Education Reform
What can be done to improve education in Ohio?
The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.
B.B. King
Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.
George Washington Carver
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.
Abraham Maslow
Education costs money, but then so does ignorance.
Claus Moser
Content Key:
Purple- Dates to Remember
Blue- Project Directions
Pink- Note card directions
Green- Rubrics
Dates to Remember:
April 12, 15, 19, 22, 23, 26, 29
Library or Computer Lab Time
Deadlines
April 11 - Topic Selection
April 15 - Surveys Created
April 16 - 10 Note Cards
April 22 - 10 Questions
April 24 - Thesis Statement
April 30 - 30 Note Cards
May 6 - Rough Draft Due
May 13 - Final Draft
May 20-22- Persuasive Speeches
Educational reform is at the forefront of political discourse in Ohio and the country. The only
problem is, no one is asking for your input. As current students, and soon to be recent graduates,
your insight into what is effective and what needs changed is imperative.
You will thoroughly research an area of the education system that you view as a hindrance to the
success of today’s children. You will look at past and present practices and legislation in order
to better understand your topic. Once you have a thorough understanding of your topic, you will
come up with your own proposal for reform with the intention of improving education in Ohio.
Look at some of the possible areas that you can consideration for reform:
Calamity Days
All Day Kindergarten
Balanced Calendar
Block vs. Traditional Scheduling
Longer school Day/Year
Teacher Preparation
Continuing Education for Teachers
Licensure & Renewal
Evaluating Teachers
Merit Pay
Home Schooling
Online Schools
Charter Schools
Flex Credit
Dual Enrollment
Vocational Training
School Environment
Student Rights/Rules
Safety
Conducive learning environment
Dress Code
Cell Phones/ electronics
Graduation Requirements
Attendance
High Stakes Testing
Credits/Coursework
Service learning
Capstone
Drop-Out
Grading
Technology
Filtering
Digital divide
Financing Education
Equity
Education & Zip Codes
Local, State, National
Common Core Curriculum
STEM (Science Technology Engineering
and Math)
Partnership for 21st Century Skills
Arts education
Libraries
Funding
Class size & Course offerings
Hopefully you now have some ideas for what you think needs to be reformed. Now, identify a
problem in education and decide why it needs to be changed. You need to come up with a plan
for how to find the solution to your problem, but you will not know exactly what solution you
will propose until you have done more research. Use the following example as a template:
Problem: Unequal funding for schools across the state of Ohio.
Statement: The way that Ohio funds its schools is unfair and unconstitutional and it needs to be
changed.
Solution: I need to find a new way of school funding to correct this problem.
Your goal is to focus on an aspect of education that you think should be changed. You should
become extremely knowledgeable about your issue. For example, if you chose the issue
described above, you should count on becoming somewhat of an expert on the way Ohio funds
its schools and you need to see how other states and countries deal with this issue. You will need
to be able to cite plenty of interesting statistics that support your proposed solution. This issue is
something that you should feel passionate about and be able to gain a sense of ownership with by
the end of the project.
The paper must be ten pages (double-spaced, 12 pt. font, Times New Roman, one inch margins)
using proper MLA citations and a works cited page (in addition to the 10 pages). The paper
should also be free of all spelling, grammatical, and citation errors. You need a minimum of ten
sources. You will also give a persuasive speech to convince your peers to adopt your proposal.
Step 1 – Find an issue – Due 4/11/13 (End of Class)
Brainstorm a list of the things about our education system in Ohio that bother you. List at least five things
that you would like to see changed. Explain your reasoning for the change and some possible solutions
you have in mind. Recognize the need for reason – while you may like to see a world where no one goes
to school, you’re not going to find much in the way of useful resources and chances are no one is going to
listen to you anyway. Instead, you might want to research ways to improve amount of time students spend
in the classroom. For example, there has been a lot of research done on how students learn, the times of
day that learning is most productive, etc. Don’t just choose any old issue because you don’t want to think
about it or haven’t thought seriously about the world in which you live. If you choose a topic out of
indifference or laziness, you will lose interest and either want to change topics half way through or end up
not finishing or doing a poor job. The topic is your responsibility – choose wisely.
Step 2- Research
Start researching right away. Pick three issues from your brainstorming list and try to find what
information there is available for each topic. Read some of the information. Does it still interest you? Too
boring? Too broad? You will need to select your topic before the first day in the lab, so spend time
looking outside of class. Once you have decided on your topic, begin to research it in-depth using the
note card method to take notes. Use Infohio, Galesites, and JStor Use the Internet, but be careful here –
there are many unreliable websites – you may only use cites that can be officially and correctly cited.
During the research component of this project, you can receive up to five points per day for your progress.
You lose points every time you are off task, and you must be able to prove progress at the end of the day.
Step 3 – Create a survey- Due 4/15/13
Before you can create a proposal for your reform, you need to determine what the public opinion is on
your topic. You will create a survey with at least five questions that will help you gauge the public’s
readiness for the type of change you are proposing. These questions should be geared towards giving you
results that you can use in your proposal, such as “Over 80% of people surveyed believe that alternative
education, such as vocational and digital schools, are necessary.” In order to have a fair and balanced
survey you will need to poll a minimum of 50 people from a variety of backgrounds. You will need to
provide statistics about the age group, sex, etc. of your participants. Names are not required. If you
create a survey using SurveyMonkey.com I will put it on my website, but it must be error free and
represent the school in a professional manner.
