This document discusses the philosophy of education in the United States. It argues that every child deserves a free appropriate public education (FAPE) that meets their individual needs and allows them to access the curriculum. However, minority students often receive a subpar education, widening the achievement gap. The Coleman Report found that teacher quality has the strongest relationship to student achievement when controlling for socioeconomic status. As a teacher, the author aims to help close the achievement gap by providing high-quality instruction and a culturally responsive environment to inspire students. A good education should teach basic skills like reading and problem-solving, as well as higher-level thinking skills to prepare students for lifelong learning and civic participation in a democratic society. The author

1. Philosophy of Education
The United States of America promises every child a free appropriate public
education (FAPE) which meets each student’s individual needs, allows the student to
access curriculum, and provides educational benefit to the student. Typically, FAPE is
referenced when discussing students with disabilities; however, I believe every child’s
education should be evaluated in FAPE terms. Education is a basic right in the United
States; however, some students are appropriated a quality education while other
students are provided with a subpar education. Much of the time, minority students
are subjected to an insufficient education which only widens the achievement gap the
United States sees within its’ schools and communities.
James Coleman’s 1966 report, the Coleman Report, found that “the quality of
teachers shows a stronger relationship to pupil achievement” than any other factor
when socio-economic status is controlled. Since reading this report, I have dedicated
myself to becoming a ‘teacher of quality’ that plans and delivers effective instruction,
creates and manages a culturally responsive classroom community, promotes the
achievement of all students, and prepares my students for future opportunities and
choices. As an aspiring ‘teacher of quality’, I hope to help close the achievement gap
by providing every child with a free appropriate public education that also inspires
wonder and curiosity about the world around us.
But, what should a FAPE teach every student? Schools can not possibly teach
students everything they would ever need to know. What should teachers teach their
students? As a teacher, one must prepare their students with ‘habits of mind’ to be
life long learners and civically involved. Our democratic society can not exist without
an educated electorate. Schools and teachers must teach children how to educate
themselves and to make educated decisions. To achieve both of these tasks, students
first must possess basic skills and then develop higher-level thinking skills.

2. As a teacher, I ask myself, will my students be able to read and to comprehend
real-life texts? Can my students use writing clearly and effectively to communicate?
Will my students correctly solve mathematical problems related to their finances? Will
my students possess a comprehensive and a balanced view of history to make
informed political decisions? Do my students understand how various scientific
systems interact in our world? Are my students awed by our world?
In addition to teaching basic skills, an education should involve higher-level
thinking. An education is more than simply strings of facts, algorithms, and tests. A
quality education requires students to use higher-level thinking to connect similarities,
discover discrepancy, solve problems, and evaluate resolutions all within the context
of real life. My instruction and curriculum planning uses an integrated approach.
Subjects are not segregated, but, rather, interconnected. I strive to develop my
students’ higher-level thinking skills because I am preparing them for a life of learning.
I expect my students to ask ‘why’ and ‘how’. Why are things the way they are? How
are things influenced by each other? How are things interconnected? These questions
should continue past a person’s formal schooling.
My instruction is centered on ensuring my students possess the two above-
mentioned set of skills: basic skills and higher-level thinking skills. I use a student-
centered, gradual release model in which I model and scaffold thinking, analyzing, and
learning. Then, I expect my students to complete the tasks themselves. Along with
John Dewey and Jean Piaget, I believe students construct knowledge from their hands-
on experiences.