Whatever biases remain in public education can be removed, because the belief in equal opportunity has prevailed. Standardized testing offers the only known way to ensure admissions to universities are based more on merit than on social class. In spite of their limitations, standardized tests do offer the only means to assess scholastic aptitude. A merit-based admissions procedure contributes to the betterment of society by offering educational opportunities to citizens

There are others though that believes that learners are born with certain innate capabilities that are then shaped and formed from the outside (Montessori theory, 2011) No matter which theory one looks at though the bottom line is that each philosophy is based on the idea that everything possible should be done to encourage as much learning as possible. All philosophies are based on the fact that education should be

While Roosevelt felt that the private sector, influenced by progressive ideas, could reform American society, Wilson wanted a more active role by the government and feared that the private sector, or "the combined power of high finance would be greater than the power of the government." (Wilson) on the other hand was the least radical of all the progressives discussed: Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt's idea of progressivism, discussed in the

" (Montessori, 9) There is a counter-intuitive disconnect between the priorities of the educational system and the real-life demands of individuals attempting to function ably therein. Here, Montessori speaks to the incredible irony present even in higher education, where students are essentially intended to be prepared for the real world but are instead isolated in a false environment where priorities such as a streamlined means of graded evaluation, a disregard for

TESOL Weekly Reflection I think that post-modern thought can be both good and bad (helpful and problematic) in terms of its impact on education today. For example, it can be helpful in the sense that it rejects or counters the modernist view (situated in the Enlightenment) that pure Reason can find an answer to all life's mysteries (Knight, 2008). Post-modernism points out that humans are often irrational in their thoughts and

Now we have examined two extremes in educational thought that have developed over the past century. Teacher centered and student centered philosophies differ significantly in their approach to the student-teacher relationship. Teacher centered philosophy does not depend on the student's wants and needs at all. Teacher centered philosophy uses antiquated methods, such as rote learning. However, these methods are quickly being replaced by a more student-centered approach. Student centered approaches