Funding for Education

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses funding for education in the United States. It incorporates a paradigm shift in American education, one which gives the image of choice to parents and children, and reduces schools from their current large, monolithic, bureaucratic and procedures-oriented paradigm to a small, diverse, experimental and self-directed paradigm. The paper calls for a fundamental shift in education thinking. Rather than a coercion model, in which children are obligated to attend a certain school, the model will be a "demand-pull" paradigm, in which children and their parents choose to send their child to a certain school for the specific advantages that that school offers.

Outline:
Introduction
Changing the Meme
The Historical Meme: Education was a Bulwark of Democracy
Paradigm Shift: Failure of one meme
Paradigm Shift: Rise of another meme
Vouchers
Home Schooling
Charter, Magnet and Other Schools
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The theories of the central role of education in our democracy has been expanded upon by John Dewey and his followers in the early 20th century. Dewey argues that education plays a key role in open-mindedness. Prior to making humans more efficient and effective, it is important to ground their moral and intellectual capabilities. Dewey felt that the functions of education were to produce moral, thinking and curious individuals who could engage in discussion (preferably face-to-face) with others. Such dialogue was necessary to analyze current political events, to convince other individuals and groups of the 'rightness' of one's cause, or to change one's mind in case of a better-realized solution, and to implement new ideas through political consensus based on an open discussion of the need for change and how to arrive at it "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Chaddock, G. (2006, June 21). US high school dropout rate: high, but how high? Christian Science Monitor , p. n.p.
• Dawkins, R. (1976). The Selfish Gene. In R. Dawkins, The Selfish Gene (p. Chapter 11 "memes"). New York: Oxford University Press.
• Dobbs, M. (2005, April 21). NEA, States Challenge 'No Child' Program. Washington Post .
• Ehrich, R. (2007). The Impact of School Size. Retrieved December 9, 2007, from Virginia Tech: http://delta.cs.vt.edu/edu/size.html
• Kozol, J. (2007). Third World Traveler. Retrieved November 20, 2007, from Third World Traveler: http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Third_World_US/JonathanKozol_page.html

More papers on Funding for Education:

• Research Paper # 90952 : " Dispersing Funds for Education"
• Essay # 70851 : "Funding for Private Schools"
• Term Paper # 127148 : "Funding for American Public Education"

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