CONSTITUTIONAL VALUES

CONSTITUTIONALVALUES

The Constitution of any country serves several purposes. It lays down certain ideals that form the basis of the kind of country that we as citizens aspire to live in.

A country is usually made up of different communities of people who share certain beliefs, but may not necessarily agree on all issues.

A Constitution helps serve as a set of principles, rules and procedures on which there is a consensus. These form the basis according to which the people want the country to be governed and the society to move on. This includes not only an agreement on the type of government but also on certain ideals that the country should uphold. The Indian Constitution has certain core constitutional what is the meaning of the word, ‘value’? You may immediately say that truth, non-violence, peace, cooperation, honesty, respect and kindness are values, and you may continue to count many such values. In fact, in a layman’s understanding, value is that which is very essential or ‘worth having and observing’ for the existence of human society as an entity. The Indian Constitution contains all such values, the values that are the universal, human and democratic of the modern age.

The values expressed in the Preamble are expressed as objectives of the Constitution. These are: sovereignty, socialism, secularism, democracy, republican character of Indian State, justice, liberty, equality, fraternity, human dignity and the unity and integrity of the Nation. Let us discuss these

constitutional values:

1. Sovereignty:

 India “a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic”. Being sovereign means having complete political freedom and being the supreme authority. It implies that India is internally all powerful and externally free. It is free to determine for itself without any external interference (either by any country or individual) and nobody is there within to challenge its authority. This feature of sovereignty gives us the dignity of existence as a nation in the international community. Though the Constitution does not specify where the sovereign authority lies but a mention of ‘We the People of India’ in the Preamble clearly indicates that sovereignty rests with the people of India. This means that the constitutional authorities and organs of government derive their power only from the people.

2. Socialism:

You may be aware that social and economic inequalities have been inherent in the Indian traditional society. Which is why, socialism has been made a constitutional value aimed at promoting social change and transformation to end all forms of inequalities. Our Constitution directs the governments and the people to ensure a planned and coordinated social development in all fields. It directs to prevent concentration of wealth and power in a few hands. The Constitution has specific provisions that deal with inequalities in the Chapters on Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy.

3. Secularism:

We all are pleased when anyone says that India is a home to almost all major religions in the world. In the context of this plurality (means more than one or two; many), secularism is seen as a great constitutional value. Secularism implies that our country is not guided by any one religion or any religious considerations. However, the Indian state is not against religions. It allows all its citizens to profess, preach and practise any religion they follow. At the same time, it ensures that the state does not have any religion of its own. Constitution strictly prohibits any discrimination on the ground of religion.

4. Democracy:

The Preamble reflects democracy as a value. As a form of government it derives its authority from the will of the people. The people elect the rulers of the country and the elected representatives remain accountable to the people. The people of India elect them to be part of the government at different levels by a system of universal adult franchise, popularly known as ‘one man one vote’. Democracy contributes to stability, continuous progress in the society and it secures peaceful political change. It allows dissent and encourages tolerance. And more importantly, it is based on the principles of rule of law, inalienable rights of citizens, independence of judiciary, free and fair elections and freedom of the press.

5. Republic: India is not only a democratic nation but it is also a republic. The most important symbol of being a republic is the office of the Head of the State, i.e. the President who is elected and who is not selected on the basis of heredity, as is found in a system with monarchy. This value strengthens and substantiates democracy where every citizen of India is equally eligible to be elected as the Head of the State. Political equality is the chief message of this provision.

6. Justice: At times you may also realise that living in a democratic system alone does not ensure justice to citizens in all its totality. Even now we find a number of cases where not only the social and economic justice but also the political justice is denied. Which is why, the constitution-makers have included social, economic and political justice as constitutional values. By doing so, they have stressed that the political freedom granted to Indian citizens has to be instrumental in the creation of a new social order, based on socio-economic justice. Justice must be availed to every citizen. This ideal of a just and egalitarian society remains as one of the foremost values of the Indian Constitution.

7. Liberty: The Preamble prescribes liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship as one of the core values. These have to be assured to every member of all the communities. It has been done so, because the ideals of democracy can not be attained without the presence of certain minimal rights which are essential for a free and civilized existence of individuals.

