Essential Question
The 2013-2014 TGC cohort traveled to Washington, D.C. for a three day symposium on Global Education. During the symposium we participated in a workshop to develop an essential question that would guide our inquiry while we traveled in our respective countries. I chose to focus on identity because I am interested in how to support the very diverse students I teach every year and how identity can be an indicator of success or failure in the classroom. It is also an interesting aspect of education because nearly all local, state, and federal education policy is focused on the achievement gap and graduation rates which directly effect the day to day teaching and learning in every school district. The workshop helped the participants to craft an essential question, a questions that does not have a right or wrong answer. It is a question that is organic and can be applied in any educational setting. I offer the following essential question and the research I did before traveling to Morocco, the insights I gained from the other cohort members and the teachers, and from observing and interviewing Moroccan teachers.
To what extent does identity shape national educational policy?
There is sound research conducted by Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger, & Vohs (2003) suggesting a strong correlation between self-esteem and academic success. Strong self-esteem in a high school teenager may be in the form of higher socioeconomic status, brought up in a traditional family, being a member of the majority group or simply having a higher IQ. All of these factors contribute to how a teenager identifies himself or herself. However, identity can also be an obstacle to success in high school especially among urban youth. One example, as illustration, is Hispanic youth. Hispanics represent the largest minority sub-group in the United States, have the lowest graduation rate among minority groups and are underrepresented in higher education (Hispanic Education). This is just one of hundreds of categories into which youth can be categorized and identified within the education system in the United States and lowering the dropout rate or increasing access to higher education means shaping national policy to meet these goals.
What is a national education policy? In the United States it grew out of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 to address the inequalities in education and has continued to change and evolve over the last five decades. In simple terms, every school, district, and state are required to provide appropriate and equal education to the nation's youth as a basic civil right. Therefore, education policy in the United States is intricately tied to identity.
In the context of Morocco, the question is answered differently. Identity in Morocco is almost singular. Everyone is Moroccan first. While touring around Morocco, our guide gave an excellent historical example regarding the Moroccan Jews during World War II. The guide explained that when Hitler asked Sultan Mohammed V to send the Jews to the labor camps in Europe he refused. This is verified by an article from the UN News Centre when "Serge Berdugo, Ambassador at Large for Morocco, recounted a story at the event of his father, a leader of a Jewish community in the country during World War II, who received the solemn vow of the country’s monarch that no harm would come to Jews which did not ‘affect first my family and myself’’ (Moroccan Jews). When I questioned Moroccan teachers about identity and national education policy I was met with blank stares. There is not the basic civil right of equal education, the classrooms were filled will Moroccan students even though it became clear during my visit that various groups were more likely to dropout or have restricted access to school.
National education policy in Morocco does not have the sense of meritocracy that underlies U.S. policy. Students must pass both regional and national exams in order to matriculate. Conversations with numerous Moroccan teachers illustrated the problem that grade retention and dropout rates at the high school level are very high in poorer neighborhood schools. Many of the staff attributed this to poor self-esteem that correlated with the research by Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger, & Vohs (2003) and the fact that the female dropout rate is about 20% higher than for males. When teachers were asked about identity and student achievement it was difficult for them to critical analyze identity. In other words, they would look at me and say, "Everyone is Moroccan - what other identity is there?" One teacher I interviewed did not like her placement at an urban school in a very poor neighborhood of Rabat. Teachers are placed by the government and have very little opportunity to teach where they want. This policy may be an underlying cause of the uneven distribution of education across the country. I observed her in the classroom and between the interview and the observation it was clear that she was not a good match for this particular school. She was not interested in meeting the needs of students who were not motivated or who were out of line. One question I did not ask is about accountability on the part of the teachers. While identity is certainly tied to success or failure teacher accountability does not seem to be in Morocco's national education policy in order to address issues of gender disparity and dropout rates. However, it is addressed within the private sector and nonprofits. A typical Moroccan classroom does not include students with learning differences or special needs. Any student with a learning disability is either withheld from school or, if they are fortunate, they are able to attend special schools for the blind, deaf, etc.
