"There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born there, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size, its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter--the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something. Of these trembling cities the greatest is the last--the city of final destination, the city that is a goal. It is this third city that accounts for New York’s high strung disposition, its poetical deportment, its dedication to the arts, and its incomparable achievements. Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness, natives give it solidity and continuity, but the settlers give it passion" - EB White.
Showing posts with label Diverting Democracy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diverting Democracy. Show all posts

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Assignment C - Teachers Role in the Debate on Standards

“Over the years Congress has created hundreds of programs intended to address problems in education without asking whether or not programs produce results or knowing their impact on local needs ” (NCLB, Executive Summary, 1) . I found this statement to be ironic as the sweeping reforms of NCLB came from the federal government with little or no input from the schools that would be affected. Unfortunately teachers hold little sway when it comes to the debate, development, and implementations of policies that impact curriculum and classroom practice. These debates have been dominated by special interest groups and the government. The push for national standards and standardized testing looks to take control of what is taught in the classroom away from teachers. “By limiting teachers’ responsibilities for conceptualizing, planning, and evaluating the curricula they teach, reform efforts like the standards movement and GOALS 2000 impose more external control and intervention on the classroom level (Ross, 221)”. If social studies teachers were to strictly follow the curriculum that is associated with the standards movement they would be reduced from educational professionals to shift workers who dispense “knowledge”.
When it comes to the actual implication of policies that impact curriculum, teachers have the final responsibility. While federal, state and local governments can mandate standards, they have no control (thankfully) to what actually happens in the classroom. Teachers have the ability to act on their own initiative to teach what will benefit their students most. For these teachers who act autonomously, standards can be a useful tool. Standards can act as a point of reference that teachers can look to for guidance. Well written standards can be especially useful to new teachers.
The voice of teachers has been largely missing from the debate on standards. While individual teachers would have an extremely difficult time influencing national and state policies that involve curriculum and standards, teachers unions could effectively lobby on behalf of teachers interests. Unfortunately this has not happened. “In fact, the AFT recommends that the common core curriculum defined by standards should account for 80 percent of instructional time in the classroom (Ross, 219)”. Teachers unions seem to focus more on the job of teachers (sick days, length of lunches, and the number of prep periods per day) than the actual work of teachers.

Ross, Wayne. "Diverting Democracy: The Curriculum Standards Movement and Social Studies Education." Democratic Social Education: Social Studies for Social Change, 2000. pp. 203-228

Bush, Gerorge W. No Child Left Behind.

"ESEA: Myths Versus Reality Answers to Common Questions About the new No Child Left Behind Act." Published by The Education Trust

Karp, Stan. "Bush Plan Fails Schools." Rethinking Schools Online. http://www.rethinkingschools.org/special_report/bushplan/BUSH153.shtml
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