8. Equality: Equality is as significant constitutional value as any other. The Constitution ensures equality of status and opportunity to every citizen for the development of the best in him/her. As a human being everybody has a dignified self and to ensure its full enjoyment, inequality in any form present in our country and society has been prohibited. Equality reflected specifically in the Preamble is therefore held as an important value.

9. Fraternity:There is also a commitment made in the Preamble to promote the value of fraternity that stands for the spirit of common brotherhood among all the people of India. In the absence of fraternity, a plural society like India stands divided. Therefore, to give meaning to all the ideals like justice, liberty and equality, the Preamble lays great emphasis on fraternity. In fact, fraternity can be realized not only by abolishing untouchability amongst different sects of the community, but also by abolishing all communal or sectarian or even local discriminatory feelings which stand in the way of unity of India.

10. Dignity of the individual: Promotion of fraternity is essential to realize the dignity of the individual. It is essential to secure the dignity of every individual without which democracy can not function. It ensures equal participation of every individual in all the processes of democratic governance.

11. Unity and integrity of the Nation: As we have seen above, fraternity also promotes one of the critical values, i.e. unity and integrity of the nation. To maintain the independence of the country intact, the unity and integrity of the nation is very essential. Therefore, the stress has been given on fostering unity amongst all the inhabitants of the country. Our Constitution expects from all the citizens of India to uphold and protect the unity and integrity of India as a matter of duty.

12. International peace and a just international order: The value of international peace and a just international order, though not included in the Preamble is reflected in other provisions of the Constitution. The Indian Constitution directs the state (a) to promote international peace and security, (b) maintain just and honourable relations between nations, (c) foster respect for international law and treaty obligations, and (d) encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration. To uphold and observe these values is in the interest of India. The peace and just international order will definitely contribute to the development of India.

13. Fundamental Duties: Our Constitution prescribes some duties to be performed by the citizens. It is true that these duties are not enforceable in the court of law like the fundamental rights are, but these duties are to be performed by citizens. Fundamental duties have still greater importance because these reflect certain basic values like patriotism, nationalism, humanism, environmentalism, harmonious living, gender equality, scientific temper and inquiry, and individual and collective excellence.

DEVELOPING A TEACHER Trainees’ DEMOCRATIC VALUES SCALE: VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY ANALYSES

The TTDVS was determined by using factor analysis, which was conducted with 979 participants. The scale is composed of 24 items grouped into three subscales, which can be combined into a main scale. The results of the study showed that the TTDVS has an identifiable factor structure and it is a reliable and valid scale.

Values are defined as descriptive trans-situational goals that serve as guiding principles in people’s lives (Shechtman, 2002).

Value is a distinctively intellectual and desirable action which involves an operation of comparing and judging that guides behaviors (Dewey, 1944; Halstead & Taylor, 2002).

Values are an individual’s mental judgment and represent many things such as the person’s belief in God, democracy and so on (Simadi & Kamali, 2004).

According to Jahorik (1978, p. 668), “a value can be thought of as something which is good or desirable or preferable”.

There are several definitions of value, defining it as mental and emotional judgment which represent an individual’s aims in life, attitudes and interests on the abstract level. In the educational context, “Valuing is concerned with the worth or value a student attaches to a particular object, phenomenon or behaviors” (Gronlund, 1995, p. 104).

 A value is mostly permanent and difficult to change. It affects one’s way of thinking and behaviors and can be measured in various ways. The question in this study was about what democratic values mean.

According

to Büyükdüvenci (1990), Levin (1998), Öhrn (2001), Kıncal and Is¸ık (2003) and Puolimatka (as cited in Worsfold, 1997), the concept of democratic values includes individual freedom, right, justice, caring, equality, respect for life, role of authority, questioning, dialogue, tolerance, diversity, divergent views, active participation, solidarity, ability to make contributions in support of others, sovereignty of mind, integrity, responsibility, dignity, truth, liberty, honesty, searching well, cooperation, self-confidence, sensitivity, acceptance of differences, security, peace, development, perfection and effectiveness. It is clear that the content of the concept of democratic values is very extensive.

Value development is the main and fundamental element of education. If we analyze the aims of education in many countries, it is clear that the primary aims are related to education in democracy and democratic value acquisition for all students from preschool to postgraduate.