However, national education policy does extend to adult education. As a result of the low literacy rate and access to education in rural areas, the Moroccan government has added more vocational training and literacy classes for adults who have had limited or no education over the past decade. One teacher loosely quoted the King by saying that the large portion of the population who could not read or write was not good for Morocco. Interestingly enough, when I asked about vocational training at the high school level it was met with some disdain. The schools I visited were academic based and I got the general feeling that vocational education was not an option if a student drops out. It was frowned upon. Vocational training in the U.S. high schools is making a comeback and is met with more respect. At South Philadelphia High School, students who are enrolled in a vocational track have some very sophisticated classes. For example, engineering or computer networking and repair classes are very rigorous, two to three year programs, and require the satisfactory completion of a final assessment for certification. When asked, the Moroccan students had mixed reactions if they were presented with a choice in choosing what kind of school they could attend.
The World Bank data, from September 2013, confirms the high dropout rate, gender disparity, uneven implementation and high repetition rates that were discussed with teachers in Morocco. Even though everyone is Moroccan there are still a variety of identities that do affect national policy. I was able to break down the identities into the following categories: rich, poor, female, male, rural and urban. Kamel Braham, World Bank Human Development Sector Coordinator states, "Education is a long term investment that requires sustained efforts and consistent policies. Morocco has made impressive achievements in improving access to education but additional efforts are needed to ensure equal opportunities, particularly for girls and rural communities, and to improve the quality of learning” (World Bank). Morocco is clearly successful in identifying the targets for changes in national education reform. The government is slowly moving toward a more meritocratic education system where success in education will not be based on class or privilege and as the King implied - it will be good for Morocco. Identity is beginning to have more of a place in Morocco's national education policy. One question I would like to ask is, if a teacher could choose one thing to change about the education system, what would it be? Next time, insh'Allah.
Baumeister, Roy F., Campbell, Jennifer D., Krueger, Joachim I., Vohs, Kathleen D., Does High Self-Esteem Cause Better Performance, Interpersonal Success, Happiness, or Healthier Lifestyles? Psychological Science in the Public Interest May 2003 4: 1-44, doi:10.1111/1529-1006.01431
"Hispanic Education Statistics | Hispanic.com." Hispanic Education Statistics | Hispanic.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Aug. 2014.
"Moroccan Jews the Focus of UN Event Marking Legacy of Holocaust Survivors." UN News Center. UN, 28 Jan. 2010. Web. 20 Aug. 2014.
The World Bank. Maintaining Momentum on Education Reform in Morocco. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2014. http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/09/11/maintaining-momentum-on-education-reform-in-morocco
To what extent does identity shape national educational policy?
There is sound research conducted by Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger, & Vohs (2003) suggesting a strong correlation between self-esteem and academic success. Strong self-esteem in a high school teenager may be in the form of higher socioeconomic status, brought up in a traditional family, being a member of the majority group or simply having a higher IQ. All of these factors contribute to how a teenager identifies himself or herself. However, identity can also be an obstacle to success in high school especially among urban youth. One example, as illustration, is Hispanic youth. Hispanics represent the largest minority sub-group in the United States, have the lowest graduation rate among minority groups and are underrepresented in higher education (Hispanic Education). This is just one of hundreds of categories into which youth can be categorized and identified within the education system in the United States and lowering the dropout rate or increasing access to higher education means shaping national policy to meet these goals.
What is a national education policy? In the United States it grew out of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 to address the inequalities in education and has continued to change and evolve over the last five decades. In simple terms, every school, district, and state are required to provide appropriate and equal education to the nation's youth as a basic civil right. Therefore, education policy in the United States is intricately tied to identity.
In the context of Morocco, the question is answered differently. Identity in Morocco is almost singular. Everyone is Moroccan first. While touring around Morocco, our guide gave an excellent historical example regarding the Moroccan Jews during World War II. The guide explained that when Hitler asked Sultan Mohammed V to send the Jews to the labor camps in Europe he refused. This is verified by an article from the UN News Centre when "Serge Berdugo, Ambassador at Large for Morocco, recounted a story at the event of his father, a leader of a Jewish community in the country during World War II, who received the solemn vow of the country’s monarch that no harm would come to Jews which did not ‘affect first my family and myself’’ (Moroccan Jews). When I questioned Moroccan teachers about identity and national education policy I was met with blank stares. There is not the basic civil right of equal education, the classrooms were filled will Moroccan students even though it became clear during my visit that various groups were more likely to dropout or have restricted access to school.
