Thinking and Teaching With Purpose

In “What ‘Counts’ as Educational Policy? Notes toward a New Paradigm”, Jean Anyon explores solutions to the policy practices that consistently undermine the educational achievement of low-income students. In her research, she specifically looks at how federal and local policies related to housing, transportation, and wages directly impact students’ abilities to perform in school. Her work suggests that in order to close the achievement gap, we need “strategies to support economic opportunity and development for urban residents” (66), which will in turn improve schools. To begin, Anyon discusses several policies that have been implemented in order to improve education in cities. One such policy funded vocational programs in industrialized areas , which has exacerbated the hidden curriculum of social classes that Anyon has written about in previous articles. Later policies attempted to supplement materials and increase access to resources, while also improving equity in disadvantag

Who controls American education? This is an important question posed by Joel Spring, author of the book American Education. In Chapter 8, “Local Control, Choice, Charter Schools, and Homeschooling”, Spring examines the variety of ways that people attempt to control the education of our youth. School choice is a major topic of conversation, particularly since the implementation of Common Core Standards. Proponents of school choice argue that, based on free-market economics, when parents have a choice of schools, the schools will need to improve in order to be more competitive. “Many supporters of religious schooling and free-market advocates support the public-private model of choice” (225). This is shown in the increase of private religious schools over the past hundred and fifty years. The public-private model proves popular due to government support to those who choose religious institutions. The following video illustrates some of the differences between public and privat

When was the last time you did community service? Talked to a neighbor? Attended local events? Too often, people are wrapped up in their own lives and are disengaged from the communities they live in. For many students, school is separate from the other activities they participate in, a place they disconnect from once the final bell rings. Our articles this week described the many ways that educators and families can support youth to make them see the importance of community involvement. Ana Maria Villegas and Tamara Lucas wrote “Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers: Rethinking the Curriculum” in order to delineate the strategies that educators can use to move “beyond the fragmented and superficial treatment of diversity that currently prevails” (20). They discuss how teacher education courses often skim over culturally relevant teaching practices, and identify six characteristics that make up a culturally responsive teacher. They explain that these six strands should