As over three million teachers in the United States started back to work this school year (Thompson, 2013, p. 1), they greet their new students with enthusiasm and high hopes for their success in the upcoming school year. Yet, regardless of this attitude, teachers will also find themselves faced with multiple challenges. An expert in the field says new teachers are “entering the field of education at one of the most challenging times in history. New mandates, high expectations, low pay, diverse populations, overcrowded classes…it’s not easy being a teacher” (Thompson, 2013, p. 2). While the American education system has significantly evolved since its inception: allowing African-Americans to be integrated, as well as, increases in females attending,
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This principal concern can be further broken down into five key areas that directly influence a teacher’s effectiveness: varying levels of student abilities, national policies, increasing classroom sizes, funding and learning how to balance personal life and professional. The following report will discuss these five challenges, why they happen and recommendations for handling them, as well as exploring areas needing further …show more content…
The No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2001 and signed into law January 2002 by President George W. Bush, set up a testing system where states were required to administer tests in specific grades, with results then used to determine eligibility for receiving federal funding. The Common Core Standards were developed, setting academic standards of expectations in areas of mathematics and English language arts and literacy, stating what should be known and achievable by each student as they complete each grade level. As a part of the list of standards it is specified “they be evidence-based, clear, understandable, consistent, aligned with college and career expectations, include the application of knowledge through higher-order thinking skills, and are informed by other top-performing countries” (Keirns, 2015, p. 373). In looking at our nation, the focus seems to be on how our school systems are failing and the believed solution involves using standardization and high stakes testing to hold educators and their school district accountable for delivering improvements (DeWitt). This system creates a multitude of potential fallout; firings, teacher burnout, early retirement of veteran teachers, as well as a lack of inflow of novice educators (“Impact of the Common Core Standards,” 2014). Also, Common Core has
This principal concern can be further broken down into five key areas that directly influence a teacher’s effectiveness: varying levels of student abilities, national policies, increasing classroom sizes, funding and learning how to balance personal life and professional. The following report will discuss these five challenges, why they happen and recommendations for handling them, as well as exploring areas needing further …show more content…
The No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2001 and signed into law January 2002 by President George W. Bush, set up a testing system where states were required to administer tests in specific grades, with results then used to determine eligibility for receiving federal funding. The Common Core Standards were developed, setting academic standards of expectations in areas of mathematics and English language arts and literacy, stating what should be known and achievable by each student as they complete each grade level. As a part of the list of standards it is specified “they be evidence-based, clear, understandable, consistent, aligned with college and career expectations, include the application of knowledge through higher-order thinking skills, and are informed by other top-performing countries” (Keirns, 2015, p. 373). In looking at our nation, the focus seems to be on how our school systems are failing and the believed solution involves using standardization and high stakes testing to hold educators and their school district accountable for delivering improvements (DeWitt). This system creates a multitude of potential fallout; firings, teacher burnout, early retirement of veteran teachers, as well as a lack of inflow of novice educators (“Impact of the Common Core Standards,” 2014). Also, Common Core has