Blogs

Blog Reflection #1 Article Title: Not Just Which Books Teachers Teach, But How They Teach Them Author: Mark Bauerlein Link: []

The article discusses how in English classrooms today students do not fully analysis the texts which they are reading. Instead teachers put the main focus on different aspects about the book or play, such as the biography of the author or the social issues of that time period. The article also shows a survey which displays the different teaching methods that English teachers are using in their classrooms in order to teach students about different pieces of literature, such as biographical, historical, multicultural, and close reading or criticism. Furthermore, the survey displays a damaging trend, and the article discusses how teachers are less focused on the analysis aspect of literature, leaving students un-prepared for the demands which college has for them. Moreover, the article states how this trend must change in order to prepare students for their future in college and in the real world. To do this teachers must emphasize the important of analysis and how to comprend complex thought and text. By doing so students will be able to "handle multi-layered statements with shifting undertones and overtones. They must pick up implicit and explicit allusions. They must expand their vocabulary and distinguish metaphors and ironies and other verbal subtleties." These concepts are important for every person to comprend and through a lack of focus on the analysis students are slowly loosing the ability to do such things. This not only hurts the individual but society as a whole. By having people who can comprehend and analysis complex literature, it will them to understand other types of complex thought which they will come across within their life.

Blog Reflection #2 Article Title: Stuck in the Middle Author: Jonah E. Rockoff and Benjamin B. Lockwood Link: []

The article displays the affect that middle school has on a child's academic achievement standards. The article goes on to discuss how in their first year of middle students grades and standardized test scores in both math and English dropped dramatically as compared to students who study in k-8 schools. Moreover, the trend continues until 8th grade showing that the scores the students recieve, on average, progressively decrease in students who attend middle school. The article then goes on to say that the data collected may show the trend, but they are unsure as to why this occurs. Also, it attributes the larger class size and overall student population within the student tto this academic problem, stating that in places such as New York City the use of middle schools may not be the best option for educating the country's youth. The article further goes to duscuss one study where students in New York City schools were examined throughout their elementary and middle school years in order to track the progress which was made and help to solidify the evidence that negative trend that develops in middle school does in fact exist. Due to the lowered scores that occur in students who attend middle school, at gap has recently developed between those in k-8 schools and those in middle school. This widening gap shows the main problem of how to successfully educate todays youth in a manner which will not only stop this gap from widening but to decrease it as well.

Blog Reflection #3 Article Title: Advocating for Art in the Classroom Author: Mark Bauerlein Link: []

The article discusses how the arts are being pushed further down on the list of priorities of items that are essential to schools within the country. One reason this is happening is because of NCLB which puts schools primary focus on math and reading. Furthermore, the article talks about how The Arts Endowment chairman must further advocate the use of arts in schools. Also, the chairman is trying to get people to realize the importance of the arts in schools by saying “ We’re going to try to move forward all the kids who were left behind by ‘No Child Left Behind’—the kids who have talent or a passion or an idiosyncratic perspective. Those kids are important too and they should have a place in society. It’s very often the arts that catches them.” This is saying how schools focus mainly on the students who have high raking acheivement in areas of math and reading and science becuase of NCLB. But, by bringing the arts to the schools many more students will be recognized for their gifts and talents even if they are not the highest academic acheivers. The article also talks about the merits of the arts and how students who participate go through rigorous practice and learn to recognize innovative and ground breaking art through the study of art history and its technical skills.

Blog Reflection #4 Article Title: Truants Author: June Kronholz Link: []

The article discusses the issue of truancy and how in recent years the amount of students who skip school has increased. The article also talks about how nation wide truancy does not exist because each district defines truancy differently. For example the article states how in Maryland, a truant is someone who has 18 unexcused absences per semester. In Texas, it’s 10 unexcused absences within six months. In Florida, it’s 15 in 90 calendar days. The differences make creating statistics difficult, adding to this the the age at which students must attend school until also differs from state to state. Also, truancy is hard to track because it is not the same as an absence from school. The article also talks about the financial repercussions of truants; stating how on average the government wastes about $11 million in taxpayer money in order to fund schooling for students that are not in class. Also, talking with some students who frequently skip class they tried to find out why students skip. From the students the article stated how the schools were to blame, in the students' opinions, and how the teachers have no revelence to todays society, how the work is not reflective of the level they are being taught, and in some cases how the teacher is absent more than the students therefore not teaching the students the knowledge they need for that class. But the article states how not only are schools to blame for this growing problem but how the home life of the students can affect the attendence rate of the student as well. This is because if there are problems at home and the student feels that they are needed more at home rather than at school, they will skip in order to do what they believe they are most needed for. A solution to this problem that the article describes is how some schools autodial the homes of students how are missing school, letting the parents know that their child is not in school. This actually showed improvement in the attendance rate of the students.

