1940's public school issues?
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On June 14, the nation’s annual Flag Day—the United States Supreme Court reversed itself, this time as to its decision in the Gobitis case, doing so in the case styled West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette. It ruled that “no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.” Much of the reasoning set out in that decision was thereafter adopted in Canada by the Ontario Court of Appeal in Donald v. Hamilton Board of Education, which decision the Canadian Supreme Court refused to overrule.\n\nConsistent with its decision in the Barnette case, and on the same day, in Taylor v. State of Mississippi, the Supreme Court of the United States held that Jehovah’s Witnesses could not validly be charged with sedition for explaining their reasons for refraining from saluting the flag and for teaching that all nations are on the losing side because they are in opposition to God’s Kingdom. These decisions also set the scene for subsequent favorable rulings in other courts in cases involving Witness parents whose children had refused to salute the flag in school.
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If I were you I'd look into the Equal Access Act.  In this act, school groups that are religious in nature and/or political in nature, can meet on school grounds AFTER school hours so long as there are non-curriculum groups (such as a chess club) that are also allowed to meet.\n\nThe rules for this are that you are in a public school, that there are non-curriculum related school groups (such as the chess club) and that you (as a religious group) do NOT have a faculty adviser.  Because of the separation of church and state, the school cannot provide you with materials or a teacher, but it MUST provide you (as a child of taxpayers) a place to meet if other groups are allowed to do so.\n\nSo, the simple rule is this: if you are in a public school, you can meet, but you must follow the rules of all other student groups.  You are different from other school groups because of your religious affiliation, however, and the school cannot provide you with an adviser (they can require that one be present (just to make sure there are no other school rules broken since you are still minors), but he or she cannot have anything to do with the group or how it is run.  You probably cannot be photographed in the yearbook, and probably cannot have all of the frills of a regular school group, but you should have access to the school facilities to meet.\n\nThis is what I would suggest you do: make friends with the Christian group in that you should NOT try to get them to disband if the school messes with you.  You are both in the same boat (or should be) and what rules apply to you should apply to them since you are both outside groups meeting on school property after school.  Look into the Equal Access Act and calmly ask for a meeting with the principal to go through it.  Explain that you want to figure out how you can best follow the rules of the school and also follow the rules of the Equal Access Act.  \n\nFor the most part, journalism teachers and advisers are great assistants when it comes to students' rights issues, so if you need help understanding the Act, talk to your yearbook or newspaper adviser or a Social Studies teacher.  Make sure if you ask a faculty member for help you establish that you are NOT asking for them to be your adviser, but you do need some help interpreting an Act.\n\nIn the end, most principals want to do the right thing and be fair to all groups (and follow the law), but they often have trouble with community pressure.  By being patient and non-threatening, you can help your school to understand what it MUST provide you whether or not it believes in what you believe.  The hardest part for you will likely be to establish that yes, you ARE a religious group, and therefore the Equal Access Act does apply to you.  This is because many people believe teens follow this type of religion as a way to get back at their parents.  But once you establish that you are a religious group, this should be easier.\n\nIF and only if being reasonable and calm and going through the act fails to convince your principal, contact the ACLU for a lawyer in your area.  Don't go directly to the lawyer as it's hard to work out a compromise if you bypass the principal (you want the principal to be your friend, not your enemy).
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i wouldnt be worrying so much about grades, but the content.  if they are missing a lot of key concepts and ideas that are appropriate for that age level, something needs to be done.  im an educator in texas and we have spelling activities every week, cursive is taught in third, and science is all year.  but there is so much more to school than those few things.  from what you have said, it makes me wonder what else is falling through the cracks?  i would contact the school board, the district superintendants, and whoever else you need to get this resolved.  check up on required curriculum for the state and see if this school/class is meeting those.
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check with your school librarian. they have a lot of knowledge regarding these research.
