Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Importance of education to society
Importance of education in a society
Importance of education in a society
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Importance of education to society
As the youth of America, adults continuously stress the importance of education not only for self-betterment, but also to develop youths into the future leaders of the United States of America. Keeping this in mind, it is no wonder that many people praise teachers as the molders of the future of America. However, if students do not do as well as they could in school, it is necessarily fair to put all of the blame on them? Although commonly overlooked, there are two parts in the equation when considering the educational prosperity of students, the student and the teacher. In a nation of opportunities and equality, how can it be fair that teachers grade students with the possibility of failure without an evaluation of the teacher’s performance?
Many places around the country have begun to factor in these teachers and schools in the success of their students. In Indiana, an educational revolution has begun. If this new method is effective, it will surely alter the educational system of the United States of America. In this new system of educational evaluation, “teachers across the state will be rated 1 through 4, with 1 being the lowest” (Elliot and Butrymowicz). One factor in this grading process will be the grades of the teacher’s students. By adding this into the overall evaluation, it incorporates the teacher’s edification skills along with the knowledge and prowess the teacher has instilled in their students. Along with this rating system, there will be a consequence for teachers that, after 2 years, fail to meet a rating requirement of at least three. Due to this, teachers that attain a rating of one or two symbolizing their need for improvement for consecutive years will be eligible to be let go by their district. The othe...
... middle of paper ...
...ow.
Works Cited
Corbett Burris, Carol. "Using Test Scores to Evaluate Teachers Is Based on the Wrong Values." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Jan. 2012. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. .
Elliott, Scott, and Sarah Butrymowicz. "Grading Teachers: Indiana's Massive Education Reform Will Create 'a Culture Shift'" The Indianapolis Star. 11 Mar. 2012. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. .
Means To An End. A Guide to Develop Teacher Evaluation Systems That Support Growth and Development. The Aspen Institute, Jan. 2012. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. .
In 2010, Charlotte Danielson wrote an article, “Evaluations That Help Teachers”, for the magazine The Effective Educator. The purpose of this article was to explain how a teacher evaluation system, such as her own Framework for Teaching, should and can actually foster teacher learning rather than just measure teacher competence, which is what most other teacher evaluation systems do. This topic is especially critical to decision-making school leaders. Many of the popular teacher evaluation systems fail to help schools link teacher performance with meaningful opportunities for the teachers to reflect on and learn from in order to grow professionally. With the increased attention on the need for more rigorous student standards, this then is an enormous opportunity missed. Students can only achieve such rigorous expectations if their teachers can effectively teach them, and research has shown that teachers who are evaluated by systems that hold them to accountability and provide them for continuous support and growth will actually teach more effectively.
Our education system is failing and in his essay “What Our Education System Needs Is More F’s” Carl Singleton writes that nothing else will right the ship or fix this issue except for his proposed solution which is to simply fail more students. As a matter of fact “by the dozens, hundreds, thousands, even millions” (Singleton 1) is how he describes the failing grades should be distributed. He claims that illegitimately passing students has existed for the past two decades and even implies that it stems further back than that with many teachers in the school system today “who never should have been certified in the first place.”(Singleton 1).
Charlotte Danielson, an internationally recognized expert in the area of teacher effectiveness, created The Framework for Teaching, which is comprised of four domains of teaching responsibility (Danielson, 1996). Danielson specializes in the design of teacher evaluation to ensure teacher quality and to promote professional learning. Danielson’s framework is based on large amounts of research, including the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project, supported by the Gates Foundation (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 2013). Danielson’s framework also aligns with the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC), which outlines what a beginner teacher should possess in skills. In addition, it is the underlying set of ideas
The United States of America has placed low on the educational ladder throughout the years. The cause of such a low ranking is due to such heavy emphasis on standardized testing and not individual student achievement. Although the United States uses standardized testing as a crutch, it is not an effective measure of a student’s ability, a teacher’s competency, or a school’s proficiency.
Evans, Donia. "The Case Against Standardized Tests." The Meridian Star. 24 Nov. 2013. The Meridian Star. 01 Dec. 2013 .
