Key Terms & Definitions
What does SRO stand for?
Student Resource Officer.
What are the reasons married men and unmarried women were preferred in early schools?
Unmarried men were questioned on their sexuality and thought to be a threat to boy's masculinity. Married women were seen as needed at home to take care of domestic duties.
True or False: With changing demographics, students of color now make up the majority of children in K-12 public schools in the U.S.
True. Students of color now represent over half of all students in the classroom.
True or False: Teachers can be fired if they have their high school students read a current news article about a difficult topic like a current war or contentious political divide because teachers cannot discuss policy or politics or anything that makes students or parents uncomfortable.
False: Teachers cannot be disciplined or fired for personal choices that do not "significantly disrupt the educational process or erode your credibility with students, colleagues, or the community" (p. 237)
If the news article is relevant to the standards and curriculum given and allows students the space to express their own thoughts and ideas (appropriately) on the subject, the teacher is in the clear.
True or False: On average, schools only get about 20% of their funding from the federal government.
False. It's 7-9%.
What is forced assimilation? Which peoples were most heavily impacted by this in the U.S.?
When someone is forced to abandon their language, culture, dress, ways of living, traditions, and personal identity in favor of the dominant culture, language and customs. Indigenous peoples in the U.S. were subjected to boarding schools where they were forced to cut their hair, speak only English, and take on the culture and education of colonists from Western Europe. Black American descendants of slavery were also victim to being stripped of their culture in the Atlantic Slave Trade.
What are some of the reasons families choose to home school instead of sending their children to public or private schools?
Concern about the school environment. Dissatisfaction with academic instruction in schools. A desire to provide moral instruction.
Instead of seeing students as a/an ______, or what they cannot do yet in the classroom, education has pushed more in recent years to see students as a/an ________.
Instead of seeing students as a deficit, or what they cannot do yet in the classroom, education has pushed more in recent years to see students as an asset/resource.
Which type of school typically pays teachers more than other types of schools?
Public.
True or False: If a family arrives to register their children at your school and explains that they just arrived to the country from Cambodia a week ago, you will need to ask for documentation of the child to ensure they are living here legally.
False. Schools are only required to have proof that the child lives in the correct district and proof of age to be placed in the correct grade.
What is the difference between a manifest and latent function in education? Name one example of both.
Manifest functions: intended functions and consequences. Example: teach students what we deem important, society becomes more knowledgeable and competitive globally.
Latent functions: unintended functions and consequences. Example: teaching students how to manage their time and "sit still" for 8 hours a day in preparation for working a job as an adult.
Early teaching philosophies and strategies moved from being more ________-_________ to, over time, more ______-_______. This change reflected a need for educators to focus on growing diversity, individual student desires and needs, and create a more engaging, accessible environment.
teacher-centered; student-centered
Which type of school naturally lends itself more to integration of various student backgrounds?
Magnet schools. They draw in students who are interested or gifted in special content areas (STEM, art, music, etc) and often draw from a more varied student body.
Due to FERPA law, teachers cannot share ________ with anyone other than parents or guardians and the students themselves. Once a student is 18, the teacher cannot share this with anyone other than the students themselves.
Student records or any private information in their files. For example, a teacher may be disciplined or fired if they announce which students received what grade to the class.
What are some common challenges teachers face with classroom management, and how can they address them?
Challenges: disruptive behaviors, maintaining student engagement, managing diverse learning needs
Solutions: setting clear expectations that integrate student norms and values, building strong relationships, using proactive strategies, and implementing restorative practices instead of punitive punishment.
Relative depravation is the perception or experience of being deprived of something, especially when comparing to their peers, community, or others in similar proximity. Name an example of this that we've discussed in class.
The podcast of Melanie and other high school students visiting a private school and realizing she and her peers had far less and would never make it to the levels that their private school pen pals would.
Besides black Americans, which group of children was also segregated into schools away from their white peers?
Standardized testing, harsh discipline, and lowered expectations negatively impacts which groups of students the most? Name at least two.
