Project Summary Essay: Education 1

Project Summary Essay

Jessica Sachs

Arkansas Tech University

Project Summary Essay: Education 2

Education is the building block of our society. The process to better education does not

happen overnight. Change is a process which starts with analyze of the structure and

involvement of different components possessed at Dover High School. Dover High School is a

public secondary education school located in rural a community in Dover, Arkansas.

Curriculum and state-wide testing will be consistent for the second year; this can be a

deterrent to students ability to perform on these state standardized tests as they keep changing

from year to year. The lack of consistency in standards that have to be tested can reflect

negatively on the school once students have received their results.

The purpose of this project is to find ways to better education through more structured

curriculum and providing opportunities for students to be more ready in their test taking abilities.

It will only benefit the future education system and students by providing them with a quality

education. The most challenging part of teaching is for teachers to make sure their students not

only test well but learn the material being taught.

One of the main problems in Dover High School is the constant changes in curriculum.

The lack of resources hinders each students full potential when it comes to education, especially

when the curriculum changes from year to year. The resources such as supplies, up to date books,

and technology. Another issue for schools is the changing of curriculum and state-wide

standardized assessments. This is not a problem Dover High School can directly solve on their

own; however, the proper training and reinforcement to students and teachers would be a great

benefit for the district and its students.

The data collected will be from answers on a prewritten questionnaire from various

teachers and students upon their availability. The questionnaires will be formally given to each
Project Summary Essay: Education 3

teacher and student. The questionnaires will provide answers and solutions from teachers and

students, which will help improve the district and various areas of weaknesses.

The questionnaire given to students is different than those given to teachers. The

questions asked to the students relate to test taking confidence and preparation skills as well as

level of content and performance the students believe they are at. The questionnaires asked to the

teachers relate to planning, teaching, and state-wide assessments. This method requires a larger

sample with created a more in depth research. To find a solution, the problem needs to be

targeted.

The focus of this study was to closely examine teachers and students of Dover Public

Schools. The survey conducted included two questionnaires with eleven questions for each the

teachers and students. There was total of thirty-two participants. The data consisted of sixth ninth

through twelfth grade teachers; four ninth grade teachers; two tenth grade teachers; two eleventh

grade teachers; and two twelfth grade teachers. The other set of data consisted of eleven, ninth

grade students; three, tenth grade students; one, eleventh grade students; and one, twelfth grade

student.

According to the questionnaires given out to students and teachers, data was collected to

determine if how Dover High School is succeeding with providing an excellent education for

students, readiness for state-wide testing, providing teachers with adequate resources, and

allowing teachers enough time to prepare for their courses.

To solve the problem regarding the use and implementation of more technology needs to

enforced. With technology, students and teachers would have more resources at their fingertips

that will contribute to further their learning and enhance overall skills. The use of technology can

yield other strategies that can produce deeper understanding.

Project Summary Essay: Education 4