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Home Schooling Sample Essay & Outline

Homeschooling is education outside the formal setting of both public and private schools and is often usually undertaken by either tutors or parents. Many Americans think that homeschooling numbers have gone down however; home schooling has actually been on the rise. Home-schooled students may have the academic edge over public schooled peers. Homeschooling is becoming popular each and every day with an average growth rate of 15%. In the United States alone, there are around two million children that are currently learning at home.

The home schooled children often do well when it comes to standardized tests and as adults they often have a reputation of being self-directed learners as well as reliable employees (Gathercole, 2007). Homeschooling cannot be described as new in the United States, from primary grades to high schools, homeschooling can be described as one of the options among people of America. Therefore, the question is what do most Americans think of homeschooling and do they know it in an in depth manner?

Clearly define your position and supporting evidence.

I believe that Homeschooling is better than public schooling. It is imperative to understand that there are presidents such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt were home-schooled. However, in recent times, homeschooling in the United States has gained prominence and many parents want their children to be taught teachings which are in tune with their beliefs and thoughts (Guterson, 1993).

Many parents have the belief that the current secular educational institutions are incapable of imbibing different values in their children. In the early days of home education, state laws were restrictive and they prohibited parents from teaching their children at home, however, as homeschooling has grown over fifty states have passed laws allowing parents to teach their own children at home. This paper is going to show that home schooled children are more advanced than the children attending public schools.

Necessary evidence

The homeschooling educational approach is flexible; the child that grasps concepts quickly can study quickly and at a more advanced level. However, the child who have trouble learning quickly can be taken into slower classes (Gathercole, 2007). For example, a child who enjoys science as compared to mathematics can be able to concentrate on what he or she prefers. There are parents that believe that children should be inculcated with several doctrines that are pertinent to their faith (Guterson, 1993). For example, Christian’s parents often wonder whether the government public schools teaches their children a biblically correct information.

Therefore, Christian parents can be able to teach their children biblical truths and therefore, homeschooling can be able to solve that problem. At home, not only will the child learn from textbooks, but also what life gives him. Each home has different responsibilities and therefore, in homeschooling, the child will have more opportunities that will enable them to have practical home-making skills. This inculcates responsibility skills into the children (Guterson, 1993). Over time, the homeschooled children become independent in their schooling and they adopt and adapt new types of skills that will benefit them when living by themselves.

The home schoolers often have a number of privileges which other public students do not have. The child can be able to spend more time his family and this gives the parents to have much more opportunity to devote their energy, love as well as time in order to further the child’s educations. Therefore, it can be seen that structured home-schooling may offer opportunities for academic performance beyond those that are typically experienced in public schools (Dworkin, 1987).

Homeschooled children often accomplish in a few hours what a public school takes a week or more to cover. This is because they study at their own pace and the topic is directly introduced to them without unnecessary tasks. (Gathercole, 2007) Homeschooled children are able to rest a lot. Studies have shown that sleep is vital to the emotions and physical well-being of children. Therefore, homeschoolers save a lot of time as they do not have to catch the bus and most of them do not have excessive homework as compared to public school students. Homeschooling allows natural learning among the students (Dworkin, 1987).

Natural learning often refers to learning on demand where the children pursue knowledge based on the children’s interests and parents takes an active part in order to facilitate activities and experiences that are conducive to learning and do not rely heavily on textbooks. Parents in homeschooling can be able to make their children acquire positive feedback and modelling necessary skills.

Public schools despite having bad press are still the most popular way to educate a child. Public schools are disadvantaged as they have a class size of 25 students or more. This means that children do not get individualized attention from their tutors and consequently they cannot be able to have their academic needs to be met.

The benefits of smaller classes have been widely acknowledged. For example, in a class of 25 students, in the first day of the school and year and probably the first week, the students and the teacher are complete strangers (Gathercole, 2007). This is because the teacher does not know where the students are academically and therefore, it takes time for the teacher to create the teacher student bond.

In public schools, it is the textbook which defines the teaching methods that will be used and the pace which a teacher will be able to teach the subject (Ray, 2004). Therefore, it can be seen that indeed in the public school setup, the class size often limits the flexibility the teacher has to slow the pace of instruction or even supplement for the students who have difficulties. There also exists discrepancy on how much individual instruction time a teacher can give a student who has trouble grasping some important concepts. At the same time, for the students who can be described as fast learners, the teacher in the public school setup often lacks the flexibility to cover the subject material quickly according to their pace (Ray, 2004).