National education policy in Morocco does not have the sense of meritocracy that underlies U.S. policy. Students must pass both regional and national exams in order to matriculate. Conversations with numerous Moroccan teachers illustrated the problem that grade retention and dropout rates at the high school level are very high in poorer neighborhood schools. Many of the staff attributed this to poor self-esteem that correlated with the research by Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger, & Vohs (2003) and the fact that the female dropout rate is about 20% higher than for males. When teachers were asked about identity and student achievement it was difficult for them to critical analyze identity. In other words, they would look at me and say, "Everyone is Moroccan - what other identity is there?" One teacher I interviewed did not like her placement at an urban school in a very poor neighborhood of Rabat. Teachers are placed by the government and have very little opportunity to teach where they want. This policy may be an underlying cause of the uneven distribution of education across the country. I observed her in the classroom and between the interview and the observation it was clear that she was not a good match for this particular school. She was not interested in meeting the needs of students who were not motivated or who were out of line. One question I did not ask is about accountability on the part of the teachers. While identity is certainly tied to success or failure teacher accountability does not seem to be in Morocco's national education policy in order to address issues of gender disparity and dropout rates. However, it is addressed within the private sector and nonprofits. A typical Moroccan classroom does not include students with learning differences or special needs. Any student with a learning disability is either withheld from school or, if they are fortunate, they are able to attend special schools for the blind, deaf, etc.
However, national education policy does extend to adult education. As a result of the low literacy rate and access to education in rural areas, the Moroccan government has added more vocational training and literacy classes for adults who have had limited or no education over the past decade. One teacher loosely quoted the King by saying that the large portion of the population who could not read or write was not good for Morocco. Interestingly enough, when I asked about vocational training at the high school level it was met with some disdain. The schools I visited were academic based and I got the general feeling that vocational education was not an option if a student drops out. It was frowned upon. Vocational training in the U.S. high schools is making a comeback and is met with more respect. At South Philadelphia High School, students who are enrolled in a vocational track have some very sophisticated classes. For example, engineering or computer networking and repair classes are very rigorous, two to three year programs, and require the satisfactory completion of a final assessment for certification. When asked, the Moroccan students had mixed reactions if they were presented with a choice in choosing what kind of school they could attend.
The World Bank data, from September 2013, confirms the high dropout rate, gender disparity, uneven implementation and high repetition rates that were discussed with teachers in Morocco. Even though everyone is Moroccan there are still a variety of identities that do affect national policy. I was able to break down the identities into the following categories: rich, poor, female, male, rural and urban. Kamel Braham, World Bank Human Development Sector Coordinator states, "Education is a long term investment that requires sustained efforts and consistent policies. Morocco has made impressive achievements in improving access to education but additional efforts are needed to ensure equal opportunities, particularly for girls and rural communities, and to improve the quality of learning” (World Bank). Morocco is clearly successful in identifying the targets for changes in national education reform. The government is slowly moving toward a more meritocratic education system where success in education will not be based on class or privilege and as the King implied - it will be good for Morocco. Identity is beginning to have more of a place in Morocco's national education policy. One question I would like to ask is, if a teacher could choose one thing to change about the education system, what would it be? Next time, insh'Allah.
Baumeister, Roy F., Campbell, Jennifer D., Krueger, Joachim I., Vohs, Kathleen D., Does High Self-Esteem Cause Better Performance, Interpersonal Success, Happiness, or Healthier Lifestyles? Psychological Science in the Public Interest May 2003 4: 1-44, doi:10.1111/1529-1006.01431
"Hispanic Education Statistics | Hispanic.com." Hispanic Education Statistics | Hispanic.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Aug. 2014.
"Moroccan Jews the Focus of UN Event Marking Legacy of Holocaust Survivors." UN News Center. UN, 28 Jan. 2010. Web. 20 Aug. 2014.
The World Bank. Maintaining Momentum on Education Reform in Morocco. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2014. http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/09/11/maintaining-momentum-on-education-reform-in-morocco