A lot of research about democracy, human rights and citizenship education has stressed the importance of democratic value acquisition in the educational system. Some studies have examined value acquisition in the institutional learning process in which an individual absorbs values and norms (Arweck & Nesbitt, 2004; Simadi & Kamali, 2004). There is an assumption that the student’s democratic values are influenced by

his/her teachers’ democratic values and behaviors, teaching styles and teaching methods. The results of the limited number of studies available (Butroyd, 1997; Carr, 1993; Davies, 1994; Halstead & Taylor, 2002; Hansen, 1993; Kelly, 2002; Meyer, 1990) have confirmed this assumption. Teachers put their democratic values, which play a central role in defining, choosing, organizing and supporting learning and teaching, into practice in school.

The democratic values of teachers ensure the sharing of ideas, feelings, attitudes, beliefs, and values among students. If the teacher has democratic values, the students easily learn democratic values because the teacher’s democratic values are shaping his/her own life and the students’ lives at the same time. Thus, teachers must have stronger democratic ideas, values and behaviors. In the present study, a scale was developed to determine the democratic

values of primary school teacher trainees on issues related to educational life. Development of this scale with a Turkish sample will shed considerable light on the level of awareness of democratic values in educational contexts.

METHOD

 The participants of this study were 979 undergraduate primary school teacher

trainees, including the first grade to the fourth grade students enrolled in nine programs. Participants were selected randomly and 293 (29.93 %) of them were males, 686 (70.07 %) were females. The mean of participants’ ages was 23 (range = 16-36) and the standard deviation was 43.34.

Development of the Scale The scale was designed by the author to measure the degree of teacher trainees’ democratic values on issues related to educational life. Five steps were followed in the development of the scale. The first step was reviewing the studies in the literature related to democratic values and democratic values scales. Three scales related to democratic values were found: CanettiNisim (2004), Shechtman (2002), Watts and Feldman (2001). Canetti-Nisim’s study examined the nature of the relations between religiosity, authoritarianism and democratic values. Watts and Feldman’s study analyzed distinctions between defensive and universal democracy. The two studies measure democratic values in terms of political bases. Only Shechtman’s Democratic Teacher Belief Scale (DTBS), measured the democratic values in teachers’ belief related to students and classroom life.

The DTBS is composed of 34 items and three subscales related to three main principles of democracy; equality, freedom and justice. The structure and context of the DTBS differ from those which are relevant to the purpose of this study. The second step was to ask 75 primary school teacher trainees an open-ended question. These trainees were not the participants in the study, but had the same features as participants. The question was: “According to your point of view, what are teachers’ democratic values related to educational life?” Sixty-nine students replied to this question. In the light of the results of the literature review and teacher trainees’ views on teachers’ democratic values related to educational life, 85 items were developed. A pool of items was formed in the third step. Items were selected and formed according to the opinions of twelve experts of whom three studied the measurements and development of the scale, six studied democracy in education, democracy, citizenship and human rights education, and three studied the Turkish language. Modifications were made according to these experts’ suggestions and this resulted in the inclusion of 75 items. In the fourth step the scale was administered to 32 teacher trainees in order to test the understandability of the items for participants and to determine the time of administration and conditions. The fifth and the last step covered the statistical analysis of the items and, as a result, a Teacher Trainees’ Democratic Values Scale (TTDVS) was formed. Before factor analysis, the TTDVS consisted of 75 items. While 17 items were positive, 58 were negative.

A Likert-type of scale was used and the choices for

each item were as follows: 1 = strongly disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 = neutral; 4 = agree; 5 = strongly agree.

Procedure The TTDVS was administered to the participants in their regular class hours

in April 2005 by the researcher. Participants were asked not to write their names on the questionnaires to ensure the anonymity of their responses. It took approximately 25 minutes to complete the form. Normal distribution analyses were carried out first for the validity and reliability

of the TTDVS. Within these analyses, average, minimum and maximum score range, skewness, Kurtosis and Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z indices were calculated. To determine the items to be covered in the scale, item analyses covering the Pearson moment indices and items’ total correlations were calculated. In order to determine the structure of the democratic value scale, defined by items on the TTDVS, principal component analysis and varimax rotation were carried out. Cronbach alpha (α) was used to determine the internal coefficiency for the whole scale and subscale. Analyses were carried out with SPSS 13.0 and 0.05 was accepted as the significance level.