Step 4 – Hand in ten note cards – Due 4/16/13 (Beginning of Class)
Hand in at least ten note cards from at least two sources. See “Making Note Cards” for directions.
Step 5 – Ask questions – Due 4/22/13 (Beginning of Class)
Create a list of 10 possible questions to ask during the interview process. Even though you may not use
all 10, you need to be prepared for where the conversation could take you. Make sure your questions are
tailored to the person you are interviewing.
Step 6 – Write a thesis statement – Due 4/24/13
Gather the information that you have gained about your topic and write a concise sentence explaining the
problem you see, the need for the solution, and your proposal.
Step 7 – More note cards – Due 4/30/13 (Beginning of Class)
Hand in at least 30 note cards, from 5 or more sources, arranged by subtopic. These can include the
original 10, but keep in mind that you will need more than 30 to write an effective paper.
Step 8 - Reform Proposal
Once you have completed most of the research for this project you will need to create your own proposal
for reform. This proposal must take into account the real life parameters which cannot be altered, such as
funding, logistics, and timing. In your proposal you must account for what change will take place, why
you feel this reform is necessary, and how it will be implemented. Remember, this proposal needs to
work to improve some aspect of education in Ohio, not just Mt. Gilead. This should be the largest portion
of your research paper. Your plan needs to be detailed enough that it could be implemented. Although
your reform is your own opinion on how to improve education, you must have research and public
opinion to back up your ideas.
Step 9 - Rough Draft 5/6/13
Bring in your draft to get feedback from your peers and me. I will meet with individual students
throughout the week.
Step 10 - Research Paper- Monday, May 13. I will take them until 3:00 in hard copy or by email.
You will compose a research paper of at least 10 pages which will address the following areas:
I. Introduction
A. Purpose Statement (what is the point of education)
B. Introduce Your Topic
II. Background Information. (All research based, no opinion)
A. Past and Current Practices (State, National, and Global)
B. Legislation (State, National, and Global)
III. Survey
A. Demographics (who did you ask)
B. Questions and Results
C. Reflection (challenges? impact on proposal? unexpected results?)
IV. Proposal
A. Need for your proposal
B. Reform Plan (What? When? Where? How?)
C. Goals/Impact/Anticipated Outcome
V. Funding
A. Ohio’s Education Budget
B. How will you pay for this? No unfunded mandates
VI. Conclusion
A. Summarize your main arguments
B. Remind your reader why they should adopt your proposal
C. Restate your thesis
Step 11 - Works Cited – Turn in with your research paper
Your works cited page must contain a minimum of 10 credible sources that are properly formatted in
MLA style.
Step 12 - Presentation- Due May 20-22
You will create a presentation that is between four to seven minutes and is both informational and
persuasive. The presentation should contain the same elements that your research papers contained, but
in a more concise form. Make sure you clearly explain the details of your proposal and include the
research used to make these decisions. You need to orally reference specific research to support your
reform proposal. Do not simply use your own personal opinion and experience to justify your proposal.
Tirades of personal woe will not be regarded as professional, persuasive, or informational, and your
grade will be dramatically reduced if this is the case. You need to be prepared to answer questions
from your peers and your teacher about your proposal.
You do not need a visual for your presentation. In fact, I recommend that you do not use one unless it is a
few brief charts or pictures. Your grade will be reduced if it is a copy of your speech. You must
complete an outline using the template I gave to you.
Using Note Cards for Research
1. Write the subtopic heading of the note at the top of each note card. Ex. Background, Expert
Opinion, Current Practice, Ohio, National, Global, Problem, Solution, Trickle Down, etc.
2. Write only one main fact, quote, or source on a note card.
3. Only write information directly related to your topic.
4. Write only essential words, abbreviate when possible. This will help eliminate plagiarism.
5. Be accurate: double check direct quotes and statistics.
6. Identify direct quotes with quotation marks and the speaker’s name (the author and speaker
may not be the same person).
7. Bracket your own words [ ] when you add them into a quote and use ellipsis points (...) where
you leave out non-essential words from a quote.
8. Distinguish between 'fact' and 'opinion'.
9. Include the source information on the card (author/title/page number) to help you find the
source on your works cited page.
10. Complete your works cited page as you go. If you decide later on to eliminate a source it
can be easily deleted. You do not need to use a purple sheet, but you are welcome to do so if you
wish.
11. After collecting all of your information. Sort cards by subtopic and eliminate weak or
repeated information (keep your strongest source if you have repeated information). Write your
paper using your information from your note cards. Everything that you include in your paper
from your note cards must be cited in MLA format.
