Complexity in American Education Control
Often times, we hear the words complex and complicated used interchangeably. In fact, out of curiosity, I highlighted the two words in Microsoft Word after typing them in the previous sentence and looked at the synonyms provided. Oddly enough, complex is synonymous with words such as multifaceted and intricate. Yet, when I pulled up the synonyms for complicated, complex was the first word listed.
What is complexity? How does it differ from complicated issues? Complicated systems are exactly what Microsoft Word said. They are multifaceted and intricate. They have several parts, but there is only one determined way for these systems to work. This means that a change in one area will always create a change in another area, because the parts are connected in a predictable manner.
For example, think of a watch. For someone like me, opening the back of a pocket watch is slightly intimidating because it consists of many gears and parts. However, with a little research, you will find that watches are not complex systems. Mechanical clocks tell time using gears. They have two important parts: a mainspring and a pendulum. Mechanical clocks are wound with a key, and this tightens the mainspring. As the mainspring unwinds, its energy turns gears which cause the hands to move. The pendulum keeps time and ensures that the gears move at the right pace: second by second (http://www.nawcc.org/index.php/just-for-kids/about-time/how-does-it-work).
Complex systems are not as predictable. Like complicated systems, complex systems contain several parts. The difference is most parts are often changing and also interconnected in complex systems. So rather than a single predictable change, there are often sever...
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...he form of paralysis” (Costa, p. 10).
We are leaving our children unprepared and paralyzed, with no real knowledge other than how to pass a test and be quiet. Our future is dim. Technology only keeps advancing—replacing people with computers. When will we wake up? The time is now.
Works Cited
Costa, Rebecca. (2010). A Pattern of Complexity and Collapse: Why Civilizations Spiral. The Watchman’s Rattle: A Radical New Theory of Collapse. New York: Vanguard Press.
How does it work. (2013). National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. Retrieved April 7, 2014, from http://www.nawcc.org/index.php/just-for-kids/about-time/how-does-it-work
Spring, Joel. (2014). Chapter 8: Local Control, Choice, Charter Schools, and Home Schooling. American Education. (Sixteenth Edition). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Quinn, D. (1997). School Daze. My Ishmael. New York: Bantam Books.
Life is constantly changing, like clouds in the sky; always shifting and turning. People never really know which way life will turn next, bringing them fortune or failure. When you look at how things change it is best to compare it to something that you can relate it to. The changeable nature of life can be related to the novel 'The Bean Trees.' This is a book written almost entirely on dealing with changes in the characters lives.
The United States has proven to be a world leader with their powerful military, democratic government, and stringent foreign policies. There is one category however, the United States struggles to be number one in, education. As shocking as this may sound, the public school system in America is not superior to other developing countries. I have witnessed this scandalous phenomena firsthand, engrossed in the public school system from kindergarten to freshman year of high school. The student body and the school administration is morphing into a nonproductive system with a zombie-like attitude. American students lack academic drive and curiosity compared to European and Asian countries because the standard for academic success is constantly lowered. Americans must reform the school system and change their perspective on how important an education is to the rest of the world.
In the book “Collapse” written and theorized by Jared Diamond, historical societies known for their peril due to environmental and human catastrophes. Jared Diamond analyzes the root causes of failed societies and uses his knowledge to depict today’s warning signs. The main focus of this book is to present clear and undeniable evidence that human activities corrupted the environment. To prove this Diamon used past societies, modern societies, and social business societies as a foundation. The most specific and beneficial theories that Diamond analyzes would be the decline of biodiversity on Easter Island, the deforestation of the Greenland Norse, the mining mismanagements in Australia and big businesses.
Ravitch, Diane. "The Success of Charter Schools is a Myth." 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Document. 20 November 2013. .
The greatest country in the world still has problems evenly distributing education to its youth. The articles I have read for this unit have a common theme regarding our education system. The authors illustrate to the reader about the struggles in America concerning how we obtain and education. Oppression, politics, racism, and socioeconomic status are a few examples of what is wrong with our country and its means of delivering a fair education to all Americans.
Diamond, Jared. Collapse : How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. New York: Viking, 2005. 503-504.
