edproposal

EDUC 605 - Murillo

The Educational Proposal: Design a School

Overview:

This is a quarter-long group project that includes research, writing, presenting, and evaluating, and involves considerable small group collaborative learning. Working with a group of 5 students, you will form an Educational Proposal Group to develop a formal proposal to improve the quality of schooling in a targeted public school system. More specifically, you are to design a school that will address some of the more significant educational needs of the school system. Your EPG project will culminate in “town meetings” where your group makes a formal 20 - 30 minute presentation of your proposal / plan in class, followed by audience questions and reactions. The major components of this group assignment are:
   1) to conduct research and define the needs of a targeted public school system;
   2) to submit a group notebook that contains:
       a) your group’s final proposal / plan
       b) evidence of both a group effort and individual student work; and
       c) to give a formal presentation of your plan in class

Group Notebooks are due in-class Session 10, and Presentations shall take place on Sessions 10 & 11

Now the challenge really begins!!!

Foundations of Education is a course designed to get you thinking about many of the challenges facing educators and our society. As an educator/educational scholar, thinking about issues is only one step in the process -- you will have to do something to address some of the issues. Thus, this course also requires you to do something.

This quarter you will work in a group to design a school. This exercise is a small-scale simulation of a real-life process. In many communities, educators, scholars, and community members are designing new schools: some are “regular” public schools being built to accommodate our increasing populations and others are charter schools being designed to target specific populations. Working with an Educational Proposal Group, you will work throughout the quarter to design a new school for a targeted public school system. You will present your proposal for the new school to a mock public meeting which includes “residents/citizens from your system/district/county”.

During the course of the quarter, you will have to: develop persistence and discipline, apply critical thinking to real issues, and develop resources and abilities as individuals and group members. In the process of designing a school for your targeted public school system, you will learn much factual information about schools / schooling. You will also learn LOTS about working with other people to accomplish a group goal. Designing the school, learning about schools / schooling, and learning to work in a group are ALL equally important goals.

Be Creative!!! Be Inventive!!! Be Realistic!!! Go For It!!!

1) Educational Proposal Group Assignments: Each group member will be assigned to an educational proposal group (EPG). Each group is to choose a targeted public school system. These assignments are made randomly.

2) Research: Each EPG will design a new school appropriate for that targeted public school system. Decisions about what level of school (elementary, middle, high), the curriculum, target population(s), architecture and uses of space, financial feasibility, philosophy and mission of the school are entirely up to your group. HOWEVER, all decisions must be based on data gathered in and about the targeted public school system. In other words, your decisions about the school have to respond to needs that you identify by researching facts about the targeted public school system and its educational / demographic needs and conditions.

3) Mission and Philosophy: After you have gathered some basic information about the targeted public school system and its educational needs, you will develop a mission statement to guide your subsequent decision-making. In addition, you will begin to articulate your educational philosophy for your school in this targeted public school system. Your philosophy should include consideration of who students are, how they learn best, what they are being educated for among other considerations.

4) Design: Based on your Mission Statement and Philosophy and the data you gathered about the targeted public school system’s educational needs, you will design a school -- the whole thing: architecture and use of space, site selection, target population, theme (if any), goals, budget, and so on. Even with guidance, this process is (and should be) difficult. Remember you have the opportunity here to influence several generations of students and their families. Your design could really make a difference.

5) Persuade: You will finally “sell” your design for the school at a mock “public meeting open to all residents/citizens of your system/district/county” on Weeks 10 & 11. Your classmates and invited guests will listen to your presentation (20 - 30 minutes) and then ask questions (15 minutes). Everyone present is encouraged to ask questions. The purpose of the questioning segment is not to put you on the spot or catch you in an error, but rather to clarify or elaborate on certain aspects of your presentation, to suggest the consideration of ideas that your group may not have considered, to ask you to explain some of your group’s basic assumptions about the nature of learning and of the learner(s) that influenced the specific design decisions you have made.
The intent of this process of critically examining your educational proposal will serve to expand the thinking and understanding of everyone present. The expectation is NOT that you will make a perfect proposal, that you will have all the answers, but that you will respond appropriately with respectful consideration to questions / comments from the audience. The expectation for audience participation is similar -- that the audience will seriously and respectfully consider your proposal and provide input as a means of increasing understanding of the educational issues raised by your proposal.

Requirements: To facilitate this process and the accomplishment of the design for a school:

I will
- PROVIDE time within class for your EPG to meet;
- SERVE as a resource when appropriate and possible;
- ACT as a guide, but not director, when your group needs assistance.

You will
- MEET outside of class as needed;
- DOCUMENT your group’s proceedings and information gathered. * Please note that all notebook
contents are “public” records. The presence of these records in the notebook indicate that the group has read
and approved these entries. The work of each person will contribute to the whole.
- RESEARCH your targeted public school system so that you understand to the extent possible in a short amount of time, the demographic trends, educational needs and strengths, economic base, cultural make-up, socio-economic distribution, the targeted public school system’s resources and capacity to respond to public problems / challenges. Ask yourself who the students are. Expand your notion of research beyond consultation of words on a page to include interviews and observations. You are to consult local individuals and educators. Check into local newspapers. Attend school board and system/district/county commissioner meetings. Check out the district’s, county’s or school system’s websites. Visit firsthand. Some students have “shadowed” significant administrators or teachers.
- DESIGN A SCHOOL specifically for your targeted public school system. Include a written description and physical representation. Your design will also include a mission statement and philosophy statement.
- PRESENT your FINAL PROPOSAL / PLAN to a mock School Board and residents/citizens on Weeks 10 &11. Your presentation is designed both to inform and to persuade the Board and residents/citizens of the feasibility and appropriateness of your proposed school. * Your proposal for the new school should clearly be aligned with your mission statement and philosophy, and should address the particular needs / circumstances of the students in your targeted public school system.