RESULTS

Validity Findings In order to determine the structure of the democratic value scale principal component analysis and varimax rotation were applied. The following criteria were considered to hold the items in the scale: (a) according to the results of varimax rotation, the items should be in only one factor with a factor load of .40 or above (Coombs & Schroeder, 1988); (b) if an item appears in more than one factor, the difference between two loadings should be at least 0.10. Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity (BTS) which tests the hypothesis ‘‘correlation matrix = unit matrix’’ was also used. The rejection of the hypothesis shows that the correlation between the variables is different from 1 and the factor analysis is appropriate for the variables (Hutcheson & Sofroniou,1999). An approximate chi-square value for the BTS of 7778.85 (p < 0.0001) was found for the study. Twenty-one factors with eigen-values greater than 1 were identified. When

too many factors emerge as a result of factor analysis, the use of a Scree test to decrease the number of factors is suggested (Kline, 1994). The data were then forced to fit a third factor solution with a new analysis and third factors were determined.

Reliability Findings Normal distribution analyses of the possible score from the TTDVS were

made and the results showed that the minimal score is 24 and the maximum possible score is 120. Analysis of the TTDVS showed that the lowest score was 45 and the highest was 120 and the range was 75. The mean of the scores of the scale was 102.23, the median was 102.00, standard deviation was 8.69, skewness value, calculated for distribution, was .42 and Kurtosis value was 1.64. The p value was 0.35 after Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z indices were calculated (0.35>0.05). These results show that the distribution was normal. To examine the reliability of the scale, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, item-total correlations and extreme group comparison were calculated. The calculated Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.87 for the whole scale; 0.84 for the first subscale which is composed of nine items, 0.82 for the second subscale which includes nine items, and 0.70 for the third subscale which includes six items. Item-total correlations were also evaluated. Minimum and maximum correlation coefficients were .25 and .62, which is the generally accepted point. The correlation between the main scale and the first subscale was .81, the main scale and the second subscale was .85 and lastly the main scale and the third subscale was .69. The correlation between the first subscale and the second subscale was .65, the first subscale and the third subscale was .28, and finally the second subscale and the third subscale was .35. The correlations between the main scale and subscales were significant at the level of p<.0001.

DISCUSSION

In this study a teacher trainees’ democratic values scale was developed. Developing a scale related to democratic values in education for teachers is expected to improve teachers’ democratic awareness. The democratic teacher

emphasizes understanding democratic principles, and has a broader conceptualization of democratic values. He/she fosters active, engaged, democratic citizens by creating a democratic environment in school. Depending on this idea, a scale measuring primary school teacher trainees’ democratic values related to educational life was developed. Results of the literature review and teacher trainees’ views about teachers’ democratic values in education were highly connected. The initial pool of items was formed according to the results of the literature review, teacher trainees’ views about teachers’ democratic values in educational life, and experts’ opinions. Before the varimax rotation 21 factors were identified. This result indicated

a multifactoring structure. After varimax rotations and scree test, the results showed that three factors were appropriate for factor solutions. The structures seen in each subscale will contribute in the way that democratic values as a different dimension are examined more thoroughly. In this situation, each subscale can be used independently from other scales. For example, the subscale which was formed in this study and called “solidarity” can be used as a separate scale in other studies. The results of the factor analysis suggested that there are three subscales in

the TTDVS: Rights of education, Solidarity and Freedom. It is clear that the dimensions of this scale are parallel to the literature related to this issue. There is a strong resemblance between Shechtman’s (2002) study and this study. Shechtman’s scale is composed of 34 items and three subscales are related to three main principles of democracy; equality, freedom and justice. This study is composed of 24 items and three subscales are related to three main principles of democracy; rights of education, solidarity and freedom. The two scales measured specific features of democracy in educational life. The main differences between the two scales were in their structure, and content of the items and subscales. Reliability studies showed that the whole scale and subscale internal consistency values are at an acceptable level. The whole item-total correlation values are between .25 and .62. The significance level of all items in the scale is p<. 0001. The content with discriminant validity and item-total correlations can be shown as evidence for the validity of this item. Results of the validity and reliability studies show that the scale is acceptable

for defining the democratic values of teacher trainees of primary school. The present study has some limitations. First, the data were collected from primary school candidate teachers in an education faculty. It is, therefore, necessary that the scale should be investigated in further studies by collecting data from experienced primary school teachers. Second, additional study may be conducted by using scales that measure the teaching strategies, democratic attitudes and problem-solving skills of teachers which might be positively

related to democratic values. Third, this study is one of the first studies on definitions and measures of primary school teachers’ democratic values in education. It should be kept in mind that the democratic values of teachers are more complex structures than the scale measuring these three dimensions. Thus, the scale should be revised in future studies.

