“Lets’ Really Reform Our Schools” Changes need to be made in American school systems. In fact, once American schools are reformed it would make it easier for those who want to learn receive an education. In the essay, “Lets’ Really Reform Our Schools” by Anita Garland, Garland explains why schools need to be reformed. Garland claims that American schools are in trouble and that they are a disaster. Garland also mentions that we need to restructure our thinking about the whole purpose of going to school and what one should expect from students. To start off, attendance shouldn’t be mandatory and one must stop forcing everyone to attend school. Next, cafeteria lunch is always a big problems with students. Students are hyped up with all …show more content…
I agree with Garland I feel that attendance shouldn’t be mandatory because that’s just forcing those who don’t want to learn go to school. Those who are always getting into fights and causing problems shouldn’t be able to attend school. I like how Garland talks about why mandatory attendance is just based upon the idea that every American has the right to basic education. “But as the old saying goes, your rights stop where the next guy’s begin” (620). Garland explains how every student who wants an education regardless of their inabilities should find a way to receive an education. On the other hand, I remember when I used to go to high school and I witnessed how my friends thought attendance was a big joke. My classmates would always show up late or not even bother to show up. Participation points weren’t a big deal in Hope Academy since all of our classes were online. It didn’t take long before the school started to enforce strict rules. If one doesn’t want to attend school, shouldn’t show up. I feel that mandatory attendance is outrageous. One who wants to learn will find a way to receive an education. Mandatory attendance just gives the trouble-makers an opportunity to waste everyone’s time for those who really want to learn. To sum up, mandatory attendance shouldn’t be allowed. Schools are learning centers that provide students education they aren’t centers of entertainments. Garland also talks about school cafeterias and how they serve unhealthy
To begin, Mary Sherry discusses the corrupt school system that lingers. In her article, we obtain insight on how schools
The article "Let`s Really Reform Our Schools" by Anita Garland discuss the trouble faced by American High Schools. According to her, students are more concerned about their looks than learning, and this results in poor academic performance. She states that there is a need for American High Schools to be completely restructured. The worst students must be kicked out of the schools because they are troublemakers, and they distract others, which includes their fellow students, teachers, and administrators. Troublemakers lack fear of suspension from school, and suspension from school doesn’t improve their behavior. Troublemakers do not care about punishments at all. After all, they don’t want to be in the school, and they are not learning anything
Labaree discusses how the United State’s education is in a school syndrome, as people in America want schools to teach society’s ideals as well as let people express their individuality. These two demands are polar opposites that cannot be achieved. As the focus goes towards balancing these in hopes of improving society as a whole, the bettering of actual student learning is put on pause. Labaree talks about the beginning of education reform, in the 19th century, being the most successful in developing society; however, as education reform continued throughout time, its effectiveness wore off. He then addresses how the desire for education reform is more about improving society than it is about learning. He finishes his argument by providing possible solutions to fixing this problem, but states that fixing this problem will never happen because no one is willing to give up both demands. Overall, Labaree goes in wonderful detail explaining the problems of education reform. What made me choose this article was that he addressed the desire that people have on school systems in promoting both society normality and individuality. This correlates well with my topic in whether public school systems promote conformist ideals or individuality.
America’s public school system started off very rough, but through the dedication of many hard-working Americans, it was starting to shape into a system that allowed all children, regardless of race, gender, religion, or nation of origin, to have an education.
In the text, The Death and Life of the Great American School System, author Diane Ravitch explores her ideological shift on school reform and the empirical evidence that caused this shift. Once a proponent and contributor of testing, accountability, choice, and market reforms, Ravitch’s support began to diminish as she realized that these current reforms were not viable options. She came to realize that the new school reforms focused entirely on structural and managerial adjustments and that no focus was given to actual learning.
Now that public schools were commonplace in America, they needed to be altered to increase knowledge of students leaving them. Through reforms and political events, schools became not only a place for learning math and English, but also a place to learn other skills that will help students obtain jobs once they graduate. School was becoming essential rather than optional.
