Two months ago, Secretary Arne Duncan accompanied President Obama to Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va., when the President made his nationally televised Back to School speech and challenged students to work hard and graduate. This month, Duncan will have a chance to check in on Wakefield students and find out how they are responding to the President’s challenge, as they gather for a national town hall for students.
Duncan will host the town hall in a special edition of the Department of Education’s television program, Education News Parents Can Use, live from Public Broadcasting System station WETA on Tuesday, December 15, at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. Throughout the hour-long event, he will take comments and questions from the students in the studio audience and around the nation via telephone, email, and video. The show will also feature an update on the Department’s “I Am What I Learn” student video contest.
Details about the special town hall for students on Education News are at www.ed.gov/edtv.
Students can contribute to the conversation right now by submitting a question or posting answers to one or more of the questions below. We’ll feature as many responses as we can on the December 15 program. Students may also call the show during the live broadcast at 1-888-493-9382, between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. Eastern.
Here are the questions:
• How can students assume responsibility for their own education?
• How can we do a better job of preparing students for college and careers?
• How can we encourage more students to become involved in community service and civic life?
• Who and what are the most important influences on today’s young people?
ED Staff
100 Comments
My son is currently in private school and has been since 2nd Grade. I tried public school but found the guidelines and lesson plans inflexible to meet the needs of my son. Because the public system couldn’t meet what I wanted for my son, I feel my portion of the taxes going into the public school system should be used to pay his tuition in whole or in part through a voucher program or something similar. What are the opportunities to institute such a program in the next year or two?
I am most interested in Secretary Duncan’.s call for a national conversation on values as proposed at Chicago on October 7,2009
Is there any follow up on this? There is little chance of improvement in education if values are not addressed. The schools can be a key facilitator for this with very little strategic effort.
I grew up in the inner-city in the mid 1970’s on into the 1980’s.
screen all teachers to be sure they have a love for our children in order to properly teach them, 9) stricter requirements for a child to pass to the next grade. In other words, if the child flunks the 4th grade he or she stays in the fourth grade until they meet the necessary requirements to go to the next grade. 10) Help some business owners develop an Internship Program for High School (10th-12th graders) students to learn something about the workforce. Give these students a Stipend and a hope to get hired part-time after they successfully graduate high school. If it wasn’t for the Job Training Program back in 1986 that trained me and got me ready for the workforce and the teacher who took time out to teach me the little things about interviews.
I personally don’t believe that there is a legislation available to cure some of the social ills in the inner-city. Why? First of all, you can’t legislate morality. All social behavior first begins at home then in the public school system. Secondly, you can’t legislate parenting. Parents have given their right(s) to parent to state, local and federal government. In my days, we didn’t need the government to tell us what to do our parents were the law. Also, the absentee father is a challenge in the inner-city. A child needs both parents for balance and structure. Also, we have too many young people (teens) having children who don’t have a clue as to how to train a child.
Thirdly, we’ve taken prayer and the pledge of alliegance out of school. We cannot have strong school system without God (Jesus) and love for our country. Our public schools have become a reflection of the prison system. Fourthly, we’ve lost our love for children i.e. family. You can’t teach some thing you don’t have a genuine love for. Therefore, our children don’t know nor understand what love is and the cycle is repeated when they become adults. We protect animals rights but what about human rights. When I grew up we had a love for our american history and black history. We looked up to the great men and women (black and white) of the past. Our children don’t have any true role models today like Malcom X, Dr. King, Marcus Garvey, JFK, RFK. Here’s my solution: 1). Get more men involved in the public school system who have a love for children, 2) bring prayer back into schools, 4) corporal punishment reimplemented, 5) give parents back their rights to discipline their child, 6) bring the pledge of alleigance back, 7) Get more of the “Baby Boomers” involved in educating this generation,
Thank for your time and patience,
Adam
I have many ideas and many concerns. Here are a few of both:
* American History needs to include the folks who were already here before the Europeans arrived on Roanoke Island…a full inclusionary history of their existence, their lifeways, their removal, their present existence…in every state, mandated as an integral part of the curriculum, every day.
* Personal Finances Core Knowledge for all: to include bill paying, budgeting, insurance needs and how-tos, taxes, buying a car, renting an apartment, buying a house, etc…basically all those things we as adults all NEED to know but were never taught in school.
* Mandatory service learning for middle schoolers, co-ops for high schoolers, internships for college aged students
* Mandatory grade school adopt-a program with Outdoor Education centers, whether it is a National Park, an environmental ed center, a historic site…
* Technology as a tool and not as a replacement for learning.
* Mastery schools, not testing schools…
I am a college educated mother of 1, with a second child due in February 2010. My husband is faculty at a known university, and we relocated to the area for his employment. I left a middle management position to relocate and to start a family. I am currently taking classes part-time at the community college nearby in preparation for application in the Radiologic Technology program. The program is not offered at the university where my husband teaches, and besides, there is no benefit/tuition assistance for spouses of faculty. I am ineligible for Pell Grants/Perkins Loan because of my completed bachelors degree. We do not live beyond our means, and are still paying off student loans from both our educations. We would like to know what resources are available for me to return to school and pay for daycare for both children starting next fall 2010? What grants/scholarships are available? We consider my continued education as a good investment for not only our family, but for the country. There are educated, professional Moms like myself who plan to return to the workforce, and will need assistance in getting there. We represent a large number of the overall population who are willing and able to work and be competitive, especially in fields that are in demand (such as healthcare). We simply do not make enough money to return to school and be able to pay for daycare.
I would really like to see someone discuss the National Debt and explain to the kids that it’s gonna be up to them and their kids to pay all this off! Also, you should explain that Social Security will no longer be around because the Government keeps taking money from it and aren’t putting any back.
Dear Secretary of Education Duncan
We first want to thank you for visiting one of the schools in Rhode Island and speaking with the staff. We are writing regarding the Race to the Top. As parents of two school aged children we are concerned about current and future parent involvement in the school systems. As we read through the Race to the Top priorities, we noticed no reference that parents are being involved in the decision making or policy changes of their child’s education. As parents, we believe that education starts at home and we are responsible for our child’s educated. There needs to be an integration of parents into the two most important components of teacher’s educational life, the hiring and evaluation process. Parents need to continue to improve the partnership with their school for their children’s education. School personnel need to encourage and engage interested parents in meaningful two-way conversations. We have had many opportunities to be involved in our children’s education. Our children have a better understanding of what they need for their future; as well they understand why we are interested in every aspect of their education. By being partners with the various schools our children attended, our influence has helped to shape their lives as well as the lives of other children in our community. Because of Law 1118 we have been able to be active and involved in our children’s education, it has been a very long and windy road but an extremely rewarding one.
We encourage you to continue the refinement of Law 1118 and push for more involvement of parents. Parents are the “customers” of the teachers in our schools and as such they should be empowered to evaluate and promote the achievements of those teachers that are pushing our children to greatness. In the same token those parents should also be empowered to reject those teachers that because of tenure are lacking the motivation to stimulate and cultivate our children.
We as primary caregivers and educators for our children, strive to become the role models that will influence the decisions they will make for their future.
Because of the formula used to grade schools under NCLB my son is now attending a “D” school. It is a wonderful school and well known for its superb science magnet. Now his friends plan to transfer out because they can’t handle the stigma. Educated people used to know that it is self defeating to label people or places,yet NCLB has institutionalized the process. It is hard to believe that the Obama administration condones this stupidity. The practice of labeling veteran teachers as “low performers” because they are in an urban school is also questionable and leads to the same problem. What sane teacher would voluntarily risk his or her career at a high performing school and take a chance with low-level learners? The students and common sense are no longer in the equation. Please address this issue.
I am a current senior at a public university in the United States, and after reading this blog post, I think it asks several good questions, but I wonder whether any work is actually being done to answer them. We have heard talk of education reform and financial support for students for years, but I, like many students, doubt the realization of these reforms. In fact, the price of a my college education (like that of most others) continues to steadily increase each year. College is extremely expensive, an even more painful reality given the current state of the economy, and without financial help many students are forced into outside jobs and excessive borrowing. At least a basic bachelor’s degree is necessary to compete in the job market at this point, but affordability and a limited income stop many from being able to attend college at all, let alone take advantage of many of the opportunities that exist there. It is true that there can be many rewards that come with earning a college education, but we may have lost sight of the sacrifices people are having to make simply to attend and compete.
According to US News and World Report in an article titled, “The Surprising Causes of Those College Tuition Hikes,”: “At public colleges, tuition has generally been driven up by rising spending on administrators, student support services, and the need to make up for reductions in government subsidies.” Furthermore, the article goes on to say, “After analyzing income and spending statistics that nearly 2,000 colleges reported to the federal government, it was concluded: Students are paying more and, arguably, getting less in the classroom.”
Increased tuition costs, coupled with highers costs for housing, utilities, books, food, etc. makes it harder and harder for students to stay financially solvent and still take advantage of their college education and the opportunities that accompany it. For a student to take responsibility for his/her education, that student must make the most out of the opportunities and resources available. This certainly means studying in/for classes and working with teachers to learn and grow as much as possible. But it also means that the expensive classroom education must also be supplemented with other university opportunities: student organizations, studying abroad, sports and intramurals, etc. These unique opportunities teach students just as much, if not more, about the real world as anything they learn in a classroom. Unfortunately, with the cost of a “basic” college education rising steadily by the year, many students are forced to let these opportunities, with their additional costs, pass them by. The result is detrimental to all students: fewer students are able to take advantage of these “extra” experiences, which means less student involvement, less student learning, and less diversity among those students that are still able to stay involved. This lack of involvement and diminished diversity among involved students negatively affects the education of all college students (both those participating and those who are unable to participate).
Again, the ideas of community involvement, civic engagement, and increased personal responsibility for an education are all very important. But, I believe that all of these ideas about progressive education can only begin to become reality once we have addressed some of the basic difficulties with earning an advanced degree in the first place, namely affordability.
