Abstract Many students get pressured into doing things that they do not wish to do by others in their age group, especially in the public school setting. Dealing with this problem poses a number of important questions for all those involved. This paper examines why peer pressure is such an important issue and why it is so difficult to handle. It looks at what schools should be doing to curb the problem and the role of parents in finding a solution. Peer pressure needs to be approached from every side of the problem, to be addressed by every party involved, and all possible solutions must be considered.
From the Paper "The pressure from teachers to complete your homework or behave in class in a uniform fashion is not actually any different from the pressure that may be coming from peers to do certain things. Many schools are implementing the use of counselors or student mediation groups on campus to help raise awareness about the pressures students must face daily, and they attempt to establish support systems for students to access if they have concerns about making decisions. However, without a complete change in the way that children are taught to interact with all people, not just other children, these programs are not likely to have a lasting effect on the negative aspects of peer pressure."
Abstract The use of marijuana on college campuses is one of the most contentious issues facing the academic world today. Marijuana is widely used within American society, despite widespread anti-drug lobbies and prevention campaigns. This paper shows that the effects of marijuana have been said to include effects on memory, negative social effects and health effects like cancer, immune damage, and respiratory problems. Additionally, anti-marijuana groups often point to marijuana as a "gateway" drug and note that marijuana use can potentially be dangerous while driving. The paper shows, however, in contrast, many scientists contend that marijuana is largely misunderstood and may have many positive medical uses. Given this debate, it becomes difficult to determine how marijuana use should be regulated or prevented, especially given the stunning inability of current approaches to stop the growth of marijuana use among young people. The paper shows that decriminalization of the drug is one likely candidate, coupled with stiff penalties for driving under the influence of marijuana or selling marijuana to children. The complexities of the political, social, and scientific aspects of this debate ensure that the problem of marijuana use on college campuses will not be easily solved.
From the Paper "Many scientists and drug experts argue that marijuana is a deeply misunderstood drug. In fact, Rosenthal, Kubby, and Newhart argue that marijuana is "one of the most benign substances known to man." They suggest that the current criminalization of marijuana came from needlessly worried parents and liquor and pharmaceutical companies that were worried about losing market share. They argue that most of the evidence against marijuana is either misinterpreted or false. Further, they argue that the government's anti-drug policy is driven by political and social reasoning, rather than any strong scientific evidence of the dangers of marijuana use (Rosenthal, Kubby, and Newhart). Further, Earleywine and Marlatt provide some convincing evidence that marijuana use does not impair the grade of college students who use the drugs."
This paper discusses several court cases reflecting the fact that many people continue to question the right of the schools to allow or not allow students any religious activities within the school setting.
Abstract This paper explains that, while church and state are to be separate, the government continues to play a vital role in deciding what can or cannot be done within the public school system. The author points out that, during the last century, many court cases have specifically defined the First Amendment and addressed key issues where rulings determined what may or may not be done within the school system concerning religious activities or displays. The paper details three major decisions made by the United States Supreme Court regarding state-approved religious activities in schools and their violations against the United States Constitution. These include Everson vs. Board of Education Court (1945), Engel vs. Vitale (1962), School District of Abington Township, Pennsylvania vs. Schempp (1963)
From the Paper "A student is not banned by the First Amendment to participate in the act of praying while at school. Instead, it prohibits public schools from being actually being involved in the prayers or other religious activities of students. Moments of silence in which individual students may choose to pray are constitutional, so long as teachers neither instruct nor encourage students to use the time for prayer. It is also constitutional for educators to teach the curriculum subjects of religious history, literature, and music if presented as academic and not in a devotional manner."
Abstract This research paper gives detailed insights on the types of bilingual programs in the American educational system and their impact on minority students' performance. The paper examines how bilingual educational programs can prepare limited-English students for the competitive society that we live in today.
From the Paper "Moreover, researchers argue that bilingual education benefits not only immigrants, but also all children regardless of socioeconomic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds. For all students, bilingual education "enhances intellectual growth and interpersonal-and intercultural- communication competence", both of which are essential for a successful and meaningful life in today's diverse American community and increasingly interconnected world (P. Ngai, 2002)."
Abstract This paper is basically concerning the importance of making religious subjects compulsory in schools. This report analyzes the pros and cons of it. It discusses that doing so would benefit those children who lack religious knowledge. This report also includes the guidelines in public school for teaching of religion.
