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Education Reform

I was looking through websites and blogs that advocate for educational reform and change, and providing better resources and improving school systems that favor students rather than school charters.

The National Education Association looks into the school systems around the country and examines how many states offer education choice options. In these education options, they look into "Education Savings Account", "Voucher", "Tax-Credit Scholarship", and "Individual Tax Credit/Deduction". Each type of school ranges in eligibility and average funding as well as participation rate. The website talks about how to take action to have better-funded schools and how students can benefit from education rather than be stressed from it. I really love this idea because at the moment it looks like schools are not benefiting students as well as they should be. Most schools are very under-funded while schools across town are highly funded. The perfect example of this can be seen right here in Fort Collins. Preston Middle School and Fossil High School are highly funded schools, and always outperform other schools in the district. Their classrooms are flooded with supplies! There are even sofas in some classes for students to use. Meanwhile, Lincon Middle School and Poudre High School are underfunded which means they have to be careful with the resources they use. The paint in art class is very low or dried up, pencil and paper are not provided for students, and Poudre does not stand a chance in any district activity because they do not have the resources to practice. I went to Poudre High School for half a year, and it was clear that students there did not expect any improvement in their school. And I'm having recitation and lab in Preston Middle School, and I'm constantly surprised at how many supplies are available for students, and how advanced their technology is. Even the ranges of classes they have available to them are unheard of in low funded schools.

The other website I looked into was Everyday Advocacy: Changing the Narrative About Literacy Education. The website focuses on individual voices both for students and teachers. It encourages teachers to be "everyday advocates" for students and other teachers and encourages action instead of complaints. Obviously, complaints are important--but they're the first step. One cannot simply complain and expect the problem to be fixed. Which is why I love that the website encourages action when you see inequality.

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