Most critics have argued that home schoolers do not socialize as much as children that come from public schools. Public schools often have a range of children that come from a whole gamut of socioeconomic classes as well as variety of backgrounds. They argue that this is the type of community that most people occupy as adults and therefore, most of them advocate for public school arguing that one is able to negotiate with other points of view and understand people that have diverse backgrounds and different values. However, this is not the case and it is important to note that contrary to popular opinion, home schooled students also participate in social activities. In fact, research suggests that home schooled students are more independent of peer values as they grow older (Guterson, 1993).

Popular belief shows that home schooled children are deprived socially and are backward. However, research shows the opposite and it shows that home schooled children are actually equal or better socialized than their peers in public schools. They often participate in a wide and extensive extracurricular activities which included afternoon and weekend programs with public school students, field trips and other co-operative programs with groups of home schooled kids.

Standardized tests results from 16,000 home educated children, grades k-12 were analyzed by the education research Brian Ray. In his research, he found the nationwide grand mean is reading for the home schoolers is 79th percentile. They especially score high in math and science at 73rd percentile. The national average for public schools is 55th percentile. This ranking by Brian Ray shows that home educated students perform better than almost 77% of the population.

At Harvard University, the admissions officer has over times admitted that home educated students often do very well and they are usually motivated in what they do. The results of the SAT, SAT II is the requirements required to enter into the university. Homeschooling is becoming prevalent in the society and have increased performance as compared to their counterparts in public schools.

In conclusion, home schooled children are more advanced as compared to the children attending public schools as they have better grades, they are taught to be more responsible at an early age and they have better social skills. Further, they are able to be independent and are in many cases not heavily influenced by peer pressure, this is because they have been able to realize who they are at an early age as a result of homeschooling. Public schools often have a disadvantage as they have big classes and therefore, teachers cannot be able to focus on individual students and therefore, they do not have individualized education. Home schooled children are often better advanced when it comes to academic prowess, social skills and general independence in life.

References

Guterson, D. (1993). Family matters: Why homeschooling makes sense. San Diego, CA: Harcourt, Brace & Co.
Dworkin, A. G. (1987). Teacher burnout in the public schools: Structural causes and consequences for children. Albany, N.Y: State University of New York Press.
Gathercole, R. (2007). The well-adjusted child: The social benefits of homeschooling. Denver, Colo: Mapletree Pub. Co.
Ray, B. D. (2004). Worldwide guide to homeschooling: Facts and stats on the benefits of home school, a quick reference, 2004-2005. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman.

CTE Superintendents Sample Essay & Outline

Executive Summary

The ultimate role of the education system is to equip the students with the right skill set that will enable them survive in their post-secondary school education. Most of the states have placed mechanisms meant to equip. however, in as much as the education policy makers have been making amend in the education system, there is a large gap between the skills relevant in the working environment and the skills set in the students. This paper looks into ways through which the CTE superintendents. The paper looks into ways through which the CTE superintendents work towards the bridging the gap between the labor market demands and the qualifications of the students.

Ensuring that the students graduate from high school well equipped for the demands of the twentieth century has been a running goal in the majority of the states. However, it is the norm as opposed to the exception that the students are rarely well equipped to deal with the demands of the outside world. Majority of the students find themselves lacking in terms of the basic qualifications needed to manage their activities in the external world. It is an accepted fact that the skills in reading, writing and mathematical reasoning influence the efficacy of the student in the external world.

However, the attainment of the threshold needed in the institutions of higher learning and careers id still evasive. Most of the high school graduates find themselves dealing with the issues of lack of information to guide them through the adaptation process to the outside world (Bishop & Mane, 2004). The realization that the education system is performing below the bar in the preparation of the high school graduates for the next level of education has led to the development of the need of career technical education superintendents. The role of the superintendents is to come up with the strategic plans that will enable the young high school graduates brave the issues that face them in the wake of their high school education regardless of whether they chose a direct career path or higher education.

The office of the CTE superintendent is important in that it validates the education of the graduates. This paper will look at the strategic importance of the career technical education superintendents. It will look into the practical aspects of the career technical superintendents based on the actual means through which they affect their jobs and the strategic plans that they work with to develop the expected skill sets in the students. Educators play the role of developing, deepening and refining the core skills needed to run the lives of the students in the external world.

