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Explore Jane Addams’s Hull-House by visiting the Web site of
the Hull-House Museum at the University of Illinois at
Chicago:www.uic.edu/jaddams/hull/hull_ house.html. List the pros and cons of
establishing close links between schools and social agencies

React to the following statement made by Ernest Boyer,
president of the Carnegie Foundation, when critiquing the 1983 presidential
report A Nation at Risk:“If indeed the nation is at risk, then where is the
federal government’s effort to address the problem?”

1. What are some reasons for and against shifting
educational responsibilities from the federal government to the states?
2. How, as a teacher, can you influence educational change
at the local level? At the state level?

How could school boards and local elected officials design a
tax structure that is fair and equitable and capable of keeping abreast of
changing economic conditions? What specific elements would make up this tax code?

1. Should teachers be required to meet higher or different
standards of personal morality than other citizens? Why or why not?
2. Debate the pros and cons of prayer, Bible reading, and
religious observances in public schools. Should current laws change regarding
these activities?

1. Should students’ due-process rights differ from those of
adults outside the school? Why or why not? What differences may be most
justifiable?
2. To what extent are academic freedom issues in elementary
schools different from those in secondary schools? How might this distinction
be important for you as a teacher?

Think of a situation in which your personal views might
conflict with your school’s policies regarding corporal punishment, student
dress codes, or some other legal issue.To what extent would you find it
difficult to comply with official policies? If you refused to comply, might
this make it difficult to work with colleagues, students, or parents? What
might you do to modify the policies or otherwise resolve the problem?

Research the teacher tenure regulations in your state and in
one or two nearby states. Do the states differ with respect to probationary period,
cause for dismissal, or other matters? Are teachers in your community aware of
these policies?

Survey several nearby school districts regarding their
policies on student and teacher dress codes. Find out whether and how these
policies have changed in the past ten or fifteen years. Do you expect to see
further changes in the near future?

1. How do adolescents’ socialization experiences differ in
urban and rural communities? Are such differences declining over time, and if
so, why?
2. How does “schooling” differ from “education”? As a
prospective teacher, what implications do you see in this line of analysis?