School Funding Essay
Directions
Directions: Follow the prompts below to formulate an essay. You will need to communicate what you learned about school funding and achievement in America and where Hempstead HS falls in this discussion.
Please Note: The word "Part" below can be substituted with Paragraph if you wish. I chose to use the word "part" so that you wouldn't feel constricted by structure. You can actually communicate the requirements below in any order that you wish as long as they are there.
Please Note: The word "Part" below can be substituted with Paragraph if you wish. I chose to use the word "part" so that you wouldn't feel constricted by structure. You can actually communicate the requirements below in any order that you wish as long as they are there.
Suggested Essay Structure
Part 1: Introduce your topic. You can mention the research of Jonathan Kozol and the advocacy of Lizeth Ramirez for context on the topic. Be sure to communicate why understanding this topic is important. You can certainly incorporate the points that you made while answering the reflections for Day 1.
Part 2: In paragraph 2, you can discuss how schools get funded (the sources for school funding). Studying and citing this article will be very helpful. You can share the definition of what the United States government defines as "the poverty line" (or the New York State Definition) and apply that concept to the progressive index in this article. You can mention the data shared by Lizeth Ramirez IN THIS VIDEO about "weighted pupils". You should study and cite research on the achievement gap between ELL (English Language Learner) students compared to native English speakers as well as on the gap in achievement related to socioeconomic status. You might have some points to incorporate from your answers on this reflection.
Part 3: Create a table that shows Per Pupil By State, Cost of Living Rank, Average Household Income By State and Average SAT Scores By State. You can download the template below:
Note: Don't fill it in one box at a time, use the formula VLookup.
Part 2: In paragraph 2, you can discuss how schools get funded (the sources for school funding). Studying and citing this article will be very helpful. You can share the definition of what the United States government defines as "the poverty line" (or the New York State Definition) and apply that concept to the progressive index in this article. You can mention the data shared by Lizeth Ramirez IN THIS VIDEO about "weighted pupils". You should study and cite research on the achievement gap between ELL (English Language Learner) students compared to native English speakers as well as on the gap in achievement related to socioeconomic status. You might have some points to incorporate from your answers on this reflection.
Part 3: Create a table that shows Per Pupil By State, Cost of Living Rank, Average Household Income By State and Average SAT Scores By State. You can download the template below:
Note: Don't fill it in one box at a time, use the formula VLookup.
Part 3 (Continued): After you fill in the boxes, explain what each of these columns mean. You will need to research the concept of COST OF LIVING to understand this data in full context. When you explain the data from the template in your essay, focus on the state of New York. Where does New York rank in per pupil spending, SAT Scores, Cost Of Living, Etc.? New York has an extremely high per pupil budget. But does the cost of living in New York set a higher bar for education funding?
Part 4: Go back to THIS REFLECTION and report what percentile of funding Hempstead High School is within the context of New York State. Keeping Lizeth Ramirez's points in mind, (see data chart from her video below) take a look at Hempstead High School's "Economic and Student Characteristics" HERE. Be sure to look at percentage of ELL (English Language Learner) students and economically disadvantaged students.
Part 4: Go back to THIS REFLECTION and report what percentile of funding Hempstead High School is within the context of New York State. Keeping Lizeth Ramirez's points in mind, (see data chart from her video below) take a look at Hempstead High School's "Economic and Student Characteristics" HERE. Be sure to look at percentage of ELL (English Language Learner) students and economically disadvantaged students.
Part 4 (Continued): Reintroduce the topic of weighted pupils and compare the data of Hempstead High School with other schools from Nassau County. Form a chart from the data for the Nassau County High Schools listed below. Be sure to include 1.) High School/District name 2.) Per Pupil Amount. 3.) Percentage Of Economically Disadvantaged students. 4.) Percentage Of ELL Students. Share this graphic as a chart in your essay and write about what the data says on this chart.
Part 5: Once the data is pulled, apply the logic that Lizbeth Ramirez applied to her thesis. In other words, add weighted pupils for Nassau County Schools.
Note: Lizbeth applied a weight of 0.30 for Economically Disadvantaged students and a weight of 0.10 for ELL students. You will need to use what you learned from Excel training to calculate this.
Add a chart with the weighted pupils and elaborate on what the data says.
Part 6: Answer the question: How well funded is Hempstead High School within the context of the United States? State your conclusions from your research.
Note: Lizbeth applied a weight of 0.30 for Economically Disadvantaged students and a weight of 0.10 for ELL students. You will need to use what you learned from Excel training to calculate this.
Add a chart with the weighted pupils and elaborate on what the data says.
Part 6: Answer the question: How well funded is Hempstead High School within the context of the United States? State your conclusions from your research.
State Data: Directly
Compared With Other States
School Data By State
(Compare Schools Within A State)
Source: CLICK HERE
Arkansas (Not Available) |
California (Not Available) |
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Iowa (Not Available) |
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Kentucky (Not Available) |
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Nevada (Not Available) |
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New Mexico (Not Available) |
North Carolina (Not Available) |
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Oregon (Not Available) |
Pennsylvania (Not Available) |
Rhode Island (Not Available) |
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South Dakota (Not Available) |
Tennessee (Not Available) |
Texas (Not Available) |
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Wisconsin (Not Available) |
The Nassau County Cohort
Local Data
Garden City High School |
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