This is a running theme for the educators in all the fields of education. As a matter of policy, all states in the United States have to align the educations system with the common core state standards in line with the overall goal of ensuring that all the students that graduate from high schools are ready for life in college, careers as well as the overall goal of good citizenship. The CTE leaders at the local and statewide levels can and ought to break down the barriers that separate the disciplines and work in a collective manner to come up with ways of engaging the students in both the academic and CTE courses.

However, the chances of the state educators breaking this boundaries lie in the ability of the policy makers to act with the required levels of forethought and intentionality. Intentionality and forethought should not be limited at the policy making stage. On the contrary, it should be extended down to the program levels (Hernández-Gantes & Blank, 2009).

Significant gaps still exists between the need and opportunity for active engagement of the CTE and the current levels of engagement of CTE in the attainment of CCSS. This means that there are states that have responded to the achieve surveys indicating a pure academic focus irrespective of the CTE superintendents indicating the willingness to be conjoined in the education system to help achieve the CCSS (Scott & Sarkees-Wircenski, 2001).

Strategic importance of career technical superintendents

The vision of the career technical education is to provide the students with an engagement mechanisms that is both seamless and dynamic with the goal of increasing the learning experience of that culminates in the mastery of the career relevant and academic knowledge that will lead to the development of the necessary skill set that will enable them to become productive members of the society (Rojewski, 2002). CTE aims to attain this goal by ensuring that the high school programs are developed according to the highest standards possible.

The resource allocation for the students is also relevant with the majority of the people being equipped to handle the expectations of the external world in the right manner (Bishop & Mane, 2004). Guiding principles for CTE are designed to model the integration of technical education into the academic education in a seamless manner such that the students do not have the feeling that they are transitioning into a different mode of education (Hernández-Gantes & Blank, 2009).

Inclusion is a key guiding principle for CTE. This principle is built on the premise that the students have to have the highest levels of access to the education systems in such a manner that they have a wide choice of careers. The superintendents can attain this goal by developing high-quality career offerings. Inclusion also calls for diversity of the career offerings with the majority of the interests of the students being put into consideration. The array of careers that high school students can assume have to be wide enough to cater for the interests and talents of the majority of the students (Hernández-Gantes & Blank, 2009).

The second guiding principle in the superintendent role is the attainment of the correct balance between the interests of the students and the economic needs. CTE not only serves as the bridge to the attainment of the needs of the students. On the other hand, it also acts as the bridge between the economic needs of the nation with the labor force needs (Scott & Sarkees-Wircenski, 2001). It serves the interests of the students by providing them with the skills needed to work in the job market. It helps in the economic development by developing the workforce to mirror the needs of the economy.

CTE superintendents also work hand in hand towards the preparation of the students for success in the external world. The program can be developed in such a way that it promotes the development of technical, employability, interpersonal and decision making skills. It also makes the students more adept in the retention of the academic skills (Competitive, 2011). The preparation approach given by the CTE is important in that is makes the transition of the students from high school into post-secondary roles easy and meaningful.

The acquired set of skills is also important in that it helps the students develop the requisite knowledge in career planning. Students that have undergone CTE are more equipped to handle the pressures that come with the careers as opposed to the ones that have just graduated into the careers from high school without any form of career technical education (Scott & Sarkees-Wircenski, 2001). Knowledge on career planning is applicable in all the careers that the student goes into regardless of whether the student move into their careers immediately after high school or if they move into institutions of higher learning.

CTE is also important for the development of the integration approaches needed in the real world situations. Model CTE instructions modules employ instructional strategies aimed at improving the teaching and learning of the academically relevant concepts (Rojewski, 2002). This is attained through inclusion of rigor of academic content standard as applied in the real world scenarios. The design of the programs of study is created in such a manner that there are curricular paths that take place in a sequential manner with the aim of including career related and academic content.

Sequential curriculum development helps in the development of more meaningful post-secondary education as well as lifelong learning experience. CTE fosters the development of innovative standards in the students (Competitive, 2011). The students are capable of reasoning on the basis of the real life scenarios as opposed to the academic mode of education where the mode of delivery is abstract. Innovation and quality improvement can also be achieved on the part of the instructors. The approach calls for the creation of a program that has the ability to influence the decisions of the students as well as that of the instructors in academic and technical field. Incorporation of technical knowledge in the academic modes of delivery calls for adept innovations on the part of the instructors (Stitt-Gohdes & Crews, 2005).

