The document discusses how economic, poverty, and technological factors influence American education. Economically, funding for education is decreasing while costs are increasing, resulting in lower teacher pay. Schools with high concentrations of poverty have greater expenses and lower achievement. The cost of living, such as in California, is rising faster than average. Technology provides more access to education through online resources but also shifts the teacher's role to more of a guide, while students teach themselves.

1. Understanding the
Context of American
Education
By Courtney Jones

2. Economical Influences
Economical factors that affect education:
● Funding for education
● High poverty schools are increasing
● The cost of living is increasing
● Teachers pay is decreasing

3. Funding Education
Listed below are just some costs of running schools:
● Teachers/administration/office
aids/counselors
● Maintenance staff
● Construction:
● Food
● Transportation and bus drivers
● Supplies/books/desks

4. High Poverty Schools
● School poverty concentrations are a strong predictor
of school achievement averages.
● Research demonstrates that concentrations of low-
income students are more expensive to educate.
○ For example, schools with low-income
students, pay higher to teacher due to difficult
working conditions such as larger class sizes
and lower-quality facilities.

5. The Cost of Living has Increased
I chose california because that is where I live.
● The cost of living in california has always
been above the average of the U.S.
● However, california’s average cost is
increasing at a much faster rate than the U.S.
average.

6. Teachers Pay
● Many teachers throughout the
U.S. have gone on strike due to
poor wages and poor working
conditions.
● As seen on the graph, teachers
are paid a lot lower than a recent
college graduate.

7. Technological Influences
● Access to Education
● Communication and collaboration
● Shift in Roles

8. Access to Education
● Nowadays, education is accessible not only
through books and teaching, but
independent online learning resources,
audio, and video.
● Technology has made it possible for so
many different people and places to access
an education.

9. Communication and collaboration
● Technology has made it possible for people
to communicate that are at different
schools, states or even countries.
● Technology has also made it possible for
people in different locations to work
together in creating new things.

10. Teachers Role
“In many classrooms today we see the teacher’s role shifting to
the “guide on the side” as students take more responsibility for
their own learning using technology to gather relevant
information.” (online perdue)
● Teachers seem to be more of a guidance instead of an
instructor.
● With online classes, students are mainly teaching
themselves, doing the research, and finding their own
materials vs. traditionally teachers preparing and
providing those things.

11. References
https://www.brookings.edu/research/fourteen-economic-facts-on-education-and-economic-opportunity-
2/
https://lao.ca.gov/reports/2015/finance/housing-costs/housing-costs.aspx
https://education.findlaw.com/curriculum-standards-school-funding/education-finances-and-funding-
where-the-money-goes.html
https://online.purdue.edu/ldt/learning-design-technology/resources/how-has-technology-changed-
education