My Vision for the Future of Education Joaquin Matiz Post University

North End Middle School Centralized board of education for the city. Mixed population with minorities as a majority. Middle to Low socio-economic status. Different programs sharing the same space (Vocacional unified arts, Bilingual, and special education) Higher percent of student arrests in the State.

Digital Delivery Smart Board technology in classrooms. Wireless Bandwidth available for instruction. Licensed curricula with interactive presentations. Progress book accessible for students parents and teachers.

Flipped Classroom Should be on the list of short term goals for every school. Student centered teaching approach. Opportunities for students to research material of interest on depth. Better use of class time. Better connection between students and instructors.

Scenarios A scenario should be generated from the use of “data- driven intelligence and results of assumption analysis” (Sotero, 2004). A scenario is a “prime technique of future studies” a technique that has been used by corporate managers, government planners, and military analysts “as powerful tools to aid in decision making in the face of uncertainty” (Mietzer and Reger, 2004).

Scanning Scanning helps to put possible scenarios on perspective by ensuring that social, economic, political, environmental, and technological data is analyzed during the process (Sotero, 2004). Scanning is use by many futurists “to stay on top of trends and to inform their own scenario building” (Bouchard 2012). Scanning should be done from different perspectives in order to contemplate the point of view of different level stake holders.

Advantages of futuring techniques Scenarios allow us to contemplate the analysis of several possible futures side by side. scenarios facilitate the consideration of unimaginable possibilities and the challenging of the internal believes of an organization. scenarios help organizations to better prepare for the future by pointing out technological discontinuities. Scanning helps to put possible scenarios on perspective by ensuring that social, economic, political, environmental, and technological data is analyzed during the process (Sotero, 2004). Scanning helps futurist “to stay on top of trends and to inform their own scenario building” (Bouchard,2012). Organized scanning allow futurist to use foresight onto their scenario design process.

Challenges of Futuring Techniques scenario application techniques are time consuming and therefore costly (Mietzer and Reger, 2004). Scenario building needs to be done by experts on the field (Mietzer and Reger, 2004). Data collection for scenarios need to be comprehensive and extensive, and wishful thinking should be avoid (Mietzer and Reger, 2004). Scanning is time consuming and it needs to be continuous because any event or change on the environment has the potential to affect the projection. Scanning need to be extremely organized in order to classify the data based on its findings, the level of impact it may have for the project, the kind of impact and its time frame, and the relative importance it has for the project (Bouchard, 2012). Scanning should be follow by monitoring and it should be parallel to the development of the vision.

Relevant Technology Trends Technology strives to improve the quality and the delivery of the curriculum, communication with parents, and technology literacy (Mihalca &Miclea, 2007). Technology as a tool for the generation of better learning environments, including smartboards and internet access (Mihalca &Miclea, 2007).

Relevant Public Policy Trends States re-took education policy making in the 80’s (Jaconsen & Satjltz 2012). Public supports local control over federal regulation for some instances for educational systems (Jaconsen & Satjltz 2012). Property taxes paid for most of the educational expenses in many towns (ECS, 2013). Public schools work with little budget and many regulations.

Relevant Demographic Trends North End Middle have low budget, students have lower scores on standardized tests, ninety percent of the school population are minorities, and Language proficiency is a big issue (Pelto, 2013). Home-visits and cultural tours allow teachers to get to know their students in a less formal manner. Inviting politicians as speakers connected schools with administrators. Multicultural programs promote students to share their differences and understand each other. Smart school projects are communication means for school to inform parents about the students progress and academic requirements. (Alic and Turkyilmaz, 2014).

My Vision Tables that facilitate student’s transitions and group work. Students using their own tablets. Website/ application that allow student to get access to academic content in and out of the classroom. Motivated parents that support student independence and are committed to their kids education.

My Plan for Change Seek support from administrators and experienced officials and leaders. Review the current situation of upcoming students in order to customized lessons and to make the necessary accommodations to care for their special needs. Publish and advertise material related to the project in order to prepare the community and the students.

Call for Action Make the necessary adjustments to make the plan an desirable product in order to secure funding and support. Seek support from administrators, community leaders, churches, and business owners. Interview upcoming students and parents. Meet with younger professionals that may be able to bring a different perspective and a different approach to the project

Reference Administrator. (2015) Waterbury Public Schools. North End Middle School. Retrieved from: Alic, A., & Turkyilmaz, U. (2014). Inequalities, By All Means, Exist In Education, But Do We See Them All? A Study About The Impact Of Background Factors On Education. Culture & Religion Review Journal, 2014(4), Bouchard, J. (2012, May 25). EDU 504 A Scanning Tool and Hints to Help you Plan with the Tool. Video Retrieved from: ECS, (2013) Who Pays the Tab for K-12 Education. The Progress of Education Reform, 14(4), Retrieved September 22, 2015, from Jaconsen, R., & Satjltz, A. (2012). The Polls—Trends Who Should Control Education?. Public Opinion Quarterly, 76(2), doi: /poq/nfs017 Mietzner, D., & Reger, G. (2005). Advantages and disadvantages of scenario approaches for strategic foresight. Int. J. Technology Intelligence and Planning, 1(2), 220–239.Advantages and disadvantages of scenario approaches for strategic foresight Mihalca, L., & Miclea, M. (2007). Current Trends in Educational Technology Research. Cognitie, Creier, Comportament/Cognition, Brain, Behavior, 11(1), New Media Consortium, (2015) NMC Horizon Report: 2015 Higher education edition. Retrieved from: _1/courses/EDU /Documents/2015-nmc-horizon-report-HE-EN.pdf _1/courses/EDU /Documents/2015-nmc-horizon-report-HE-EN.pdf Pelto, J. (2013). A Victory for Public Schools. Progressive, 77(12/1), Sobrero, P., (2004). The steps for futuring. Journal of Extention, 42(3).The steps for futuring Young, J., (July 20, 2009) When Computers Leave Classroom, So Does Boredom. The Chronicle of Higher Education.When Computers Leave Classroom, So Does Boredom