First, I would like to applaud Secretary Arne Duncan for the work he has done in the Department of Education thus far. It is critical that this nation have leaders in education that are honest and straightforward with our students; we cannot tell them they are doing well when they are not. In an increasingly interconnected global economy, American students are no longer competing with their American peers for jobs and education-they are competing with peers from around the world. We must keep challenging our students rather than making excuses for them. Our children are our greatest and most precious resource for the future of this nation.
Second, changes in education cannot happen without collaboration. I encourage schoold administrators, teachers, parents, students and all citizens to partake in the national discussion about the state of education in America. These town hall meetings and online forums are a good place to begin this effort.
Hello, My Name is Jasmine M, and i am a freshman at Wakefield high school in Arlington, Va. As i listen to Mr.Obama’s speech On Education i was really inspired and that i can do anything i set my mind to. I am also responding to Mr.Obama’s challenge. I ask my teachers for more help compared to last year where i would just sit in the classroom and not ask for help when i don’t understand. Mostly because i was shy and had a lack of self confidence. But That has change i am constanly asking questions and particpating more. Some day i Hope to attend Princeton or Harvard. I also hope to work for the United Nation in the field of humanitarian affairs and one day become The First African American Woman President of the United States and i know i can do it IF I SET MY MIND TO IT.
Why do the Philippine children get $5 million dollars while I have to borrow money in order to pay for higher education that will have me in debt for the rest of my life?
How do we get highly qualified teachers if we pay them poorly. Starting out salary for a teacher could be as low as 25,000 a year. The tax payers pay dearly to the school taxes. But the teachers are not being paid appropriately. Students that would make outstanding teachers usually don’t go to college to be teacher, because they want high- paying jobs like politicians,doctors,nurses or how about a football or baseball player? Its ridicules how much pro athletes get paid and actors also belong with these highly overpaid people that sometimes very bad influnces on our children. To turn this country around we need to pay teachers,policemen,firemen,emt’s and our military personell the salaries of pro ball players and actors and some rap stars. Also they all need combat pay especially most intercities school teachers. The pro athletes and actors need to be paid less. This is the american peoples fault,they care more about sports and stars than their childrens education. You can write as many acts and laws that you want but if the americans don’t step up and take responsibility for their children and their actions. The United States of America is going to go to hell in a made in china basket!!
My husband and I are a middle class hard working(2 jobs each), tax payng, insurance paying with 2 daughters. Where is the financial help for us? We have one daughter who has already graduated from a 4 year college and has a $15000.00 debt to show for it even with the help of some scholarship money. Her current hourly wage with this degree is $10.00 an hour. Not even enough to live on. We have another daughter entering college who has been unable to land any scholarships and once again we don’t qualify for financial aid, even though we too just make ends meet! There has GOT to be some help for the middle class somewhere… where?
I’m a junior in high school and I’m curious on what our President’s idea is on education issues facing many students in this nation. Does he plan oh throwing money at this situation like he has everything else so far, or is he thinking of good solutions bipartisanly. I believe we need not only bipartisan collaboration, but also high school student and college student collaboration with our politicians. I mean, who better to express the issues facing students than us students ourselves? I want to know when Obama plans on increasing funding to schools so that I won’t have to pay for my entire college education, which is what it looks like right now. I want to know why no Child Left Behind is still in effect if it is so flawed. Sure, every child derseves an education, but what about those who do not wish to pursue it? Our President says that we are behind other countries; I agree. We should do what they do: keep those in schooling who want to learn and put the rest in the workforce. I want Obama to raise our teacher’s salaries. They and all the other public servants deserve the entertainer’s salary for all that they do to educate myself and my classmates.
Dear Secretary of Education Duncan:
Thank you for taking the time to listen to the taxpayers comments about education. I would like you to address issues of paying the college bill after college graduation. On http://www.consumeraffairs.com website (as of 11/13/09) there were 69 pages of complaints from every day hard working educated Americans who are struggling to pay their college loans.
These citizens followed the plan you are endorsing for their future success. They did well in school, made it through college and sought their professional careers only to find out jobs were not available or their salary earned could not pay the college loan.
Furthermore, many of those hard working college educated people and/or their parents are now stuck with high college loans, high interest rates, and accumulated interest rates (through forebearance or deferrment provisions). Everyday they are falling deeper and deeper into financial despair and there is no help. Even bankrupcy laws have been stacked against them.
I have not added my story to the 69 pages of complaints on the consumer affairs website yet, but will. My husband and I have been paying on student loans for 15 years and the amount we currently owe is more than the original loan 15 years ago. The original loan was for $35,000. We have paid $38,000 and now owe nearly $50,000.
Both my husband and I unexpectedly had our jobs eliminated in 2008 because of the recession. As skilled senior citizens, we are not being hired for skilled or unskilled work. We could file for bankrupcy to help solve some of our financial problems. But, as you know, student loans can not be bankrupt. Student loans only grow larger when you can’t afford to make payments.
So, Mr. Duncan, as you look at education, please don’t overlook the back end of the spectrum. Many of us who followed the American Dream – the education plan for success are actually ensnared by college debt with no way out.
Thank you for considering my comments for discussion. Any solutions you can promote for the issues I raised will be appreciated by many Americans. It would be wonderful if the bankrupcy laws regarding the student loans could be changed.
I agree with Nora. I was the first in my family to attend college and it was very expensive. I finished my degree, started teaching, and have continued my education as I am now working toward administrative licensure. I have yet to pay off my loans. I am always hearing about forgiveness programs for teachers that started teaching after 1998…what about the rest of us? Anyone willing to work in public schools for the salaries that are being paid, to make a difference for children, should have their loans forgiven regardless of when they began to teach. Mr Duncan…Please address this!
thank you
I was fortunate enough to go to what I would qualify as a great public high school. My high school had so many opportunities allowing students to find subjects they are passionate about. We had a diverse list of classes. I have always been personally interested in history and government, but for many students this is not the case. Our high school offered courses such as history in pop culture as well as a religion course so students could diversify their schedules and take classes that might be closer to their interest area. The same was the case with our science department. Not only did we have biology, but we had courses such as anatomy, genetics and astronomy. This diverse list of classes was paired with afterschool opportunities which enhanced what students were learning during the school day. It was a requirement of our government class that we attend at least three local government meetings. A program entitled We the People also allowed students who were interested in the government to further pursue these interests outside the classroom. These are the types of opportunities that get students engaged and interested in their education.
I counted *maybe* five student comments posted here and NONE addressed your questions (below):
Students can contribute to the conversation right now by submitting a question or posting answers to one or more of the questions below. We’ll feature as many responses as we can on the December 15 program. Students may also call the show during the live broadcast at 1-888-493-9382, between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. Eastern.
Here are the questions:
• How can students assume responsibility for their own education?
• How can we do a better job of preparing students for college and careers?
• How can we encourage more students to become involved in community service and civic life?
• Who and what are the most important influences on today’s young people?
______________________________________________________________________
So I will.
1. How can students assume responsibility for their own education?
Students must be taught skills of responsibility, starting with modeling by adults in their life…continuing through structured goal-setting activities…organization skills…and on to evaluation/demonstration activities which they are involved in planning. Once they learn required skills, they can be rewarded for being responsible and/or held accountable when they don’t measure up.Students lacking this modeling will need more support than students who experience responsibility in all aspects of their life.
2. How can we do a better job of preparing students for college and careers?
Integrate curriculum. Learning makes more sense to kids when connections to other knowledge can be made. We have lost that in the era of NCLB. And we can still keep standards to meet…just not in isolation.
Create multiple pathways/goals for students’ graduation…all of them rigorous. Have it kick in at about age 10 or so…be flexible until age 12 (to be sure the child has made a good personal choice)…and then be the student’s committed choice after that. Some kids may choose science/math, others may go into writing/journalism, others to a third choice. It’s important to design these pathways well…for areas students will need to work in in the future. When they finish, they are job-ready or college ready…but THEY have some buy-in to their future goal (not just their teacher or their parents). Make them all HAVE to graduate to drive. They won’t like it, but…
Ungraded schools at the elementary level. As some have said here, mastery of concepts should be required to move on. It’s WAY more complicated than that…but clearly passing kids from grade to grade does not work.
3. How can we encourage more students to become involved in community service and civic life?
Model it from an early age and provide opportunities throughout life. My granddaughter goes with her parents to help serve food at Thanksgiving…that kind of thing. Schools can provide similar modeling and experiences…add parental involvement and BINGO!
4. Who and what are the most important influences on today’s young people?
Rich sports figures, musicians TV/movie actors. As a teacher I don’t think they are the most important but the kids do. That will take a societal paradigm shift to change, but it needs to be done. Good luck!
Secretary Duncan has done a great job thus far as Secretary of Education, which mirrors his fantastic accomplishments as CEO of Chicago’s Public School system. His desire for an aggressive educational agenda for young people to become more prepared for higher levels of learning and the workforce illustrates his true understanding of what is needed in our current education, and economic, systems. Especially in the current economic state, Secretary Duncan realizes a strong education is the best way to obtain a job, and this town hall for students allows him to track how well students are comprehending the importance of an education. I look forward to hearing some of the questions/responses…
In the meantime, one of the questions I found to be most interesting was, “How can we encourage more students to become involved in community service and civic life?”
As a former Catholic school student, I can attest to the importance of community involvement. We were required to complete a certain number of volunteer hours each month or were penalized by a letter grade. This instilled in me, from a rather young age, the importance of helping others. A requirement such as this also keeps young people out of trouble, much like involvement in extracurriculars – another very important aspect of student life. Furthermore, I feel this experience was a driving factor in my current role as Congressional intern. Certainly work in the classroom is hugely important, but the time spent out of the classroom may be just as influential in shaping a young person’s future.
Secretary Duncan.
I am a 43 year-old family man who wishes to return to college to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees. I currently earn just enough to provide decent accommodations for my family, but earn too much to qualify for any type of aid. I therefore ask: How can working parents follow those dreams that they once held as graduating seniors from high school?
Hello Secretary Duncan. My name is Colleen and I am homeschooled. For the past 2 years, I have taken all my courses through the virtual HS. Although I am 8th grade, I am able to take other courses that are reserved for high school students. I also have the opportunity to “study and learn” in everyday environments when I travel with my parents. While I sometimes miss having friends to interact with everyday, I do not want to be confined with lectures, sitting in a desk all day, not being challenged, and not being able to learn outside a classroom. Can’t we make school more interesting and exciting for kids? I think if we did, more kids would want to go and more would want to go on to college, too.
