Monday, December 6, 2010

Education -- your culminating thoughts.

Throughout the term, your have read the assessments of many writers regarding "what is wrong with" public K-12 education in America today. Some of these problems include over-scheduling (boredom-promotion), over-reliance on standardized testing, segregation by class and race, and the persistence of a school "track" system that produces a workforce in line with students' parents' socio-economic status. Now, I want you to think about (and then answer) this question: if a student succeeds in getting to college, however many of the above-named problems might have hampered his/her education experience up to that time, are all of those problems non-existent in the college setting?

20 comments:

  1. As I see it, no. Even colleges are geared to families of different financial standings; at least, all of the big-name ones are. I don't know that I've ever heard of a poor kid going to Harvard. For the most part, however, all of the issues with the K-12 years of public education fall away with a student's entry into college. You are not put on a recommended "path," as you are instead allowed to pick and choose where and what you will be. College is the first stage in life where a person is given the chance to change what they have been told they will be all their lives.

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  2. Any combination of those problems could have hampered their education experience up to that time. I think a serious one today is the boredom issue. If a student is not pushed to their potential in high school, or if they become bored or disinterested in the material it could certainly effect them in the college setting. However, college is more focused on topics that interest the individual student. And the fact that class times are chopped up better through out the week and do not drag on would definitely help with the boredom issue. So a student that was bored or disengaged in high school probably has a better chance of being free of this issue upon reaching the college setting.The other issues just depend on the school they attend and the type of community they come from.

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  3. I personally don’t think you find those problems as much in the college setting. I always had problems with over-standardization in high school whereas college, you are not rushed through standards and expectations. Teachers instruct in their own fashion and at each student’s pace, students are also able to talk to said instructors when necessary outside of class. Each student is also challenged at their own level rather than having expectations that are so low they cannot challenge the students or that are so high that they overwhelm them. I also agree that the college schedule is easier to handle than the straight seven hours of K-12 education.

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  4. These problems are, of course, still present in college but to a lesser degree. Boredom is found in almost all classrooms, for nearly any subject. It isn't, however, the sort of systemic boredom found in most K-12 classrooms. This is probably because the students are actually studying subjects that genuinely interest them, but nonetheless, sitting in one classroom for 75 minutes does invoke some boredom. There is less reliance on standardized testing though, something which is quite refreshing. The severity of the problems associated with class and race can vary considerably depending upon where the student is going to college. The problems found in K-12 still follow through to college, but to a lesser extent, largely due to the extra freedom afforded by the system.

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  5. I also feel that the problems do exist to a lesser degree in college, if the person makes it there. If a person is hampered by those problems in high school, then the chances are that they are not going to get into college. If they manage to get into college, however, then the problems they faced in high school will still be there, just on a much smaller scale. Also, at college, there are plenty of resources to deal with those problems.

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  6. Many of the problems that exist at the high school level are not as prevalent or serious at colleges. The main one that comes to mind is standardization. I know from experience, as do many, that this push in high school was not only frustrating but stifling. We were given test after boring test that were supposed to measure our progress and achievement. I don't know if anyone would ever say that standardized tests have helped them learn.
    At the college level, though, this is thankfully not a problem. Although many schools still must answer to the government and reach certain standards, time and effort is not wasted on passing slightly useless tests. Instead, students can devote time to things that are actually important (or at least more so...)

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  7. These problems absolutely go away in a college setting. You choose what you go to college for, you choose your scheduale, and you might choose your life if you live away from home. You have the option of staying or leaving.

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  8. I disagree with shojunkayoi. Yes, things get better in college, but those problems don't go away completely. I will follow with two examples. First, testing is still very important in college. This time the student is preparing for the GRE or some sort of certification exam instead of the SAT or ACT. Furthermore, poor kids get hindered in high school both by getting put into bad schools with teachers that don't care and by having to do school work and job work- more work than their richer peers. In college,if a person is really poor, overcame that and did extremely well in high school then they can, as well they deserve to, go to any college with a free ride scholarship. But, if the student is only slightly less poor, then college tuition at most good schools is much to much for them to afford. They are either not able to go to the really good schools, even if they qualify, or they have to take out many loans. One of the reasons that Tech is such a gem is that it is one of a very few counter examples, a top notch school that is very affordable.

