EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY.   Term Paper ID:23230 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Examines theories on evolving responsibility of society to reduce learning differences based on ethnic, racial & socioeconomic realities.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines theories on evolving responsibility of society to reduce learning differences based on ethnic, racial & socioeconomic realities. Paper Introduction: Education is a positive right, to which children should have equal opportunity and access. Therefore, all public schools should spend roughly the same amount per student. The outcomes of these expenditures, however, depend on a variety of factors. Nevertheless, equal educational opportunity is critical to the maintenance of a democratic society. Education benefits society because it is viewed as a means to enable citizens to achieve happiness and morality. Thomas Jefferson believed that instruction would enable the citizen to safeguard his or her own liberties: "Guided by a knowledge of history and the reading of newspapers, the individual would exercise reason and moral common sense to make political decisions" (Spring, 1990,p. 45). In Jefferson's viewpoint, equal educational opportunity was necessary to promote natural order in Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. that will prompt them to make better ones, then weought to use these means" (Howe, 199 , p. 28, pp. Superior levels of happiness include intellectualattainment, nurturing relationships, and social justice: "No amount ofhappiness, even on the part of a distinct majority, can ever licensebigotry or prejudice" (Kierstead and Wagner, Jr., 1993, p. In the latter role, teachersempower students to make choices and enhance their skill in "democraticdeliberation" (Howe, 199 , p. Such abasic curriculum gives all students access to the establishment: theforces in control of substantial financial resources, the political system,industry, business, the military, the professions, and socialorganizations. The outcomes of these expenditures, however,depend on a variety of factors. P. Schools in theinformation age regard teachers as facilitators and activists/participants(Kierstead and Wagner, Jr., 1993, p. This does not, however, diminish the socialresponsibility of schools. What must change are the assumptions thateducators make about the ability of students to learn based on theirsocioeconomic status. 14). 229). 221). Further, Menacker (199 ) cites previous studies that reveal thatminority students from middle- and upper-middle class families perform atthe same level as their non-minority peers in terms of classroomachievement, test scores, and occupational attainment. 23 ). . References Howe. 1 3). Students no longer achieved an equal or common education; insteadcurriculum was based on individual differences. Noguera(1996) found that the negative images that teachers associate with theurban environment of inner city schools are often projected onto theirstudents: "When teachers were asked during interviews how they believedthe community influenced their students, most cited what would be regardedas negative effects . Menacker, J. Washington: GPO.----------------------- 9 Environment and employment are intertwined with education in creatingthe opportunity for each student to meet his or her maximum potential. Schools duringthe industrial era viewed teachers as knowledge expert. 324).Unfortunately, the emphasis on racial integration of schools as a means toachieve equality of educational opportunity has come about as a result ofconstitutional support of the equal protection clause, which is basedprimarily on the issue of race. U.S. . Education is a positive right, to which children should have equalopportunity and access. In Mill's view, education had two goals: toexpand students's horizons (in order to identify the highest means ofhappiness) and to ensure the greatest aggregate happiness for the greatestnumber of people. Spring, J. Committee onLabor and Human Resources. The common school movement during the nineteenth century emphasizedthe public benefits of education. The result was that somestudents were placed on vocational and college preparatory tracks:"Scientific measurement of intelligence, abilities, and interests was toserve as an objective means of providing equality of opportunity" (Spring,199 , p. Menacker (199 )concludes, "The environmental conditions that influence the learningpredisposition of students is of major importance" (p. Thus the teacher plays an important role in ensuring equaleducational opportunity. John Stuart Mill theorized that the state is obligated to maximizethe happiness of its citizens, and that education was central to thedevelopment of the state. Congress 1994). (199 , Spring). In providing equal educationalopportunity, schools should instead seek to redress the social isolation oflow-income students, without regard to race. 37).In recognition of the importance of cultural diversity, however, thisuniform curriculum must incorporate the contributions of a multiplicity ofethnic, religious, and gender groups. . 74). The problem that American schoolsface is the lack of consensus on what method is most efficient in providingequal educational opportunity. Kierstead, F. A consensusof citizens agree that equal educational opportunity is in the bestinterest of everyone. The achievement of poverty-level students is enhanced, however,when they are educated with a majority of middle- or upper-middle classstudents. (199 ). Nevertheless, equal educationalopportunity is critical to the maintenance of a democratic society. 