I am going to write about three major events that has affected the course of U.S. education forever. I will also touch on a very important and influential woman who wanted to help others (notably children) first and foremost. America and education worldwide should have tremendous gratitude towards each of these topics I will be discussing. Personally, as I researched each one, I feel more motivated and driven to impact my own community and raise awareness on how important education is.
The influential woman I mentioned above is Maria Montessori. Maria Montessori was extremely well-rounded with her talents. Today, she is well known for the Montessori Method, which is used in public and private schools throughout the world. The Montessori Method is the development of a child's own initiative and natural abilities, especially through simple but effective play. This method allows children not only to develop at their own pace but it provides each educator with a clear understanding of child development.
Maria began as an Italian physician which was very rare at the time for a woman to become a physician. Always having a passion in children’s education overall, she began taking major steps in education and ultimately innovating how students would learn in the near future. She used her background talents to make studies and observations which led her call into question, the lackluster methods of teaching children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In 1897, Montessori had what she called a revelation. "I felt that mental deficiency presented chiefly a pedagogical, rather than mainly a medical, problem." This new insight and ideals, she began to transfer her time towards perfecting education and making a change. She wante...
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...uture benefiting people and educating everywhere is unlimited.
Another major event occurred for education in 2001 under the leadership of President George W. Bush. The No Child Left Behind Act was created in 2001, to improve on a wide-range of concerns about the state of education and those of disadvantaged students across America. This caused the government to take a more predominant role in education.
The No Child Left Behind Act was put into place to help disadvantaged students, educators and the education system reach their full potential and succeed in life. This Act also drove student achievement to reach its highest and to hold both states and schools more accountable for each student’s progress. They represented significant changes to the education landscape at the time and helped shift the country’s focus on education (U.S. Department of Education, 2001).
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001’s main purpose was to enhance the education system and hold schools accountable in its attempt to bring equality in the fight against poverty for poor and minority groups. Once this Act was signed into law the American public expected an overhaul of the education system with only good outcomes. The public assumed our children would be receiving the best education available and the economic issues that plagued schools would no longer be a problem. In the beginning of its implementation No Child Left Behind was expected to bring America up to standards with other nations, this was something that America has struggled to do for many years. Our children were now being put first according to Act and the public and many political figures were ecstatic over the possibilities.
The 'Path of the Earth Public goods, private goods: The American struggle over educational goals. American Educational Research Journal, 34(1), 39-81. Lewis, S. K. (2010). The 'Standard'. Celebrating Women's History Month - Septima Poinsette Clark (1898-1987).
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
No Child Left Behind is the 21st-century recognition of this first major federal venture into education policies an area that is still mainly a state and local function, as visualized by our Founding Fathers. On January 8, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is currently the educational policy in the United States. Prior to NCLB the educational policies in effect were “A Nation at Risk, in 1987 America 2000, and a few years later with Goals 2000” (Eisner, 2001, p.21). No Child Left Behind is a test based accountability system used in schools to measure their performance holding the districts, administrators and teachers liable and accountable for the outcomes. Supovitz (2009) States that No Child Left Behind was a major reform initiative intended to bring about widespread improvements in student performance and reduce inequities between ethnic groups and other traditionally under-served populations like economically disadvantaged students, students from major racial
At a time of wide public concern about the state of education, the legislation sets in place requirements that reach into virtually every public school in America. The law emphasizes accountability, teacher quality, parent choice, improved teaching methods, and flexibility. (Correa) Strict requirements and deadlines have been set for states to expand the scope and frequency of student testing, revamp their accountability system and guarantee that every classroom is staffed by a ?highly qualified? teacher in his or her own subject area. (I ed) The plan also mandates annual student testing in reading and math by 2005, and requires all school districts to allow students in consistently low-performing schools to transfer to higher performing schools, at the districts expense. (Hull) From year to year, states are required to improve the quality of their schools. No Child Left Behind has expanded the federal ...
She came to education with a background in philosophy and psychology and this influenced much of her work with young children.
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...
An institution that is large has a group of individuals or situations that shapes what it becomes. Without a doubt the American education system has had multiple examples that have shaped what it is today. There have been individuals that have placed emphasis such as Mann that brought the common school concept to light. In addition, there were landmark court cases that allowed minorities to also receive equal educations. Furthermore, there has been strong political influence over the years of American education development. This paper will focus on the importance of Horace Mann, John Dewey, the Science and Math Education Movement, and the No Child Left Behind Act.
“Making the Grade,” which was published in the Salt Lake Tribune in September of this year, is an article arguing the negative sides of the No Child Left Behind Act. Through this article, a majority of the discussion regarded the budgeting involved with NCLB. This article calls No Child Left Behind a “one-size-fits-all formula for improving education in America” (Making the Grade). According to President Bush, the NCLB Act is “’the cornerstone’ of his administration” (Salt Lake Tribune). Like with any legislation, however, come both positive and negative sides.
There are many different pioneers that have a philosophy and theories that had an impact. The education today and their theories are based on developing children 's skills in a perfect environment. However, there are three pioneers in education that most influence the education these days: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Fridrich Froebel, and Maria Montessori.
In society, education can be seen as a foundation for success. Education prepares people for their careers and allows them to contribute to society efficiently. However, there is an achievement gap in education, especially between Hispanics and Blacks. In other words, there is education inequality between these minorities and white students. This achievement gap is a social problem in the education system since this is affecting many schools in the United States. As a response to this social problem, the No Child Left Behind Act was passed to assist in closing this achievement gap by holding schools more accountable for the students’ progress. Unsuccessful, the No Child Left Behind Act was ineffective as a social response since schools were pushed to produce high test scores in order to show a student’s academic progress which in turn, pressured teachers and students even more to do well on these tests.
Maria Montessori was always a bit ahead of her time. She became the first doctor of Italy. In her work at the University of Rome psychiatric clinic Dr. Montessori developed an interest in to the treatment of children with special needs. Her work is now seen all over the world. Dr. Montessori has taught us that the best method of teaching concentrates on quality rather than quantity. Dr. Maria Montessori died on May 6th, 1952 at the age of 81. She left the legacy of the Montessori Method of teaching which has, and continues to, promote advanced learning in its students.
The Montessori method began in the early 1900's by the first female doctor in Italy, Dr. Mary Montessori, as a way of educating mentally disabled children. Her ideas were so successful with these children that she began to apply her understanding of learning to study the potential of normally functioning children (Oalf, 2001). Dr. Montessori's approach to education stresses the importance of learning styles, independence and responsibility.
Maria Montessori was the founder of the Montessori educational method. Maria Montessori graduated from the University of Rome Medical School and was working with “mentally deficient” children (Scotty, 2009). She always had a great aspiration to help children. The Montessori methods came about from her observations while working at the Casa dei Bambini (a daycare center in Rome). She saw how children learn naturally by things around them. Maria Montessori believed that children learned best by doing things individually and teaching themselves (Lewis, 1992). In Montessori schools children learn to deal with real life problems and how to overcome life’s obstacles. The teachers provide the children with freedom and independence.