Education Problems: Issues to consider during group discussion:

  1. What are some of the main educational inequalities in the US – social class, race & ethnicity, drop outs, funding, re-segregation, in higher ed.? For what purposes did the US ed. system evolve—what were the values and goals, and how did they shift over time? (D&B ch. 7)

2. How is Socio-Economic Status related to Ed. achievement? What are: “Human Capital” (from home) and “Social Capital” (from community)?How are they related to educational achievement? How would intensive preschool help economically disadvantaged children later on? (Traub, rdg. 37 in C& V)

  • How is access to (& quality of) early childhood programs in NYC? (Kozol rdg 38 in C&V)

3. How does unequal school funding affect educational opportunities of poor, minority group children? How unequal are school funding and teacher salaries in NYC area? (Kozol, rdg 42) How does this compare with other readings emphasis on importance of unequal school funding – agree-disagree? (Esp. McKinney et al.web rdg. on MD case; & Traub # 37 C&V)

4. What is the average achievement gap between social classes and racial and ethnic groups, and to some extent genders (in math & science)? Which groups are most disadvantaged? (Dolgon & Baker, ch. 7) What are some measures to reduce educational achievement gaps? (McKinney et al. web rdg.)

  • What the STARS program & who does it help? What results in Wicomico County?
  • Howdid Fort Wayne, Indiana Schools decrease the Black-White student achievement gap?
  • What did Montgomery County do to increase kindergarten reading, and decreased achievement gaps between racial and ethnic groups, and economic classes?
  • How did MD. increased ed. spending help low-income, non-native English speakers, & spec. ed. students?
  • What are the pros and cons of Montg. Co’s. decision to drop the “gifted” label, and how has that label affected lower income and minority students?
  • How did tutoring projects and faculty working with low-income k-12 students on research help low-income, minority and female students (D&B case studies, ch. 7)
  • How are poor kids traumatized, and how do they show it in school? What sorts of assistance is helping them in NYC program? How might this help education? (Nocera & Ravitch web rdg.)

5. What are the key elements of the “No Child Left Behind” Law? & Critiques of the law? What are the two world views on education – “reformers” and “anti-reformers”/ fix the social problems view & how do views of each relate to educational research? (Nocera & Ravitch web rdg.)

6. Higher Education: What are the economic class differences in college drop-out rates, and why (Leonard rdg. 40 C&V)? How does college graduation vary by economic class? How much loan debt do students take on at various types of universities? What are problems with for-profit universities? How much has cost ofcollege increased in recent decades, & how much has student debt increased?How doesthis limit access to higher ed.? (Mettler et al.web rdg).