She realized that choice and accountability were not the answer, but that curriculum and instruction were more viable solutions to America’s educational dilemma. Ravitch suggests that to abandon public schools is to abandon the institution that supports our concepts of democracy and citizenship and to the promise of American life (Ravitch, 2011, p. 12-14). The idea of school choice is rooted in Milton Friedman’s essay concerning the government’s role in education. Friedman asserted that society should support and contribute to the maximum freedom of the individual or the family. He maintained that the government should provide vouchers to help support parents financially on their children’s education, which parents could use at the school of their choosing; so long as the school met set standards. Therefore, this creation of choice would stimulate competition, which Friedman believed would increase the development and improvement of nonpublic schools, as well as, create a variety of school options (Ravitch, 2011, p. 115). As a result of the choice movement, the public received three versions of school choice: voucher schools, private schools, and charter schools. Each of these schools receives public funding, but do not operate as traditional public schools, and are not managed by a government agency (Ravitch, 2011, p. 121). Charter schools became the most popular choice of this new
Throughout the day we are constantly checking the time, preparing for the upcoming months, and keeping track of the year. Clocks tell us the time we use as a measurement. It’s how we keep track of those important months and events, such as holidays and birthdays. Although there are many investigations and research being done on the nature of time, many unresolved issues remain.
In a nation dominated by capitalism and free trade, steps are being taken to turn the ability to learn and other education rights into commodities that can be manipulated and controlled by companies. Charter schools are public schools funded by state money, but not unionized; they also can be in the form of a traditional brick and mortar schoolhouse or an online school (Ravitch)(Molnar)(“Preface to 'Are Charter and Magnet Schools Good Alternatives for Students?’”). According to their proponents, charter schools allow parents more sway over their child’s education (Jacoby 77). A charter school proponent Jeff Jacoby states, “Their goal: to build the kind of school that used to be commonplace in America-one providing a rigorous, traditional, fact-based
Raymond, Margaret E. (2014, February 1). To no avail: A critical look at the charter school debate. Phi Delta Kappan, Vol.95 (5) pp.8-12. http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6aa05956-5bfe-43eb-9eec-b90be0fefa60%40sessionmgr113&vid=9&hid=125
Something I have always known since I was a little kid is that the educational system in this country is a complete fraud. American schools claim to live by the ideal of No Child Left Behind, but millions of students get cast aside each and every year. In schools these days, it is obvious which students are the elite—those that are raised up and motivated to go to college—and the ordinary student— those that are somewhat ignored throughout their schooling and are lucky if they even earn a GED. As a recent graduate of high school, and a product of this country’s educational system, I have had the opportunity to develop my own opinions regarding the myth of education in our society. Based upon my observations going through the school system, and the various arguments posed by several authors in “Rereading America”, I strongly believe that schooling in this society caters solely to students in the elite category while ostracizing students that do not live up to the elitist ideal.
Is too much technology taking over our brains to the point where knowledge is not given any place? Ray Bradbury author of Fahrenheit 451 gives a great example of censorship in their society. To summarize Montag is a middle aged fireman who is portrayed as a man who is forced to follow the orders of the government by burning books. First, the society experiences rejection towards books because the government has made them illegal. Then the lack of books affects education because people cannot make decisions for themselves. Lastly, the absence of books in the society has affected humanity because the citizens are suffering depression. Ray Bradbury’s
An estimated 4 million children are currently home schooled with a 15-20% yearly growth rate. According to a California study by researcher Dr. Brian [D.] Ray, 92 percent of school superintendents believe that home learners are emotionally unstable, deprived of proper social development and too judgmental of the world around them. The latest claim against home schooling suggests that home schoolers are potential child abusers. Mr. Ron Barnard, a Holly High School teacher says that he would prefer public schooling for his children because of the peer socialization, extra curricular, and mandated curriculum. Public schooling is more efficient in educating our youth than traditional home schooling.
It seems as though our current technology could replace our fundamental education, such as the power of a calculator. The answer is just a click away. Not to mention our daily reliance on computers. I wonder sometimes how the world operated a couple of decades ago when computers and cell phones weren’t commonly used. I have to admit technology has truly made our lives easier and saved a tremendous amount of our time by its efficiency.
In today’s American society, quality education is important for one to succeed. Without proper education, a person will find it extremely difficult to apply for college, a job, or to pursue his or her dream. Typically when Americans think of education, public education is the first to come to mind. Public education has been around for centuries and is provided to most children throughout the United States. Due to this fact, public education has been the go to education source for years. Though, this trend is slowly changing with many parents deciding to home school their children instead. Many factors are the cause for this issue, but the common arguments arise from a certain few. For students, public school provides many opportunities ranging from social connections, school sports, and the exposure to teachers who are experts in their fields. But homeschooling is often superior because it offers additional time for students to participate in various extracurricular activities and community service, allows for more individual attention, personal character development, and it offers less exposure to discrimination that is received in the public school environment.