Cassino 1

Drew Cassino

Mrs. Michko

AP Lang

23 March 2023

One Small City, A Global Idea

Different nations across the globe have different methods of educating their youth. Some

nations take a traditional route, with core classes, while other, more progressive countries

provide their students with a flexible schedule that changes to their needs. In America, there are

uniform requirements that each student must meet, but within the states there are different

demands that students must meet to graduate. Within states, each town and city has different

models for their students to follow and mold their education around. Newburyport High School

requires core academic classes in order to produce uniformly educated students, but offers

electives in order for students to branch out and explore different classes.

While there is an abundance of STEM based and industrial electives offered, the school

fails to offer many electives focusing on humanities. Modern Journalism, one of the school's two

English electives, requires students to interpret texts and analyze rhetorical situations that authors

use to persuade their audience. The school’s program of studies defines how the class equips

students “with essential skills needed to become effective writers, editors, and communicators

beyond the classroom” (Program of Studies). The opportunity that students have to explore

writing classes reflects often upon what they choose to do in college due to the interest that they

develop in their high school years. Furthermore, The teachers that instruct these courses are often

Enough teachers and majors in college due to the fact that they are most prepared to teach about
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the rhetorical situation. Consequently, there are not as many English courses offered as other

topics such as art, leading to a lack of opportunity to explore interest in the topic.

On the opposite side, the school offers numerous courses that evoke critical thinking in

industrial fields with real world application. Spanning from biotechnology to advanced CAD, the

Program of Studies highlights numerous courses that explore hands-on learning. These courses

not only provide “the opportunity to work on real world aeronautical engineering challenges”

(Program of Studies), but students also have the opportunity to “study the principles of

mechanical engineering, electronics, and computer programming as they design and build robots

to performing specific tasks and functions” (Program of Studies). Due to the fact that there is

more of an abundance of the classes, students often find themselves taking these over writing

based classes. Although these classes promote industrial thinking and problem solving, it can

limit some students' ability to pursue other fields as industrial classes take up the majority of the

allotted space. The industrial based education is seen applicable in other countries around the

world.

Industrial based education in vocational schools has been proven successful in Finland

and other countries around the world. Finland provides a “whatever it takes” (Hancock).

approach to schooling that poorly translates to American schools. Finnish schools are widely

regarded as the most successful from this attitude, as many of them offer classes that teach

vocational skills to produce well rounded students. The Finnish education system has become a

role model for other nations around the world and it is reflected in the Portrait of a Graduate in

Newburyport through the way students are encouraged to branch out and try a broad variety of

classes that promote different skills and aspects of critical thinking. Furthermore, students in

Finland are encouraged to pursue careers and topics that interest them because it creates a clear
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curriculum based upon their needs and desires for school, “giving students an opportunity to

combine studies provided by a number of different educational institutions into a personal study

programme” (Stenström and Virolainen). In addition, the innovative education in Finland

prepares students to advocate for themselves and pick a future path and follow it. Thus, although

Finnish schools still require core academics, they have the option for students to branch out and

discover the career that they will want to pursue. The flexibility in Finnish schools differs from

the cut-clear education of Japanese schools.

Japanese schooling is a very rigorous and uniform process that fails to evoke critical

thinking and individuality within students. Although Japanese schools do not have standardized

tests until the age of 10, they spend much of their time in school preparing for the PITA, a

standardized test that impacts their future (Lichfield). In addition, Japanese students are provided

with a standard option for school lunch everyday, limiting creativity and diversity within their

school day. Students are also often forced to wear uniforms to school. This eliminates

consumerism and competition between styles in the schools. Additionally, Japan offers public

schools spanning from elementary schools all the way to secondary education. Similarly to

American schools, Japan has adopted a “no child left behind” mindset for

“physically/mentally-challenged children who may have difficulty in studying at general

schools” (Tokyo International Portal Site). These students study a similar curriculum but take it

from a different approach and different speed. The difference in schools in Japan has largely

helped them create well rounded students due to the fact that students who need the extra help

can receive it. Although more costly, Japan has placed emphasis on providing support for these

students through creating student support centers, creating after school programs for those

struggling, and holding parent conferences often to provide insight to parents of struggling
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students. These measures have consequently become very expensive, but with the value of

education being so high it is worth it to the Japanese tax payer. In recent years there has been an

effort to promote individual thinking in the classroom; students in Japan have been introduced to

more project based learning as opposed to standardized testing and memorization. The growing

recognition from policy makers and educators that students need to learn individual creativity

and critical thinking has prompted them to adapt to a better system to prepare students for a

modern future. The changes to the education system in Japan promote new opportunities for

students to learn new skills, such as collaboration.

