1. Need for Change in our Educational System By: Anil Karim Graduate Student University of Houston Victoria

3. Partnership With Culture Instead of promoting diversity and change we are creating cultural gaps

4. Cultural Gaps Created Caused by Belief in the “one size fits all” pedagogy

5. Public school instructors need to acknowledge that… Students from different backgrounds do not learn in the same manner.

6. Different Background, Different Learning Style Not all students learn through the same mode of instruction Auditory learners vs. Visual learners Some students come with a stronger foundation Some students learn at a different pace

8. Develop the curriculum

9. Set the school holidays

10. Design assessments and standardized tests Minority communities Forced to adopt the programs, instruction, and facilities Impacts: history, heritage, values and beliefs Dominant Members of Society Cultural Communities

12. The inability to embrace diversity leads to inequalities with in the education system

13. Major American Educational Inequalities Poverty Racial Gaps Funding Gaps

14. The unequal distribution of wealth is directly related to inequalities in education beginning at early education.

15. Cycle of Poverty

16. The official poverty rate in 2006 was 12.3%. In 2006, 36.5 million people were in poverty. 3.6 million people are in poverty only in Texas, where over half a million reside in Houston. National Poverty Statistics

17. 21.9% of our children are in poverty. This resembles nearly over 7 million children nationally. Lets take a look around the world…. Children in Poverty

18. % of children below national poverty lines in rich nations The USA is Second to Last behind Mexico (which is considered a rich nation)

19. When families are in a lower income bracket, the following practice specific outcomes have been documented: Henderson & Mapp, 2002, in Sanders, 2008, p. 287 Why is income Important?

20. On average, almost one year behind middle-class children in their education – at the age of five, they are 11.1 months behind others in vocabulary tests. Have the highest drop out rates Are in property-poor school districts where funds are moving to property-rich appropriated through the reward program The Poorest Children

21. These gaps are created when students of a particular race (African American, Latino, Native American) perform below the national average, verses those who perform above the national average (Whites, Asians) Racial Gaps

23. Majority of Black and Hispanic children are 4 years behind when they graduate high school.

25. Educators fear the content learned in school will be geared towards passing these “tests” and less on actually educating the students. The tests are generally not aligned to the curriculum which means that students are tested on material to which they may not have been exposed. The tests are also administered in English which means that some students are unable to comprehend the questions.

26. Schools in low income districts often face issues with funding Funding Gaps

27. Cash incentive programs that reward schools for high scores on standardized tests creating a growing gulf between the rich and poor. This doesn’t make sense! Instead of investing on schools that are failing we offer

28. Students do not have access to proper materials and environment needed for success. Consequences of Funding Gaps The rich school keep getting richer, and the poor school keep getting poorer.

29. We spend Less than 3% GDP while Sweden spends 18% While we have 21.9% of our children in poverty compared to only 4.2% in Sweden Social Spending

30. Spending an equal amount on education among high poverty and low poverty districts A 2004 report by Education Trust shows that 36 states have a funding gap, with a nationwide difference between high-poverty and low-poverty districts of $1,348 per student Close the funding gap between districts by:

31. Increase in high school drop out rates Leading to an increase in unemployment A decrease in college enrollment Leading to a lower quality of life Inequalities in education lead to

33. High School Grads VS College Grads In 2005, male workers ages 25-34 with a high school diploma had a median income of $29,600, while those with a bachelor’s degree or higher earned $48,400. Among women, those with a high school diploma made $23,500, and their counterparts with bachelor’s degree or higher earned $39,500.

34. The Importance of Education Poverty increases as level of education decreases

35. Looking at the Big Picture… Why Degrees Matter

36. A decrease of student involvement. Lack of student interest in the classroom. Low performance on examinations. Inequalities in Education Lead to

37. In 2005, Raytheon Company launched its MathMovesU program, and surveyed middle school students nationwide. 84 percent would rather clean their room, take out the trash, eat their vegetables or go to the dentist than do their math homework. Anything BUT Math…Please

38. What is the importance of Math and Science in Education

39. Early childhood Science in early childhood settings offers a means for children to develop many important skills: large- and small- muscle control, language, early math concepts and problem solving.

