https://padlet.com/y5cho/fzk2vcbw94betqnt --Yeonil Cho-- en-us 2021-03-02 18:43:52 UTC 2021-03-02 19:22:18 UTC hello@padlet.com y5cho https://padlet.com/y5cho/fzk2vcbw94betqnt/wish/1260111058 When reforms are written in the paper, they sound great, but often when they are put in practice, the desired outcomes do not happen, and this is the lesson which policies like the No Child Left Behind policy has left us with. In the beginning of the quarter, I learned about the previous policies implemented by the federal government which touched on school's funding and transfer policy, and it was shown that these policies did not provide any incentives for the school to make actual changes in their educational system and thus, could not improve students’ experience and performance. Part of the reason why I think the government often fails to address issues related to education equity is because the policy makers do not question such causations of discrimination and “disabilities”  and instead, they make correlations in the data they gather from the standardized tests. The fact that students’ scores can be categorized by their socioeconomic status illustrates the unfairness and challenges underrepresented groups of students face.]]> 2021-03-02 18:47:42 UTC https://padlet.com/y5cho/fzk2vcbw94betqnt/wish/1260111058 y5cho https://padlet.com/y5cho/fzk2vcbw94betqnt/wish/1260133254 Making changes in how educators access students is the first thing that comes to mind when discussing educational reform. In a competitive environment which standardized tests create, students are constantly pressured by the scores they receive, and this causes them to lose interest in learning. Instead of relying on external assessments, utilizing internal assessments like Finland's education system could be the next step. Moreover, developing inclusive curriculums and competency based learning can provide more opportunities and resources for marginalized students in our public education. There is a great possibility that culturally relevant education and competency based learning will be seen as a more popular model of teaching from the teachers and parents’ perspective because it acknowledges students’ diverse needs and different learning styles. 

]]> 2021-03-02 18:51:35 UTC https://padlet.com/y5cho/fzk2vcbw94betqnt/wish/1260133254 y5cho https://padlet.com/y5cho/fzk2vcbw94betqnt/wish/1260148026 The concept of neurodiversity we learned in class indicated that people do not only look different by their appearance, but also hold different “mindsets” which naturally cause them to think and behave differently. However, in our society, there is a tendency to integrate individual differences into a social expectation, and people often consider disability as an inherent flaw, which is a critical mistake that can disregard many possibilities. The takeaway here is that social expectations and standards are set by the group who have the advantage to use to their benefit, which is why, in order to achieve educational equity, inclusive staffs and curriculums need to be present in public school education. 

]]> 2021-03-02 18:54:09 UTC https://padlet.com/y5cho/fzk2vcbw94betqnt/wish/1260148026 y5cho https://padlet.com/y5cho/fzk2vcbw94betqnt/wish/1260164634 In Tienken’s paper, “Chapter 2: The Competitiveness Hoax”, the author emphasizes that, “skills and dispositions like creativity, cooperation, innovation, strategizing, networking, and entrepreneurship, are uniquely unstandardized” (Tienken, 21,  2017). I wanted to reflect on this quote because it connects to the point I made earlier which was about how standardized tests public schools use to assess students disregard individual’s different talents, which can discourage students from finding their own values in education. Occupying students with standardized tests and taking away their free time do not prepare them for the real world problems. Students need time to engage in different activities so they find out about their own strengths and weaknesses and develop decision making skills that fit them. 

]]> 2021-03-02 18:57:10 UTC https://padlet.com/y5cho/fzk2vcbw94betqnt/wish/1260164634 y5cho https://padlet.com/y5cho/fzk2vcbw94betqnt/wish/1260171730 Another quote I picked was from Valencia’s paper, “The construct of deficit thinking”, “Such misunderstandings from these marked boundaries often result in teachers’ labeling students as unmotivated to learn” (Valencia, 2010). I found categorizing marginalized students by certain labels is discouraging towards educational equity and diversity as labeling does not help address issues and instead create stereotypes which can discourage students who actually need support and resources. For this reason, schools need to let students focus and challenge their own disability and teach ways to improve in their perspective of disabilities and become comfortable and appreciative towards others’ differences, and I believe that this can be achieved through inclusive education, and culturally relevant education. ]]> 2021-03-02 18:58:29 UTC https://padlet.com/y5cho/fzk2vcbw94betqnt/wish/1260171730 y5cho https://padlet.com/y5cho/fzk2vcbw94betqnt/wish/1260220453 I really appreciate the experience I got to have in this course as it provided opportunities for me to share my ideas and ask questions to others, and it also gave a safe space for students to discuss their opinions and express their feelings on certain topics. For example, when we discussed different views on charter schools as a class, I enjoyed listening to other people’s stories on their educational journeys because I could compare to my own experiences, and it allowed me to have different perspectives which I did not have before. I was also able to learn that cultural education must include a discussion of current issues so that both educators and students become aware of the intersections of gender, race, and sexuality where discriminations might be occurring and build new understandings on established foundations. Most importantly, public education is the key to spreading awareness of inequalities and addressing such issues.

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