Future orientation of the students is another guideline for the CTE officers. The approach used in the development of the curriculum for the CTE is indicative of a future looking approach. The approach used in the design of the CTE ensures that the contemporary as well as the emerging trends in the individual, community and economic level are put into consideration. This makes it possible to impart the students with the relevant knowledge that has the highest levels of practicality (Stitt-Gohdes & Crews, 2005). The final guideline that informs the development of the curriculum is the collaboration tenet.

Effective CTE education looks at ways through which it can come up with the knowledge set that is relevant to all the people in the market (Competitive, 2011). In order for the superintendents to achieve this, they have to work with the guideline that calls for the creation of the requisite external linkages with the major players in the market in order for them to come up with the necessary knowledge and information set that will lead to the effective creation of the knowledge for all the people. Major collaborations conducted by the superintendents touch on the players in the business, industry, labor officials, institutions of higher learning as well as the community (Scott & Sarkees-Wircenski, 2001).

The linkages with the above players are important in that they lead to the development of the required set of skills. The high school graduates that have undergone through the CTE are equipped to handle the pressures and expectations of the industry and the external world. A stakeholder approach is often applied in the development of the necessary approaches in the education system. This makes it possible for the majority of the students to graduate with the necessary skills that can help them maneuver through life (Rojewski, 2002). The applications of a strategic plan that is aligned along the above guidelines will make it possible for the superintendent to develop the necessary knowledge in the students that will make them acceptable in the external world.

However, the most important aspect of the application is to come up with a unified system that will make it possible for the players in the education sector to break through the barriers that affect the interaction between the education sectors (Bishop & Mane, 2004). Inclusion of all the people ought to be the guiding principle such that the students are developed according to their points of interest and strength (Stitt-Gohdes & Crews, 2005). This method of education will ensure that all the students attain their full potential.

Plan of attack

As stated earlier in the paper, the effectiveness of any career plan lie in the ability of the CTE superintendent to come up with the required plan of attack. This is possible only with the proper identification of the needs of the students and their interests. It is only after conducting an in-depth research on the students when the career superintendents can make the required follow up on the courses that are tailored for the students. Therefore, the superintendent has to mandate the CTE teachers in all the schools that are under his control to collect the data on the courses that would interest the students (Stitt-Gohdes & Crews, 2005).

The data collected will be useful in the allocation of the classes to the students in the mentioned schools. Some of the relevant information needed includes the courses, the demographic information regarding to course preferences as well as the relevant informational needs for the students. After the collection of the data, it is now possible for the superintendent to address the informational needs for the students. The alignment of the students could be towards more than one subject with the majority of the students opting for more than one CTE course. The superintendent has to conducts a variance analysis regarding the students that would have opted for a particular course as opposed to another.

After a series of data analysis sessions, he may send the teachers to the schools to handle the courses. However, the selection of the courses has to incorporate the input of the parents and the other players in the education system. Some parents may make the decisions for their children on the courses that they may select irrespective of the efficacy of the students in the said courses. The best approach that the superintendent can take is educating the parents and other community members in his school district about the importance of working with the efficacy displayed by the students as opposed to imposing the approaches that they would deem fit for their children.

This part of the pan could be challenging more so in the contexts where the parents are poised on the academic qualifications in isolation. Unfreezing such pockets of the parents is important in that the parents are made to be more receptive to the change. After the issue of the community and family resistance to the effecting the change in the education system are handled, it is proper for the educators to come up with the budgetary needs called for to effect the education change (Stitt-Gohdes & Crews, 2005). The above budgetary changes are important since they predetermine the success of the CTE plan. The resources ought to be allocated to the schools according to the needs indicated by the schools and students. Imposing a course on the students is uncalled for since the chances of success in that field will be minimized such that the overall goals of the exercise will be thwarted.

Based on what factors?

The main factors that are in play when determining the action plan for the CTE superintendents can be placed into two broad categories. The first class of factors is the student centered factors. This class is made up of the factors that emanate from the desires and efficacy of the students. Choice of course and the ability to handle the said course in an effective manner is a major issue that predetermines the success of the program.

Therefore, the CTE plan has to be designed in such a manner that will be instrumental for the development of the required set of skills for the external market (Wang & King, 2008). The design of the CTE plan has to bear the needs and interests of the students in mind in order for it to be acceptable and successful. Therefore, the main source of the legitimacy of the CTE plan is in the ability of the plan to address the needs of the students in a satisfactory manner.