Her title, “ The Next Frontier of Education Reform” brings in readers expecting some new dramatic shift to the American education system. Something that will halt past pretences, and shove us into a new generation, where America can once again claim a top spot on the world education ranking. But these bold statements are only met with the simple idea of throwing teachers into a pure capitalist like mosh pit, where only the best emerge. She entirely focuses on the introduction of IMPACT and LEAP programs, which seek to score teachers and replace those who don’t match standards of each specific
Kohn, Alfie. The Case Against Standardized Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools. Portsmouth NH: Heinemann 2000.
One solution offered by Alfie Kohn, a well-renowned speaker on human behavior, education, and parenting, suggests that teachers would give parents written evaluations of how their child is performing and having frequent conferences available to talk about their child’s performance. Kohn believes that the most effective teachers do not rely solely on standardized tests. Great teachers are able to observe their students and are able to see without the use of exams how well their students understand the concepts being taught. In 1999, Phi Delta Kappa and Gallup poll surveyed the community. Individuals were asked to choose which of four approaches they felt would be the most precise evaluation of a student’s educational development. Using exam scores from standardized testing received the lowest percentage of 27%. Evaluating work that the students have done over a period of time received the highest number of votes at 33%, while the remainder of the votes were divided between letter grades and written evaluations from teachers after observing each student (Pollard, J, 1999).
Educators should never be held completely accountable for student scores on standardized tests. Though these tests were made to evaluate a students rough estimation of skill, they were not made to evaluate their entire education. Teachers should not be completely held accountable for test scores either. These scores hold too much power over schools and educators. Failure on a standardized test should mean “improvement needed”, not “you should just give up!”. These tests create anxiety caused by the consequences surrounding them. Giving American students a well-balanced education should be the school systems main goal in order to ensure America’s future economic success. Standardized tests are okay to use as rough estimates, but not for a total evaluation of any person’s ability.
The public high schools began a grading system as a way of telling an individual how they were performing. There was no interest by the public in reporting the school’s progress at teaching. Teachers, in an effort to recognize outstanding performers, looked for a way of rewarding hard-working students for their efforts The grading structure changed from superior and excellent to A’s and B’s. This placed much of the burden of recognizing academic talent on the high schools.
Columnist, Guest. "Test Scores and Teacher Competency." The Oregonian. Oregonlive.com, 4 Feb. 2010. Web. 18 Jan. 2014.
The decade of the 1980s saw numerous calls for widespread school reform, with changes recommended in teacher education, graduation requirements, school structure, and accountability measures. With the advent of the 1990s, school reform finally to...
The teacher was rated using a rubric with specific criteria in four domains including planning and preparation, the classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities (Hillsborough County Public Schools, 2012). Within each of these domains are components which are the performance factors that are relevant to classroom teachers. In domain one the components include: demonstrating knowledge of content and pedagogy, demonstrating knowledge of students, setting instructional outcomes, demonstrating knowledge of resources and technology, designing coherent instruction, and designing student assessments. The components for domain two include: creating an environment of respect and rapport, establishing a culture for learning, managing classroom procedures, managing student behavior, organizing physical space. In domain three the components included are: communicating with students, using questioning and discussion, engaging students in learning, using assessment in instruction, and demonstrating flexibility and responsiveness. There is only one component that was rated for domain four which is reflecting on teaching.
The state’s new evaluation system was in response to administrators who produced, “superficial and capricious teacher evaluation systems that often don't even directly address the quality of instruction, much less measure students' learning” (Toch, 2008). Too often, the “good-ol-boy” attitude would insure mediocre educators would remain employed. Realizing this was often more the rule then the exception, the governor created educational mandates to focus, “on supporting and training effective teachers to drive student achievement” (Marzano Center, 2013). Initially, they expected the school districts and the teachers would have issues and experience growing pains, but in the end the goal was, “to improve teacher performance, year by year, with a corresponding rise in student achievement” (Marzano Center, 2013).
...sionate professors who helped shape the type of teacher I would like to be. They found ways to talk to me in a manner that motivated me to want to improve, all while honoring the work that I have already done. I would like to bring this same moral into my classroom, when a child is motivated, passionate,and self-aware of their needs, strengths, and weaknesses, they can and will push themselves to improve. Students do not solely care about how much knowledge an educator has, but they care about how much these educators truly care. We shouldn't judge a person on how educated they are based only on test scores. The most educated person may not be the most suitable person to teach children. I may lack the test scores, however, I do not lack the passion and motivation needed to be a great teacher. If we cannot celebrate small successes, the final outcome is less weighted.