Ed majors prepare for.changing environments

JESSICA GoLDBERG STAFF WRITER JG723@CABRINLEDU

Education has become an extremely popular major because a lot of older teachers are retiring, leaving the new teachers to deal with higher qualifications as well as the theory of no child stays behind and technology.

Dr. Thomas Stretton, Jr., an education professor, said that the no child staying behind theory is a very complex federal program initiated by the Bush administration, which will guarantee students literacy at a higher level. There are three components which are assessment, teacher training, and student testing.

"Hopefully all students will have attained a certain level of mastery in math and English," Stretton said.

The reading and math testing is from grades three to eight. There is also an Adequate Yearly Process. The AYP will show that enough students are making progress.

"By the year 2006, core academic teachers be quired to be highly qualified ( college degrees to graduate work). This varies from level to level and the schools can then tell the parents whether or not the teacher is highly qualified. This is not an issue in Eastern Pennsylvania, but it is a national issue," Stretton said. The goal is to have a certified teacher in every classroom because last year Philadelphia was short more than 1500 teachers.

Kelly Stronski, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Mulberry Childcare and Pre-School has noticed an extreme use of computers in the classroom. When she was a freshman in college, the Internet was new and hard to use, but she notices that now children as old as three are able to get onto the Internet.

"It is not too early to learn how to use a computer. The children start learning how to count on a computer around the age of three at this school, and this can put them a step ahead," Stronski said.

This is part of our culture now and to not know how to use a computer early on in life can become a huge disadvantage later.

Stronski also said that this is very beneficial because each child will know certain information before they leave a grade.