Excellence in Education
The concept of excellence in education is one that, on the surface, seems to be unquestionable. After all, who would not accede that students within our schools should, in fact, excel? Certainly teachers, parents, and administrators can agree on excellence as an aim to shoot for. The interpretation of the term "excellence" is, however, less obvious. How do we regard excellence? Is it the college bound student with a broad liberal arts education? Is it the student who graduates high school trained in a specific trade? Many in the field of education cannot come to an agreement on how our schools can best achieve excellence for and from our students. One of the many authorities who have contributed a model for what schools should be is Robert L. Ebel. According to Ebel, knowledge is the single most significant and most important goal in the education of children. In his article "What are schools for?" Ebel answers "that schools are for learning, and that what ought to be learned mostly is useful knowledge" (3). He builds this declaration in answer to trends in education that focus upon other aspects of learning in schools. Ebel states in the beginning of his article, that he does not assume scho
Although there has been a recent promotion for vocational education in our public high schools, inherent programs have come under attack from all sides. When there is a deficiency of such faith, as Goodlad claims there currently is, there is a withdrawal of support, both financial and otherwise. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, New York and it is run by its principal, Saul Bruckner. Knowledge, according to Ebel, must be constructed from information by each individual learner; it cannot be looked up, or given to students by a parent or teacher. In addition to the broad reform programs indicated by the theorists considered in this paper, as well as others, the profession of teaching also seems to be in need of some improvement to better allow teachers to successfully acclimatize to the changing times. For Kincheloe, it is imperative that education approaches the matters of the workplace. Bibliography Outside References Glenn, Beverly Cafee. Neither Ravitch nor Ebel see vocational education as a priority in the American school system. Some of these qualities seem fairly obvious, for example, "capable, enthusiastic teachers" and "a class of willing learners. Murrow High School that Ravitch finds meritorious is its lack of a vocational program. A sense of respect for regulations and discipline in the schools, along with the examples provided by teachers, "can be powerful influences in moral education" (Ebel, 4). Second only to academic goals, is vocational goals.
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