Blog Reflection # 1 Article Title: Challenging the Gifted Author: June Kronholz Link: []
 * Second Quarter**

The article discusses how the nation does do enough to challenge though who are academically years ahead of their peers. I find this article to by important for the education world because there are many teachers that do not know what to do with students who are not challenged in the classroom, but it is the districts and states job to provide these students with outlets and options in which they can test themselves and further improve their academic skills. The article further goes on to discuss methods in which the education field has had reform which has begun to provide programs for those who are too advanced for the criteria and curriculum which they are being taught. There should be more done nation wide to help those who are adavanced further develop their skills.

Blog Reflection # 2 Article Title: Does Competition Help Improve Public Schools? Author: Cassandra M.D. Hart and David Figlio Link: []

The article discusses the many ways in which more and more students are attending private schools through scholarships and tax credit programs. This has been leaving a gap in the amount of students are currently enrolled in public schools nationwide. Overall, this gap has forced public schools to improve their standard of learning and teaching as to keep students in their schools. This has improved many public schools across the country that are at risk of losing their students due to an increase competition of of private schools allowing those with high GPA's entering their school. Furthermore, the competition between public and private schools has been able to improve, overall, the standard of learning that is taking place in many public schools benefiting both the district and the students.

Blog Reflection # 3 Article Title: The Middle School Mess Author: Peter Meyer Link: [] This article discusses the downfalls of middle schools throughout the country and why they are such a problem academically and socially for students. Furthermore, it discusses how teachers are constantly dealing with reforms that due not work and how they are being pulled from their classes to deal with meeting on how to improve standards, when the meeting themselves are keeping the students from learning when they are kept with a subsitute. This is a major problem because the government does not fully comprehend what does and does not work in the schools and continually leave a mess that the teachers have to deal with.

Blog Reflection # 4 Article Title: The Dead End of Scientific Progressivism Author: Jay P. Greene Link: []

The article talks about how the curriculum should not focus soley on science and how students need other methods and experiences give them a full and comprehencive education. Moreover, the author talks about how he once believed that he was fully behind scientific progressivism but has come to realize that it does not entirely work. Personally, I was never a good science student and in middle school and in the beginning of high school, I did not understand why science classes always got two periods when other important classes such as English only had one. The article talks about how the scientific way of thinking and analizing concepts does not translate to every situation that students face and how there needs to be other good strategies to improve the quality of educations that students are recieving.

Blog Reflection # 5 Article Title: And the Answer Is? (Shh! We Can't Tell You) Author: Peter Meyer Link: []

The article talks about how inparticular New York state is failing in its state assessments and testing. Furthermore, the article discusses how people no longer care about school failure and how the state scores for recent regents exams are below par. This is because the debates on public education have become tedious for the average person who does not understand the reason behind the constant reforms and why they are not working. Also, how teachers have stopped asking real questions that get students to think rather than recite the information they have been given in order to pass the manditory exams.

Blog Reflection # 6 Article Title: Feeling Too Good About Our Schools Author: Eric A. Hanushek Link: []

The article is about how in recent years people have been told to ignore when the state test scores are released because they are not really important to the academic learing of the countries students. This is mainly to get people to ot worry on the continually failure of schools to improve their state test scores. Moreover, the article examines how internationally the scores that students recieve on math exams corresponds to well economically that country is faring. The article talks about how the US trails 29 countries in math scores and how there are nations that produce as many as twice the amount of advanced math students. But it also talks about economically the country is able to hide the decline of math ability in the country behind open labor markets and limited intrusion by the government. Thus, leaving little math improvement in the country nationwide.