Bush A+ Plan
Lieutenant Governor Brogan and Governor Bush fought for approval of what they called, the Bush/Brogan A+ Plan for education. This was a comprehensive system of school reform. They believed that each student should gain one years of knowledge with one year of school. They also believed that no student should be left behind. These are the principals that the plan was built upon.
In order for them to be assured that a student gained a years knowledge in a years time, the FCAT was set in place. This FCAT tests students till the tenth grade. The results of this test is then used to make sure the student is not left behind. The education is then centered around the individual needs of each student.
Although this is not the only reason for the FCAT test. The test also shows if the school is performing to standards. Schools are assigned a performance grade based on the student achievement from the FCAT. If the school receives a failing grade, then resources are put into effect. The school receives addition money assistance, along with salary incentives for the teachers in those schools. I personally do not see the reason to award a failing school or a teachers of that school. But I guess I stand corrected, due to the fact the program seems to be working for the most part.
I believe there are some problems with this plan. I believe that the children that exceed the standards are left behind. When my daughter entered the sixth grade she was ready for Algebra 1. The school felt that only eight graders should take algebra 1. Their reasoning was that in the seventh and eighth grade they would not have a math for her to complete. Due to this reasoning, I feel, they decided to leave my child behind. My daughter was taken out of the public school and placed in a private school. In the private school she was able to exceed at her learning capabilities. Today she is attending CFCC as a full time student. This is her second semester. She carries thirteen credits this semester, with a 4.0 grade average. My daughter is thirteen years old. She shall receive her A.A. degree by the time she is fourteen. I believe if she had been left in the public school, she would of been held back from her abilities.
...though they were happy” (Le Guin 380) shows the reader that the Omelas were happy with their extravagant life. Le Guin states in “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” that the “boys and girls were naked in the bright air” (380). An allusion to the Garden of Eden in biblical times, the nakedness represents the freedom, happiness, and utopian attitude of the people of Omelas.
Since this test has been devised, the number one question everybody is asking is, “ isn’t it unfair to base a student’s entire future on one test, when he or she simply could have had a bad day when taking the test”? The president Kirk T. Schroder of the Virginia Board of Education, answer this question by saying, “First of all, these tests are untimed, so no student is under arbitrary time pressure in taking the test.
The implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act applied a market approach to school reform as a way of improving the school system. This new law promised an era of high standards, testing, and accountability in
In Ursula Le Guin’s short story, “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas”, it is stated that, “...the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of their makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weathers of their skies, depend wholly on this child’s abominable misery.” The city of Omelas is utopian on the outside, with grand architecture, extravagant festivals, and a joyful citizenry. The reason for its perfection is much darker, however. The constant neglect and suffering of a small child balances out the good in the society, and if not for the child’s suffering, Omelas would crumble. In some ways, Omelas is similar to the world of today. People around the world, especially children, suffer for what some would say is the greater good, working in factories and mines, and endangering their lives by serving in the military. At first glance, it may seem that the world is very similar to Omelas, or that it is in danger of becoming like it. However, the world is not like or in danger of becoming like Omelas because, while there is
In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" author Ursula K. Le Guin uses the utopian society of Omelas to symbolically highlight the ugly and unsavory state of the human condition. The stories unidentified narrator paints a colorful picture of Omelas and ironically describes its residents as happy, joyous and not at all barbaric. Although Le Guin describes Omelas as a delightful even whimsical place that affords its citizens “…happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of the of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of their makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weather of their skies”; we come to discover just the opposite (5). At its core we find a self-indulgent and horrid community distractingly veiled by beautiful landscape, the music and prancing horses at festivals and children playing. The author cleverly draws the reader into Omelas’ city limits then abruptly exposes them to the widely known atrocity that is the abused and malnourished child beneath. Le Guins’ skillful exposition of Omelas and its residents is an excellent illustration of mankind’s abandonment of morality and human compassion of mankind in exchange for the unrelenting pursuit of happiness.
While reading “The One Who Walk Away From Omelas,” the one thing that stand out in my mind is what love got to do with this? As the story opens we see a town that is bright, lively and beautiful. It is also located by the sea so there are big beautiful boats located the sea in this city. It is a city like any other city where people gathers together to celebrate and have fun. You can tell that there is a lot of love in this city because there is no need for police or government official. This paper will show how far some people will go to show their love for little children.
Legality aside, this Frankenstein remains riddled with flaws. Not all the poor students in New York City public schools are doing badly. That indicates something about the students who fail. I am a progeny of the New York City Public School system. From kindergarten to 12th grade my education has been a publicly funded affair. Ever since elementary school, I have seen many of my classmates flourish in the classroom while others have failed. The students of my elementary school were generally of the same economic and cultural (Italian) background, yet they varied in performance levels. I have found that some of my classmates just displayed no interest in school. Teachers and the system can only do so much. If a student does not care to learn, he or she will not learn no matter how good the education being given to him is. As to why the student is resistant to learning, that is an issue with little correlation to the quality of public schools.