Alternatively, students learn collaborative skills through classes offered at NHS. Classes

such as industrial design, nutrition, and theater all promote collaborative skills within students.

The two semester-long industrial design courses offer different individual skills that require

students to design, adapt, and create real world inventions. These classes not force students to

think critically through product trial and error, but also these courses promote students to work

together to discover a different viewpoint on their inventions. “Students are forced to work in

new disciplines that require them to think in new mediums” (Mcnulty). Forced to think outside

the box, students in these courses also develop prototypes “to solve real world problems”

(Program of Studies). This development process teaches students to continue trying new things,

even when it may seem like it isn’t working. This skill, perseverance, is highlighted in the

Portrait of a Graduate (Portrait of a Graduate) as an important trait of students graduating from

Newburyport High School. These classes are important for students to experience as they go

through high school and decide what they will be focusing on in college. Due to the fact that

these classes promote collaboration, “students find themselves more prepared to work with

others in different parts of their lives” (Mcnulty) and are benefited as they go through other in
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school and out of school activities including “environmental field studies; the students go out and

are learning from not only each other but also the world around them” (Testa). Even in

non-industrial focused classes, students are still prompted to work collaboratively. Spanning

from movie making to theater, students are tasked with different projects and objectives. In

movie making, the Program of Studies identifies that in the class, students “will work together to

produce a feature-length film” (Program of Studies). The film that students develop through the

semester has four major roles: “acting, directing,writing or production” (Program of Studies).

Working together, the film is collaboratively made and presented at the end of the semester. In

the theater department, students have several different paths that they can take in order to

participate in the program. In Theater Design and Technology, through “group work, students

will work in class on production elements for NHS Theatre” (Program of Studies). Although

some may not want to participate in the acting portion of the schools production, students still

possess the ability to take part and do behind the scenes work because there are several different

roles that are required for the productions to run smoothly, and offering these roles to students

helps them to explore and determine which parts of the program suits them best. Furthermore,

regardless of their choice of class or interests, they have the ability to take classes that promote

collaboration skills due to the fact that the school identifies them in the Portrait of a Graduate as

vital for a Newburyport graduate to have. Thus, although students’ interests may range broadly,

they will possess the ability to develop these skills.

Expanding upon this, a critical skill of a graduating student is self advocacy. Throughout

their four years at Newburyport High School, students are taught different ways to advocate for

themselves in methods such as emailing their teachers for missed work, scheduling meetings

with their guidance counselors, and taking advantage of their clipper block portion of the rotation
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to seek the help they may need. After the 2020-2021 year’s introduction of the clipper block,

students were now able to go seek help from teachers that they previously may not have had the

time for, “Clipper block is good because the time is flexible, students can choose what teacher

they need to see, or if students want to meet up with one another they can schedule to do so”

(Testa). The introduction of this period made it possible for students to get group work done in

school as opposed to out of school because for the first time, students had a uniform study

hall-like period. Furthermore, the school promotes the idea of self advocacy with this period

though its understanding of the changing curriculum as the Portrait of a Graduate was released,

“Not too long ago, we realized how tricky it was for students to work together on projects during

school hours. But with this new period, if they wanted, they could work together” (Testa). The

school emphasized its role in developing students’ self advocacy due to the fact that it is a key

skill highlighted in the Portrait of a Graduate. Consequently, there are not as many opportunities

during the school day for students to advocate for themselves as the schedule is very laid down

with little room for altercation. Despite this, Newburyport High School and its administrators

have laid emphasis on students being able to support themselves and seek the guidance they

need, when they require it.

In America and other nations around the world, the guidelines for a successful student

have changed over the past year as the world adapts to fit new jobs and societal roles. In

Newburyport, the district has changed to the to help product students who embody the Portrait of

a Graduate through its emphasis on critical thinking within and outside of the classroom, its

promotion of collaboration, so students can learn to work with each other and with others outside

in the world, and its stress on the importance of self advocacy with the purpose of teaching

students to work for themselves and seek the help they need.
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Works Cited

Cassino, Drew. “Interview with Teacher Mrs. McNulty” 12 Mar. 2023.

