EDF 1005- Reflection 8

The first wave brought higher standards for teacher and students. As a result, the graduation requirements were difficult, the standards for becoming a teacher were more rigorous and there was more standardized testing to measure student progress. This has been the strongest wave of educational reform. Corporations were upset that they had to make their workers literate and teach them some math. Critics used these low test scores to say they weren't meeting standards. As these state tests got more popular, they used them to pull out teachers they felt were not fit enough, and even to pick on the students with low scores and schools in general. They now issue grades to schools accordingly with their students' standardized test scores! I think this is the most dominant because I have witnessed today, and everyday how classes do continue to get more and more difficult each year. Also, having to go through FCAT, I see how these type of tests are slowly ending up at each state. The second wave began when The Carnegie Task Force on Teaching as a Profession had urged school districts to give "teacher greater voice in school decisions." As a result, in 1987, "school-site management' had been recommended by the National Governors Association. This was more teacher-run, rather than leader-run. The freedom given to the teachers to have more power in the class did bring some issues. For instance, some teacher promoted racism against colored students. The third wave of education reform is a result of poor families that were unable to put their students through well resourced schools. The school voucher and charter school movement came in effect. These gave people the option of alternative schools, rather than just the public school establishment. It is, however, the most ambitious and even adds an element of competition.