Education Papers: Education Essays, Term Papers on Education, Education Research Paper Help

The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines freedom as personal liberty, independence and power of self-determination. Although we may not associate these qualities with education traditionally, upon closer inspection it is not at all difficult to directly link the three. As people grow older and wiser with age they do so also with education. To learn and to be educated is to challenge oneself and to become more engaged in the world around you, and in your place in it.

Education at its best inspires and encourages, empowers and unites. It continues to be arguably the most important institution in our society and our most valuable tool. Through education people are able to gain a better understanding of their lives as well as of others’, and how to improve them. Education gives us the power and control to fulfill our dreams and create our destiny. As is evident through both bell hooks’ and Shauna Singh-Baldwin’s writings, people’s experiences with education and learning obviously differ accordingly, factoring in specifics like gender and race. These factors clearly define our personal boundaries and barriers, both restricting and capacitating our intellectual progress. With the help of hooks and Singh-Baldwin this paper attempts to examine the experience of how education as freedom is achieved under the influences of race and gender. Read more…

For many years children with special needs were isolated from their peers at school. They were placed in separate classrooms away from other students, but inclusion has changed this. Inclusion involves a commitment to educate children with special needs, including those with disabilities by bringing the support services to the children in a regular classroom setting rather than moving the child to the services . The regular education teacher may receive assistance from individuals such as the special education teacher, speech therapist, and physical therapist if needed, in order to provide needed services within the regular classroom. These students have Individualized Education Plans (IEP) with objectives that are developed around their needs and must continue to be met in the regular class. Some important questions concerning inclusion are as follows: 1) What are some concerns regarding inclusion?; 2)What are the two most common forms of inclusion?; 3)What are some positive and negatives aspects of inclusion?; 4)What strategies can be used in the classroom to make inclusion effective and successful?

Inclusion has been implemented in many school systems throughout the United States. These school systems have adopted the idea that all children should and can learn in a regular classroom. Initially and still today, there are many concerns regarding inclusion on the part of parents and teachers. Parents of children with special needs fear a loss of advocacy because the primary responsibility for the education of their children is being shifted to the regular education teacher. Before inclusion, the special education teacher had the primary responsibility of educating and providing the appropriate resources and services to their students because they were familiar with each child’s situation, unlike the regular education teacher. Additionally, parents are concerned about whether their children will be able to keep up in a regular classroom, so they prefer the child to stay separated. In addition to parental concerns, many teachers also have concerns about inclusion.
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“If you treat an individual as he is he will stay as he is, but if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become as he ought to be and could be” (Goethe). The heated debate over prison education is much like this. Do we educate our prisoners and treat them as what they ought to be and could be, or do we treat them as they are, criminals? Do we give them a chance to change, or assume they don’t want to change? Many feel that educating our prisoners is a human right. The other side to this debate is that it would cost too much money. There are two very important sides to this debate and we must weigh the pros and cons of both.

Brian Noad, who wrote Adult Education in NSW prisons, has pointed out that “it is a human right that prisoners should be allowed access to education”. Prisoners are still humans and although they have made mistakes they have rights just like everyone else. People in prison should be treated like equal citizens and not just as criminals. Brian Noad has also pointed out that “the right of prisoners to educational programs is based on human dignity, and while one community view is that prisoners are enemies of society, they have dignity as persons”. In turn if they are treated with respect and dignity by given the opportunity to education, they will treat others with respect and dignity. Everyone is equal, even if prisoners are viewed differently; they deserve the right to learn.

