Remake of CW25AC: Final Project - Emilia Bae by Emilia Bae

1. Funding

embb00 — 2021-05-14 12:58:13 UTC

Currently, public schools (charters differ) are funded mainly from state and local taxes, with federal funding comprising less than 10%. What would be the sources of funding for your ideal school? How would funding be distributed? Please provide your rationale.

2. Student Distribution

embb00 — 2021-05-14 12:58:13 UTC

Integration, Zoning, controlled choice, etc.? How would students be assigned in your school? Would you aim for neighborhood schools? For a charter school system? For the current or a different zoning system? For another outside-the-box option? Please explain your choice and its rationale.

3. Curriculum and Pedagogy

embb00 — 2021-05-14 12:58:13 UTC

Activity types, foci, special programs, etc. Please include an overall discussion of what you think is the most appropriate overall pedagogical approach for your school (and the rationale) given all the issues we have talked about in urban public schools -- and the need for engagement, belonging, and trust/respect. If possible, also list some specifics activities you might incorporate. And maybe give me a glimpse into what your classrooms might look like.

4. Assessment Procedures

embb00 — 2021-05-14 12:58:13 UTC

How would students be assessed in your school? What role would standardized testing play (this might also mean you have to talk about how ideal college admissions might look)? Please describe what your assessment would look like and why.

5. Instructors

embb00 — 2021-05-14 12:58:13 UTC

Given your overall mission and goals in your ideal school that services at least some students from low-income backgrounds, what qualifications would you require of your instructors (education, specialized training etc)? what expectations would you have regarding their approach to teaching and their beliefs about education and the students your school would serve? What ongoing professional development would you require? And how would you assess instructors?

6. Extracurriculars/ Special Projects

embb00 — 2021-05-14 12:58:13 UTC

Given the varying needs and interests of students in your school, what extracurricular projects or special programs might you include to increase engagement, provide after-school support for students? These projects could be solely within the school or involve outside groups (businesses, community. parents, etc). Please explain your choices.

7. Advising

embb00 — 2021-05-14 12:58:13 UTC

Given your discussions of the model minority myth, the school-to-prison pipeline, and mental health in schools, what type of counseling would be available at your school? And what type of academic support programs? Please describe the options and explain their significance.

8. Here's what I really want to say.

embb00 — 2021-05-14 12:58:13 UTC

OK -- here is your chance. What did you not get a chance to say under the other categories? What aspect of your school has not been outlined in the static categories given? What issue that we have discussed is most important to you -- and how will your approach to it be highlighted in your school? what is your school's overall mission in terms of addressing social reproduction or addressing trauma or addressing the needs of the 21st century or....? You can elaborate on anything you want to here.

Funding

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:19:57 UTC

My ideal school would be a charter school, a sister school of a public school in a wealthy neighborhood. The school is mainly funded by local, state, federal funding and tuition-free for students from low social income families.
In our discussions, especially through comparison between Ivy kids and Pineapple from public school, we discussed how insufficient funding of school leads to lower quality of education.
My ideal school would not have such problems by getting supported by the sister traditional public school in a wealthy neighborhood. Local fund differences between two neighborhoods can be diminished.
Extra fundings can be achieved by the school’s fundraiser or donations from educational corporates.

Student Distribution

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:24:20 UTC

Students will be racially balanced to enrich the culture of the school and also to equally represent different races.
I would aim for a charter school system but would have some neighborhood school characteristics.
The school will be placed up on the hill and surrounded by woods. All students will have to bus to school no matter where they live. However, to prevent student’s exhaustion from long bussing time, students who can come to the school would be limited to students who live a maximum 1 hour away from school. In that way, students won’t waste their time on transportation, like Ma’Riah who had to bus to the city because of the integration plan.
In terms of zoning and location of my ideal school, I would prefer for my ideal school to be located at a place where no zoning exists. However, as we discussed in discussions, the zoning system such as redlining lingers from the past, and in the real world racial, economical segregation exists. To solve this segregation problem, I would like to place the school near red zones. By placing the school near red zones, access to students from low socioeconomic status can increase. Also, by placing it around the red zones, access of students from other zones with various socioeconomic statuses can come to school as well.

Assessment Procedures

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:30:43 UTC

No letter grades/ scores will be assigned to students before 3rd grades. Before 3rd grade, the educator must focus on developing student’s academic interests rather than assessments.
After 3rd grade, grades(Adequate/Great/Excellent) will be given to students at the end of every month, instead of after assessments, based on their performance in that month. By giving out one grade per month, student will try to be a better learner each month instead of trying to do better at each assessment. Student’s assessment records will be in paragraphs instead of grades when shared with students. Letter grades can often put more academic pressure on students. Thorough comments about one's academic performance can show students how much they are cared by teachers and hence can effectively motivate students to improve and learn more.
Student assessment format will vary for each student and each grade. The student will be given options to complete the assessment. Students can choose an assessment type that they think would work best for them. As we discussed in class, not all students do best on multiple-choice questions. Unless it is specifically a writing class or a drawing class, students should be able to choose how they will show that they’ve learned the expected outcomes of the class.

