My Purpose

Dorothy Away from Home : 

Dorothy Away from Home Presented By: Travis Rice

Me - Meg : 

Me - Meg Born in Saint Joseph, Missouri Have two brothers, one older and one younger Attended undergrad at the University of Missouri with a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education

Family - Familie : 

Family - Familie

Slide 4: 

Where? - Hvor?

Slide 5: 

Missouri Tornado Alley Bible Belt Bellwether State The “Show-Me” State The End of the East and the Beginning of the West

Slide 6: 

St. Joseph

Rotary Club #32The Benton Club : 

Rotary Club #32The Benton Club

Why? - Hvorfor? : 

Why? - Hvorfor? Attending school at the Universitetet I Oslo Studying for a Masters with a focus on International and Comparative Education With hopes to find solutions and ways to improve the educational system in the United States of America.

U.S. Educational System : 

U.S. Educational System Education is a “power” left to the States Most schools in the U.S. are public and run by school districts (which are established by geographical divisions) Public schools are state ran, private schools are run independently (usually religiously affiliated)

Talking Numbers : 

Talking Numbers 50+ million students are registered in grades K-12 in the U.S. That is larger than the population of 190+ world nations Norway has approx. 842,550 total students (Primary to Upper Secondary), and 3,584 schools (Pri.-12, public, private and state) MO has approx. 917,705 total students, 67,076 teachers, and 2,361 schools MO has a graduation rate of 76.3% or 57,781 students each year

A Comparison : 

A Comparison Concept of a Folk High School Non-existent in the U.S. 7 out of 10 primary teachers are women in Norway About 90% are women in the U.S. Only 24.9% of nations 3 million teachers are male Source: http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/865/public/news697467.html Religion as a subject in public schools Separation of church and state in the U.S. Vocational Track In Norway, upper secondary education is split between 9 vocational tracks and 3, which prepare one for higher education Not as common in the U.S.

Second Languages : 

Second Languages The introduction of English and other world languages comes at a much earlier age and is taken more seriously My district did not require a second language until high school (upper secondary) 2003-2004 data estimated 4,999,481 ELL students enrolled in public K-12 schools 10.3% of entire school pop. and a 40.7% increase over a 10 year period In 2000-2001, just over 1 million immigrants were enrolled in U.S. schools Nationwide, approx. 2.5% of teachers who instruct ELL possess a degree in ELL or bilingual education In reading comprehension (2000-2001), only 18.7% of ELLs scored at or above the norm

Disparities : 

Disparities In the U.S. we strive for equal opportunity yet… 13 million kids, on average, that grow up below the poverty line, are 3 grades below their peers in reading by 4th grade Literacy is nearly 100% in Norway Half will not graduate high school and the half that do, will have an 8th grade ability level compared to kids in higher income communities 1 out of 10 born in low income will graduate from college Most of the students falling in the statistics above, are students of color Source: http://www.charlierose.com/features/education

The ‘Change’ FROM : 

The ‘Change’ FROM “In the United States the dominant feature of the current educational picture seems to be change. The child and the youth during the sixteen to twenty-year period now devoted to education, must change his attitudes, values, norms, and behavior…Thus the child in the United States finds that he must prepare for the future by learning to compete as early as possible. His/her personal and moral growth will not be of great importance so long as he progresses through the competitive system.” Carol Ann Radich, American and Norwegian Education: A Value Comparison, 1969.

TO… : 

TO… My Goal: An educational system that eliminates the marginalization of education, provides every student with an equal and fair opportunity to learn in a safe environment, and possess dedicated and passionate staff who are able to make decisions for the betterment of the school(s).

Federal Actions : 

Federal Actions No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Set high expectations with measurable goals $54.4 billion (277.7 billion NOK) on educational funding, while spent $439.3 billion (2 trillion NOK) on defense in 2007 Title 1 Provides federal funds to public schools with high numbers or percentages of poor children Funds reach about 12.5 million students

State Action : 

State Action Grade Level Expectations Similar to “knowledge promotion” curriculum, which provides goals for students and specific levels/grades State/district developed Students are tested yearly in Missouri on these expectations and as also as the district requires

Questions??? Comments!!! : 

Questions??? Comments!!!

A Quote : 

A Quote “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” - Marianne Williamson -

Sources : 

Sources Statistics Norway http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/04/02/facts/facts2008.pdf Royal Norwegian Consulate http://www.norway.org/education/norwaysschoolsystem/primary/primary.htm Missouri Department of Education http://dese.mo.gov/schooldata/annual_report.html U.S. Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/about/contacts/state/index.html?src=gu http://www.jstor.org/pss/1490946 http://www.ssb.no/utdanning_tema_en/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_high_school#Norway