TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction. 2

Problem Statement 2

Project activities. 4

Research methods. 5

Challenges. 6

Expected Project Outcome. 7

Conclusion. 8

Reference. 9

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Closing the public school achievement gap

Introduction

This project provides solutions to one of the main issues that are faced in public schools of poor academic performance. The problems addressed will be based on ideas of Public Anthropology, which concentrates on the actual societal issues instead of focusing on the individual’s framings. In addition, public anthropology tends to confront the factors that maintain the main explanation of the issues (Lareau 316). It also queries the practicality of anthropology’s low position inside the order and examines the broader perspectives implicated.

In addition, the perspectives involve a scholarly framework of indication that provides a standing of the imposing concept within the school (Lareau 316). However, within the certain procedures, it weakens the institution within various public situations. The focus of this project is to propose certain strategies that can be used to enhance academic performance of students in public schools. The project document will include a brief introduction of the situation in Seattle, the objectives, limitations, strategies to be implemented for the succession of the project and the conclusion.

Problem Statement

A large percentage of student populations in public schools have poor academic learning skills revolving writing, reading and performing calculations in the area of math and science. In Seattle, most public schools are known to appear more often in the news for negative achievements involving financial scandals that caused some of the School officials to loose their employment. In addition, the academic performances of students especially the more disadvantaged have been reported to fall at a drastic rate (Singer, Merrill, Huertas and Scott 189).

The unexpected fact is that Seattle being one of the most modern developed city in the United States, owns several public schools that have poor functioning in educating and training students for their future accomplishments. However, students are very significant in the society because they will be relied on in the future developmental progress of the world. Therefore, it is important to find solutions that will positively change the performance system of public schools and hence enable students become successful and significant in the society’s development. Objectives

            The sponsorship project includes a number of objectives to be achieved for the succession of the project. One objective involves increasing the efficiency of education in public schools that is offered to students. This will be achieved through investigating and evaluating the performance of the school instructors. The next objective is ensuring an improvement in the academic performance of every student attending public schools. This will be achieved through the contribution of funds for providing enough learning facilities and materials. In addition, students will be taken through a system of punishment and rewards in which students that perform poorly are tutored during the holiday break. The other objective is to ensure education affordability for students coming from poor families.

This will be accomplished through funding activities, in which financial assistance is provided by influential bodies such as Universities, government, members of the school board committee, organizations plus any other well-wishers. The final objective is to ensure accountability of the school funds within the administration departments to avoid the school from being publicly humiliated due to the scandals related with the misuse of funds. This will be achieved through the investigation of the operations carried out in the finance department within the school administration block. This activity will be carried out by the members of the school board committee.

Project activities

            The main project will include the sponsorship of various activities of improving public school systems by influential bodies such as the School board committee members, government and various organizations. The purpose behind this project will be attempting to eradicate the issue of inequality faced in public schools when they are compared to the system of private schools. In order to achieve the objectives involved in the project, the operations of particular activities will be considered.

In the first objective of ensuring efficiency in education given to students, a proposal will be addressed to the school board committee suggesting their involvement in the process of investigating the teachers. In addition, students will also be required to participate in filling in questionnaires for rating the education services they get from the instructors. In the second objective of improving the students’ academic performance, the sponsorship activity would involve contribution of funds by the school board committee and government for providing the school with learning facilities such as books, stationary and laboratory equipment.

Most of these students usually fail to perform as expected because they come from poor families and therefore are unable to afford or access learning facilities. In addition, the school board committee will also be expected to be involved in modifying the student’s academic system. For example, a policy would be introduced, whereby the student grading system is influenced by the scheme of rewards and punishment.

For example, a supplementary policy would be introduced, whereby if students failed in their grades, they would be expected to attend tutorial classes as other students break for the school holidays. This would boost the student’s determination of wanting to improve in their grades. In the third objective of enabling affordability of education to students, the activity would involve collecting funds to support several requirements of public schools. For example, several sponsors including the government, business associate, school board committee members plus other higher learning institutions including some of the well-known Universities in Seattle would be required to assist public schools financially.