Students of color. Multilingual learners. Students with disabilities. Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
What should be done if a group of public school teachers decides to put together a staff prayer group after school in one of their classrooms?
Nothing, so long the group remains voluntary, outside of school hours, and is not endorsed or advertised by the school. Teachers who act as private citizens on their own time to voluntarily meet to pray is legal.
Teacher as savior.
What does FERPA stand for?
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Who was the person who advocated for schools to be free, accessible to the public, and non-sectarian (not religious)?
Horace Mann
What are two ways teachers can be culturally responsive in parental involvement and engagement?
Learning about their students as individuals. Their cultures, traditions, and even norms in the home.
Providing multilingual communication to parents. Offering flexible dates and times for school events.
Bringing parents into classroom content. Inviting them to share their own experiences with their children. Integrating cultures of students into the classroom.
What is "fair use" of materials for teachers?
Fair use of materials: brevity (short excerpts, articles, poems, etc.); spontaneity (decided to use it last minute); cumulative effect (cannot reproduce several items in any given semester) - educational purposes have more "fair use" options
Studies show that being more open and sharing accurate, integrated history and information about ___________ folks in this country reduces instances of bullying for students who identify or are questioning.
LGBTQIA+
What is the difference between empathy and verstehen?
Empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person, often through emotional identification. Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and feeling what they feel.
Verstehen: (from sociology) analyzing the subjective meanings individuals attach to their actions. It focuses on grasping the intentions and context behind actions, often in a scholarly or analytical sense.
Empathy is emotional; verstehen requires an intellectual understanding of the person and context.
What challenges and hardships did Indigenous children faced in early U.S. education systems?
Forced to attend boarding schools run by white western colonists; forced to cut their hair, change their spirituality and faith, speak only English, abandon their traditional ways of dressing and cultural norms in favor of the dominant culture. Many were also forcibly adopted out to white families.
You are a teacher. During lunch, a colleague begins venting to you about one of their students because that you will have the following year. The teacher brings up that this student was tardy for the 5th time this year due to Mom switching jobs; the student always whispers to friends during class; the student can "barely speak English" but continues to speak their native language when working on class assignments. Finally, the colleague chastises the mom because "she never seems engaged during conferences. She always just agrees with me and says 'okay' and "thank you'."
What are some problems with this situation, and what might you say to the teacher in response?
Problems: talking negatively about a student (especially a student soon-to-be shared); chastising the use of the student's native language even though research points to this being a supporting strategy that teachers should implement; not being culturally responsive and learning about the student's family, culture, challenges and strengths. Seeing the student from a deficit position instead of as a resource.
Possible response:
"I appreciate you sharing your experiences with me, and I can tell you’re passionate about helping your students succeed. It sounds like this student and their family are facing some challenges, and there might be underlying factors contributing to what you’re observing. I’ve been reading about culturally responsive teaching and effective communication strategies with multilingual families, and I think this might be a great opportunity to explore those further. For example, tardiness due to a parent's job change might indicate that the family is managing a lot of stress. Perhaps we could work together to identify resources that might help, like carpool options or school support systems.
As for the language challenges, I’ve found that encouraging students to use their native language as a resource can actually improve their learning in English. It’s wonderful that they’re bilingual—it’s a strength we can build on! Finally, regarding the mom’s responses during conferences, it might be worth considering if there are language or cultural barriers that impact how she engages. Maybe offering interpreters or alternative ways to communicate could help her feel more involved.
If you’d like, we can brainstorm some strategies together or even collaborate with our school’s ESL specialist or counselor to ensure this student and family feel supported."
What are some of the duties and responsibilities of teachers that go beyond the classroom (or any contractual duties)?
Serving as mentors, advocates for students, collaborators with families, engaging in curriculum development, professional growth, and community involvement.
This type of school, while still public, has been criticized for the history of fraud, privatization, corruption, and shutting down without notice.
Charter schools.