more convenient for you I have included a few questions. Thank you again!
Arianna Garcia.
1. Will the approval of the levy stop budget cuts?
2. How long will to be before we no longer have budget cuts at student level?
3. Will there be cuts at teacher levels?
Film Essay
ENG 102-011W
Final Film
15 April, 2013
Freedom Writers Analysis
If everyone is the world stopped and took a look around them they may see that the world in which we live is far from perfect. Starting with our children’s education. Even being a member of society baring no off spring; education to next generation should be just as important to you. Mary your current baby sitter could be the next Supreme Court Judge. Or maybe she will end up nothing more than your local beggar. The film Freedom Writers addresses areas affecting education funding, how negative support from educators can affect students, and how community involvement can create positive changes.
Freedom Writers is a biography based on how a classroom of at risk-students become inspiring young adults for everyone. These students were at a school that had a very small to no budget for their educational needs. The main reason for this was because the staff members of the school felt they were not responsible enough to take care of the materials. Mrs. Gruwell, played by Hilary Swank, was the one teacher in the school who was not going to just give up on her students that were see as those kids who were more than likely not going to make it graduation. According to the film though, “Mrs. Gruwell was able to be their English teacher from freshmen to senior year. Many of her students were the first to graduate in their families and went on to college. Following some of her students, Erin Gruwell went on to teach at California State University, Long Beach” (LaGravenese).
Watching the film it is obvious director Richard LaGravenese wanted his audience to see how even though we may not all have the same skin tone; our lives consist of the same problems. And eliminating ethnical bias would create a healthier environment for education. In one scene we have a girl by the name Eva getting ready for her night out. In the background Eva has her music playing. LaGravenese uses cross cutting to show Sindy doing the exact same as Eva: getting ready and listening to the same song. LaGravenese used the music and transitions between the scenes to show how in even simple ways we are the same. When people think about how to better the education system, they my look at it from the point of view of every place has different ethics so their needs will be different. That is true to a certain point. Showing how girls the same age but different ethics have the same social habits shows that surely their education needs will be the same.
Director LaGravenese uses a more dramatic approach in the scene where Mrs. Gruwell has just been rejected new books for her class. Mrs. Gruwell is an educator who cares deeply for her students. Director LaGravenese uses a close-up shot to create a dramatic effect on Mrs. Gruwell’s realization of ethics dividing themselves. LaGravenese using an eye-level shot we see Mrs. Gruwell’s view of a school yard. Techniques Mr. LaGravenese demonstrate an emotion many educators can relate to when facing similar problems involving funding and having another educator be so cold and careless towards their students; hurt. Not all will agree LaGravenese techniques did were affective. Claudia Puig, writer for USA Today, stated, “Freedom Writers heart is in the right place. It's too bad screenwriter (and director) Richard LaGravenese didn't exercise more freedom of thought” (Puig). Puig felt the film came on to strong on stereotypes.
‘Freedom Writers” in more than just about a divided school. It painted a decent picture of what educators and students go through with a budget that lacks. When students are not giving the proper materials they need to progress in school how are they going to succeed? Mrs. Gruwell takes it upon herself to have change in her classroom. Mrs. Gruwell getting a second and third job so she can pay for books and trips for her class. Since Margret, head of budgeting, played by Imelda Staunton, will not provide books that are in good condition because according to Margret, “the students will do nothing but destroy them.” (LaGravenese). LaGravenese used Margret as the villain. Her words are harsh when speaking of the students from room 203. Researchers from Nigeria said, “Excessive emotional abuse from teachers can negatively affect children and may have adverse effects on their learning” (Aluede, Jolly Okoza, and A.I. Ojugo). Students are already suffering from a poor budget. Knowing their teachers and staff do not have faith in them will have students leaving school; students see that has no one having faith in them.
On a happier note, LaGravenese starts a series of cross-cutting shots of Mrs. Gruwell’s students raising money to fund an event and newspaper headlines. Transitioning between the two makes the audience sit and acknowledge what success they have achieved. Mrs. Gruwell did not ask for paper coverage but received it for going above and beyond for her students. This shows that if we can get our communities involved and more aware of the funding issues; we can see changes in our schools.
