Week 5 Discussion question 1 "Social Foundations of Curriculum"  Please respond to the following: · Debate It: Take a position for or against this statement: The U.S. should establish a moral education curriculum that must be implemented by all K-12 schools. Provide reasons and examples to support your response. · From the first e-Activity, consider the needs of all learners in the school district where you work or one with which you are familiar. Identify barriers in existing curricula, and examine whether Universal Design guidelines would enhance student representation, engagement, and / or expression. Week 5 eActivity · Review the Website for Universal Design for Learning . Be prepared to discuss. · Research the Internet or the Strayer Library, or both, to locate a recent article on the integration of multiculturalism in schools and other public institutions by several governments in Western Europe (i.e., France, Germany, and Great Britain). Be prepared to discuss. Week 5 Discussion 2 COLLAPSE Top of Form · 4 · 5 "Required Reading and Multiculturalism"  Please respond to the following: · Debate It: Take a position for or against this statement: All students should be required to read the “25 recommended works to be read by 8th grade” listed in Table 5.1, Chapter 5. Provide the titles of at least three works you would include in this or another recommended list. Provide reasons and examples to support your response. · From the e-Activity, review the impact of multiculturalism on schools in Western Europe. Provide a rationale for either expanding or rejecting multiculturalism in your local school district. Provide the Website(s) you referenced in your discussion, using APA format. Curriculum Tips 5.1 Principles for Improving Schools A number of important principles result in school effectiveness and excellence. Based on recent efforts to improve schools and reform education, school leaders and teachers can adapt many of the following principles for improving their own schools and the education of students. 1. The school has a clearly stated mission or set of goals. 2. School achievement is closely monitored. 3. Provisions are made for all students, including tutoring for low achievers and enrichment programs for the gifted. 4. Teachers and administrators agree on what is good teaching and learning; a general and agreed-upon psychology of learning prevails. 5. Emphasis on cognition is balanced with concerns for students’ personal, social, and moral growth; students are taught to be responsible for their behavior. 6. Teachers and administrators expect students to learn, and they convey these expectations to students and parents. 7. The school day and school year are increased approximately 10 percent (or about 35 to 40 minutes per day and 15 to 20 days per year). This amounts to 1½ to 1¾ additional years of schooling over a 12-year period. 8. Additional remedial reading and math classes, with reduced teacher–student r.

1. Week 5 Discussion question 1
"Social Foundations of Curriculum"
Please respond to the following:
·
Debate It: Take a position for or against this statement: The
U.S. should establish a moral education curriculum that must be
implemented by all K-12 schools. Provide reasons and examples
to support your response.
·
From the first e-Activity, consider the needs of all learners in
the school district where you work or one with which you are
familiar. Identify barriers in existing curricula, and examine
whether Universal Design guidelines would enhance student
representation, engagement, and / or expression.
Week 5 eActivity
·
Review the Website for
Universal Design for Learning
. Be prepared to discuss.
·
Research the Internet or the Strayer Library, or both, to locate a
recent article on the integration of multiculturalism in schools
and other public institutions by several governments in Western
Europe (i.e., France, Germany, and Great Britain). Be prepared
to discuss.
Week 5 Discussion 2
COLLAPSE

2. Top of Form
·
4
·
5
"Required Reading and Multiculturalism"
Please respond to the following:
·
Debate It: Take a position for or against this statement: All
students should be required to read the “25 recommended works
to be read by 8th grade” listed in Table 5.1, Chapter 5. Provide
the titles of at least three works you would include in this or
another recommended list. Provide reasons and examples to
support your response.
·
From the e-Activity, review the impact of multiculturalism on
schools in Western Europe. Provide a rationale for either
expanding or rejecting multiculturalism in your local school
district. Provide the Website(s) you referenced in your
discussion, using APA format.
Curriculum Tips
5.1
Principles for Improving Schools
A number of important principles result in school effectiveness
and excellence. Based on recent efforts to improve schools and
reform education, school leaders and teachers can adapt many of
the following principles for improving their own schools and
the education of students.

3. 1.
The school has a clearly stated mission or set of goals.
2.
School achievement is closely monitored.
3.
Provisions are made for
all
students, including tutoring for low achievers and enrichment
programs for the gifted.
4.
Teachers and administrators agree on what is good teaching and
learning; a general and agreed-upon psychology of learning
prevails.
5.
Emphasis on cognition is balanced with concerns for students’
personal, social, and moral growth; students are taught to be
responsible for their behavior.
6.
Teachers and administrators expect students to learn, and they
convey these expectations to students and parents.
7.
The school day and school year are increased approximately 10
percent (or about 35 to 40 minutes per day and 15 to 20 days
per year). This amounts to 1½ to 1¾ additional years of
schooling over a 12-year period.
8.

4. Additional remedial reading and math classes, with reduced
teacher–student ratios, are provided for all students in the
lowest 50th percentile on state or national tests. These
additional classes replace physical education, study hall, foreign
language, and elective courses—or, if extra money is provided,
they are part of an after-school program or weekend program.
9.
Teachers are expected to make significant school improvement;
they are paid extra for staying after school and planning
curriculum.
10.
Administrators provide ample support and information, time for
teacher enrichment, and time for teachers to work together.
Individual lunch breaks and preparation periods are
discouraged; the focus is on socialization and collegial
planning.
11.
A sense of teamwork prevails; there is interdisciplinary and
interdepartmental communication. The emphasis is on group
activities, group cooperation, and group morale.
12.
Incentives, recognition, and rewards are conveyed to teachers
and administrators for their efforts on behalf of the team effort
and school mission.
13.
The interests and needs of the individual staff members are
matched with the expectations and norms of the institution
(school/school district).
14.
The staff has the opportunity to be challenged and creative;

5. there is a sense of professional enrichment and renewal.
15.
Staff development is planned by teachers and administrators to
provide opportunities for continuous professional growth.
16.
The school environment is safe and healthy; there is a sense of
order (and safety) in class Rooms and hallways.
17.
There is a agreement that standards are needed, but they are not
imposed by outside “authorities” or “experts”; rather, they are
implemented (or at least modified) by teachers and
administrators at the local level.
18.
Teachers are treated with respect and as professionals. They are
trusted to make important decisions that deal with standards and
involve teacher evaluation and accountability.
19.
Parents and community members are supportive of the school
and are involved in school activities.
20.
The school is a learning center for the larger community; it
reflects the norms and values of the community; and the
community sees the school as an extension of the community.
slip away over the summer.
38
Not only do low-income (and single-parent families) get less
adult attention, there is also a discrepancy in the number of
books in the home between poor and middle-class families. Poor
parents also speak fewer words, shorter sentences, and a

6. restricted language in communicating to their children. Hence,
there is a need to require summer school for
all
low-achieving students, starting in the first grade, and to make
more books available through the mail or a library pick-up
system during the summer to target children.
39
The purpose is to close the reading gap between proficient and
nonproficient readers, because the ability to read is tied to
academic success.
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