I found this article, using Google, about what Governor Chris Christie and Acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf plan to do in New Jersey's failing schools.
Stricter Standards, will it work?
It is obvious that the gap between well funded, affluent districts and underfunded, impoverished districts is becoming more and more extreme. When I did my observations for CURR210, we visited Arts High, which was considered a well funded school within Newark. They only had one smartboard for the whole school, and the computer lab was already outdated. Looking back to my high school experience, at a blue ribbon district, we had a smartboard in every classroom, even if the teachers never used them, and we had MacBooks in our computer labs. The gap between districts makes me feel uneasy, and as a future teacher, I struggle with how I will prepare all students - despite their economic background - for college, testing, and how to be educated in a democratic setting.
While I can understand why Christia and Cerf want to be increase the standards for target districts, extending the school day so students have to walk through their possible dangerous areas at night, may not be as effective as they're hoping. Also, putting pressure on teachers and firing entire boards or groups that they administration deems as problematic may create more issues. Instead of beating down teachers, Christie and Cerf should be focusing on how to get proper funding to impoverished districts and keep track of where the money is going. By blaming the teachers, we are still not focusing on students' home lives or funding for schools. Even in "successful" districts, where Christie and Cerf admit they will "take the pressure off" of, there can be ineffective teachers and misuse of technology. In my opinion, there needs to be a radical shift in the pedagogical views of the state.
Read the article, and let me know what you think!
Liz,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article, I don't think stricter standards will solve the gap. I have studied the issues between the gaps and while "test scores are improving" the gap between particular races/ethnicities is simply increasing, which overall doesn't do a whole lot for numbers. The problem with the education gap is as you mentioned lack of resources. Growing up in a wonderful town with a whole lot of resources and great teachers is nice for people like you and me, but as you mention the other students who only have three computers and one smartboard for the whole school it is difficult for teachers to reach out. Instead of increasing standards, I believe the government should find a way to accommodate more resources for lower level schools to help them become "better." I agree, higher standards will simply increase pressure with teachers and frustrate students more. It is not about the standards, it is about the support or lack of. I truly believe funding would help bridge the gap because students would have so many more opportunities.