Prompt: Thisweek,Poetterdiscussesthreeprominentconceptionofschoolreform.

Name
each(allthree),explainhoweachworks,andhoweachisdifferentfromtheothertwo.
Then,tellmewhichofthesereformmethodsyouwouldprefertobeapartof
professionallyandwhy.
Thethreeprominentconceptionsofschoolreformandintensification,local/grass
roots,andschoolwide.Thefirst,intensificationarguesthatwhatschoolsaredoingnow
isworking,andthattheonlykeytoreformisjustmoreofthesamebetter(p.143).The
curriculumandteachingmethodswork,buttherateandqualityoftheinformationneeds
tobeintensified.Goingalongwithanincreaseintheamountandspeedinwhichthe
curriculaistaught,thisreformmethodarguesthataccountabilityintheformof
standardizedtestingisimportant.Thismethodwantstomakeeverythingmorehigh
stakes,sothatteachereducationismorerigorous,standardizedtestoutcomeswillhave
aneffectonthestudentslikeaccesstofunds,programs,jobopportunitiesetc.
Thenextreformconceptionisgrassroots/localreform.Thisdiffersfrom
intensificationbecauseitdoesntbelievethatmoreofthesamewillbetterschooling.It
actuallybelievesthatstudentsneedtoexperienceawholenewapproachinawholenew
context.Studentseducationshouldbebasedinalocalandcommunitysetting,sothatthe
informationisputintoalocalcontextthatthestudentscanfeelaconnectiontoandshow
theirabilityandskill.Thosewhobelieveinthismethoddocautionthatinorderforitto
besuccessfulthenitreliesheavilyontheuniquepassionsofthoseworkingonthe
problemscloseathand(p.145).Sounliketheintensificationconception,thismethod
reliesheavilyonthelocalcommunitytakingastrongpassionintheirchildrens
education,whileintensificationreliesonstandardizedtestingandlargeamountsof
material.
ThelastreformdiscussedinPoetterisschoolwidereforms.Schoolwidereforms
focusonreformatalocallevel,likethegrassrootsconception,buthaveequallyasbigof
animpactonawiderandmorenationallevel.Schoolwidereformsvarygreatlyinhow
reformtakesplacebuttheyfocusonnewconceptionsoflearning,curriculumpractice
andpedagogicalchange.Manyoftheschoolwideexamplesdiscussedfocusedon
partnership,creatingcommunity,cooperativelearning,afocusonstudentsandtheir
families,democraticvalues,andhelpstudentsbecomeculturallyliterate.Thismodel
differsfromintensificationbecauseitcompletelyavoidsdiscussingtestscoresand
makingpromisesofraisinggrades.Italsodiffersfromthelocalreformbecauseitisnot
createdinalocalcontext,schoolwidereformsimportanoutsidemodelintoalocal
schoolordistrict(p.147).
IfIweretochooseaconceptionofschoolreformIwouldmostliketobeapartof
IthinkIwouldchooseaschoolwidereformtobeginwith.Ithinkasabeginningteacher
whowantstoworkonreformingourcurrenteducationsystemforthebetteraschool
widereformwouldbeagreatplacetostart.Theseconceptionsarefocusedonbettersthe
studentsexperiencesandmakingtheschoolsystemmoreinclusiveandcommunitylike.
Thesereformsarealsonotreinventingthewheel,theyareorganizationsthatare
backedupwithdataandprovidematerialsandanetworkoflikemindedpeopleto
discusswith.ButIalsothinkthatasIbecomeamoreexperiencedteacher,andlearn

moreaboutdifferentschoolwidereformsandfamiliarizemyself,Iwillstarttohavemy
owninterpretationsofwhatreformshouldlooklikeandIwillwanttoactonthat.Ithink
thatalocalreformimplementedeffectivelycouldbesobeneficialtomyfuturestudents
andwouldgivethemsuchaconnectiontotheirlocalcommunityandtheywillfeelmore
investedintheirlearning.