1. Curriculum and Pedagogy
1.1. Major Stakeholders
1.1.1. State Senators
1.1.1.1. Jeff Sessions
1.1.1.2. Richard Shelby
1.1.2. House of Representatives
1.1.2.1. Mo Brooks
1.1.3. State Superintendent
1.1.3.1. Tommy Bice
1.1.4. Representatives on the State School Board
1.1.4.1. Governor Bentley(President)
1.1.4.2. Thomas Bice(Secretary and Executive Officer)
1.1.4.3. Ella Bell (Vice President)
1.1.4.4. Jeffery Newman( President Pro Term, Distract 07
1.1.4.5. Al Thompson (Distract 1)
1.1.4.6. Betty Peters (Distract 2)
1.1.4.7. Stephanie Bell (Distract 3)
1.1.4.8. Yvette Richardson (Distract 4)
1.1.4.9. Cynthia Mccarty (Distract 6)
1.1.4.10. Mary Hunter (Distract 8)
1.1.5. Local Superintendent
1.1.5.1. Matt Massey
1.1.6. Local School Board
1.1.6.1. Dan Nash
1.1.6.2. Mary Louise Stowe
1.1.6.3. Jeff Anderson
1.1.6.4. Angie Bates
1.1.6.5. David Vess
1.2. Development Curriculum
1.2.1. This curriculum focused on the needs and interest of each child rather than the society.
1.3. Multicultural Education
1.3.1. James Banks was the premier writer and he presented it into five dimensions of multiculturalism: content integration, knowledge construction, prejudice reduction, equity pedagogy, and empowering school culture.
1.4. Curriculum Theory
1.4.1. A body of knowledge to be transmitted.
1.5. Pedagogic Practice
1.5.1. Dialactic method
1.5.1.1. Relies on the lecture or presentation as the main focus of communication.
2. Equality of Opportunity
2.1. Life Outcomes
2.1.1. Class
2.1.1.1. Students who have different social classes have different experiences
2.1.1.1.1. Rich family will have a better education
2.1.1.1.2. Teachers expect more from middle and upper class so they spend more time with them.
2.1.1.1.3. Students from under class families have a higher drop out rate and are more likely to underachieve and resist curriculum.
2.1.1.1.4. Greater chance of middle and upper class students going to college and getting a degree.
2.1.2. Race
2.1.2.1. Impact on how much education they receive.
2.1.2.2. Minorities do not receive the same opportunities as whites.
2.1.2.3. Minorities testing scores were typically lower than whites.
2.1.2.4. Rewards were significantly less than whites for education attainment.
2.1.3. Gender
2.1.3.1. Males
2.1.3.1.1. Better at math
2.1.3.1.2. Likely to score higher on SAT's
2.1.3.1.3. More likely to attend a higher college
2.1.3.2. Females
2.1.3.2.1. Less chance of dropping out of school.
2.1.3.2.2. Better at reading and writing.
2.1.3.2.3. Higher rate of going to college..
2.2. Special needs students
2.2.1. There have been too many students labeled and putin Special ED classes. This outcome has resulted in limited educational opportunities.
3. Sociological Perspectives
3.1. Functional Theory
3.1.1. Emilie Durkheim
3.1.2. Views society as a machine that produces the energy required to make society work.
3.1.3. Moral unity is the foundation of society.
3.1.4. Schools socialize students into appropriate values.
3.1.5. Education reform creates structures,programs and curricula that are technically advanced rational that encourages social unity.
3.2. Education and Mobility
3.2.1. Social mobility begins at the school house door.
3.2.2. Education leads to economic and social mobility
3.2.3. People rise and fall based on their merit.
3.3. Behavior of Teacher
3.3.1. Teachers are models for the students as instructional leaders.
3.3.2. They set standards for students and help with self-esteem and sense of efficacy.
4. History of U.S. Education
4.1. Equality of Opportunity
4.1.1. G.I Bill
4.1.1.1. Chance to pursue higher education
4.1.1.2. Building block for school systems
4.1.2. Brown Vs Topeka Board of Education
4.1.2.1. Education opportunities for African-Americans
4.1.3. Coleman Report
4.1.3.1. one of the most important education studies of the 20th century.
4.1.3.2. Assessed the relationship between socioeconomic position and unequaled educational outcome.
4.1.4. Project Headstart
4.1.4.1. It was created to provide early preschool educational opportunities for the disadvantaged.
4.1.4.2. It was to be a cost effective way in nurturing at-risk children which could help prevent later strains on the justice system and social services..
4.1.5. The Kentucky Education Reform Act
4.1.5.1. One of the most important reform acts in United states History
4.1.5.2. Revamped Kentucky's education system from finance to curriculum in an attempt to provide equal educational opportunities.
