Lesson five was all about statistics and how the United States ranks in comparision to other nations. Statistics mean a lot in regard to education because it helps educators to determine the need and what we can do to fix the problems.

 

Discussion 5: Question 1: In one well-written paragraph, describe the highest performing nation, the lowest performing nation, and how the United States compares. Use the 2012 report for this information. Do NOT just "list" the answers!

            The highest performing nation would have to be China according to the results from the graph. China has a very strict educational system and the schools there follow very specific standards and work extremely hard in order to obtain the results that they have. China also is one of the most high tech places in the world and their educational success has a lot to do with that. The lowest performing nation is Peru according to their results. Peru is a nation that has a lot less than many other nations. They are a developing nation and need a lot of improving to do. A nation’s progress affects their educational reflections. In comparison the United States is extremely less than China with educational success but higher success than that of Peru.

Discussion 5: Question 2: In another well-written paragraph, describe what nation performs the highest in Math and who performs higher in reading skills, boys or girls (2012 report)?

            China performs the highest in Mathematics and males are the highest performing individuals within this graphs results. Females have a significantly smaller success rate in mathematics than males. The highest performing nation is reading skills is also China, and within this information we can see that females have a higher performance level than males do. We can see that males are not as successful at reading as they are in math in comparison to females and females are not as successful in math as they are in reading. Science has a lot to do with mathematics and reading has a lot to do with history, which is surprising because females are more proficient in science than males and males are more proficient in history.

 

Discussion 5: Question 3: Describe the performance of single-parent students (2012 report).

           Single parent students’ performance fluctuates. On an average most single parent students do struggle more than students with both parents involved in their educational careers. This is because most single parents have to work and do not have a lot of time to sit down with their children and help them study whereas students with both parents have two people to guide them and help them while supporting their family. Students that come from families with single parents instead of both parents usually have a higher dropout rate and a rougher time in school than students that do have both parents. However, apart from those things being observed and said I know from personal experience that some single parent students have more motivation than others, but it is harder for them to carry out their dreams because of their disadvantages against students with both parents.

Discussion 5: Question 4: Concerning performance levels, how important are parents? In other words, can parents make a difference? Describe.

            Parents are extremely important and can make a HUGE difference in a student’s life. Parents take on the role of a student’s support system. Parents can make or break a student’s confidence in their abilities. Also the parent plays a key role in the environment that the students live in because they have to have a place to do homework, or to study at home and their parents help to create that atmosphere and that space. If a student does not have an actively involved parent or even a parent at all then they may feel like no one cares and that they cannot be or do anything and that makes the teacher’s job a lot harder because then they have to help that student in ways that a parent should have been. Parents also play a vital role in the school system. Parents are needed in order to make big decisions in the school system, they are needed in order for teachers to contact about a student’s behavior and progress, and parents are needed because when the children are not at school they are at home and need to be in a caring nurturing environment which is one that parents need to provide.

 

 

Discussion 5: Question 5: Describe some of the differences in the 2009 and 2012 reports. Are we making progress?

            In 2009 there was a significant difference in the rankings of the US in the study in 2012. The differences that were present show the United States educational systems rankings decreasing instead o increasing. The United States had higher rankings in 2009 in the critical reading subject area than they did in 2012, the US actually ranked lower than the average in 2012 and higher than the average in 2009. These differences are the exact opposite of what we want them to be. As teachers we should be striving to do better than the previous years and instead the US is not making much progress in the area of Critical Reading. However, in mathematics students are making progress by scoring over the average, which as better than the United States’ ranking in 2009. So in mathematics students actually are making progress. We should be striving to make progress in all areas so there is still lots of room for improvement but some progress is better than no progress.

 

Discussion 5: Question 6: Describe what makes a school successful according the 2012 PISA report?

            What makes a school successful is actively involved parents, motivated teachers, and students willing to learn. A lot of school’s problems are lack of organization and communication. Communication must be effective in order to work at all. Teachers should effectively communicate with parents in order to figure how to teach students in the most effective and best ways. Communication is also vital among administration and teachers themselves because that is how they build a strong foundation to stand on and it makes it easier to teach students and handle other problems that the school may face. Successful schools really rely on the communities support, the student and the parents willingness to learn and be actively involved, and the teachers and administration to be nurturing and motivated to achieve the same goals: the success of the students.

 

 

Discussion 5: Question 7: As a future classroom teacher, how can you use the information on this web site?