I posted a comment with my own question, but here is my answer to the standard questions.
1) How can students assume responsibility for their own education? Students don’t have answers. We need some guidance. Tell us how, give us some freedom to express ourselves, and take away some of the barriers to learning. Most of my friends know what we want to do when we get older. There are no subjects taught in school that will help us get more information right now about what it takes to do that job. That makes school boring.
2) How can we do a better job of preparing students for college and careers? I think I answered this in question #1. School is pretty boring. Being homeschooled has allowed me to travel and learn about other cultures. I can also study as much as I want about my career and practice doing some of the things I love. I think school should be a training ground for what kids want to learn or want to be, so when they get to college they can be trained specifically in whatever interests them/us.
3) How can we encourage more students to become involved in community service and civic life? My family is very active in the community. As a homeschooled student, I have service activities I participate in. Some I choose; some my mom selects. When I visit my dad in the caribbean, we go to all these events for people. This past summer, my aunt made me help out in a governor’s campaign in VA. It was fun and very interesting. I know many of my friends want to do different things, but sometimes can’t because we can’t drive. But when Disney or Nickelodeon asks us to get involved in our neighborhoods, it seems we can do that — maybe because we don’t have to drive.
4) Who and what are the most important influences on today’s young people? My family is a strong influence for me. We do a lot of activities together. Also, music bands, actors, and the Internet. The Internet keeps all my friends together. Without it, I’d be lost and disconnected from what everyone is doing. We communicate often online so I must have my computer.
I commend Secretary Duncan for his innovative approach to improve educational standards by monitoring how students have responded to President Obama’s Back to School speech at Wakefield high school. Duncan understands the importance of ensuring that the results of various efforts to encourage students to work hard and graduate are measured, and ultimately achieved. In response to the measures taken by Duncan, it is also important to stress the importance of strengthening student academic enrollment and promoting school mandates for students to participate in extra-curricular activities and internships to help diversify student skills. For example, I am required to have participated in an internship in order to graduate from the public university that I currently attend. In return, students will be better prepared and will have a more competitive edge when entering the job market following graduation. These advantages are now particularly important as globalization has been expanding and Americans are facing an increase in competition on a global level.
You ask: “How can students assume responsibility for their own education?”
Who else has that responsibility?
It is blatantly obvious that students are the primary parties responsible for their own educations. It is also just as obvious that there has been a lot of money to be made by convincing people that someone other than the student can be responsible. We need to go back to the basics, and do it quickly!
In 2009 a simple project to help students assume responsibility for their own education was started in a Dallas inner-city middle school, the School Archive Project. It was a simple 10-year time-capsule and class reunion plan that focused students onto their role in their own futures.
A 350-pound vault was bolted to the floor in a middle school lobby to function as the time-capsule in this attempt to increase the 37% graduation rate among the 96% Hispanic student body. Now as the 8th graders plan to move on to high school at the end of 8th grade they are given time to write letters to themselves about their lives and their plans for the future. What do they hope to be doing in 10 years and how will they achieve those goals?
The first letters written in May of 2005 were written by the students who were members of the Graduation Class of 2009. At both of the high schools who receive students from this middle school that 12th grade class for 2008-2009 was the largest class either school had ever had in over 12 years! The dropout rate is going down! Something very positive was happening due to this less than $2 investment per child.
With this success 4 more schools have had vaults bolted to their lobby floors this past summer in Dallas. Now entering students are writing letters the first months of middle school that immediately go into vault. The students know those letters will be pulled when they prepare to write their final letters at the end of 8th grade. They will read these 18 month old letters and then re-write their final letters for the vault that will stay there for the next decade. The letters are sealed into a self-addressed envelope and held by the students as they pose for a Language Arts Class photo in front of the vault with their teacher. They then line up and place their letters into the vault.
The next day the students each receive two copies of that photo, one for them and one for their parents for safe keeping. On the back of each photo is a label with details about the planned 10-year class reunion, the rough date for it, and the phone numbers to call for information or to volunteer to help plan that reunion. They are reminded that at that reunion they will be asked to speak with the then current 8th grade classes about their recommendations for success. They are warned to prepare for questions from these decade younger students such as “What would you do anything differently if you were 13 again?”
We have been watching class sizes past the 9th grade grow ever since 2006-2007 and are now beginning to see the increase in the graduation rate from this project.
For less than $2 per students it is the best investment possible, an investment in the future that is popular with our students and their parents and teachers. A credible focus on the future is the simplest way possible to help students assume responsibility for their own education. See details and many reports on this project at http://www.studentmotivation.org.
Thank you for being interested in all ethnic groups in American schools. I am Hispanic and I am one of 7 Hispanics in my school system of Mathews County Va. We have a certified English as a Second Language teacher. She said to tell you the students are now called ELLs students–students who are English Limited Language students.
Would Hispanic people like to get more involved in their new communities? Yes! Some are afraid to do this because they do not speak English so well. The children go to school and learn everything but the parents do not. How about the local libraries offering ELLs classes for parents and tell about the American government, too. This means paying someone to be the teacher and having books and workbooks for the parents like we have. Maybe a person who wants to do a good thing could pay for this little class.There is an ELL class for parents but in the next county. That is 15 miles away and 30 miles round trip. Our town of Mathews was awarded the Best Small Town Library in America! So little towns can also make a difference. I have learned in my civics class that if you know the information about your new country and you try to help yourself in a better life you can help others feel more a part of the community. I think this is a good idea. Thank you. I am in the seventh grade. Thank you. Conchita
I hold a B.S. in Mathematics Education and I am certified to teach middle school students. I chose to go onto graduate school to obtain my M.Ed. before teaching, but will graduate next fall with tens of thousands of dollars of debt that a teacher salary will take years to pay off.
One paradox is that everyone wants “Highly Qualified Teachers”, but we’re going broke in the attempt to satisfy that need. The other paradox is that my peers in scientific research are obtaining their degrees for free because there is more money in their field for grants and assistantships. When they graduate, not only will they be making more money, but will also be debt-free.
My original country is Ethiopia (East Africa) I am american citezen and I was study my prenursing program in 2004 and 2005 after. I finshed my prenursing program by some reason I couldn’t join my nursing program. So I study medical assistance program for 10 month and I graduated with that and I started my job in 2007 nov in doctors office as nurse.But now I like to improve my education states.
Hello, my name is Ben, and I am a homeschooled high school sophmore. I recently watched Secretary Arne Duncan on Meet the Press, and I admired his support of charter schools and fresh educational methods. However, he never mentioned anything regarding homeschooling, and I haven’t read anything that conveys his attitude towards homeschooling. What are the views of Secretary Duncan and the Department of Education on homeschooling?
I graduated in 1970; two adult children graduated in the late 80s, and 90s; two are currently in high school (my adopted gr.daughters); I have a gr.son in the 3rd grade at one of the “better” schools in our small community; I’m a freshman at a local university. I consider myself qualified to comment: It is my firm belief that we have urgent need to insist on NCLB (No Child Left Behind) reform. NCLB equates to the dumbing down of America, and further proof that Washington, and the people of the USA live in separate countries if that’s what “they’re” calling an improvement for “our” overall good. The good of whom we should be asking.
When one of my teens was a freshman, at age 14, she had a class with a 19 yr. old young man. The principle explained to me that “students” can remain in school until they’re 21 yrs. old, and have classes with 14 yr. old students, and that instead of taking the better of two test scores, they would be implementing the “best of three” guidelines. What??? It’s about the test scores and money, not about educating our kids, and these are but a couple of examples of how this works. “NCLB is, in fact, leaving our kids behind in recored numbers.”
As a final thought, some kids don’t show an interest in learning – why? One reason, in my belief, is that if they didn’t “get it” in elementary school, they feel lost and inadequate in mid-high and high school, and forget college – who would want to be in that environment and be inspired to keep going back? Imagine being at your job all week, being expected to perform at the same level as the “norm,” and knowing you can’t keep up. How eager would any of us be to go back day after day, year after year? Some kids don’t care, period. But what about the ones who do? How many kids only need “an edge” to succeed?
Think about your own educational experience: Did you conform to a “one size fits all” method of teaching? Which teachers do you remember the most, and why? Those who recognized that you were bright and capable, even if you learned more by doing than listening, or if you learned more by reading than doing? Or do you recall the teachers who expected you to perform at your highest potential the same as “everyone else,” at the expense of your self-esteem and eagerness to learn? You may have learned more from visual, or hands on methods, for example, or perhaps you performed best mid-morning rather than afternoons. If a teacher knows certain kids fare better at a particular time of day, why not teach the more complex studies to those students at that time, or administer tests in the a.m. for students who perform better then, p.m.’s for students who do best in the afternoon? If a 2nd grader is better at reading a book while lying in an out of the way place on the floor, rather than sitting at a desk, why not let him? If a child does better sitting to themselves in a cozy environment with a lamp to read by – how hard is it to accommodate this style of learning? Conformity for certain aspects of their day teaches important structures they need in order to function in society. However, flexibility, recognizing through simple assessments, talking with parents, and making some simple adjustments in the classroom could make a massive change in how well and how much our kids learn. It could make all the difference in a child’s self-esteem, confidence, and how well he or she is educated in the end. There are but a few styles of learning, and each of us fits into one of them. Knowing where we fit in and slightly adapting teaching methods could change the entire future. It may a place to look as some are beginning to recognize the need for NCLB reform.
Regarding the questions for the Town Hall Meeting, they’re very lacking re: pertinent issues.
If the purpose is to begin to improve the situation with our kids, more urgent questions should be up for discussion than some of those listed. I want to say, if you want to accomplish some “real” good, you have to “get real” first. A couple of these questions are total waste of time, and we have none to spare on them.
I would like to thank Secretary Duncan for his demonstrated invested interest in the opinions of students. I think the town hall is an excellent idea, and shows the students of Wakefield High School, and the rest of the country, that the Obama Administration is listening, and is interested to hear student opinions about how best to motivate the next generation of college students.
