Where a student attends secondary school has a large influence on whether they are able to proceed in higher education. I believe that this is a failing in our educational system, and I want to be a part of changing the injustices in our educational system. These ambitions have led me to believe that diversifying my knowledge of educational systems is imperative and I have chosen to study abroad in Regensburg, Germany in order to receive an international perspective on education. Due to my passion for education and because the study abroad program at Regensburg that I selected will benefit me in achieving my long term goals, I believe I would be a worthy candidate for the 2016 Cassandra Pyle Scholarship.
When I was still in the 7th grade, I was sent by my middle school to the local high school to attend classes. My middle school did not offer a rigorous enough curriculum a lack of funds needed to diversify the classes the school district offered. I was not the first student in my district to attend high school classes while still in middle school, in fact, a few students that I knew personally had already done this.. I identified with their frustration when they, as sophomores, had already completed the highest math and English courses the high school offered and there was nothing at a higher level left for them to study in those subjects. I witnessed smart, ambitious, hardworking students in a school system that was unable to meet their needs. However, despite there being
As Laurence Powell Jobs once said, “It’s not that our high school system was not designed well, but that it was designed in 1906 when the country was just out of the industrial era. There hasn’t been a substantial systemic change the way we do high school since then.” It’s no secret that the current school system used in America is outdated and problematic. With a plethora of obvious issues in need of fixing, there are noticeable differences between America and other countries. Steps needed to improve the system can be implemented. Although times have changed, the American education system has become outdated and thus is riddled with faults. When compared to other education systems, it is clear that the American schooling system is in need of reform.
High schools implement reforms that build student character, skills and commitment to the community. Berman, S. wants to know how to engage students to become more effective citizens. He believes that building a strong academic program for the students is important but the teachers also need to create a school that is open and welcoming.
At Hazelwood High School, they do things differently than at my school. At Hazelwood, most of the people worry about themselves and nobody else. Most of the school doesn’t get good grades and the school does not do anything about it. One day in English class Andy walked out when they were reading Macbeth because it was too emotional for Andy to handle. His friends were concerned and told the school counselor. They said, “But… but… it seems like… like… he needs help or somethin’.” Then the counselor said, “Well, I probably shouldn’t tell you boys this, but he is getting some outside counseling… So you boys can relax and be assured that he is getting whatever help he needs”(100). At Harrisburg High School, if someone had an issue like that, the counselors and teachers would be concerned, even if the person was getting outside help. Another thing about education that is different than mine is the school. In Ronda’s English homework, she wrote, “Our school building must have been built about a million years ago, because it was brown and tall and raggedy-looking, but it fit right in with the rest of the day”(16). At my high school, we are very fortunate to have a very new building to learn inside of. At Hazelwood High, they were not fortunate enough to have a new high school be built. Culture and education are very important pieces of people’s
America’s school system and student population remains segregated, by race and class. The inequalities that exist in schools today result from more than just poorly managed schools; they reflect the racial and socioeconomic inequities of society as a whole. Most of the problems of schools boil down to either racism in and outside the school or financial disparity between wealthy and poor school districts. Because schools receive funding through local property taxes, low-income communities start at an economic disadvantage. Less funding means fewer resources, lower quality instruction and curricula, and little to no community involvement. Even when low-income schools manage to find adequate funding, the money doesn’t solve all the school’s
For my entire life of schooling, both my parents and I would agree that I constantly complained about the educational systems in which I was enrolled. But when I actually take the time to think about everything I have been through, I realize that I have indeed had an excellent education. My schooling was full of opportunities and experiences, all of which contributed to the person I am today; adequate education has been an indispensable facet of my being. Sadly, not everyone has had this same privilege. And now as a college student, I am becoming even more aware of this sad fact. Looking around me in such a diverse city as Chicago, I find myself being more and more grateful. When I read Jonathan Kozol's Fremont High School, this these
When I was a little girl, my grandma would always take me to her school with her and let me sit in on her classes throughout the day. I always begged her to let me go with her because I had loved getting to be there with her and getting to pretend that I too was a part of the class. Alvord Continuation High School was mainly composed of portable classrooms, the buildings were red and white spanish style buildings. The school my grandmother taught at was not a regular high school, this was a place where students over the age of sixteen were able to attend in order to finish school to obtain a high school diploma. The students she taught primarily looked a lot older than sixteen, they were adults trying to graduate to move on with their lives.
