What Changes Are in Our Educational Future
What Changes are in our Educational Future? We don’t need a crystal ball to see this world is changing at break neck speed. As the family dynamics change, the educational needs of the family also change. People are living longer, there is a large influx of immigrants and more children are being born each year. With all this change, what does the future hold for education? Major changes will come with increased choices, privatization, high school reform, increased reliance on technology and increased globalization. With more and more parents being unsatisfied with their children public education, other avenues are being sought to fulfill these educational needs. Some options available to parents are home schooling, cyber or virtual schooling, charter schooling and vouchers to the private school program. To keep funding in their local schools some school opt to privatize their school. Privatization happens when a public school hires a private business to run their school. If these trends continue the public school teacher will become obsolete with the poor minority student falling thought the cracks (Lubienski, 2006). By hiring unlicensed teachers privatized school can lower their labor costs and make a profit. Profit and loss is not the catalyst that drives high school reform. Parents complain students are not prepared to enter the work force or college after receiving a high school diploma. Graduating with a lack of technical skills, parents feel students are unable to compete globally in the job market (Webb et al., 2010). Overcrowding high schools has also become a parental concern. High school teacher will have to teach advanced technical skills in order to prepare their students to compete in global markets. Programs like “Race to the Top” will drive schools to make high test scores in order to receive funding (Obama, 2009). Teachers as well as students can look forward to increased technology in the classroom. New education programs
References: Lubienski, C. (March, 2006). School Choice and Privatization in Education: An Alternative Analytical Framework. [online journal]. Retrieved July 28, 2012 from http://www.jceps.com/?pageID=article&articleID=57 Webb, D., Metha, A., Jordan, K. (2010). Foundations of American education. Columbus, OH: Pearson Obama, B. (2009). Fact sheet: The Race to the Top|The White House. Retrieved on July 29, 2012 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-race-top Jolly, A. (August 16, 2009). Globalization Teaching and Curriculum. [blog]. Retrieved on July 28, 2012 from http://globalizationteachingcurriculum.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-is-globalization-by-anju-jolly.html