The second class of factors that is used to base the CTE plan is the ability of the pan to look into the community and other stakeholder interests. CTE education plan has to be designed in a manner that is relevant in the industry context (Wang, 2011). Therefore, the plan has to be based on the capacity of the industry to employ the students based on the set skills. Therefore, the CTE plan has to be designed in such a manner that it will allow the industry to accommodate the set skills. The orientations and preferences of the students are not sufficient for the development of the most effective plan.

On the contrary, the plan has to be relevant to the industrial context according to the workforce supply and demand dynamics.in this second class of factors, there is also the parental and school administration aspect. CTE plan has to be mindful of the decisions of the two important players in the education system (Stone, Aliaga & others, 2003). The capacity of the administration to accommodate the students in the new courses has to be put into consideration. The perceptions of the parents on the relevance of CTE education plans also have to be addressed in satisfactory manner since the ultimate authority for the minor high school students is drawn from the parents.

What are the current best practices used to address trends?

The change in the education system has to be managed in such a manner that the graduates from the CTE education programs have the requisite relevance in the market. The best practices in the CTE education are centered on the creation of the right information needs for all the students (Wang, 2011). The attainment of the informational needs is classified into three categories whereby the first’s one is the declarative knowledge and skills, procedural information needs and finally the contextual informational needs. The best practices in the CTE education center on the effective creation of curriculum that satisfies the aforementioned information needs.

The framework for the classification of informational needs into the above classes was developed by mid continent regional educational laboratory under the stewardship of John Kendall. The categorization of the information and skills imparted into the students into the above categories was developed with the purpose of creating high standards for the knowledge and skills imparted to the students in the institutions of higher learning (Wang, 2011). The format has been used in over ten states in the development of standards for academic subjects, career technical education as well as life skill lessons.

Declarative knowledge is the formations that is composed of facts, events principles and concepts that have to be known by the learner as opposed to be practices. This type of knowledge calls for the clear understanding of the component parts. For instance, an understanding the standard of profit margins, the learner has to know what makes up the entire standard. He has to understand the concepts of variable costs, fixed costs and so on. On the other hand, procedural knowledge is the information on what the learner has to know in order to carry out a certain event.

This calls for the development of the skills and knowledge on the processes that are important in a given content area (Stone, Aliaga & others, 2003). Using the example above, the procedural knowledge in the understanding of the profit margin standards is the knowledge on how to calculate the profit margins. Finally, contextual knowledge move beyond the areas covered by the declarative and procedural knowledge. It include the information or skills learnt or defined according to the conditions of the lesson. This is new knowledge that the learner acquires in the process of carrying out an activity.

Working with the informational framework mentioned above covers all the areas. This is the most commonly used best standards by the CTE superintendents. The selling point for this approach is the fact that the approach supports a hands on mode of instruction. The standards that are developed at the knowledge level are multipurpose since the encompass skills and principles that cut across most of the occupations INS a certain industry.

The information and skills format of coming up with the standard marks a major change in standards from the previously used more detailed activities that prevailed the CTE in the past. The change in the approach of writing the standards comes from the realization that the knowledge and skills based standards support the development of a hands on or applied approach to the education. It also helps in the mastery of skills that are relevant in the intermediate employment. The conceptual knowledge can be applied in the real world situations that demand that the graduates have the required knowledge transferability.

The superintendent has to develop standards that facilitate the transfer of knowledge across all the areas. Given the competitive nature of the current job market, workers often find themselves competing with other graduates from other countries. In order for the employees to have the relevance in the current market where all the people are oriented towards competition, it is important for the CTE superintendents to factor in the applicability of the knowledge that the students acquire in the real life situations. The high speed telecommunications make it hard for the programs developed for a certain region or country to have the relevance.

In order for the students to maintain the global relevance, it is important for the management to come up with the required informational needs. The students ought to be prepared to compete with the employees in the regions that have low costs yet high standard labor. This equipping approach will enable the students deal with the issue of outsourcing of high skill and low skill labor to countries that have employees with a sharp grasp on the concepts.

The second focus of the CTE in the developing world is the creation of the mastery of the fundamental skills. The ability of the person to perform at a given task is not sufficient to make him or her attain the necessary set of skills that will make him employable in the market. The skills to perform a task may not be sufficient to guarantee one employment. The CTE superintendents have to ensure that the graduates have the required set of skills to enable them work. They should have the academic. Employ ability and technical skills that have the applicability across all the industries.