LaGravenese was able to get the audience attention. Letting us see more into education issues school around the world face every day. Having teachers like A Erin Gruwell gives hope back to us all. We can see change in our schools if we want it back enough. The first step, getting the community involved. It’s time to start showing our students we do care and want them to succeed.
Works Cited
Aluede, Oyaziwo, A. I. Ojugo, and Jolly Okoza. "Emotional Abuse of Secondary School Students by Teachers in Edo State, Nigeria."Research in Education 88 (2012): 29-39. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.
LaGravenese, Richard, dir. Freedom Writers. Paramount, 2007. Film. 01 April 2013.
Puig, Claudia. "'Freedom' Rings Rather Hollow.”Usatoday.com. USA Today, 05 January 2007. Web. 12 Apr 2013.
Final Film
15 April, 2013
Freedom Writers Analysis
If everyone is the world stopped and took a look around them they may see that the world in which we live is far from perfect. Starting with our children’s education. Even being a member of society baring no off spring; education to next generation should be just as important to you. Mary your current baby sitter could be the next Supreme Court Judge. Or maybe she will end up nothing more than your local beggar. The film Freedom Writers addresses areas affecting education funding, how negative support from educators can affect students, and how community involvement can create positive changes.
Freedom Writers is a biography based on how a classroom of at risk-students become inspiring young adults for everyone. These students were at a school that had a very small to no budget for their educational needs. The main reason for this was because the staff members of the school felt they were not responsible enough to take care of the materials. Mrs. Gruwell, played by Hilary Swank, was the one teacher in the school who was not going to just give up on her students that were see as those kids who were more than likely not going to make it graduation. According to the film though, “Mrs. Gruwell was able to be their English teacher from freshmen to senior year. Many of her students were the first to graduate in their families and went on to college. Following some of her students, Erin Gruwell went on to teach at California State University, Long Beach” (LaGravenese).
Watching the film it is obvious director Richard LaGravenese wanted his audience to see how even though we may not all have the same skin tone; our lives consist of the same problems. And eliminating ethnical bias would create a healthier environment for education. In one scene we have a girl by the name Eva getting ready for her night out. In the background Eva has her music playing. LaGravenese uses cross cutting to show Sindy doing the exact same as Eva: getting ready and listening to the same song. LaGravenese used the music and transitions between the scenes to show how in even simple ways we are the same. When people think about how to better the education system, they my look at it from the point of view of every place has different ethics so their needs will be different. That is true to a certain point. Showing how girls the same age but different ethics have the same social habits shows that surely their education needs will be the same.
Director LaGravenese uses a more dramatic approach in the scene where Mrs. Gruwell has just been rejected new books for her class. Mrs. Gruwell is an educator who cares deeply for her students. Director LaGravenese uses a close-up shot to create a dramatic effect on Mrs. Gruwell’s realization of ethics dividing themselves. LaGravenese using an eye-level shot we see Mrs. Gruwell’s view of a school yard. Techniques Mr. LaGravenese demonstrate an emotion many educators can relate to when facing similar problems involving funding and having another educator be so cold and careless towards their students; hurt. Not all will agree LaGravenese techniques did were affective. Claudia Puig, writer for USA Today, stated, “Freedom Writers heart is in the right place. It's too bad screenwriter (and director) Richard LaGravenese didn't exercise more freedom of thought” (Puig). Puig felt the film came on to strong on stereotypes.