Ursula LeGuin reflects on an ethical problem in her short story The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. She describes Omelas as a place where everyone can enjoy simple pleasures without technology or class. However, this apparent “perfection” of Omelas, knowing to all its citizens, depends on the suffering of a child who is kept starving underground in a dark, squalid location. Some “walk away” from the wonderful world of happiness built on the small child’s suffering. The author’s message asks the question of the ethical attitude of society towards problems in the real world, “Is the happiness of thousands worth the suffering of one?”
...spects that put too much of a burden upon the teachers. All children deserve an excellent education, but it takes more than the teachers and the school system to ensure the success of a child. The child must have the drive and parents as well must be involved. Although the plan has many great ideas, the school system should not be punished if a small group fails what about the large amount that is doing wonderfully? This law was an outstanding start. Now that lawmakers are aware of the problems, they need to act. The worst that could happen is that No Child Left Behind is unchanged, leaving behind yet another child. (Symonds) ?Reform is no longer about access or money. It is no longer about compliance or excuses. It is about improving student achievement by improving the quality of the education we offer American students.? Secretary of Education Rod Paige.
Since the No Child Left Behind Act has come into effect, it has caused some concerns with teachers and parents alike on how well it is working for the students. There have been issues to be addressed and instead been overlooked. Because in “Is No Child Left Behind Effective For All Students?” Parents Don’t Think So, a school who fails to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for four or more years is considered under corrective action and the state board must make serious changes to the school. Randolph and Wilson-Younger, (Oct. 22, 2012). Our government has offered states the chance to waive requirements but the states have to make specific reforms in exchange for flexibility. During the first round of waivers offered, 11 states applied. The states had to fill out applications. Each state must put in an application for a waiver and if a state receives a wavier it will last for two years and then they can reapply. These waivers are needed because the No Child Left Behind is broken. The laws can identify which schools that are in need of improvement based on their achievement targets. The law prescribes interventions but the interventions are not working as well as they could be. Lawmakers have proposed to move a bill to the Senate or House floor. However, the Republicans had p...
“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” written by Le Guin revolves around the central theme of right and wrong. The people of Omelas are given two choices, they can live in a beautiful city where the only rule is to always feel happy, and to never feel guilty, or to feel guilty and leave the city of Omelas. The crutch on their happiness is the unhappiness and even cruel treatment of a young child named It living in a dark room. Once in their life their life they go down and see whom they call It, some feel sad and fall silent for a short while then go back to being happy living in Omelas. While others take one look at It then turn around and walk straight out of the “beautiful gates” of Omelas (600). Ursula K. Le Guin 's short story "The Ones
After reading The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, I was baffled and honestly did not know what to make of the short story. I did not know anything about the story beforehand so I had no expectations on what the piece would be about, so when I finished reading about an entire population hurting, degrading, and keeping a child from a happy life was disturbing. After some thought on, I realized the story does evoke some questions about social justice and can even be related to utilitarianism. While, I do not agree with what the members of Omelas did, I understand the implications the author provokes with the mistreatment that occurs. I believe the author wants the reader to question their morals and their definition of justice after reading.
Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” is a story about Omelas, a utopian city where people lead happy lives. Unlike the other people in Omelas who lead happy lives, a nameless child living beneath the city knows only darkness and suffering. The child is chosen from the population to act as a sacrifice to enable the rest of the people in Omelas to lead fulfilled lives. The child stays in a tiny, windowless room without any amenities and is completely cut off from the rest of society except for short visits from those that want to see the child. After learning about the existence of the child, some people overcome the guilt of knowing about the horrible living conditions of the child and live their lives to the fullest. However, others decide to leave the city immediately they find out about the
"The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" takes place in a small perfect and happy town. This town was not as perfect as it looked from the outside this town had a dark secret. There is a boy in a seller, he is chained up inside, people come to see him but no one ever helps. He is left to rot in his own filth. The worst part of this is that if anyone were to help this boy the whole town would stop being happy. so the result of this is that people end up justifying what's happening to this boy and some will just walk off in to the hills to never be seen in omelas again but the people of omelas always wonder how the ones who leave know where to go or if they are just running away with nowhere to go.
Standardized testing in the United States was not always common practice. In the Mid-1800s, Horace Mann, an education reformist, developed a test to administer to a group of students. Its purpose was to determine how students were performing at their current level and whether they were capable of proceeding to a higher level of education, although the student’s success on the test had no negative repercussions. These tests were a necessity at that time because the idea of public education was still being molded and these tests were the only means by which student progress could be measured. Within 35 years of the first recorded examination in 1845, testing became the factor which determined whether students were able to be promoted to the next grade.