SEMINAR 3 : EDUCATION - GROUP 3

Group Members: Bùi Thảo Linh, Nguyễn Thị Thanh Thuý

Nguyễn Cẩm Thi, Phạm Phương Thảo, Nguyễn Hà
Trang

American Public Schools in Education Reforms

Questions Contributor

1. Overview of the movie Hà Trang

2. Public education Thanh Thuý

3. The stratification of schools in the US: Public Thảo Linh

school vs Charter School

4. The stratification of schools in the US: Public Cẩm Thi

schools in affluent neighborhood vs poorer neighborhood
s

5. Discussion : Phương Thảo

a. How should teachers‟/students‟
 performance be assessed?

TABLE CONTENT:
1. Movie overview
2. Public education
3. The stratification of schools in the US: Charter school vs Public school
4. The stratification of schools in the US: Public school in affluent neighborhood vs in poorer
areas
5. Discussion
1. Movie overview
Waiting For Superman | Trailer #1 US (2010)
The filmmaker followed five students who navigate the public school system and then interviewed prominent
educational reformers about how to improve the educational system. Throughout the movie, Guggenheim shows
us an abbreviated version of American educational history and alerts us to an array of complex historical and
societal problems that American schools face. From the host of problems presented, he showed the viewer
toward what he perceives as the real problem of education were bad teachers.
→ Solution and the hope for salvation is the charter schools.
● The five students were mainly black and Hispanic kids from working-class ghetto families —
who were forced to attend local "drop-out factories". Their parents worried about their future
 because they always deserved a chance to fulfill their potential. However, their destinies were in the
hands of chance. Their only hope lies in entering a lottery to win an opportunity to get into a
high-performing charter school, where "excellence" is the standard.
● The overlooking of the teacher was one of the reasons why America’s children didn't have a
high-quality education. The teacher filled her students with knowledge and sent them on their way, but
the teachers just made it complicated.
● In the final scene, we can feel the fears of these families when the dwindling number of
spaces left and four out of five students are denied enrollment. It might seem that these children
had been cruelly tricked into putting their unconditional faith in charter schools, only to be turned away,
and received disappointment.
→ Waiting for “Superman” judged that problems in education are complex and the bad teachers were the source
of systemic failure. For those in education who would rather engage in finding solutions, “Waiting for Superman”
feels like precious time lost.

2. Public education ( K-12 education )

o History and purposes of education in the US
a. History :
The history of public education in America
- The colonial period :
+ In 1642, Massachusetts had required parents to ensure their children’s ability to read, and five
years later, in this act, the state mandated community schooling.
 + Old Deluder Satan Law : Massachusetts passed the Old Deluder Satan Act in 1647, laying the
basis for public schools in America. The Puritans valued literacy highly; they believed all
individuals should be able to read and interpret the Bible for themselves. .

- 19th century :
+ Thomas Jefferson was the first American leader to suggest creating a public school system.
His ideas formed the basis of education systems.
● 1830 : (Common schools) early public schools developed by Horace Mann. He believed
that public schools could reduce the growing crime, poverty and vice of the cities by
assimilating their growing immigrant population => It should be free to all social
classes => However, at that time high school graduates weren’t common - 6%
graduation rate.
● 1865 : Compulsory education applied only to primary and secondary schools became
widespread by the end of the century. This was an important development, as children
from all social classes could now receive a free, formal education.
● In 1867: Education in the U.S. received a major boost: The Department of Education
was established, George Peabody donated 2 million dollars to help public education in
the south, and Howard University for African American students was established.
● By 1870: Public schools were present in every state with secondary public schools
outnumbering private schools.
● 1873 : An economic depression hurt formal education. Many schools closed because
 they lacked the funds to staff the school with teachers and supplies.
● 1900s : Progressive education : John Dewey and others held that curricula and teaching
methods had been changed. Instead of moralistic piety and rote memorization, the
schools had to give pupils practical skills suited to their environment and the habit of
discovering knowledge for themselves. "Learning by doing," personal growth, and child-
centered rather than subject-centered teaching became the goals.-

- 20th century :
+ By the 1920s, the U.S. education system bounced back. As children transitioned from factories
to public schools, the Association of American Universities was created.
+ The Progressive Education Association was established in all 50 states with an agreement to
fund transportation to school children.

o Problems, possible causes & solutions ? (i.e. the crisis state of education)

Problems Possible causes Possible solutions

Race and school The persistence of residential segregation in 1954: The Supreme Court abolished the
segregation American society : African-Americans and principle of separate but equal educational
whites live in different neighborhoods of cities institutions for races. The first major part of
 in the United States, so they attend different the Civil Rights law passed, giving all
school districts. Thus, residential segregation students the right to attend public schools
creates segregated schools.
U.S. Supreme Court case, Brown v. The 1964 : The Civil Rights Act prohibits
Board of Education discrimination in schools based on race,
color, or national origin.

The crisis state of Poorly education 1965: The Elementary and Secondary
education Highschool dropouts & unfinished graduation Education Act provides for a comprehensive
=> Inflation of tuition tax credits => unable range of programs, including Federal aid for
to pay tuition fee disadvantaged children to address the
+ Since 1971 , educational spending in the problems of poor rural and urban areas.
U.S. has grown from $4,300 to more - The Higher Education Act authorized
than $9,000 per student support for post-secondary education/
helped minority and “disadvantaged”
students get college loans.

1992: Charter schools: publicly funded

tuition-free schools of choice that have
greater autonomy than traditional public
schools. The term charter school is used
 almost exclusively to describe government-
funded and largely autonomous schools.

Failing elementary and secondary school 2001 : No Child Left Behind Act -> improving
=> inappropriate teaching method public primary and secondary schools.
+ Schools : administer yearly tests of the
reading and mathematics skills of
public school students/ raising the
scores of all students to a level defined
as “proficient” or higher by 2014
 Conflicting teaching standards 2010: The Common Core Standards Initiative
: the standards are not a curriculum but an
The federal government passes laws and over-arching, grade-by-grade educational
sends money to the states, but the states fund framework. Educators in the participating
schools, and set their own standards. There states, therefore, may devise their own
are more than 14,000 autonomous school curricula to achieve the standardized
boards, making school governance a tangled objectives.
mess of conflicting regulations and mixed
agendas.
+ Ex : the same student who fails a
proficiency test in Longmeadow,
Massachusetts, can drive a mile
south, and pass a similar test in
Enfield, Connecticut.

https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/articles-and-essays/school-segregation-and-
integration/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/public-school
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/01/30/public-education-crisis-enrollment-violence/
https://study.com/academy/popular/what-is-the-common-core-standards-initiative.html

○ Assessment of and comments on the main argument(s)

- No Child Left Behind : Major portions of the NCLB law have proven problematic, particularly as :
+ The law has matured without any congressional update or reauthorization.
● It’s unclear that the two main remedies for low-performing schools did much to improve
student achievement. In many cases, students did not take advantage of the opportunity to
transfer to another school, or get free tutoring.
● States and districts also had difficulty screening tutors for quality. Some districts, including
Chicago, successfully petitioned to offer their own tutoring services.
● States also generally shied away from employing dramatic school turnaround strategies for
perennially failing schools.
+ The NCLB law has also been criticized for growing the federal footprint in K-12 education, and for
relying too heavily on standardized tests.
+ Others say its emphasis on math and reading tests has narrowed the curriculum, forcing schools to
spend less time on subjects that aren’t explicitly tested, like social studies, foreign language, and the
arts.
https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/no-child-left-behind-an-overview/2015/04

3. The stratification of schools in the US

3.1. Difference between Primary school and Secondary educational institutions in US
( state school, private school and charter school )
● Primary education
- Around age 6, US children begin primary school
- They attend five or six years and then go to secondary school (middle school)
- Grade 1 to 5

● Secondary Education
- Secondary school consists of two programs:
+ The first is “middle school” or “junior high school” (Grade 6-8) (Age 11-14)
+ The second program is “high school.” (Grade 9-12) (Age 14-17)

State schools Private school Charter school

Run by local school districts Run by private organizations Independent public schools

Funded by the public Funded privately Funded by the public or private

Have to pay for tuition, and it can donors
be expensive

Must follow all state and federal Little to no government oversight Must follow education laws, but
education laws have freedom from some rules
( Required by law to provide 504 ( don't have to follow all the rules
plans ) that traditional public schools
follow, however, they are required
to provide IEPs and 504 plans to
kids who qualify )

Free to attend No free to attend Free to attend

General education teachers must be General education teachers must be General education teachers must be
state-certified: Yes state-certified: Maybe. It depends state-certified: Maybe. It depends
on the laws of your state. on the laws of your state.

Accountable for student Not accountable for student Accountable for student
achievement under federal law achievement under federal law achievement under federal law

https://www.additudemag.com/iep-vs-504-plan-idea-adhd-disability-education/
https://www.understood.org/en/articles/choosing-a-school-know-the-options-for-your-child
https://www.understood.org/en/articles/public-private-and-charter-schools-how-they-compare
https://www.thoughtco.com/difference-between-a-charter-school-and-a-private-school-1098214
ĐẾN ĐÂY THÌ DỪNG
3.2. Comparisons between schools in affluent neighborhoods versus schools in poorer ones
● Difference in Public School Funding
- By relying largely on property taxes to fund schools, which can vary widely between wealthy and
poor areas, districts create funding gaps from the word go.
=> Affluent areas end up with well-funded schools and low-income areas end up with
poorly funded schools.
- High-poverty school districts receive less funding and are able to spend less money per
student compared to low-poverty school districts.
+ According to the Education Finance Statistics Center (EDFIN), the poorest 25% of school districts received
15.6% less funding per student from state and local governments compared to the richest 25% of school
districts in 2011-2012.
+ Example: Differences in funding between schools in areas of Pennsylvania.
(Lower Merion, a wealthy suburban township VS Philadelphia, one of the poorest cities in the U.S.)
Lower Merion School District spent $23,676 per student in 2015 while Philadelphia City
School District spent $10,874 per student. Philadelphia City spent less than half the amount Lower
Merion spent on its students.
=> There is a large funding gap between the wealthy and the poor schools in the US, and it
is still increasing.
- What is the cause of this inequality?
+ According to annual reports of Public School Revenue Sources, federal sources provide only
8% of the funding for public schools, while 47% comes from the state and 45% comes from
 local sources. Property taxes from local sources are critical for providing funding.
=> Low property taxes in poor neighborhoods result in low funding for schools while high
property taxes in wealthier neighborhoods result in higher funding for schools.
+ Property value is higher in wealthy neighborhoods and therefore tax revenue is also higher
despite the same tax rate as other neighborhoods => local governments can passively collect taxes
and fund schools for a higher quality education.
● Divergence in quality of education
Schools receiving low funding are plagued with issues such as poor building conditions, lack of resources
and teachers, and low test scores and graduation rates.
- Problems with facilities and resources in poor schools not only affect teachers and their ability to teach,
but it also impacts the students’ health and their ability to learn.
Example: In 2016, appalling conditions such as overcrowded classes, mold, vermin, heating
issues, and lack of school supplies, drove teachers from Detroit public schools to organize a
“sickout” (an organized period of unwarranted sick leave taken as a form of group
protest, usually as a measure to avoid a formal strike)
- Students in high-poverty schools are less likely to have advanced classes due to lack of
proper teachers or resources.
Example: Data shows that while most schools provide algebra and biology, less high-
poverty schools offer calculus, physics, and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Moreover,
21% of high schools, which accounts for about 850,000 students in the U.S., lack access to a
counselor who is essential for providing help in both academic and personal areas.
- In addition to performing low on standardized tests, students in poor neighborhood schools are
more likely to be absent throughout the year, be held back, and graduate late. Less
opportunities and a low quality education leads to social reproduction, which means children from
impoverished families are trapped in a cycle of poverty as inequality is replicated across generations.
● Interventions Aimed at Reducing Educational Disparities
- Several states have undertaken reforms based on these practices and, in turn, have narrowed achievement
gaps. Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New Jersey, for example, have instituted the following
changes based on the practices mentioned above:
+ Provided additional funds to districts serving high concentrations of economically
disadvantaged students
+ Raised standards for teachers and principals, increased their salaries, and provided them with
ongoing professional development
+ Invested significantly in pre-K programs such as Head Start, school readiness programs,
and scholarship programs to increase access to quality early childhood programs for low-income
students
- Various organizations and parents are also taking matters into their own hands. The
Southern Poverty Law Center, a non-profit organization, advocated for four mothers in Mississippi who
observed conditions in their childrens’ schools such as lack of textbooks and teachers, jail-like, dark
classrooms with peeling paint and water spots, and lunches with spoiled milk or rotten fruit.
● Conclusion
Finding solutions to the challenges in education and bringing equity to all students takes innovation and
 devotion. Those inspired to tackle issues such as inequality in public school funding need the right
expertise. Educators need to develop the skills required to conduct the critical research and
develop the evidence-based curriculums needed to close achievement gaps and help all
students thrive.
Source:
Inequality in Public School Funding | American University
The Fiscal Disparity and Achievement Gap between Extremely Wealthy and Poor School Districts in Illinois |
SpringerLink
How the Public School Funding System Leads to Educational Disparities (peaceinnovation.com)