Across the United States, high school students can encounter a variety of issues that hinder their ability to successfully complete course work to earn the required credits towards graduation. High schools across the United States have an obligation to ensure that students are achieving and receiving a diploma. It is also in the school’s best interest to ensure students are gradating both funding wise and for the overall school rating. When a student does not receive a high school diploma the action affects the student, community and the school. High school dropouts may find it harder to obtain a job that would provide a stable and productive income verses a high school graduate thus, the financial disadvantage in turn can cause
The United States, schooling system is failing to provide a well rounded educational future of the millennial generation and the generations to come. Why are traditional public schools failing to successfully graduate a diverse number of students? Students of all backgrounds should graduate being able to go into the workforce or secondary schooling successfully. Changing traditional high schools to career-based schools could help education flourish, access to career-based high schools could help lower the dropout rate, allow students to truly enjoy school, and allow all students to have the same opportunity in life.
Many may believe that the United States school system is flawless; that no other countries school system or organization is as advanced as ours, “just like our government.” Those people need to come into the realization that our school system is broken, we need to be realists and not dreamers when it comes to something as serious as our education. Our school system has not been putting in the needed or required effort to reach the goals of true education or a good education that we, as students, deserve. Schools have been cheating us of what we deserve. Although some may believe our school system is perfect, it is not; our school system is broken and it needs to be fixed.
In America, the system of education has one of the greatest influences on the people of the country. From the common workers of the U.S.A, to the teachers, the entrepreneurs, and even to the parents of the students, everybody is impacted by our current education system. Most importantly, the children playing the role of the students are impacted the most from this. At the end of the day, these children are the ones receiving this experience. After all, it is the education that a person receives that shapes their future. It is the morals they grow up with, and most importantly, their educational experience at school. Sadly, this “educational experience” does not affect the students of the generation in a positive way. There are many flaws with
Half of students entering high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District do not graduate. (Institute of the Education Sciences, 2012) Only about ten percent of those students seek or are offered Continuation/adult School to finalize their studies and receive a GED. (Afolayan, 1991) The population of students that will be addressed are those students who were held back to remediate the year and catch up with the rest of their peers. Based on my findings many factors must be considered in order to retain a student from advancing to the next grade. It’s a delicate matter that is only now starting to see local policies in effect that determines who gets retained and under what circumstances. While much of the research only addresses those variables that can be manipulated one must not forget the economic backgrounds these children come from and how that in part affects their overall success in schooling. Societal influences also play a part but policy and reform in the current system should allow leveling the playing field for a more just system. State legislature has been the one left with the task of setting up the procedure for at risk students. The policy on retention in grade school originates from the 1930s. There was a trend up to the 1970s to award social promotion to those students teachers felt would catch up and keep up with their peers the following school year during the summer. Around the eighties there was an urgent need to address the
My school fully expects the best out of our students and uses every opportunity to help us reach our full potential. Teachers at Frank McCourt High School are willing to go out of their way to assist students in achieving goals both inside and outside of classes. Our teachers believe in both academic and personal achievement. Whether its helping us get an internship, starting a club, or boosting our grade in a class, FMHS teachers take time out of their day to benefit the students. In our advisories, we have time dedicated to college applications and prep. We have workshops where we work on writing college essays, practicing for interviews, and financial aid, all in the presence of our college counselor. Our academic classes prepare us for
Secondary education is a highly debated subject. Many critics of secondary education say that inner-city high schools and students are not receiving the same attention as students from non inner-city high schools. Two of the biggest concerns are the lack of school funding that inner-city high schools are receive and the low success rate in sending inner-city high schools graduates to college. Critics say that while inner-city high schools struggle to pay its teachers and educate its student’s non inner-city high schools don’t have to deal with the lack of school funding. Also students from non inner-city high school are not being given the opportunity to attend colleges once the
Children attending private schools sometimes do not understand that such education is a privilege rather than a must-have. My aunt’s daughter was attending a private high school in the Dominican Republic. Instead of trying to do her best, my cousin opted to miss days from school and consequently her grades dropped, which resulted in her then having to attend a public high school. Public education could not do much for her. She said, “I’m out a few days and I’m able to pick up right away, but that would not have been the case
My two years in the classroom allowed me to witness, first hand, the educational inequity that exists in America, known as the opportunity gap. My students were victims of a system that failed to adequately address their needs as