As a current college senior, I didn’t really feel accountable for my future, and driven towards my career until I reached college and starting taking classes that really fueled my interest. Reading this blog post, I started to think about what could have caused me to feel more motivated, and more accountable when I was still in high school.
So, in answer to the first and second questions, “How can students assume responsibility for their own education?” and “How can we do a better job of preparing students for college and careers?”, I think the two are inextricably connected. Students need to feel accountable for the work we do, and in order to feel accountable, we need to feel like we have some stake in our future. That seems incredibly simple, but for many high school students, the world is made up of boring classes, lots of sports and activities, friend drama, and maybe a fleeting thought or two about college and a blurry notion that a job is something that will be pretty necessary in the far distant future. Students need to ignite a passion, and develop a clearer picture of the possible careers and interests they could pursue a tangible way.
I have a friend who watched cable news channels religiously throughout middle school and high school and was lucky enough to know that broadcast news was something that really got her excited and interested. She fueled that passion into working hard in her history and journalism classes and was more motivated to succeed in her education than anyone I know. Throughout middle school and high school, I took a personality test or two, spent a couple days in home room discussing career development, and attended a few career fairs made up of a handful of tables, but never really felt particularly interested in a specific career path. Looking back, perhaps the lack of real interest or effort by my high school communicated to my 16-year-old self, that it wasn’t something I really needed to worry about right then. My friend and I were both highly motivated, good students in high school. The difference between us was the fact that she had found something she truly felt invested in learning about.
How then, to make sure that more students have an experience like my friend’s and not mine? I think, especially in high school, that at least a portion of the curriculum should included exposure to a wide variety of careers, and discussions of real individuals and their career paths. Electives could be more tailored to student interest. If possible,advisers and educators should have real discussion with every student before they pick their classes to find courses that get them excited. I think at the heart of it, students need to be able to make the connection between what they learn in the high school classroom and what they could be doing for the rest of their lives.
For the first question, “How can students assume responsibility for their own education?” This is probably the most difficult to answer of the four. For most students in high school, grades are not the most important compared with their social life. This can be attributed to the US culture, as it pertains to high school. What I mean is that there is less focus on driving students to do well in school, versus achieving in extracurricular activities such as sports. I think it is important for there to be an authoritative figure within the student’s life, one which drives the student to achieve and excel in their studies. This being either a teacher, parent, or mentoring figure. That being said I think students should have a mentoring figure to drive them to succeed and to push them to take responsibility for their education.
How can we do a better job of preparing students for college and careers? In my opinion i think that increase in availability of Advanced Placement courses at high schools as well as high school internship and co-op opportunities are a great way to prepare for potential careers.
How can we encourage more students to become involved in community service and civic life? As a part of an engineering project in high school, I drafted a grant proposal from the State of Indiana for a “Learn and Serve Indiana” grant. It was in an effort to help a local over-crowded human shelter, by having an engineering class design and a “shop” class build the dog houses to shelter the animals. I think an increase in funding and availability for programs that incorporate class work while also contributing to community service would be beneficial.
Who and what are the most important influences on today’s young people? The biggest influences on people are simply their friends, whether that is a good or bad thing depends on those friends.
I think it’s important that are kids are education in a manner that allows them to learn, not that prescribes how to learn. Too many of our public school systems are prescriptive and unable to adapt to the many learning styles of various populations/students/individuals. Schools needs to become more “student” focused rather than what works best for teachers. Also, the administration needs to assure that these kids will have jobs in the USA once they obtain their degree. It’s shameful to encourage children to become educated only to find out that there are no jobs available. Global education is key because many of our kids may need to leave the country to make a living.
When will the Dept of Education direct states and colleges to stop discriminating against US Veterans.
Students who get SSI 10,000 year, Welfare 9,600 a year, food stamps 7,200 year, and many other untaxed benefits CAPI, section 8, ect don’t have to included on FAFSA applications but Veterans have to declare combat pay, BAH, and non-education and Education benefits, that THEY EARNED.
Please they earned the benefits, the others didn’t
Thank you, Secretary Duncan for giving us this forum. I am single mother of two pursuing a doctoral program. I was denied a GRAD PLUS loan and therefore have to take two more unsubsidized loans in order to continue with my education. Where can I get help to offset some of the costs associated with getting a higher education so that I can in turn offer my children a better education?
Gracias/Thank you, Secretary Duncan for allowing us to ask questions at your forum. My question is simple. Most of the families in Fresno, CA live in poverty and the majority of the students are not prepared for higher education. I strongly feel prior planning prevents poor performance. Is there or will there will a curriculum in preparing k-12 for higher education? Currently, I see 7-12 but not k-12. It would be nice to offer a nation wide higher education curriculum from grades k-12 to school district who want to start from the beginning of Kinder. It is very much needed. I feel we need to start something different and include parents from all walks of life. I am Hispanic and born in Fresno, CA in 1957 and I was the first in my family to go to college at the age of 37. I didn’t have a clue on higher education in this neck of the woods during my early stages of life. We still have that problem in many areas of poverty. We are progessing however, I feel we need something a lot more tangible for parents and students from K-12th.
Our contemporary educational issues are not with getting more students through the university system with more government spending, it’s about giving all our citizens access to rich multimedia materials throughout their entire lifetime, which can be provided today for free over the web. Making the material free online to those how have little time or money for traditional schooling will go a long way and free a whole generation of working poor who have no hope. Having community school space as, Obama’s administration has wisely concluded, available to schedule dates for testing, labs and skills work is also key.
However, we must remove the pedagogically useless obsession of maintaining the appearance of a proper learning outcomes (the bell curve): Here educators are more involved with maintaining this classroom perception than addressing the particular issues and needs of a class of differing learning styles and degrees of retention among students. Educators should resist using vague or ambiguous questions intended to reduce overall test scores when the class appears too hard; or conversely, when the teachers appear too lax to resist more “soft” questions and extra credit, both meant to improve the expectations of a bell curve.
The best way to gauge learning outcome is to monitor successful completions of modular course materials and raise the standards for completion to 90% or better. By doing this and maintaining a bank of vetted and relevant questions on tests we can accurately gauge educational outcomes and place students or working adults in the position of having to take responsibility for their own education.
The whole issue of motivating our students is mute when we begin to offer everyone free lifetime access to learning and accreditation. In time people who will value education will be properly placed in our economy. No one will be left behind unless they really chose not to participate. Because of this, the approach should be to let students learn at their own pace with well developed rich multimedia learning modules and test only on relevant ideas and concepts thereby allowing the materials to be developed in the appropriate manner required by the subject of study and not by some arbitrary expectations and timeline.
Teachers can then help each student with their particular needs. We need the educators of tomorrow to focus on our individual children’s needs helping them become good self learners and to remove this debate over motivation, which will free us all up for a 21st century educational system that will strengthen our country and allow us to compete with a global economy once more.
I have no problem with education at all levels being promoted by the government. However, it is dangerous to a free society to have government mandate what is taught to our younger children before they are old enough to discern opinion from fact. Don’t tell children current political views as fact rather than opinion. We have too many teachers who were taught by professors in liberal colleges that the liberal view is the only view that is acceptable and they try to pass this on to their elementary age students. Strong parent intervention in school subjects is essential to prevent the overtaking of young minds that will eventually be running our country. We must have true freedom of speech. THe government is reaching into a dangerous area if they go beyond funding to mandating certain types of education.
I am in 7 grade. My name is Concepcion. I was born in Mexcio.I have lived in the U.S. for 8 years.
I have a comment for the for the Hispanic commnity: The school aged kids are getting educated by attending school and learding how to speak and write English. What about the parents?
Someone should start ESL for parents somewhere near their house. I think it is a good idea because if they don’t know English they cannot have a better job. Understanding English would get them more money so they can help their famliy.I think the best idea to start ESL is if the boss can do it doing lunch time or the school or library can do it after school.I think if you help the parents they would help their childen in school too. They would be ready for school and have a good education.
How would the Spanish speaking parents or school or library pay for this?
I think that the students can help help raise money for the parents that need ESL.The student can do the fundraiser to help pay for the
classes. The teacher can charge 5.00 for the book and workbook for every student. This way everybody can afford to take the class. Our parents could learn Englis like we do and feel more comfortable with their new language
Please take time to discuss school improvement with the students who have dropped out of school. We have a national “drop out of school” problem, wouldn’t it make sense to speak with the students who have dropped out?
Students can be responsible for their own education by coming to school everyday and completing work for each class. First, students should be very responsibile for their own education by paying attention in class because if you don’t pay attention you don’t learn anything. After that being on time in class and being in your seat prepared to work with your pencils, pen, and notebook. Most importantly, students should pay more attention on their education because most them don’t ever have thirty minutes to read or do their homework, but they spend many hours just to drink with their friends. Finally, I know that every students have responsiblity for their future by coming to school everyday and completing work for each class because if you don’t you would never going to achieve you goal.
As an English to Speakers of Other Languages teacher in South Carolina, it is rewarding to communicate more directly with Secretary Duncan. Regarding the questions suggested for the Town Meeting, fifth grade new language learners suggested that games be made up to help with their education.
They wondered if there could be more emphasis on career education at the elementary level, i.e. more in-depth study of careers of interest to them. (When lawyer from D.C. came by to talk with them about his world travels, they were VERY excited. A student who wants to enter the legal field one day asked insightful questions about courtrooms and judges.)
A colleague submitted a question as to how to motivate students for the future. Their possibilities are limited as college doors (that may be in their price range) close, and as companies are required to hire U.S. born workers. This lays heavily upon the hearts and minds of teachers and community members who value the culture, craftsmanship, and positive potential of new language learners.
Our family’s comments and suggestions on what we would like to see improved in America’s school system:
* Longer school day and block schedule. Wherever possible, work with Regional Transportation organizations to share resources to be more environmentally and fiscally efficient.
* Study hall available for middle and high school students before or afterschool that parents may drop-off their pre-teen/teens and pay a small fee for like “safekey” programs. And have tutors available – other students or college students.
*Web-based book instruction projected on a screen or smartboard in each class and reduced spending on printed books.
