SYLLABUS - January 2001 - Education - http://maxpages.com/cel/SED613_CURRENT_EDU

COURSE NUMBER AND TITLE
SED 613 Current Educational Issues

FACULTY
Brian Satterlee, Ed.D, D.B.A.

CATALOG DESCRIPTION
Application of procedures and systems analysis to the identification, definition, and examination of significant educational issues.

COURSE PHILOSOPHY
· This course is a study of current issues in education. While the course will draw heavily on the fields of elementary and secondary education, it is not just meant for teachers and administrators working in those fields, but also for those interested in identifying and resolving educational issues at any level. It takes the view that all of education is interrelated, and that elementary, secondary, and higher education should be viewed as one system along a continuum as opposed to discrete autonomous institutions; a system where people progress, engendering lifelong learning. Thus, the systemic approach to the study of current educational issues would not be complete without the inclusion of higher education.
· Although presuming students have a fundamental awareness of the field, this course will provide sufficient reading materials for those who do not. It is designed as a “readings” course, interspersed with experiential activities designed to promote the attainment of course goals. In addition to the pre-course assignment, students are asked to regularly report on outside readings that support or amplify concepts and issues discussed in class. As a “current issues” course, it is expected to evolve as the issues evolve.

PREREQUISITES
· None

REQUIRED TEXT/INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
· www.maxpages.com/cel
· No textbook is required. However, the pre-course assignment requires Internet access and information retrieval. Rather than a theory-based course using a traditional textbook, or even a readings book focusing on articles from scholarly journals, this course has been designed using an applied orientation. It is the mission of this course to identify, define, and analyze what we consider to be the important issues facing education today. A pre-course webliography is provided to assist you in completing the pre-course assignment.

COURSE GOALS
This course seeks to help students understand that the study of current educational issues is concept and knowledge driven, learner-centered, and relevant to multiple contexts and roles. This course is designed to provide students with a theoretical and pragmatic understanding of current issues in education. The Clear Model is as follows:
· Concept and knowledge driven (A): provides the knowledge base needed in teaching; also provides pedagogical studies to prepare professionals for the classroom.
· Learner-centered (B): focuses on the intellectual, social, and physical needs of each learner.
· Reflective practice relevant to diverse settings and roles (C): prepares professionals for all the roles they will fill, from the teacher inside diverse classrooms to curriculum planner or educational professional within a schools district or community.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
The Clear Model components are noted as A, B, and C. At the conclusion of this course students will be able to:
1. To engage professional educators in critical thinking through analyses of major educational issues; – A, B, C
2. To employ methods of analysis which are objective, empirical, and disciplined, as modeled in the research of anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, and others who study educational issues in a variety of contexts and from diverse disciplinary approaches; - A, C
3. To examine the effects of social class, family structure, economic status, and other environmental factors on student achievement; - A, B, C
4. To identify the socializing effects on children of primary agents of enculturation (e.g., parents, peers, churches, communities, media, schools) and the effects on student learnin;. – A, B, C
5. To analyze the effects on students’ achievement of life and death issues related to health, violence, drug use, sexual activity, and educational opportunity; – A, B, C
6. To review past and present relationships of ethnocentrism and racism to educational opportunity and learning outcomes for students of color; -- A, B, C
7. To explore the variety of formats for schooling which have been created in response to compulsory education laws and parents’ right of choice of educational setting; – A, C
8. To examine a variety of means by which states have attempted to achieve the goal of a free and appropriate education offered in the least restrictive environment based on individual student need;. – A, B, C
9. To trace the history of efforts to achieve inclusion for special needs children and to examine the major facets—attitudinal, economic, political—of the complex issue. – A, B, C
10. To identify the major components of gender discrimination in American society; to recognize attitudinal barriers among both men and women which hinder progress toward gender equity; and to analyze how social institutions such as schools perpetuate it, and what teachers can do about it. – A, B, C
11. To explore the origins, nature, purposes, and tactics of interest groups (e.g., parents, community, religion, economic, political opinions, minority concerns) in relation to their efforts to mold schooling to fit their goals. – A, C
12. To explore the reasons for increasing demands for parental choice of educational setting (e.g. home school; private, denominational school; private, independent school; magnet school; alternative school; charter school; schools of choice options) and the effects on all parties involved. – A, B, C
13. To review the historical and legal foundations of separation of church and state issues, and to clarify the classroom teacher’s role in observing the law. – A, B, C
14. To trace the history and legal foundations of public school finance in order to examine the pros and cons of persistent demands to restructure systems of funding more equitably. – A, C
15. To analyze the effects on current public school practice of reform efforts implemented as responses to the national reports of the 1980s. –A, B, C

GENERAL METHODOLOGY
A variety of instructional methodologies will be deployed to attain course objectives, including:
· pre-course assignment;
· cooperative learning experiences (experiential activities);
· presentations;
· research, readings, lecture and discussion.

