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Educational Shock:The Effect of Socio-Cultural Politics on Schooling - brainiac3397 - 07-16-2014 04:17 PM
We all know the status of the schooling system in America. While there are various attempts at reforming it, I personally have not seen much in the way of solving the core problem of schools in the USA. In my opinion, the fundemental issue is the effect of politics on US education.
For example, the implementation of a voucher system would give parents a greater ability to decide where to send their children, without being forced to pay out of pocket. According to most sources, this idea stems from the conservative side. Yet what's the situation? the liberal side prevents this idea from moving forward, supporting a regulated public school system and protecting their own agenda with the use of teacher unions.
The situation with the US school system is heavily political. The lack of balance between a liberal push and conservative pull has created a volatile environment in schools. Liberals continue to push for schools that decide what we must know under the concept of "making better citizens" while conservatives seek to privatize schools and limit the involvement of government.
To make matters worse, the college system has developed the idea of a "general education" where liberal education is provided to all students. Yet can a greater hypocrisy exist? A liberal education initially sought to give students an open-minded approach, avoiding indoctrination. The involuntary status of general education however forces a form of indoctrination. College students are indoctrinated into a liberal approach education, and thus their bias limits them rather than giving them the supposed open-mind approach.
So what will be needed to reform schools? Firstly, the realization that there is indeed a political level to it...and that neither side is best. What is necessary is a detachment from a partisan approach. Ideas must be supported not for their liberalism or conservatism, but for their practicality.
Teacher unions only serve as obstacles to educational reform. Teachers should not consider themselves as "working class" laborers. Unlike a blue-collar employee, the work of a teacher has a long-term effect on the future on an entire nation and it's population. Relying on unions that have been structured to aid the working class and their plight, creates great risk to the students of America. Instead of relying on an overarching union, teachers should stick to their own local school(thus make their issue an internal case).
Another issue with unions is their opposition against lay-offs. While getting removed from any job is not preferable, teachers do not have the same status as standard laborers. If rail-road laborers feel the threat of lay-offs and try to fight it, and win, their main impact would at the simplest be a decrease in profit for the company due to have having a "saturation" of employees far surpassing the number required for peak efficiency. Teachers however, do more harm when they saturate the educational system. Teaching is the art of passing on knowledge onto students, and ensuring they can utilize it. Thus, employers will prefer to get as close to the peak efficiency as possible. Costs saved from this can improve the overall efficiency of education.
Teaching involves far more factors than a simple working class job. Failure in taking them into account is harmful, and selfish on behalf of those who oppose any sort of action seeking to make education efficient.
While I respect the views of "liberals", I'm finding that their approach to schooling has created many issues with schools. Idealistic beliefs in "diversification" and a hard-headed support for "liberal education" despite a globalizing world that requires a specialized education. For some reason, the motto seems to be "Teaching students how to think".
When it comes to college, it becomes quite apparent. Colleges are well-known for their liberal-leaning community. The concept of open-mindedness can sometimes create even a form of arrogance at all ideas considered "inferior". The greatest issue is how a push for government involvement in education funnels taxpayer money into forms of education that achieve nothing. What benefit is there in educating someone in general education in hopes of making them "better citizens" if they lose time on learning specialization, and then become welfare recipients or unable to efficiently contribute to the national economy due to massive debt?
The fundamental difference might be that liberals suggest spending more money to solve a problem, while conservatives suggest spending smartly. Of course we don't want to generalize because ideas are not people.
The main purpose of conservatism is to maintain the traditions and history of a nation, and the main purpose of liberalism is to lay out the future of the nation. However, what benefit is there when the future will go so far as to tear apart the traditions and history of a nation? I personally believe that liberalism has existed in education long enough, and that the reaction to promote reform might be progressive, but it's also a conservative movement seeking to put back the traditions of America back into schools. The freedom of choice, the freedom of belief and the freedom to learn.
I'd like to write something a bit more professional but that'll have to go onto my to-do list for when college starts(and I go into research-study mode). Plus maybe I can start preaching some conservatism reform...
Educational Shock:The Effect of Socio-Cultural Politics on Schooling - Ky - 07-17-2014 02:11 AM
It seems the practicality and nature of liberalism and conservatism has flip-flopped over the course of American politics. As of now, the conservative policies are the most liberal and forward-thinking, while the liberal policies promote bad traditions and only conservative changes (if that) to the status quo. How confusing!
The political elements don't stop there; the struggle between liberal and conservative philosophy created a two-party system with the intent of progressing forward, without sacrificing the best of tradition, by having favor for either party swing like a pendulum. This pendulum, in recent years, has been weighed down by overwhelming public interest, increasingly hostile political arguments, and an incapacity for either side to accept the other's change, to the point at which Republicans and Democrats almost look alike. It is a system, like school, that has failed us.
I would be in support of a push to the conservative side, of course - a voucher program and more emphasis on private education would have the best short-term effect and set a precedent for taking power away from public schooling. But that push seems unlikely to happen if we are mired in political warfare between two equally extreme authoritarian sides.
Educational Shock:The Effect of Socio-Cultural Politics on Schooling - Chanku - 07-17-2014 03:05 AM
To be honest I believe in something Called the Cyclical Theory, which states that the US moves between Public Responsibility and Private Interest. I merely view us in a transition period, and to be honest I don't see how Democrats are trying to stay to tradition, although I do prefer the US Pirate party anyway.
RE: Educational Shock:The Effect of Socio-Cultural Politics on Schooling - James Comey - 07-17-2014 09:38 AM
Wow Brainiac, that's a very interesting write up.
I'm not nearly as knowledgeable on this subject as much as you are, so I'm not gonna try and sound like a smart-ass, but your overall point is true. Part of the issue with education is so much political involvement and disagreement.
Educational Shock:The Effect of Socio-Cultural Politics on Schooling - brainiac3397 - 07-17-2014 11:39 AM
It obviously needs more organization. It's pretty chaotic...then again it was more a rough draft I hope to work on over time. Get some references and tidy things up. There are also some stuff I skimmed over that'd be best explained in more detail.
RE: Educational Shock:The Effect of Socio-Cultural Politics on Schooling - Education Reform Movement - 07-25-2014 06:52 AM
Hi!
Could you sign this petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/board-of-education-and-all-educational-facilities-and-municipalities-reform-education-so-that-it-s-fair-for-all-and-not-for-the-elite-few-or-the-dull-many-no-child-left-behind
RE: Educational Shock:The Effect of Socio-Cultural Politics on Schooling - Missile - 09-13-2014 02:09 AM
I knew that teachers unions would be a big stumbling block to education reform
RE: Educational Shock:The Effect of Socio-Cultural Politics on Schooling - brainiac3397 - 09-13-2014 04:12 AM
I have got another smart rant in mind!
Just need to hammer it out to something lucid.