Education holds fast to the status quo, while at the same time constantly changing, as it is influenced by society and seeks to change society. A professional educator needs to stay informed and form opinions on those issues and trends that emerge in education. Therefore, you will select an educational issue of interest to you, examine it, and write a paper discussing these points:
1. What is the issue? Describe, in detail, what the issue is, and what it is related to (ex: school governance, finance, curriculum and assessment, teacher preparation, school reform, school and society, etc.).
2. What do a variety of educational experts think about the issue (what causes it or what should be done about it). Research several opinions and compare and contrast these. For an exemplary grade, you’ll need to use five sources.
3. What do you think should happen or be done about this issue? Again, describe in specific detail and give reasons to support your recommendations.
Possible choice of educational issues can be (but are not limited to): Technology Usage and Trends; Equity (fairness across school systems); School Safety; School Choice; Standards (NCLB, Common Core, Race to the Top); Funding; Accountability (like Every Student Succeeds Act); Discipline; Chronic Absenteeism; Supporting Undocumented Students; etc. Get your topic/issue approved by me.
This paper should be a minimum of 3 pages, typed and doubled-spaced. It should also include a “Works Cited” page to document the sources used for your research on the issue. Use the GTCC Library page for research and citation help.
Criteria for assessment of this paper:
• Inclusion of responses to each question/section
• Quality of responses to each question/section
• Quality and amount of research on the educational issue
• Use of correct grammar, spelling, and writing conventions
• Inclusion of an MLA or APA Works Cited page
