Gaby Silva – Civic Issues Blog: What Does School Really Teach Us?

Public vs. Private

The issue still stands today on whether private or public k-12 schools is the best option for students. Both types of academic facilities have their own set of standards and their policies, but which one has the best policy, and the best outcome for its students? Although private schools do typically have more opportunities in terms of money, there can be policy changes created to help the students in public schools without spending a large sum of money.

Public schools and private schools differ in the context of accounalbity and who they are getting their money from and who is in control of the policies being created. “Public schools must comply with a host of federal, state, and local laws and regulations” while” Private schools, on the other hand, must observe federal, state and local laws such as annual reports to the IRS, maintenance of state-required attendance, curriculum and safety records and reports, and compliance with local building, fire and sanitation codes.” Private schools seem to have much more strict ideas and standards for their schools in terms of what guidelines they need to follow to keep their schools open and running. This may create an issue that policies created for these schools might focus on the money and their reports, and less on education. It has also been shown that students in private schools score better on standardized tests compared to their public school counterparts. Why is that? “Students in the private sector score modestly better on standardized tests than students in the public sector, even after adjusting for student socioeconomic and demographic characteristics is equivocal.”

These students in private facilities are being allowed a better chance of scoring better on tests as this will help keep their schools open and it allows them to look good on paper. Their policies are flawed and focus on good reviews rather than education. For public schools and their idea of education and \tetsing, each state has its policy when it comes to curriculum and taking specific standardized tests, but all students are required to take country mandated tests such as PSAT or the SAT, which have not changed added to the test due to their socioeconomic status, or demographic, it is all fairgrounds. This adjustment in standardized testing for private school students although seems like it is an easy way to take the test, does not help students in the long run and does not prepare them for college testing scenarios, and their abiltesabilities in college will compare drastically different to their high school abilities.

Another factor that can be deemed unfair in the eyes of the students and the parents of the students is help with college applications and that entire process. Again, due to the funds that private schools have, they can “offer personalized college counseling programs to help students find the best-fit colleges for them.”

Although public schools may have some sort of guidance with this, they rarely receive this guidance. This also impacts graduation rates as public school graduation rates have gone up to 85% while private school graduation rates typically stay at 95%. Public school students are at a disadvantage as colleges do tend to be selective and will pick kids from private schools as they have better test scores due to the manipulation done within the private school’s policies and the guidance they receive while filling out their college applications.

A huge difference between the two types of education that heavily impacts students are the teacher’s certification. It has been noted that “In most states, private school teachers can teach without a teaching certificate”

These students are receiving an education from adults who are not certified to be teaching them, so they are not gaining anything from this experience. Teaching is an important job as it builds students into their future selves and allows them to be prepared for events such as college, internships, and real-world jobs. Those who gain their teaching certification are also most likely to want to teach the students as they went through the process of schooling and gaining that degree and certification for the sole purpose of being able to teach students. While in private schools, these teachers without certifications may just be there for the money and could care less about students’ educations.

It has been stigmatized that private education is the best course of action when it comes to developing students whose parents want what’s best for them, but their polices lack when it comes to actual education and teaching students cirrucloum. Public schools focus on testing and keeping students in touch with their education while teaching them the appropitateappropriate curriculum and testing them on it.

Keeping Policies Updated

As the needs of people in the country of the United States continue to develop and expand, so do the policies. The laws and regulations need to keep up with the wants and needs of society to keep the country pleased and functioning in a relevant way. One need of the people in the country would be education and its policies. As time has gone on, many factors within the education system changed, such as who was allowed to gain an education, what schools would teach the students, what were the most important subjects to be presented in schools, etc.

Drastic changes have been happening in the education system in recent years to keep up with the needs of all the people in the system. Not only in terms of the actual material have there been changed, but even in 1946 when a “US education policy that immediately affected students nationwide” was President Harry Truman signing the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act in 1946, which funded the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) to provide nutritionally balanced free or reduced-cost lunches to school children daily” was presented which was aimed to help the students themselves and not what the students were learning. Even in more recent news such as when Michelle Obama was pushing for healthier school lunches for students, even those with lower income as “research also shows that when students have access to healthy lunches, they perform better in school”.

