Mike

Scott T. Cella April 19, 2011 EDUC-610 __Technology: Too Much, Too Soon __   Hollywood knows what this world would be like if technology continued to progress at this rapid rate. Hit movies, such as IRobot  and Walle,  are fictional films which criticize the recent movement where civilization relies too much on computers instead of human handiwork. This is not to say that technology is evil or that it has no part in today’s society, but one needs to be careful on technology’s role in our lives. The computer wave has heavily impacted public education over the past decade. Twenty-first century students have been overwhelmed with gimmicks and gadgets, and now this trend has spilled into the school system. What is the goal in inserting all of this equipment into educational institutions, and has it paid dividends for our students? Although the vast majority of people agree that more technology is needed in our schools, teachers see what really happens with these gadgets. It may be useful in many circumstances, but technology has been tremendously abused in recent years and is ultimately harming school districts.  Before indulging in the negative impacts of technology, it is important for the reader to realize that many assistive tools are extremely beneficial to student development. There are several good reasons for it’s implementation, beginning with the notion that computers help prepare kids for life after public schooling. It is no secret that the vast majority of employment opportunities require the applicant to be savvy in computer basics. Being a successful teacher or writing a respectable college paper requires the user to understand technology; therefore, students need to be trained in certain programs (such as Microsoft Office).  Technology can also play a necessary role during class lessons. Certain programs can motivate students and engage them in interactive activities, whether it be streamlining videos or creating review games via Microsoft Powerpoint. Obviously, an engaged student is active in his/her learning which will ultimately result in more individual knowledge. Technology has also opened the door for more research opportunities with online databases. Instead of going to the local library, checking out books, and scanning the sources to find supporting data, students can access materials at home almost instantly. Hours of time can be preserved and more information can be obtained due to the increase of computers and the internet (U.S. Department of Education, 2010).  Lastly, technological advances have helped educators in creating lessons, organizing their ideas, and communicating with parents and staff. Instead of writing all of the notes on the board, teachers can use programs (such as SMART Tools) to post assignments and key information instantly. This data can be posted online for students to download at their own convenience. Teachers also have the capacity to update students’ grades so parents can stay up-to-speed with their children’s academic progress. If necessary, parents can e-mail teachers and have direct communication instead of scheduling a conference to achieve the same task. Special education has also been revamped by the rise of new assistance tools to aid kids with disabilities. Although expensive, these contraptions prove that every student is capable of learning and deserves the right for a free, appropriate education. Technology has changed the way we live, and it will certainly change how businesses run by the time the current youth generation becomes the working class.  The above examples are positive effects on how technology has benefited education over recent years. However, schools were not content with the basic uses of computers. A plethora of unnecessary devised have crept their way into schools and have produced little results in student knowledge. Below are a few examples of these devises: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">1) Class sets of video cameras for students to interview classmates and post online.  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">  <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 49pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 49.0pt; text-indent: -13pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">2) Response clickers for students to answer Microsoft Powerpoint multiple choice questions. These gadgets are used to prepare students for standardized testing. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 49pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 49.0pt; text-indent: -13pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">3) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman Italic','serif';">Scratch <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> which is an online program to show students the basics of gaming construction. The idea of this tool is for students to make educational video games by programing sprites to move around a map.  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">  <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 49pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 49.0pt; text-indent: -13pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">4) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Robotics programs are an advanced version of childhood <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman Italic','serif';">Erector <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">sets. Students make robots which do basic functions (such as walk and grab items). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">This is not to say that no students can learn through these tools, but the amount of time and money poured into these programs is ridiculous in comparison to their benefits. However, since they are labeled as ‘technology’, school boards and the public accept them as new-aged innovation. Realistically, the video cameras and clickers sit in classroom closets and <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman Italic','serif';">Scratch <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> is abandoned because it has no curricular impact. These are the kinds of technologies which need to be forgotten in order for technology to be efficient again. