The article Out of Work in Finance, They Turn to Teaching found in the New York Times is about people who work in financing and have lost their jobs becoming math teachers. To be able to do this you don’t have to have a mathematics degree, you just have to go to school for three months. The program is called Traders to Teachers which is financed by a federal grant and is designed to turn finance professionals in math teachers in only three months. Montclair State University is offering the classes that one needs to take for free, with many who are unemployed have applied for. The program requires a lot of work and that you pass a qualifying exam.
I found the information in this article to be very interesting and don’t know that I agree with it. I understand that with the economy the way it is many people are losing their jobs but I don’t think that it is right to start a program so that finance professionals who have become unemployed can become a math teacher in 3 months. There are several reasons that I don’t agree with this. Being an education major I know all the classes that you have to take and all the hard work that goes into being a teacher. I understand that the people completing this program have experience with math but it doesn’t seem right that they can go to school for three months whereas all other teachers have to go for four years. This article talks about how many people are applying and completing this program which takes away from the people who are still in school to become a math teacher. If so many people complete this program and take all the math positions that are available then when those who are becoming a math teacher will be out of a job. I think that the program should be modified so that they will not be taking all the jobs away from those who are passionate about teaching and not just doing because they no longer have a job.
The article Obama announces education help for unemployed from CNN is about President Obama announcing a plan targeted for unemployed Americans who want to go back to school. The plan includes the Department of Education sending letters to colleges encouraging them to increase financial aid for those who are unemployed so that they can become a student and keep their unemployment benefits. Currently if you are drawing unemployment and want to go back to school you would lose unemployment benefits. The program is designed to offer educational opportunities that are not previously available to those drawing unemployment.
I really like the fact that Obama is getting involved in problems we are facing in education. I think that this plan that he has come up with is a very good idea. A lot of the people who have lost their job have had it for many years and when they started they did not have to go to school or have a degree to get it. Most of the jobs that are now available require some type of training or degree and this will get the unemployed a chance to get the schooling that they need with still being able to provide for their families.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Educational Issues
Article One
The article Number of Students Leaving School Early Continues to Increase, Study Says from the New York Times talks about how the number of students leaving school early and not graduating continues to increase. In 2000 according to studies the percentage of students not graduating was 17.5% and in 2007 it was over 20%. Many of the students not graduating are leaving school in the 9th grade which is about 7.5% of the 20%. Although 20% seems rather high some of this percentage is students leaving school and enrolling in a different school or being home schooled and not having it documented as a transfer. Other reasons include schools trying to push out students who are not doing as well to keep the schools test scores high. Lawsuits have been filed over this with many schools being sued. The article also says the goal is to find out why students are dropping out as early as in the 9th grade. The study also says that African Americans and Hispanic students as well as boys are having the higher percentage of dropping out.
Overall I think that this article shows the statistics of students dropping out but doesn’t have the answers as to why students are dropping out. I think that there needs to be a better system to determine which students are transfers and which students are actually dropping out. I think that if there were a better system then the percentage of students not graduating would be lower. I think the goal is to figure this out as well as what is causing these students to drop out.
Article Two
The article ‘No Child’ Law Is Not Closing Racial Gap from the New York Times is about how despite the No Child Left Behind law it is not narrowing the achievement between white and minority students. According to test results over the past few years test scores for minority groups have increased but so have those for white students still leaving the achievement gap. The trends that are increasing have been the same over several years and even before the No Child Left Behind Law was put into effect. This leaves some to question if the law is working and how the Obama administration will change or make revisions to the law to help with the achievement gaps.
I think that this article is very interesting. The No Child Left Behind law was created so that no child would be left behind and has a focus on standardized testing. I think that the idea of no child being left behind is a good idea but obviously it is not working. I do not think a student’s fate should rely on standardized testing. Some students are bad test takers and get nervous and freeze up because they know if they don’t pass the test they might not make it to the next grade. I think that the student’s grades throughout the years should come into play. I think that the No Child Left Behind law needs to have some changes made to it in close the achievement gap and make it so that no child is left behind.
