Schools for the Underprivileged - Assignment Example

 Schools for the Underprivileged Mission Statement The project titled ‘Schools for the Underprivileged’ has been initiated by the organization named ‘Equal Education for All’ (EEA). The mission of the EEA is to provide disadvantaged children high quality education through improved learning spaces, access to the latest digital technologies and training of the teachers to the highest degree. The vision of the program is the creation of study spaces in an environment conducive to critical thinking and to acquire an understanding of the world[Mud14].The goals of this school are twofold. The first goal is to provide a base of minimum high-quality knowledge for the poor and vulnerable children in the US. Secondly, the school must serve as an example for the existing public schools in the region[Sha10]. The public school system in theUS is struggling to give the most basic levels of knowledge. The educational method in the US is predominantly based on the memorization of content rather than an intellectual development of the students. There is little emphasis on gaining an in-depth understanding of the contents and an acquisition of practical knowledge. A majority of students in underprivileged regions of the US have spent five years or more in a public school. These students are unable to identify basic scientific concepts, even though, these concepts are taught in the school. Test scores of these students are often lower than 35% (equivalent to 7/20), and many students fail to final exams for passing to the next grade[Mud14]. The organization has been created with the objective to provide schooling for underprivileged children. The mission includes providinghigh-quality education in basic subjects such as mathematics, science, and arts with an emphasis on understanding and practice of newly acquired knowledge. The program objectives comprises of: - Centering the education on teaching the child to enable him to develop his creativity and autonomy; - To enrich education by including the program of artistic and cultural disciplines like pottery, chess, literature, music, computer tools, games and sports activities; - Involve children, parents, school staff, volunteers and the community in a common project that would impart a sense of civic service, morality and respect for the traditional culture in which they were raised. Statement of Need The need for this program arises from the inequality of the US educational system. There is a considerable amount of research literature available which indicates the high level of inequality in the educational system of the United States. Children who grow up in low socioeconomic areas are more at the risk of experiencing difficulties in school and to drop out later. According to Goos, Damme, Onghena, & Petry (2004), elimination of these inequalities requires a concerted effort between researchers, policy makers and academicians. Johanningmeier is a professor and researcher who is a specialist in the resilience of teachers in disadvantaged areas. In the article Johanningmeier (2014) presents the main results of his doctoral research regarding teachers who work in underprivileged regions. The doctoral study reveals links between the resilience of primary teachers working in disadvantaged areas and the way they think about their professional practice[Joh141]. The comparison of the profiles of a very resilient and non-resilient teachershows that their thinking is different. The former talks more about solutions implemented in a problematic situation. The latter is far more focused on the obstacle itself and the environmental aspects of the problems (difficulties with students, heavy workload, lack of resources, support from colleagues, etc.)[Joh141].These results suggest that teachers faced high degree of adversity when they try to encourage and guide their students towards setting high academic goals [Joh141]. In the opinion of Bala (2014), teaching in disadvantaged urban areas is a major challenge. Indeed, the teacher's task is often more problematic given the accumulation and concentration of adverse conditions. These adversities comprise of the lack of resources and support, problematic relationships with students and parents, special needs of certain students, lack of necessary equipmentsin the schools, etc.[Bal141]. According to Miller, Votruba-Drzal, & Coley (2013), children living in persistent poverty are more vulnerable to ailments and diseases. This directly impacts the learning ability of the students. The school failure risk is about twice as great for a student from an underprivileged family and the dropout rate tends to increase with an increase in deprivation rate[Mil13]. The Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sports (2009) also indicates that 35% of students from disadvantaged backgrounds drop out of school before graduation while this rate is 20 % in other settings[Mil13]. In such a context of adversity, studying resilience allows teachers to adopt a positive perspective of competence and empowerment against obstacles inherent in the practice[Mat142] This approach allows to understand how teachers manage to maintain their commitment and motivation despite adversity [Goo04].Several studies also show that the school plays an important role in the development of youth resilience. Adequate schooling also helps to create positive role models for children[Ang15].Thus, the development of resilience in the schooling system of the underprivileged areas comprises of two key actions. The first is toinvest in the well-being of teachers. The second is to set up goals for the students’ success and to cherish attainment of those goals [Ang15]. This approach to the problem of education in disadvantaged areas emphasizes the need for adoption of strategies that capitalize on the motivation and sense of self-efficacy of teachers, as well as, the prevention of exhaustion and abandonment professionals[Ang15]. A study revealed that over a third of children in underprivileged areas are vulnerable to learning difficulties when they enter school. They are more likely to face failures in academics that can ultimately influence them to drop out of school[Mil13]. In addition, several public schools in underprivileged areas have recently expressed concern about the lack of space in many schools[Mil13]. Working committees have been established to develop the new educational program for children in underprivileged areas. The objective of the newly developed programs is to provide support to teachers and to track the deployment that must be done[Goo04]. By cons, some have criticized the fact that the new measure does not take into account the particularities of each of the media[Goo04]. Organizational Background – Initiated by three retired educationists, the EEA began its operations in August 2012 with an initial funding of 0.4 million US dollars. It has established numerous