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> One of the biggest concerns with technology in education is the high costs which are required in order for successful implementation. The following synopsis is an example of how districts rollout a new technology program. First, the district obviously needs to buy the program in order to have access to it’s capabilities. Before showing the students the new project, the teachers need to be trained so that they can assist the kids if they have questions or need guidance. Since teacher training is needed, administrators need to squander a professional development day and hire an expert in the system. More money and time are spent just for the teachers to understand the program, yet the vast majority of educators will never implement the system. Finally, the students are then trained in the system to see if they actually learn from the new technology. In many cases the students reject the new gimmick and the program falls to the wayside; otherwise, the program is adopted for further use. However, it won’t take long before an update is needed, which demands another purchase from the company to provide the materials. Millions of dollars are pulled from curricular activities and poured into sustaining a mediocre technology system. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Many schools have shown that technology is an upmost priority for school development. In fact, technology has become part of the school curriculum where students are required to enroll in media technology, computers, robotics, and graphic design classes. Meanwhile, physical education and art funds are shrinking to make room for new-age courses. When talking to the students about these lessons, most of them have sarcastic remarks about how the classes are “pointless” and “stupid”. It seems clear that outsiders from the school environment have a different idea of technology education than what the students experience. Especially in a time of economic recession and budget cuts, schools need to look close at what programs are truly working and which ones are draining the budget (O'Kane, 2010). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> A glaring issue with technology education is that there is little proof that technology produces better prepared students for college and the working force. An explanation of this may be because many administrative decisions are based on the context of theory, not reality. Modern day schools experience severe sociological dilemmas, so a heavy emphasis is placed on fairness, equal opportunity, and theoretical solutions. The fact is, theoretical ideas never seem to hold the answer. Decisions should be made based on realistic affairs because this world is too complex for simple, utopian solutions. Theoretically, technology education should revolutionize how students learn and how to best understand concepts; realistically, teachers find that direct instruction and sound teaching practices produce better results than webquests and gimmicks (Orfield, 2004). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> It is important for the reader to understand that what should happen inside a classroom and what actually happens is far different from one another. For example, a teacher may give the class an essay assignment which requires the students to use a class-set of computer netbooks to research the topic. The teacher intends to walk around the room and assist his/her students with the research, while the other students work on their own to gather data to support their thesis. On the surface, it looks as if technology has opened new doors of opportunity for the students to work in class; however, this is really a license for students to wander from the task. Most learners will take this time to explore the internet, check their e-mail, or conquer a game of minesweeper; very few students would actually do the work. The teacher could threaten the kids with disciplinary actions for this type of behavior, but the students are technologically savvy enough of avoid detection. In this example, thousands of dollars for the netbooks were spent on student luxury and procrastination. Too much technology in schools means that teachers’ knowledge is being drained from the curriculum. Instead of educators using their expertise to pass on vital concepts, students prefer to graze the surface of topics on the internet. This practice limits the teacher’s ability to challenge his/her students and prohibits the kids from gaining an excellent, balanced education. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Another concern with technology in modern education is the exodus of seasoned teachers from the teaching profession. Many expert educations who have been in the field for several years are becoming increasingly frustrated with constant changes and demands stemming from technology that they are searching elsewhere for employment. What was initially supposed to help teachers has become a hindrance. Many educators are expected to maintain course webpages, wikis, blogs, etc. None of these gimmicks are necessary to student knowledge, but schools are demanding them from all of their employees. In response, teachers who grew up without computers are overwhelmed by these demands. In an attempt to make the school better, they indirectly hurt the experienced staff members. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> In the synopsis presented earlier, it was mentioned that teachers were trained in new programs before exposing the information to the students. After a brief training session, teachers are expected to be experts in the program so that they can help the kids apply the functions correctly. Ironically, the chances of the kids being more proficient than the teachers is extremely high because they have been indulging in education their entire lives. Consider an older parent trying to understand a new cell phone. In many cases, the parent needs his/her child to run a tutorial in order for the parent to understand. The kid was never trained in the phone, but his/her trained mind in technology figures out how to use the device rather quickly. Likewise in education, the students are the experts while the teachers stand from afar and observe the kids playing with the instruments. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> As a professional educator for the past three years, it has been interesting to compare the public perception of a school to what actual occurs inside that school. The general public has been presented with an extravagant picture consisting of all the wonderful tools that our school possesses. Some of these tools consist of two laptop carts (with 30 computers each), an IPad cart, a multimedia center, SMART boards in each classroom, e-book subscriptions, two additional computer labs with new computers, a robotics program, and more. The ability to stay within the budget and still provide all of these resources was quite an accomplishment! Two years later, it seems more like a waste of money than the once tremendous feat we reveled in. The laptops are excruciatingly slow and many of the keys have fallen off, while the IPad cart is rarely used because it has little academic impact. The multimedia center is outdated and used solely for morning announcements (run by the teachers and administration, not the kids). Students’ families complained about the e-books, forcing the teachers to use the original textbooks again, and there is little interest in the robotics club. Although the school looks tech-savvy on paper, the use of technology inside the school is far from what is being presented to the taxpayers. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> With the rise of technology in the youth culture, society has seen an unhealthy shift in our youth’s social lives. For one, kids find recreation through computers, cell phones, Ipods, and other contraptions in place of exercising. Instead of hanging out with one another, children would rather ‘talk’ online or play video games with internet-linking connections. Contrary, kids from prior generations found enjoyment in playing outside and meeting friends in person. They played sports together which helped them stay active instead of sitting around the house constantly and looking at a computer or television screen. Let’s face it: kids are addicted to technology. Parents use to be thankful that school kept kids in check by having them read books and solve problems; however, they cannot rely on this anymore. Now that schools are promoting technology in all aspects of education, students are being sent the message that technology is their lives. Schools are helping feed this addiction to our nation’s youth (Smart, 2008). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Another humongous issue is that many adolescence are unmonitored in their computer usage, giving them unrestricted access to cyberspace. The growing amount of online predators are becoming an ongoing concern, and much of the information on the internet is inappropriate for younger audiences. Some teenagers have posted images of themselves doing immoral activities online for everyone to see, including colleges and future employers. As a hobby, some children have the audacity to engage in conversations with people in ways they wouldn’t dare to attempt live. An example would be a teenage girl leading on a socially outcasted boy that she is attracted to him, only to laugh at him for believing her. The girl would never have verbally spoken this to him at school, but the access to online speech has given her the opportunity to partake in cyberbullying. This topic of cyberbullying has spilled into schools because of the implications that it has on the student body. Parents are always shocked that their child is a victim or bully, but these actions occur on an everyday basis. Social networks (ex: Facebook, MySpace, Xanga) have created a negative cyber-world which young kids should never have access; however, even the teachers indulge in the networks. It is not that these websites are evil, but trusting youth with free reign of the internet usually results in a negative ending. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Technology is an exceedingly powerful tool which is found everywhere: at home, at work, and at schools. Due to this overwhelming movement, schools need to be prepared to train their students in technological devises so that they are prepared for life after graduation. However, technology needs to be limited to only the essential programs that improve student knowledge in the existing curriculum. If a program does not help a child learn a core subject, then it should be abandoned completely. Too many non-essential devises are adopted and renewed, wasting district money and students’/teachers’ time. Technology can, and should, be a main piece of public education, but there needs to be awareness as to what we are doing with our students to maximize their education. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> __ Bibliography __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> O'Kane, Eileen Vollert (2010). College Readiness of Urban High School Students in the United States: The Role of Technology in Preparing All Students for College. Retrieved April 13, 2011, from []. Orfield, G., Losen, D., Wald, J., & Swanson, C. (2004). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman Italic','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Losing our future: How minority youth are being left behind by the graduation rate crisis. Cambridge, MA: The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University. Contributors: Advocates for Children of New York, The Civil Society Institute. Retrieved April 14, 2011 from [] Smart, M. P. (2008). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman Italic','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">At home with HomeLink: Free internet access connects families and schools. Retrieved April 13, 2011, from []. U.S. Department of Education (2010). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman Italic','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology. National Education Technology Plan. Retrieved April 13, 2011, from [|http://www.edpubs.gov]. <span style="color: #1b5cc0; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; text-align: center;">Chapter Reflections <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Deprofessionalization <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Through <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; text-align: center;">Technology, Standardized Test and Zero-Tolerance

