The education system in the United States has long been viewed as a discriminatory even with the abolishment of racial segregation and commencement of a democratic society. For a long time now, the country and its learning system have not achieved the full status of equal opportunity and individual integrity as far as ethics is concerned. This is due to the history of segregation that cut across various social classes including race, gender, age, and economic status ( Schimmel, Fischer, & Stellman, 2008 ). Traditionally, too many schools have been overwhelmed by the structures of segregation such as grouping the students in terms of ability and tracking. This denies equal opportunity and leads to the cutting out of many people, particularly women, people of color, and the poor. As of present, policymakers, educators, and scholars are aiming at having attempted to solve the issue and create a system that is democratic and geared towards the ethical wellbeing of the society (Strike & Soltis, 2015). The aim is to achieve an education that demonstrates how to achieve equal opportunity for all.
The classification of students on the basis of ability to learn and grasp concepts has led to many experiencing struggles with the education system. There are several intervention recommendations that have been brought up in a bid to set up a standard for treatment of all students equally. The fundamental goal is to support the students who are struggling experience focused learning opportunities and help them achieve academic excellence. It should be noted that this goal is shared with another instructional term known as remediation. The differences between the two types of instruction are crucial in determining the kind of approach, time, and environment necessary to best serve the students. Remediation means teaching the content again to the students that previously failed to learn. This happens when an educator realizes errors and misconceptions taught. The teacher then moves to quickly remediate the concept early on and for the benefit of the entire class during the main instruction in a bid to prevent the majority of students to require specialized interventions.
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Often, intervention is known as the formal process of helping struggling students through the implementation of research-based approaches of instruction that are tailored around specific skill deficits and which enables the tracking of progress. This instructional method is intensive and aims at identifying the students with disabilities and reducing the learning gaps in later grades and make a referral for the students with special needs. The framework for intervention is always divided into three categories or hierarchy. Tier 1 (Primary level) consists of 80 percent of students ( Pelco & Reed-Victor, 2007) . In this category, all students are offered high-quality general education instruction or core instruction that emphasizes making all the students receive the same curriculum. This is the foundation of intervention implementation as it focuses on all students. Tier 2 (Secondary level) is implemented on the students who show some degree of inadequate responsiveness to education despite receiving quality instruction at Tier 1. The students are given intervention alongside their core instruction. When they are unresponsive to the secondary level, they receive Tier 3 intervention. Also known as tertiary intervention, this level is aimed at giving intensive instruction that is sometimes accompanied by special education when the other interventions prove ineffective.
In a bid to explain the importance of having an education system that is geared towards ethics and democracy, DuFour (2004) produced a model known as the professional learning community (PLC). This concept has gained track since the 1990s and achieved increased attention as a model that holds a lot of promise in solving the various challenges facing the education systems in achieving teaching quality and student learning outcomes. Despite the many descriptions and misconceptions surrounding the model, there is a denominator in what a PLC entails. One of it is the ability to ensure learning on the side of the students. It shifts the attention from mere teaching to make sure that they are learning. It helps the school put in place mechanisms to determine whether they are making progress by making and adopting some of the characteristics that make the students achieve academic excellence. The school answers the pressing questions and finds itself implementing the improvement initiative. The teachers ensure that they respond effectively to students that have learning difficulty in a timely, systematic, and directive manner. The essence of democracy in education is not treating everyone the same but treating them appropriately (Strike & Soltis, 2015).
The other idea of a PLC is that it forges a culture of collaboration in the school. Teachers must work together to recognize the collective purpose of learning. Educators work together to improve their classroom experience. They work in teams that promote deep learning. In turn, this leads to higher levels of student excellence. In addition, PLCs are focused on results (DuFour, 2004). The professional learning community is an effective tool in ensuring the disconnect among the teachers of all levels of ability. This collaboration will ensure that there is an improvement in practice and that the colleagues will support their student’s learning.
The biggest win for the PLC model is that it prevents segregation in the community and gears towards democracy. It values all the members of the school and helps the teachers in distributing the resources (specifically their time) justly among all the levels of ability. It enhances fairness by timely identifying the students that require special attention and acting on it accordingly. A democratic community is tailored around the treatment of people differently according to their ability and also taking into consideration the weakest members, but not segregation (Strike & Soltis, 2015). One of the pertinent issues that surround education equality is the creation of the least restrictive environment (LRE) where the students with learning difficulties can be treated fairly (Teachings in Education, 2016). The students with learning disabilities should spend more time with their peers who do not need special education to feel equal. This means they should be integrated into the general education classes with special education teacher supports offered. This, in turn, is in line with the collaboration advocated by the PLCs.
References
Schimmel, D., Fischer, L., & Stellman, L. R. (2008). School Law: What every educator should know: A user-friendly guide . Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Teachings in Education. (2016, August 27). What is the least restrictive environment (LRE)? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUtR75sMBOc
Strike, K., & Soltis, J. F. (2015). The ethics of teaching . Teachers College Press.
DuFour, R. (2004). What Is a "professional learning community"?. Educational Leadership, 61(8), 6-11. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may04/vol61/num08/What-Is-a-Professional-Learning-Community%C2%A2.aspx
Pelco, L. E., & Reed-Victor, E. (2007). Self-regulation and learning-related social skills: Intervention ideas for elementary school students. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth , 51 (3), 36-42.
