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SOME CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION
- Prayers in Public Schools All public schools in the United States are prohibited to make religious prayers mandatory, in compliance with the first provision of the First Amendment, a.k.a., the Establishment Clause. ...
- Sex Education ...
- Corporal Punishment ...
- Gun Control ...
- Online Education ...
- Content of Textbooks ...
- Teachers’ Assessment and Evaluation ...
- School Uniform and Clothing ...
- A college degree is needed to get a good job.
- Are learner loans exploitative?
- All learners should have to purchase a laptop.
- Boarding school is harmful to learners.
- Cell phones should be banned in schools.
- College should be free for everyone.
- Contact sports should be required in school.
What are some controversial topics in education?
- Are private schools better than public schools?
- Should education be privatized entirely?
- Are student loans exploitative?
- Does the traditional classroom address contemporary society’s needs?
- Is allowing teachers to carry guns on campuses a good idea?
- Does the contemporary grading system work?
- Should college education be compulsory?
What are some of the most controversial topics?
Top 100 Controversial Debate Topics
- It true that one must have tertiary education to have a stable job?
- Is lending loans to students an act of victimization?
- Every student ought to own a laptop
- Are students negatively affected by being in a boarding school?
- The use of mobile phones ought to be prohibited
- Tertiary education must to be provided to all for free
Why are equity issues continue to exist in education?
There is a direct link between high-quality education and a healthy economy. Education has the power to improve individual lives and uplift entire communities by strengthening the overall economy. Since the whole notion of educational equity is to provide a high-quality education to all students, it has the potential to reduce poverty nationwide.
What are the social problems in education?
Social Issues in Education
- Emotional Issues. Society has changed considerably in the last few decades. ...
- Ethnic Issues. Children belonging to certain ethnic groups, are wrongly judged as being slower learners when compared to other races.
- Gender Issues. ...
- Economic Issues. ...
- Cultural Issues. ...
- Ethical Issues. ...
What are the biggest issues in education today?
Consider this list of 10 major challenges currently facing public schools, based on the perspective of many involved in the world of education today.Classroom Size.Poverty.Family Factors.Technology.Bullying.Student Attitudes and Behaviors.No Child Left Behind.Parent Involvement.More items...•
What is teaching controversial issues?
Topics typically become controversial when students have competing values and interests; when they strongly disagree about statements, assertions, or actions; when the subject touches on some particular sensitivity (e.g. political or religious); or when they arouse an emotional reaction.
What are the conflicts in education?
Gray and Stark (1984) suggested that there are six sources of conflict. These are: 1) Limited resources; 2) Interdependent work activities; 3) Differentiation of activities; 4) Communication problems; 5) Differences in perceptions; 6) The environment of the organization.
What is the controversial issue?
A controversial issue is one which results in dispute and disagreement due to a difference of opinion.
What are the current hot topics in education?
13 Major Issues in Education at the K-12 LevelGovernment funding for education. On any list of current issues in education, school funding ranks near the top. ... School safety. ... Disciplinary policies. ... Technology in education. ... Charter schools and voucher programs. ... Common Core. ... Standardized testing. ... Teacher salaries.More items...•
Why Should controversial issues be taught in schools?
Discussing controversial issues helps students with different backgrounds and lifestyles to learn to live and work together peacefully and respectfully. It encourages them to listen to each other and talk through their differences sensitively.
What are 5 conflicts that may arise at school?
Limited resources.Poor communication network.Task inter-dependence.Overlapping authority.Role conflict.Inequitable treatment.TYPES OF CONFLICT.Inter-personal conflict.More items...•
What are three types of conflict that may occur at school?
Types & Levels of Conflict in the ClassroomAffective Conflict. Affective conflict is emotional conflict. ... Cognitive Conflict. Cognitive conflict involves a significant difference of opinions. ... Behavioral Conflict. ... Goal Conflict. ... Scope of the Conflict. ... Conclusion.
What are the 7 common causes of conflict?
Causes of ConflictConflicting resources. Employees rely on accessing resources, such as technology, office supplies and meeting rooms, to perform effectively. ... Conflicting styles. ... Conflicting perceptions. ... Conflicting goals. ... Conflicting pressures. ... Conflicting roles. ... Different personal values. ... Unpredictable policies.
How can controversial issues be raised in the classroom?
Here, Pace provides a few instructional resources, strategies, and practices educators can use when teaching controversial issues:Know your students and understand the community. ... Communicate clearly. ... Be thoughtful when selecting issues. ... Guide the discussion using appropriate strategies. ... Leave room to reflect.
What are some controversial topics 2021?
High School Students Debate Topics Are humans the leading cause of global warming? Is global warming affecting climate change? Should healthcare be universal? Should all high school athletes be tested for drug use?
Why is teaching controversial topics important?
Opening up discussions on controversial issues without preparation on the part of teachers (and students) can lead to the reinforcement of uninformed opinions and potential harm. Teachers broaden and deepen their content knowledge on the issues they address to develop a robust purpose, rationale, and goals for lessons.
Why is teaching controversial topics important?