            As an aspiring teacher I can use this information from the website in order to develop ways to make progress in my students. I can look at the studies and determine what factors play roles in student’s education and I can also determine what types of students may need more help than others. Data is a very useful tool and as a teacher this data and all other sorts of data would and will be very useful when I take on classes and their performing levels because then I could work on ways to make my classes perform at better and higher quality. The website would better able me to make my students learn more effectively.

 

Discussion 5: Question 8: Do you think the information on this web site is accurate? Why or why not?

            I do think that the information is accurate because the studies were conducted over a longer time period than just one year. With that being said when studies are done over longer time periods and over larger populations you can see significant and different results and it will be easier to come to a more accurate conclusion. I also feel that this website’s information is accurate because the people that conducted these studies are credible and reliable. A lot of the time some websites put insignificant statistics and say that they are credible when they are not, and this website did not do that therefore it makes me feel that this website provides accurate, adequate, and credible information.

 

Discussion 5: Question 9: Based on your analysis of the web site information, do you believe that certain political mandates designed to increase reading and math performance levels (such as the No Child Left Behind law) ARE working or ARE NOT working? Explain.

            Based on the research alone I feel like these political mandates are not working effectively. I think that they are positive and nice ideas but putting them into reality is a struggle. Based on the results levels of the US in reading and math areas are fluctuating and this is not the goal. The goal is to continuously increase and the truth is that is the exact opposite of what is being done. Numbers are all over the place instead of consecutively increasing. The No Child Left Behind law is a strong inspirational foundation but the truth is children and not being helped or hurt by these types of laws, in reality the law is just set in place for teachers to say that they are doing all that they can but once you get into the school system and see what is going on you see that there is not a lot being done in respect to that law and laws like it. There is still a lot to be done in regards to the US education system and there need to be more officials that can take the reins and show positive progress in all areas.

 

Summary:

            I found this information to be very shocking but very insightful at the same time. I have always heard that the United States was falling in the lower rankings than that of the rest of the world, especially China, but I the numbers finally became real to me after this discussion. I feel that when I do become a teacher I will keep all of this information in mind while teaching and I will try my hardest to beat the odds and help my students to exceed far above expectations.

 

Research Question:

            Are students with a single parent more prone to dropout than students with both parents?

Research References:

http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/home_family/single_parents.html#

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3233246/Parents-fail-homework-One-three-admit-confused-work-children-bring-home.html

http://www.familyfacts.org/briefs/35/family-structure-and-childrens-education

 

 

Research Analysis:

According to the research students that come from intact homes fare better in their academic achievements than students that come from a divided home (single parent). Also according to the research students that come from intact homes actually have more involved parents than the student that does not come from an intact home. The research states that students from intact homes area actually more likely to graduate from high school, attend college, and complete college compared to peers raised in blended or single-parent families. Students behavior is also affected by their parents involvement and according to the research students from single parent homes actually have worse behavior than students that come from a home where both parents are present and the reasoning behind this is that “Parents from an intact home have higher expectations of their children than parents from a separated or single home.”

Also according to the research it is a lot harder for students to focus and function in a divided home, especially if it is a single parent home because that parent has to do enough parenting for two people. They have to work twice as hard, and manage twice as much than parents that are from an intact home. Because of this time management and work management issue research states that single parent children lack attention and help from their parent because there parent is either working all the time, or trying to take care of more than one child. Research also says that if a parent is a single parent and raising more than one child it is a lot harder on the parent to work, manage the household, and stay on top of all of their other responsibilities because they are one person doing the job of two. Some more research about parent involvement with homework was also conducted and that research said that most parents cannot understand homework that their child is doing so then the children do not get the help they need from home, this is especially true for single parents because in an intact home there are two parents that could try the homework but in a single parent home there is only one.

Research Summary:

            I found this research to be rather shocking. I did not think that there were this many downsides to living in a single parent home, but I cannot disagree with the research completely. I do feel like if a student comes from a more intact family that they will have more advantages, but I do not feel like a single parent student will have any less chance. I feel like students from intact families have more support, and a better family life than students from single parent homes. I honestly feel like I chose this research question because I have always been interested in broken homes especially because I am from one. From a personal experience these results have shown to be true, because I have lived with these results before. My dad has never been able to help me with homework, neither has he been actively involved in my schooling. I look at students from intact families and I honestly feel a bit of jealousy and resentment towards them and my parents. Jealousy because those children always seemed more happy, and resentment because my family was broken. All of my emotions aside, I do agree that students from intact homes have it better off, but I do not agree students from single homes are condemned to a life of failure and disadvantages.