Introduction
The Meaning of Religious Education
The Importance of Religious Education
Against Religious Obligation
Guidelines in Public Schools for Teaching Religion
Teaching about Religion in Public Schools
Conclusion
From the Paper "Education plays an incredibly significant part in humanist notion. We suppose that it is the responsibility of every society to make the future enhanced than the present. Education is an asset, not merely or even mostly in a narrow financial sense but also communally as well as ethically. It should endeavor to accomplish as a minimum three basic tasks, the expansion of talents in addition to skills; the development of freedom of thought; and the development in ethical and communal behavior. It is also necessary that children must be trained in a relaxed, pleasant atmosphere to promote them to love as well as be loved, to enjoy a societal life."
Abstract Theory has been formulated, and research has been done to determine the most effective form of teaching practice and classroom management. This paper provides an overview of several of these methods to determine their effectiveness and benefits to students. The paper discusses, among others, explicit instruction, differentiated instruction, and peer-mediated instruction.
From the Paper "This also brings to mind the practice of Cooperative Learning in which the teacher systematically organizes groups of three to six students to work and learn together. This develops stronger social skills as well as improving comprehension of academic material. Varying forms of peer mediated instruction and cooperative learning have been used in a great range of settings over the decades. To be effective they require high expectation levels of the students. There must be clear and focused instruction and frequently require both formal and informal monitoring of the students by the teachers."
Abstract This paper begins with a discussion of the general difficulties faced by students in high school, including scholastic, academic, and social problems. The paper then focuses on the issues faced by kids in sports, especially those who excel in a particular sport. Statistics point out that many start athletes also end up showing more signs of criminal, or at least bad, behavior as compared to other students. The writer explains that this is due to strong peer pressure to appear strong and less interested in academic achievement.
From the Paper "High school athletes usually enjoy a certain degree of social acceptance and automatic peer approval which often accounts for higher levels of self esteem and generally, a more positive self-image than their non-athlete contemporaries (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2001). Their increased level of personal confidence and status shields student athletes from criminal activity of the type that normally results from boredom, and especially, from antisocial crimes linked to feelings of resentment from social rejection, isolation and bullying."
Abstract This paper explains that it is impossible to find the 'correct' philosophy for education because everyone has his or her own ideals as to what is important in education.
From the Paper "Every person is going to hold a different opinion regarding education and what an educated person may be, which derives from his or her own experiences, religious beliefs, culture and attitude towards society. Some situations will elicit conflicting responses from different people. Consequently, it becomes very difficult at times to determine the best educational practice to put into action. In order to define one's educational philosophy, one must ask himself or herself the following questions: What is an educated person? What qualities does an educated person possess? What will one gain from learning? What will one give from learning? Teachers, parents, guardians, politicians, and school superintendents must reach an agreement over what our children are being taught."
Abstract This paper discusses the effects of television violence on children from the perspective of their cognitive and social development. The paper explains these two perspectives as well as arguments that contend that TV has minimal influence on young viewers and then points out that this point of view is generally countered by statistical information such as that found by Leonard Eron, Ph.D., whose studies have shown that children who watched many hours of TV violence when they were in elementary school tended to also show a higher level of aggressive behavior when they became teenagers.
From the Paper "As stated, many scholars and scientists posit the existence of a cognitive window in young children in which they are able to integrate new behavior through experience as dictated by age and brain activity. The left hemisphere of the brain is primarily responsible for integrating language skills, and this critical period of left-brain attenuation is used to explain why children are better able to assimilate language during their formative years. Aside from other implications, this method of research paints a very clear picture of the critical period in terms that are not biologically (in the sense of their mimicking animal function) or process-paradigm based, but instead focus on the actual chemistry and activity of the brain, which is seen to develop new synaptic connections
rather quickly during the critical period and then even out as the child grows older and brain activity is more leveled."
Abstract This paper argues that mainstreaming handicapped children is appropriate and beneficial to all students. The paper also examines existing literature on the topic in order to determine the most effective method of mainstreaming as well as how to improve upon the process.
From the Paper "In education, the practice of teaching mentally or emotionally handicapped children in regular classrooms with non-handicapped children is known as mainstreaming. There has been an increasing interest in this practice since the 1960s due to numerous factors. For example, recent research shows that many handicapped students learned better in regular than in special classes. In addition, there have been charges that racial imbalances existed in special education classes. The federal Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, which states that all handicapped children have the right to a "free and appropriate" education in the ?least restrictive environment,? has been frequently interpreted as supporting the expansion of mainstreaming (Columbia University Press, 2003)."
