Segment 1 – Macrosystem Case Study
First, create your own case study. This involves writing a 3-4 page paper describing and analyzing your case, which should be taken from real-world people. Interviews with parents, a child, and a teacher or an administrator are all to be included for a multiprong look at the situation you are writing about. The case must exemplify various issues related to the macrosystem. These issues are not limited to but should cover an analysis of:
The cultural issues and influences related to family involvement in education (to include family structure, economics, and ethnicity).
The cultural forces and influences driving the way the school currently operates.
Other factors and organizations affecting the child’s education.
How these influences affect the education the child is currently getting.
Segment 2 – Suggestions
Using the case you have created, offer suggestions for improving the child’s education based on the issues outlined above in an additional 3-page paper.
In this section, you should utilize various scholarly references to support your answers and suggestions. These references should come from the course material, journal articles, academic books, and appropriate Web sites that relate to the issue. The solutions you address should include answers to the following:
How can the school include and support families, especially those from racial and ethnic minority groups?
How can the school actively engage children and families beyond the immediate school environment?
How can the school develop collaborative relationships with other professionals and organizations to ethically improve education?
Segment 3 – Action
In this section, you need to identify an agency, organization, or individual that may be in a position to help you promote change.
First, identify who or where that is, and state why this would be a good choice.
Then, write a letter that outlines the issue, and suggests ways in which you think changes could be made to rectify or improve the situation. Articulate how you think policies should be changed to improve the development and learning environment for young children in relation to this specific case. Include this 2-3 page letter in the case study.
Segment 4 – Feedback and Reflection
The final segment is reflective. Share your findings and suggestions with the parent and teacher or administrator (and child, if appropriate) and gather their feedback on your ideas. Add this and your final thoughts about the entire process to the paper. This last segment should be about 2 pages in length.
To successfully complete this project, you will be expected to:
Analyze the cultural influences at work in a child’s education.
Analyze and recommend effective ways the school can include and support families, especially those from racial and ethnic minority groups.
Analyze and recommend effective ways the school can actively engage children and families beyond the immediate school environment.
Analyze and recommend effective ways the school can develop collaborative relationships with other professionals and organizations to ethically improve education.