Article 3
The article Without Cafeteria Trays, Colleges Find Savings from the New York Times is about how colleges across the country are doing away with trays in hopes of conserving water, cutting food waste and saving money. There are also hopes that by eliminating trays it will help cut down on the “freshman 15.” Colleges that have eliminated the use of trays seem to be having success. Food seems to be wasted less and water and energy consumption have also decreased. One college in Massachusetts claims that they saved 14,000 gallons in one of their dining halls over a year’s time. Another school says that they saved 10% on food spending because the elimination of trays. Some students still believe that even without trays food is still being wasted but overall it seems to be not as much.
Overall I agree with the elimination of trays on college campuses. Elon doesn’t have trays and the students don’t seem to mind. I think that it does help eliminate the amount of food that students waste. At the all you can eat places you know that you can get as much food as you want put without trays you can only get so much at a time which once you start to get full you don’t go back so aren’t wasting as much food. I also agree with the fact that eliminating trays helps save water and money. With not having to wash x number of trays each day that is tons of water that schools are saving as well as money. If they are not using as much water then they are saving that money which can be used for something else.
The article Number of Students Leaving School Early Continues to Increase, Study Says from the New York Times talks about how the number of students leaving school early and not graduating continues to increase. In 2000 according to studies the percentage of students not graduating was 17.5% and in 2007 it was over 20%. Many of the students not graduating are leaving school in the 9th grade which is about 7.5% of the 20%. Although 20% seems rather high some of this percentage is students leaving school and enrolling in a different school or being home schooled and not having it documented as a transfer. Other reasons include schools trying to push out students who are not doing as well to keep the schools test scores high. Lawsuits have been filed over this with many schools being sued. The article also says the goal is to find out why students are dropping out as early as in the 9th grade. The study also says that African Americans and Hispanic students as well as boys are having the higher percentage of dropping out.
Overall I think that this article shows the statistics of students dropping out but doesn’t have the answers as to why students are dropping out. I think that there needs to be a better system to determine which students are transfers and which students are actually dropping out. I think that if there were a better system then the percentage of students not graduating would be lower. I think the goal is to figure this out as well as what is causing these students to drop out.
Article Two
The article ‘No Child’ Law Is Not Closing Racial Gap from the New York Times is about how despite the No Child Left Behind law it is not narrowing the achievement between white and minority students. According to test results over the past few years test scores for minority groups have increased but so have those for white students still leaving the achievement gap. The trends that are increasing have been the same over several years and even before the No Child Left Behind Law was put into effect. This leaves some to question if the law is working and how the Obama administration will change or make revisions to the law to help with the achievement gaps.
I think that this article is very interesting. The No Child Left Behind law was created so that no child would be left behind and has a focus on standardized testing. I think that the idea of no child being left behind is a good idea but obviously it is not working. I do not think a student’s fate should rely on standardized testing. Some students are bad test takers and get nervous and freeze up because they know if they don’t pass the test they might not make it to the next grade. I think that the student’s grades throughout the years should come into play. I think that the No Child Left Behind law needs to have some changes made to it in close the achievement gap and make it so that no child is left behind.
Article 3
The article Without Cafeteria Trays, Colleges Find Savings from the New York Times is about how colleges across the country are doing away with trays in hopes of conserving water, cutting food waste and saving money. There are also hopes that by eliminating trays it will help cut down on the “freshman 15.” Colleges that have eliminated the use of trays seem to be having success. Food seems to be wasted less and water and energy consumption have also decreased. One college in Massachusetts claims that they saved 14,000 gallons in one of their dining halls over a year’s time. Another school says that they saved 10% on food spending because the elimination of trays. Some students still believe that even without trays food is still being wasted but overall it seems to be not as much.
Overall I agree with the elimination of trays on college campuses. Elon doesn’t have trays and the students don’t seem to mind. I think that it does help eliminate the amount of food that students waste. At the all you can eat places you know that you can get as much food as you want put without trays you can only get so much at a time which once you start to get full you don’t go back so aren’t wasting as much food. I also agree with the fact that eliminating trays helps save water and money. With not having to wash x number of trays each day that is tons of water that schools are saving as well as money. If they are not using as much water then they are saving that money which can be used for something else.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)