(Append this part of the paper to combined part 1&2 document and submit altogether.) This is the third part of the Policy Analysis Paper. There are two steps involved: Step 1: Choose the evaluative cr

Running Head: POLICIES TO ADDRESS EDUCATION STANDARDS

Policies to Address Education Standards

Lam Ho Yung

Oregon State University

PS 371

May 10, 2020

In Alabama, the existing problem of poor education can be addressed by the states through the enactment of policies that address the problem directly. The policy problem, in this case, is low-quality education that students at Alabama public schools are offered with. This problem emanates from the economic status of Americans, implying that for those hi financial powers, they take their students in private schools. In these private schools, teachers availed are highly qualified, ready to teach, and hence, quality education. However, in public schools, teachers are less competent, funding is less effective, and class conditions are in the worst state to administer education strategically. To address these issues, the government should use three policies, being a policy to address overcrowding of classrooms, policy to raise standards required for teachers employed in public schools, and a policy to make funding of private schools a priority.

1. Addressing overcrowded classrooms

Teachers are not machines, and even like machines, there is workload beyond which a teacher cannot bear. This happens in the case of overcrowded classrooms. When a teacher has to teach too many students under the same roof, the overall position in such a scenario is overcrowding (Cowell, 2018). A policy to address overcrowding can help to improve the quality of education, which is administered to students in Alabama. Different issues under this policy can be addressed with the aim of increasing the efficiency of a teacher in question and the cooperativeness of students engaged. In cases of overcrowded classrooms, students are denied the opportunity to get engaged with their teachers at a personal level. Where such students have difficulties with a certain context, it becomes very difficult to have their issues attended to because such an opportunity because very minimal to access. Instead, they are left to enquire from fellow students who might not comprehensively explain.

This policy can also deal with the challenge of students propping out from schools. When classes are too overcrowded, the personal touch between a teacher and students is eliminated. Therefore, a teacher might not have an opportunity to intervene in poorly performing students. Such students can have their minds swept away from a school setting and seek to explore the world while they are not in schools. Therefore, a policy to address overcrowded classes could improve the personal attachment between teachers and students. This could allow teachers to intervene for students who are performing poorly. This is a motivation for such students, which could result in giving up with school if they were never intervened on their weaknesses.

This alternative policy could have the same results as the construction of more public schools across Alabama. With the development of more public schools, it implies that students will have to be transferred from schools fare away from their place of residents and be taken to nearby schools. This, on the other hand, could result in decongestion from schools. Therefore, each school could have significantly lesser student per class. This could result in an optimal number of students per class who a teacher can attend to comprehensively.

1. Policy to raise standard required for teachers employed in public schools

The poor performance of students in public schools in Alabama is directly related to underprepared teachers (Podolsky, Kini, & Darling-Hammond, 2019). These are teachers who are not experienced enough for teaching duties. Therefore, they are unable to impact educational knowledge to students strategically. Moreover, these teachers are not able to address questions of clarification from students precisely. The overall effects of such teachers are unfruitful, impacting educational knowledge to students. Having a policy that raises standards of teachers, this could impact the educational environment in public schools characterized by teachers with a certain level of competencies.

This policy should help address the challenge that emerged due to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. ESSA replaced No Child Left behind, and it had adverse consequences, especially for children from families with vulnerable social, economic backgrounds. This Act eliminated requirements to have teachers with certain qualifications and experiences. This gave rise to an environment with less qualified and experienced teachers who teach in public schools. This Act increased the gap between public schools and private schools. In private schools, teachers are employed on the basis of once competence and qualifications. Therefore, the challenge of an incompetent leader was not impacted by private schools. The policy of raising the bar for teachers could imply that before one is employed in a public school, they must have attained certain educational progress and a significant level of experience. This is the only way the state can help public schools have more qualified teachers who are ready for their task.

As an alternative policy, it could serve the same purpose with a policy of regressive teaching promotion. This policy implies that when one is employed as a teacher, they are employed at lower-ranking teaching positions in their teaching specifications. With time, they are able to gain experience and knowledge for the advanced level of teaching in their line of specifications. This way, a teacher advances their knowledge and preparedness as they gain experiences and hence increasing their competencies.

1. Making public school funding a priority

Across America, the states put too much emphasis on funding of health programs (Franck, & Nicaise, 2017). At some point, the states even declared to reduce the amount of funding allocated for public schools and add this to public health welfare. With this policy in Alabama, the government should look again at how different public sectors are allocated government funding. With increased funding in public schools, these schools could have more finances of buying reading materials for students, hire more skilled teachers, and even meet their internal budget of these schools. There are many ways through which the policy of making funding of public schools a priority can be exercised. One of these ways is setting aside a certain tax revenue as a government expenditure in public schools across Alabama.

Furthermore, the policy should be based on the larger picture of which increased government spending in public schools could have. Making funding of public schools a priority, they could be able to meet their demand to impact students with quality education precisely and strategically. Being able to impact quality educational knowledge to students who go through public schools educational settings, public schools could be releasing masterminds to the job market. These students could have a positive contribution to the American economy and hence foster healthier economic progress across America. Moreover, this policy could be exercised through more funding of teachers. Although this an indirect funding of public schools, it could imply less turnover of teachers in public schools. High retention of teachers implies they have enough time to impact their skills and competencies. This could establish highly prepared teachers in public schools, as is the case in private schools.

REFERENCES:

Franck, E., & Nicaise, I. (2017). The effectiveness of equity funding in education in Western countries. NESET II ad hoc question, (2).

Cowell, A. N. (2018). The US Public School System and the Implications of Budget Cuts, the Teacher Shortage Crisis, and Large Class Sizes on Marginalized Students. Arizona State University.

Podolsky, A., Kini, T., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2019). Does teaching experience increase teacher effectiveness? A review of US research. Journal of Professional Capital and Community.