RUNNING HEAD: FINAL PAPER

Lea Qualls
Purpose of schooling final paper
Colorado State University
Education 275

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Much of the information I have learned over this semester is similar to my pre-write but I
have also added to my knowledge. Throughout the course of the semester I have learned valuable
information and skills that will hopefully strengthen me as a teacher. Much of what was covered
in the course reflected on the importance of Multicultural education and how little it is integrated
in schooling in the United States today. As a preschool teacher I agree there is great importance
in providing a multicultural education environment especially to expose children to diversity at
an early age to create positive social construction. Nevertheless, it is in our nature as humans to
categorize people based on our differences, but the absence of exposure to multicultural
education forces us as a society to separate and categorize ourselves even more than we already
do which is inevitably crippling our society and the youth of America.
My opinions and beliefs of the purpose of schooling in America have definitely shifted
over the course of this semester. However, I still believe the purpose of schooling originated
from peoples desire to learn knowledge and attain new skills. As said in the pre-write, schooling
in the United States has come a long way, but based off readings, discussion in class, and current
events, we as a nation have some progress to work on in order to strengthen our education
system. Historically, only the privileged had access to school in America and those who did were
generally white, male, and straight. According to John P. Miller, in the past the purpose of
Schooling in the United States was to help students to develop marketable skills. Departments
and Ministries of Education support this focus by stating that these skills are needed if citizens
are to compete in the global marketplace. The problem with the past focus of education is that if
a person was not a part of the majority race, gender, or sexual orientation, they did not have the
opportunity to gain these marketable skills that were needed to participate as a citizen in the
United States.

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Today the purpose of schooling is to educate and teach students skills in hope for them to
someday financially support themselves and experience achievement and happiness. There are
many different approaches to teaching children skills and some approaches are allowed and
many are not. These different approaches will either help children or hold them back from
reaching their full potential in their educational experience. In todays education system we put
too much emphasis on preparing children for standardized tests, which is crippling our students.
The article Race, inequality and educational accountability: The irony of No Child Left Behind
by Linda Darling-Hammond covers the No Child left Behind Law that was passed in 2001 to
improve educational achievement and enhance equity in students. Of course the goal of this law
is to improve achievement in children, but there are many factors within this law holding
children back from reaching their full potential. The purpose of schooling should focus on
educational achievement, but in an approach that assesses children in multiple measures
including attendance, student progress, and classroom performance that doesnt exclusively
focus on standardized testing but focuses more on their strengths and challenges.
The purpose of schooling has shifted over time, but it continues to remain exclusive to
the minority race, gender, and sexual orientation. The prejudices may not be in clear bold font
but it is clearly prevalent through social schemas and expectations. The reading Defining
Multicultural Education for School Reform by Sonia Nieto and Patty Bode focuses on the
ongoing absence of multicultural education in todays society and how there is great importance
in integrating it school reform - because it provides students the access to equal education (Nieto
& Bode, ch.2). The purpose of schooling should focus more on integrating multicultural
education because it offers real hope for change in childrens educational experience. In addition,
Multicultural education openly focuses on societal issues of racism, discrimination, inequitable

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structural conditions in schools and society, and the impact of culture on learning and language
diversity among students (Nieto & Bode, ch.2). The availability of multicultural education gives
the United States a real chance of achieving a real post-racial society. (Nieto & Bode, ch.7)
The dream is to be an influential teacher that will help guide and positively construct
childrens learning. I am passionate about being an innovative and inclusive teacher, but in order
to do so, I will need support from our society. The only way to accomplish this is to integrate
multicultural education in all schools across the United States. If this were to occur, it would
decrease stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination against others who are different. There are
hidden messages everywhere in our society that inevitably influence students chance to a great
education. As a society, being aware of our differences is not the problem, the problem is
isolating, segregating, and punishing others for their differences. The reading Valuing Diversity:
Creating Inclusive Schools and Communities by Write Eldman quotes Our differences have
been an excuse for prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. Clearly, we have a great deal of
difficulty with difference at all levels global local, and individual and we are too often unable
to recognize the remarkable diversity of the human family as a source of wonder and a cause for
celebration. I want to empower my students for their differences and give them the confidence
to be proud of their individuality. None of us are the same, and as a society we have created this
illusion that we must be the same but we must begin to cherish our differences and openly
discuss them if we want to stop crippling the youth of America.
Culturally, politically, socially, economically, and environmentally, there is an expectation
for people to attend School in the United States. Schooling continues because people have a
desire to learn and attain new knowledge. In addition, Schooling gives people hope for a better
life and a chance to achieve goals that they once might of thought they couldnt achieve (Nieto &

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bode ch.1). In order to continue schooling in our society, we as educators must start to emphasize
the importance of caring for our students achievements and even failures. Educators caring is
just as important and in some cases, even more so than larger structural conditions that
influence student learning (Nieto & bode, ch.7). If educators invest their time and interest in
their students, their students are more likely to understand the value and importance of their
educational attainment and it will provide them the support they need to reach their goals in life.
In addition, if people begin to care more about their education our cultural, political, social,
economic, and environment will continue to advance over time.
Schooling in the United States can transform culturally, politically, socially,
economically, and environmentally in an abundant amount of ways if one were to put their minds
to it. There are many positive ways to transform schooling in the United States and to begin
providing a curriculum that centers on the students strengths and challenges is an important
factor that could help transform our education system. A preschool teachers opinion may be
completely biased, but to transform the existing form of Schooling in the United States it is
important to first off integrate multicultural education with an approach that provides students
the freedom to construct their own learning from the environment around them. Giving students
the freedom to construct their learning makes it possible for students and teachers to keep their
minds open to new ideas that might lead to positive growth in our society. Multicultural
education and a constructivist approach gives students confidence to openly speak their values,
hopes, dreams and concerns in the society. There are many obstacles preventing schooling in
American students from reaching their full potential. It is our rights as citizens and future
educators to start taking the initial steps to promoting a more diverse, open, educational system.

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References
Nieto & Bode (2012), Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural
Education, Defining Multicultural Education for School Reform, Chapter 2, pgs. 40-59
Nieto & Bode (2012), Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural
Education, Understanding the Sociopolitical Context of Schooling, Chapter 1, pgs. 449
Nieto & Bode (2012), Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural
Education, Understanding Student Learning and School Achievement, Chapter 7, pgs.
254-293
Wright Eldman, M. (n.d.). Valuing Diversity: Creating Inclusive Schools and Communities.
Waging Peace in Our Schools.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2007). "Race, inequality and educational accountability: The irony of No
Child Left Behind' Race Ethnicity and Education, 10(3), 245-260.
P. Miller, J. (2010). Educating For Wisdom. Spirituality, Religion, and Peace Education, 261275.