TED 356 CURRICULUM IN SECONDARY EDUCATION
MODULE 1
Name:
____________________________________________________
Date:
____________________________________________________
Points:
____________________________________________________
Comments:
OBJECTIVE:
Explain the background and the evolving purposes of secondary education.
READING:
In the Duplass textbook, read topics 1 and 2.
ACTIVITIES:
1. Secondary education is a relatively recent innovation. Using the textbook, notes taken in
class, and other sources, briefly describe the history and background of public education
per the following:
a. How old is public education? When was the first public school established? When
was the first high school developed?
b. When was compulsory public education created? Why? When was it required in
all states?
c. How recently did court cases and other events prompt education to break down
barriers and welcome the following groups?
i. Minorities (Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka)?
ii. Women (Title IX of the Education Amendments)?
iii. Disabilities (Education of the Handicapped Act)?
iv. Diversity (Harvey Milk High School opened in NYC)?
2. Who was Horace Mann? Why is he significant to education?
3. What is the “Prussian education system?” How did it significantly impact education?
4. Researchers have noted that colleges and employers are not pleased with high schools.
Students leave HS with a diploma but poor skills. Supposedly many cannot read matter
other than literature, cannot work in teams, cannot present their thoughts orally, cannot
manage data, cannot do proofs (geometric), and have poor functional math skills.
Potential employers are even more concerned about their “soft skills”, such as “study
skills”, professionalism (e.g., dress right), and work ethic (e.g., be on time, manage time
wisely, and work hard, take responsibility/don’t make excuses).
a. Does the PSSA measure any of these?
b. Did your high school teach what employers value?
c. Do you plan to address teach issues in your teaching?
5. On the back of this page (or attach a page), answer the following question in a wellstructured essay: In your opinion, what is (or should be) the purpose of secondary
education (e.g., to prepare students for college, to prepare students who do not go to
college to enter the workforce, or something else)? Explain your answer.
TED 356 CURRICULUM IN SECONDARY EDUCATION
MODULE 1 INDEPENDENT PROJECT
Name:
____________________________________________________
Date:
____________________________________________________
Points:
____________________________________________________
Comments:
DIRECTIONS:
Choose one of the following 2 options:
1) Google cyber schools to determine whether it is possible to get a high school education
online (e.g., Ashworth U., James Madison HS, Penn Foster HS, Keystone National HS,
Stafford Career Institute, and Pennsylvania’s 11 cyber schools, some of which do high
school). Projections suggest that secondary education will increasingly be delivered via
computers in the near future. Assume that a future governor suggests that we guarantee
school-based education (i.e., teacher-directed) for all students only until the age of
sixteen, and then that we replace traditional high school with tuition vouchers and cyber
schools. In a well-structured essay, list and explain three reasons why high schools (and
high school teachers) should or should not be wholly replaced by computers.
2) In your current field placement, ask a secondary teacher to state the purpose of high
school. Then, find the mission statement for your field’s high school (or another if you
cannot find your school). In a brief essay, compare the teacher’s views with the school’s
stated mission. Determine whether there is consistency.
TED 356 CURRICULUM IN SECONDARY EDUCATION
MODULE 1 CLASS ACTIVITY
Names:
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Date:
____________________________________________________
Points:
____________________________________________________
Comments:
DIRECTIONS:
It has been claimed that current high schools, with their one-size-fits-all test-based curricula and
“spray ’n pray” delivery systems a) do a great job preparing students to enter the world of the
1950s, b) that high schools have not changed much since WWII, and c) that, as a result, high
schools have become obsolete. What is your view on this statement? As a group, state your
position regarding the following items.
1) In your opinion, have high schools really not changed much since WWII? Do they need
reform? Prepare to share your group statement orally with the class.
2) In your opinion, what is the purpose of secondary education (to prepare kids for college,
to prepare kids for jobs, to prepare kids for jobs that do not require college, or some other
purpose)? You may wish to refer to the following US Department of Labor information
as you respond. Prepare to share your group statement orally with the class.
a. Zone 1: Includes jobs like counter clerks that pay an average of $12,638 and
require high school or less. 12.5% of all jobs in PA; 13.1% in the US.
b. Zone 2: Includes jobs in the trades that pay an average of $24,461 and require
high school. 35.8% of all jobs in PA; 34.4% in the US.
c. Zone 3: Includes jobs like sheet metal workers (sophisticated trades) that pay an
average of $35,672 and require high school and some CTE (career and technical
education). 30.9% of all jobs in PA; 31.5% in the US.
d. Zone 4: Includes jobs like teachers that pay an average of $50,552 and require
college. 13.6% of all jobs in PA; 14.1% in the US.
e. Zone 5: Includes jobs like psychologists that pay an average of $59,119 and
require college and more. 7.2% of all jobs in PA; 6.8% in the US.
3) Since the passage of No Child Left Behind federal legislation (NCLB), school districts
and individual teachers are held accountable for student learning. If student learning falls
short, districts may experience reduced funding, and individual teachers could lose their
jobs.
a. In your opinion, should schools be held accountable for student learning? If so, by
whom?
b. Is it fair that individual teachers should be held accountable for student learning?
c. Should Pennsylvania institute an exit exam, which all students would have to pass
in order to graduate high school? Why or why not?