Academic Reform

We strongly believe that our public academic system is in desperate need of a reform; One that will give students the knowledge and skills they will need to thrive in our modern day society; One that will give students the opportunity to actively engage themselves in their education; one that promotes critical thinking and challenges the core systematic beliefs on a daily basis.

[academicreform-blog]

Here's a  little something that i drew up on academic reform. It’s not very organized, but that's the point, to just get all of your ideas out onto paper so you can visually see them and draw connections. 

[academicreform-blog]

      At Horizonte, a public school in utah, “students help direct their own learning-and their own destinies”(pg.1). According to Author James P. Anderson, in his article on alternative teaching methods, “ Horizonte-Where Students Come First”, this school is bringing together many minorities in the area who struggle in the academic field, and giving them a completely different education experience to boost student outcome and productivity; and apparently the results have been phenomenal. Horizonte focuses on creating an accepting environment for all students, (whether they be in the minority or not) and giving students the opportunity to direct their own education outcome: “We believe that schools should be democratic institutions”(pg.1).

     Is article is indeed a credible source for information because it is published in an academic journal, and the article itself has been peer reviewed by scholars to ensure the accuracy of the content. I believe that Horizonte is doing a very good job at increasing student outcome and productivity. Their alternative teaching methods seem to be working out very well for those who struggle in the current system. After reading this article, i’m wondering how this teaching method could potentially affect the surrounding school districts. 

Anderson, James P., and Others And. "Horizonte--Where Students Come         First." Educational Leadership 54.7 (1997): 50-52. ERIC. Web. 2 Oct. 2015.

[academicreform-blog]

Below, i have listed a number of different sources for those of you who are interested in further reading on education reform: these include laws, academic journals, statistics, alternative approaches, curriculum changes...etc. By actually reading the education laws in place, you will be able to make more educated decisions on your child's schooling, and also become a more active member of the community. 

Robinson, T. Jared, et al. "The Impact Of Open Textbooks On Secondary         Science Learning Outcomes." Educational Researcher 43.7 (2014): 341-351. ERIC. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.

STROM, PARIS S., ROBERT D. STROM, and TROY BECKERT. "Examining Stakeholder Expectations For Guiding School Reform: Including Students." American Secondary Education 39.3 (2011): 5. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.

National Center for Education Statistics, (ED). "The Nation's Report Card Mathematics 2013 State Snapshot Report. Utah. Grade 8, Public Schools." National Center For Education Statistics (2013): ERIC. Web. 3 Oct. 2015.

Wiley, David. "The Open High School Of Utah: Openness, Disaggregation, And The Future Of Schools." Techtrends: Linking Research And Practice To Improve Learning 53.4 (2009): 37-40. ERIC. Web. 3 Oct. 2015.

Hudson, Pamela, Susan P. Miller, and Fran Butler. "Adapting And Merging Explicit Instruction Within Reform Based Mathematics Classrooms." American Secondary Education 35.1 (2006): 19. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 2 Oct. 2015.

McMullin, Keith, and Edward Reeve. "Identifying Perceptions That Contribute To The Development Of Successful Project Lead The Way Pre-Engineering Programs In Utah." Journal Of Technology Education 26.1 (2014): 22-46. ERIC. Web. 2 Oct. 2015.

Anderson, James P., and Others And. "Horizonte--Where Students Come First." Educational Leadership 54.7 (1997): 50-52. ERIC. Web. 2 Oct. 2015.

Zsiray, Stephen W. Jr, Marina Parsegova, and Galina Eltseva. "Lyceum 1511 And Mountain Crest High School: An International Exchange Program Reveals Educational Contrasts." Social Studies 93.3 (2002): 134-137.Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 2 Oct. 2015.

http://www.ed.gov/budget15

Public Law print of PL 107-110, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

[academicreform-blog]

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/12/hershey_high_alumnus_threatens.html

Would you be willing to sacrifice your own life to ensure the proper democracy within the school district? This man would; in fact, he cares so much about student equality that he’s going on a hunger strike, TO THE DEATH, until his demands are met. And I have to say, he just might die in vain, because some of his demands are pretty outrageous. Neil Muscat, a former graduate of Hershey High School, submitted his “Declaration of Nonviolent Resistance” to the Derry Township School Board in early December of 2013. In it contained notifications of student oppression, his demands for change, and his reasons for taking such drastic measures. follow the link above to get the full story and access to his original letter. 

I’d say that although he does have some valid points, he’s taking a completely radical approach that may ultimately serve very little purpose and cause little change, if any at all. Judging from what he wrote in his declaration, i would concur that he’s pretty damn fed up with the system; but is this really the best way to handle the situation? He writes, “Give the children of Hershey liberty, or give me death”. Well what if the school board doesn’t care if he kills himself? I mean, his demands are pretty outrageous right? Why would they make such drastic changes to the system just to make one person happy? And if he’s so stubborn, that he takes his case all the way to his grave, then what good is a dead man going to do to make any changes? I’ll tell you what this letter will do for him though. Because his declaration is so extreme and out of the norm, It’s going to gain him a lot of attention. and then once he has all the attention and the spotlight to himself, he will be in the position to make his case to the public. but chances are that by the time that happens he will already have been starving for a few days and won't be able to communicate his ideas clearly to his audience. Is he a hero? Is he an idiot? who knows; but i guess we’re going to find out real soon. 

I would say that the Author of this article, Monica Von Dobeneck, did an excellent job covering this story. It was well structured, easy to track, and contained all the dates and sources needed to back her up. I would say that there was a perfect combination of  ethos, pathos, and logos; which made the article exciting for the reader to read, and kept the focus on task. 

[academicreform-blog]

academic reform perspective

https://youtu.be/AMbR-jATgWs

http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/high-school-reform/

http://weldbham.com/blog/2013/09/18/debate-over-education-reform-continues/

http://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/the-end-of-the-education-debate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpB6jdqs2ME

http://www.brendan-nyhan.com/blog/2012/04/academic-reforms-a-four-part-proposal.html

[academicreform-blog]

Education for opportunity: 3 ideas for American education reform

Education reform has the potential to open incredible doors to opportunity. Yet despite unprecedented levels of public school funding, far too many students ...