Reform in education locally and globally

Emerging possibilities and ongoing reform in education locally and globally

Executive summary

Reform in education is a process that is usually political engineered toward the improvement of the education standards and contents especially in public schools. These improvements that are done on education ultimately have an impact on the health, wealth, social returns and the well being of a people. Reform in education has taken different forms in the history of educational reform. This is majorly because there have been various motivations that have driven the reformers of education. Some of the reasons cited for reform in education include the need of having an affordable education to the society and the students. For instance, there were reforms in the 1800s with a major aim of cutting on the cost of education. The classical education was quite expensive as it was undertaken with personal tutors who were expensive and did that full time. This form of education could then be accessed by the wealthy people only. In attempts to lower the cost of the classical education by then, there was emergence of grammar schools, public libraries and encyclopedias as innovative ways of lowering the cost of accessing education. (Horn, 2002)

There have been related reforms which have since sought to further examine the classical education by seeking to answer more questions as to what the content should be and the reason of having the system. There was then an introspective that is abstract that answers the questions by bringing out compressed facts that are few out of the abstract. Reform in education has also been incorporated with social and humanistic goals as in the case of Maria Montessori’s view. Reform in education has taken many dimensions from the history and current world. This is as a result of changes in the education methods and the meaning attributed to education. The debates have been varying in terms of the contents and modes of education. (Berry, 2011)

Introduction

Chapman (2009) sees ‘reform’ in itself as having its complexities. It refers to the policy changes, changes in organization or in practice. This is the noun perspective. To reform also means to attempt to enact or to correct certain problems. In education, reform basically aims at being an aspiration to the realization of a systematic, deep and achieving a reconstruction to the public schools and education. In the American history, reform in education has been aimed at enacting the conceived visions for the good of the education system. This was exhibited in the formation of the common schools as a result of Dewey’s advocacy for the achievement of social reform. Other remarkable instance of reforms in America was the enacting of the No Child Left Behind advocacy among others that have sought to bring equality and quality in the education system in America. (Earnest, 2006))

Education reform in America

The various American reform movements in the public education were majorly mooted by crisis declarations alongside rhetoric urgencies that are intolerable. This was further fuelled by the inspirations, hope and visions of the American educationalists and reformers. The reforms in the country have taken three major dimensions namely Holism, Progressivism and Essentialism. These reforms in the American education have been characterized by controversies over the practice, policies and the principles of education in the American public schools.

Holism approach on reform in education

The holism approach on reform in education is based on the indigenous ecological philosophies and beliefs specifically from Transcendentalism, Taoism, Hinduism and Buddhism. Education is seen as having its primary purpose as encouraging integration and development of the human spirit, heart and body vis-à-vis promoting environmental and social communion. Holists believe that it is essentially rational for one to have knowledge that is contextually enduring, compassionate and of mutual benefit. In this perspective, reform in schools is designed to encourage the relationships that support and promote learning that is interpersonal that developed a connection between individuals and the community at large. Further, the reform in education is designed to achieve transpersonal learning that aims at achieving a connection between the environmental and social forces, the values that are spiritual and the entities that are non human in the learners.

 This reform in education basically aims at transforming individuals to be connected to the non human nature and the humanity as a whole thereby developing in the social aspects of life. Education in this perspective is not only about academic content but about the sociality of the people. These reforms are further prompted by the need to have transformation at personal levels so as to be in harmony with the biophysical and social environments. Education is therefore made as an instrument of integrating and developing the dimensions of spirituality alongside the emotional moral and intellectual aspects of the learning process in schools and life. Holists view spirituality as the moments of inspirations that are always complex and elusive to understand but do become clear through education. This is only deemed possible through an integration of emotion, insight, mystery and sensation. The Holists view education as a more interdisciplinary and front for reform in education in that perspective. The view is that education should present a relationship of interdependence between the methods used in enquiry and the fields. This reform aimed at creating a situation of synthesized perceptions in education that include cognitive, kinesthetic and emotional aspects of learning. (Levin, 2011)

The reform also was in support of explanatory learning where the students are free to enquire and question the coverage of the content. Education was also to incorporate the sustainability in the environment through creation of an environmental understanding of the economic and social consequences brought about by consumption. Public education was also seen as an important aspect in education. This included the development of the spiritual aspects of humans incorporating non materialism, aesthetics and the intuition in learners.

Progressivism reform in education

This educational reform pursues the access to personal fulfillment that is universal without losing site of promoting social justice and civil rights. Education is crafted to be an agent of social change that is crucial in the promotion of economic, political and social equity in the society. This education reform perspective largely draws its philosophy from various perceptions including Pragmatism, Humanism, Social Reconstructionism and Romanticism. The reforms aims at presenting education as a journey through which an individual walks as an individual but its destination is a broad ended social responsibility and self identity. The knowledge acquired from the educational system is not only aimed at being intellectualized, but also includes the various dimensions of learning that are emotional based and education is seen as a political endeavor that is explicit. (St. John, 2006)

This reform perspective in education aims at shifting the public schooling from being a place of the preparation of the brightest and the best students to effectively compete economically and academically, to another higher level of being an empowering factor to the educationally and socially disadvantaged in order to improve their lives’ quality. Education should thereby be a source of knowledge which in turn is a form of power to the learners. In this aspect, reform in education majorly aims at elevating education as an academic gratification element to an element of strengthening the learners’ skills in social advocacy and self efficiency.

