What is an American education? A National System of Education, Defined by Decentralization
An American education is full of opportunities, from Head Start programs for low income families to elite college preparatory private schools. Financially, America is committed to education—mostly through property taxes—although debate remains with regard to teacher pay. Now, an American education in regards to decentralization is the fact that locals are trying to determine what is best for our students in our state. Although, we are not the ones creating the standards for NM, how can we even think of moving away from decentralization to centralization and try to compare our state that is pretty large in size, to a smaller or even bigger state? There are various factors to consider with decentralization that include the financial aspect, the curriculum design of our classrooms, as well as the type of state we live in whether it’s rural or urban. It would be nice to have a centralized education system where we could see where we really stand in our education system from state to state, but then again the factors that I listed above make it seem like it’s not such a good idea either. Just like each teacher is going to teach the material in their classroom different from other teachers, each state is going to have different needs in order for their state to be considered proficient. I was unaware of the standards for education here in NM and across the US. I always assumed that we had a centralized education system. I thought that our standards were like the standardized ACT or SAT exams taken for college. It has been an interesting eye opener for me learning about our education system. I am also starting to ask my husband many questions about education as he is the Chair of the Public Education Commission here in NM.
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ReplyDeleteThe most provocative statement of "What is a American education?" is your call for a critical discussion concerning centralized vs. decentralized education. It's a discussion fraught with fear and misunderstanding but this does not diminish the necessity for having such discourse. Agreed.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that centralized education isn't really up for discussion. Even the above depiction vaguely implies that centralization has inherent, reprehesible implications. Are there any virtues to be acknowledged?
Does centralization really necessitate a lack of indepedence in pedagogical practice or diverse educational opportunities? We practice a sort of uniformity in many of our industries and institutions...
Are uniform, academic standards that much of a hindrance to local self-determination? If so, where should decentralization end, exactly? With the state, district, school, classroom, student?
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ReplyDeleteChamar, I like that you mentioned the educational opportunities available in this county, especially Head Start. Coming from a poor family we qualified for and I attended Head Start. I have such fond memories of teachers helping and caring for me. I also had the opportunity to work closely with the program during my employment at Youth Development Inc. I saw firsthand the opportunities available. If you read my Phlog you can see that having been in education as a finical administrator the last 10 years my view has been jaded, so thank you for reminding me what this country does have to offer. Head Start has a centralized philosophy of early child development and a centralized federal funding source. Thus, I believe that Head Start and programs that are centralized have a proven track record. To answer Davie’s question “Does centralization really necessitate a lack of independence in pedagogical practice or diverse educational opportunities?” The answer is: No, education doesn’t have to lose independence in pedagogical practice or in diversity. The great thing about this country is that was established by innovative and forward thinking individuals. This is our history we can fix this situation to meet the needs of both the nation and the states. This can be accomplished without losing local culture or local uniqueness.
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