40. Higher Education According to the US department of education, Students who take rigorous mathematics and science courses are much more likely to go to college than those who did not. Improvement Math and Science will help the students become more competitive.

41. Where is the US in terms of math & science compared to other nations? In the Program for International Student Assessment, American students had an average science score that was lower than the average in 16 other countries. In math, they did even WORSE, posting an average score that was lower than the average in 23 other countries!

42. Creating the Spark

43. The key to educating students’ long term interest in math and science is to develop engaging educational activities that spark and build upon their situational interest “Situational interest”—the interest a person has in the current task they’re doing. By putting the material into a meaningful and relevant context The more interested students are in a subject, the more involved they become in their assignments—putting greater effort into their studies and engaging in deeper levels of thinking. But How Does Interest Affect Achievement?

44. How can you get students to becoming interested in science and math? Making the learning process more interactive and engaging Developing engaging educational activities Using hands-on projects Stimulating the imagination Encouraging group work Talking about career opportunities in the classroom.

45. “We will not be a leader unless we can improve our national performance in math and science” -Wilcox

46. It’s a Dog eat Dog World Darwin’s “Survival of the Fittest” If you are not the BEST of the BEST, you’re in trouble!

47. Globalization Global economic competition is confronting every sector of our economy and our workforce – in information technology as well as in manufacturing, among professional employees as well as blue-collar workers.

48. Due to the current economic situation, the job market has become more and more competitive. Students coming out of college must have more then a college degree to land a job or someone else will beat them to it.

49. A Labor Department report shows: There are about 6.3 unemployed workers competing, on average, for each job opening.

50. Another reason for the increased competition in the job market is outsourcing.

51. The US is falling behind in Math and Science

52. Are US students prepared for competition with international students? Do they have the skills? What can be done to prepare them?

53. In 2006, president Bush introduced the "American Competitiveness Initiative" that would: Encourage kids to take more math and science Train 70,000 high school teachers to lead math and science advanced placement courses Bring 30,000 math and science professionals into public school classrooms to teach. Increasing Competition

54. Preparation for competition begins with... Changes in the curriculum in the public schools Compared to the rest of the world, we are falling behind What can we do?

55. Changes in the Curriculum Develop statewide literacy programs built on research about effective reading instruction. Provide professional development in literacy instruction for high school teachers. Provide accelerated learning grants to support partnerships between districts and institutions of higher education. And most importantly… Fund Career Technical Education programs that are academically rigorous and focus on the dual goals of college and work preparation.

56. Provides career awareness, career counseling, and assessment for elementary and secondary school students through academic instruction integrated with relevant technical skills and related work-based activities. AIMS test results find that CTE-enrolled high school students score higher overall in math, science and reading than average. Career Technical Education Programs

57. According to the Adelman research (1999) The rigor of the high school curriculum is the most important predictor of college completion—it is more important than parent education level or family income An intensive academic curriculum had the strongest effect for African American and Latino students Students completing a college preparatory curriculum are more likely to succeed in college and less likely to need remedial coursework. Increasing Rigor

58. Raising graduation requirements Ensuring access to quality course content and instruction Aligning course content and assessments with the skills necessary for higher education and employment Institutionalizing additional support for students at risk. Increasing the Standards for A Brighter Future

59. According to a College Board study, Higher rates of volunteering, voting and donating blood correspond to higher levels of education as do lower unemployment and poverty rates. A Better Quality of Life

60. According to New York Times, “The achievement gap between white and minority students has not narrowed in recent years.” Between 2004 and last year, scores for young minority students increased, but so did those of white students, leaving the achievement gap stubbornly wide. So What has Changed?

61. Schools rely on local property taxes as a crucial source of funds. The poorer districts are still not receiving sufficient funds, making it difficult for their students to excel academically. “The U.S. has created a caste system of public education that is increasingly separate and unequal.” -TIME Racial inequality still remains an issue and diversity is not fully accepted.

62. This is the time for change!