*Income based Tax-credit to parents who pay tuition for private schools.
*Better coordination with local nonprofit organizations to increase community and civic outreach. School districts need to be willing to reach out and support not discourage.
I am very pleased that there is recognition that we must address education from birth to 12th. To intervene in the early years, it is essential we also provide initiatives for Family Literacy Programs. Low income, low literate, and ESL families are unable to support their children’s education without having the opportunity to gain English language and literacy and parent education. Family literacy which allows parents and children to attend school together is powerful and effective. We cannot effectively work with the very young child without working in partnership with the family.
My name is Assanatu, and I was born in Sierra Leone. I came to the US when I was 15. I’m a student at Bryant High School in Alexandria, VA.
In my whole life the most important nfluences on teens today are families and drugs. For me I’m very influenced by my grandmother because she encourages me to go to school, so I can get a better future and job. First, many teens are influenced by drugs beacause they are addicted to drugs. They can’t do anything if they don’t take drugs or drink. After that the most important influences for teens are their families because their families encourage them go to school. Lastly, i know most teens are influenced by many things such as sports, clubs, friends, boyfriends, and husbands. Still our families are the imost important nfluences in our life.
I think students assume responsibility for their own education by working hard. At school for me the teachers are the base to learn because teacher’s teach us new things ,and also they encourage us to continue our education. In my case, I have nice teachers that teach me a lot; every day I learn something new. In fact, when I finish high school my teachers and family will be proud of me.
My name is Fatima M and I am a student at Bryant High School in Alexandria, VA. I think the most important influences on today’s young people are our families. Our family is always with us through the bad times and good times. Also, our family is the one who encourages us to continue and finish high school. In fact, I am so thankful to God because my parents are with me. They give all the support that I need to be successful in my life. As you can see, our families are the most important influences on today’s young people.
• How can students assume responsibility for their own education?
Making a free online university available throughout every citizen’s lifetime, makes the issue of responsibility mute, but more importantly it creates a truly democratic institution for all people. You see, when a person can at anytime take the first steps to a new carrier and life they will be participating in a truly democratic way that will strengthen a nation at it core. A nation where all of its citizens can participate and self-actualize is the very definition of Democracy. Today many people are left behind, due to economic disparities-which a free online university directly corrects or because our current educational system places an undue emphasis young to make life altering decisions in their attitude towards learning: The result of which, will determine the lifelong weight of their struggle to obtain access well paying jobs. Schools should rather, focus on exposing our children to as many occupations and interests as they can. Once inspired, a child will seek their own learning path: this is the heart of the issue.
• How can we do a better job of preparing students for college and careers?
It can take a lifetime for people to discover their natural talents and how they wish to participate and contribute to society. Free access to an online university will mean all people can prepare at their own pace for any career path or paths imaginable. I suspect millions of working poor already know what they want to achieve but lack the access, time or the desire to take on 40 to 100 thousand in student loans to achieve it. This reality is what the immature mind must act within and it is as unfair to them as it was for the working poor today.
• How can we encourage more students to become involved in community service and civic life?
We should focus on giving all our children a rich field of experiences from which to imagine and discover their many talents. It will be from this understanding that the lesser appreciated academic requirements will gain the significance they require. We need our successful adults to share their interests and talents to their younger generation. Frequent Field trips and after school programs that bring these two groups together will not only inspire, but educate in the most impactful way possible, by giving them a rich childhood experiences from which to draw upon.
• Who and what are the most important influences on today’s young people?
We all want to believe we can answer this question but key influences can be so varied from a moment before a object, person or place that is inspirational to them. But this line of questioning is misleading and symptomatic of our lack of emphasis on rich and diverse experiences in early education. By giving all people free life-long access to an online university, it will mean that all people will have the means to pursue their dreams when they are so moved. The key to all of this is that at the moment we find an idea worth investing our lives in, be it at six or sixty, in a true democracy we will have the means to achieve our goal while maintaining the life we have found ourselves already committed to. And to the extent that our technology will allow, we should give everyone access to accreditation for what has always been free information, only then can we truly proclaim to be the embodiment of democracy in the 21st century. But today that will mean creating a free online university for all Americans!
I am a student at Bryant High School, (FCPS), Alexandria, VA. I am originally from El Salvador .
Today the most important influences on young peoples’ lives, I am sure is the family. There are many influences in young peoples’ lives. In my own personal life, the most important influence is my family, especially my parents .Unfortunately they are not here with me, but I know they want me to be successful man in my life. Hopefully with God blessing my life, I would like to be the first one in my family who could go to college . I will show to my family how successful I will be just fo them. One day when I have reached my goal, I will be proud because my familly will know that everything I do I do just for them. I think all the young people who really want to be someone successful in their life, they really listen to their parents as I do. I know the parents they always want the best for their sons or daugther.
I am a student at Bryant High School. I think that every teacher who teaches a student needs to make them do more work in class when they are not doing anything. Students need to be on their best behavior so they don’t get suspended.
Teachers need to encourage their students to take Academy classes and dont let the opportunity pass them by. For example I take an FCPS Academy class at Edison High School in Heating & Air Conditioning. Teachers need to talk to students about these opportunities because most students don’t know about them.
I’m Ronald Cruz, and I attend to Bryant high school. I think student have to assume most of the responsibility for their own education, but they have to be encourage by parents and government’s programs so they will be able to succeed on any curse we are taking.
As a public school parent, my question to Secretary Duncan is why are you ignoring the input and priorities of parents in your stakeholder meetings — and in your policies?
This is exemplified in the fact that parents are excluded as key stakeholders that states must show support from to win your Race to the Top funding. Instead, in your regulations, you cite lots of other groups with less of a stake in the future success of our public school system, such as the business community and charter school operators.
Your policies that would essentially force states to tie teacher pay and tenure to standardized test scores is not one that most parents support, as we have seen the negative impact of the overemphasis on standardized testing in our schools due to NCLB, and this would make schools into even worse test prep factories.
Your insistence that states eliminate their caps on charter schools is also unpopular among most parents, as it takes away precious space, resources, and energy from improving our regular public schools.
Your practice of ignoring parents is also shown by the fact that this town hall meeting is being broadcast during a sessions that’s supposed to be devoted to “Education News Parents Can Use” — but again, parents are excluded from the event.
Many of us voted for Pres. Obama because we thought that he had an interest in investing the resources and attention to the needs of our kids in a way that the previous administration did not, in terms of reducing class size, eliminating overcrowding, and encouraging better learning conditions in our schools. And yet so many of your proposals are like NCLB on steroids. When are you going to start listening to our concerns?
Students assume responsibility by their attendance, timeliness, and to listen to the teachers when they’re teaching something important for the class. Don’t talk in class except if it is about the class to complete the exercise during class.
Also, in our life we need to prepare for the future. We would have more opportunities in the life. We would go to college and get a career that gives more benefit in the life. The benefit that I would get are salary, developing professionally, paid leave, pay holidays, and insurance.
There are so many jobs out there in which a student can do to earn some money that will prepare him or her for college and careers. A student can get a part-time job to work as a cashier in a store or work in community service by collecting clothes and food for the poor people in the community. Doing this as a part-time job will help to prepare more student for college, by earning money
I think the government should create more job programs for the students in which they can save for their education. The teachers can organize the students to go out and work car washing. It is the responsibility for the minister of education to build more benefits for students when it comes to better prepare students for college.
My answers:
· How can students assume responsibility for their own education?
– To assume responsibility for their own education, I think students must first be aware of its importance by learning about the benefits and advantages it brings into people’s lives. Once students know these things, they can learn to stay open to, alert for and informed about opportunities for furthering their education such as scholarships, grants, internships and special programs. They can also focus academically on strengthening their transcript by building and maintaining high grade point averages by earning good grades and taking honors or advanced courses. In the end, it’s just a matter of truly caring about one’s future and knowing that a good education can improve it, because the student will then make a greater effort to excel in school.
· How can we do a better job of preparing students for college and careers?
– I’m currently a senior, so I’m about to finish up school and going through the (difficult) process of college and financial aid applications, campus visits, career choices, etc. It seems to me schools could better prepare students for this point in their lives by providing courses or workshops to educate them on the topics. Some already do, but they’re not very accessible to all students because the locations or scheduling make it hard for students to attend. Should these take place in school grounds and during school hours, students would find it easier to attend. I know I would have also appreciated some sort of work experience program as public schools in other countries have implemented. These can prepare students for the workplace and help them learn much more through experience than they might have with some self-help article or educational pamphlet.
· How can we encourage more students to become involved in community service and civic life?
– It can be accomplished by “catering” to the teenage interests by providing more diverse opportunities, and offering incentives in exchange. Although this may be ironic due to community service being about giving and not receiving or expecting anything in return, it could be worked out so as to attract students to the volunteer activities through the incentives and then letting them discover the other benefits of community service such as personal growth and satisfaction as they keep participating.
· Who and what are the most important influences on today’s young people?
– Today’s youth, as the youth of any period, is most influenced by their parents and their community.
Thank you.
Natalia Lopez
BVS Student
Secretary Duncan thank you for taking my question. As a former school teacher, first generation college graduate, former corporate executive and current educational entrepreneur, I am intimately aware of what it means to have and not have access to quality education. Over the past 8 years, I have worked with hundreds of college bound kids from all socio-economic backgrounds. The most pressing issues for the majority of these students centers around access to quality education, timely and pertinent information, internal and external expectations, student empowerment, and most important money for an “affordable” college education.
Since I am a college admissions counselor, I will provide suggestions on how to prepare students for college and careers.
My proposal:
Create a speaker series in middle school and continue it through to high school. The series can be co-sponsored by corporations and public agencies where students can hear working adults talk about their various jobs and careers.
Establish Parenting Centers on Campus or in Community Centers. These centers must be open on Saturdays and be a place where Parents can obtain information, assistance and help right along side their children. Give parents more of a voice in their children’s education.
Encourage lifelong learning by allowing distance learning for students. Enable parents and students to take classes online and allow students to receive credit for those classes. If universities want to continue to raise tuition then students should have the opportunity to complete as much of their education as possible to shorten their stay at 4-year colleges. Every qualified and able high school student should be able to graduate with at least 1 year of transferable college courses under their belt.