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  9. There will always be problems in school, no matter what the level of education is. Boredom will always exist, as well as socio-econmic factors that cause specific lifestyles to exist. Not everything can be avoided; however, the difference between college and other lower level education institutions in the country is the difference in maturity. Nobody should force another to come to college. It is not a requirement. Therefore, if you are here, and believe you should be here, you must work for it. Its not like Halloween candy. It cant just be handed out.

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  10. Those problems are somewhat existent in the college environment. Boredom will exist as long as the student allows it to. College is different in a sense that you can determine what you do and the amount of work you complete. Mom and dad aren't there to scold you for getting bad grades. I don't think over-reliance of standardized testing is a problem in college and neither is segregation. Socio-economic problems do exist though. I don't think that can be avoided.

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  11. I see college as better but some problems do cross over. While scholarships are available money can still be a limiting factor for many students who want to go to college. Scholarships target students who have demonstrated an ability to succeed. But many students have not shown or had an opportunity to succeed. In high school I knew many smart students who I think should have gone to college but did not do well enough in school to go to most colleges. They were partiality responsible for their failure but the system failed them as well. These people are worth educating. I am sure they would have been able to do great things(they still could). More distressing (in my opinion) is the ease that affluent students have in going to college. Many (not all) are truly less deserving of a college education. The very nature of most colleges is to be somewhat exclusive. While this is ok, making money the primary factor is not(part of why I like Tech).

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  12. I think that many of those problems are existent in the college setting. College for some people is still really boring, it is still really challenging for others, and in some cases college can be seen today as a place that is continuing to create conform for Americans. I do not believe that all people have the right to college nor do i believe that all people should be forced to attend grade school. It use to be a big deal when a person recieved an eighth grade diploma but now it hardly matters if a student recieves his/her college degree. There are too many people going to college and it is creating a situation where a diploma has less value. Soon Americans will need to get a PhD in order to get a decent job in the world today.

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  13. I view college as something that is supposed to be based off the student's OWN initiative. Therefore, if the reoccurring educational problems had been overly influencing in the child's earlier educational career, then it is very likely that the drive to continue in college will dissipate.

    It's almost impossible to say that an overly dominating concept in early education wont effect the student for a lifetime.

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  14. I believe that colleges have the same problems as high school except they are lighter, and colleges differ greatly on which problems face them. Some colleges have lots of useless general requirements which promote boredom. Some colleges cost obscene amounts of money and so promote class segregation. Most have racial quotas that need to be met and so partially rely on a system of racism, promoting racial segregation through racial desegregation. Colleges are simply a super costly continuation of a persons education, and while trying to education everyone that comes to them, with enough money, problems are created. The whole is focused on instead of the individual and those types of problems will always appear (because it is completely impractical to educate everyone on a personal level).

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  15. The problems encountered in high school are carried over, to an extent, into college. If a student isnt very motivated to do well in high school, they most likely will not find a motivation to work hard in college. However, most students that continue on to college chose to do this, unlike high school. Therefore the problems that high schools face will be reduced.

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  17. I think they problem of a mandatory schooling still falls into place. You are able to choose your classes... actually I take that back, you have a certain amount of classes that are mandatory to take whether you want to or not. There is a certain urging that American society today puts on high school graduates; without a college education, you won't get too far in this world. I think that whether college wanted to be or not, its also a form of mandatory schooling like John Gatto wrote about in his essay.

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  18. i think that it is the student's responsibility to take charge of his/her own classes once they're in college. Even though they have "made it through" high school and the schooling system, there remains a lot of work to be done until that individual can finally reach a "professional" standpoint in life.
    Rather than seeing them as responsibilities, they are mere steps required for the advancement of that individual.

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  19. I believe that if a student managed to get into a college (excluding public community colleges)problems that could have led to negative discriminatory practices likely did not affect the student. However, boredom from overscheduling may have affected the student and led to the student having poor study skills for college since the student always expects to have free time. I do not believe that the problems of overscheduling, racist/classist practices, or standardized testing exist in a notable fashion in college.

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  20. I actually see college as a continuation of high school: there are few differences in terms of academics. If anything, the track system is further exaggerated by the fact that if you do not do well in high school, you will not get into a good college, and remain behind those who did better in previous years. Segregation can still be an issue depending on the college, though this does seem to be a smaller and smaller issue as time progresses. Tests are definitely still over-emphasized on: finals have become a universal dread every college student shares. They play a big role in the final decision of on's grade. Despite what people have told me, college is not much different from high school.

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