‘Freedom Writers” in more than just about a divided school. It painted a decent picture of what educators and students go through with a budget that lacks. When students are not giving the proper materials they need to progress in school how are they going to succeed? Mrs. Gruwell takes it upon herself to have change in her classroom. Mrs. Gruwell getting a second and third job so she can pay for books and trips for her class. Since Margret, head of budgeting, played by Imelda Staunton, will not provide books that are in good condition because according to Margret, “the students will do nothing but destroy them.” (LaGravenese). LaGravenese used Margret as the villain. Her words are harsh when speaking of the students from room 203. Researchers from Nigeria said, “Excessive emotional abuse from teachers can negatively affect children and may have adverse effects on their learning” (Aluede, Jolly Okoza, and A.I. Ojugo). Students are already suffering from a poor budget. Knowing their teachers and staff do not have faith in them will have students leaving school; students see that has no one having faith in them.
On a happier note, LaGravenese starts a series of cross-cutting shots of Mrs. Gruwell’s students raising money to fund an event and newspaper headlines. Transitioning between the two makes the audience sit and acknowledge what success they have achieved. Mrs. Gruwell did not ask for paper coverage but received it for going above and beyond for her students. This shows that if we can get our communities involved and more aware of the funding issues; we can see changes in our schools.
LaGravenese was able to get the audience attention. Letting us see more into education issues school around the world face every day. Having teachers like A Erin Gruwell gives hope back to us all. We can see change in our schools if we want it back enough. The first step, getting the community involved. It’s time to start showing our students we do care and want them to succeed.
Works Cited
Aluede, Oyaziwo, A. I. Ojugo, and Jolly Okoza. "Emotional Abuse of Secondary School Students by Teachers in Edo State, Nigeria."Research in Education 88 (2012): 29-39. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.
LaGravenese, Richard, dir. Freedom Writers. Paramount, 2007. Film. 01 April 2013.
Puig, Claudia. "'Freedom' Rings Rather Hollow.”Usatoday.com. USA Today, 05 January 2007. Web. 12 Apr 2013.
Final Global
Global Education:
School Improvement
Arianna Garcia
College of Western Idaho
ENG 102-011W
Leslie Jewkes
May 6, 2013
Abstract
The goal we are trying to reach is to better our education system for everyone. In order to do so we need to look at each other and figure out what we can do to contribute. Of course the ideal solution to strengthen the system would be for more funding. That is not always possible. There are however, other areas we can focus on and start improving today.
All over the globe we see children’s education suffering. An issue playing a large rule in this crisis is students who live in rural and areas of high poverty. Students living in these areas suffer in their education the most and are most likely to be out of school (UNDP). The education system needs to be worked on; that is an obvious. It is important though to realize that we cannot depend on others to do it for us. Nor should we believe it is a goal that can be achieved solo. Changes for strengthening our school systems can start right at home. While the major issue in the education system stems from the lack of funding; we can focus on other areas of the system like parent, teacher, and community involvement. Fixing the global funding of schools would be most ideal, but in the meantime parents can help their students get the most out of the current system.
According to William H. Jeynes, professor at California State University, conducted a meta-analysis of parent involvement and how it affects them academically. Altogether he had 77 tests. The end results were: those with high levels of parent involvement scored higher when it came to academic tests (Jeynes). Jeynes also found through the tests and results was that they were not bias towards minorities. Parents being involved in students’ academic studies will motivate students to do their best. Having the latest in technology or new textbooks in the classroom will not be all important. Students will feel the need to go out and excel with the sources that are available to them. Of course the increase of parent involvement will never have a negative impact on students; researchers believe parent involvement will decrease as resources become available (Conway &Houtenville 440). According to Karen Conway, an economics professor at University of New Hampshire, and her colleague Andrew Houtenville, and their study of parent involvement; found schools with little resources will have greater involvement. Conway and Houtenville found measuring the amount of academic success, schools would need to increase funding to about one- thousand dollars per student in order to receive similar results on academic progress (Conway & Houtenville 441). What we want to remember is children all over the world are our next leaders. So if we can make up for lack of funding with parent involvement; we should take that opportunity.
While it is important to continue to work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goal of providing education for children everywhere by the year 2015(UNDP); we have to accept it may not possible. Jessica Shepherd, education correspondent for the Guardian, reported that in the year 2010 there was still seventy million student still out of school across the global (Shepherd). Majority of the out of school student is from the world’s poorest countries like north-Africa.
