Election 2008

Well I would first like to say that this semester is really moving by fast! Fall Break is already over and I'm already counting down the days to Thanksgiving! Anyway, I'd like to make a brief post about the election and what I understand from both candidates point of view. I'm not one to publicly announlce who I'm voting for, and I'm not, but I do agree more the educational position of Barack Obama. From what I have read, he will make several changes to No Child Left Behind Act; the most important change directed students of all types. I've noticed that the bar for NCLB gets higher year after year and I feel change needs to be made to include learners of all backgrounds and learning types. Also, he claims to reward those teachers who demonstrate success in their academic subjects as well as those who are able to effectively teach their students. Barack Obama also plans to help new teachers gain knowledge by pairing them with teachers who have greater experience. Their would also be an incentive to these teachers. These are just a few points but I feel our best option to move American education forward is with Barack Obama.

Debate 10/6/08

There were many points, both good and bad, brought up in the debate at seminar this week. My position was a parent of a student who is low achieving. As a non-supporter of this plan, I feel that it will inhibit the learning of my student. As our group mentioned at seminar, grade inflation is one of our main concerns. With this, even if our low achieving students are improving in test scores they will not be looked at highly by colleges and therefore may not even get accepted into a college of their choice. Another problem I have with this plan is the two-year probation proposal for low-functioning schools. If you plan to hire a completely new administrative staff and faculty, how do you determine that the newly hired teachers will be any better than the previous ones? In connection with Woolfolk in Chapter 3, our students could be permanently harmed if you decide to hire a completely new staff. I also believe that holding our students back a grade if they do not meet the "standard" is invalid. Do you not think that acknowledging to the students themselves that they are "not smart enough" would make them feel stupid? There have been some cases when students who have worked with higher achieving students were better prepared later in their education. Can you look me in the eye and tell me that you are 100% sure that this plan will be successful? If you can't, I suggest not implementing it.