Ch.3+resources

 Lisa Banavich Reaction Paper- Chapter 3 EDUC610 Overall, I agreed with the viewpoint of the first author, who says that there needs to be justice in educational spending by equalizing the distribution of funds. Obviously, affluent communities have more money being directed to their schools because of their property taxes, but I do not think it is a just and appropriate way to fund our schools. Since there seems to be a direct correlation between how much money is spent per pupil and their achievement, and students are constitutionally guaranteed the right to an adequate education, it seems we are doing an outright disservice to our country’s children.  The proposed solution of letting each state have access to all the tax dollars and distributing them “unequally” seems to be a good idea in theory. Of course there would be backlash to a plan such as this, though I think it would be the right thing to do. If we are really trying to ensure that each student in the state or country is receiving an appropriate or “adequate” education, it seems that this is the way to go. Based on the way funds are being distributed now, students in lower income communities will never be able to ‘catch up’ and be on the same level as students in higher income school districts. It is not the fault of these students and families that they are of a lower socioeconomic status. They should have the same opportunities as their counterparts.  The second author, who is against centralization in educational funding, says that more money should continue to be spent on more able students “who will be able to make significant returns on public funds spent on their education.” How do we know that the students in disadvantaged communities are unable to make these “significant returns” unless we give them the same opportunities as the more able students? This seems like discrimination. This author also says that there is no conclusive evidence that there is a link between a school’s material resources and academic achievement. But it seems to be so prevalent in the news and just in our own communities that the school districts that are more affluent are higher achieving. Why is this? Yes, it is true that families in less affluent communities may not have the money to dedicate to books, trips to museums, and actual time to set aside to attend to their children. But, I find it hard to believe that we shouldn’t try giving them more opportunities in school, where we can control their environment.  The author suggest that funds should not be diverted to schools with large numbers of failing students, but should instead be used for social services to create better home lives for these individuals. This is a good idea, but I wonder if part of these funds could go directly to schools, and part towards the social services. That way schools will still get some kind of funding. 

Maura Costello Education 610 The gender difference academically has come a long way in the United States. There was once a time when the only jobs for woman were a mother, a teacher or a nurse. As time went on females caught up to males in some aspects. The amount of men and woman earning a bachelors degree is almost equal and title IX increase opportunity for females to participate in sports activities in secondary schools and at the collegiate level. Things have come a long way since that time; unfortunately with all the changes for gender equality there are still some aspects that are not equal for boys and girls in the American school system. Although teachers claim that all their students are treated fairly, most people have an initial instinct to react certain way towards boys and certain ways towards girls. It has been proven that girls do not learn the same ways that boys learn. Boys have a harder time with assignments and critical thinking and girls are more organized have expressed their creativity. Teachers tend to be harder on boys, knowing that they have a tendency to act out, while at the same time expect more from the boys in class. Since the girls tend to be more quite especially in middle school, teachers tend to be softer towards girls and call on them less for the answers. The question remains however, should we separate males and females in schools. “For many years only those whose families could afford private education were able to experience single-sex education.” As a result of NCLB more students are able to attend single sex schools and according to research as a result of these changes administrations were reporting fewer discipline problems. The single-sex education also gives the ability to teach to the learning differences between males and females and helps them avoid gender stereotyping. Overall it is better for boys and girls to get the best education especially during adolescence if they are separated for that time being.