Introduction
This will provide an overview of the whole paper. It might be nice to use a quote, followed by which lenses you used in your stories for comparison as well as which countries you compare your experiences with, and wrapping up with the main outcomes of your analysis. It is normal to finish writing this after you see how the paper unfolds, continually adding to your initial iteration.
Social Fabric
This provides a context for the paper. This will consist of social realities that distinguish your schooling experience, including basic demographics, economic and cultural circumstances. You will include major forces or events that shaped your overall experience of schooling. These might include whether you went to public or private, religious or secular, moved a lot or stayed in one district, went to a large or small school, in an urban/suburban or rural setting, were involved in special programs or opportunities, were in a school with a particular emphasis or unusual configuration, studied abroad, went through any life-changing events, and the like.
It finishes with any successes or challenges you may have experienced along the schooling journey. For more detail on what is entailed, our text (Schooling Around the World p. 10-12) is the inspiration for this category, and that is the way the chapters of the book about each country are organized. Obviously, your version will be much briefer.
Stories of schooling
Your final paper will include two to three stories from your own schooling experience that serve as comparison/contrast points with the experiences of students in other countries. The first of these stories will be developed in Session Ten, with others added in the outline, Draft Two and the Final Draft as the paper is developed. You will choose stories that you believe illustrate some aspect of your schooling. Use the lenses we have been exploring (purpose of schooling, educational access & opportunity, indigenous knowledge, gender equity, educational authority & accountability, and/or teacher professionalism) to frame your story. If you want to use a different lens, ask me about it.
Comparative analysis
This element involves taking the key highlights of your schooling story and comparing/contrasting them with the same issues experienced by students in another country. For example, if you tell a story of gender equity, you may want to compare your experience both to a country where students have things much worse, and those with situations similar to yours or much better. The analysis comes when you mention how your experience is like those of students in another country, and instances where your experience is very different. Think about why those differences exist, and what schools in the USA or the other countries might do to change the situation.
Reflection
This is a chance to stand back and think about the implications of your comparisons on schooling in the USA – perhaps some positives about what you have gone through in school and opportunities you have had, perhaps some ways the journey might have been richer for you or some opportunities missed. What might we learn from other countries? What might other countries learn from the USA?
References
Finally, you will have a References page at the end of the paper, citing the textbook, and any artifacts or any forum discussions that provided you with the information you used in the comparative analysis. Use both ‘in-text’ and end of paper citations, using APA format. This will come gradually as we complete the paper, and I will provide more sources for APA as we do more drafts.
6. Length is 5-75 pages, do not exceed 5 pages, using 12 font, 1″ margins on all sides, and double spacing
I already completed the first draft and can attach it. The final draft checklist ais as follows.
Please submit Comparative Analysis of Schooling Final Paper here.
Partial checklist for editing–details do matter:
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- Did you use all the subheadings (Introduction, Social Fabric, Stories of Schooling, Comparative Analysis and Reflection)
- Do you have a title page with a Running Head?
- Does your title capture the essence of your paper, including the ‘comparative analysis’ at the heart of the paper?
- Did you add a Sources or References or Works Cited page?
- Does the Sources page include the textbook AND artifacts for the countries with which you compare your schooling?
- Have you stayed within 7 pages of text (not counting Title Page and Sources page)?
- Is/are your lens(es) explicit?
- Have you supported your comparative analysis with quotes/examples from published text/artifacts?
- Did you consult APA for both ‘in text’ and ‘References’ or ‘Sources’ citations?
- Have you written out any contractions (didn’t = did not)?
- Did you formalize any slang (mom = mother) or abbreviations (TV = television, GE = general education)?
- Did you place punctuation inside quotation marks (“…schooling is complex”. = “…schooling is complex.”)
- Did you remember to write out numbers 0-10 (5 of us were in class = five of us were in class)?
- Have you checked to be sure that you honored the accomplishments and innovations of education in other countries around the world, and did not just assume the US is doing the best job (because it is not according to numerous measures)? We have much to do to fulfill the promise of ‘education for all.’
The first draft that i submit has the wrong Social Fabric section and needs to be completely redone to pertain to the guidlines. However I submit my first draft for you to view for reference. I ALSO SUBMIT ALL MY NOTES WITH QUOTES AND RESOURCES.