Opening up discussions on controversial issues without preparation on the part of teachers (and students) can lead to the reinforcement of uninformed opinions and potential harm. Teachers broaden and deepen their content knowledge on the issues they address to develop a robust purpose, rationale, and goals for lessons.
What do teachers need to consider when teaching controversial issues?
Here, Pace provides a few instructional resources, strategies, and practices educators can use when teaching controversial issues:Know your students and understand the community. ... Communicate clearly. ... Be thoughtful when selecting issues. ... Guide the discussion using appropriate strategies. ... Leave room to reflect.
How do you discuss controversial topics in the classroom?
Some suggestions include the following:Listen respectfully, without interrupting.Listen actively and with an ear to understanding others' views. ... Criticize ideas, not individuals.Commit to learning, not debating. ... Avoid blame, speculation, and inflammatory language.Allow everyone the chance to speak.More items...•
Should teachers express their views on controversial topics in class?
“It's important that teachers don't express their opinion as a fact on a controversial issue, but learning about different opinions is an integral part of education,” said junior Harpreet Chohan.
How does the American public education system work?
Here's how the American public education system works: Students attend primary and secondary school at no cost. They have the option of going on to post-secondary training (which, for most students, is not free). So with costs rising at both public and private institutions of higher learning, student loan debt is one of the most prominent issues in education today. Students who graduated from college in 2019 came out with an average debt load of $29,800. As a whole, Americans owe over $1.6 trillion in student loans.
What is technology in education?
Technology in education is a powerful movement that is sweeping through schools nationwide. After all, today's students have grown up with digital technology and expect it to be part of their learning experience. But how much of a role should it play in education?
Why are A-F grades replaced with new assessments?
They feel that traditional grading models do not sufficiently measure many of the most prized skills in the 21st-century workforce, such as problem-solving, self-advocacy, and creativity. As a result, a growing number of schools around the U.S. are replacing A-F letter grades with new assessment systems.
How much do students owe in student loans?
Students who graduated from college in 2019 came out with an average debt load of $29,800. As a whole, Americans owe over $1.6 trillion in student loans.
What is the Department of Education's policy on disciplinary practices?
Department of Justice and the Department of Education issued guidelines for all public schools on developing disciplinary practices that reduce disparities and comply with federal civil rights laws.
Why do we need standardized tests?
The theory behind standardized tests is that they provide an objective measure of student performance and help ensure that all students become proficient in the course material. Standardized testing was meant to hold public schools accountable if they failed to provide effective instruction to all students. Without such measures, it was argued, low-income and minority students would fall through the cracks and not receive the same quality education as their more affluent white counterparts.
How much of the funding for public schools comes from state and local governments?
As you may be aware, the American public education system comprises primary and secondary schools supported by taxes. Over 90 percent of the funding for public K-12 schools comes from state and local governments. In the wake of the Great Recession, most states made cuts to funding for schools.
Why do we lower our expectations of students?
Sometimes we lower our expectations of students because of the background they come from, and other times we hold unreachable expectations because we believe our students are too coddled.
What is time on task vs student engagement?
Student Engagement - For too long we have agreed upon words like “Time on task,” which often equates to students being passive in their own learning. It’s time we focus on student engagement, which allows us to go from surface to deep level learning and on to transfer level learning. It also helps balance the power in the room between adults and students.
What is school leadership?
School Leadership - Many school leaders enter into the position with high hopes of having a deep impact but are not always prepared for what they find. School leadership has the potential to be awesome. And when I mention school leadership, I am also referring to department chairs, PLC leads, or grade-level leaders. Unfortunately, not all leaders feel prepared for the position. Leadership is about understanding how to get people to work together, having a deep understanding of learning, and building the capacity of everyone around them. This means that university programs, feeder programs, and present leaders who coach those who want to be leaders, need to find ways to expose potential leaders to all of the goodness, as well as the hardships, that come with the position.
Is vaping a health crisis?
In fact, this NBC story shows that there has been a major spike in the use of vaping among adolescents. Additionally This story shows that vaping is a major health crisis , and it will take parents, schools, and society to put a dent in it.
Who is Peter DeWitt?
Peter DeWitt. Peter DeWitt is a former K-5 public school principal turned author, presenter, and leadership coach. Education has many critical issues; although if you watch the nightly news or 24/7 news channels, you will most likely see very little when it comes to education. Our political climate has taken over the news, ...
Do students need equitable resources?
Students and the schools they attend need to be provided with equitable resources, and we know that is not happening yet. My go-to resource is always Rethinking Schools .
Is politics an election year?
Politics - It’s an election year. Get ready for the wave of everything that comes with it. Negative campaigns and bad behavior by adults at the same time we tell students to be respectful to each other. It’s important for us to open up this dialogue in our classrooms, and talk about how to respectfully agree or disagree. Additionally, we have to wonder how the campaigns and ultimate presidential decision will impact education because the last few education secretaries have not given us all that much to cheer about.
Is there a dysfunctional standardized test system?
There’s agreement that we have a dysfunctional standardized-testing system in the United States, Associate Editor Stephen Sawchuk writes. But killing it would come with some serious tradeoffs. Sawchuk’s musing on the alternatives to annual tests is accompanied by an argument for more rigorous classroom assignments by a teacher-practice expert. Read more.
