Assignment task: Read Chapter 15 of the book Society: The Basics 15th edition 2019 and become familiar with the concepts of education in various societies, theories of education, health and the medical establishment, and theories of health and medicine. Then watch the video, "Are Public Schools in the United States Fixable?" (6:29 min).
Remember and note down the examples provided in the videos so you can use them in the discussion.
Then answer the prompts below. Be as specific as possible and support all claims/statements with evidence from your book and/or the videos.
Q1. Discuss the pros and cons of using test scores, like PISA, to rank education in nations.
Q2. Poverty has a major negative effect on education. Discuss all the ways poverty impacts education. Why is this impact greater in the United States than in Finland and Singapore (the two example countries)?
Q3. Comparing the United States to some nations may be an unfair comparison. Why? What differences exist between the United States and other nations?
Q4. How can we look beyond test scores to improve education? How can we look outside the classroom? What needs to be done to improve education in the United States?