Secondly, if you just keep them in prison and away from the real world they will not know how to function once they are released. This may lead them to a life of crime once again. After they serve their prison term and are released they need to be armed with the right tools to survive and education is one of these tools. According to Brian Nomad, “the goal of prison education is to provide development programs which are designed to prepare prisoners to lead law-abiding lives”. While in prison inmates should maintain the skills they have entered prison with and also develop and explore new skills, education would do this. Education would also help them to adapt to prison life easier and help them to make wise choices while in prison and when they are released. Entering prison leads to many complex changes, and certain educational programs could assist them with these changes. Educational programs could also prepare them for re-entry into the community, and to lead law-abiding lives. We should try to help them become better citizens once they are released. Prison just shouldn’t be about trying to punish them for their crimes we should be concerned with trying to shape them as a person. Read more…

Can a United States president, a Greek philosopher, an influential astronomer, and world-class author disagree on a single, seemingly simple topic? One that is ever present in the everyday life of all throughout the world? How can names like Aristotle, Emerson, Galileo, and Garfield disagree on such a topic as education? It seems simple enough, but education is nearly impossible to define, as it has clear answers, such as the amount of schooling one has endured, and also complicated responses, including leadership and street smarts. Education is different for everyone, hence the inability to come up with one uniform definition. Some forms of education are tested on the standardized exams that are thrust upon students annually, while others are tested in real-life situations. Scoring high marks on these standardized examinations requires and tests for one type of education, while others are needed in the form of knowledge, toleration, and most importantly, action. Learning and retaining information can only enhance the life of an intellectual, giving the gift of knowledge as well as the responsibility of using that knowledge for the greater good of society. An educated person should also be tolerant of others’ opinions and be able to entertain those beliefs in discussion, even though the two views may differ greatly. While being formally educated is admirable, not being able, or not knowing when, to use that knowledge defeats the entire purpose of that formal education. As Herbert Spencer once noted, “the great aim of education is not knowledge but action” (McKenzie). The action is that of doing something for the greater good of others, whether it be all of humanity or simply one individual.

There are many different forms of intelligence, including those that are tested by the standardized exams, which are annually thrust in front of every student in America. It does not take extreme intelligence to score high on these exams; only the ability to answer certain types of questions and the ability to memorize information learned from a book are needed. However, not all education can be obtained as easily as from a book. It takes intelligence of another sort to be able to work effectively under different circumstances or to lead people towards a common goal. While some people who score well on standardized tests are good overall students and people, for many that is their only form of intelligence. Retaining information and obtaining as much knowledge as possible are, of course, not a bad thing, but is there really a point to being an intellect who does nothing with their knowledge? Don Herold agrees, “there is nobody so irritating as somebody with less intelligence and more sense than we have” (McKenzie). It is possible, and perhaps probable, that the most intelligent person in the world could have absolutely no common sense and be worthless to society. It is not sufficient to have only one form of education, but rather it is better to diversify one’s knowledge, as well as the source of that knowledge, and also to be tolerant of those who have differing opinions. Read more…

My thirst for learning is a never ending quest that has taken me to new depths not only in the way that I perceive things, but has opened my mind up to new ideals and revelations. The power of knowledge is unmatched by any other known attribute, and is the one gift, that if exercised, will keep on giving. In the world of the twenty-first century, known to us as the information age, education is vital to every individual’s success in his or her career path. The value of a college education, and continued quest for higher learning is not only a proven attribute in positioning ones self as an inextinguishable asset in the workplace, but also brings a higher monetary value associated with it. Achieving a college education will also enhance your self worth and social status while enabling you to become a role model and mentor to your family and friends. Following an educational path will ensure that your career path is always open and full of options, and will eventually guarantee a prosperous life.

Prosperity can be measured by many different values depending on the value that you choose to measure it by. To me, continuing my education, and bringing it to a higher level will not only give me a prosperous life, but more importantly, an immeasurable amount of personal fulfillment. I will always know that with a higher degree of education behind me, I will be an indispensable asset in any position that I take on. Pursuing a higher level of education defines ones professional characteristics and integrity. These traits incorporated into the workplace are irrefutably critical. The discipline and dedication that is learned through a continued education allows you to make your mark in the work place. You demonstrate stability and reliability, and are knowledgeable when making critical decisions. Anyone that has completed a degree program encompasses the essence of today’s working professional.

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