The use of broad standards that are written using the skills and knowledge orientations enable most of the people to work with the changing environment. For instances, it is possible for the management to come up with the required set of skills for a specialized unit. However, the majority of the would-be employers are small based and they cannot employ specialized employees. This aspect leaves the majority of the companies with the option of selecting the employees that have the broad set of skills to work in all the industries. Therefore, allowing the majority of the students to specialize could be a disservice to them. Therefore, multiple skills or rather the broadened standards enable the high school graduate to be employable across all the industries (Stitt-Gohdes & Crews, 2005). Broadening the standards also reduces the number of standards needed in a module. This makes it easier for the students to fit in the diversified educational fields.

How does CTE help improve the labor market?

There is always a wide gap between the workers skills attainment and the demands by the employers. This means that the focus on the preparation of the students for the college education does not address all the needs of the economy. The young people are not well equipped to handle all the challenges that come from working. The singular focus applied by some schools does not make the young people well prepared with the skills and capabilities of the modern workplace. Singular education orientation also does not help in the transitioning of the young people from adolescent to adulthood. There are overlaps in the education system that is poised on increasing the college graduates as opposed to the ones that have the focus of imparting the skills needed in the workplace.

The CTE education works on the premise of including all the children in the education system and avoiding the rates of college drop outs (Stitt-Gohdes & Crews, 2005). CTE is built on an American tradition that looks into ways through which the management can increase the use of all the people. The belief on which the tradition is founded is that the education system has the role of helping the children actualize their potentials in the field which they are best suited.

Benefits of this focus are not limited to the students. On the contrary, they transcend into the labor market whereby the young people are capable of increasing their productivity in the market. The labor market deficiencies mentioned above are better dealt with using the CTE as opposed to the strict career orientations. The majority of the students that have undergone through CTE find themselves working hard towards the attainment of the labor needs of the company since they are equipped to be versatile. Versatility is a major need for the market. The present labor gap comes from the specialization of the employees (Stitt-Gohdes & Crews, 2005). When the companies outsources their labor or sections of their operations to other nations, the specialized employees find themselves without any form of employment. Transitioning into another field of specialization takes time.

Furthermore, the employees may be unwilling to effect the transition. CTE enables the young people to move from the specializations into other areas (Stitt-Gohdes & Crews, 2005). This aspects of the development of standards is the main reason behind the broadening of the standards of education to increase the labor mobility from one area to another.

The other contribution of the CTE is the ability to cater for the proportions of the labor demands. The market calls for the creation of both academic oriented and technically equipped employees. The proportions of the technical employees is higher compared to that of the academic oriented employees. CTE equips the students with the basic knowledge that qualifies them for the selection into the technical jobs. It also supplements the academic knowledge even for the employees that will have the academic oriented jobs. The ability of the technical education to supplement and complement academic knowledge is a major selling point since most of the labor markets calls for the development of the technical knowledge alongside academic knowledge.

Training of the employees to facilitate their education in all the areas mentioned above is important for all the industries. For instance, a manager ought to have both the technical and academic knowledge (Stitt-Gohdes & Crews, 2005). This knowledge can be attained in both the academic and technical orientation that is available in the CTE training. As a result, it is possible for the bridging of the gap between the labor market demands and the supply of the labor as required.

How do they know?

The knowledge of the effectiveness of the information on the success of the CTE in the labor market expectation and supply gap is attained by conduction of the surveys on the effectiveness of the students that have undergone CTE training versus the ones that have undertaken predominant academic oriented education (Stitt-Gohdes & Crews, 2005). The surveys conducted on the effectives of the career technical education indicate that the graduates have shorter and steeper learning curves compared to the employees that have predominant academic knowledge training. The managers in charge of the new employees often commend them for their aptness in the daily tasks.

The second source of the information on the effectiveness of career technical education comes from the feedback from the graduates from CTE classes. The graduate’s form the classes often comment on the ease that they have when they are moving into the workplace. The knowledge attained from the CTE educational classes is cited among the main drivers behind the ease of transition into the new field. They also comment on their ability to work in the different field. For instance, most of the students that are trained in the repairs and maintenance of the motor vehicles comment on the ease that they have when they are moving into related field such as aero plane maintenance (Stitt-Gohdes & Crews, 2005). This confession on the applicability of the knowledge acquired through CTE is indicative that the standards that are developed by the superintendents actually work.

