Discussion Questions

1. Think about a governing body and how it has broken one or more of the principles of good governance.  Which ones did they break and in what manner?

2. What are some examples of federal governance in education today?  How do you feel about these?

3. What is meant by “influence over states, districts, and schools has been increasing?”  Can you provide examples of how this is occurring?

4. How does education fit into the U.S. Constitution?

5. How does state funding fit with state governance?

6. What have you heard during field experiences regarding NCLB? 

7. If you compare and contrast the pros and cons of the No Child Left Behind legislative initiative, would you say that the national educational landscape was left in better shape because of its policies and procedures? Why or why not?

8. What is the problem with states creating their own accountability systems? Does this process need to be federally regulated?

9. What is the big fuss about the use of Common Core Standards in public schools? Would you want to teach them as a new teacher? Why or why not?

10. This chapter mentioned a case about a teacher’s use of MySpace and the evils of social media use in public schools. If you were to create a “Do Not Ever” top 5 list of uses of social media that teachers should definitely AVOID, what would you list?

11. Cyberbullying is a much more prevalent concern with increased use of technology at younger ages and grade levels. What can you do as a teacher to help prevent cyberbullying?

12. Does your local district ever provide a prayer at public school events? Do they have a moment of silence? How is this perceived by your local community?

13. As laws protecting special needs students becomes increasingly in favor of mainstreaming, every teacher will need to be highly qualified to serve students with disabilities. What does this mean for you in your teacher preparation program?

14. When it comes time for a student or his/her possessions to be searched, is it that teacher’s responsibility to do so, or the school administration’s responsibility to do so?

15. IF you work in a district that uses corporal punishment, you may want to know if the district will be expecting you to administer that type of punishment or if the school administration acts on those issues. If it is your responsibility, what would you want to keep in mind? What does the phrase, “You bruise; You lose” mean to you?