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">Michael McNulty-Bobholz

Contemporary Education Issues Education 610 Dr. Patricia Williams April 5, 2011 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Do not train children to learn by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each” (Educational Quotes, 2011, paragraph 53). In a perfect world, this description of a public school experience would be the norm. Unfortunately, the public school system is currently a mess. As educators, we are experiencing the “deprofessionalization” of the teacher (Nelson, Palonsky, & McCarthy, 2010, p. 325). We have lost authority in the field of education. We have lost control of curriculum in the classroom. We have lost control of the right to assess our achievements within the classroom. Most importantly, we have lost control of providing a safe environment for ALL students to learn. One would hope that deprofessionalization is not happening in the classroom and in front of our children, but it does. As the millienial generation enters our classrooms with technology in hand, many schools still remain limited in the use of technology within the classroom. One would think the schools are limited due to expense and infrastructure, but schools have the resources (e.g., 99% of the public schools in 2005 have internet access). Even with financial assistance from various companies such as Apple and others, technology still remains experimental and not weaved into all disciplines within education (Nelson, Palonsky, & McCarthy, 2010, p. 312). Within the Philadelphia School system, I have seen a multitude of computers remain idle unless used as a reward for good behavior instead of providing opportunities in the classroom. However, if computers are integrated into the various curriculums, the classroom computers are limited in number and often outdated. For example, in my son’s classroom, three Apple G computers are available for 34 students to share. Programs are available for use on the internet; however, the computer’s memory is not typically enough to support the program. Teachers need to be active participants with technology. The use of computers within the classroom needs to become an everyday function versus a reward during free-time. Teachers also need to lead by example and show how technology can assist the child in learning new skills. Most importantly, teachers need to promote critical thinking skills in which students learn how to evaluate whether the information is accurate and valuable. Providing a quality curriculum is not the only way to recover the deprofessionalization of the teaching profession. Teachers need to reclaim the authority to assess the knowledge each child has learned within their class. According to the authors, teachers need to teach “…content with all the skill at their command, and evaluate the extent of student learning with a wide variety of instruments” (Nelson, Palonsky, & McCarthy, 2010, pp. 342-343). Teachers need to become THE authority on their students’ level of learning instead of the current daily practice of “teaching to the test”. More importantly, teachers and school administrators need not become fatalities to quick sale pitches of various assessment products on the market as well as the ever strong public opinion (Nelson, Palonsky, & McCarthy, 2010, p. 343). Standardized assessments are not perfect and should never be used as the sole source of information; many assessments are biased and discriminatory to African-Americans, Hispanics and women. Assessments, like electronic portfolios, should be employed in order to provide an accurate evaluation of what a student has learned and retained. Variances such as sex, race and region of the country are all sensitive elements that a teacher needs to be aware of through the educational process. Teachers need to be the sole assessment practitioner in education. An assessment does not always need to appear like a test. Portfolios have been available for some time and are extremely underutilized. It would be a great way to demonstrate a “lifetime” of efforts within the classroom instead of the one year perspective. Universities and colleges should begin promoting portfolios as an effective way of assessing one’s learning. Portfolios are not stressful on the children like the current practice in Philadelphia with the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) and can be flexible. More importantly, the portfolio can follow the student through high school and even into college where insight into the level of education needed in order to succeed would be extremely helpful. School safety has also deprofessionalized the teaching profession. Schools, especially public schools, have become the breeding ground for extreme violence. According to the authors, 127,500 teachers were physically attacked by students within the classroom. In the same manner, over 250,000 students were threatened with injury by a fellow student (Nelson, Palonsky, & McCarthy, 2010, p. 364). These statistics are serious. How