Classrooms would look like:

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:31:34 UTC

Small-sized classrooms <20 to increase engagement of students and to increase individual attention/care one can get from the teacher.
Colorful floors and classroom walls covered by drawings, student’s work, or interesting questions to increase creativity.
Circular tables, promoting discussions
15 minutes of downtime after 45 minutes of a lesson - optimal working time adapted from Finland school.

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:32:18 UTC

Engagement, feeling of belonging, and trust/respect are necessary for student’s educational success. In order to achieve that, students need to feel respected and safe at school and see the relevance of education in real life.

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy:

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:32:33 UTC

Research projects about student’s cultural group or community
- Cross-culture research: students explore their peer’s culture which can lead them to understand each other better
“Culture Fair”: Annual event where students(mainly upper-class students) with same or similar cultures are assigned a room to decorate and represent their cultures. Students will have a month to plan for the event and a week to decorate rooms. On the day of the event, lower-class students will visit rooms and explore different cultures. This can not only enrich the culture of school but also increase the cultural awareness of students.
Answering in different languages(language from their culture/heritage) when checking attendance: little things like this can promote a culture-rich environment and normalize having differences.

Ethnic studies

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:33:24 UTC

Ethnic studies will be provided as “Culture class” in different forms for students in different grades to effectively connect one’s culture to education(the class is mandatory).
Grades 1~3: explore their own cultures and share with the class in play form
Grades 4~6: perform light researches on their cultures and share with the class
Grades 7~9: Ethnic study with a teacher with the same race and connecting it to real life, performing researches on historical events of their own cultures.
Grades 10~12: develop a critical view towards how different cultures are displayed/stereotyped in the society(discussions about movie, book, play, etc.)

Teachers

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:35:25 UTC

Teachers of various races actively enrich culture in school and make students feel safer and more connected.
Teachers education to:
- prevent implicit or cultural biases.
- Provide enough appropriate guidance for students
- ensure proper formative assessment process, including optimal assessment period, providing enough resources/teaching time to students, understanding the proper use of formative assessment(not fully relying on test scores and reflecting their teaching skills from student’s assessments)

Multiple mental health clinician with different races on campus

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:35:45 UTC

mental health clinicians on campus can significantly increase access to mental health support even for students who are hesitant of reaching out for help. As student's mental health issues can involve cultural factors and as students are more likely to feel connected with a clinician of the same race, mental health clinicians with different races are needed on campus.

Student Safety Securities instead of School Resource Officers

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:36:21 UTC

The existence of School Resource Officers can make students feel unsafe at school even though their purpose is to make the school a safe place. By having Student Safety Securities who cannot arrest students instead of SROs, I aim to cut the School to Prison Pipeline. The school will have monthly or annual class events/meetings with Student Safety Securities to let students know that they are here to keep everyone safe. Education for the securities would be necessary to prevent any implicit biases.

Faculties

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:38:16 UTC

Social-emotional learning programs to motivate students

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:39:25 UTC

Self-directing learning planner/report where students record daily studying plans and self-assessments. Teachers would just check the completion of the report every day at the end of the day. The planner will allow students to set their own goals and motivate themselves. Student setting their goals instead of being told to achieve certain goals can relieve their academic stress as well.
Mandatory journals in lower grades: motivation and engagement through self-reflection. Journals can not only relieve stress from students but also connects student and teacher, allowing students to reach out to the teacher for any help(mental health).

Student-centered learning

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:39:51 UTC

The class will be led by student’s question/ discussions with the guidance of teachers

Text bookmaking

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:40:13 UTC

As the curriculum is student-centered and project/research-based, students won’t receive standardized textbooks. Instead, they will create a textbook for their class throughout the year. The textbook will be composed of researches, projects, and discussions that students have performed throughout the year. The creation of this textbook itself will be counted as an assessment, and for upperclassmen, formative assessments will be based on the textbook they created as a class.

Real-life connecting

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:40:33 UTC

For every subject, students will have to draw a connection between study materials and real-life. This increases the relevance of education for the student, hence increase the engagement of students.

Promotes individualism(as in individual’s uniqueness)

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:40:47 UTC

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy allows students to study their heritage and appreciate differences as uniqueness.
Every project will have options to be completed. This individualized learning process for each student will effectively nourish student’s academic interests and motivate students.

Ideal College Admission

embb00 — 2021-05-15 05:46:26 UTC

The role of standardized testing is to ensure that students have acquired knowledge and skills required to pressure higher education. Hence, in my ideal college admission, this standardized testing would be used as a “pass/no pass” idea.
My ideal college admission would include personal statement, one project of any form that can show one's knowledge and interests in major that one's applying for. College admission should be individualized as the assessment in schools are individualized.