Cassino, Drew. “Interview with Vice Principal Mr. Testa.” 12 Mar. 2023.

Hancock, LynNell. “Why Are Finland's Schools Successful?” Smithsonian.com,

Smithsonian Institution, 1 Sept. 2011,

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/why-are-finlands-schools-successful-

49859555/.

“Japanese School System: Tokyo Intercultural Portal Site.” Japanese School System |

Tokyo Intercultural Portal Site, 2021,

https://tabunka.tokyo-tsunagari.or.jp/guide_eng/educ/01.html#:~:text=Elementary%

20schools%2C%20junior%20high%20schools,in%20studying%20at%20general%2

0schools.

“Why Is the Japanese Education System the Envy of the World?” Why Is the Japanese

Education System the Envy of the World? | Lichfield Cathedral School,

https://www.lichfieldcathedralschool.com/why-is-the-japanese-education-system-th

e-envy-of-the-world/667049.html.

“Portrait of a Graduate.” Newburyport High School, 2018.

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“Program of Studies.” Newburyport High School, 2023.

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AP Education Essay Rubric

Skill Foundational Proficient Advanced

Thesis Thesis directs the Thesis is open and Thesis is open,

essay’s topic. Makes directs the rest of the incisive, and directs
a claim about the essay. Makes a claim the rest of the essay.
“Portrait of a about the “Portrait of Makes a nuanced
Graduate,” but may a Graduate” and the argument about the
not consider nuance specific aspects that “Portrait of a
or make connections are achieved/not Graduate” that
to larger purposes of achieved through the reflects deep
education. current system. consideration of the
Considers the purpose of education
purpose of education. and its “real world”
application.

Evidence Includes evidence Includes evidence Includes evidence

from multiple from a variety of from a variety of
sources, but they sources: class sources AND
may be repetitive of readings, expert chooses not only
other sources or the opinions, anecdotes, informational
student’s argument; examples, etc. evidence, but
may be simplistic evidence that makes
nuanced or specific
points about
education and its
purpose.

Considers the
rhetorical situation of
sources.

Analysis/ Explains how some Explains how Consistently explains

Commentary evidence supports evidence supports how evidence
the thesis, but the the thesis and a line supports the thesis
line of reasoning may of reasoning about and has a complex
be vague or not the “Portrait of a line of reasoning that
established. May rely Graduate.” displays how ideas
on summary of surrounding
evidence. Acknowledges education contribute
counterarguments. to the student’s
argument.

Acknowledges
counterarguments
and rebuts them in a
sophisticated
manner.

Synthesis Presents Considers how Carefully considers

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philosophies of philosophies of how philosophies of

education as education and education and
presented by various sources compare, sources compare,
sources, but may not contrast, supplement contrast, supplement
make clear each other, or each other, or
comparisons/connecti present differing present differing
ons among sources viewpoints viewpoints that
to support the support the student’s
argument. argument.

Organization Uses some Uses transitions Uses thoughtful and

transitions, but could between ideas to meaningful
be improved by show a logical flow of transitions between
clearer connections argument. ideas.
between ideas.

Conventions/MLA More than 2 errors in 1-2 errors in spelling, Spelling, grammar,

spelling, grammar, or grammar, or MLA mechanics, and MLA
MLA are flawless
Shows evidence of
close proofreading

Includes a separate
Works Cited page

Fluency/Style Diction/syntax could Uses exact verbs and Uses highly accurate
be improved (vague specific nouns and vivid diction
words, inaccurate
descriptions, or Diction is of a Eliminates wordiness
wordiness) collegiate level

Expectations Does not meet Essay is handed in

“proficient” standards. on time.

Final product shows

considerable effort.

Class time is utilized

to the utmost!
There is a lot of good research here, and meaningful interviews about different parts of how

NHS runs. There is also an attempt to bring in ideas and philosophies about education overall,

and what its purpose should be. However, it sometimes drift away from a central LOR and the

points could have more elaboration on/connection to these ideas—i.e., how do your examples
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reflect the POG and how it connects to other, differing goals of education? See my last comment

about how that argument could be made stronger throughout. Overall, there is a nice foundation

here for how skills are gained at NHS, but there could be more cohesion between your points

and sub-claims. Let me know if you have any questions!

B-