Questions and Frustrations:

Inevitably you will have questions, and frustration is a natural (and necessary) part of this process. As stated above, I will be available in class (and out of class by office hours and special appointment). It is your responsibility to obtain necessary clarification and support from me. If you do not ask for clarification and assistance, I cannot give it. If you ask and are not satisfied, keep asking until you know what you need to know to move on. My role is as a facilitator -- I support your efforts. I am a consultant.

Assessment (Grading):

In general, your group will receive one grade for all members. HOWEVER, if there are strong indications that some members have worked particularly well on behalf of the group (based on individual records and group input) then that person will receive a higher grade. If there is anyone who has not significantly contributed to the group (based on individual records and group member evaluations) then that person’s grade will be reduced. I consider the following four elements in grading the Educational Proposal Group exercise:
      1) Final Proposal / Plan
      2)Documentation of both individual and group work
      3) Formal Presentation (Town Meeting)
      4) Group Member Evaluations

Your EPG notebook is due in-class Session 10, and should include:
Section 1: Final Plan / Proposal for your new school
Section 2: Documentation of group and individual student work

Section 1: The major components of the EPG Final Proposal / Plan are:
      A) Mission Statement      B) Philosophy of Education      C) Number of Students
      D) Curriculum                E) Staff / Board / Organizational Chart
      F) Budget (you must first research the per pupil amount provided by the state for each targeted

public school system to accomplish this.)
G) Location and Plan for the Building (you must locate an actual property that is available where

you may build your proposed school, and you must also create a physical representation of what

your school will look like)
H) Business Plan (how to pay for and maintain your school)

Section 2: The major components of your documentation are:
A) a list of members, roles, and assignments (e.g., leader, recorder, archivist, driver, etc...). Keep

a clear record of what responsibilities have been delegated to whom. You can rotate tasks as

          well.
      B) a list of subcommittees and members, and subcommittee assignments.
      C) minutes of all meetings and proceedings (date, time, recorder’s name, facilitator’s name, etc...).
      D) an attendance record (consolidated on one easily read page)
      E) a bibliographic entry (and copies when possible) of all newspaper and journal articles, books,

          government documents, etc... that you consulted and used.
      F) a list of all websites that you consulted for information.
     G) a list of people you formally interviewed (administrators, board members, principals, teachers,

aides, students, affected parents, etc...) Include the person’s name, position, school or place of

employment, date and time of interview, interviewer’s name, and a 3 - 5 sentence summary of

the purpose of the interview, and the principal themes / questions / aspects addressed.
H) a list of all school and school-related activities you attended and observed in the targeted public

school system (e.g., classrooms, schools, teachers, students, school-board meetings,

parents/PTOs, advisory council meetings, educational conferences, curricula/planning, etc...).

Include the type of observation, purpose, location, date and time, name of person who

attended or observed, and a 3 - 5 sentence summary of what happened.
I) a record of all EPG activities from each individual in your group. This page should be a diary /

log of everything you do for the EPG. Include the date, time (from to ), and a brief summary of

the activity.

The Town Meetings / Presentations will take place during Sessions 10 & 11:

Each group needs to include handouts for all class members and at least one of the following:
   1. overhead transparencies
   2. posters
   3. computer-assisted presentations like powerpoint (need to notify instructor if equipment is

       needed–all set up will be responsibility of the student.
   4. videotapes
   5. audiotapes
   6. other interesting methodologies as applicable. (You are to present this, not just read it!)

Sample Electronic Notebooks from Former Student Groups:

http://www.geocities.com/wmaarialto/ http://www.sbclassproject.50megs.com/

www.uber-sci.com/school/naturehand.html http://www.geocities.com/koernerob

http://rcvhs.tripod.com/ http://www.dhritimanphilip.com/L2L/

http://thepreparatoryschool.20megsfree.com/intro.html http://66.116.69.198/educ605/index.htm

http://207.114.165.68/educ605/ http://www.palomaspanish.com/edu/edu

http://www.helrasr.com/Academy%20Web/index.htm http://www.dyu.edu.tw/~r9321023/index.htm

http://coe.csusb.edu/tly/school http://www.geocities.com/ms_sharon_fan

http://educators4kids.tripod.com/ www.crazy-easy.net/educ605/index.html

http://home.comcast.net/~newworlds http://www.geocities.com/tania-cardenas@sbcglobal.net/index.html

http://www.geocities.com/uofsnam/home.html http://pathwayseduc.tripod.com/

www.conciergelogistics.com/HomePage.html http://etec.mrvsedesk.us/educ605/

http://sandrab.sitesled.com/ http://www.geocities.com/educ605spring