As a result, the public schools will be able to afford several necessities that enable the running of the school including learning materials and facilities among other things. In addition, education will be made easily accessible to students since part of the funds will be allocated in intuition expenses for students from poor families. On the final objective of ensuring accountability in the school funds, some members of the school board committee will be required to participate in investigating the finance sector within the administration block.

The investigators will look into the school records and confirm any evidence of theft. In sponsorship, the government will be required to fund the idea of installing cameras in the finance offices, from which they will monitor the financial activities that take place and hence prevent the employees and officials from operating fishy activities that might lead to the misuse of funds.

Research methods

In carrying out the various planned activities, the research process will be a great contributing factor to the project’s success. This is because it will offer various significant ideas and concepts that will guide how the project’s activities will be accomplished. One of the methods will involve searching information from different sources including books, journals that have information on public school education systems. In addition, internet will also become a important factor in my research, as I will be able to access a variety of information that will offer clues on how to manage the project.

Other methods will include interviewing and observation. Observation is the process in which volunteers of the research are observed by the researcher in order to obtain useful information for supporting the study (Luluquisen, Esminia, Trnidad and Ghosh 63). On the other hand, interviewing is the process of obtaining information through inquiring questions in order to obtain straight answers. The observation method will involve visiting the location where one of the public schools is situated and observing the operations that take place within the school environment.

However, this procedure would require one to have a permit from the administration since the research method will involve looking into the school’s personal accounts including records of finances and students’ performances. The interviewing method will involve having dialogue conversations with some of the students and school staff in order to obtain evidence of the issues faced by public schools.

Challenges

One of the challenges to be expected in this project is the lack of enough student cooperation when asked to participate in reviewing their teacher’s performance through questionnaires. Most students might fail to show interest due to being affected by problems such as poverty and insecurity. However, by attempting to make the program in becoming more engaging to the students and hence change their attitude towards the task given. The other challenge might involve lack of insufficient funds. The government might procrastinate on giving financial assistance and therefore it is important to investigate more sources other than the government that could offer financial help to the school’s expenses.

Expected Project Outcome

After carrying out these project activities, positive changes in public school systems hope to be witnessed. For example, since the administrative staff will operate under close observation, cases of fund embezzlements are expected to reduce. The teachers are also expected to provide better services to students since the rating of their performance obtained from the questionnaires will be used in determining their effectiveness.

Education will be accessible to a larger population of students since the public schools will be receiving financial support from its sponsors including the government. On the students’ performance, a progressive rate is expected due to the new policies that will be implemented in the performance and grading system. In addition, students will be expected to be more involved with their studies since their performance will be closely monitored by the teaching and administrative staff.

The sponsorship project is meant to assist in upgrading the quality and system of public schools and hence protect the school from receiving unfair treatment from critics who regard the public school systems as for the low class population when compared to private schools. The funds contributed are expected to change the injustice of stereotyping that occurs through the negative critics that are received by public schools. After these accomplishments have been made possible, the school is expected to accommodate students from any class without showing any discrimination.

Conclusion

Public school systems have been illustrated as institutions facing extreme challenges that affect the level of students’ performance including the embezzlement of funds by senior officials. As a result, when the school fails to have sufficient financial back up, the negative effect does not only spread to the school operations, but also interferes with its main purpose of developing and training students to become responsible and useful citizens to the society’s development. Therefore, the above project is necessary because it will greatly assist in enabling public schools to face and overcome some of these challenges.

However, the project has shown that public schools need more support other than just in the financial aspect. For example, investigation activities should be carried out on the operations performed by the school staff including teachers to ensure that students are being provided with efficient education. The involvement of powerful forces including the government, high profiled organizations and institutions and the school board committees is also very important. For example, their participation in the various project activities could make a huge positive impact on the public education system and hence ensure progress in public schools.

 

Reference

Luluquisen, Esminia, Alma Trinidad, and Dipankar Ghosh. “Sariling Gawa Youth Council As a Case Study of Youth Leadership Development in Hawaii.” Journal of Community Practice. 14 (2006): 57-70. Print.

Lareau, Annette. Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003. Print.

Singer, Merrill, Elsa Huertas, and Glenn Scott. “Am I My Brother’s Keeper? a Case Study of the Responsibilities of Research.” Human Organization : Journal of the Society for Applied Anthropology. 59.4 (2000): 389. Print.

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