The Organizational Context of Curricula

Community Technology Center

(Community Enhancement Program

The Organizational Context of Curricula

The initiative to follow the guidelines of the No Child Left behind Act which aims to establish a Community Technology Center , is a welcome development . It will certainly cater to the needs of economically distressed urban and rural communities for they will have a chance to gain technical training that will equip them of basic skills needed in looking for a better job . This kind of development project is worthy of participation and support , so it is an honor for

me to be part of this project . President George Bush had reported that the quality of schools directly affects everyone , and many American children are segregated by low expectations , illiteracy , and self-doubt ' due to incompetence because , according to him children are literally being left behind (Bush , par . 1 . Subsequently , he emphasized that the country has greater responsibility in educating these children , which in turn will bring success to the country

The first problem that needs to be addressed is what community resources can be used to help with the planning of this effort

There are several community resources that maybe helpful in planning this effort , Stan Geertman and J . Stillwell identified some of these resources , first is the community website . This will help to access a variety of web-based resources that support the use of technology . Next is the step-by- step community development plan , this is to be able to align the center towards the community development plan of the community and point out the appropriate site for the project . Infrastructure maps can also help to identify strategic locations . Lastly , the statistics can provide data and other important information such as statistics of the out-of-school or the less privileged children , and other helpful information that could contribute to the planning of the project (p 87

The next thing is to address how the community will generate money to match funds coming from grants

Since this community project is based on the government efforts to reach economically impoverished urban and rural communities , the school authorities should coordinate the plan with the local community officials and involve them in the planning of the project . If the local community does not have funds , then the local officials can certainly help in generating the needed amount

A No Child Left Behind ' program of President Bush included in his blueprints the education through technology , which aims to support different schools by granting more dollars in to enhance or improve academic achievement and performance of students especially the students from low-income families (Bush . Also , a special program called `Community Technology Centers ' will be open in high poverty areas

To ensure this is a community wide effort , there should be effective community wide dissemination of information about the project . The information should state a clear purpose of the project and specific information such as requirements , courses , and so forth . Beneficiaries of this project should be in accordance with the guidelines of the government program under `No Child Left behind Act , which are primarily children , and young people coming from rural or urban communities whose economies are distress

What is the Focus of the Proposed Curriculum

The purpose of the `Community Technology Centers ' as proposed by the Department of Education , is to provide disadvantaged residents of economically distressed urban and rural communities with access to information technology and the training to use it (Department of Education . Since the proposed project is about the development of a community technology center , the curriculum should focus on acquiring and developing technical skills , and vocational courses such as automotive technology , auto engine mechanic , basic plumbing , computer related studies , and other applicable practical courses . The curriculum will be integrated because the target level of students are mixed age levels ranging from age twelve or those who finished at least the grade school , and high school undergraduate . Curriculum integration will provide the student a wider sphere of understanding because the student will have a greater exposure on other subject matter (Curriculum integration , 2007 . The duration of these courses will be from three months up to six months and maximum of one year . Those who can successfully complete the course will be awarded certificate attesting to their completion of training . This certificate may be of some help to them soon to get a good job

Further more , it should be part of the curriculum to link the subject and the trainings to technical companies to provide students an on-the job trainings . This will help students to be acquainted of the real job after they completed their course . Each course will be free of tuition however , enrollees will be made to require paying miscellaneous expenses to cover some of the operational expenses

What will be taught

Since the course offerings of the Community Technology Center are basically technical , subjects therefore should offer practical trainings for every course . The general subjects such as English , Mathematics and others are not included in the curriculum . Below is an example of curriculum of basic Automotive Mechanic , which is given in one year

First Semester

Automotive Mechanic : An Introduction (Auto 101 ) 6 units

The subject deals with basic automotive principles in the operation diagnostic , maintenance and repair system

Automotive Electrical (Auto 102 ) 6 units

The subject deals on basic repair and maintenance of electricity such as spark plug , power shortage , bulbs and fuses , and other related parts

Brakes , Suspension and Alignment (Auto 103 ) 6 units

The subject attempts to acquaint students of the positioning of the parts responsible in the brakes , suspension , and alignment of the car Familiarity of the parts is important in the process repairing and maintenance of the vehicle

Automatic and Manual Transmission (Auto 201 ) 6 units

This is known as stick shift . Familiarization of the manual and automatic technique allows the students to gain knowledge of the operation

Second Semester

Engine Repair (Auto 202 ) 6 units

The subject focuses on the aspects of ignition , fuel delivery , and emissions control

Engine Performance and Drivability (Auto 203 ) 6 units

This could help students assess the problem of the car and they are expected to apply scientific information in the troubleshooting in case of problem

On-the-Job Training 12 units

The twelve hours a week with a whole semester is expected to be enough to gain practical learning which could be applied in real troubleshooting situations

The curriculum of each course will definitely be comprehensive yet short in to provide the technical knowledge to students in just a short time

Who Will Staff the Center

The Community Technology Center will be manned by few yet the instructors for the different course offerings are part-time yet experts in their own field . One school director , one registrar-secretary , and one accounting staff . However , as the center increases in enrollees there will be greater demand for more staff and instructors and possibility for relocation might also be considered later on . For the mean time , since there is no enough budget for the project , staff will work as volunteer who may have been products of the same project

Work Cited

Bush , George . A Foreword ' The White House http /www .whitehouse .gov /news /reports /no-child-left-behind .html

Community Technology Centers ' U .S . Department of Education http /www .ed .gov /programs /comtechcenters /index .html

Geertman , S . and Stillwell , J . eds (2003 . Planning Support System . New York : Springer-Verlag

Curriculum Integration 2007 . Michigan Education . HYPERLINK "http /techplan .edzone .net /ci2007 " http /techplan .edzone .net /ci2007 p...