A Teacher’s Involvement on Education Reform Essay

Student achievement is constantly changing. Today’s students are being prepared to face the real world that requires them to have exceeding abilities and knowledge. On the global economic aspect of today, students are asked to understand the fundamentals and at the same time be able to think critically. They must analyze and make inferences. It is the teacher’s task to develop these skills in the students. They must prepare them for any changes in the assessment of the school, especially when this approach is of the large scale and high-stake level. Education in the United States has been reformed countless times – all for various reasons. The changes in the knowledge and skills that are aimed for success go hand in hand with the understanding of how students learn. The relationship between the instruction given in schools and the assessment of the students through exams change the learning goals that are set for them and their schools. Therefore, the need for education reform. 1 Before, society can get by with the basic reading and arithmetic skills. This was during the industrial age. However, we are now in an information age. Individuals are required to have access to the interpretation and analysis of the information that they use in order to come up with decisions. Studies show that the skills and competencies mentioned in the previous sentence are the requirements to succeed in the workplace. 2 To adapt to these changes, the content standards of education – skills, knowledge and behavior of the students – must be achieved at a higher level. This is developed at the national, as well as the state areas of science, mathematics, history and geography. In this process, student assessment is the focus and the center of the efforts on matters concerning educational improvements. The policymakers intend to change the assessment that will allow teachers and schools to have different approaches. Assessment reform is not an excuse for a new regime by teachers. This is targeted to the students with the help of the development efforts of the teachers. These include curriculum reform, improving instruction and getting new instructional materials. A number of policymakers and educators believe that the assessment of the students reflect the lessons that they were taught. It’s true that the assessment influences the format of instruction. Contrary to the understanding of today’s students on how they learn their lessons, the assessments are particularly traditional. Most exams still follow the multiple-choice and the true-false format. These test facts determine the skill in an isolated approach. It seldom requires the students to apply what they really know, making it hard to determine what they are capable of doing in real life situations. The standardized tests do not match the content standards. Relying too much on these kinds of assessment often result to an instruction that only focuses on the basic knowledge and skills. It does not encourage the institution to reform the instruction give to the students. Engaged learning will prepare the students better for the 21st century. That being said, it only makes sense that the tests the students take encourage aggressive learning. 3 â€Å"The notion that learning comes about by the accretion of little bits is outmoded learning theory. Current models of learning based on cognitive psychology contend that learners gain understanding when they construct their own cognitive maps of the interconnections among concepts and facts. Thus, real learning cannot be spoon-fed, one skill at a time. † 4 Educators, policymakers and parents are starting to realize that the basic learning abilities are no longer enough. They need the students to have the skills they learned in school and the abilities they need upon leaving school all at the same time. Schools are expected to assist students in developing these competencies which they will use in real and authentic situations. The establishments are expected to graduate students who have these abilities – students who excel on both the standardized and the alternative assessments. During the last decade, the education community in the United States went through a proliferation of reform efforts that are standardized-driven. Its main objective is to increase the achievement level of the students. They want students from the United States achieve the same level of competitiveness with other industrialized nations. The education community also wants to restore the public confidence in the education. Once these are achieved, then it provides the standards-setting bodies the primary ways on how the classroom teachers can be involved in the reforming process. The federal government is a prominent player in the reforming efforts one educations. It goes all the way back in March 1994 when President Clinton signed the â€Å"Goals 2000: Educate America Act. It was the legislation that created the framework which allowed states to adopt and construct the education reform strategies by incorporating the three Goals principles: 1. ) rigorous academic standards. 2. ) alignment of curriculum, textbooks and teacher education and 3. ) clear incentives to encourage students to strive to meet high standards. Also, in 1987, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or the NBPTS was formed in order to articulate the standards of excellence to what teachers must know and should know. NBPTS has an assessment system that determines the eligibility of the educators for the National Board certification. At the same time, the Council of Chief State School Officers has established the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) to produce the model standards for the initial teacher licensure. INTASC standards are based on NBPTS standards. In 1987, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) started using the revised accreditation standards for teacher education institutions. This also reflects NBPTS standards. It calls for better performance, higher admissions and graduate standards. NCATE encourages the teachers to prepare the reforms on education at a content standard that has appeared from projects such as the NCTMs. There are three kinds of national standards which currently receive attention from the American government. The content standards focus on the curriculum, the performance standards concentrate on the student work and the assessment, and the school delivery standards which centers on the resources and support for the schools, teachers and students. The building figures from the consensus prominently show that the standards- setting movement of the schools and teachers has had de facto standards for the content areas that are mentioned in the Goals. These are affected by the textbook manufactures and the performance standards that are set by the testing companies. In contrast to this, the standards development projects of recent years have tried to get a base of support for a ny academic improvement. The involvement of teacher in the professional standards development can be seen in various areas: 1.  The teachers function as the standards. A lot of members of the NBPTS standards committees are accomplished and celebrated teachers. Classroom teachers are members of the NCATE board and the Standards Committee serve as the team which evaluates the teacher preparation programs. The Standard Project is there to develop the assessment standards. It also serves as the instrument for a national system of voluntary student examination. It engages the teachers in developing the tests items and refining the content standards in order to come up with better scores from the students. 2.  Teachers are the subjects of the fields that are new to test standards. Since they participate in the NBPTS field test, the INTAST assessments are conducted by teachers. 3. Teachers serve as the translators of the content standards. They apply this in a teachable classroom setting. By working with the scholars, the teachers build the contend standards in a state curriculum framework. They come up with lesson plans which are the operations for the standards they intend to meet. 4. Because they bargain units and have professional associations, teachers serve as the initiators of the standards-setting projects.  