Wed+3-28

What does academic achievement mean? How do we know when students learn? What should students learn?

Inquiry Guides: Elizabeth Vice and Amy Coyle

Before we start, take a couple minutes to talk with a neighbor and think about some of the factors that either enabled or disabled you from "achieving success" in elementary, middle, or high school (Family, time, special circumstances, a particular teacher, etc).

Watch the video and then think about the questions below. Also, keep in mind that the two schools discussed, Sutter Middle School and Rosa Parks Middle School are only located 8 miles apart or a 15 minutes driving distance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXuFupF3rGk

From doing a little research online and looking at the school's websites, we found that Sutter Middle School is considered to be a "California Distinguished School," which is a program that "//honors some of California's most exemplary and inspiring schools. Schools selected for the award demonstrate significant gains in narrowing the achievement gap."//
 * How is it possible that two schools so close to each other can have such different environments due to the amount of funding they are receiving?
 * While the state of California is recognizing certain schools as "closing the achievement gap." What else are they doing to close the so called achievement gap between schools only located a few miles away from their distinguished schools?

Just a few questions to think about based on the video:
 * What are some of the positive benefits of programs such as fine arts, clubs, sports, etc?
 * Were the programs talked about in the video, such as music, art, and other extra curricular activities present in your schools? Did you take advantage of them if you had them? If you did not have them, would they have helped you more in school?
 * As a teacher in your future school, what could you do to make sure your students had the resources they needed even if your school does not supply you with the funds or resources themselves?

Talk with the people around you and discuss the questions below and be ready to share some of your ideas:
 * Do clubs such as Beta Club or NHS limit certain people from becoming involved by having requirements such as GPA, service hours that require transportation, and other commitments?
 * Are these requirements unfair to students who are not achieving an A average but are succeeding at their own personal level? This ties back to the idea of how do we define "achievement."


 * Alan Greenspan: "My biggest fear for this country's future, competitively speaking, is that we're doing a poor job in education. If we can resolve our educational problems, I think we will maintain the very extraordinary position the United States holds in the world at large (9)." **

Talk with the people around you and discuss the questions below and be ready to share some of your ideas:
 * In your opinion, do you think competition is a good thing? Why or why not?
 * Does this "competition" naturally lead to the achievement gap within our schools?
 * How do we balance the fine line between too much competition to the point where students are feeling left behind and not enough competition where students who are motivated by competition are not motivated to learn?


 * "Why do factors like race and class continue to be strong predictors of achievement?" **
 * What are some of the other factors that might contribute to achievement? The articles mentions a large amount of possible factors on page four that people have speculated to be the reason for the achievement gap? Do you agree with some of these factors? Which ones?

__Extra Resources:__ If you would like to look more into the California Distinguished School Program, look at this website to find out more about requirements, applications, and how schools are rewarded when they become a Distinguished School.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/sr/cs/proginfo.asp

Sutter Middle School Webpage: http://www.sutterminers.com/