The progressive reform in education aims at offering a system that guides learners through experiences that are carefully designed so as to help in the ultimate build up of knowledge through a cooperative and pedagogy which is constructive in the learning process. This perception aims at reforming education to be relevant in the provision of knowledge that can be relevantly utilized in specific social contexts by specific persons. The ambiguity of knowledge in the assumption that all circumstances and people are the same is not encouraged in progressive reform in the education sector. Education is reformed to accommodate the community aspects and to extend to the community life other than just academic work. This system aims at creating awareness in the communities towards the achievement of equal access to social and economic privileges in the society. (Towers, 2007)

Currently, the progressive educational reform advocated for an equal distribution in school financing. This is based in increasing the funding that comes from the federal and state government and a decrease of tax dependence on property. The reform further aims at decentralization in education through power sharing of management in charter schools. Issues of gender fairness, bilingual, multicultural and anti bias curriculum are key on the reforms. There is a deliberate move to achieve a more compact and strengthened ties that exist between the communities and schools to enhance increased community and service learning partnerships. Social activism and teaching of deliberation skills are among the reforms that are aimed at creating curriculum that is based on discussion, contemporary issues, and engagement in civic issues and to achieve authentic democracies in the governance of the schools.

Essentialism reform in education

Essentialists’ view of reform in education is basically informed on providing equal access to common literacy to all the citizens. Education in this reform is comprised of a core of skills, values and knowledge whose applicability cuts across all cultures and time. These reform proponents borrow heavily from the philosophies of Realists and Idealists in which learning is supposed to be an agent of individual excellence. (Zadja, 2010)

Education is supposed to help the learners to accumulate knowledge that will eventually help them in developing cognitive skills that are necessary for moral, intellectual, social and economically empowered lives hence leading to productivity in life. The achievement of positions in the competitive hierarchies is maintained through a process of rewarding and acknowledging the learner’s progress. As Ladd (1996) observes, this reform aims at leading the learners to a path that is clearly defined through modeling, articulating and ensuring that the learners are held accountable to the various standards that are universally held. This is only achieved through the teachers and schools as the main agents of bringing this transformation. Teachers are further elevated to the stature of authoritative, skillful and respected agents of guiding the learners to understand the highest thoughts of humanity.

Current reforms in education

Currently, the objectives of reform in education in public schools are based on achieving high educational standards that are nationally accepted. This reform is aimed at improving the performance of the public school. The current reforms in education seek to prepare the teacher for the task and to propel student achievement in the education system. Most of the reforms are based on the national curriculum content which emphasized more on the advancement of placement, scientific research and reasoning and ultimately imparting cultural literacy among the learners. There is a deliberate attempt to strengthen the accountability of the schools, students and districts for the purpose of improving the academic performance in schools and learners in general. The reforms are further geared towards expanding the various choices of schools by the learners by tendering an open enrollment system, the increasing of charter schools and the exploration of home based schooling. This is to open up the accessibility of education and to make knowledge acquisition flexible. (Ball, 1994)

The ongoing reforms in education are driven by the need to have effective connections that exist between the national and international economic goals and the national education goals. This is in an attempt to align the education system with the current job specifications and requirements to enhance job readiness and to impart consumer education to the learners in schools. The achievement of character development is a key aspect in the reform in education as the reformists aim to emphasize the need and importance of patriotism, the significance of role modeling and ultimately developing social values in the society.

Teaching and learning in the 21st century

Education has really evolved and advanced over the years. The twenty first century is characterized by a change in the teaching and learning process. There has been incorporation of digitalism, collaboration, problem solving and critical thinking aspects in the education system. This is basically the situation as demanded for by the change in today’s world which unlike the past centuries, has advanced in all the sectors. Long (2010) states that the learning ways in the twenty first century have however been characterized by a lot of criticism and controversies. The teaching and learning process in the twenty first century is characterized by an inquiry and collaboration into the environment of learning. Teachers have to create personal learning networks with a number of other educators in the learning environment through the utilization of the vast amount of knowledge that is available. The teaching and learning process is basically based on skills acquisition with an aim of fitting into the competitive world.

References

Ball, S. J. (1994). Education reform: a critical and post-structural approach. UK: Open University Press.

Berry, R. (2011). Assessment Reform in Education. New York: Springer.

Chapman, C. (2009). Radical Reforms: Perspectives on an Era of Educational Change. New York: Taylor & Francis.

Earnest. J. (2006). Education Reform in Societies in Transition:  International Perspectives. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

Horn, R. A. (2002). Understanding Educational Reform: A Reference Handbook. California: ABC-CLIO.

Ladd, H. F. (1996). Holding Schools Accountable: Performance-Based Reform in Education. Washington D. C: Brookings Institution Press.

Levin, B. (2011). Reforming Education: From Origins to Outcomes. New York: Routledge

Long, W. R. (2010). It's All the Basics: Teaching and Learning for the 21st Century. London: CreateSpace.

St. John, E. P. (2006). Education and the Public Interest: School Reform, Public Finance, and Access to Higher Education. New York: Springer

Towers, J.  (2007). Twenty "No-Brainers" for Reforming Education in America. New York: Mill City Press, Incorporated.

Zajda, J. (2010). Globalization, Ideology and Education Policy Reforms. New York: Springer.