Other policies such as allowing each individual state to create their own curriculum is another advancement in education policies that have allowed for a better flow of the school systems in the modern-day. For example, Connecticut used to have students take a state standardized test called the CMT for elementary school students, “Pennsylvania has paid $425 million for the Keystone test for high school students and the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exam for elementary school students”, and many other states have their own set of tests that are best fit for their curriculum and standards. Many of these tests are created and removed as time goes on, policies are created, and the needs of students change. There are also certain tests in Connecticut schools that are beneficial such as placement tests from k-12 public schools that allow English teachers to see your reading level so they can best understand how to help you succeed and grow throughout the year. Every state has its own version of this placement test whether it be a different computer system that they use, if it’s on paper, etc.

Image of an example of a standardized test.

One major policy change is the addition of technology in the school setting. It started with “educational software and interactive white boards, which have already made their way into classrooms, shifting how many educators teach and how many students learn. With new advancing technologies, more educational tools will become available and will further affect the teaching and learning in future classrooms”. The United States continued to urbanize and along with that came the new modernization of technology. Google applications such as Google docs or Google spreadsheet became popular amongst most teachers and schools. These new tools and advancements have become more practical for students and teachers and this is beneficial for the education system because if the system is outdated then students will fall behind and not be prepared for the real world. These new movements have created shifts from traditional teaching methods as well. Students can now learn at their own pace with there being “educational software-that makes- it possible to personalize learning content to the skill levels of individual students’ ‘. Kids are learning at their own levels and ability, eliminating the feeling of being lesser than another student due to not being able to keep up with the material in class. It has been notably agreed by many professionals that everyone learns at their own pace, so creating policies that allow for these education software in the classroom is crucial for all students, not just those who may be struggling compared to their peers. “This easy access to information has pushed many to reconsider what types of knowledge and skills students will need to succeed in their lives”, opening new ideas and inspirations for students and creating a new passion for learning.

Education is one of the most important things to all people of all ages across the country, and making sure it is keeping up with all of these people’s needs is so important. Policies in education updating and staying current are crucial for creating educated people to be put out into the workforce to create a working environment that is best adapted to society and its wants and needs.

Cost of Education

Many states and different boards of education all have their different set of rules and policies when it comes to budgeting and what they are going to teach their students. They break down all of this information between public schooling or k-12 and their higher education such as universities. Ballotpedia.org speaks about the public policy of education specific to Pennsylvania.

The article has all of the public policy in Pennsylvania but has a section that discusses education and divides the information into K-12 education, higher education, school choice, and charter schools. The section that discusses K-12 education in Pennsylvania, speaks about the money and how much money is spent per pupil. Breaking down this information and connecting it was information such as graduation rate, how many students end up going onto further education after graduating, etc. On average Pennsylvania spent $13,864 per pupil in 2013, which ranked it 10th highest in the nation. The state’s graduation rate was 85.5 percent in 2013. Is it really necessary to be spending this type of money on students to teach them the basic things that they need? Or are they even being taught what they need to know? IOs that money going to waste? The money brings up a different discussion when it comes to education and it is that many people correlate money with the level of education a student is receiving. They think that just because they are spending more money on a student’s education that they are going to be getting the best education possible when this may not be true in most cases. Even if a lot of money is spent it does not guarantee the student a full-time education and successful future as the article states, and it was mentioned prior in the blog, but Pennsylvania spent nearly $14,000 per student while only 85% of those students are graduating. Others may argue that alternative education may benefit students, not because of the price but because the schools have to offer. The article speaks on this topic saying “Proponents argue that school choice programs improve educational outcomes by expanding opportunity and access for historically disadvantaged students. In addition, advocates claim that school choice programs empower parents and improve traditional public schools through competition.” This is one side of the argument but others may also say that private or more “traditional” education might lock their child down and keep them from expanding their horizons when it comes to picking hobbies, being creative, or even deciding what they would like to do in the future for the college. Many private schools, being described as traditional, are just like that, traditional. Many of them are either religious, follow outdated and nonprogressive rules, and deny students more opportunities.