5. Politics of Education
5.1. Conservative
5.1.1. It enables the strongest individuals or groups to survive.
5.1.2. Free Market Capitalism
5.1.3. The role of the school is to provide educational training for economic and social stability.
5.1.4. It helps maintain social order
5.1.5. Cultural traditions through the curriculum
5.1.5.1. Traditionalist
5.1.5.2. Progressive
5.2. Traditional Vision of Education
5.2.1. The traditional vision views the school as a way to spread the traditional values of U.S. society.
5.2.2. Schools should pass on the best of what was and the best of what is.
6. Schools as Organizations
6.1. Governance
6.1.1. Decentralized
6.1.2. Federal government made no claim of authority and responsibility for education.
6.1.3. School districts paid for by property taxes, taxpayers have a stake in the schools in their district through the school boards.
6.2. More centralized school system growth
6.2.1. More efficient
6.2.2. Increased number of pupils per school
6.2.3. Superintendents are more powerful and teachers have less freedom.
6.3. Student composition
6.3.1. Increasing residential segregation
6.3.2. De facto segregation replaced de jure segregation
6.4. Teacher Professionalization
6.4.1. If teachers are to be truly professional, they must be able to share the important decisions within the schools.
6.4.2. John Goddland and Linda McNeil
6.4.3. Teachers are expected to be autonomous, thoughtful experts in education. On the other hand, the conditions of their employment leave little scope for autonomy, thoughtfulness, or expertise.
6.5. The Nature of Teaching
6.5.1. Two missions: one universal and cognitive and the other particular and affective.
6.5.2. Teachers are viewed as craftspeople where the craft is learned while they work
6.5.3. Teachers have many roles: Colleague, friend, nurturer of the learner, facilitator of learning,,researcher, program developer, administrator, decision maker, leader, and activist.
7. Philosophy of Education
7.1. Pragmatism
7.1.1. General Notions
7.1.1.1. Dewey thought the schools should become an "embryonic community" where students can learn skills both experimentally and also from books.
7.1.1.2. He also thought that education should start with the needs and interests of the child in the classroom, allow children to be apart of planning the course of study.
7.1.2. Founders
7.1.2.1. George Sanders Pierce, William James, and John Dewey. There were also European philosophers such as Francis Bacon, John Locke, and Jean-Jacues Rousseau.
7.1.3. Goal of Education
7.1.3.1. Schools should provide "conjoint, communicated experience" that it should function as preparation for life in a democratic society.
7.1.3.2. Dewey's main vision for schools was to integrate children into not just any type of society, but a democratic one.
7.1.4. Role of Teacher
7.1.4.1. The teacher is no longer the authoritarian figure from which all knowledge flows; rather, the teacher assumes the position of facilitator. They encourage, offer suggestions, questions, and help plan a course of study
7.1.5. Method of Instructions
7.1.5.1. Children learn both individually and in groups
7.1.5.2. Children should pose the question about what they want to know. This method is known today as problem-solving or inquiry method.
7.1.6. Curriculum
7.1.6.1. Progressive educators are not stuck to a fixed curriculum either; rather, it changes as the social order changes and as children's interest and needs change.
7.1.6.2. They followed an integrated curriculum.
8. Educational Inequality
8.1. School Inequality?
8.1.1. Students from lower socioeconomic backgrou8nds face greater problems in their communities due to issues such as::
8.1.1.1. Poverty
8.1.1.2. Racism
8.1.1.3. Social processes
8.1.2. Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds have significantly less chances to succeed before entering schools.
8.1.2.1. Schools are inferior because lack of funding.
8.1.2.2. School processes that do not give them a chance to succeed.
9. Educational Reform
9.1. No Child Left Behind (George W Bush)
9.1.1. Key components:
9.1.1.1. Annual testing is required of students in grades 3-8 in math and reading. Then in grades 10-12 and science testing to follow.
9.1.1.2. States must set AYP (adequate yearly process) goals for each school.
9.1.1.3. States are required to report school by school test performance. This data is to be broken down by race, special ed, ELLs and also low income.
9.1.1.4. Schools that fell to meet these requirements are labeled "in need of improvement."
9.1.1.4.1. Students must have the option to attend another public school or receive federal funded tutoring.
9.1.1.4.2. Funds can also be used for teacher professional development.
9.1.1.4.3. If AYP goals still are not met, schools must go through restructuring.
9.1.1.5. Schools must have highly qualified teachers.
9.1.2. Mandates the uniform standards for all students in order to reduce and eventually eliminate the race and social class achievement gaps.
9.1.3. Historically it has under served low income and minority children through curriculum tracking, lack of instructions, and low teacher quality in urban schools.
9.2. Race to the top (Obama)
9.2.1. Most states started following the common core standards. They expanded the number of charter schools and developed new evaluation tools for principles and teachers.
9.2.2. Grants will help states as they work to meet the No child left behind mandates. Which are improving student outcomes and eliminating achievement gaps.