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Neoliberalism Standards

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Submitted By 60tomrock
Words 2649
Pages 11
Neoliberalism, Standards, and me
Practicum, Fall 2013
Final Paper

Part I
With the United State’s economy being in such turmoil the nation’s leaders are constantly searching for ways to secure its future. In this search they began to focus on the education that is being supplied to the youth. What changes can be made at the national level to ensure progress is being made towards building students that are prepared for an unstable economy? How can these changes be implemented into practice? What role will the gatekeepers play in enforcing these changes? How will the gatekeepers respond to this change and most importantly how will this impact the education of students around the world?
In order to reform the educational system policy makers have changed the way teachers go about their daily routines. Policy makers are doing this by requiring teachers to teach to standards that they deem as important. The student’s knowledge of these standards will be tested throughout the semester with benchmark test and an end of the year high stakes standardized test. The way students preform on this test will determine how a teacher’s efficiency is evaluated.
According the Larry Cuban, the policies that are in place now have been put there by people that do not grasp the multi layered curriculum that is already in place in schools and classrooms. I have to say that I agree with him. All teachers are different and differ in beliefs, values and experiences. These differences make teachers who they are, and effect how they view and approach the same subject as well as differing subjects.
Are these policies working? The answer is no. As Cuban stated, these policies that are in place now are no better than guesses about what can help an already struggling educational system in comparison to other countries. In reviewing the impact of three decades of

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