Education System

At a time when globalization and consumerism patterns are highly dependent on technology, the ability to create a democratically controlled technological system of education is very crucial in anchoring faster growth and development of social economic outlook.  A democratically controlled system facilitates higher levels of innovation and creativity in an education system while technology acts as a platform for its application to meet the core objectives.  The United States education system depicts a democratically controlled technological model which Tucker and Codding (63) link to the high achievements in the nation.  It is from this consideration that this paper evaluates the education system in the US to determine the extent it is democratically and technologically controlled in its application.

Types of Schools and their Management
As Graziella and Michael (563-664) indicate, the democracy of the United States education system can first be appreciated in the types of schools and their depicted management.  While educationists have generally tended to differ on whether it would be better to subject students to a similar type of schools in the education system or not, the later is considered to be more effective in facilitating diversity.

Public Schools
Public schools in the United States form one of the main systems of education where the management and standards are set by the federal or the state governments and facilitated by local authorities.  Doyle, Bradley and Bradley (59-60) explain that the management of these schools follows their boards delineations that are further guided by the state law.  Their funding mostly comes from the federal government through each state government while the local authorities set the minimum standards required for their operation.  To further create a greater democratic space in their management, voluntary regional associations are incorporated to facilitate a more inclusive and expanded decision making outlook.

In higher education, the Public Universities are also subsidized by the government and therefore charges less compared to the private universities.  However, their managements are independent but guided by directions in the department of education.  As Chrispeels and Chrispeels (65-66) indicate, major concerns have been raised over the efficacy achieved in the public schools towards molding internationally competitive individuals.  It has been concluded that indeed, there is a need for improvement in their running by increasing the democratic space for the communities and injecting more resources to them.

Charter Schools
Perhaps the notion of democracy as employed in the United States education system is better outlined in the mode of operations depicted by the Charter Schools.   Claudia and Lawrence (102-103) argue that over time, the United States education system management came to be cognizant of the crucial role that democracy could play in the education system towards improving both the key operations while creating a more harmonic mechanism for higher results.  Therefore, it sought to facilitate their independent operations while requiring only minimal rules to be adhered to (Zeichner and Susan, 619-620).  Zeichner and Susan (621) further explain that charter schools operate as immediate alternative to public schools in that they receive the central government funding while they seek to meet certain level of accountability towards meeting specific results that are established in their charters.

While public schools appear to stagnate, Wayne and Cecil (48-49) explain that the charter schools might indeed be the way to go for the nation.   The consideration of the two principles of accountability and responsibility to students results with a free operating platform creates the largest possible room for innovation towards meeting the targets.  However, Graziella and Michael (581) appear to question the democracy of the charter schools arguing that indeed they are tied to particularistic results and therefore providing a system that is only one result oriented as opposed to the holistic shaping of a person.  It is from this consideration that modern scholars have indicated their support for charter system but emphasized on the need to increase the scope and outlook for greater impacts to the society.

Private Schools
In his definition of democracy, Doyle et al (79) explains that the central government should be able to create the needed level of trust in its independent institutions that operate in the country.  As a result, more people feel much included through their local participation in setting the needed standards as well as management outlook.  Under this consideration therefore, private schools are independent and mostly run by religious organizations and other institutions.
 
In 1954, the Brown Board of Education acknowledged that public schools formed a center for discrimination and therefore failed to offer a common platform for all people in the nation.  As a result, Tucker and Codding (74-75) explain that local families mostly of black American origin congregated and created private schools.   Since this dramatic move, the government allows their operations but do not fund them as it does with the public and charter schools.  Their funding and management has therefore been subject to donations and fees charged on students for their education.
While applauding the need for democracy in any education system, Claudia and Lawrence (104-105) provide an example of the success achieved in the United States private schools.  Unlike the public and charter schools, the private schools funding and running is based on the need to produce a holistic individual as opposed to only meeting the set standards.  Particularly, the democracy has facilitated inherent partnership between the parents and their schools which generates high dynamism in responding to changes in the market professionalism demands.  Notably, Chrispeels and Chrispeels (58) explain tat students are an important stakeholder in the private schools through inherent understanding of their parents and families great contribution through funding.  It is from this consideration that Asaro (287) have called for the private sector institutions to be strengthened towards enhancing greater efficacy in the education system.  However, employing this system without hurting people at the lower social economic levels is the main obstacle that may delimit the system in the United States.

Technological Application
As indicated earlier, technological application in the United States education system has remained an important element in dictating its successes.  With the onset of Information Technology, its application in the management has become the center stage in setting higher standards for management, creating a more robust system of assessment and therefore facilitating achievement of higher objectives in the education sector.  

Use of technology in management of schools
In his view, assimilation of technology in managing schools has been critical in enforcing variant standards by the government.  Through information technology, Leon (398) reports that schools are able to access the government set standards with ease as the main platform for generating their own objectives.  Therefore, technology first creates uniformity on all schools as they access the similar information from the same websites for instance, the United States Department of Education website.  In addition to that, Claudia and Lawrence (74-75) argue that sharing of ideas and views between the educationists, teachers and even the parents has been made much easier spatial temporary.  In his study, Asaro (286-290) found out that most of the private and charter schools decisions are made from highly consultative considerations that are effected through technology.

Though it has been considered debatable due to indifferences that arise in assessment of the different schools, technological application anchors faster and easier comparative outlook in gauging the performance of the different schools performance either by the local authorities, the department of education, or other education stakeholders.  Zeichner and Susan (621) explain that in charter schools, the set objectives can easily be correlated with their achieved outcomes in generating the correct decision for possible extension of the contracts.  Besides, technology further provides the parents with a much better system for determining the better school to take their children or how to adjust in facilitating their childrens ability to move to achieve higher objectives in their education.

Use of technology in teaching and assessment
The need to adapt new technology in teaching has increasingly led to greater democratic management and control in the education system.  Asaro (280-281) argue that unlike the traditional teaching methods, improved technology presents the education system with an interactive two way learning environment for the students.  Over 98 of the United States schools own computers which they use to teach (Brown, 330-332). As teachers increase use of computers in their teaching, it becomes easier to further assess the content and their work towards meeting either the government or their schools set standards.

Though many technological projects to assess use of information technology especially computers are ongoing, Wayne and Cecil (89-90) argue that students easily assimilate mechanisms that facilitate integration with real life issues that require solutions.  By assimilating technology in teaching and assessing the students, it becomes possible to create an equal platform for the students to excel.   At this point, sharp differences emerge on the extent and the need for further intensification of technology employment in schools.  Analysts argue that most of the private schools in the United States actually perform much better compared to others due to intensified employment of technology in their management and more so in teaching.

While further supporting the democracy inferred by the American Education system, one cannot fail to mention the increasing use of online learning in most of the higher learning institutions.  Brown (336-337) argues that through use of e-learning, more people have increasingly managed to further their education even without physically going to their supporting institutions for daily classes.  As a result, the limitations that a person in California would have had in seeking further education from a university in New York are greatly minimized through e-learning.   However, Leon (400) argues that there is need to establish effective checks to ensure high standards are maintained when using this system.

Conclusion
It is from this analysis that this paper concludes by supporting the thesis statement, a democratically controlled system facilitates higher levels of innovation and creativity in an education system while technology acts as a platform for its application to meet the core objectives.  It came out in the discussion that by giving the management of schools and other stakeholders a more democratic space, it becomes easier to improve flexibility and innovation to fit the market demand.  Democracy and technological application should therefore be greatly intensified to guarantee higher objective setting and their achievement.  

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