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Chapter Six

Contemporary Trends and Issues in Education

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Teaching Students with Special Needs

Students who require special services for academic, physical, or behavioral needs may be mainstreamed into regular classrooms with two teachers working together.
Inclusion classrooms offer all students

significant possibilities. The inclusion teacher works closely with the regular classroom teacher.

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The Inclusion Classroom

Inclusion: Students with disabilities are in a “regular” class whole day
Pros and cons- helps or hurts “regular” students?
Mainstreaming: Students are in regular class for part of day
Special education: Segregated class
Stigmatizes and inhibits growth?
Why is there a disproportionate # of minority boys?
How is the special education assessment made?

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Individualized Educational Program

Plan describing academic goals, services school will provide, and assessment strategy for each student with disabilities
Created through collaboration of teachers (general ed. & inclusion specialist for that class), school psychologist, administrators, student’s guardians

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Gifted & Talented Students

Learn differently from peers:
Usually they learn faster and understand at more complex level
Often demonstrate special creativity
Inclusion students can also be gifted and

talented!

Fewer poor & minority students identified
Parents less likely to demand inclusion
Students had fewer experiences that convey sense of “giftedness”

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Gifted & Talented Programs

Enrichment: Broadens curriculum
Classroom-based activities to expand on unit
Acceleration: Speed through curriculum, students may skip grades, graduate early
Segregated grade-level classes
Advanced placement classes (college credit)
International Baccalaureate Program

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Differentiated Instruction

Uses a variety of strategies to meet different learning needs- represents good teaching!
Differences affect:
What students need to learn
Pace of their learning
Level of support needed
Students learn best when:
Supportive adults encourage them
The curriculum connects to their interests, lived experiences
They feel respected & part of community
Learning opportunities are natural outgrowths of the classroom community.

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Cooperative Learning

Project-based: Students tackle a complex realistic task (often constructing something);

Problem-based: Students solve real problems
In both approaches:
Students collaborate in small teams, direct learning
All answers are respected and analyzed
Focus is on an engaging, complex, real-life issue
Students gain new academic, thinking, & social skills
Adds creativity & depth to study of subject

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No Child Left Behind Act

The major goal was to close the achievement gap between poor, minority students & white middle-class students;
Instituted annual state and school report cards based on standardized test scores.
If schools don’t make “annual yearly progress”:
Schools provide additional services (free tutoring)
Schools must take corrective actions
Students can transfer to better-performing school in district
States & school districts given unprecedented flexibility in spending federal $
Federal $ targeted to support programs and methods scientifically proven to improve student achievement

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NCLB Results

Fostered culture of test preparation
Annual standardized tests in math & reading for grades 3-8, but tests aren’t “standard”
Narrowed curriculum, teaching practices
Widened gap between low- and high-achieving students!
Went back to being called the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 2010

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Rise of Charter Schools

Charter exempts school from certain rules, school produces set results by deadline
Goal: Innovative education, often for targeted populations
State or local ed. agency grants charter
Publicly funded schools
Teacher certification standards vary
40 states have charter school laws
No clear evidence of success; supported by 2010 Race to the Top Federal Grant Competition.

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Homeschooling

Most homeschooling families are white, middle or upper-middle class, religious, well-educated
1/3 chose because of school environment (safety, peer pressure, drugs); 1/3 to give religious ed.
Can parents adequately teach in all subjects?
Range of curricula from companies via the Internet
Do kids gain social skills?
Study reported 71% of homeschooled grads were active in the community vs. 37% of traditionally educated students.

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Middle Schools in Transition

1980s: Many junior highs converted to middle schools to better serve young teens with interdisciplinary team-teaching

Research showed K-8 yields better academic & social success
Many middle school teachers aren’t certified in subject area

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Violence in the Schools

% of students aged 12-18 who reported being victims during past 6 months (“Violent crimes” includes “serious violent crimes”)

Source: Dinkes, R., Cataldi, E.F., Kena, G., and Baum, K. (2006). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006. NCES 2007-003/NCJ 214262. Washington, DC: U.S. Departments of Education and Justice. Figure 3.1, p. 15.

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Creating a Climate of Safety

Emotional climate
Establish a culture of respect
Deal quickly with everyday teasing, bullying
Create connections between adults & students
Break the code of silence
Involve everyone in school in creation of “emergency response” policies & practices

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Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

Refers to students’ abilities to manage their emotions, develop caring and concern for others, make responsible decisions, establish positive relationships, and handle challenging

situations effectively.

SEL skills are explicitly taught through planned, systematic, and evidence-based classroom instruction.

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Students’ Rights

Safety
Privacy
Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA): School must protect confidentiality of students’ educational records
A.k.a. “the Buckley Amendment”
Students & parents can review records
Can challenge content, insert explanation into file
Exercise some control over disclosure
For more information about FERPA

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Students’ First Amendment Rights

Free expression:
Balance between individual’s rights & school’s need to maintain productive learning environment
Speech cannot disrupt learning
School newspapers can be censored
District can impose dress code
Freedom of religion:
In general, schools must be neutral

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Teachers’ Rights

Safety
Academic freedom
Freedom of expression
Privacy: Limited; if private actions affect integrity of school or hamper teacher’s effectiveness, teacher may be disciplined
These rights are limited by context: The teacher’s responsibility to students

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Teachers’ Responsibilities

Take reasonable precautions to keep students safe;
Report suspected child abuse/neglect!

Watch the TeachSource Video Case, “Legal and Ethical Dimensions of Teaching: Reflections from Today’s Educators”
In what ways are the “rules of the classroom” meant to support students’ First Amendment rights?”

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Conclusion

Trends often have long lasting impacts on teaching and learning! You will likely encounter:
Exceptional learners
An inclusion classroom
Project- and problem-based learning
Standards-based accountability
Issues related to students’ rights and safety
Families choosing alternative schooling (charter schools, homeschooling)
Issues surrounding social and emotional learning.