34).Toward this end, one of the programs being tested on Native Americanreservations is the Family and Child Education project, working withparents and their children from birth to age five: children and parentsattend school together, spending part of the day learning separately andthis rest learning together (U.S. Education benefits society because it is viewed as a means to enablecitizens to achieve happiness and morality. Since students are far more influenced by environmental factors,schools alone cannot compensate for the inequities of society by providingequal educational opportunity. 45). The ideology of the common schoolmovement advocated the teaching of a common body of knowledge to studentsof various religious, social, and ethnic backgrounds. Educational Theory, pp. U.S. (1996). if childreneducated in common were taught a common social and political ideology, adecrease in political conflict and social problems would result" (Spring,199 , p. . K. For some, many of the children were merelysmaller versions of the adults they had seen or imagined" (p. Equal educational opportunity must occur in a social context oflearning that includes the family. Preparing American Indian students for the21st century. The desired outcomeof such instruction was national unity and stability: " . . Noguera. and Wagner, Jr., P. Many modern educators adhere to the tenets of the common schoolmovement, but with alterations to curriculum that reflect the pluralisticnature of American society. Research indicates that a highlyinteractive learning technique, in which discussion is encouraged betweenchildren, their peers, and adults, is predictive of success in test scores. Equal educational opportunity became one of the dominant themes ofthe twentieth century, but from the perspective of improving human capital. 61). Therefore, all public schools should spend roughlythe same amount per student. 1-19. New York:Longman. Confronting the urban in urban school reform.Urban Review, Vol. Schools should also redress the isolation of the school from theenvironment, particularly in the case of low-income neighborhoods. 227-23 . The earliest Puritan images ofschool depicted teachers as protectors and model citizens. Through providing segregation of curriculum and vocationalguidance, educators believed that they were helping students maximize theiropportunities: " . In assuming theresponsibility of determining the individual's place in society, however,schools left themselves open to charges of social-class, racial, and sexualdiscrimination. A comparison ofChicago schools with identical per pupil expenditures but with differingproportions of low-income students revealed that the schools with thehighest proportion of poverty-level students consistently had lower testscores. The role of the teacher has evolved as models ofAmerican schooling practice have changed. Various means exist to accomplish equal opportunity,including the integration of schools, requiring the same curriculum for allstudents, instruction of multicultural curriculum in schools, spending moretime on underachieving students, requiring parental participation inschools, and requiring remedial classes. 317-325. Millsadvocated that teachers tolerate student differences in order to maximizetheir potential to achieve optimal happiness. In Jefferson's viewpoint, equaleducational opportunity was necessary to promote natural order in a freesociety. Astudy by Menacker (199 ) examined whether equal educational opportunity wasan issue of race or socioeconomic status, and concluded that family incomewas the definitive factor in student achievement rates. Manyteachers employed in inner city schools commute to their places ofemployment and maintain minimal connection with the school environment.Whereas teachers, in providing instruction about a foreign country wouldfocus on its geography, history, culture, politics, etc., few teachers cananswer similar questions about the communities surrounding their schools.Such ignorance can serve as an impediment to teacher-student relations.Noguera (1996) took active steps to get teachers in a West Oakland schoolto participate in community activities with the following results: "Asthese new approaches have been implemented, we have gradually begun to seea change in the way in which children are spoken about and treated at theschool" (p. As Spring (199 ) puts it, "In future generations, ifstudents share something of a common educational background, then nearlyeveryone will have a chance to pursue the career of his or herauthentically made choice (as much as individual talent allows)" (p. Even today, one of the major purposes of education is to preparestudents to meet their societal duties, both civic and moral. Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark. 11). (1993). (1994). Thomas Jefferson believed thatinstruction would enable the citizen to safeguard his or her own liberties: "Guided by a knowledge of history and the reading of newspapers, theindividual would exercise reason and moral common sense to make politicaldecisions" (Spring, 199 ,p. (199 , October). The American school: 1642-199 . The ethical, legal, andmulticultural foundations of teaching. . . Urban Education, pp. Equal educational opportunity: Is itan issue of race or socioeconomic status? Senate, 1 3rd Congress, 1st Session. Equal opportunity is equal education(within limits). . Congress. when children make bad choices and we have at ourdisposal means . (1993) cite the following research findings:"Interaction between child and adult in the first seven years of life ismuch more predictive of how the child will do on standard IQ tests than isthe child's socioeconomic status or the parents' IQ scores" (p. Horace Mann, a noted common school reformer, believed thatequal educational opportunity could reduce class distinctions, crime, andpoverty. Kierstead and Wagner, Jr. Because the correlation between low cultureand social disadvantage is high, all students, regardless of socioeconomicstatus should be provided with the basic educational tools, namely reading,writing, arithmetic, arts and science, and character development. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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