SS 313 – AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATION: Can Schools Achieve Both Equality and Excellence? Class presentations available.

This class will explore the history and philosophy of public education, including the original intent and how public policy has impacted public schools today. We then will discuss student accountability, teacher accountability, and administrator accountability, and the controversy surrounding it. Finally, we will focus on the role and purpose of a school board and how politics influences decision-making.

January 7: History and Philosophy of Public Education; Teachers and Teaching as a Profession

Class Presentation: American Public Education – Session 1

Do schools attempt to achieve high standards to meet the needs of the community at large in order to produce an informed and capable citizenry, or merely push through the system?

 January 14: Curriculum and Standardized Testing

Class Presentation: SS 313 American Public Education – Session 2

Must teachers teach to the test at the expense of a deeper and richer classroom experience and student development? Is there a better way to assess student knowledge and understanding?

 January 21: Politics in Education and a School Board

To what degree are school boards accountable to the public? How much grassroots decision-making and control is involved in the educational process and how does it influence educational decision-making?

 Presenter: Adam Matthew Ormond

received his Ed.D. from UC Irvine and UCLA. He was lead faculty In Information Technology and Computer Science at National University, Costa Mesa for three years and a lecturer at the Orange County Department of Education for six years.

Developer: Jonathan Weil

Location: Woodbridge Onken Classroom

Dates/Time:

Thursdays, January 7, 14 and 21

10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon