While reading “What ‘Counts’ as Educational Policy? Notes
Toward a New Paradigm,” I realized that I previously viewed educational
policy in a much narrower way. When I thought about education policy, I mainly
considered standardized testing, curriculum and learning goals, school sports
offerings, administrative leadership, and how school funding is allocated. I
did not fully consider how many factors outside of the school system influence
student learning and success.
Anyon points out that educational policy extends far beyond
what happens inside schools. She argues that factors such as housing, poverty,
and job markets should also be considered educational policies because they
directly affect students’ opportunities to learn. Schools cannot fix internal
problems without addressing external social and economic conditions. Many
challenges faced by students stem from their communities and home environments.
For example, a student who does not have a safe place to live or who comes to
school hungry is far less likely to perform well on a standardized test. While
testing is part of educational policy, the social and economic conditions
affecting students are often ignored.
This idea is supported by the quote, “Policies that
affect employment, housing, and family income must be considered educational
policies because they shape students’ opportunities to learn.”
When comparing Anyon’s perspective to Sal Khan’s “The
Broken Model,” the two authors locate the problem in different places. Khan
argues that the issue lies inside schools, particularly in a system that allows
students to advance without mastering content. Anyon, however, suggests that
educational failure is largely shaped by forces outside of schools. Together,
these readings suggest that education is broken in multiple ways and that
meaningful reform must address both school structures and broader social and
economic inequalities.
After reading this article, which I found to be a good read,
I realized that it didn’t mention anything about what Aynon was talking about.
It’s really eye-opening.
Hi Corey, I appreciate the comparison between this week's reading and Sal Khan’s, The Broken Model. Both authors made some great points supporting their issues with the education system, though they seem to focus on different aspect. I agree this demonstrated that in reality, a problem like this is never simple, and likely both internal and external factors are causing harm to our education system and need reform to ensure a better learning environment for students both at home and in school.
ReplyDeleteHi Corey, I found the reading very eye opening when Anyon brought up the many different policies made at both state and federal levels to address school reforms, and that they don't really tackle the real issue that causes these achievement gaps. I appreciate your comparison between Anyon and Khan's ideas and how they both have different takes on the problems in education. I feel it falls somewhere in between, like you mentioned, and both external and internal factors should be addressed.
ReplyDeleteHello Corey, I love this quote you pulled from the text because it sums up so much of Anyon's interesting research into a digestible sound byte "Policies that affect employment, housing, and family income must be considered educational policies because they shape students’ opportunities to learn.” I think that's the absolute core of her argument.
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