Will Your Child Fail in a Larger Class?

Biology, algebra, English, and history classes may no longer be sufficient for your child to graduate. With today’s trend of increasing standards for graduation, many schools are mandating that students complete community service or stewardship prior to earning their caps and gowns. As a result, many teens are finding unique and engaging ways to become involved in their local areas.

Volunteer Requirements

Maryland, Chicago, and Los Angeles are just some of the locations across the country mandating volunteerism as a requirement for graduation. Specifically, as the Los Angeles Legislative Analyst’s Office reveals, all public school students must engage in at least 40 hours of community service with a nonprofit organization or government entity in order to receive a diploma.

Schools implementing this volunteer mandate are confident that students will benefit for both the short and long term. As students volunteer, they are exposed to different cultures, social settings, personal backgrounds, and new experiences. With these experiences, public students are able to add depth to their learning and development, which helps them both as teenagers and adults.

In contrast to the cities and states that require community service as a graduation requirement, some areas are instead simply requiring that public schools provide students with the option to engage in community service. For example, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City is one of the many city leaders across the country encouraging optional service opportunities for students. As the Daily News reports, Bloomberg is set

In light of the recent recession, many schools are being forced to cope with serious budget cuts and impending financial setbacks. As a result, some schools with more grave financial needs may be forced to either close down or shift a majority of their student population to alternative surrounding schools.

Adding to budgetary issues, many public schools are beginning to reassign students to ensure that everyone receives equal educational opportunities, regardless of one’s socioeconomic status. Ultimately, all parents are beginning to wonder: Will public schools soon reassign my child?

The New Wave of School Re-Assignments

School Budgets

In areas that have been severely impacted by local job loss and recession struggles, schools may be forced to cope with such setbacks by closing various campuses and / or removing teacher positions.

For example, Detroit’s automobile industry layoffs have severely hindered the local economy, and the region currently holds the nation’s highest unemployment rate. As a result, these former tax-paying residents are no longer receiving their standard income. Ultimately, without taxable steady incomes, schools lose funding, as a large portion of public school funds are provided by income and property taxes from local residents.

Adding to the burdens of local lay-offs, many unemployed workers may relocate to a new area to seek work. Not only does this reduce tax dollars contributed to school funding, but the number of students in each district falls as well. With a decrease in the student population, schools

Standardized testing has become a widely adopted approach to measure student progress and performance – and based upon some of President Obama’s proposals, more tests may be on the horizon for your child. In fact, the federal initiative No Child Left Behind even made standardized testing mandatory for all public schools.

While standardized testing may be one way to effectively measure student learning, many educators argue that students spend far too much time in school simply learning how to take tests. As a result, students and teachers lose out on more valuable lessons and complex instructional activities. Ultimately, leaders are looking ahead to see whether or not students will be forced to endure even more hours of rigorous testing.

Former School Testing Policies

Former President George W. Bush initially created his No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act in order to ensure that all public schools were effectively educating its students. As a result of NCLB, every public school was required to give their students specific subject area tests.

If students failed these tests, their school was put on an action plan and potentially lost some of its funding. On the other hand, if students passed these tests, their school was often financially rewarded with increased funding. While on the surface level, it appears as though NCLB would help reward successful schools, many experts argue that it has only severely punished kids who are in schools with lower budgets, less supplies, and larger class sizes.

With the startling rise in obesity among young children, many schools are striving to combat issues of weight and poor health by enforcing new dietary restrictions. For example, some schools are creating workout and wellness plans that help students lose weight through fun activities. Similarly, some schools are prohibiting their cafeterias from selling certain types of foods to prevent poor eating habits.

Ultimately, while all can agree that children are best served when they are at their optimal health and physical size, many individuals assert that the schools’ new focus on weight can lead to an array of mental and personal issues in young kids.

The Obesity Issue

According to reports, approximately 1 in 3 kids is considered to be overweight or obese. As the percentage of overweight children continues to rise at a startling rate, leaders are striving to seek out solutions to this serious crisis. According to Kids Health, children today are spending less time playing outdoors and engaging in physical activities due to the new appeals of technology, video games, and television. Subsequently, children are becoming lethargic, lazy, and large. Adding to the change in children’s activities, Kids Health further asserts that busy parents no longer have the time to prepare healthy and balanced meals: “From fast food to electronics, quick and easy is the reality for many people in the new millennium.”

This video suggests that school lunches and too much TV time play a role in childhood