Week 3 Assignment

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Ashford University *

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499

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Communications

Date

Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by zlevan7

1 Lack of Education in the United States GEN499: General Education Capstone

Introduction: Lack of education amongst students in the United States is becoming one of the most significant issues the country faces. Schools all over the country see students drop out every year, which studies have found leads to lower pay throughout their lifetime. In order to make positive changes in the school environment, further research must take place to narrow down the weak spots in public education and figure out what could be done to make school better for the students. Some students are privileged enough to continue their education through high school and into college. Whatever their studies may be in, they have an ethical obligation to share their information with those around them. Being a global societal issue, lack of education can be helped by those that share what they have learned along the way. By sharing their knowledge, it may help others also be successful in life, creating a better country for all American citizens. Thesis Statement : The political divide and poverty line throughout the United States makes it difficult for students to meet the same general education requirements from state-to-state, resulting in a lack of education for students. To prevent a lack of education, state funding and college admissions needs to be revised to not favor those schools who have geographical advantages, schools with an abundance of students below the poverty line need to be entitled to the same education and educational aids as those above the line, avoiding ethical dilemmas as teachers and professors, such as singling out students or not getting them the help they need. Annotation 1: Reference: School finance [microform] : state efforts to reduce funding gaps between poor and wealthy districts : report to congressional requesters / United States General Accounting Office . (1997). Washington, D.C. : Gaithersburg, MD (P.O. Box 6015, Gaithersburg 20884-6015) : The Office ; The Office [distributor, 1997. 2

Annotation: This source is from the United States General Accounting Office (GAO) and was created to answer questions regarding the funding gap throughout the United States. The source starts with background information regarding the funding gap, and dives into the three factors that affect the funding gap the most. Throughout the source there are statistics and numbers that were found using studies throughout the year from credible sources like state or government funded assets. This source was different than my other sources as it was a government furnished document that was made for the sole purpose to inform the readers about the funding gap. The relevance to my topic is clear as one of my solutions is to lower the funding gap between those schools below the poverty line. This article gives clear evidence of the funding gap between those below and above the line, and what three factors have the greatest impact. Using the data found here, albeit older than twenty years, will show the history of the finding gap and why it has been an ongoing problem. Annotation 2: Reference: González Canché, M. S. (2019). Repurposing standardized testing for educational equity: Can geographical bias and adversity scores expand true college access? Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences , 6 (2), 225–235. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1177/2372732219861123 Annotation: This source wrote an article to bring light to geographical bias and what affect it has on those students who obtain admissions to universities. Geographical bias can be explained as those conditions below the poverty line, such as unemployment, poverty and family composition. The author uses a variety of evidence to support his 3

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claims, such as referenced work from other scholars, charts, and numbers. Most of the evidence presented is from studies from other scholars with information about the topic. This article was published by Sage Journals in the Behavioral and Brain Sciences Journal in 2019. This source supports the other sources I have found within my research as it pertains information that shows the issue in the school system. Throughout the article there are many instances where the author references a study that corroborates findings of lower SAT/ACT scores in those students that were not privy to the same education as those in geographical advantaged locations. This is shown during their college admissions exams where scores are significantly lower than those students above poverty line. Annotation 3: Reference: Weiss, A. H. (2020). School Funding Inequalities in the Texas Panhandle Related to the Racial, Socio-economic, and Linguistic Composition of School Districts. Journal of Education Finance , 46 (1), 20–46. Annotation: This source specifically targets Texas and the historical controversy regarding state funding due to diversification within the school district. The article breaks down the historical findings, which were found that school districts with more diversity were given less funding than those schools with less diversity amongst students. Much of the article uses court cases, both supreme and local, that have been a part of the funding reform that has been taking place since the late 1980’s. These court documents provide historical data while using numbers and decisions from judges. 4

This article was published in the Journal of Education Finance which is not a government furnished entity. This source works alongside the other sources, providing an abundance of both historical and recent data that supports the funding inequality due to diversity in schools. This source is great for my research as one of my solutions is to reform state funding to not heavily favor those schools that were in a geographical advantage. This article gives average salaries of those districts in above poverty line, and those salaries of parents below the poverty line. Using this will allow for a comparison in state funding between the two. Annotation 4: Reference: Benninga, J. (2013). Resolving Ethical Issues at School. Issues in Teacher Education , 22 (1), 77-88. Annotation: The main purpose of the journal article is to talk about the ethical dilemma’s teachers are faced with in their daily teaching endeavors, and how these dilemmas can either be avoided or resolved. Each day of teaching brings a new experience, and some of those experiences make the teacher use critical thinking to make the correct decision based off moral judgement; this article covers some of those that have taken place. The article uses a variety of scholarly sources, including methods that help solve moral dilemmas, the professional code of ethics for nation wide educators, and case analysis with real cases. This journal article is different than the others I have used, and it was published by California State University educator to cover ethical dilemmas. My other sources used numbers and evidence from studies, this used real situations that educators have 5

encountered. This source is great for my last point to fix the lack of education, which is the regard to ethical and moral dilemmas faced by educators. Ensuring all students are taught on an equal field is important and knowing what is morally acceptable and how to recognize those situations could fix minor, and sometimes major, issues in the system. Annotation 5: Reference: Ostrander, R. R. (2015). School Funding: Inequality in District Funding and the Disparate Impact on Urban and Migrant School Children. Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal , 2015 (1), 271–295. Annotation: The main point to this source is to examine funding disparity in lower income districts and why past remedies have failed. This article talks about the problem that causes funding issues in districts with lower income and how that problem translates to improper education for children in that district. It also gives alternatives to the issue and what laws could aid in these situations. The source uses historical data to provide background on the ongoing issue, as well as government programs with explanation using historical documents. This source is a great final addition to my societal issue as it covers the why in the research topic. The article covers an abundance of standardized testing and their correlation to school funding. It also reviews the lack of resources in under-privileged districts and how that directly correlates to lower test scores. For instance, the lack of computers at lower income districts inhibits student learning by having to share resources rather than having them for individual use. 6

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