Take this for example, the Standards for Teacher Competence in Educational Assessment of Students was developed by the American Federation of Teachers, the National Council on Measurement in Education and the National Education Association. 5. Teachers also serve as the critics of the national standards that set the efforts on education reform. The seven model standards that have been developed and supported by the Board of Education have circulated drafts of the standards documents. It also solicits the comment from the teachers and the parents. It is very important that teachers are on the panels in order to oversee the projects. The promotion of students’ critical thinking skills, active engagement in learning and deeper understanding of the subject matter is â€Å"teaching for understanding. † The classroom teachers must be engaged in teaching and understanding the lessons that they teach to the students. The research and the experience are collaborated and are jointly reported. Teachers must also focus on the policy considerations, starting with the perspectives in the classroom and emphasizing on the need for the field-based research that are needed for the multiple contexts of teaching. However, the involvement of teachers also varies on the perception of the school leadership. There are some teachers that perceive the costs of involvement in education reform outweigh the benefits. There are also some teachers who choose to not get involved because it means that this will influence other school policies. With this in mind, this proves that there are two kinds of decisions: the managerial, which is made by the administrators and the technical, which concentrates on the goal. Most teachers prefer being involved in the process than coming up with technical decisions. 7 Then there are some teachers that argue that education reform cannot be imposed on a unilateral approach. Teachers must endorse their new responsibilities and roles, as long as there is a time and enough resources to go about it. Schools depend on the cooperation, relation and interdependence of the staff members that plans such as these must be consistent with the norms that already exist. 8 Schools must also consider the current staff development. There are some models that do not help the teachers in handling the complex reforms that are currently being implemented. Dominant models work perfectly when the specific practices or skills are transferred. The current reforms need teachers to be intellectual. They must grapple the new ways in order to implement the principles and ideas in their daily work. The five steams of reform are challenges to the teachers. 9 Finally, there are the different studies of teachers when it comes to leadership roles. There are conditions that are particularly good prospects when it comes to leadership. By investing in roles that are dignified and not simply powerful, the organizational incentives needed for collaboration results to agreements which protect and separate the interest of the administrators and the teachers. This is a good thing because its final result is that it complies with the policies which support the education reform. Drawing from four different studies of teachers in leadership roles, the author examines the conditions for teacher productivity in schools. Little identifies five conditions as particularly likely to advance or erode the prospects for teacher leadership: define leadership tasks that are important, not trivial; invest leadership roles with dignity, not simply power over others; have organizational incentives for collaboration; avoid agreements that protect the separate interests of teachers and administrators; and have district policies that support teacher leadership, especially those on recruitment, selection, placement, and evaluation of principals. 10 Sometimes it is better to give movie examples. Over the years, there are countless movie releases that show teachers defying the school’s rules in order to provide what is best for their students. In â€Å"Dangerous Minds†, Michelle Pfeiffer encourages her students to read poetry instead of hanging out in the street and ruining their lives by getting involved in drugs, sex and gangsters. In the â€Å"Sister Act 2†, Whoopi Goldberg helms a choir consisting of African American students from the ghettos. Like Pfeiffer in â€Å"Dangerous Minds†, this is the nun’s distraction for the students to make something out of their lives. But a recent movie that depicts educational reform and teacher’s involvement best is the TV movie â€Å"Walkout. † It tells the story of the Mexican-American students in Los Angeles high schools in 1968. They staged a boycott in order to improve the quality of education for Chicanos. Actor-director Edward James Olmos (who plays Jennifer Lopez’ dad in â€Å"Selena) appears and directs in the movie. â€Å"Walkout† was skillfully directed and presented a simple story told in a direct manner. There is a frank portrayal of the unacceptable educational standards in the schools that are attended by the Mexican-American students. In one scene, two Chicano students were slapped on their behinds because they spoke in Spanish. This was only one of the rules in American schools which Mexican-American activists wanted to reform. They want to speak in Spanish whenever they want to because Spanish is their language. For teachers who want a peg in participating in educational reforms, they can look at Sal Castro played by Michael Pena (Jennifer Lopez’ brother in â€Å"Selena. ) He is a dedicated high school history teacher who is the instrument in stirring idealism in his students. He didn’t want them to be violent activists. He encouraged reform but he reminded them that this can be done in a united and peaceful protest. The focal point of the story is Paula Crisostomo (Alexa Vega) who is an exceptional student. She risked her graduation in order to be part of the Lincoln High School walkout. â€Å"Walkout† captures the passion of Paula and her classmates. The parents strongly resisted at the earlier part of the film, but later on they slowly understood the reason behind the activism of their children. The entire cast, played by young performers, is convincing. It is true that â€Å"Walkout† is a film but this is a depiction of something that happened in 1968 which changed history. Because of that walk-out, Mexican-American students are given a voice. The teacher participated in his own way in the education reform his students want granted. Those who watched this movie for the first time were unaware of the Chicano movement of 1968. They were surprised to find out that there was a time Universities kept Chicanos out. Teachers sacrifice their efforts and their time in order to concretize the goals they want for their students. Education reform may not be achieved with just one snap of a finger but that does not mean that teachers should stop trying there and then. For this very reason of reform, teachers and students are more motivated to strive toward success. Education reform is a right that must be made the most out of. It could be better opportunities for the teachers as well as the students. Once the school is presented an option to have an education, then they must seize it. It may be puzzling at first but the absence of education reform can have dire effects on the effective teaching in schools. Research shows that successful schools have reformed their education in relation to the demands of today’s information age. By viewing teaching as the central activity of organizations, more and more educational bodies are encouraging schools to take part of education reform. By proposing the norms, conducts, standards and practices which will serve as the central dialogue and observation of teaching, activities and practices that are related to providing a curriculum and materials needed by the school, students and teachers will be open to the recognition of teacher’s involvement in the whole educational reform process.