For my research paper, I am going to identify the problems in the lottery process for charter schools. My question is going to be, what factors cause the lottery process to be inefficient? Which is based off of the historical causation. With my question, I am not trying to imply that the process does not work, but there are definitely factors that cause the process from not being as fair and efficient as it could be.
The lottery process deserves to be researched because it can be such a positive aspect in someones life or can somewhat ruin their life. The lottery process determines children’s futures. There is so much emphasis on the way that children are educated so in cities like Harlem, being able to choose a different education is a way to redirect your life. Through research, I will be able to learn more and more about the complications that go into this process and what could be done to make the process fair for everyone. The process is supposed to be fair for everyone but there definitely are a couple hidden secrets that are part of the process which does not make it fair for everyone.
The movie, The Lottery, is a good source for me because that is what drew my attention to this process. The Lottery really showed how much people put their life into this process and many people get shut down time after time. I just get confused how people care so much about education that put their children through the lottery that why aren’t there better schools? Why are they still hiring unqualified teachers? It is so confusing and frustrating. In The Lottery, the process of finding out if you were accepted I thought was not the best way to inform the families. Obviously this process is not embarrassing, but not be accepted next to a family friend that is accepted is clearly a horrifying feeling. Watching these families get picked and dropped was devastating and heart warming, but when someone was picked all I could do was feel bad for the families that were not picked. Some charter schools inform their students by calling the home which I think is a much better idea.
Every state and city has different rules and a process of how the process happens. In order to make a process that was fair to everyone, all of the states should collaborate to make the process fair. Through more and more research I will be able to find more flaws. Since the charter schools are independently owned, it is hard to create a general process. Students with siblings all have preference. This makes it easier for their families to only be transporting children to one schools rather than various schools throughout the city. People complain that this rule is not always fair however.
Grace S, while charter school lotteries are a fascinating topic, you need to revise your thinking further in order to transform this into a researchable question that fits the “change or continuity over time” aspect of this assignment. The current version of your RQ does not yet meaningfully consider time. Some possible directions might be:
1) How and why did some charter schools and charter networks create a very public lottery (rather than inform families privately by mail)?
and/or
2) What were the original goals of charter schools and charter networks that created public lotteries, and have these objectives been achieved over time?
and/or
3) Over time, have charter schools and charter networks become more likely — or less likely — to hold public events to display their lottery outcomes?
Whether you choose to pursue one of these questions — or create a similar one of your own — the research essay will require appropriate sources to provide a rich answer. Students are expected to move beyond the syllabus and wisely use our search strategies page to identify appropriate sources. http://commons.trincoll.edu/edreform/search-strategies/
Please schedule a meeting with me when you are ready to discuss your sources and next steps.