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All you have to do to make a good argument against the current state of public schools is come to this web site.  Kids attending public schools in our country come to this web site to ask and answer questions, and you can clearly see that they are unable to string words together to create a coherent sentence.\n\nThe state of affairs in our public schools is absolutely atrocious. Maybe privatization is not the answer though public schools have worked and can still today.  Arguments can be made for privatization as well as reform in our public schools.  As it stands right now something is going to have to change or today’s youth will be ill equipped to compete on the world market.
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I personally have some issues with the No Child Left Behind Act.  Most schools who follow this act will do anything to make sure that each child passes and moves on to the next grade even if it means "fixing" the grades a bit.\nIt's an interesting topic and there is soooo much information on the web about it.  Good Luck with the paper
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Here's a website with some info.\n\nIt was also mentioned in: www.greatschools.net/
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Never had a problem with that in any school I've been in. The custodians are angels! Plus, any mess left behind by teachers would result in long, drawn-out staff meetings in which the principal spends HOURS lecturing us about being role models....lol.
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Can you try talking to another history teacher in your town? Good luck.
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Absolutely.  Public schools are becoming a total 'joke' in America.  Just look at all the grammatical and spelling errors on this site!
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A good topic regarding childhood obesity is the issue of school lunches and school food. Is the public school responsible for giving the students healthier nutrition? Should vending machines, including soda machines, be allowed in the school?
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Compare news stories circa 1940, 1917 & 1861 and todays news articles on American wars from at least 3 separate newspapers. You will need to go to achives for most of these years.\n\nFind out the public support percentage\nGovernment expenditure on the war\nThe entertainment of the day\nPresidential speeches on the war\nAny austerity measures the public was part of\n& Foreign allies\n\nOne suggestion for you. Keep the topic current.
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I'd approach local schools incase they have updated their resources material recently and have older books to get rid of. Or maybe try freecycle.org - you never know what people might have. Good luck and good on you x
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Ask the magazine it self .. they can help especailly for school report... request a confrance call or email her..
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1940 Although many homes didn't have access until the 50's.
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(1) The government doesn't know how to properly handle education so it encompasses ALL students\n\n(2) They're trying to fix problems that have their roots in centuries-old practices \n\n(3) They want to make it look like they're doing something useful for American education\n\nBasically one of the underlying issues is "separation vs. inclusion", and no one knows how to properly address it. Probably because there will always be some types of students who fare better in inclusive classrooms, and others who do better with separate instruction. It's too much of a "problem" for the government to figure it all out so everybody gets what they need, so they try to offer a solution that STILL excludes some children.
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Although not a an educator, I can provide a prospective that should proove useful to you.  I'm a "military brat"  I was raised a child of a senior ranking member of the armed forces and we lived in several countries throughout the world.  It wasn't until I entered the tenth grade that I experienced american public school systems.  When I did, I found them to be a huge culture shock.\n\nThe thing that struck me the most was the absolute disregard for authority that American children had (and continue to have, unfortunately) for teachers, principals, ta's, let alone their peers or themselves.  Granted, I was in a much more restrictive environment in the DODDS system or the private school systems that I was privy to.  Depending on the country and/or the political situation, base that we were stationed at, we never knew what dignitaries family we were going to school with, so manners, and diplomacy was always a must.  To step out of line, was taken seriously and handled immediatley.  \n\nWhen I did eventually find myself in an American public school for the first time, I had a really difficult time adjusting.  It was worse than being thrust into any of the foreign countries we'd lived in.  I was not at all prepared socially.  I didn't dress like anyone, speak the lingo, I couldn't "blend" as one does as one can overseas.  My parents moved us to Inglewood, CA!  I recall comming home terrified, and telling my mother, "There are"black people there, real black people" .  She took me too the bathroom stood me in front of the mirror and made me look at myself.  \n\nIt's a bit crazy when I look back on it now, but I did eventually make friends and I did adjust over time.  I have unfortunately not found that American schools are that much better, however.  I now have children and would home school if I could.