2) System analysis
For the system analysis, you will examine one or more of the above issues – funding,
teacher / other educator qualifications, and racial segregation – in a particular district,
school, or other educational workplace (or “system”). You can choose the school or
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other educational workplace you’re currently working in, or you can pick a different
school to analyze, such as a school you attended as a child or one in your
neighborhood. Then, you will write a 1,000-1,500 word report on the context. Please
see the rubric on Blackboard as well as the directions below.
Your report should include the following:
● A detailed descriiption of your setting, including (but not limited to) location
(urban, suburban, rural), federal classification (Title 1, title 2 etc.), organizational
structure, student/client demographics, and teacher/educator demographics
● A reflective discussion of one or more of the above-mentioned systemic issues:
Describe any gaps, disparities, or challenges you noticed in the system as well
as any strengths or opportunities present in the system based on its
characteristics
● Recommendations of actions to help combat/address the issues discussed,
describing how the system might become more socially just by building on its
strengths and responding to its challenges.
Some guiding questions that might help you are:
1) Is there adequate funding for the system to achieve what it’s meant to achieve?
Is the funding fair compared to other systems nearby or other systems that are
similar? Is there any indication that funding is disproportionately low or high in
relation to who the system serves? Are funding sources stable and is there any
indication of funding being cut or increased in the future? How does the system’s
funding serve or threaten social justice goals?
2) What are the qualifications of the teachers or educators the system employs?
Are their qualifications comparable to other similar systems? Have there been
any recent or long-term patterns in the level of educator quality either decreasing
or increasing in the system? What are some data sources that show that? Are
there systems in place to attract and keep quality educators? How does the
system’s educator quality serve or threaten social justice goals?
3) What are the racial/ethnic demographics of the students and teachers/educators
in the system? Do they mirror the population in the area, or are there disparities ,
(indicating segregation)? If there are disparities, what are some of the structures
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that are causing segregation in the system? How does the system’s level of
racial integration or segregation serve or threaten social justice goals?
Below is a list of resources to use, which were also mentioned in the lecture notes
above. Depending on the system you will analyze, you may need to search for further
resources to supplement these.
U.S. Department of Education Per-Pupil Expenditure Map
Massachusetts School and District Profiles
Massachusetts Educator Data Dashboard
Pew Research Center’s Report on Racial Demographics
National Teacher and Principal Survey