The article also speaks on higher education in terms of money and how much students in Pennsylvania are spending to get this further education. The question continues to be asked, does more money mean a better education? If so, why is that the case? Are we not all allowed to get the best education for ourselves, our children, for our children’s children? Pennsylvania has a lot to offer in terms of higher education with 260 colleges and universities. Of these, 62 are public institutions, 124 are nonprofit private schools, and 74 are for-profit private institutions. But the main issue that the article introduces is cost and student debt saying “Average debt held by college graduates in Pennsylvania amounted to about $33,264, ranking third highest in the country.” Is education a privilege with this sort of cost? Students at The Pennsylvania State University are paying over $50,000 for out-of-state tuition just to get an education that is supposed to help them kick start their lives. If education and a degree are necessary to be in the workforce in America, then why must it be so much? In basic public education, students are told about the expenses of college and how much it is and this may turn some students to not want to participate in higher education, but then they are told that they will have no good, stable future without this education.

Living in a world and a state of society where education is something that is deemed necessary yet is almost unattainable is a hard world to be living in for the future of America. Students are taught the basics in high school and they are set off into higher education and the real world all on their own and are lost and confused as nothing has prepared them for this sort of lifestyle. Although one can argue (such as myself) that high school and basic K-12 education does not teach students much, the one thing it does teach them is that being successful is not easy, nor is it cheap.

Critical Race Theory in Public School

Along with there being life skills that should be taught in schools, there are also social issues that should be taught in school to educate students. Most students in k-12 do not take the time to sit down and watch the news and stay updated with current events, therefore they are not aware about the world around them. It is known too well that the world how it is today is dangerous, and scary, but it is all caused by the humans living in the world. If the students are educated on the topic and understand what they can do to prevent future events such as the current ones just by being educated and fixing their behaviors, it can create a better future for themselves and their future families.

A panel of University scholars will discuss why critical race theory has become such an explosive issue across the U.S.

Yahoo News speaks about how education committees in South Dakota are beginning to limit critical race theory classes in their education systems. Critical race theory is a “theory created by legal scholars and educators in the 1970s that argues racism is a common experience faced by non-white people in the U.S., that racism is institutional and that it benefits white people.” Concepts in this course include “The basic tenets of critical race theory, or CRT, emerged out of a framework for legal analysis in the late 1970s and early 1980s created by legal scholars Derrick Bell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Richard Delgado, among others.” The argument with this topic is that administrators and the comite feel as if the schools are forcing students to invoke some sort of political activism and feel as if politics is not an appropriate topic to be discussed in school. They also feel that the schools are trying to push one sort of political agenda which they also feel to be inappropriate for a public school setting. Due to this, the House of Education Committee passed one of Governor Kristi Noem’s bills, that would limit any “political indoctrination” in public K-12 schools. Although there are many topics that are known to be forbidden in public schools and deemed as inappropriate such as religion or politics (especially staff and students personal opinion on the topics), critical race theory does not have to be taught in such a way. Although there is some teachings and information to it that involve education and the government “The core idea is that race is a social construct”.

Edweek explains that many readings and writings on the topic of critical race theory seem to be portrayed in a political way, specially in the eye of the conservative Republican but the main idea of critical race theory is the societal morals it holds. Critical race theory discusses social topics such as discirmination of certain people whether it be due to their skin color, ethnicity, economic status etc. The summarized the actual and true idea of critical race theory to be known as the basis of all diversity and inclusion efforts regardless of how much it’s actually informed those programs. Critical race theory is known to be about social justice and not politics, it leads down that path due to the current state of our American government as a result of the way politicians think about these underspoken groups of people. Other people say that critical race theory teaches students that all white people are inherently racist or bad people which is not the case. It can be interpreted this way due to the fact that if this topic is going to be taught then one must start with background and context, just like how any other topic is going to be taught, and due to the American history that has happened, the Europeans (or white) people are portrayed as the superior ones against any other race, which can be seen to not be the same way society functions today. Critical race theory, although is a tricky topic to teach without making some students, parents, or staff/administrators feel uncomfortable, it can be done, it is not an impossible task. Teaching students the concepts that are involved in this course would be beneficial for them, as well as those around them because they will be better participants in society and be able to keep up with the quick progression and development of American society.

