Contemporary Issues

U.S. Educational System Unit

Since colonial times, the U.S. educational system has been in a continual flux. The current system has been argued to be plagued by low student achievement, and educational reform continues to be at the front of political and social discourse. What are some of the questions that are at the forefront of the education debate?

Goal: Students understand-

1.  How to find and use the increasing educational data to begin inspecting educational finance and reform.

2.  How have many of the social and economic changes in the past 50 years created unintended consequences to our educational system.

3.  Many of the systemic problems that appear throughout the educational system.

4.  Many of the reform ideas that are at the forefront of the educational debate.

Assessments:

-  Data Collection Worksheet

-  Unit Review Questions

Group Discussion Questions:

1.  What is the purpose of the public education system?

-  Public education is one of the earliest social programs supported by government. Why?

2.  What should be the role of education? Culture/Political/Social/Economic?

3.  How should schools receive finance? What are some of the benefits and problems from this federalist system?

4.  What problems do you believe exist in how our educational culture and system function?

-  Graduate without passing a test to graduate (Bachelorette Test).

-  Homework/Summer Break/Liberal Arts (liberal education)

Unit Review Questions (10 points each):

Directions: Each question should have typed answers. The answers for each question should be (at least) a well written, and thought out paragraph. The questions will be due at the end of the unit. Choose 4 of the 5.

1.  What do you believe to be the purpose of America’s educational system? Why? Explain.

2.  As we consider education reform and funding, what problems plague the educational system due to our system of federalism? How does this influence educational public policy?

3.  Explain how the women’s liberation movement negatively affected the educational system. What does this tell us about system changes and social changes?

4.  Name three major problems affecting our educational system and explain the problem.

5.  Explain two alternatives to the current educational system.

Directions for Reading Questions: Type your answers (double-spaced) to the reading questions, and they are due the day after the reading (10 points total).

Superfreakonomics Reading Questions

Due: ______

1. What does the following statistic from the reading tell readers?

“As of 1940, an astonishing 55 percent of all college-educated female workers in their early thirties were employed as teachers.”

2.  According to the reading, what were some of the effects of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

3.  What happened to the teacher IQ quintile (what is a quintile) statistics from 1960 to the 1980’s?

4.  What happened to U.S. test scores from 1967 to 1980? Why?

5.  What do you believe was the lesson from this reading?