can a teacher be the authority in the classroom when violence runs amok in the school building? Not only do teachers need to feel safe in their classroom, but students need to know that while in the classroom they are as safe as possible. Zero-tolerance, although severe, is the only true way to bring safety back into the classroom. In my opinion, school officals must have clear, understandable policies. These policies need to known by the students and be noticeable within their environment. In the same manner, consequence must match the offense and administrators, teachers, and even support staff need to believe in the policies and enforce them. Failure to do so will result in the unsafe environment in schools that unfortunately many students experience daily inside and outside the school. Teaching is most definitely a valuable profession; not every person has the ability to teach. It is our responsibility to change the outlook of our profession. It is our responsibility to bring “professionalism” back to teaching. We must become the educational experts that will not only change the educational system, but promote educated and skilled laborers that will change the world for the better.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">** Bibliography ** Nelson, J. L., Palonsky, S., & McCarthy, M. R. (2010). //Critical Issues in Education: Dialogues and Dialectics// (7th ed.). New York, New York, USA: McGraw-Hill.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">New Immigrants and the Schools: Unfair Burden or Business as Usual <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">Michael McNulty-Bobholz Contemporary Education Issues Education 610 Dr. Patricia Williams March 1, 2011 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Living in the northeast section of Philadelphia, I never considered how immigration practices and laws would affect me or my family. Even though simplistic, my thought was that we are too far away from the Mexican border so how would this affect me? After reading the textbook, I now realize that this is an important matter to discuss and pressure legislators to support, especially when services to this growing population are continously decreasing.. According to data provided by the Philadelphia School District, in 2006 the various English Language Learners (ELL) programs assisted over 12,000 students who speak over 50 languages (Fewer English Language Learners - or More Than Meet the Eye, 2008, paragraph 2). The authors of our book concure with the increase of not only ELL student, but illegal immigrants as well. According to the authors, 30 percent of our students come from a family that has limited english language skills and 300 spoken languages (Nelson, Palonsky, & McCarthy, 2010, p. 213). These are critical numbers to consider during a time in which programs within our schools are being cut due to financial restrictions. The Philadelphia School District has taken a stance that our immigrant population is decreasing and thus has cut many of the ELL programs within the city (Fewer English Language Learners - or More Than Meet the Eye, 2008, paragraph 1). School programs need to support children in their educational experiences with quality assistance and instruction. These children need to be given the same chance for a better life just as any other student attending the same school. Legislators need to be pressured not only for better funding, but also for legislative support in creating bills that reflect the growing number of immigrants entering the United States. No one should be excluded from the opportunity to experience the American Dream, but those who enter the country and work illegally should be dealt with severely. In the same regard, students with limited familiarity of the English language should not be considered unteachable. The English Language Learners program as well as various accomodation allowances need to be better common day practices within our schools. //Plyler v. Doe// indicates that our educational system needs to be ready; however, I have experienced first hand how local schools fail to properly prepare ELL students, especially in regard to college coursework. Over the past two years, we have worked with two young women who attended one of the local Philadelphia schools and entered our doors with a very limited vocabulary. Luckily in both cases, the students entered the university under a special admission program and were watched closely during their first academic year. While the university provided various options to better assist these women, it was decided they would be better served by transfering to the Community College of Philadelphia where a formal English as a Second Language program was in place. At this time, one of the women is still enrolled at the university. Unfortunately, she continues to struggle in every course. Schools need to be provided with adequate funding to assist these students in better acclimating to the English language. Only then, can the students truly achieve the American Dream.