In areas like Sub-Saharan Africa, it would be hard for parents to be involved with their students’ academic work. If they were able to help, there is no question about it they would. The problem adults are faced with places like Sub-Saharan Africa are that most adults will not have completed more than primary schooling. According to researchers for the Global Campaign for Education, “in sub-Saharan Africa, forty-eight percent of children do not complete primary school and only one country in the region sends more than half its children to secondary school” (GCFE 3). Fitness for Africa Organization shows that the total population of literacy in Uganda is only 66.8 %. Here is a map showing results in Africa.
For students living in such areas; hope of completing school and not living in poverty is very slim. If the level of education can change then the future of such countries can change forever. The school systems may not always be where we would like them to be, but if we start funding areas now then current students can grow up and help further lower poverty.
We need to start somewhere. The Millennium Development Goals are the best chance we have in ending poverty. In the report “Back to School” it shows that rich governments whom have promised to help poor governments have failed (GCFE 2). Some countries have taken it upon themselves to try to better education system within their own funding. China’s government in the past two decades has changed their funding policies eight times (Wei 115). There are organizations that have been designed and dedicated to working on education issues only.
Action Aid is one of those organizations. They started out sponsoring students, then moved on to funding schools. They realized that was not the solution they needed to go deeper to the problem; the community. In northern Nigeria the organization Action Aid found that funds were being given to the schools but not necessarily reaching the schools (Odida). What Action Aid representatives decided to do was work with the communities to schools to create a management system, Basically what it consisted of was school administrators, teachers, and parents, would vote a council to control the funding. It would be a group decision as to what and when funds would be released. This way communities members can insure the funds are being properly used.
Steps are being taken in the correct direct to strengthening the system, but we need to remember to move forward. In order to do so we need to come together as a whole and work together on overcoming the education crisis. Besides funding though there are other ways to educating our students. It starts will us; let’s not fail our students.
Works Cited
Action Aid Organization. (2013). Education. United States: Author.
Fitness for Africa. (2012). Adult Literacy Project. Uganda.
Global Campaign for Education. (2010). Back to School. South Africa. Shaharazad Abuel-Ealeh, Sam Barratt, John Coventry, Lucia Fry, George Harris, David Hollow.
Houtenville, J. Andrew. And Karen Smith Conway. “Parental Effort, School Resources, and Student Achievement.” Academic Search Complete. 43(2), 438-445. Retrieved from http://www.unh.edu/news/docs/Conway_May08.pdf
Jeynes, William H. "Parental involvement and student achievement: A meta-analysis, Family Involvement Research Digest.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project. Cambridge, MA. 2005. 19, April. 2013.
Odida, Ovonji Irene. (Wise Summit). 20, December 2011. Eminent Voices (Video File). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=q6228_pvWog
Shepherd, Jessica. “70 Million Children Get no Education, Says Report.” The Guardian. 20. Sept. 2010.Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/sep/20/70m-get-no-education
Wei, H. (2008). The characteristics of China’s compulsory education funding policy change, 1986–2006. Frontiers of Education in China, 3(1), 115-122. http://web.ebscohost.com.cwi.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=dd1f0fa9-75e3-4817-b955-1fb7d4f858f0%40sessionmgr111&vid=3&hid=123
"Where Do We Stand?" United Nations Development Programme. N.p., 02 July 2012. Web. 18 Apr 2013.
School Improvement
Arianna Garcia
College of Western Idaho
ENG 102-011W
Leslie Jewkes
May 6, 2013
Abstract
The goal we are trying to reach is to better our education system for everyone. In order to do so we need to look at each other and figure out what we can do to contribute. Of course the ideal solution to strengthen the system would be for more funding. That is not always possible. There are however, other areas we can focus on and start improving today.
