A Reflection on "Central Park East" 

The documentary poses a wide range over solutions to the crippled education system in low-income areas. The problems that need solutions are simple. First of all, not only are school classrooms to big, but they do not give the students a voice. The students struggle to gain integrity or a shred of confidence in their abilities. This is the cause for the high dropout rate in these low economic neighborhoods. The second argument is the lack of interest teachers have in supporting the students. Teachers need to care for their students to help them grow. These problems are what the documentary argues are the main issues. 

While these issues are very real, they aren't the primary concern. A serious lack of funding is the biggest concern facing schools like Central Park East. While it's briefly mentioned, the documentary fails in covering it. Their solution was to lower class sizes among other things. The students need to be properly supplied when coming to school or they cannot appropriately function. The best solution would be to rally for greater funding in schools like CPE (Central Park East). By no means is a task like gaining further tax payer dollars easy, but it is the greatest solution to the problem. 

The teachers philosophy when it comes to education are commendable. Their aim is to nurture moral growth through a steady education. They do not believe that people alone make education happen, but the environment plays a large factor as well. The small classroom with peer group styles is well researched in working, but at the time of this documentary it's a new method. Students work with one another without fear of harassment or bullying. As one of the students said, they have greater knowledge in being human then other schools can supply. 

This system of teaching is far different from my reality when growing up. For me, I went too a "factory" style school. Teachers were largely uncaring in anything but test scores. The teachers that I see in this remind me of the two teachers I had that change my perception of teaching, and are the reason i'm even teaching today. The curriculum was a set standard by the school. Change was unacceptable and it has to fit in the syllabus. If students were behind then it was their fault. CPE's system seems to be far more lenient than any other school I have seen. 

As much as I hate to say it, technology is becoming more prevalent in schools with every year. Soon schools will need to supply technology education courses in school. The reason I hate to say that is because it's already hard to teach the core subjects. Curriculum's would all have to be reworked to adjust for the new subject. I see three potential options when considering this possibility. The first is that all class be shortened to make more time. Second is adding more hours to the school day for new openings. This being the least likely since many educators believe school days should be smaller anyway. The third option is a combination of option one and two. Regardless, a change like this will likely be coming. 

Parents can have an active role in their child's education. If parents can shine a light on the abilities and habits their child has at home, the teacher can bring those things to the classroom. This would allow the children to learn through the things they love at home. For example, if a majority of the parents say their children love music, then the teacher could integrate music into the classroom. Ideally, the parents sense of satisfaction would rise since they have an active affect on the classroom.