→ Therefore, preparing the students to achieve core competencies, to face the global requirements
successfully is very important. This requires that the teachers should be innovative, creative and
entrepreneurial in their approach, to ensure skill development amongst the students. By various
means such as establishment of collaborations with industries, social organizations, networking with the
neighborhood agencies/bodies and fostering a closer relationship between the “world of skilled work” and the
“world of competent learning”, it is possible to develop required skills.
…
Quality Education: Role of the Teacher in Enhancing Quality Education. – Online Note Bank (wordpress.com)
5. Discussion
After watching the movie: “Waiting for superman”, we have found out both advantages and
disadvantages of US education. All of these are considered valuable lessons for Vietnam
educators to learn from.
Question 1: Traditionally, teachers in Vietnam are evaluated based on years of experience that
they have or the number of their students with good results while students are assessed by
marks obtained through standardized written tests. Do we have more efficient and well-
rounded methods to assess teachers’ and students’ performance? In other words, how should
teachers‟/students‟ performance be assessed?
● How should teachers and students’ performance be evaluated?
- Nowadays, performance in schools is judged based on the basis of learning outcomes. So, how
to assess the capacity of both teachers and students in an objective and fair way?
- Student assessment
❖ Aligning educational standards and student assessment.
● Today, the governments establish standards for student attainment, clearly defining the
knowledge and skills students are expected to have achieved at different stages of their education.
→ The curriculum needs to give considerable attention to build sound strategies to assess
learning performance against standards. Part of the strategy may consist of
developing large-scale standardized tests with a high efficiency, reliability and
usability (i.e. how policy makers, school leaders and teachers make sense of and respond to
assessment and evaluation results).
❖ Balancing external assessment and teacher-based assessment in the learning
evaluation.
● External assessment refers to standardized examinations that are designed and
 graded outside individual schools and typically take the form of a written test.
+ Pros: Ensuring the fairest assessment of students’ ability.
+ Cons: Effect on the process of teaching and learning. If students are attached to the test
results, teachers may only focus on test-taking skills, instead of delivering knowledge in an
effective way.
● Teacher-based evaluation refers to continuous assessment that is designed and
marked by the students’ own teachers. It is conducted internally in the classroom and
counts towards a final grade or evaluation of the student.
+ Pros: Covering the entire curriculum of the students.
+ Cons: May lead unfairly with particular groups of students.
⇒ The combination of teacher-based and external assessments would be most suitable to
ensure maximum validity and reliability.
❖ Integrating the students' learning process evaluation in the assessment framework.
● This is a kind of classroom-based formative assessment. It frequently judges the
interaction and student progress → identify learning needs and shape teaching.
● A great challenge is to find suitable strategies that can integrate the assessment about the
students' knowledge as well as the learning process.
→ This evaluation ensures fairness for each student and reflects whether the students
have well absorbed the knowledge being delivered or not.
- Teacher’s evaluation
❖ Combining improvement and accountability functions of teacher evaluation
● Teacher evaluation typically has two major purposes:
- Seeking to improve the teacher's own practice by identifying strengths and weaknesses for further
professional development (the improvement function). It involves helping teachers learn, reflect,
and adjust their practice.
- Aimed at holding teachers accountable for their performance in enhancing student learning, (the
accountability function). It typically entails performance-based career advancement and/or salaries,
bonus pay, or the possibility of sanctions for underperformance in teaching.
→ Combining both the improvement and accountability functions into the teacher
evaluation process raises difficult challenges. However, when the evaluation is oriented
towards the improvement of practice within schools, teachers are typically open and
willing to reveal their self-identified weaknesses, in the expectation that conveying that
information will lead to more effective decisions on developmental needs and training.
❖ Using teacher evaluation results to shape incentives for teachers
● Evaluation of teacher performance can also be used to determine career advancement, award
performance rewards or establish sanctions for underperforming teachers. It constitutes an
opportunity to recognise and reward teaching competence and performance → which is essential to
retain effective teachers in schools as well as to make teaching an attractive career choice.