All over the globe we see children’s education suffering. An issue playing a large rule in this crisis is students who live in rural and areas of high poverty. Students living in these areas suffer in their education the most and are most likely to be out of school (UNDP). The education system needs to be worked on; that is an obvious. It is important though to realize that we cannot depend on others to do it for us. Nor should we believe it is a goal that can be achieved solo. Changes for strengthening our school systems can start right at home. While the major issue in the education system stems from the lack of funding; we can focus on other areas of the system like parent, teacher, and community involvement. Fixing the global funding of schools would be most ideal, but in the meantime parents can help their students get the most out of the current system.
According to William H. Jeynes, professor at California State University, conducted a meta-analysis of parent involvement and how it affects them academically. Altogether he had 77 tests. The end results were: those with high levels of parent involvement scored higher when it came to academic tests (Jeynes). Jeynes also found through the tests and results was that they were not bias towards minorities. Parents being involved in students’ academic studies will motivate students to do their best. Having the latest in technology or new textbooks in the classroom will not be all important. Students will feel the need to go out and excel with the sources that are available to them. Of course the increase of parent involvement will never have a negative impact on students; researchers believe parent involvement will decrease as resources become available (Conway &Houtenville 440). According to Karen Conway, an economics professor at University of New Hampshire, and her colleague Andrew Houtenville, and their study of parent involvement; found schools with little resources will have greater involvement. Conway and Houtenville found measuring the amount of academic success, schools would need to increase funding to about one- thousand dollars per student in order to receive similar results on academic progress (Conway & Houtenville 441). What we want to remember is children all over the world are our next leaders. So if we can make up for lack of funding with parent involvement; we should take that opportunity.
While it is important to continue to work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goal of providing education for children everywhere by the year 2015(UNDP); we have to accept it may not possible. Jessica Shepherd, education correspondent for the Guardian, reported that in the year 2010 there was still seventy million student still out of school across the global (Shepherd). Majority of the out of school student is from the world’s poorest countries like north-Africa.
In areas like Sub-Saharan Africa, it would be hard for parents to be involved with their students’ academic work. If they were able to help, there is no question about it they would. The problem adults are faced with places like Sub-Saharan Africa are that most adults will not have completed more than primary schooling. According to researchers for the Global Campaign for Education, “in sub-Saharan Africa, forty-eight percent of children do not complete primary school and only one country in the region sends more than half its children to secondary school” (GCFE 3). Fitness for Africa Organization shows that the total population of literacy in Uganda is only 66.8 %. Here is a map showing results in Africa.
For students living in such areas; hope of completing school and not living in poverty is very slim. If the level of education can change then the future of such countries can change forever. The school systems may not always be where we would like them to be, but if we start funding areas now then current students can grow up and help further lower poverty. We need to start somewhere. The Millennium Development Goals are the best chance we have in ending poverty. In the report “Back to School” it shows that rich governments whom have promised to help poor governments have failed (GCFE 2). Some countries have taken it upon themselves to try to better education system within their own funding. China’s government in the past two decades has changed their funding policies eight times (Wei 115). There are organizations that have been designed and dedicated to working on education issues only.
Action Aid is one of those organizations. They started out sponsoring students, then moved on to funding schools. They realized that was not the solution they needed to go deeper to the problem; the community. In northern Nigeria the organization Action Aid found that funds were being given to the schools but not necessarily reaching the schools (Odida). What Action Aid representatives decided to do was work with the communities to schools to create a management system, Basically what it consisted of was school administrators, teachers, and parents, would vote a council to control the funding. It would be a group decision as to what and when funds would be released. This way communities members can insure the funds are being properly used.
Steps are being taken in the correct direct to strengthening the system, but we need to remember to move forward. In order to do so we need to come together as a whole and work together on overcoming the education crisis. Besides funding though there are other ways to educating our students. It starts will us; let’s not fail our students.
Works Cited
Action Aid Organization. (2013). Education. United States: Author.
Fitness for Africa. (2012). Adult Literacy Project. Uganda.
Global Campaign for Education. (2010). Back to School. South Africa. Shaharazad Abuel-Ealeh, Sam Barratt, John Coventry, Lucia Fry, George Harris, David Hollow.
