February 8, 2017 - 14:15
In class we have discussed many issues about our current education system and the future we have in the system. As political issues continue and decisions are being put into play, I think it demands our attention of what to do next? As a future educator my worries are rooted in the future of k-12 education. From market based education to school choice to issues of resources and curriculum- I have concerns. One thing we discussed in class that struck my attention is the topic of money. Education is marketable but how can this become profitable to the right people? In class we made a long list of WHO Is making money off education, when it comes to charters it can be the organization, administrators, and legislators. On a basic level we see money being poured into the laps of those making text books and other necessary school materials. How is it that classrooms resources are hardly meeting standards and yet someone is still making profit? On a basic level I understand how, but what do we do about it? Is there something we can do about it? Last term I worked at a school and there I found classes that had history text books that were OVER ten years old, it is obvious that we have grown (politically, economically, socially, culturally and etc) so much in the past ten years. At places like like my last placement, this is the expectation- sadly not the exception. It frustrates me to see that our educational future seems that it will only be available to those who have the resources and are in the right location. Another worry that stems from the topic of money, is funding. I would love to learn more about how schools are alotted funding. When I visited another school in the same area, I saw a school that is VERY well resourced, and yet it is in the same location and district of my previous placement. How can schools that are 5 minutes away from eachother have such a difference in funding? When I discussed this with one of the faculty members they said that it is based on "need" but how is "need" defined? Who defines this? I think this is a topic that needs to be explored more and is very relevant in a class that focuses on education in American cities.
Comments
who's making money on schools
Submitted by jccohen on February 11, 2017 - 09:38 Permalink
Marykb,
You frame whatI see as a key tension: "How is it that classrooms resources are hardly meeting standards and yet someone is still making profit?" As you say, we can follow the money trail to figure out how this happens and yet it is clearly a mark of dysfunction in a system intended for the public good, so then the question becomes: How can we more deeply understand how this situated comes to be and is perpetuated, and how can that be interrupted?
With regard to your question about the two schools that are geographically close but quite disparate in funding: Might this be because of special education funding for the latter, coming from federal legislation and resulting in larger per pupil and school-wide allotments?
Finally, is there some aspect here that you'd like to pursue for your issue paper?