Caitlin+H

//Hi! I am excited to be working with all of you this semester! //  //I am in my second year and pursuing majors in poly sci and history, as well as a minor in business management. I plan on studying abroad for a year in Madrid and London starting next fall. // //I enjoy writing and reading. My favorite author is Nicholas Sparks and I have read most of his works. // //Good luck to all of you this semester! And, GO ORANGE!!! //



As I am standing in the education resources isle at Barns and Noble in Albany, New York, I notice three other people in my section. The four of us are flipping through a variety of education journals, books and magazines about schools in America. I am interested in their opinions on education reform, policy agendas and whether or not they believe an education crisis exists. So, for people who are not familiar with my outgoing personality, I simply went up to each reader, saying, “Will you please join me in the Starbucks Café to discuss the literature you are glancing at? I would like to hear your, as well as the other shoppers, opinions.” All agreed to join me. For the next two hours and over several lattes and espressos, we debated if the public education system has an obligation to teach students how to become citizens and if students are not receiving an informing education, how Americans can actively give students the opportunity to become citizens. Before our debate begins, I want to define some terms for you that will be discussed in our dialogue. Primarily, citizenship is the most important role an American can hold in the Untied States. A citizen is an individual who understands their rights and obligations as outlined in the Constitution and government laws. A citizen is able to proactively engage in their local community and national government through voting, protesting, lobbying, volunteering, working, and living a meaningful life. Citizens are what make America a land of opportunity and one of the global superpowers economically, politically and socially. America’s free-enterprise system allows for corporations to be competitive on an international stage through sales and trade. Forms of democracy exist in other countries, but the roots of democracy stem from the American Revolution. Moreover, social capitalism (as Robert Putnam discusses in //Bowling Alone//), which refers to the development of communities in different geographic regions, is highest in America. Therefore, for these three powerful aspects of American can only operate when citizens abide by government rules and actively detest the government when flaws exist. Today, I fear Americans are not prepared to be citizens and carry on business and social American traditions. America has operated successfully for over 200 years because our public education system has created citizens through training them to retain knowledge to become engineers, lawyers, scientists, presidents and more. There are many communities in America that cannot create these prosperous leaders because the public school system does not have the teachers or resources to save children affected by violence or poverty. Violence and poverty are embedded in communities where factories and businesses have left nothing but devastation, so Americans living in these communities are victims of financial depravation, which leaves Americans struggling to receive a diversified education since teachers and resources are a lack there of. Moreover, the three people I am meeting with are in agreement with my view of how American society operates and the role of a citizen in American society. Me: Let’s begin. I would like to record your thoughts for my study on organizations educating Americans outside the public education system. I believe in order for me to understand the role of the Boys and Girls Clubs, I need to have a fundamental understanding of what the schools are doing for these children. I think the gap between wealthy and poor school districts is the most serious educational problem facing America’s young people today. Citizens and residents of America have an obligation to pay taxes and support legislation that pumps more money into the education system. More money for the purpose of buying more supplies and textbooks, creating a variety of courses in the liberal arts, mathematics and sciences, and hiring and training better teachers will level the playing field in the years to come between the wealthy and poor school districts. Matt Miller: In my article //First, Kill All the School Boards// I highlight that the U.S. Department of Education accounts for nine percent, or $42 billion, of the kindergarten through high school spending. America has to keep up with international education systems government must increase spending on education by 25 to 30 percent. I wrote in the article, “We need to give schools one set of national expectations, free educators and parents to collaborate locally in whatever ways work, and get everything else out of the way” (Miller, 150). I know students should be required to demonstrate an understanding of the material they’re taught in school. In order to obtain the national standard and ensure that every student achieves that standard, it is the responsibility of the community and school district to spend as much money as it takes to keep children in the education system, supply children with resources and materials and train teachers to lead classrooms. My ideas are reasonable and achievable. It is the responsibility of the family to teach their children how to care for others, act unselfishly and follow rules, but also act out when they feel their life is threatened. The true reason education exists is to give people the means to think for themselves. Citizens are people who think on their own. So, children who flunk out of the system need to find a place where adults can teach them to think and aspire to achieve, whether it is in a line of work or in raising a family. Sam Dillon: You know Matt, other countries have hire graduation retention rates then America in the 21st century because the American nuclear family has changed. I believe Americans are less morale and less interested in helping others in their local communities or on the national level. I am not an expert on international family structures, but I can tell you what I have noticed in my travels: Americans are less interested in the welfare of their neighbor as they were even ten years ago. You and me have a responsibility to volunteer in education organizations outside the public school buildings because teachers cannot teach students what their guardians should be. Matt: That is true, Sam. With all of the violence and poverty families are not able to teach their kids everything since the physically surroundings have left a dark cloud hovering over our children’s heads. Sam: The primary cause Americans will not evolve into citizens is because of physical environments. In comparing children’s test scores in America with other countries in his piece //Study Compares States’ Math and Science Scores With Other Countries//, in Singapore, approximately 73 percent of eight grade math students are proficient in math. In contrast, only 51 percent of eight graders in Massachusetts and 14 percent of eight graders in Mississippi are proficient in math, respectfully. I believe America needs to change how children are learning or invest more money into organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs to ensure students are succeeding on tests at the same rate as countries such as Singapore, South Korea and Japan (Dillon, 73). How is Singapore providing a better education than America? Are they investing more funding or are teachers spending more time on math than other subjects? Part of the answer is that there are extra classes are available for students in Singapore for the bottom 20 percent. Teachers are required to stay and help these students for hours until they comprehend the material. Also, teachers are receiving more training and are required to obtain Master’s Degrees before teaching (McKinsey, 167). Me: //The American Dream and the Public Schools// clearly points out that the government should be responsible for giving more money to poorer school districts than to wealthier ones because property-poor districts have difficulty raising money. Wealthy districts have high rates of economic return from taxation since property values are high, so they can raise money more easily. President George W. Bush, as well as his predecessors such as Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton, understood the value of an equal education for all students, hence their support of landmark legislation policies. Today, Barak Obama plans to invest over 18 billion more dollars in education when he becomes president. His goal is to decrease the gap between wealthy and poor school districts. It is each person’s greatest responsibility to ensure that children receive a proper education, which gives them the knowledge to become influential citizens and change their communities for the greater good of their people. Foreign countries are educating their children to perform on the international stage at higher retention rates. Thus, American citizens have an obligation to solve our flawed educational system by investing more money into the futures of our children and decreasing the gap that divides rich and struggling school districts. The Boys and Girls Clubs should be promoted by government leaders and celebrities who can get local citizens involved in teaching children who do not have the proper support at home how to think on their own and garner the strength to find a job, vote, voice their opinions and lead a meaningful life.