Talk:Foundations and Assessment of Education/Edition 1/Foundations Table of Contents/Chapter 6/In the News



Students: Please write your "Reader Responses" on this page.



Below are links to pages on which you can provide peer reviews for this article.

Remember that each peer review page should contain only one peer review.

Peer Review One

Peer Review Two

Author Reflection
After carefully researching educational reform, I realized just how many opinions and theories there are on this particular topic. I did not expect the overwhelming amount of current information that led me to one plain and simple fact…education reform will continue to be debated, and in the meantime, educators must still do their jobs to the best of their abilities, according to the bureaucratic policies that are in place at the time. It seems a disheartening task that educators are sometimes forced to follow policy rather than do what is best for their students. It seems truly a shame. Research indicates this type of embarrassment and failure in the United States public school system. The issue, however, no matter how desperate, is still left for dinner party discussions, while no massive reform seems on its way. Regardless of opinions, there are better, more successful ways to educate American children. Even so, we would rather sit and argue, instead of reaching some type of political compromise. It seems everything is tied unfortunately to politics. I suppose we cannot really complain about NCLB. It was the first attempt in years to reform some part of our system. It just fell short. Most of us can agree on that. Why is it that we are afraid of change? Afraid of trying new things in our schools? After evaluating this multifaceted issue, I refuse to believe that money is the only problem. Nonetheless, I tried to incorporate numerous stories in the content of my article. I tried to cover a lot of ground without bias. The realization that I could have wrote for a whole year on my “in the news” section came very early. I would have really enjoyed discussing new research for curriculum, assessments, and project based learning. Never less, I tried to include the most popular, most recently debated issues surrounding educational reform.

Abitt002 (talk) 01:01, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Reader Responses
I enjoyed reading your article about current news and events in United States public schools. I think the No Child Left Behind Act has the right ideas but does have some short fallings in its legislation. I found it shocking that 1/3 of schools failed to meet yearly progress goals last year. I hope that Arne Duncan is able to make an improvement in those schools that have been, as the article states, “swept under the rug”. I have a pretty positive reaction to ideas of a federal curriculum, as then students from every state would be tested in the same way in chosen subjects. I couldn’t agree more with your statement that regardless of all the policy debates, teachers still have the most important job of making positive changes everyday in the lives of their students. It is important that our future generations learn the skills to survive successfully. Afett001 (talk) 18:52, 12 July 2009 (UTC)

This was a very good article to read. I enjoyed its timely resources and information. As a non-core teacher, I'm easily frustrated by the NCLB act. The over emphasis on the the core classes seems to leave technical education and electives out in the dust. If I had a dollar for every time I had a student taken from my class so they could review for their SOL, I wouldn't have to teach anymore. Teaching to the tests have become the normal. Teachers rarely have time to interject any relevant outside information if it doesn't serve the purpose of having their students ready for the test. Like it or not the teachers are judged as to how their students do when taking their SOLs. I don't find it a very sound way of educating our students. Jtmitchem (talk) 01:53, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

Your article really opened my eyes to the realistic world behind the legislation of our educational system in the United States. Many great reform laws have stayed deep within the walls of Senator's offices, buried, much like the great education we expect. The important thing (like you explained) is that as educators we take a stand to do what is best for our students and ultimately for the children that will one day run this country. A reform is a must and I'm glad you feel as deep about it as we all most likely do. Ehern004 (talk) 22:38, 15 July 2009 (UTC)

This article was not only very well-written and organized, but it was also very informative. It gave me a lot of insight about real-world issues involving educational reform. These issues are real, current and debatable. I'm glad that this article presented some of the most current and important issues in the news. Yes, educational reform is needed but it will take a huge effort to change policies or put new ones in place. Ultimately, you're right. It is up to teachers to do what is best for their students. Alucy001 (talk) 16:32, 18 July 2009 (UTC)

Great article! You did a wonderful job illuminating the numerous issues behind much of the current educational legislation. No child left behind negatively affects and pressures many once adequate school systems and is minimizing the learning that happens within a school. NCLB like communism sounds like a great idea, but the enactment is nearly impossible. Your article will help many previously unfamiliar with the legislation see both sides of our educational reform. Scrai010 (talk) 17:44, 18 July 2009 (UTC)