After reading Kate Alexander’s article: Expert: Schools Need Additional $6 Billion a Year to Meet Higher Standards, I believe that districts
need to have a clear focused plan in place before anyone can state a specific dollar amount that would be needed to assist in meeting the higher standards. I worry
that without such details, dollars will be wasted and it won’t be long before
we will be reading another story claiming that we just need a new additional
amount of money to solve our crisis.
It really seems like smarter
choices need to be put in place. Something is obviously not working. I don’t claim
to be an expert in the area of education, however, I know from watching the
news and talking with my teacher friends, there are many factors that need to
be addressed. Parental involvement, effective teaching, quality of programs and materials,
looking at places to actually cut costs and equality among schools are just a
few that come to mind.
Can Ms. Moak provide the details
about how she reached this estimated amount and can she explain how this money
will directly impact the performance gap? I know there is evidence that shows
low-income students do not perform as high on the new assessments, but is
anyone stopping to look at what other personal struggles these kids are facing
and what social programs will need to be in place to assist in this area as
well?
I agree we need to put more money into our schools, but this issue has multiple layers.
Isn’t it about time we stop wasting valuable tax dollars and truly try to
target a plan that utilizes every dollar the best way possible?
I was intrigued when I reviewed your post. The post was written by a peer and posted on our class blog page. I consider that to be a credible source. The argument was that if schools need additional money, could they be more specific. The author argued how they came up with that exact amount and how that specific amount will impact the achievement gap. The audience is the general public. The generalization is because most individuals are concerned with education and especially where their tax dollars are going.
ReplyDeleteThe basic argument is regarding the trial of school districts against the State of Texas and an expert named Lynn Moak who spoke claiming schools needed $6 billion a year to meet higher standards. The argument goes further to ask “can they be more specific” as to why that dollar amount and where the money will go.
The assumption that the argument relies on is that the reader already knows how a school district spends money. One value held is regarding the general public and its concern about education. Another value is the general public’s concern where their tax dollars are spent, so much so that they need to know exactly where the money will be used. There is a slight hint that government should regulate how school’s use money given to them. But there aren’t specifics on what government should do.
The argument doesn’t give hard facts. It does use the author’s knowledge about education from watching news and talking to friends that are teachers. The author doesn’t support the argument with evidence.
I believe your argument is successful for me personally because I have knowledge of the current situation with school districts vs. the State. It does convince me because I agree with the factors listed that the author felt needed to be addressed. It doesn’t change my mind about my current beliefs. It actually confirms my current beliefs and reiterates my feelings that we should know how school districts will use the extra money. The author does well to conclude the post with asking a valid question “isn’t it about time we stop wasting valuable tax dollars...” I learned from the argument that I am not the only one concerned about the achievement gap. The argument successfully reinforces my beliefs about education in general.