Most people somewhat agree that competition is key to improving school performance. As someone that grew up in a fairly competitive school district competition kept both students and teachers motivated. Because of this I also agree that competition is important in improving school performance.
Most people somewhat agree that schools continue to be academically weak, and stronger academic standards are needed. I believe that schools can always improve academically by changing the way that subjects are taught and ensuring that students are actively engaged in their lessons instead of just trying to mindlessly absorb information.
Most people disagree that schools do a great job preparing students for vocational careers. This is mostly because most schools focus on making sure students are prepared to go directly into college, instead of into any kind of career. School's definitely need to work on this aspect because not everyone can go to college, and not everyone should.
People agree that schools emphasize test scores at the expense of other kinds of evaluation. Many schools over-focus on testing because how students score on the standardized tests is how the school is 'graded' and most schools want to be labeled as the best, or try to do better each year. This gets pushed onto students and the actual learning is diminished.
People disagree that schools do an admirable job of moving children out of poverty into middle-class life. Most students that grow up poor end up in poorer school districts. This is a problem because these schools don't have access to the resources they need to help educate these students enough, which ends up creating a poverty cycle that families get looped into.
People have mixed views on whether homeschooling is an effective alternative to the typical public school. I don't agree that homeschooling is an effective alternative because homeschool does not provide the socialization that public school does. Students in public school make friends that they keep for life, and also learn how to handle dealing with others, and what to do when things don't go their way.
People have mixed views on whether students care about the less fortunate, both here and overseas. This changes depending on the school district. Some school districts teach about what's going on with the less fortunate here and in different countries, while other schools shy away from the subject. The students that are being taught about it are probably more likely to care about those less fortunate than them.
People somewhat agree that competition is key to improving student performance. I absolutely agree that competition helps student performance, being a very competitive student myself. Games where students can win extra points always got the heart racing and opened the mind to try and see what students already know, and then the people who lose know that they need to study more. Competition fuels motivation.
People have mixed views on whether schools are stronger academically today then they have ever been before, and without knowing statistics it is hard to say. However, due to all of the crazy advancements in technology, it sure seems as though today's kids are drastically outdoing what the students of the past could do.
No comments:
Post a Comment