1. School Reform
ET-CIE

2. What is the Purpose of School?
Just teach reading, writing and arithmetic
Help us compete in global economy
Obtain high scores on international tests
Promote creativity
Study science, math, and technology so we can compete with India and China
Develop character
Develop good American citizens

3. Two Major Purposes of School
1. Transmitting Society’s Knowledge and Values
passing along cultural values
2. Reconstructing Society
tools for social change
Reconstructionists see society as broken and in need of repair

4. MOMENTS IN AMERICA FOR CHILDREN July 2011
Every second a public school student is suspended.*
Every 8 seconds a high school student drops out.*
Every 18 seconds a baby is born to an unmarried mother.
Every 20 seconds a public school student is corporally punished.*
Every 21 seconds a child is arrested.
Every 34 seconds a baby is born into poverty.
Every 42 seconds a child is confirmed as abused or neglected.
Every 42 seconds a baby is born without health insurance.
Every minute a baby is born to a teen mother.
Every 2 minutes a baby is born at low birthweight.
Every 4 minutes a child is arrested for a drug offense.
Every 8 minutes a child is arrested for a violent offense.
Every 18 minutes a baby dies before his or her first birthday.
Every 45 minutes a child or teen dies from an accident.
Every 3 hours a child or teen is killed by a firearm.
Every 5 hours a child or teen commits suicide.
Every 5 hours a child is killed by abuse or neglect.
Every 16 hours a woman dies from complications of childbirth or pregnancy.
* Based on calculations per school day (180 days of seven hours each).

5. EQ: What are current school reform options and why are they so popular?
1981 James Coleman proposed private schools better than public schools
1983 A Nation at Risk---
Declining test scores
Weak performance of U.S. Student compared with students in other industrialized nations
Fear U.S. losing ground economically
High % of functionally illiterate Americans
Increased the number of standardized tests

6. EQ: What are current school reform options and why are they so popular?
1984
John Goodlad’s study A Place Called School researched 300 years of documents
Four main goals that parents, students, and teachers rated as very important
Academic
Vocational
Social and civic
Personal

7. EQ: What are current school reform options and why are they so popular?
1993 study, Catholic schools educating inner-city students better and cheaper
Late 1980s-Many public schools were disasters
Early 2000s Bill Gates; To compete on global scale, needed to fix schools, so he committed several billion to American schools;
Three Rs now should be:
Rigor, Relevance, Relationships
2009 McKinsey & Co. report-The Economic Gap in America’s Schools; put a dollar figure cost on poor education system
2009 Reform movement growing-more choices

8. Reform Movements School choice Charter school Vouchers Magnet Schools
Open enrollment
Schools.com
Schools for profit
Home schools
Green schools
Full Service schools

9. Students needed more choices
Milton Friedman, economist
First to suggest shutting down poor schools
Weak because it was monopoly
Schools should compete
Wealthy did have a choice
Could move to better school area
Attend private school
Voucher plan

10. Charter Schools 1990-Minnesota created first
Now 5000 in over 40 states
Contract with local state or school board
Exempt from state and local regulations
No admissions tests
Nonsectarian
Requires a demonstrable improvement in performance
Can be closed if it does not meet expectations-ALLOWED TO RUN FOR FIXED AMOUNT OF TIME
Receives funding based on the number of students enrolled
What is a charter school?

11. KIPP Charter Schools (Knowledge is Power Program)
Five principles
More time
High expectations
Choice and commitment
Power to lead
Focus on results
% of KIPP graduates went to college-preparatory high schools
Challenge-keeping their kids in school

12. Vouchers
An admission ticket to any school in the country, public or private (voucher=taxpayer money)
According to Friedman:
Gov’t gives families vouchers
Parents chose a school
Turn in the voucher
Schools exchange vouchers for cash from gov’t
Good schools will have a lot of cash
Poor schools will not

13. Magnet Schools
Offers one or more special programs such as science, math or performing arts that is so excellent, it draws students like a magnet
A way to desegregate schools-set up in inner city areas to attract white students
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14. Open Enrollment 1988 Minnesota
Students could attend any school
Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska and other states joined
Today, more than 40 states allow open enrollment

15. Schools.com A type of distance learning
Provided by means of T.V. the Internet, and other technologies
1990s-first VHS began in UT, FL, and MA
Today, k-12 online learning programs in about half the states
700,000 children participate
2006 Michigan-1st state to require at least one online course for graduation\
Ga Virtual Schoolhttp://
K12.com scenes/science/
Students report that they find virtual courses more personal, interactive, and individualized than typical high school classes
Why do you think this is so?

16. Schools for Profit EMO-educational maintenance organizations
Companies that run schools to yield a profit for their stockholders
Edison Schools
1990 Whittle offered Yale President Schmidt a million dollars to run the company
Lengthen school day by 1-2 hours
School year-from 180 to 210
This adds 2 more years of study by grad
More time on math, science, foreign lang.
Use proven programs for math and reading
Learning contracts
Computers at home
success-south-carolina
Studies showing that Edison schools not doing any better than public schools

17. Homeschooling 30 years ago-12,500 students homeschooled
Today-1 to 2 million
Why do you think it has increased?
Ideologues-focus on teaching certain values
Pedagogues-focus on educational goals

18. Homeschooling Pros Cons
Outperform traditionally educate students on standardized test and social skills
Earn higher GPAs in college
More self-directed and willing to take risks
Cons
Social isolation????

19. Green Schools EPA-over 60,000,000 people spend their days in schools
Half of all school-unsatisfactory indoor environmental conditions
1 in 5 have unhealthy air quality
1/3 in need of extensive repair
Green Schools
Promote clean air and water quality
Healthy and natural foods
Recycling
Nontoxic cleaners
Alternative means of transportation
Promote energy conservation

20. Full Service School
Learning cannot occur if the BASIC needs of the students and parents are not met
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needshttp://
Provides network of social services
Nutrition
health care
Transportation
Counseling
Parent education

21. Five-Factor Theory of Effective Schools
1. Strong leadership
2. A clear school mission
3. A safe and orderly climate
4. Monitoring student progress
5. High expectations