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EDUCATION VALUES AND EDUCATIONAL CHOICES PRESENTATION ON EDUCATION REFORM By Julie Carvalho
In the Rayburn Building (U.S. House of Representatives) on March 24, Julie Carvalho presented ideas on education reform. The session, “A Conversation on Education Reform: Standing at the Intersection of Science and Policy,” was sponsored by SPSSI (the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues), Julie’s presentation described her project on values chosen by college students, reasons that decisions can be different from values, and ways officials can encourage healthy congruence. This information is useful for federal, state, and local educational agencies and for other policy makers. Values are the GPS for personal and group life. Coherence between prosocial values and decision making, by individuals or institutions, is healthy for self and society. Values related to education are frequently proclaimed by families but are not followed in their decision making. For example, students may hang out at the mall instead of the library; GED students may cancel to get their nails done; 12- and 13-year olds may roam the county at 3 a.m. on a school night looking for a gang rumble. Examples used in this study are based on my work with individual students and classes from preschool through graduate school, including all categories of special education. Of the 155 prosocial values from which students can choose, ten have particular relevance to education: accomplishment, determination, education, foresight, knowledge, learning, love of reading, self-actualization, self-discipline, and wisdom. Differences have been found in several curricula I use to discern values--differences by gender, age, living outside the U.S. for a period, and economic level. Differences by social and educational levels may also appear. According to the AERA and other researchers, half of the variance in a student’s performance is due to non-school elements such as family, neighborhood, church, businesses, and media. Although the school half of variance is important, I am concentrating on the out-of-school contribution. You don’t hear that the community has failed when children do not pass; you only hear the school has failed. Children are often assigned to special education because they have not been prepared for school--behaviorally, cognitively, interpersonally, or in Standard English--neglect which is attributable to social class rather than race or poverty. The need for families and the community to prepare students in the school’s language is not generally communicated; for example, an extensive brochure on school preparation by Fairfax County, VA, does not mention students should understand basic English. Some parents have lived in this region for 15 to 20 years without comprehending English, because they have been enabled through interpreters; their children enter school at a disadvantage and fall further behind. Sometimes families may choose another value over education; for example, a sick child should not be driven around the country to visit colleges--recovering health is more important. Sometimes teens may prematurely choose children as a value when they are not able to produce or nurture or support them adequately. Material success or economic setbacks may defer education, but long-run prosperity (for the country and individuals) depends on continuing education. If I could pick one element for success, Perseverance is one of the most important values and traits for education, one which any parents or school can convey, especially if they have struggled themselves.
Julie currently teaches Psychology at the Loudoun campus of Northern Virginia Community College and is in a doctoral program in Social and Behavioral Sciences, Social Policy. She has taught Communications, Sociology, and Psychology at a dozen colleges and universities around the Beltway. She is preparing a workshop, “Secluded, Hallowed Spots and Elusive Spiritual Traditions around the World.” (jcarvalho@nvcc.edu , julie.carvalho@park.edu , 703-390-0559) |
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