1. Develop a questionnaire in which you interview 5 teachers, administrators, or students concerning a problem you noticed in your observations or through your readings. Your project should include the following sections: 1). Rationale for the study (why you chose the topic, the big picture problem); 2). Brief literature review (at least 5 references) that sheds light on what is known about the problem; 3) Methods (how you gathered data and where); 4) Results—what your data tells you; 5) Summary, conclusions, recommendations and implications.2. Make a collection of at least 8 newspaper articles related to a single specific social issue in schools. Analyze the articles to determine how the media portrays the situation(s). Discuss the issue and how schools are handling the issue. You might also consider visiting a school to learn how the issue is handled. Turn in articles along with analysis.3. Look in depth at education in a non-western culture. You could explore one culture deeply (Chinese, Arabic, Hindu, African, etc.), or explore education in the cultures of the Western Hemisphere. Part of your paper should compare this education with that in Oregon or the USA.4. Identify and then defend your choice of school reforms that you consider most important for improving the quality of education in the United States. What goals regarding educational reform do your choices reflect? How do these relate to equity and justice?5. As a teacher, what activities and materials might you use in a specific learning context to reduce the prejudices of students toward groups different from theirs? Use at least three research articles (classroom studies that demonstrate results) in addition to curriculum ideas to help you plan these activities. Provide a rationale for your choices.6. Research your state legislator or state senator’s views on education and school funding. Visit or contact him or her and discuss your suggestions, based on your research about school funding. Provide evidence of your visit/contacts in your analysis.7. What are the main tenets of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)? Explain the main arguments for and against the CCSS. Discuss a few of the social problems created by the CCSS – particularly for schools serving high-poverty communities. Based on your research, how would you modify the CCSS so that the standards more evenly benefit all students?8. Where does the money come from, and in what amounts, to finance K-12 public education in Oregon? (Sources include: Federal, state, local, private and/or corporate foundations.) What10formula is used to divvy up money among school districts? Explain how the school-funding pie gets divided to pay for instruction and non-instructional items – such as administration, student-support services, building maintenance, transportation, etc. Are education funds in Oregon spent equitably? What would you do to improve funding of public education in Oregon?9. Research the impacts of climate change on one community in a developing country of your choice — from the perspective of at least 8 research articles. Analyze how the media portrays the situation, and discuss what ameliorative/moral action can be taken. Also, examine the relationship between developed and developing counties regarding the climate crisis. Turn in the articles along with analysis.
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