Houtenville, J. Andrew. And Karen Smith Conway. “Parental Effort, School Resources, and Student Achievement.” Academic Search Complete. 43(2), 438-445. Retrieved from http://www.unh.edu/news/docs/Conway_May08.pdf
Jeynes, William H. "Parental involvement and student achievement: A meta-analysis, Family Involvement Research Digest.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project. Cambridge, MA. 2005. 19, April. 2013.
Odida, Ovonji Irene. (Wise Summit). 20, December 2011. Eminent Voices (Video File). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=q6228_pvWog
Shepherd, Jessica. “70 Million Children Get no Education, Says Report.” The Guardian. 20. Sept. 2010.Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/sep/20/70m-get-no-education
Wei, H. (2008). The characteristics of China’s compulsory education funding policy change, 1986–2006. Frontiers of Education in China, 3(1), 115-122. http://web.ebscohost.com.cwi.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=dd1f0fa9-75e3-4817-b955-1fb7d4f858f0%40sessionmgr111&vid=3&hid=123
"Where Do We Stand?" United Nations Development Programme. N.p., 02 July 2012. Web. 18 Apr 2013.
Final Reflection
Over that past semester I have been through a lot just like everyone else. I almost wanted to give up at the beginning of the semester to be honest. I was excited for the new semester and new classes that was about to beginning. Then I opened my first week’s assignment for English. Everything was going fine while I was working on the Obstacle course. Then it can to a part where I had to go in and add comments (like we do for peer reviews). Well I my laptop is a little bit older. So the Microsoft word that was on my laptop, did not have the functions to add comment boxes or do anything similar to that. Okay well there was an easy solution to this; upgrade my software. No problem, well so I thought. When I tried to install the program it took almost three days!! I was starting to think it was not going to work at all. Well it finally did. I cannot believe I almost let something so little intimidate me.
I am glad I stuck with all my classes this semester. Especially English as being a college student requires to write a lot of papers. Before this semester if you asked me what APA style was or to write an abstract; I would have no idea what you were referring to. Now I find myself setting up all my papers in APA. Which is okay considering most classes this semester request for my papers to be in that format anyways. But my spouse started college this semester and did not enroll in an English class. So when he has paper to write; it’s nice to know that he can come to me for help with the setup of his papers.
My research skills are also starting to improve. They are still not the best of the best, but I feel confident when I am doing research. And again my spouse can turn to me for guidance. Which feels nice considering it is usually me going to me for assistance.
I am still working on my scatter brain. When I write I find myself having to go back and cut and paste sections into different locations. I have definitely improved in that area though.
The most valuable lesson I gained from this experience though is to back up all your work! I never have in the past, but to day right now I am paying for that. I had my reflection paper completed and ready to post to Blogger. And of course my charger decided it no longer wants to work. My work is on my computer which is now dead and I am using my spouse’s. So I had to re-write this with very little time. Overall I had a great semester and was able to further develop my skills.
Over that past semester I have been through a lot just like everyone else. I almost wanted to give up at the beginning of the semester to be honest. I was excited for the new semester and new classes that was about to beginning. Then I opened my first week’s assignment for English. Everything was going fine while I was working on the Obstacle course. Then it can to a part where I had to go in and add comments (like we do for peer reviews). Well I my laptop is a little bit older. So the Microsoft word that was on my laptop, did not have the functions to add comment boxes or do anything similar to that. Okay well there was an easy solution to this; upgrade my software. No problem, well so I thought. When I tried to install the program it took almost three days!! I was starting to think it was not going to work at all. Well it finally did. I cannot believe I almost let something so little intimidate me.
I am glad I stuck with all my classes this semester. Especially English as being a college student requires to write a lot of papers. Before this semester if you asked me what APA style was or to write an abstract; I would have no idea what you were referring to. Now I find myself setting up all my papers in APA. Which is okay considering most classes this semester request for my papers to be in that format anyways. But my spouse started college this semester and did not enroll in an English class. So when he has paper to write; it’s nice to know that he can come to me for help with the setup of his papers.
