Final Project!!!

UPDATE: Due to an unforseen problem with the goanimate site and Flash and our network, please go to edu.glogster.com and register, and do three posters over our materials from class or newsreels.

Due Date: 6/7/2010

Final Project CWI

Fixing Ohio

Here is your project due Friday, 5/28:

So How Do We Fix Ohio

Educational Reform Project

Education Reform Project

Education around the world...

Your job today is to research what the educational model is for some of the schools in the world that the Federal Government wants to overtake in rankings of public schools. You may use Google or Bing, and you must list the following policies and structures:
1. How is their Elementary school system set up"
2. How do they handle high school? How is it set up?
3. How much money do they spend on education?
4. How do they handle vocational education?
5. How prestigious is their post-secondary system compared to the USA?

and your countries you will research are...

1. Germany
2. Japan
3. Great Britain
4. France
5. Israel
6. Brazil
7. Australia
8. Singapore

This should be done on a blank sheet of paper, and turned in at the end of the period.


By the way, here is your powerpoint notes from this unit...

Public Schools

View more presentations or Upload your own.

Ohio School Funding

Ohio's school funding system is still fundamentally based on property taxes, voted on by the constituents in each school district. The state has made some changes, but it has ended up taking from the larger districts like ours, and started giving more to poorer districts. You job today, is to try and make sense of all this mess:
1. Read this article from the Columbus Dispatch. Create a chart listing the basics of school funding on a separate sheet of paper.
2. Read and analyze the portion of the school funding brief from Bowling Green State University near Toledo that covers the Governors Plan to fix the funding system in Ohio. It is located here, and make sure you give it enough time to load because it is a PDF file. The part you need is on page 3 of 5. You will first list the major parts of the governors plan. Then, list your own recommendations, all done on a separate sheet of paper.

Sub Plans, 5/19

This is my last day of meetings. I will be in class this Thursday and Friday. So enjoy one more day without me here in class.

1. Continue with your newsreels using www.cbsnews.com Make sure you are getting these into your notebooks. I will be checking your notebooks this Friday.
2. Using some of the websites from yesterday, including http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html and the White Houses website located at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-race-topyou should create two posters using the butcher paper in the front of the room. One poster is supporting the Race to the top program, the other is bashing the Race to the top program. You may also use the following websites to help include facts:
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/04/14/race-to-the-top-school-funding-has-states-rethinking-education/
or
http://www.lvrj.com/news/educators-want-to-race-to-the-top-93563264.html
or
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204886304574308442726348678.html
or
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-11-04-obamatop04_st_N.htm

Keep in mind, like yesterday, you should not have any time in class to do nothing. Both of these posters should take at least 30 minutes each. You and your partner know where the markers and colored pencils and scissors are located in the front of room; I suggest you work together on BOTH the posters. There should not be a you do one I'll do one approach. You both need to work on each of the posters together.

See you all on Thursday!!!

Sub Plans, 5/18

Please do the following activities:
1. Complete a newsreel sheet using the CBS news, located at www.cbsnews.com
2. Using the website http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html, review with your partner the race to the top program and make suggestions, with a paragraph explanation why it should reformed or changed in some way. You should identify at least 5 reforms that could be changed in some way.
3. Using the above website from the Department of Education, and the White House Page on the Race to the Top located Here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-race-top with your partner compare and contrast the two pages. How are they different and how are they the same?

Both of these should be turned into the sub at the conclusion of the bell.

These should not be a 15 minute activity. It should take at least 30 minutes each for activities 2 and 3. You should not have any spare time in class.

Sub Plans, 5/17/2010

As you all remember, I am in meetings all day. It is an expectation you get all of this work done in class.
1. Using your netbooks, please do a newsreel. Headphones are allowed for this activity ONLY.
2. With your partner, please complete the following: Research and write the following details of the big school law/reform cases. Please list the 1. Facts, of which there should 5-7 for each case.2. List the issues the case deals with 3. List the pros and cons of the cases, at least 5 each 4. Write what the decision is
3. The Supreme Court Case sheets should be turned in to the sub at the end of the block.
The cases:
a- Zelman vs Simmons-Harris
b- Cleveland vs Loudermill
c- Veronia vs Acton
d- Goss vs Lopez
e- Lemon vs Kurtzman

Make sure the directions are followed above. Make sure the netbooks are returned at the end of the block.

Public School Funding

DeRolph v. Ohio Department of Educ.

You and your new partner will be researching the historic DeRolph Case for Ohio. You will do the following:
1. Explain the background of the case. Why was it started, what prompted the publicity it received, how long did it take before it made it to the Supreme Court of Ohio.
2. What was the decision? How did it impact the Public School systems in Ohio?
3. How many times was it appealed, reaffirmed, and or reversed? What was the reasoning behind these decisions? How has the State of Ohio responded to these decisions?
4. How has the funding system in Ohio changed as a result of these decisions? If it has not changed, what are the reasons given for this?

You and your partner will choose 2 of the 4 to research- in other words, one partner will do two, while the other partner does the other two. Record your responses on a separate sheet of paper.

Censorship and Violence

Research the history of censorship of TV shows, radio programs, and the movies & video games with regard to how and why they were censored. In a powerpoint, you will:
1. Describe the background
2. Why it was censored
3. What was the end result for the show
4. Have one of each from the categories above

Censorship and being famous

Investigate the lives of Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, and Howard Stern. Find out how their activities influenced the degree of censorship in the media and with being a celebrity. Put your findings into a powerpoint with the following sections:
1. Background
2. Activities
3. How they were censored
4. What was done to fight the censorship or how they worked around it

Make sure you include pictures, quotes (if there are any school appropriate ones!!!), and anything necessary to prove your point.(school appropriate of course!)

Censorship on the Net

Censorship on the net is a big thing in todays world. You have two scenarios to create posters for. Scenario #1: The Feds want to create a law that that would enable federal agents to break into private businesses and homes in order to get passwords and other information regarding subversive behavior towards the government.
Scenario #2: A proposed law would put even stricter filters in Public Schools that would block everything but "school concerning" sites.

You and your partner should create a poster and a letter to the editor for each either supporting or opposing these "proposed" laws.

Public vs Private Censorship Rights

Research the Similarities and Differences in the rights of students who attend public schools versus those who attend private schools and colleges. Make sure to utilize your good friend Google, as well as log onto the Ohio Department of Educations website, located here. You should find 5 similarities and 5 differences, lay them out on a blank sheet of copy paper, and then compare those rights to the decision handed down in the Bethel Schools No. 403 vs Fraser Supreme Court Case.

Censorship in Schools

We all know from Mr. Vanover coming in and speaking that you do not have the same rights in school as in out. Many of these rights we have discussed as a class and have debated them at length. We will be preparing to offer arguments both for and against two important court cases involving school censorship.
1. Summarize the following cases: Tinker vs DeMoines, and Hazelwood vs Kuhlmeier. Include a brief background summary(what happened to bring the case), the Supreme Courts Decision, and the after affects fro the decision.
2. After your summaries, please have a one-two paragraph agreeing and dissenting opinion written about each case. Remember, you are both agreeing with and bashing the decision in each of your paragraphs! Remember to back your opinions with facts from the case, as well as facts from any law you can find on the internet.
3. Be prepared to share your opinions with the class!