Streamline the amount of paperwork required for administrators and teachers to complete and increase the auditing of school resources to see where the money is being spent on the actual ground floor. We need to decrease some of the bureaucracy associated to education. Require all “administrators” to shadow for 2 weeks per year at a public school either as a teacher or principal. This keeps them grounded and “in touch” with what’s going on in the trenches.
Lastly, let your boss Mr. Obama know that it does not bode well for our youth to witness men and women who behave badly, receive bail out money coupled with enormous bonus checks for nearly bringing this country and economy to its knees. Remember, our children are watching and learning from us and someday they will be making decisions that affect the future of this great country. If we want our children to grow up to be good citizens, we adults need to begin putting our money, time and energy where we say it counts.
Many students in the world have to assume responsibility for their own education. The education is one important part in our life. The students can assume responsibility by coming to school every day which will help them to understand better their classes and pass all the exams, so they can go the college. Also they can study hard to know more about their career. Above all students want to be a knowledgeable person, so they have to finish their education. To finish your education means, to pass high school and to go to the college. Then this will make your dreams come true.
Again the parents have to help their children by talking to them. when they spend their time doing something wrong. The parents have to be a part of the responibility of their children’s education by encouraging them to attend to school. The parents have to be alert to how their children spend most of their time because the children always want to do whatever they want if nobady is watching them. Always keeping their children busy in something that will help them focus on their education and stay away from drugs.
The teacher is so important in the responsibility of students’ education because they can give a tittle bit of information about the classes they will take in the collage. Maybe this makes the student to be more interested in the classes when they are almost finished with high school. I know that they always teach us in many subject that help us to progress in our education.
2. How can we do a better job of preparing students for college and careers?
Bryant is a great alternative high school in alexandria VA that opens the door for many students. It doesn’t matter how old they are. They are so welcome to enrroll in this school. This school provides great teachers that help many student to prepare to go to the college, and the teacs encourages many students in the book club to read abut the subject that are good and bad for them.The students are so happy to have other people that are worried for their future and are so thankful to them.The teachers recommend many student, dn’t give up in any of your classes that will help you in the college.
The parents are in charge of preparing their children to go to the college. The parents have the whole responsibility for their own childen to do the best in the school. In this way it could be more easy for them to go to the college. Also the academic classes are free for all the students in particular. They can have many benefits in each of these classes. They can learn more about careers. The parents could encourage the children to take the FCPS academy class. Another great benefit is they don’ need to pay for the Academy classes.Here in the United States is a country that helps many people to make their dreams come true. This is the biggest oportunity that many student have. It doesn’t matter what native country they come from. For example the parents don’t need to pay for a course that the school offers. In addition they can save money.
Finally, we are very thankful with one of the people who provides all these great programs for all student in different states. This person I am talking about now is the president Barack Obama. He is a great person who helps many people including me. Also I want to say something that makes me feel strong is that the president never leaves any children behind in their education. Beside, the education he has other programs to help people. For example , he provides health care, daycare , jobs ,and Project Opportunity for young mother like me . Thank you, and you are a brillant person who always giveslight in each people to see the world differently. Furthermore I hope that you complete every thing you promise. We trust you! Now is your turn to try to make all the things come true. Again, a thousand thanks. You are special to me, President Barack Obama. In the same way I hope your dreams come true too.
I’m a student at Bryant High School, and I’m originally from El Salvador. I’m writting this blog because I think teenagers
need someone to encourage them to be successful . Well I think today the influences on young people is the family.
The family always encourages them to continue in school, and they also provide money and support.
The family is always there when you are in the good and bad times .
Well other influences are the internet. The internet helps to find every thing about college, but also have bad influences too.
To avoid those bad influence’s try not to go to other pages that don’t help you.
Well in my family I’m the only one that still is in high school, and I would like to go college. I dont think I can make it because my only support is my mom. She
does’nt make that much money, so I’m trying to get a job so i can be more successful.
and im also trying to get a good level of education, because if you have a good level of education you can earn more money
young people always have good influences in their life but sometimes we make mistakes but we dont take advantage of the good influnces .
Arne,
Please, please, please take another look at NCLB> Terrible things are happening so that schools can make AYP. Students are denied Sp.Ed. services so as to avoid forming a “subgroup.” Special ed. kids can not pass these tests at grade level becuse they have serious reading, writing and processing problems taht RtI, accomodations and modifications don’t address. Teachers are being blamed and mistreated by administrators and finally, young people are not going into teaching because of the low pay, very harsh working conditions and endless blame being foisted upon teachers.
Can you please help us? I have been teaching @20 years and am seriously considering a career change even though I love teaching. I.m 51 and am having a very hard time handling the ever increasing stress.
13% of our children fall within the 70-85IQ range and receive NO support within our public schools. They are labeled slow learners. Most educators struggle to meet these students needs because it is very difficult to teach these students who are doers (versus thinkers) when we are required to teach them on their grade level instead of their ability levels. As a Special Education teacher and a learner who struggled with memory I find it VERY frustrating to teach these student in the current educational system we have in place. These are students who can become productive citizens who will keep our country running if we are willing to accept them for who they are.
My names is henry and I attend to bryant high school.Well I think students can assume their own responsibility by going to school every day, doing their homework and also paying attetion in class. Sometimes they blame the teachers that the teachers don’t give them work or homework. Well some of them do, but I think it is our fault because we dont pay attention in class. We need to work more at home , but we always decide todo others stuff than do our homework thats why we never make progress in school . well my advice to be more successful is to assume our own responsibility and come to school every day.
I am an 11th grade student from New Castle, Pennsylvania. I attend New Castle Jr./Sr. Highschool. I believe in order to do a better job of preparing students for college and careers would be focusing more in depth in certain studies. Writing is very important and I think teaching more technique would be very helpful. Focusing solely on essays and grammar is not enough, research papers and articles are more important when in college. Many students all feel the same, we focus on the PSSA more than needed! Although it is important, the material used for the test is much more basic than what is in college. We could be using that valuable time to do more preparation work for college.
1.) How can students assume responsibility for their own education?
I’m a student at New Castle High School. First, student responsibility is the key to all development and learning. Research has demonstrated that college outcomes are tied to the effort that students put into their work and the degree to which they are involved with their studies and campus life. Second, irresponsible students diminish our collective academic life. Within an individual classroom, the behavior of even a few highly irresponsible students or, worse, a large number of passive, disaffected students can drag a class down to its lowest common denominator. For an institution, the erosion of an academic ethos can lead to a culture that is stagnant, divisive, and anti-intellectual.
Third, the habits of responsible civic and personal life are sharpened and refined in college. Will employers, international economic competitors, or future history itself be tolerant of students who fail to develop sufficient self-control and initiative to study for tests or participate in academic life? Finally, if colleges are to reclaim the public trust, they must learn not to make promises that cannot be kept. Colleges have responsibilities to students and society. Yet, colleges are not solely responsible for the outcomes of their students. A clear acknowledgment of the mutual obligations of all members of the academic community is a prerequisite to restoring the academy’s balance and clarity of purpose.
My name is Chris and I attend New Castle Jr./ Sr. High School. I believe that the school district can prepare students better for college and careers. While we do math and other subjects, doing more hands on labs and dealing with real life situations will help us out later in life.
My name is Ja’Nia and I attend New Castle High School. In my opinion, to encourage more students to become more involved in community service and civic life there needs to be more influential adults involved. Not many students will do it just because. If there are exciting things to go along with community service, and role models to help show good civic life then more students will be attracted in doing so.
I am a student at New Castle High School, and I think we can prepare our students for college and careers by adding more similiar experiences throughout our education and schedules during school. Classes could be offered that give students an oppurtunity to learn more about the careers or majors they might want to persue, because not all students have the same likes and dislikes, and they should have the option on what to learn and get experience with.
Who and what are the most important influences on today’s young people?
The most important influences on today’s young people are the people they look up to. These people can be musicians, professional sports players, or other pop culture figures. If these people show young adults that it’s acceptable to behave in an innapropriate way, they will start thinking it’s okay to act in that way also. For example, Lil Wayne is self-proclaimed illegal drug user and he’s also a role model to young adults who listen to his music. He is not criticized by his demographic for it so it’s accepted. Kids need to have better role models so they can see better behavior.
I am in 11th grade at New Castle Jr./Sr. High School in New Castle, PA.
I am a student in eleventh grade at New Castle Jr./Sr. High School in New Castle Pennsylvania. As such I have a grasp as to what could be done to improve how students are prepared for college and for their careers. What should be done is that a student should be allowed to pick from a young age a general topic to focus their attention on, rather than be an all around student and Jack of all Trades so to speak. If a student should choose to study sciences rather than English then the classes should focus around sciences. I by no means intend to say that other courses are not important, but rather that you should learn what plan on using later on in life. If you plan to be a Math major then the courses you take in High School should revolve mostly around mathematics with other basic courses. A College graduate with a degree in math will struggle to remember the very basics of grammar because it is not a course they focused on. Schools should allow their student to take more of the classes that they desire to take instead of forcing them to take what the students see as needless and useless classes. If a student should decide at age ten that he wishes to be a music teacher then the school should accommodate that student and his wishes. By continually forcing the student to do work that they do not wish to do the students will slowly stop doing work, simple psychology. Use the talents that the students have regardless of what you may think of them. If they possess the ability to draw then they have it for a reason. Art is beautiful and influential, but this art is strangled by the schools forcing the students to allow their talent to suffer. In order to prevent this schools should allow their students to pick what they believe is important rather than the traditional way of today. This would prepare them for the world they will face after High School and the career that they would choose.
My name is Raysean and I attend New Castle Jr. Sr. High School. I believe that students can and should assume responsibility for their own education by attending school and actually doing work. Many students are rarely seen in school, and when they are there they do not do participate or they are getting in trouble. The way students can assume their responsibilities for their education is by looking at themselves in the mirror and by changing the way they are.
