Monday, March 28, 2011

Context -- n. discourse that surrounds a situation and helps to determine its interpretation

To add context to my perspective, I believe that I should elaborate on the circumstances that color my views. Notwithstanding kindergarten and first grade, I have enrolled in a public school system my whole life.

My public school district is of a medium size, consisting of about 2,000 students, and located in  rural central Michigan. Currently, my high school has about 700 students and 160 seniors. Approximately 35% of the students are considered economically disadvantaged. A few years ago, my high school was recognized as a "Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School" for excellent school performance, yet only 21% of the Class of 2010 was deemed college-ready according to ACT determined standards. (I should note that far more than 21% of the graduating class is currently attending college, though I do not know how these student are performing in college.)

My high school, as well as many other high schools in Michigan, receives the majority of its funding from foundation allowances from the state of Michigan. Currently, this foundation allowance is about $7,100 per pupil, but this grant will be reduced this next next year. This grant is one of the lowest allowances in the state, but part of this discrepancy is due to low property values and low property taxes.

Some of the issues present outside the classroom, such as economically disadvantaged students, definitely alter the effect of teaching. As a result of our district's low income and low foundation allowance, state budget cuts often have a direct effect on the quality of classroom education. These cuts quickly translate to large class sizes, upwards of 40 students in a single classroom. At that point, even motivated students have difficulty seeking the help they need. Though our school is technically underperforming, according to ACT standards, these standards fail to account for the context of my school district.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

One Among the Numbers

There were approximately 48 million public school student in the United States of America, from every city, state and country. Per pupil spending in the US averages about $12,121, yet American schools are often critcized for below average result, considering the average spending.

These statistics provide a shocking insight to the general state of the public school system, but they don't provide information about the typical experience. I am among the 48 million students, and I don't believe that my experience is average at all. As a last semester senior, I realize that my education has been much better and, occasionally, much worse than these statistics imply. I hope you will follow my blog as I write about these experiences!