Beyond The Classroom Curriculum Analysis

America is a nation its people are proud of. Those people think it is the best at everything. In the last couple of decades, however, the United States has witnessed itself slide backwards in the areas of equality, prosperity, and education. Many would ask how the U.S. could possibly be failing to educate its students. The U.S. spends more money per student than any other developed nation. Yet American high school students have posted average to subpar performances in math and science testing for years now. What could be the problem? Many put the blame on poor teachers and/or lack of funding. While both are issues that can, indeed, affect a quality education, neither seem to be the main cause. Especially, as it is already been established that …show more content…
Some will argue yes. Some will argue that the curricula these students receive is biased towards Whites. How does the curriculum explain the uneven teen pregnancy rates? Do the ills of unplanned pregnancies actually need to be taught in schools? In the book Beyond the Classroom, Laurence Steinberg states, “Studies show quite persuasively that children achieve more when they attend schools that stress intellectual activities and are organized around a common purpose---quality education.” Furthermore, if experience and constant first-hand accounts do not deter them, why and how would a chapter in a textbook? If it is to be believed that it truly is the curricula at fault, is lack of access to missing subjects a valid point in the “age of information”? In today’s world of smartphones and instant information, there are more resources available than ever to learn. There are many free Websites that provide online courses in a variety of subjects and grade levels. If one truly desired to learn and could not afford books, they are just as easy to download illegally as music. Online education providers that provide free courses such as KhanAcademy and eDX do not rank anywhere in the top 100 Websites in America. But what two ethnic groups are flocking to smartphones, tablets, and social media Websites? “African Americans and Hispanics are leading the way in terms of buying smartphones or tablets," says Wayne Sutton of SocialWayne.com. What two ethnic groups lead in shopping from mobile devices? Blacks and Latinos. What is the underlying issue? If the argument is that there is some kind of conspiracy to keep Blacks and Latinos in poverty, why do so many continue to produce children, leaving them in such a system, generation after generation? If the curricula is culturally biased, how do Asian-Americans perform so well? From No Excuses: Closing the Racial Gap in Learning by