**<span style="color: #365f91; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Bibliography **

//Fewer English Language Learners - or More Than Meet the Eye.// (2008, Fall). Retrieved February 23, 2011, from The Notebook: http://www.thenotebook.org/fall-2008/0886/fewer-english-language- learners-or-more-meet-eye Nelson, J. L., Palonsky, S., & McCarthy, M. R. (2010). //Critical Issues in Education: Dialogues and Dialectics// ( 7th ed.). New York, New York, USA: McGraw-Hill.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">Corporations, Commerce and Schools: Complementing or Competing Interests <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">Michael McNulty-Bobholz Contemporary Education Issues Education 610 Dr. Patricia Williams March 1, 2011

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">“We need to invert the current situation, in which business controls schools, to one in which education influences business values and practices, encouraging responsibility and enlightenment (Nelson, Palonsky, & McCarthy, 2010, p. 206). Businesses and schools are no longer separate institutions. Businesses have taken their partnership with local schools way too far. I believe schools have agreed to contractual regulations for services needed in order to survive as well as to keep up with other schools. Unfortunately, this has caused unethical business practices to invade the current educational environment within the schools. Schools need to successfully teach our children. Instead of concerning themselves with commerials and ad placements in order to meet contractual agreements, schools need to create an environment in which each student has the ability and skills to succeed in everyday life either as one of the growing white-collar workforce or of the shrinking number of blue-collar workers. Buildings and products such as the Weekly Reader, our local public television stations should be used for developing critical thinking skills versus introducing or influencing student’s consumer habits. In the same manner, basic needs such as food and drink should not be sponsored by businesses in order to contain costs. I don’t believe that all business philosophies are bad. Some practices need to be implemented within our schools in order to achieve better results; however, these need to be employed as practices and not as sponsored commerials. The first practice is a merit system. A merit system does not reward individuals for doing the basics, but motivates individuals to do more than what is expected. Schools, especially administrators, need to implement a practice that rewards teachers for achieving (i.e., more such as being rewarded for meeting Annual Yearly Progress, implementing a new curriculum that is achieving positive results or just better involving the parents within their child’s education. I would also suggest utilizing local business folks and companies as laboratory experiences). These individuals can bring their workplace experiences into the classroom and provide real concrete examples which can help students can base important life decisions such as whether or not to attend college or even select a major. Students can learn more from businesses in this manner versus constant advertisements and product placement. More importantly, the experience provides incentives for students to work toward instead of just receiving an education. Tapping into these corporate resources would improve the current practices of our public schools. Although salaries and benefits must be paid and goals achieved, our children’s education should never be viewed as a business. In the same regard, the corporate world should not be the answer for schools to meet their financial needs. Schools need to review daily operations in and outside of the classroom to ensure that they are instructing our children and not fostering consumer habits.

**<span style="color: #365f91; font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Bibliography **

Nelson, J. L., Palonsky, S., & McCarthy, M. R. (2010). //Critical Issues in Education: Dialogues and Dialectics// ( 7th ed.). New York, New York, USA: McGraw-Hill.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">Privatization of Schools: Boon or Bane Michael McNulty-Bobholz Contemporary Education Issues Education 610 Dr. Patricia Williams March 1, 2011 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">“Competition is a hallmark of private enterprise and requires efficient operation and consumer satisfaction – two elements lacking in government monopolies (Nelson, Palonsky, & McCarthy, 2010, p. 167). As educators, we fear the word competition. In fact, the word competition brings up negative images of being picked last on a sports team, but competition is about much more. If competition is promoted within our school system, our schools may finally obtain qualities such as responsiveness and responsibility. First and foremost, privatization provides responsiveness. This sense of responsiveness is a two way street in which both the school and the community respond to each other’s needs. Our current school system cannot provide such a reciprocal environment. We shut down schools to meet financial shortfalls even though children will be harshly affected. We keep teachers in the classroom that do not challenge our children. More importantly, we allow our superintendent of schools to make more money than our Governor and Lieutenant Governor combined. Corporate education provides this reciprocal nature in many ways. Corporate schools must listen to parents in order to survive. If a corporate school did not live up to its contractual obligations, it would be closed. If a corporate school did not meet or even exceed the mission, it would be closed. If a corporate school was an unsafe environment, it would be closed as well. More importantly, administrators, although paid well, must meet the expectations of both the board and parents in order to remain in the position. This corporate mentality is not new, but is alive and well in higher education. Competition provides the driving force for each to accomplish more. Colleges and universities recruit students on promises. If the school does not live up to expectations, students and parents will decide if the institution is a perfect fit. If not, they will leave and enroll in another institution that will better match their needs and perhaps live up to expectations. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">No matter whether the school is privatized or public, accountablity needs to be at the forefront of the debate. Schools need to assess the learning outcomes consistent with No Child Left Behind as well as community standards. As the parent of a child attending a public school within the Philadelphia School District, I challenge our district to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to the future of children. Providing the best education to students needs to be the priority of each and every school district; those within Philadelphia to the wealthier suburbs. If competition and privatization improves our educational system, then bring on privatization.

=<span style="color: #365f91; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 24pt 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">Bibliography =

Nelson, J. L., Palonsky, S., & McCarthy, M. R. (2010). //Critical Issues in Education: Dialogues and Dialectics// (7th ed.). New York, New York, USA: McGraw-Hill.