COURSE OUTLINE/ACTIVITIES

Friday January 5
* Orientation
* Systems approach to analysis
* Problem-Solving/Decision-Making

Saturday January 6
* The environment of education
* Educational stakeholder perspectives
* Current issues identification and definition
* Conducting Internet-based research
* Critical Incident development
* Facilitation overview

Friday January 19
* OCLS overview
* Issues facilitation

Saturday January 20
* Issues facilitation
* Critical Incident development

Friday February 2
* Issues facilitation

Saturday February 3
* Application Project presentation

EVALUATION
A variety of evaluative assignments will be deployed to assess levels of student learning, including:
· Pre-course assignments (25%)
· Critical Incidents (25%)
· Current Issues facilitation (25%)
· Application Project (25%)

GRADING SYSTEM

100–96 A
95 – 93 A-
92 – 89 B
88 – 86 B-
85 – 82 C
81 – 78 C-

PRE-COURSE ASSIGNMENT
1. Select 10 of the topical areas listed below.
2. Compile a list of at least 3 current issues for each of the 10 topical areas you selected.
3. Document the issues, i.e., bring documents to class that provide empirical evidence of your issues. The documentation can be articles written about the issues (published within the last 12 months), in-house documents (memos, reports, brochures, etc) from your school or district (as long as the issues remain unresolved or were resolved within the last 12 months), or valid information from the World Wide Web.
4. While you do not have to submit a written assignment, be prepared to lead a class discussion on the list you developed. Thus, outline your thoughts prior to the first class.

· Moral education in public schools
· Privatization
· Compulsory schooling- age requirements
· Attendance at and funding for non-public schools
· Parental choice issues
· Federal, state, local control of public schools
· Socialization of students- the responsibility of schools
· Religion in public schools
· Hidden curriculum issues
· Social class, underclass issues
· External pressures - impact of pressure groups
· Teaching strategies
· Teaching effectiveness
· Merit pay for teachers
· Impact of teachers unions
· Teachers’ professional status
· Equality issues- affirmative action
· Bilingualism, biculturalism, multiculturalism
· Feminist issues in education
· Gender discrimination
· National curriculum
· Testing
· Senior project
· Outcome based education
· Scheduling reforms- block scheduling
· Length of school day, year
· Site-based management
· Censorship
· Compensatory curriculum
· Any additional issues that relate to your particular field or discipline or district or school

SED 613 PRE_COURSE WEBLIOGRAPHY (compiled 5/3/2000)

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES
http://www.aacc.nche.edu/

BIG CHALK EDUCATION NETWORK
http://www.bigchalk.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/WOPortalhttp://www.bigchalk.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/WOPortal

CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL REFORM
http://edreform.com/

USDOE OFFICE OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/

EDUCATION WEEK (ONLINE JOURNAL)
http://www.edweek.org/

EDUCATION WORLD
http://www.education-world.com/

EDUCATION ONLINE SOURCES
http://netspace.students.brown.edu/eos/webs_image.html

EDU-HOUND
http://www.eduhound.com/

STATE STATUTES (including educational)
http://wwwsecure.law.cornell.edu/topics/state_statutes.html

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE BOARDS OF EDUCATION
http://www.nasbe.org/

NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOP THE IMPROVEMENT OF EDUCATION
http://www.nfie.org/

SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS
http://www.sacs.org/

SYLLABUS (ONLINE JOURNAL)
http://www.syllabus.com/

TECHNOLOGICAL HORIZONS IN EDUCATION (ONLINE JOURNAL)
http://www.thejournal.com/

TECHNOLOGY AND LEARNING (ONLINE JOURNAL)
http://www.techlearning.com/

AMERICAN FORUM FOR GLOBAL EDUCATION
http://www.globaled.org/

CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION COLLOQUY (ONLINE JOURNAL)
http://www.chronicle.merit.edu/colloquy/

TEACHING OVERSEAS
http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/schools/oteaching.html

US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
http://www.ed.gov/

URBAN EDUCATION WEB
http://eric-web.tc.columbia.edu/

EDUCATION DIRECTORY
http://dir.yahoo.com/Education/

EDUCATION REFORM DIRECTORY
http://dir.yahoo.com/Education/Reform/

HOMESCHOOL ZONE
http://www.homeschoolzone.com/

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Brian Satterlee
Danville	Virginia
804.791.5837
satterle@averett.edu

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Page Updated Wed Dec 6, 2000 10:25am EST