We live in a society where we are surrounded by people telling us that school/education and being educated is the only way to succeed. However, the school system is not up to the standards we want it to uphold. There are three issues we discuss the most which are the government, the student, and the teacher. In John Taylor Gatto 's essay “Against School”, we see the inside perspective of the educational system from the view of a teacher. In “I Just Wanna Be Average”, an essay written by Mike Rose, we hear a student 's experience of being in a vocational class in the lower level class in the educational system when he was supposed to be in the higher class. Both Gatto and Rose give their opinions on how the educational system is falling apart. Today the government is only trying to get students to pass, making it hard for teachers to teach what they want. Students are affected everyday by the school system. They sit there - bored - and do not think that the teachers care, making the
Schools are meant to give our children a healthy and nurturing environment, and yet so much of the lunches in schools are fattening; does this stop schools from achieving the aforementioned goal? Childhood obesity in the United Sates continues to be a growing problem despite so any new programs to help combat it, and new research is showing how schools may be playing a large role in childhood obesity. School lunches are showing to be the problem, they encourage poor nutrition in our nation’s students, and simple reform is proving to not be enough to stop the rise in obesity rates.
Many individuals have been affected negatively by trouble makers in school. Troublemakers have either disrupted classes or bullied other students. Yes, trouble makers may harm one’s learning environment, but should they be kicked out of school? Though many individuals argue that troublemakers will not change and hold the class down, they should not be kicked out because they need help. Most of these kids that are disobedient do not know the distinction between right and wrong. We should not withdraw trouble makers from school, rather, we should help these troublemakers and teach them right from wrong. In the article “Let’s Really Reform Our Schools” by Anita Garland, she states that American high schools are disasters because there are troublemakers (694). She asserts that the withdrawal of troublemakers in schools would make the learning environment peaceful for students who want to learn
“Schools become the ‘last frontier’ for hungry kids.” usatoday.com). Thus, many students do not carry the proper balance of nutrition through school that conceals the students indoors through the school day. Students are in a constant battle for motivation in the classroom atmosphere that does not consider a student’s pace while learning. Today, students in community schools from Michigan seldom use open campus privileges. (Johnson, Adrian. “Should high schools have open campus for lunch?” www.mlive.com). Students’ are required to stay on campus to abstain from the increase of truancy leading to missing instructional
Some school critics and statisticians have observed that drug-dealing, vandalism, robbery, and murder have replaced gum-chewing, “talking out of turn,” tardiness, and rudeness as the most chronic problems afflicting today’s schools. If the intent of this observation is to shock and rattle the public’s sensibilities, it’s working. Of course, some of us may interpret such suggestions as merely dark, stoic, and cynical—“scare” tactics quite in keeping with the current national mood about many social issues these days.
After reading Joel Spring?s book, and reflecting on some of the issues facing our schools, it is apparent that our educational system requires much attention among our nation?s leaders. While the system has transformed in many beneficial ways, we are still plagued by the growing problems of society. I look forward to reading another book by Joel Spring, and developing my evolving understanding of the educational system within the United States.
The controversial topic about the function of school is discussed at many school board and PTA meetings throughout America. In Anita Garland’s opinion, schools are not functioning properly. Garland states her reasons as to why the purpose of school has to change in her article, “Lets Really Reform Our Schools”, where she starts off by saying, “Desperate illnesses require desperate remedies. And our schools are desperately ill.” She proceeds to list the remedies in order to transform our schools into a more healthy, successful environment. First, Garland claims that the students who are not interested in studying should not be allowed, better yet, never forced to attend school with kids who want to receive
The education reform movement is made up of voices that disproportionately are not of comprised of the very races, ethnicities, and cultures it attempts to serve. Recently, I read an article directly addressing this issue and acknowledging the calls to diversify by African American education leaders including Kaya Henderson, chancellor of the DC public schools and Howard Fuller, Marquette professor. Fuller stated, “The people who are being liberated must be a critical part of their own liberation.” This statement made me reflect on my own experiences as a researcher and advocate within education reform.
1) In their book, Tyack and Cuban write on page 6, “We hope that this book, which takes a century as its time span, will contribute to the broader conversation about education reform today, for improving public schools is everybody’s business.” Throughout the text Tyack and Cuban explore different reforms for education by discussing the context of the reforms and the political motivations that brought about the reforms. The authors also discuss the ramifications, both good and bad, of different reforms, which allows the reader to conclude that reforms have been happening for a long time, and not all reforms have had lasting effects.