Education

Before you make your final decision on a topic, get to know it a bit. Check out the books and articles in the large study room and/or follow a couple of the links included below.
=== Questions to ask when selecting a topic: ===
 * 1) How much information is available? Is it readily available or do I have to dig deep?
 * 2) Is the information credible? written by an expert? current?
 * 3) Is the information written on a level I can understand?

Should students have to pass the U.S. citizenship test?

Is college a good investment?
 * http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/17/upshot/californias-university-system-an-upward-mobility-machine.html
 * http://www.npr.org/2014/02/11/275297408/going-to-college-may-cost-you-but-so-will-skipping-it
 * http://www.educationplanner.org/students/career-planning/explore-salary-pay/does-college-pay-off.shtml
 * https://www.higheredjobs.com/Articles/articleDisplay.cfm?ID=567
 * http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/02/11/study-income-gap-between-young-college-and-high-school-grads-widens

Is the increasing involvement of business in education good for students in the long-term, a smart business decision, or both?
 * http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/09/03/facebook-summit-education-technology-mark-zuckerberg-chris-cox/71651636/
 * http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_198912_molnar.pdf
 * http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/3/9252845/facebook-education-software-plp-summit
 * http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/09/rupert-murdoch-news-corp-wireless-generation-education
 * http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203914304576631100415237430
 * http://www.socialstudies.org/positions/corporate
 * http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/04/the-coming-revolution-in-public-education/275163/

What would it take to eliminate the teacher shortage plaguing many cities and states?
 * http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/school-districts-teacher-shortages-years-cuts-33721767
 * http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.pdf
 * http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/teacher-shortage/
 * http://www.carolinajournal.com/daily_journal/display.html?id=11114
 * http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/10/us/teacher-shortages-spur-a-nationwide-hiring-scramble-credentials-optional.html

How might parents best motivate their children to work hard in school and become enthusiastic life-long learners?
 * http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/why-you-shouldnt-pay-children-for-grades/?emc=edit_tnt_20150913&nlid=28341251&tntemail0=y
 * http://www.rochester.edu/news/pdfs/RichTSTb.pdf

Is grade inflation a problem? If so, what can universities do about it?
 * http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/08/30/4106626_at-unc-chapel-hill-the-truth-about.html?sp=/99/100/&rh=1

Are there successful ways to level the educational playing field of the "haves" and "have nots"? (NC Live: CQ Researcher)
 * http://www.thenewyorkworld.com/2014/08/06/pta-2/
 * http://today.law.harvard.edu/kids-defined-by-income-panel-examines-rising-educational-disparities-between-haves-have-nots/

What kinds of security precautions and systems do schools need to protect students?
 * http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB20001424052702304414104580091811279610020

Should "zero tolerance" policies be reviewed? (NC Live: CQ Researcher)

Should the U.S. follow the lead of better-performing schools around the world and replace expensive, competitive sports programs with less expensive, less time-consuming intramural sports programs?

Are North Carolina public school adequately funded?

Are tenure programs responsible for allowing bad teachers to continue working?
 * http://teachertenure.procon.org/

Should elementary schools teach job-related skills like coding?
 * http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/11/us/reading-writing-arithmetic-and-lately-coding.html?action=click&module=Search®ion=searchResults&mabReward=relbias%3Ar&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry113%23%2Freading%2C%2520writing%2C%2520arithmetic%2520and%2520lately%2C%2520coding&_r=0

Can something be done to reduce the high cost of a college education?

Does digital reading/reading on tablets change how we read and/or understand?
 * http://www.marketplace.org/topics/tech/learningcurve/tablets-do-they-really-help-reading-education

Should schools recognize the major holidays of major religions by not having school on those days?
 * http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/15/public-schools-shouldnt-close-for-religious-reasons/
 * http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/opinion/columnists/2014/05/05/new-york-city-religious-freedoms-public-schools/8737183/
 * https://www.aclu.org/religion-belief/joint-statement-current-law-religion-public-schools

Are college intern programs really work-for-no-pay programs that take advantage of students?

Do colleges lower their standards/expectations for exceptional student athletes?
 * http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/07/us/ncaa-athletes-reading-scores/
 * http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8284697/new-ncaa-academic-eligibilty-standards-great-too-late
 * http://www.ncaapublications.com/p-4326-international-standards-2014-guide-to-international-academic-standards-for-athletics-eligibility-updated-april-2014.aspx

Should there be an objective college rating system to determine the best schools by quality and cost?