Abstract Teachers must thoughtfully reconsider how reading instruction is reorganized to rekindle a sense of joy and ownership. Recent evidence seems to point to at least two major concerns, which should be taken into account when reorganizing for effective reading instruction. The first concern is the lack of time spent reading. The second concern is the use of worksheets to manage the classroom. This paper provides a step-by-step analysis of a new reading strategy, which was implemented to counter these two problems and is called 'The Reading Workshop'. The paper covers the theories of educationalists N. Atwell and K. Swift, as well as other experts in the field.
From the Paper "Atwell (1998) introduced the concept of Reading Workshop as variation of what used to be the Individual Reading Program. She did not use basal readers or a literature series. Reading Workshop allowed her students to choose the books they wanted to read, gave them time to read in class, and required them to share their thoughts about books in dialogue journals. Atwell found that her students read more and enjoyed more of what they were reading."
Abstract This essay first explores the issues underlying parental involvement in educational settings for a variety of cultural groups, including African-Americans, Hispanics, families with low socioeconomic status, and other overlooked groups. The paper then looks at ways in which educators and administrators can increase parental involvement in the classroom as a means of creating a stronger school community.
From the Paper "A 2004 study by Hill et al. found that parent involvement in school from 7th through 11th grade helped decrease behavioral problems, which in turn related to achievement and aspirations. However, this was only the case for parents with higher educational levels themselves. For the lower parental education group, the only aspect classroom involvement helped was with aspirations. One reason for this result may be a cyclical process identified in a study by Englund et al. (2004) Parents who themselves are well-educated will provide better instruction to their children prior to schooling. This educational support early in life correlates with a higher IQ, and a higher IQ increases parent expectations for their child and parent involvement in the classroom."
Abstract This paper explains that the officially named Elementary and Secondary Education Act, called the "No Child Left Behind Act", was signed into law by President Bush in 2002 and sought to improve education by making states accountable for the performance of their students on standardized tests. The author contends that a Marxist analysis of the premises behind and the application of the "No Child Left Behind" Act shows that the law addresses the problem of the achievement gap from the wrong perspective; the underperformance of disadvantaged children is blamed largely on the failure of the educators, ignoring the many sociological factors of inequalities, which are built into the American educational system. The paper relates that racism interferes with the cognitive development of young disadvantaged students early in the education process; the law does nothing to help economically disadvantaged minority schools become equal with more affluent school districts.
Table of Contents
Karl Marx and Social Inequality
No Child Left Behind Act
Overview of the Law
The Achievement Gap
Addressing the Achievement Gap
Conclusion
From the Paper "One of the key features of the "No Child Left Behind" Act was to ensure that all students must show proficiency in math and reading by the 2013-2014 school year. Schools must show a yearly progress report towards this goal. This holds true especially for English language students and special education students. School districts that continuously fail to post improvements will face sanctions. Principals and teachers in such "underperforming" schools could be suspended, removed or replaced. The "No Child Left Behind" Act also makes provisions allowing state to take over underperforming schools. Additionally, federal funding could be withheld for underperforming schools."
Abstract This paper describes how John Dewey's life and work in philosophy contributed to the field of education. The paper begins with a look at Dewey's early years and college-age years and what influenced him during these years and then goes on to discuss Dewey's views on social philosophy, psychology, logic, and ethics. The paper concludes with a discussion of his philosophy of education.
From the Paper "John Dewey was born on October 20, 1859, the third of four sons born to Archibald Sprague Dewey and Lucina Artemesia Rich of Burlington, Vermont (Field, 2001). Dewey's childhood years in Vermont played a role in shaping his later thought and theories. For, the Vermonters of those days were educated as much by industrial and agricultural activities, as they were by the local school. This led Dewey to realize that the most important parts of his education, until he entered college, were obtained outside the school-room. Dewey then used this realization to focus, both in theory and practice, on occupational activities as the most effective approach to genuine learning and personal intellectual discipline (Dewey, Harris, & Mccluskey, 1958, p. 178)."
Abstract This paper explains that the attention and memory processes are both complex and little understood and that these processes undergo different stages of development in the early years. The paper also highlights the importance of the teacher's role in the development of the memory and attention processes in young children and describes methods teachers can use to foster this development in their students.
From the Paper "Attention and memory are two primary psychological processes that have been studied extensively. Presently, they still exist as only theories about how attention and memory operate, what structures are involved, and especially how the complicated processes actually work. In many ways, it reminds us that our present knowledge about how the brain operates is still a bit of a mystery. All children go through the same stages of human development, albeit in their own unique way. It is up to us as educators to be in tune with those stages to best assist them in their growth."
