High school is supposed to be an institution of learning and preparation. It is vital in the process of learning information and concepts that will help one in college and ultimately in life. However, there are some who don’t recognize how much of a privilege that education is. Based upon a real story, Lean on Me, displays a wonderfully crafted example of what can happen when the majority of a student body doesn’t appreciate education. It was only through the efforts of Joe Clark, a stern principal dubbed “Crazy Joe”, that Eastside High was able to get back on track to the great school that it once was. Illustrating, sociological concepts such as utilitarianism, class consciousness, and social order, Lean on Me calls viewers to reflect …show more content…
In the 1980s, one of the main concerns that was facing the United States was its education problem. The reason why the 1980s bared such a downturn in school performance was due to the attitudes developed in 1970s. In the 1970s, the attitude that school wasn’t important to one’s life swept across the nation. This attitude led to the terrible curriculum that was being taught, lower educational standards, and the public rejection of those who campaigned for reform of the educational system. However, once the 1980s came about, a new tide of national effort under the leadership of Secretary of Education, Terrel H. Bell. Bell appointed the National Commission on Excellence in Education to examine the state of education in the United States. They concluded that the United States was on a path to destruction because of a “rising tide of mediocrity1.” Surely, Mr. Clark `1recognized that this “rising tide of mediocrity” was sweeping across Eastside High, destroying the minds and futures of those students. The reason why Mr. Clark believed there was a “rising tide of mediocrity” was because of the lack order in the school. He made it clear on his first day as principal that if they continue to treat the students like animals, that’s …show more content…
One of the greatest examples of the new class consciousness that the students develop can be seen through the character of Thomas Sams. Sams was one of those who were put out of the school at the beginning of the movie. Sams pleaded with Mr. Clark to let him back into the school because he didn’t want to go down the path of being a drug user. Mr. Clark decided to let him back in. Though it took some time, Sams became a different person. Another example of class-consciousness was surging among the students is in the way they began respecting their actual school building. The Broken Window Theory describes the concept that "If a window is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge. ” It is similar to the postulation made by Mr. Clark that if they treated the students like animals, they would be animals. Former New York City mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, believed in the Broken Window Theory. Thus, he started an initiative to wash graffiti away from subway cars, pick up trash, and other means of improving the social environment. When Giuliana implemented this initiative, New York City began to see drops in crime level. This is mirrored in the events of Lean on Me. After the school was cleaned up, there were drops in delinquent behavior. This is because the students gained a new respect for themselves. Moreover, an example of how the teachers became
To begin, Mary Sherry discusses the corrupt school system that lingers. In her article, we obtain insight on how schools
“Fremont High School” an essay written by Jonathan Kozol presents a high school in need of transformation and support with educational advancement. Kozol writes about the limited educational opportunities available to the students that attend this lower class institution. Kozol addresses the overcrowding of this institution and lack of consistent staffing. The purpose of Kozol 's essay is to illustrate that lack of opportunity based on social class is an active crisis in the United States educational system, whereas addressing this crisis in the essay, Kozol would hope to achieve equal opportunities available to all socioeconomic class institutions.
Raquel and Melanie are two poverty stricken students that attended University Height’s High School in the South Bronx, because their school was not federal funded, it lacked resources; so it does not come as a surprise, perspective students like Melanie and Raquel have more of a ...
The purpose of Rebecca Solnit’s “Abolish High School” is to criticize the present high school system along with the emotional and academic strain it puts on developing minds. Solnit’s intended audience is any educated person with the opportunity to voice their opinions on the current approach to schooling.
During this class I have been able to explore more into the world of education and through different videos of how education has changed over time. Today, I will be discussing the video “The Bottom Line in Education 1980-Present” and how education operated during this period. I was given the opportunity to understand how schools in the United States were functioning from 1980 until how schools are functioning now. The documentary talked about different topics concerning the impact of the educational system with how it has to be changed with things such as the curriculum of what the children are learning.
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.
An article from the Los Angeles Times showed that the majority of Californians give California schools “a grade of C or below” and half think that the quality of schools will continue to decline (Watanabe). While the economic downturn affected the public school system in a negative way, it was not the sole root of its problems. It just simply exacerbated existing issues. Because of widespread discontent with the public school system, many different solutions to reform the mainstream public school system have been brought up in public discourse.... ...
However, such accusations such as laziness and entitlement, although common, have been prevalent amongst those of college age as proven in “A’s for Everyone.” Shepard had investigated the cause behind this and had put the blame on grade inflation in the years prior to entering college, the pressure to get superb grades due to high tuition costs, and most importantly the belief that “effort” constitutes a grade bonus. However, if one has entered the school system in America, one could see the relative ease in which one could improve their grades through inordinate amounts of extra credit. Multiple students have heard and even seen fellow students ask their parents to even come in for meetings of which equate to blaming their child’s poor grades on the teacher and harassing said teacher to allow their child, soon to be a hardworking, productive citizen of society, to get the “grade they
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
The documentary “Dropout Nation” shows how difficult it is for students who live in poorer communities to receive a good education and graduate high school. Students and teachers are interviewed in this documentary to show that these students are intelligent but are not able to graduate due to their circumstances. These examples help explain the concepts learned in chapter 10 about social institutions and how it is affected by politics, education, and religion.
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.
Within the walls of our educational system lie many adverse problems. Is there a solution to such problems? If so, what is the solution? As we take a look at two different essays by two different authors’ John Gatto and Alfie Kohn, both highlight what’s wrong within our educational system in today’s society. As John Gatto explores the concept if schools are really as necessary as they’re made out to be; Alfie Kohn analyzes the non-importance of letter grades within our schools. Although both essays are fairly different, they still pose some similarities in relation to the educational system in today’s society.
By stating some hard statistics about the schools in Chicago and even describing some possible means of addressing the problems that emphasized immediate action, these reports seemed to provide some hope for the future of Chicago’s public schools. However, despite the fact that the Chicago Board of Education even accepted most of the terms and recommendations in the reports, the ensuing years showed very little improvement. Since 1967, the Chicago Board of Education’s passive approach towar...
Bell hooks knows about the challenges of race and class, and why some people have a harder time than others in achieving the American Dream. It is normal to feel uncomfortable and awkward arriving at a new school for the first time, but this was something completely different. For bell hooks, walking through the halls with eyes staring at her as if she was an alien, she realized that schooling for her would never be the same. She describes her feelings of inequality a...
Studying a university degree is one of the biggest achievements of many individuals around the world. But, according to Mark Edmunson, a diploma in America does not mean necessarily studying and working hard. Getting a diploma in the United States implies managing with external factors that go in the opposite direction with the real purpose of education. The welcome speech that most of us listen to when we started college, is the initial prank used by the author to state the American education system is not converging in a well-shaped society. Relating events in a sarcastic way is the tone that the author uses to explain many of his arguments. Mark Edmunson uses emotional appeals to deliver an essay to the people that have attended College any time in their life or those who have been involved with the American education system.