Current Issues in EducationDeandra Downey

INTASC Standards, Description and Rationale

Standard #5: Application of Content

The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learner in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.

Name of Artifact: Current Issues in Education Research Project

Date: April 16, 2013

Course: EDUC 101

Brief Description: Through this research project I hope to understand different issues that occur in education, and to understand how to deal with them. I also hope to teach my students how to overcome obstacles and differences of opinion.

Rationale: To document my understanding of Standard #5, Application of Content, I wrote my Current Issues Project on Single-Gender Schools. I hope to engage learners to seek others opinions on opposing viewpoints to better understand the world around them. This will hopefully help the students with problem solving solutions, whether it be in the classroom, or in real life.

Background Info/ Brief Overview• Several authors and professors, or professionals

give their opinions on whether single-gender schools are constitutional and whether they belong in our society or not. Several of the parents throughout these studies have their say in this as well. Many see the positive benefits, while others say this is not enough.

PROS• Higher

proficiency rates

• Students return their service to their community.

(Black boys..,2007)

• Girls are disadvantaged in coed schools.(McCloskey, 1994)

• Parents are seeing major changes in their children due to single-gender schools.(Sokol and Wilmath, 2011)

PROS

• They offer another option for parents.(Sokol and Wilmath, 2011)

• Children are able to learn without the distractions of the opposite sex.

• Women will have more opportunities to take on leadership roles.(Sturgis, 2013)

CONS

• Diminishes multiculturalism

• For girls, it can mean inferior education.

• Future separation of boys and girls may lead again to unequal educational opportunities.(McCloskey, 1994)

CONS

• Too drastic of a change to waive civil rights laws.

• May reinforce gender stereotypes.

• The practice is harmful developmentally.

• How will they learn to work together?(Sokol and Wilmath, 2011)

Is the problem about race or gender, or is it a general problem with children?

Given the different sides, would you say single-gender schools would be beneficial?

REFERENCES

• McCloskey, Liz Leibold.(1994).Boys and girls together : but not everywhere and all the time. Commonweal 121.12

• Sokol, Marlene and Wilmath, Kim.(Sept. 27, 2011).Parents dispute school study; a report questions the effectiveness of single-gender schools. St. Petersburg Times.

• Sturgis, Ingrid. (3/8/2013). Chronicle of Higher Education. Convergence: Diversity and Inclusion. P.36-39.