The other source of feedback on the effectiveness of CTE is the employees on the employability of the students that have undertaken the classes. The students that have gone through the CTE classes display high levels of employability (Stitt-Gohdes & Crews, 2005). For instance, it is possible to employ two classes of employees, one that has undergone through the CTE system and the ones that have just moved from the academic institutions directly into the working field.

Information received from the employees indicate that there is a need for the development of more adept employability tact in the employees that have a pure academic background (Wang & King, 2008).

The final measure of the effectiveness of CTE is through the feedback from the community. Majority of the community members opine that the students that have undergone the CTE training are better citizens compared to the ones that have not undertaken any other training apart from the academics. Training the students in CTE is important since it enables them make a smooth transition from adolescence to adulthood (Stitt-Gohdes & Crews, 2005). The community feedback can be used using the common statistical approaches of data collection. A positive feedback from the community means that the approach used by the CTE superintendent is actually working. In the event that the feedback on the effectiveness of the CTE programs is undesirable, the CTE superintendents can modify the approaches to suit the expectations of the stakeholders in the labor market.

CTE superintendents work with a best practice in the attainment of the correct knowledge on the effectiveness of their plans. One of the best practices that they use is the inclusion of all the stakeholders in the development of the programs. Continued inclusion is important since the stakeholders are bound to be affected by the approaches used by the graduates in the workplace. Including the superintendents in the work environment makes the data collection easier and accurate (Wang & King, 2008).

The information on the needs of the market as far as the labor orientations is concerned is made possible using the inclusion approach. For instance, the development of the programs for the manufacturing sectors calls for the involvement of the managers and policy makers in the industry. The policy makers can inform the program creation process in such a manner that it will lead to the development of the best skill set that will be applicable. The successful program creation meeting also act as a data collection ventures since the superintendents are capable of accessing the information on the flaws of the previous programs.

The flaws could be as a result of the inherent limitations in the program or change. In the event that the former is the cause of the ineffectiveness of the CTE program, the superintendents can make informed adjustments on the programs to suit the needs of the market. The other way of collecting the information on the effectiveness is by bench marking (Wang & King, 2008). This is an industrial practice whereby the superintendents visit the authorities in the fields and looks at how their system work. The knowledge gained from the visits is transferred into programs to suit the needs of the people. The superintendents may also conduct direct data collection drives on the effectiveness of their programs whereby they interview samples of stakeholder.

References

Bishop, J., & Mane, F. (2004). The impacts of career-technical education on high school labor market success. Economics Of Education Review, 23(4), 381--402.
Competitive, K. (2011). Career Technical Education. ERIC.
Herna´ndez-Gantes, V., & Blank, W. (2009). Teaching English language learners in career and technical education programs (1st Ed.). New York: Routledge.
Rojewski, J. (2002). Preparing the workforce of tomorrow: A conceptual framework for career and technical education. Journal Of Vocational Education Research, 27(1), 7--35.
Scott, J., & Sarkees-Wircenski, M. (2001). Overview of career and technical education (1st Ed.). Homewood, Ill.: American Technical Publishers.
Stitt-Gohdes, W., & Crews, T. (2005). The Delphi technique: A research strategy for career and technical education. Digital Library and Archives of the Virginia Tech University Libraries.
Stone, J., Aliaga, O., & others, (2003). Career and technical education, career pathways, and work-based learning: Changes in participation 1997-1999. National Centers for Career and Technical Education.
Wang, V., & King, K. (2008). Innovations in career and technical education (1st Ed.). [Charlotte, N.C.]: Information Age Pub.
Wang, V. (2011). Definitive readings in the history, philosophy, theories and practice of career and technical education (1st Ed.). Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.

Home Schooling Sample Essay & Outline

Education can come in different ways. The ideal concept in education is that knowledge is passed to the child. Home schooling is an interest-motivated education and self-motivated education system. Thus, it entails a curriculum that explores the topics covered in the normal curriculum in schools, but the topics and subjects are covered differently.

The thesis of this essay is to explain how the home-schooling concept works. Further, my essay aims at discussing the merits and demerits of using home-schooling curriculum for your child.