Young people today are greaty influenced by their friends and peers. They stay in packs with friends and do the same things; kids tend to do what other people in their classes do. For instance, if a teacher gives a long assignment over a long weekend or break, some students may decide not to do it. When this happens people will tend to follow eachother, so if some of the class doesn’t do the assignment others will often follow by not doing the assignment also. Kids are othen important influences on eachother which means when given things to do in school the class may end up deciding what majority of the class actually does the assignment. They follow eachother in their choices whether or not they will do what the teacher has given them to do.
Kids are sometime scared not to follow others because then they won’t fit in, so when it comes time to doing school work, if most of their friends decide not to do it most likely they will follow in suit. They feel that if no one else is going to do it then why should they. Poeple don’t like to do things on their own or be the only one to do something so they often get friends to do it with them. Kids often won’t do an assignment if they know that no one else is going to do it with them. This shows that kids are scared not to fit in or be different than others. It is the same with the cool new trends. People often do things to fit in with the majority even if its not what they truly want. This is called peer pressure: most people dont think of it to go as far as school work but it often does. Peer pressure doesnt just involve things like doing drugs or drinking alcohol but can also involve school work and what kids do in school. One example of peer pressure with school work is if an assignment is given and most students say they don’t want to do it for som e reason then they may force others not to do it to. They may not do this by choice or on purpose but by their actions they can easily force others to follow them. Kids will follow them to fit in and do the same because the may be scared of being the only person in the class to do a certain assignment. This is why young people are often important influences on eachotner in school
I am a student at New Castle Jr/Sr High School in New Castle, Pa. This is my first year as a New Castle student having transferred from Neshannock Jr/Sr High. At both schools I have noticed that students seem despondent to their school work. They are more interested in parties and socializing than the actual school work. Students will only assume responsibility for their education when it becomes more than just having to sit in a school room all day. When students truely realize how much it matters to their college education and the rest of their lives. Another way to get students interested in their school work would be to offer more courses that appeal to them. This would also help prepare them for college. If a student has a specific job in mind for the rest of their lives and can not take a course that relates to it in high school, then why be in high school? They may view it as more of a waste of time than an actual tool for supporting their future.
Community service is an important activity for the young people of this nation. It teaches hard work, responsibility, and most importantly, a sense of community and togetherness that has been lost slowly over the years. Community service teaches young people to be there for their neighbors and also helps better the communities of this great nation. In order to get young people involved though, they must be interested in what is being asked of them or else they will not want to get involved. Some students like to paint while others enjoy building. By utilizing each students likes and talents they can give them more options in what to participate in to help the community.
Influences in todays society rest with the music and television industry. Two items that I see used the most, above all others, are ipods and televisions. The music that many artists sing and perform today send a negative message to the youth of America. Lyrics of murder, rape, and drugs are in practically every single favorite song of these young people. Television shows have story lines of perversion and sex, yet we wonder why our young people carry guns and commit crimes. Our entertainment industry is filled with these negatives messages that we are sending our young people and then we punish them for simply following ideas that they are surrounded by. What goes in will eventually come out.
4.) How can we do a better job of preparing students for college and careers?
I am an eleventh grade student from New Castle Sr. High School, and I feel that in order to better prepare students for college, more programs and classes must be put into the school that specify things that need to be done for and what needs to be done in order to go to college. The majority of the students have no idea about college. I feel that if classes that helped kids figure out what they are going to do for college were put into schools, it would be very beneficial.
How can we do a better job of preparing students for colleges & careers?
I am Ryan from New Castle Jr./Sr. High School. For students to be better prepared for college, the schools need to stop worrying about how well they look on standardized tests. While they are important and should be taken seriously, our future is more important. Once we have the SAT scores to get into college, what happens once we get in and are not prepared for the level of difficulty and types of classes that we will be taking. Students should be able to choose which classes they want to take, suiting their possible career choices, and spend more time on the subjects that are necessary for their development in that area. While a basic understanding of every subject is necessary, an in-depth one is not. Students should only study what they will use in the future and waste less time on irrelevant subjects.
Who and what are the most important influences on today’s young people?
I am in 11th grade at New Castle High School. I believe that the most influence in the educational world comes from teachers. They are the people every student respects in some way. If there is an incompetent teacher hired just to fill an empty spot, or just because of your name, than it will not have a positive effect on students. Teachers should be chosen with the greatest care and consideration to insure that they will have the most positive influence on the student possible. There should be a strict interview and some other steps taken to ensure this before hiring a new teacher.
I’m from New Castle Senior High school and I believe that when trying to encourage and prepare students on going to college and better careers, teachers should try to make their courses more student-friendly. If some teachers start out with something unbelievably hard, what would make a student want to continue with that? Nothing, that’s what. Most teenagers have a job and are working at the same time as school and it is extremely hard to try to go to work after school, get home at 10 at night and then finally try to do homework for each subject. I firmly believe that teachers should talk with each other before scheduling tests or projects because when we have 3 projects due on the same date, along with work and other homework, it discourages kids and makes them not want to give their best effort because we are physically and mentally exhausted. When teachers spoon feed us for so long and then the agenda changes abruptly, our scores suffer because we are so used to one thing. And also, there are many different levels of each student that go into each class and those that are more or less advanced should be placed into the class according to that. Most kids that are in honors shouldn’t be and some kids that are in basic should be in an honor’s course. When teacher’s have to spoon feed because of the lack of ability and then change because administrators decide that the course is too easy, then the kids who are suffering get the short end of the stick and then the kids who are doing well suffer as well because they aren’t used to the change. I also believe that there should be more programs inside and outside of school that students would enjoy that would have a good learning experience and also keep them out of trouble, making them want to learn more and by good, clean, and safe environments.
I am a junior at New Castle Sr. High School in Pennsylvania. I feel that in today’s society, most young people are influenced by what is posted on the television, on such places as MTV and VH1. The things promoted to young people on T.V. are not things that should be showed to people. Many things promoted include drugs, drinking, and other things related to those subjects. I feel that it should be illegal for people like the ones that promote these on T.V. to be allowed to do so because they become major influences on a person’s life. Therefore, i believe that the influences on a young student’s life should consist of people who succeed in the world, along with their parents, and in today’s world that is not the case.
4.) Who and what are the most important influences on today’s young people?
I am an eleventh grade student at New Castle Senior High School in New Castle, PA. I believe that young people today look up to many individuals like parents or teachers to better themselves. Parents have a great influence because they are usually forcing their students to be successful in school and to obtain good grades. Teachers are also an influence because students expect them to be extremely intelligent and to know how to succeed in life. They are the people who are teaching the students to better their future. Teachers need to stop giving so much work, and maybe more of the students would take in their advice. These are the significant people whom I believe have the most important influences on young people.
I am a junior at New Castle Senior Highschool,Pa. I have been a student of this school district all my life. I feel that as a student I also have to do my part and take responsibility of my life and most of all my education. If the adminsitrators and teachers take their time and effort to help us succeed with our education and reach our goals then we as students need to do that too. To assume responsibility as students we should try to stay organized and try our hardest with our assignments. We need to stop depending on our parents, friends or teachers to get us through higschool and we need to learn how to make it through ourselves because out in the real world no one can really help us. It is OUR responsibility and OUR job to take part and take hold of our education and we as students should want to succeed and go to college and become something great, but for those things to happen we need to start now with the little things by doing our homework and studying for those tests and then we will succeed in life.
I am an eleventh grade student at New Castle Senior High School in New Castle, Pennsylvania. I believe that students should assume responsibility for their own education by attending school every day to prepare themselves for their future. By attending school every day, students put themselves in a positive environment which allows them to learn and concentrate on their education. It also allows students to focus on their work and studies which will benefit the student’s futures by getting good grades in order to attend college. By attending school and getting good grades, students will be able to achieve the goals they have set for themselves throughout their life.
The key to success is DEDICATION! I am a Senior in a small rural school in Oklahoma, and I personally know the effects of what an underfunded school system can have. Personally, Im really disappointed that I dont have the same access to a quality education like those found in inner-city schools. We need to as a nation, work to target our smaller schools and ensure that those students are as prepared as every other student. Students themselves need to work hard and remain committed to the task at hand. It really upsets me to see other students having an apathetic attitude and simply giving up in school, when there are other students in various foreign countries who are literally fighting to get an education. We must find some way to ensure that students are kept involved with school with subjects that interest them and that everyone is given the same oppurtunities.
There are many ways in which students may assume responsibility for their own education. For one thing, education should become more competitive. More competition would compel lazy students to compete and weed out children who probably wouldn’t be college-bound anyway. In foreign countries like Japan, children are tested frequently in order to move from middle school to high school, and later they take broad-ranged tests to be accepted to university. They are ahead of our country because they realize that not all children are willing to help themselves, even with all of the resources force-fed to them. After a certain point, the money and resources used for special-needs children should be used for students who are excelling in school. Some children are incapable of learning and should be taught how to do skills that don’t involve a college or a high school education. Students would be pressured early on to take responsibility for their education due to the fact that they would no longer be force-fed.
The education system could do a better job preparing students for college and careers by having classes that pertain more to their future careers and free courses for S.A.T. prep, not tutoring for S.A.T.’s that cost $500 dollars!
I am pleased that you take the time to speak to the students and teachers at higher education institutions such as highschools. Although it is very important to improve the educatonal opportunities offered in highschool, it is even more important to secure the foundation and love of learning at an earlier age. Preschool and Kindergarten to be exact. I am curious about how you will strengthen that foundation. One that has been picked away at by higher academic standards (ie “No Child Left Behind”) imposed on children too young to fully comprehend. I feel it is these early experiences in school that propel children to want to learn. It is these early experiences that will take children as far as highschool and beyond in their drive to succeed. Until those early experiences are addressed by you and your department, I truly feel you will never truly reach the older children that have lost their love of learning a long time ago. Maybe you can ask these students if they can remember a time when learning was fun.
We are two seniors from Titusville High School in Pennsylvania. We have had expreience in our school’s student assistance program. This program was designed to help students with setting personal goals in the classroom. Our SAP program is very successful here and is benifical to the all of the students involved. We are two of the many students who have found success in this program. It would be a great thing to have at every school, it helps children accomplish more. Children going through mental distress cannot always keep themselves focused on their schoolwork and the teachers involved in the SAP program help those students stay focused. We are glad that we were given the opportunity to have a part in this program and would like others to experince the success it may have.