Statistics
Smith/Life Line of Ohio
14,155 organ donors in the U.S. (2012)
Project Completion Rubric
____/50 Work Day Progress (E&P)
____/5 Topic Selection (C&H)
____/10 Five Survey Questions (C&H)
____/10 Ten Note Cards (C&H)
____/10 Ten Questions (C&H)
____/10 Thesis Statement (C&H)
____/30 Thirty Note Cards (C&H)
____/20 Rough Draft Conferences (P&P)
____/200 Final Draft (P&P)
____/25 Works Cited (P&P)
____/130 Presentation (P&P)
____/15 Audience Participation (E&P)
____/85 Total Effort and Participation Points (E&P)
____/95 Total Classwork and Homework Points (C&H)
____/385 Total Paper and Project Points (P&P)
Education Reform Research Persuasive Speech Rubric- 130 points
Introduction- 15 points
-Introduction includes an attention getter & connection to audience
-Speakers’ credibility is established
-An overview of the speech is given with thesis
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The Problem/Need (Body)- 20 points
-The problem is well-defined
-The problem is well supported with examples and evidence
-The problem is proven to be realistic and measurable
-All research (no opinion based information)
The Proposal/Solution (Body)- 20 points
-A thorough explanation of the plan is given including:
-what changes will be made
-when these changes will be implemented
-where the changes will take place
-how these changes will be implemented
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-The anticipated goals/outcome of the plan is clearly described
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-Potential problems and concerns are anticipated and addressed (counter arguments) 0
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Conclusion/Call to Action- 10 points
-Central idea of the speech is restated with specific steps/measures needed
-Speaker provides an effective, memorable ending appropriate to the audience
Persuasive Elements- 25 points
-Speaker uses a variety of emotional and logical appeals in an ethical way
-Speaker creates credibility through character, competence, and delivery
-Supporting research is verbally cited and strengthens the argument
-Transitions are used to between sections to aid movement through the speech
-Overall message is easy to follow and effectively conveys the speakers point
Speaker- 20 points
-Presentation is organized and obviously rehearsed; uses notes for details only
-Eye contact with the audience is used to build credibility
-Vocal volume, inflections, articulation, and rate are appropriate for content
-Gestures, movements, and posture complement and add energy to the message
- Informal Dress
Outline- 20 points
-Outline conforms to class sample
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-Introduction/Body/Conclusion are completed
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-Sentence format, spelling, grammar, and punctuation
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-Transitions are completed and artfully connect sections
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*You must turn in a copy of your outline before your speech or you will earn zero points for the outline.
Length of Presentation_______________/5 minutes =___________% of required time.
Percent of time met _______ x _________ points earned = Final Grade _________/130
Comments:
Education Reform Research Paper Rubric: 200 points
Introduction: 15 points
-Introduction contains a dynamic and appropriate attention getter
-Introduction contains a strong thesis statement
-Introduction contains a balance of information (not too much/too little)
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Body Paragraphs: 20 points
-Body paragraphs contain clear topic sentences
-Body paragraphs contain transitions at the sentence and paragraph levels
-Body paragraphs contain logical organizations and subplot
-Body paragraph are of appropriate length/depth to support the topic sentence
Background Information: 35 points
-Information on past and current practices
-Information on past and current legislation
-Information on your topic related to Ohio’s Education System
-Information on your topic related to National Education System
-Information on your topic related to Global Education System
-All research (no opinion based information)
Survey: 20 points
-Demographics of the study show a diverse group of participants
-Questions for survey are tailored to the topic
-Data from the survey is analyzed
-Reflection on results and how they will be used to create proposal
Proposal for Reform: 40 points
-Need for the proposal is given in detail with research support
-A thorough explanation of the plan is given including:
-what changes will be made
-when these changes will be implemented
-where the changes will take place
-how these changes will be implemented
-The anticipated goals/outcome of the plan is clearly described
-Potential problems and concerns are anticipated and addressed
-Proposal shows evidence of in-depth thought and analysis
Funding: 15 points
-Funding for this plan has been allocated through reasonable means
-A thorough explanation of estimated cost of the plan is included
-Calculations are accurate and assume all possible costs
Conclusion: 15 points
-Conclusion restates the thesis statement
-Conclusion avoids introducing new or irrelevant information
-Conclusion creates a sense of closure and completeness
Mechanics: 15 points
Essay uses proper spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization
Essay avoids use of slang, jargon, and informal conventions
Essay employs varied sentence structure
Format: 5 points
Essay is double-spaced with correct margins
Essay is typed black ink, 12 point font, MLA format
Essay uses only single side of paper
Essay avoids underlining, bold, or italics for emphasis
Essay is presentable and a reflection of effort
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Research: 20 points
Research is valid and used to support the proposed plan
Proper citations are included to support the validity of information
All note card information is properly cited using MLA
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Plagiarism: -200 points
All information must be properly cited using parenthetical citations. This means anything that is on a note card
should be cited in your paper. You are claiming any un-cited information as a product of your own creation.
Remember, we will check in text citations for accuracy.
Length Requirement: 10% per page
Your overall grade will be reduced by up to 10 points per page short of the 10 page minimum. If your paper is 9 ¼
pages long, your grade will automatically be reduced by 7.5 points.
Comments:
Final Grade: