Education Reform

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Education Reform

Education reform could be considered as one of the most highly debated issues of today. People of many different backgrounds from many different locations have many different opinions on how children in this country should be taught. In this incredibly broad debate, one of the most highly discussed issues is that of a multicultural education. The problem with this topic is that the many different people who have an opinion on the issue have many different definitions of what a multicultural education should be. Perhaps if the ideas behind a multicultural education were defined more clearly, the issue would be easier to talk about and the seemingly circular argument that is education reform could move towards a definite goal. Some of the ideas that have been discussed within the parameters of a multicultural education include afrocentrism, tolerance, and morality, among many others. While these and other issues do have certain merit, they alone can not serve as the basis for a strong education. The aim of a multicultural education should be to integrate a child's acquisition of basic skills with a general knowledge of the people he or she lives with in the United States. One of, if not the main factor in education reform is the teachers. They are the foundation for a child's development, and the are the filter through which the child must learn. A single teacher should not be allowed the right to single handedly hinder a young person's education, as the material taught and the lessons learned should transcend the people teaching these lessons. The seemingly obvious way to eliminate differences between teachers would be homogenous teacher training. However, the fact must be understood that while most teachers wil...

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...ucation. There is no neutral ground on this issue" (Levine, 9). While Lee's view may be considered to be somewhat extreme, she is correct in the fact that this country does need some sort of educational reform. Although the answers may not be clear yet, enough people have called for a change that it is time to do something about the situation. Calling for change is not enough either, as many pieces have been written on the issue but not much has actually been done to produce a different sort of public education. Whether the issue must be decided in a political arena, which education reform likely does, or whether educators must produce the changes themselves, something needs to be done, and the reform starts with targeting a clear and specific goal and moving towards this goal. A clear definition makes for a clear answer. There is no neutral ground on this issue.

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