I am a junior at Middletown HS NY PLTW’S PBS. Students can assume responsibility for their own education by doing the work they get in school. I think that students here are already adequitely prepared for college and careers but it’s their choice if they want to take that help or not. I think that celebrities have a big influence on todays kids.
I am a sophmore at Middletown High School in Middletown, New York. I am enrolled in PLTW’s PBS.
• How can students assume responsibility for their own education?
Students should learn about things they are interested in. Personally I read many books and will find myself on wikipedia learning about something that interests me. Whenever I hear about something that sounds interesting or shocking, I’ll usually google it. If learning becomes fun and interesting students will be eager to learn.
• How can we do a better job of preparing students for college and careers?
I would suggest giving more information on colleges. There are a million different colleges and it seems like everyone is great. How do I know which college is right for me? I would like to know from a non-biased source. Not a pamplet sent to me in the mail. Maybe instead of having college representives come in to schools to advertise a college actual alumni could come in.
• How can we encourage more students to become involved in community service and civic life?
Community sevice in my mind is correlated to something criminals and convincts do. It’s not something that sounds very fun and there is no incentive to do it besides the feeling of being altruistic. That is not enough of an incentive for most. Maybe if community service didn’t involve picking up trash or cleaning parks, but something else that fits the community’s needs.
• Who and what are the most important influences on today’s young people?
The media and friends. Whether or not they admit it, most young people are greatly influenced by the actions of friends and people in the media. We see how others act and most will just go with the flow.
I am a student at Middletown High School and I am part of Project Lead The Way program here at the school. In my opinion, i think that many schools could start providing new programs to students to get them involved in activities to help then with their studies. Students can take responsibility for their own education by expresssing themselves to their school teachers. Students should take leadership in the way things work for their own good. As students, we should start programs to help one another. We are all going to college someday so we all need advice as to how to make that step into enrolling into you want to do. We can all help one another if we wanted to. As for teachers, mostly counselors, they should have a meeting with their senior students like at least every two weeks to catch up with them about their plans after graduating in January or June. In my opinion, that could help students in making a decision and submitting all their essays and recommendation letters as soon as possible. Community service also needs to improve and I believe it can be done so. If students would go to a soup kitchen and help out more, they would be changing the way things work. Students could aslo so something good for their community. But as we all know, not many young kids are involved in any kind of community work because they might not know where to start. But that could be fixed. Making a school club here at Middletown High School would be pretty good to get students to get involved. If one person shows up, that would just be the start. Then next time they would just bring friends until everyones participating.
My name is Ashley and I am in 10th grade and attending Middletown High School in New York.I am taking the PLTW class for PBS. I think students can assume responsibility for their own education because it depends on the work the student puts into his or her own grade. If a student really wants to learn and get somewhere in life they will work and try hard to achieve their goal.You can do a better job in preparing students for colledge and careers by giving students a chance to experience it. We have a program called BOCES whitch is great preparation for the real world.You can encourage students more in community service and civic life by making it more fun and enjoyable and as the more kids do it more will begin to follow.The most important influences on todays young people is parents and celebrity figures. The young population tend to follow and live by what they see at home. Also what they see on tv plats a big role on their lives. One celebrity figure that deffinately influnced my life by the way I think and act is Tyra Banks.
I am a seniorf from Middletown High School in Middletown, NY. Currently i am part of the PLTW’s PBS course. In my view students have to be responsible for their education they need to know where a good education will lead them. Students also need to be driven, they cannot be lazy in class and do just enough to pass by. All students need to overachieve and reach their full potential. You can help us prepare for college and careers by starting early in the classroom. Tell students or set up a program in which students at an earlier age are exposed about college and careers so they can be better prepared by the time they graduate. To get students more involved in community service you can make it mandatory like a credit to graduate from high school. But let the student choose what type of volunteer work they want to do. That way students as well as their peers can volunteer as a group. I believe the most influential people in students’ lives can be their teachers but most likely are celebrities and athletes. Students view their favoritge athletes and actors as their heroes.
I am a middletown high school student in the 12th grade currently enrolled in the pltw’s pbs
How can students assume responsibility for their own education?
Students can assume responsibility for their education by creating a better schedule to mange both school and extra curricular activities, and by not over loading themselves with work or activities.
• How can we do a better job of preparing students for college and careers?
We can give students a better insight on the life of a college student and all the necessary steps that need to be taken to get to that point; the same can be done with careers. Also stress the importunacy of what colleges and careers look at.
• How can we encourage more students to become involved in community service and civic life?
We can encourage them by showing how far a good deed goes. Show them ways to give back to their community, and how much good can come of it. Finally we can show them those who don’t have the luxuries that they have, and the struggles that others have to face on a daily basis.
• Who and what are the most important influences on today’s young people?
The people who influence the younger generations vary from family members to past historical figures to famous hip-hop/rap stars. Although the list may be long for those who may past their influence to the younger generation, the most important thing is that the message that these idles are giving to them.
student can assume responsiblity for their own education by wanting to make a difference in their own life. I feel that if students become more motivated then they will want to go to school want to do the right thing.
make students more aware of the things that the school has to offer. teacher could talk about it in the classes or more anouncement,posters more awareness in the schools.
students can get more invlove in community service by having something they like to do in it..like if they are a football player they can get invlove with the community and start some sort of game day or something that they can relate to. to try to make community service more appealing to them.
The most influencial thing in young peoples mind is the media it self. If people see whats on the television they probably want to do it. I feel that if the media put more possitive things on then kids wouldnt want to be mean or do bad things.
Im a junior at middletwon high school i think the way students can asume responsibilites for their own education is by succesding and wanting to learn. the schools can do better jobs for perpering us for college by giving us some college classes in high school so we have a little experience for what were getting perpared for.the way we can encourage students to become involved in community service and civic life is by doing activitys that young adults would like and a a variety.The most important influencers are our parents and teahcers trying to do what we need to do and push us foward so we are sucessfull in life.
I am a junior at Middletown High School in New York. I’m currently involved in PLTW’s PBS. I believe students can assume responsibility for their own education by coming to school on time and making sure they learn the proper necessities they need for everyday life in the real world. I believe in order to do a better job of preparing students for college and careers is by giving more program oppurtunties of careers students are interested in taking. The most important influences on today’s young people is media and the people around us.
I am currently a sophmore in Middletown HS NY. I am involved in a program which is very beneficial for my interest in the medical field. It is Project Lead The Way Princles of Biomedical Science. This is a great opportunity for students to express their interests and goals for the future and provides many hands-on activities to get a basis for working in the medical field. I believe that, like I have done myself, an immense amount of students all over the United States should assume responsibility for their own education. This is by taking challenging classes and working at your best of ability in all classes. Teachers can do a better job at preparing students is by leading them step-by-step through their goals but not only that but being a great role model for all students. We can enourage more students to become for involved is by posting various advertisements that will catch students’ eyes but making it fun for them as well. Today, our peers, family, teachers, and most importantly our media/government are the most important influences. This is because we are overlooking their actions and seeing how we can take an account over that. By having positive influences around the youth, I am sure that our young people will get more involved and strive for their future.
hello i am a student in 10th grade at middletown highschool and i am inrolled in the PLW programs.
i think that students can gain responibality of their education by haveing a sence of what they want to achieve in life. all they have to do to see it through it go for classes that they enjoy and they will soooner or later take responability.
i personially think that teachers are already preparing us students for college and careers they are showing us that if we want a job we have to be on time and not late. that if we were in college they are not goin to take late work and excues.
i dont think that u can tell kids wat do do and how to do it but u can show them a fun way that way they casn enjoy the community service.it will later have an impact on theirs lifes when they need it the most like the education to get into a good college.
the role models in the kids life to day would be famous people who came out of had places and made a difference in their lives. also some of them could be their parents who might have had a rough childhood and they admire their had work.
thank you for your time=]
I am a Sophmore in the Middletown High School and I’m enrolled in PLTW’s PBS.I think that the students assume there own responsibilty by themselfes. It is if they want to learn and what pace they want to learn it. The teachers can also try to be more hands-on but it depends if the student even wants to learn about it. The school can have more college prep courses to teach us how college works and the reqirments that are in the college life. We can encourage more students to be part of community by showing them how far community service goes. If we show the students how people arte living and how they have a great life, we can encourage them.There are many important influential figures in our lives. Who we listen to, our family, our friends, and sometimes even our own teachers can influence us. This generation is very influenced and we ned to make sure we are being influenced positively.
i am a junior at middletown high school in New York. i’m in the schools PLTW’S Pbs.I believe that students can assume responsibility for their own education by doing what they are suppose to do in class, for example when the teacher is talking they listen and learning the neccesary things to prepare you for the real world. In order to do a better job of preparing students for college and careers is by giving more opputunities of careers and for students to visit more colleges.
I am a Senior at Middletown High School New York. I am currently enrolled in the PLTW’s PBS. I believe that student can assume responsiblity for their own education by wanting to make a difference in their own life. i see it this way, if a student become more motivated then they’ll want to come to school and make students more aware of the things that the school has to offer. For example, the teachers could talk about it in the classes or over the anouncements, making posters to hang around the school. I believe
that students can get more invlove in community service by having something they like to do in it..like if they are a football player they can get invlove with the community and start some sort of game day or something that they can relate to. to try to make community service more appealing to them.
The most influencial thing in young peoples mind is the media it self. If people see whats on the television they probably want to do it. I feel that if the media put more possitive things on then kids wouldnt want to be mean or do bad things.
This is a great opportunity for students to express their interests and goals for the future and provides many hands-on activities to get a basis for working in the medical field. I believe that, like I have done myself, an immense amount of students all over the United States should assume responsibility for their own education. This is by taking challenging classes and working at your best of ability in all classes. Teachers can do a better job at preparing students is by leading them step-by-step through their goals but not only that but being a great role model for all students. We can enourage more students to become for involved is by posting various advertisements that will catch students’ eyes but making it fun for them as well. Today, our peers, family, teachers, and most importantly our media/government are the most important influences. This is because we are overlooking their actions and seeing how we can take an account over that.
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