Topics such as critical race theory should not be kept away from the hands of public school students. Once students get to high school, they are able to take classe such as American history at all levels that speak on politics, or AP government and politics that speaks about the current and past status of American government and politics, it is in the name of the class. The information taught in the class would be extremely helpful to all at the end of the day and at the end of the students education.

What Don’t We Know?

Growing up in basic education, we have all complained about what we’re learning and if it is ever going to help us in the real world. Learning things in elementary school such as learning to read, write, create relationships were essential for our development and basic cognitive skills. But what about when we get older? What does learning about Hamlet or derivatives have to offer us in our adult lives?

Today I am going to discuss information that was posted on HuffPost.com, and how the information on the article is true and what it means. To sum up the article, it speaks about some topics and subjects that students would actually benefit from learning in school that would help them in their everyday lives, once they are out of basic k-12 education. The first topic the article speaks about is learning how to file taxes. Filing taxes is something anyone can do starting from the age of 16 when they first get their job, but they probably have no clue how to do it. The article brings up the fact that students and everybody should be able to file their own taxes in confidence without having to worry about hiring someone else to do it for them. Taxes are something we cannot escape (unless we are looking towards some jail time in the future), so therefore why is it not something everyone is taught? Knowing the differences between the certain forms, what they mean, what we do to get the most possible back on our tax returns, nobody knows this information fresh out of highschool. It is self taught.

Another topic the article mentions that you wouldn’t think would be something beneficial to you is CPR and first aid classes. We have all seen the basic scene of someone choking as a restaurant and everyone frantically looking around for a doctor or anyone certified in CPR and it is very rare that you find someone who is in those situations. What if that fear was eliminated due to the fact that everyone around us would have the training to be ready for situations such as this. Not only would this allow people to be ready for situations in need but “teaching medical care could promote compassion, a skill that any high school grad knows is sorely lacking in the teenage population” (huffpost 2). Not only will it teach it life skills but it teaches interpersonal skills, which is something students will need in the workplace once they get older. The article also speaks about the idea of building a resume. Having skills such as CPR and first aid training adds so much to one’s resume, giving them a better opportunity to get into better schools and get good jobs.

Another thing mentioned in the article is sex education. Although we think that we have gotten the basic understanding of it from what we were taught in the one semester of health we get in high school, it is not enough. For me personally, during my health course (whihc only lasted about 3-4 months), we learned more about drugs anmd how to stay healthy and spoke about sex health for about 1 week. The United States is leading with the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the country, 57 per 100 15-19 year olds become pregnant every year. There are many people who have no idea about planned parenthood, brith control options, contraceptives, safe sex habits, etc and it is very aalrming. The goal of high school is to educate students AND keep them safe, would teaching them this not keep them safe? Not only would it teach them how to prevent pregnancy and lower the number or teen organs in the United States, but it would prevent students from also getting any sort of STDs or STIs. In most cases, there are students who don’t even know that there is a difference between the two and do not even know how one can be contracted. They don’t know the ones that are curable, they do not know the ones that are easily spreadable, they do not know treatment plans if they are to ctagc something. These diseases and infections are sometimes deadly, we need to be educating our students about them to keep them safe, healthy and alive. It is not plausible to simply preach abstinence while in school as well, teenagers are teenagers, they are going to do it regardless, so we might as well teach them how to do it safely.

There are so many other subjects that can be taught in schools that many students would benefit from but these two are ones that are most talked about and least talked about, yet two of the most important things, in my opinion, that NEED to be talked about.

Work Cited:

Boboltz, Sara. “7 Things We Should Start Teaching in Schools ASAP.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 7 Dec. 2017, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/things-schools-should-teach_n_4576389.