Whose Interests Should Schools Serve

Michael McNulty-Bobholz

January 25, 2011

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">As discussed in the textbook, //Critical Issues in Education//, current issues within our educational system rely on a spectrum of political and educational viewpoints. Within the spectrum, there are egalitarians, liberals, conservatives and elitists. Each one of these viewpoints is critical in order to explain our political and educational environment. Although inactive in the political arena, I consider myself a liberal within the educational field. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">As a liberal, I am not afraid of government involvement. I know that government involvement is critical in order to, as mentioned in the textbook, “…achieve every desirable aim” (Nelson, Palonsky, & McCarthy, 2010, p. 41). These aims, best described as dreams or aspirations, are not only limited to our American freedoms, but include matters of equity and justice such as our social and civil rights and responsibilities. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">As an educator, I believe that government regulations continue to improve the current state of affairs within education. If not for governmental policies such as No Child Left Behind, schools would have little motivation to achieve more or seek out new alternatives in order to meet AYP or other educational standards. I learned this early in my career as a teacher within the Head Start program. As a governmental agency, Headstart challenged school districts to improve the status quo. As a result, school districts are able to identify learning disabilities much earlier in the children’s schooling and currently Head Start and the Early Childhood programs have begun sharing classrooms and employing a team teaching approach. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">As a liberal, I become frustrated when individuals choose to live by the status quo. Our culture encourages people to take the quickest and easiest route. We want instant gratification instead of putting in the effort. However, I have seen first hand how governmental interventions have changed how educational agencies function. Government interactions should be viewed positively and encouraged as much as possible.

= Bibliography  =

Nelson, J. L., Palonsky, S., & McCarthy, M. R. (2010). //Critical Issues in Education: Dialogues and Dialectics// (7th ed.). New York, New York, USA: McGraw-Hill.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">School Choice: Family or Public Funding

Michael McNulty-Bobholz January 25, 2011

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">“Families’ financial situations, not their commitments to their children, determine the amount of educational choice they have…If a family lives where that match does not exist, and they cannot afford to move to a better district, their relative poverty deprives them of the freedom to choose their children’s school” (Nelson, Palonsky, & McCarthy, 2010, p. 54). Although not support by the previous Pennsylvania Governor Ed.Rendell, a school voucher program would be ideal for an urban school district like Philadelphia instead of the current practice of parents not being heard by school administrators and “past the prime” teachers. The voice of the family would finally be heard and help support the functions of the educational team. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">In today’s economy, the family unit has a multitude of financial pressures that truly affect the family unit. According to the 2000 census, the median income of a family in Philadelphia was $30,746, with Hispanic and African American families collecting a median income between $8,969 - $13,145 (Median Household Income by Age, 2007). This limited income has to cover household and medical expenses as well as possible childcare expenses necessary for parents to work. In the current economic times, individuals have either lost their jobs or have not had an increase in their standard of living expenses even though daily expenses such as food and gas continue to increase dramatically. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The current practice in the Philadelphia school system is to rely on the parents to seek services outside the school. Parents become lost in the medical and social service arena with little or no direction from the experts within the school. For example, the school requested that my son, who has high functioning autism, have a shadow during transition periods of the day. Although both parents offered to come in and help with transitions, the principal requested to seek services through the local medicare program in order for the school to be paid for such services. The shadowing was done by a community person who had no college degree and insisted that my son needed to be more organized. During a recent Individual Education Plan discussion, I was asked to sign a form allowing the school to submit a request for payment for any outstanding services; despite the fact that shadowing is no longer needed. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Consumer satisfaction would definitely change if the voucher system was put into effect. Currently, the family attending the local public school has only two alternatives: provide homeschooling in which one of the parents would need to stop working or pay the tution to the school of choice and go into further debt. Although I reside in Northeast Philadelphia, our family has contemplated a move to a district that would provide our son with better programs in place to handle his disabilities. Unfortunately, our current financial situation does not allow for this option. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The voucher system would force schools to run like a business by listening to their consumers, parents, and providing a quality product, well-rounded, intelligent students who will live the American Dream. The teachers, administrators, support staff and families will need to work as a unified team. Counselors, teachers and school administrators would no longer talk down to parents. The legitimacy of any problem would not be questioned as each student would be viewed as a possible gain or loss of income for the school. Unlike other areas in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia does have the mass transportation system that could support a voucher program and allow students to choose from an array of schools from religious to trade institutions. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Implementation of the voucher program would not be without problems. Most importantly, students are the key to the voucher program. Student need to have the willingness and desire to learn. If the desire to learn is there, the voucher system will take our families in Philadelphia to places never thought possible.