My research skills are also starting to improve. They are still not the best of the best, but I feel confident when I am doing research. And again my spouse can turn to me for guidance. Which feels nice considering it is usually me going to me for assistance.
I am still working on my scatter brain. When I write I find myself having to go back and cut and paste sections into different locations. I have definitely improved in that area though.
The most valuable lesson I gained from this experience though is to back up all your work! I never have in the past, but to day right now I am paying for that. I had my reflection paper completed and ready to post to Blogger. And of course my charger decided it no longer wants to work. My work is on my computer which is now dead and I am using my spouse’s. So I had to re-write this with very little time. Overall I had a great semester and was able to further develop my skills.
Polished Bibliography
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Aluede, Oyaziwo, A. I. Ojugo, and Jolly Okoza. "Emotional Abuse of Secondary School Students by Teachers in Edo State, Nigeria."Research in Education 88 (2012): 29-39. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.
Cotterell, Adam and Emily Saunders. “Idaho Voters Resoundingly Reject Propositions 1, 2, and 3.” State Impact Idaho. Boise State Public Radio. 2013. Web.
DiPerna, Paul. “Idaho K-12 & School Choice Survey: What Do Voters Say about K-12 Education. Polling Paper No. 5. The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. Pages: 1-46: 05 Jan. 2012. Web. 12. Feb. 2013.
Elliott, Philip. “White House allies produce preschool-for-all plan”. The Associated Press News Service. 7, Feb. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.
Fitness for Africa. (2012). Adult Literacy Project. Uganda.
Global Campaign for Education. (2010). Back to School. South Africa. Shaharazad Abuel-Ealeh, Sam Barratt, John Coventry, Lucia Fry, George Harris, David Hollow.
Groff, Nick. “Nampa School District $2.8 million Short in Budget.” Idaho Press Tribune. 15 August, 2012. Web.
Houtenville, J. Andrew. And Karen Smith Conway. “Parental Effort, School Resources, and Student Achievement.” Academic Search Complete. 43(2), 438-445. Retrieved from http://www.unh.edu/news/docs/Conway_May08.pdf
Jeynes, William H. "Parental involvement and student achievement: A meta-analysis, Family Involvement Research Digest.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project. Cambridge, MA. 2005. 19, April. 2013.
LaGravenese, Richard, dir. Freedom Writers. Paramount, 2007. Film. 01 April 2013.
Lutz, Andrea. “Voters Headed to the Polls Tuesday For Local School Levies.” KTVB.COM. Web. 11 March, 2013.
Meyers, Susan. “New Poll: Idaho Voters Support Educational Choice.” The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. 05, Jan. 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
Odida, Ovonji Irene. (Wise Summit). 20, December 2011. Eminent Voices (Video File). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=q6228_pvWog
Puig, Claudia. "'Freedom' Rings Rather Hollow.”Usatoday.com. USA Today, 05 January 2007. Web. 12 Apr 2013.
Rodine, Kristin. “Students Come First Opponent; Ultimately Voters do get the Final Say.” Idaho Statesman. 11 Nov. 2012. Web. 20. Feb. 2013.
Shepherd, Jessica. “70 Million Children Get no Education, Says Report.” The Guardian. 20. Sept. 2010.Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/sep/20/70m-get-no-education
Stokes, Kyle. “While Few Students Drop Out, Indiana’s Graduation Rate Slightly Lags Nation.” StateImpact.org. 25. Jan. 2013. Web. 29. April. 2013.
“The Millennium Development Goals Report 2012.” United Nations Development Programme. 2013.
Toppo, Greg. “'Meaningless' measure of student progress, say Seattle boycott leaders. USA Today.01 Feb. 2013.
Valdez, Raquel. Personal Interview. 29 Feb. 2013.
Wei, H. (2008). The characteristics of China’s compulsory education funding policy change, 1986–2006. Frontiers of Education in China, 3(1), 115-122. http://web.ebscohost.com.cwi.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=dd1f0fa9-75e3-4817-b955-1fb7d4f858f0%40sessionmgr111&vid=3&hid=123
WestFall, Allison. Interview. 06 March. 2013.