schools in Eastern states of the the US, and has plans to extend its operations to the rest of the country. The organization plans to set up 3400 more institutes in the US during September 2015 – June 2016 each serving approximately 300-350 students in each institute[Mat142]. The EEA, founded in 2012, identifies leaders for tomorrow can be created among the poorest children in theUS through educational and community development programs. These programs are operated in the most disadvantaged communities within theUS. Currently, there are over 2,300 students enrolled in EEA education program. The EEA, in the heart of the poorer communities of the US will provide disadvantaged children high quality education through improved learning spaces, access to the latest digital technologies, teacher training, concentration on Education STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and study spaces in an environment conducive to critical thinking and to acquire an understanding of the world. Proposal Summary The proposal is to extend the EEA’s program of education to all the low-income communities of US. The program will provide an alternative to the public education system for the children in these communities. It is recognized that the program cannot replace the public education system of the country. Rather, the objective of the program initiators is to establish a proven set of practices for the public schooling system in the country. Once the underprivileged students from the EEA’s schooling system will be found to be at par with the students from the rest of the country, then the practices of EEA’s schools will also be adopted by the public schools in the poor regions of the country.The proposal aims to support academic achievement, personal and social American youth from disadvantaged backgrounds and ethnically disadvantaged backgrounds[Kim112]. EEA schoolswill comprise of a regional team of professional resources. By promoting the transfer of knowledge from the research and development of innovative and fair practice models in disadvantaged areas, the professional team will contribute to the development and deployment of the expertise of the most disadvantaged schools in five school boards in the region of American[Jey13]. The curriculum and teaching practices of the school will be decided by a Committee of Management and Coordination of the academics. This committee will determine the guidelines of the regional work plan, ensures consistency between offering support and guidance tothe school for all and specific needs identified by the community, in connection with their management agreement and educational success[Jey13]. All the actions of the schools will be aimed at improving the education of disadvantaged children in our countries of operation. Academically disadvantaged children will be at the heart of the schooling system. Project Narratives Goals and Objectives – This project aims to improve access to primary school and quality education for girls and disadvantaged boys at high risk in the poor-income regions of the country. The program will also help in transferring decision-making from central government to the provinces, districts, municipalities and schools. Despite excellent progress in education in last few decades, around 30% of American children are left behind the national average in a statistically significant way. The real concern is that these children belong to the particular geographical regions of the country. Vietnamese children do not go to school or do not complete their primary education. These problems are related to access and quality of education and are more pronounced among disadvantaged children[Jai05]. The program will also start schooling earlier than the American public school. The reason for this decision is that the access to the school from an early age allows underprivileged children to learn basic knowledge of reading, writing and arithmetic. These children are below the national average, and they will need to put in extra efforts to be at par with the rest of the country. And a child who can read and write can gain some independence in his daily life and hope at a better social status. We believe that education is a human right that should be accessible to all, without discrimination, because its purpose is to improve the quality of life for children, offer them a future and give them a chance to rise above poverty. Over the years, we were able to prove that the education of children is not limited to the classroom environment. It is also necessary that these children can study in good conditions. This is the reason, the actions of the school management also comprises of rehabilitation of buildings, equipment furnishings, etc. Our first class consists of 20 children for children aged 6-12 years. Priority was given to children who had never been to school or who were most at risk. With innovative teaching methods also includes fun techniques, the organization hopes to provide the best possible education. Thus, the schooling system helps to establish a bridge between poor children and wealthy children in the US. According to the statistics released at the end of the year 2014, there are more than 14,000 young students studying under EEA’s schools. The plan is to increase the capacity to 200 children in 2015/16 through the construction of 3 new classes. Progress and Achievements so Far – Among the results obtained until May 2015, 32,865 teachers (target: 36,000) were trained on child psychology and consolidation of the learning activity. In addition, 7,026 teaching assistants (target: 7500) have been trained to help first-year students from ethnic minorities to follow the national curriculum. Alongside the construction of more than 6,000 schools, a policy and inclusive education strategy were outlined and presented to the government. The capacity of the local community has been strengthened to facilitate decentralization of planning and financial management of primary education programs. The results obtained in this project have helped to improve access to education and the quality of learning for some 2.7 million disadvantaged children in terms of education. The project has reduced the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged groups in terms of education. Methodology and Procedures – The methodology and procedures adopted by the institute comprises of changing the syllabus, starting age for the schooling and the training of the teacher. The syllabus is created by the academic committee of the school after reviewing the deficiency of the students in the particular areas. Schooling will be started one-and-a-half year earlier than the national average to improve the performance of the students. The teachers will be highly trained in comparison to teachers in the public schools of the country. Better training for poor settings would decrease largely the drop-out rate of several young teachers who often begin