Cheating & Plagiarism: Are they becoming more acceptable in the Internet Age? > Should the government regulate the type and amount of large loans taken out by college students?
 * http://library.cqpress.com.proxy067.nclive.org/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2013010400

Is the impact of poverty on children's educational achievement irreversible?

School school/college legacy preference programs be discontinued?

Was the adoption by many states of the Common Core standards a mistake? (Note: standards different from curriculum)

Home schooling: Do parents give their children a good education? >
 * http://library.cqpress.com.proxy067.nclive.org/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2014030700

Are HAG programs, often beginning in third grade, in Forsyth County producing successful, achieving students or contributing to a race to nowhere?

Should Teach for America programs be expanded in North Carolina to improve public education? (Forsyth County request = 50)
 * http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/27/education/at-charter-schools-short-careers-by-choice.html?emc=edit_tnt_20130826&tntemail0=y&_r=0

Are three-year high school programs good for students?

Should college be a three year program?

What can be done to improve education in the U.S. and make the U.S. more competitive in the international marketplace?
 * http://www.theworld.org/2013/08/schooling-finland-south-korea-poland/
 * http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21583609-only-few-countries-are-teaching-children-how-think-best-and-brightest

Does the use of vouchers significantly improve student learning?

Should commercial advertising be allowed in schools in order to earn money for important programs and projects?

Should medical education for primary care doctors be free?

Have Bill Gates' investments in U.S. education programs been good for the country?

Does a fair, valid method of teacher evaluation/assessment exist?

Is teaching a profession or a low-status job?

Should sports programs in schools be reduced or eliminated in order to maintain adequate funding for academic programs?

Are four-year-olds too young for kindergarten programs?

Should every student be allowed to attend a state college or university at minimal tuition rates or tuition-free?
 * http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128933357

Should college students be permitted to pick their own roommates?
 * http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97097438

Are charter schools meeting their goals?

Should literary classics be sanitized/cleaned up?

Should NC fully fund the Governor's School Program?

Is there a way to test kids fairly so we know what they're learning?

Should school districts make taking a class on world religions a requirement for graduation?

Are schools helping students develop the skills they’ll need in the 21st Century workplace?
 * http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128081896

What can be done to close the education achievement gap between rich and poor students?

Has technology made school libraries unnecessary?
 * http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/09/04/a_library_without_the_books/
 * http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120097876

Should high schools offer specific job training in trades and business practices to students?

Should more financial aid for college be made available to middle class families?
 * http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2010/04/which_schools_cut_financial_ai.html

Should U.S. students spend more time in school?

Is North Carolina’s teacher evaluation system the best there is?
 * @http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129534996

Is the 1-to-1 laptop program raising educational achievement levels?

Should the U.S set national education standards?
 * http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129555667
 * http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129532185
 * http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/03/education_panel_unveils_core_k.html

Should high school start times be scheduled to fit teenagers' natural sleep patterns?
 * http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/08/27/high-school-start-times-teenagers-sleep-editorials-debates/14708625/

Do community service requirements benefit the students who volunteer?

2013-2014 Topics
Should college athletes be paid? Should more be done to prevent ADHD? Understanding learning disabilities: disgraphia, dyslexia, etc. Should students be more aware of technology's effect on the brain? EOC Tests: Are they a good measure of students' skills? Introverts vs. Extroverts: making room for both in an extroverted world Digital learning: what we know, how it will grow, how learning will be changed
 * http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-ncaa-athletes-be-paid
 * http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/01/06/ncaa-athletes-should-not-be-paid
 * http://thecollegianur.com/2014/02/25/college-athletes-paid-barry-draft/41962/

2012-2013 Topics
Do parents put too much pressure (academic, athletic, social and emotional) on children to build a good application for college admission? Is the Montessori Method the best way to educate students? Should Art be a Core Curriculum in public schools in NC? Title IX Effect on College Sports

** 2011-2012 Topics **
Do kids have too much homework? What must happen if boys are to be more successful academically? Are school lunch programs all they could be? Is college worth the investment of money, time, effort? What would it take to rise the national ranking of public education in North Carolina?

** 2010-2011 Topics **
Should some kind of national service be required of all young people? Is ninth grade the most important of the high school experience? Should society do more to help African American males succeed in school? Should Texas have a curriculum that is more like other states? Should schools have more control over student behaviors outside of school? Is technology in schools helping or inhibiting students? Are college campuses safe places for students? Does television do children more harm than good? Do recent scientific studies about the importance of sleep mean that schools should have later opening and closing hours? Does Texas have too much influence on the content of school textbooks? What can be done to keep teens in school?