What's school like?
In an effort to keep the rotating class schedule at her high school,
“Madeleine Siegmund, a junior, gathered 245 signatures on a petition that implores school officials to abandon plans to impose a fixed six-period day”, writes Linda Borg. Madeleine’s fear, along with her classmates, is that the fixed schedule will lead to problems. “’If there is the same class first period every morning and the student is either exhausted or late,’” Siegmund says, “’he or she will most likely fail that class because of the limited ability to participate fully. CUTTING CLASSES WILL BECOME AN EPIDEMIC.’”
In this YouTube video, students express their profound need for a change in the way classrooms are run today. Fixated more on their Ipods, Facebook profiles, and text messaging rather than on what their professor is saying, this video demonstrates the thoughts and feelings of students while teachers think they are listening. Students want their teachers to change how the curriculum is taught to be up to date with the latest technology rather than lecturing in front of the class.
Dozens of high school students, mostly from New York's private, top-notch schools, flock to an after-school writing program in hopes of getting help on their work. Their goal? Entering writing competitions. The students’ high schools, which encourage sports and team competitions, have the opposite approach when it comes to individual competitions. “When students are rewarded for participation rather than achievement they don't have a strong sense of what they are good at and what they're not,” suggests Dr. Mel Levine, University of North Carolina.
"Six students in the Philadelphia public school system were each given a video camera as part of an independent film project. That simple premise expanded radically over the next two years, resulting in this profound and vital documentary covering the difficulties these applicants faced preparing for college while dealing with the daily trials and tribulations inherent in being a student in schools with a 50% or worse drop-out rate. While conditions may be difficult, the film does offer signs of hope", writes reviewer, Alexander Russo.
A special report from Indiana University's High School Survey of Student Engagement, based on 81.000 student responses from 26 states, reports, "Today's high school students say they are bored in class because they dislike the material and experience inadequate teacher interaction." In addition, "the findings, show that 2 out of 3 students are bored in class every day, while 17 percent say they are bored in every class." Furthermore, lack of adult support and skipping school were also mentioned as reasons for high drop out rates among students.
For the first time, instead of asking the parents and teachers, the state of West Virginia asked the students what they wanted in schools, as well as their opinions of how well the schools were doing. 4,955 5th-12th grade students from across the state filled out the internet survey, and “improved technology” was the top response. In addition, advanced courses, smaller class sizes, and increased hands-on learning experiences were desired. To read the complete survey and analysis, click on the link above.
In this short audio clip, Minnesota Public Radio hit the lunch room with a seventh grader to find out how things work...and what they're learning.
In this audio clip, Minnesota Public Radio listens to third and fourth-graders from Minneapolis who prove surprisingly...job-focused. This is important so they can pay for college, and later for their day-to-day living. School prepares you in subjects, but also for learning how to work with diverse people and cultures.
In this short audio clip, Minneapolis asks sixth, seventh, and eighth-graders from Minneapolis to explain the most useful things they're getting out of school.
Students at inner city and suburban high schools want equally to go to college, but do they get the same preparation and academic opportunities? In this movie, a leadership class at Brighton High School in Boston took on this question. They surveyed and interviewed students in three city and three suburban Boston schools to see how academic expectations and opportunities varied.