their careers in the most challenging schools. The drop-out of a student takes two forms. Sometimes they finally leave school after a few years or months. However, mostly, they migrate to less difficult areas. This situation calls for a significant improvement in the training of teachers who will gather in schools in poor neighborhoods. Deficiencies in training are not about professional skills to teach mathematics or science. They cover the ignorance of poor families and the communities in which these families live. This ignorance is threefold. In includes the ignorance of the lifestyles and culture of families, neighborhoods, ignorance of the children of the professions they can adopt and the ignorance of community groups who work there. Generally teachers is public sector schoolsbelong to middle-income or affluent backgrounds. It is, therefore, not surprising that they know little about the mentality, culture, lifestyle and the economic reality of poor families. The most striking example of this ignorance is the reaction they often have when they are verbally abused by a parent, usually the mother. They usually interpret this as a personal verbal abuse and aggression often involve litigation of the school board to defend themselves. This ignoranceis manifested in several areas. For example, public sector teachers often ignore the huge health problems facing poor families: life expectancy lower than ten years in poor neighborhoods compared to the wealthiest neighborhoods of the Island; more frequent and disastrous obesity eating habits; higher suicide rates, indicating the greatest despair of these families; smoking and dangerous drugs (like crack) higher; exercise less valued; teenage pregnancy much more frequent, etc It's not just the habits that are unknown. The culture of teachers is also very far from that of poor families. The surveys we conducted among students show us, for example, that poor families consume many more films that incite violence and dangerous driving as the most educated circles. It is therefore important for teachers to know the cinema consumed by their students. This is where the children draw their heroes and heroines, models which they want to look like. Again, our surveys show that very few teachers know the real culture consumed by children, which is a major handicap if one wants to change the image of the world that are children. This worldview is nevertheless one of the main causes of school failure for some children. The gap between the culture of teachers and those of disadvantaged families also extends to many other areas. We think the vision that children work; the valuation that the school is the university at the expense of the valuation of trades; the greater presence of magical thinking that leads people to approach life unrealistically (thinking, for example, they will become millionaires by buying lots of lottery tickets). Better knowledge of neighborhoods – In 2015, very few teachers live in the neighborhood of their school, that unlike the years 60. It is, therefore, not surprising that teachers know little about the neighborhood where they teach. The most immediate consequence is that improving the quality of life of the area is not a priority for most of them. They live in neighborhoods that are vandalized, graffitied, poorly maintained, etc. If we want young people to support the neighborhood they live in, we need to instill in them the importance of making them appreciate the beauty and value of what surrounds them. Existing public school teachers are obviously not equipped to do that. Better knowledge of community groups – Many community groups working in deprived areas and play an essential role. It is now unanimously that it is necessary for the school to coordinate its actions with those of all of these agencies. The task is quite difficult to carry out. One of the main causes of this difficulty is the lack of knowledge of the teachers with regard to these groups and the positive contribution they can provide to school. The training offered by the university could help greatly to modify these spontaneous distrust attitudes of future teachers. Resources and Personnel Available The resources and personal available with the organization currently comprises of: i. Funding of 0.5 million USD to be allocated to the expansion of the system ii. A network of 3,400 highly trained teachers iii. A team of 80 highly experienced and qualified academicians to set the curriculum iv. More than 560 structures (some donated and established) by the teachers in the region v. Nine sponsors on-board with pledges to contribute through different grants Evaluation Procedures The evaluation procedure will be carried out in a methodical manner. The Budget Distribution The budget distribution is given as under: Budget Distribution Construction of the schools 600,000 Training of the teachers 90,000 Funds required for investing in integration of technology 25,000 Salaries for the teachers 500,000 Salaries of the support staff 100,000 Total Grant Requirement 1,315,000 It must be noticed that the major spending is on creation of the infrastructure (which will last for a long time) and the salaries of the teachers. The overhead expenses of the infrastructure have been maintained at the minimum. The board (comprising of 80 highly educated and experienced academicians) will work without any form of compensation. Logic Model The logic model for the school is given as under: Inputs Outputs Impact Staff Deliver educational services New curriculum Improved learning Career counselling Educational facilitation Trained teachers, etc. Improved learning Volunteers Better awareness Time Knowledge Funds Better skills Research base Higher educational attainment Materials Elimination of sense of inferiority Equipment Social action Technology Better behavior Infrastructure National equality Concluding Statement The allocation of the grant to the proposed project will lead an improvement in the educational outcomes for the children in the poor-income region of the countries. It will eventually lead to an improvement of all social indicators in those regions ranging from a reduction in crime to a better health profile of the region. References Mud14: , (Muda, 2014), Sha10: , (Shabnam, 2010), Joh141: , (Johanningmeier, 2014), Joh141: , (Johanningmeier, 2014), Bal141: , (Bala, 2014), Mil13: , (Miller, Votruba-Drzal, & Coley, 2013), Mat142: , (Matsumoto, 2014), Goo04: , (Goos, Damme, Onghena, & Petry, 2004), Ang15: , (Angerer, Glätzle-Rützler, & Lergetporer, 2015), Ang15: , (Angerer, Glätzle-Rützler, & Lergetporer, 2015), Goo04: , (Goos, Damme, Onghena, & Petry, 2004), Mat142: , (Matsumoto, 2014), Kim112: , (Kim & Lee, 2011), Jey13: , (Jeynes, 2013), Jai05: , (Jain, 2005), The research focuses on education of children in pre-school. The source is important because it given a comprehensive outlook on the causes of lack of attainment of goals in education. Read More