According to Richards & Bohlke (2012), homeschooling works differently for every child and family. There are families that educate the child by manipulating the child’s interest in various topics and subjects. The child’s interest is tailored together with the child’s natural exploration of the topic. Homeschooling offers a different approach towards learning. On the other hand, homeschooling can entail following the normal school curriculum at home. For instance, some parents buy all the books required for the child at a certain class. The idea is that the child is taught almost similar to how other children are taught in school. The only difference is the child gets educated at home and not in school (Millman & Millman, 2008).

Homeschooling works even in the college level. The level of homeschooling success depends on the family and the child undergoing education. The way the family approaches the program predicts the success or failure of the education. The key element in homeschooling is motivation. This education system encourages the child’s self-motivation and self-interest. The child is free to choose the topics that are of personal interest. Therefore, the child’s interests are discovered earlier and the child is helped to develop the right skills. Moreover, homeschooling can lead to identification of the child’s career or topic specialization that best suits the child (Richards & Bohlke, 2012).

In the USA, every child has the right to chose homeschooling. There are no special justifications or conditions that are set, limiting homeschooling programs. However, in some states, there are laws set regulating homeschooling programs. Homeschooling can be done by a parent, relative, neighbor or by a hired tutor. Homeschooling curriculum is equal to the normal school curriculum. The state laws dictate what the homeschooling curriculum must cover. However, homeschooling curriculum is flexible and the tutor can plan the lessons how they want (Millman, 2008).

Homeschooling children encounter a different social life from children in a normal school setting. Other than spending the most of their time with other school children, homeschooling students get to interact with people of different ages. This makes homeschooling children become more self-confident and self-reliant. Moreover, homeschooling children become less concerned with peer pressure than most schoolchildren.

Homeschoolers do not get isolated from the community. They are allowed to participate in most social activities such as swimming lessons, scouts, dance lessons and church groups. Moreover, homeschoolers are also allowed to engage in field activities such as playing soccer. In addition, other homeschooling children do volunteer activities such as shelving books at the local library and helping in community activities. Homeschooling children in USA have support groups. The support groups bring together children who are undergoing homeschooling programs, and they plan park days, field trips or group activities (Richards & Bohlke, 2012).

Homeschooling is largely growing and there is a wide set of resources available for these students. Parents can choose from a set of well-tried curricula and other study programs to formulate an effective home education program. Further, home schoolers can participate in some public school programs that offer them conventional materials that would be useful. For instance, home schoolers can benefit from used book depositories. Thus, this offers them school materials such as encyclopedias, textbooks and other library books at nominal expense. Consequently, the internet has made it easy for home schoolers to obtain useful informal needed in normal study (Marcovici, 2007).

Advantages of homeschooling

Homeschooling is parent-led. Thus, it is done for the best interest of the child. Homeschooling is better than school enrollment because personal attention is given to the child. Further, homeschoolers receive effective education that is well designed to meet their learning styles. Moreover, home schooling natures the child’s distinctive gifts and needs. Home schooling moves at the child’s pace, thus it is more effective than school education. In addition, home schooling is more flexible to fit the student’s schedule. Thus, unnecessary activities that are time wasting are avoided. Home schooling can strengthen the family relationships because parents spend more time with their children (Wyatt, 2008).

Disadvantages of home schooling

Homeschooling poses more work for the parents and more commitment is required. A lot of self-discipline is required for parents whose children undergo homeschooling. Some parents consider home schooling because of the annual statistics that grade the quality of homeschooling education higher than in schools. However, if the parents are not experienced in teaching or they lack the necessary teaching skills, the home schooling program may fail. Thus, it is advisable that parents who are not qualified teachers should hire professional tutors (Gathercole, 2007).

Homeschooling has been successfully tested in numerous home setting and with the right approach, it can be successful. Homeschooling can improve the child’s ability to learn and understand concepts if implemented correctly. Moreover, homeschooling can bring out the child’s talents and it is easier for the parents to identify their children’s area of career specialty.

References

Wyatt, G. (2008). Family ties: Relationships, socialization, and home schooling. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
Millman, G., & Millman, M. (2008). Homeschooling: A family's journey. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin.
Richards, J. C., & Bohlke, D. (2012). Four corners: 3A. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gathercole, R. (2007). The well-adjusted child: The social benefits of homeschooling. Denver, Colo: Mapletree Pub. Co.
Marcovici, M. (2014). Homeschooling: Useful alternative or damaging deviation?. Norderstedt: Books on Demand.