"Where Do We Stand?" United Nations Development Programme. N.p., 02 July 2012. Web. 18 Apr 2013.
White House: How Sequester Would Impact Idaho.” KTVB.com. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.
Aluede, Oyaziwo, A. I. Ojugo, and Jolly Okoza. "Emotional Abuse of Secondary School Students by Teachers in Edo State, Nigeria."Research in Education 88 (2012): 29-39. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.
Cotterell, Adam and Emily Saunders. “Idaho Voters Resoundingly Reject Propositions 1, 2, and 3.” State Impact Idaho. Boise State Public Radio. 2013. Web.
DiPerna, Paul. “Idaho K-12 & School Choice Survey: What Do Voters Say about K-12 Education. Polling Paper No. 5. The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. Pages: 1-46: 05 Jan. 2012. Web. 12. Feb. 2013.
Elliott, Philip. “White House allies produce preschool-for-all plan”. The Associated Press News Service. 7, Feb. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.
Fitness for Africa. (2012). Adult Literacy Project. Uganda.
Global Campaign for Education. (2010). Back to School. South Africa. Shaharazad Abuel-Ealeh, Sam Barratt, John Coventry, Lucia Fry, George Harris, David Hollow.
Groff, Nick. “Nampa School District $2.8 million Short in Budget.” Idaho Press Tribune. 15 August, 2012. Web.
Houtenville, J. Andrew. And Karen Smith Conway. “Parental Effort, School Resources, and Student Achievement.” Academic Search Complete. 43(2), 438-445. Retrieved from http://www.unh.edu/news/docs/Conway_May08.pdf
Jeynes, William H. "Parental involvement and student achievement: A meta-analysis, Family Involvement Research Digest.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project. Cambridge, MA. 2005. 19, April. 2013.
LaGravenese, Richard, dir. Freedom Writers. Paramount, 2007. Film. 01 April 2013.
Lutz, Andrea. “Voters Headed to the Polls Tuesday For Local School Levies.” KTVB.COM. Web. 11 March, 2013.
Meyers, Susan. “New Poll: Idaho Voters Support Educational Choice.” The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. 05, Jan. 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
Odida, Ovonji Irene. (Wise Summit). 20, December 2011. Eminent Voices (Video File). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=q6228_pvWog
Puig, Claudia. "'Freedom' Rings Rather Hollow.”Usatoday.com. USA Today, 05 January 2007. Web. 12 Apr 2013.
Rodine, Kristin. “Students Come First Opponent; Ultimately Voters do get the Final Say.” Idaho Statesman. 11 Nov. 2012. Web. 20. Feb. 2013.
Shepherd, Jessica. “70 Million Children Get no Education, Says Report.” The Guardian. 20. Sept. 2010.Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/sep/20/70m-get-no-education
Stokes, Kyle. “While Few Students Drop Out, Indiana’s Graduation Rate Slightly Lags Nation.” StateImpact.org. 25. Jan. 2013. Web. 29. April. 2013.
“The Millennium Development Goals Report 2012.” United Nations Development Programme. 2013.
Toppo, Greg. “'Meaningless' measure of student progress, say Seattle boycott leaders. USA Today.01 Feb. 2013.
Valdez, Raquel. Personal Interview. 29 Feb. 2013.
Wei, H. (2008). The characteristics of China’s compulsory education funding policy change, 1986–2006. Frontiers of Education in China, 3(1), 115-122. http://web.ebscohost.com.cwi.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=dd1f0fa9-75e3-4817-b955-1fb7d4f858f0%40sessionmgr111&vid=3&hid=123
WestFall, Allison. Interview. 06 March. 2013.
"Where Do We Stand?" United Nations Development Programme. N.p., 02 July 2012. Web. 18 Apr 2013.
White House: How Sequester Would Impact Idaho.” KTVB.com. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.
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