Top secret!

An assignment for class:

Attention Martians ; we are flattered that you have selected us to conduct some research based on our educational system. Below are following figures regarding our public education system.

What are our schools like and how did they get that way? A school is a building that students attend to learn general information concerning our world. Students (the learners) are taught by teachers, who are older and more knowledgeable of the subject areas. These subject areas include language, mathematics, and our county's history, among other things.
Our schools are broken down based on districts; which neighborhood children live in determines where they attend classes. About 35% of our districts teach less than six hundred districts, while the 2% of districts with the highest number of kids teach a full third of all students.
How can we tell if the students have learned? America(our country) does not have a nationwide test to determine this, but some states (sections of the country) do. Also, as of 2001 our country has annually tested school district students to weigh and evaluate their progress.
Public schools got to where they are through out history and ethics ; America has had schools throughout most of its history. As a society, we've valued the the education of our young citizens ; after all, by passing on our knowledge to our youth, we can hope to keep our planet running well into the future.

Who are our students? In American society, our students range from age three to nineteen. Sixty percent of them belong to the majority race, meaning that they are of Caucasian descent. (Because the United States was originally founded by white Europeans, anyone living in the country who is not of white heritage is referred to as a minority). A full forty percent of public school students are minorities (Hispanic, black, and Asian heritage...)

Eighty eight percent of American children are enrolled in public schools (Public schools are learning institutions set up by the government and, usually, funded by the state). The remaining percentage of school children go to a privately owned school. Also, more than one third of our students belong to a low income family (In the United States, low income students are those whose families don't own as much as others).

Who are our teachers? The overwhelming majority of our public school teachers are female, and many of them are white. 58% of them have been in the profession for ten or more years, and half of our teachers hold degrees in their certification subject (meaning that they have studied their area intensively). Teachers working in poorer districts, however, tend to be less knowledgeable in their field. (for example, 16% of science teachers in poor areas are out of field, as compared with 5% in richer areas). It's also worthy to note that 33% of teachers leave the profession within the first three years.

Hopefully, this information can be of some use to the Martian race. Any questions...tell us what you think!

So whats new!

The Public Eduaction Primer was very informative and the graphs helped me appreciate the numbers. The article focused on several topics. 1) Where are the students? 2) Who are the students? 3) Who controls the public education? 4) How are the public schools funded? 5) How welll are students achieving? 6) What is the public schoool teachin force like? 7) What other services do public schools offer? All of these questions are focal points that need to be addressed for the future of education.
The first topic that is covered is “Where are the students”? Surprisingly, the facts showed me that the north east had a lower population of students then the south and west portions of the United States. The graph showed about 60% of all students reside in the south or west regions of the United States. I sat for a long time trying to figure these numbers out and could not come up with an answer. As I continued to read, the text stated that in 2003, 38% of students where foreign born and 25% of those were Mexican. This made it all clear to me why numbers would be so large in the south and west.
Another interesting field that the primer focused on was how certain cultures are clumped together in urban areas. One fact that really stood out was that 1/3 African Americans and Latinos attend a school where ¾ of the student population are of low income families. In addition to this, It also stated that only 5% of whites attend a school where ¾ of the student population are from low income families. Because of these dense populations of low income families, many different problems arise. One problem announced in the primer was the turnover rate of teachers in these areas. It states that 33% of teachers leave within the first 3 years of service and 46% leave within the first five years.
This domino effect of facts leads me off into another tangent. The primer states that 9/10 teachers are white and 8/10 teachers are female. This is a problem in its own because the teaching force should somewhat resemble the student body. Maybe this is one of the many reasons young black men have a higher dropout percentage than any other group. The ability to relate to a teacher is one of many qualities that should be exhibited by a student.
So what’s new! The truth is that these problems are just the tip of the iceberg. Yes, these numbers are great to look at but what do they really mean. What can I as a future teacher do to correct these wrongs in our educational system. Truthfully, I feel that no one person can change the system enough to really make a change. These low-income communities need to unite and stand up for what they deserve.
I do feel as though the problem lies within the administrative departments who focus on minuscule topics.