= Bibliography  =

//Median Household Income by Age.// (2007). Retrieved January 22, 2011, from ePodunk Inc: [] Nelson, J. L., Palonsky, S., & McCarthy, M. R. (2010). //Critical Issues in Education: Dialogues and Dialectics// (7th ed.). New York, New York, USA: McGraw-Hill.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">Financing Schools: Equity or Disparity Michael McNulty-Bobholz <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">January 25, 2011

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">In the words of our textbook’s authors, “The goal of those who established the American public school system was to provide education for all American children in a way that all those who benefited from their training would share the financial cost” (Nelson, Palonsky, & McCarthy, 2010, p. 61). The question to be answered is who exactly should pay the bill for the American Dream. Current practices in Philadelphia cannot remain the same. Centralized funding through the state needs to be instated in order to repair the inequality that students in the Philadelphia School system receive versus the suburban school districts. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The local government currently determines the funding for the education of our youth. Although out dated, the statics from 2005 -2006 indicate that the Philadelphia school system spends approxiately $11,078 per student in comparison to the median of $13,205 (School Spending Per Student in Southeastern Pennsylvania, 2007). Although minimal, the city of Philadelphia has failed to address the current loophole of uncollected school funding stemming from property tax abatements. According to Dr. Kevin Gillen, Econsult Vice President and Wharton Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, as of August 2008, there were 8,951 such abated properties in Philadelphia (2008, p. 3). Since these properties are excluded from the allocated money used to educate our youth, the Philadelphia School system lost approxiately $99,159,178, with the cost per student in 2005-2006 equaling $11,078 (School Spending Per Student in Southeastern Pennsylvania, 2007). This money could definitely have been used effectively by teachers and administrators if transferred equally throughout the state. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Differential spending on each student’s education does not only affect the student, but also future educational opportunities one pursues. This is quite evident in a small urban university such as Holy Family University. Students come from various tracks and academic programs from the many districts in and around Philadelphia. It is assumed that students will vary in knowledge, skills and awareness of social issues. In the last few years, professors have mentioned that students are typically underprepared and thus the programs or courses needed to be modified to better meet the needs of the students. Additional remedial programs have become necessary, often supported through grants as well as life-skill programs such as First-Year. The goal is for student’s to seek the necessary services soon rather than later in their college years. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The textbook’s antagonistic position remarked that corruption would become rampant if large sums of money were to be given to schools in the poor neighborhoods. Not only limited to Philadelphia, corruption has no boundaries. People have been charged and prosecuted for corruption of money in the state, federal and local goverments. Individuals have been indited in small communities as well as various social service agencies. Unlike local governmental agencies, state programs have many more “checks and balances” mechanisms in place than the current local programs. For example, the state of Wisconsin funds various Head Start programs throughout the entire state, in addition to the federal sponsored programs. If a Head Start program is state funded, the director of the program submits periodical operation reports to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. In addition, program site visits are performed periodically often with little or no notice. In contrast, federal programs submit no additional paperwork, except for the traditional Head Start paperwork completed in both state and federal programs, and would experience a site visit every 10 years as an overall program evaluation. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I truly believe that a state run program would not be anything worse than the current situation. It is the American Dream to have an education that will take one into whatever fields an individual wishes to pursue. Unless changes are made, Philadelphia will remain behind the suburbs school districts.

= Bibliography  =

Kevin Gillen, P. (2008, August). //PHILADELPHIA’S TEN-YEAR TAX ABATEMENT.// Retrieved January 22, 2011, from Econsult: [] Nelson, J. L., Palonsky, S., & McCarthy, M. R. (2010). //Critical Issues in Education: Dialogues and Dialectics// (7th ed.). New York, New York, USA: McGraw-Hill. //School Spending Per Student in Southeastern Pennsylvania.// (2007, Summer). Retrieved January 22, 2011, from Philadelphia Public School: The Notebook: []