Is out of school learning meaningful?
Out-of-school learning is often more meaningful than anything that happens in a classroom, writes Kevin Bushweller, the Executive Editor of EdWeek Market Brief. His essay tackling the relevance gap is accompanied by a Q&A with advice on nurturing, rather than stifling students’ natural curiosity. Read more.
Have teachers lost faith in the system?
Many teachers may have lost faith in the system, says Andrew Ujifusa, but they haven’t lost hope. The Assistant Editor unpacks this year’s outbreak of teacher activism. And read an account from a disaffected educator on how he built a coalition of his own. Read more.
Who is Elizabeth Rich?
Elizabeth Rich is the opinion editor for Education Week.
What is the Biden administration likely to focus on?
A Biden administration is far more likely to focus on trying to right historic and systemic inequity for BIPOC students, but the Trump administration has installed a wide net of judges who are seen as more sympathetic to conservative causes.
Why don't we send students home from school?
The debate involves many educational issues, but the current pandemic mess has highlighted one real reason we don’t do this—sending students home from school on a varied and unpredictable schedule creates a whole new set of problems for families.
Why do we need a Lexus on a Kia budget?
The U.S. system demands a Lexus on a Kia budget, and many of our citizens really don’t want to pay to educate Those Peoples’ children. This desire to do school on the cheap serves to limits the range of solutions considered for every single problem in education. As long as we are unwilling or unable to say that we will pay whatever it takes to create a top-level education system that serves every student, these debates will continue.
How do funding issues affect teachers?
The funding issues also affect teachers, because teachers are the major cost in education. So we see frequent attempts to lower labor costs in education. Have Teach for America style staff that turns over every few years. Create pedagogy-in-a-box programs that don’t require a trained teacher to deliver. Replace part or all of the staff with computerized programs—especially shiny new ones with AI. It all cuts costs.
What is all assessment?
All of assessment is about trying to design an assessment task that will show us what the student did or did not grasp. The list of factors that can interfere with these acts of hopeful psychic divination is long. The student may not understand the task. The student may simply be distracted or focused on other factors.
How much money is needed to fund public schools in Pennsylvania?
And we’re still not there; for Pennsylvania alone, recent estimates are that nearly $5 billion are needed to fully fund all public schools.
Is Common Core research base?
Common Core pretended to know the answer, but it was simply the answer that the writers of Common Core thought should be correct. There is no research base, no peer-reviewed study, no repository of scientific evidence to show a list of qualities and capabilities that are a requirement for a good, successful, happy life.
Government Funding For Education
School Safety
- Over the past several years, a string of high-profile mass shootings in U.S. schools have resulted in dozens of deaths and led to debates about the best ways to keep students safe. After 17 people were killed in shootings at a high school in Parkland, Florida, 57 percent of teenagers saidthey were worried about the possibility of gun violence at their school. Figuring out how to p…
Disciplinary Policies
- Data from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights suggests that black students face disproportionately high rates of suspension and expulsion from school. For instance, in K-12 schools, black male students make up only 7.7 percent of enrollees but account for over 40% percent of suspensions. Many people believe some teachers apply ...
Technology in Education
- Technology in education is a powerful movement that is sweeping through schools nationwide. After all, today's students have grown up with digital technology and expect it to be part of their learning experience. But how much of a role should it play in education? Proponents point out that educational technology offers the potential to engage students in more active learning, as evide…
Charter Schools and Voucher Programs
- School choice is definitely among the hot topics in education these days. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos was a vocal supporter of various forms of parental choice, including charter schools and school vouchers. Charter schools are funded through a combination of public and private money and operate independently of the public system. They have charters (i.e., con…
Common CORE
- The Common Core State Standards is a set of academic standards for math and language arts that specify what public school students are expected to learn by the end of each year from kindergarten through 12th grade. Developed in 2009, the standards were designed to promote equity among public K-12 students. All students would take standardized end-of-year tests and …
Standardized Testing
- Some people believe educational reform means making changes to the system to ensure students from all over the country measure up to the same set of standards. The theory behind standardized tests is that they provide an objective measure of student performance and help ensure that all students become proficient in the course material. Standardized testing was mea…
Teacher Salaries
- According to datafrom the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in most states, teacher pay has decreased over the last several years. However, in some states average salaries went up. It's also important to note that public school teachers generally enjoy pensions and other benefits that make up a large share of their compensation. But the growth in benefits has not be…
The Teaching of Evolution
- In the U.S., public school originated to spread religious ideals, but it has since become a strictly secular institution. And the debate over how to teach public school students about the origins of life has gone on for almost a century. Today, Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection is accepted by virtually the entire scientific community. However, it is still controversia…
Teacher Tenure
- Having tenure means that a teacher cannot be let go unless their school district demonstrates just cause. Many states grant tenure to public school teachers who have received satisfactory evaluations for a specified period of time (which ranges from one to five years, depending on the state). A few states do not grant tenure at all. And the issue has long been mired in controversy. …