@edutalks

Monday, October 26, 2020

Education Research Highlights

Every year brings new insights—and cautionary tales—about what works in education.

A 2019 study found that students remember less of what they’re learning if they’re doodling at the same time. But the study also addresses a big misconception: Doodling is not the same as drawing. Earlier research concludes that drawing easily beats reading, writing, or listening when it comes to learning and retention.

So what’s the difference? Free-form doodling is often a distraction from what's being learned. At least six decades of studies show that divided attention impairs learning. But drawing that reinforces what’s being studied—for example, sketching out and labeling the solar system—taps into visual, kinesthetic, and linguistic areas of the brain at the same time, encoding the information more deeply.

AWARDS DON’T BOOST ATTENDANCE—TEACHERS DO

It’s common to see awards being handed out to reward students for good attendance, but a 2019 study found that these awards can backfire spectacularly, giving students a “license to miss more school” and actually driving absentee rates up. 

Students are more likely to attend school when their teachers notice absences and make efforts to reach out to them and their families, according to a 2017 report from Attendance Works. And a 2019 study found that highly engaging teachers can decrease absences by 49 percent, making it clear that a teacher’s impact extends well beyond test scores and grades.

MATH CIRCUITRY LOOKS THE SAME IN BOYS AND GIRLS

Advanced imaging technology like fMRI continues to push at the frontiers of our understanding of the human brain. After analyzing the brain circuitry of 104 children ages 3 to 10 while they watched math problems being solved, neuroscientists discovered that neural activity in areas of the parietal lobe associated with numerical cognition was nearly identical across genders. 

The findings tend to confirm that gender differences in math performance are socially constructed, an argument that’s bolstered by past research showing that the gender gap in math is not as pronounced in other cultures—and in some countries, like Finland and Korea, it often reverses to favor girls. 

THE “SUMMER SLIDE” STUDY FAILS TO REPLICATE

While the idea of a “summer slide” is widely accepted and influential, much of what we know about it is based on a 1980s study that concluded that kids who spent their summers playing fell further and further behind those who studied. But a recent attempt to replicate the study failed, and an in-depth analysis revealed that the original testing methods distorted the gap between student scores.

When applying modern scoring methods to the old data, researchers discovered that the hypothetical, ever-expanding gap actually shrank as students got older. Students can still benefit from enriching summer activities, of course, just as they would at any time of the year, but the idea that the gap widens over the summer is almost certainly overblown—and there’s an abundance of evidence that play has significant emotional and cognitive benefits. 

CUT THE ARTS AT YOUR OWN RISK, RESEARCHERS WARN

As arts programs continue to face the budget ax, a handful of new studies suggest that’s a grave mistake. The arts provide cognitive, academic, behavioral, and social benefits that go far beyond simply learning how to play music or perform scenes in a play.

In a major new study from Rice University involving 10,000 students in third through eighth grades, researchers determined that expanding a school’s arts programs improved writing scores, increased the students’ compassion for others, and reduced disciplinary infractions. The benefits of such programs may be especially pronounced for students who come from low-income families, according to a 10-year study of 30,000 students released in 2019. 

Unexpectedly, another recent study found that artistic commitment—think of a budding violinist or passionate young thespian—can boost executive function skills like focus and working memory, linking the arts to a set of overlooked skills that are highly correlated to success in both academics and life. 

STUDIES ON DISABILITY EMPHASIZE EARLY INTERVENTION—AND TEACHER TRAINING

Failing to identify and support students with learning disabilities early can have dire, long-term consequences. In a comprehensive 2019 analysis, researchers highlighted the need to provide interventions that align with critical phases of early brain development. In one startling example, reading interventions for children with learning disabilities were found to be twice as effective if delivered by the second grade instead of third grade.

But only 17 percent of teachers say they feel adequately trained by their certification programs, according to a new report from leading experts—and in the absence of good information, misconceptions take root. For example, the researchers found that one-third of teachers believe that learning disabilities reflect a lack of motivation, not a difference in brain development. To support students with learning disabilities, then, we also need to tackle the pervasive myths that can stymie their potential.

MORE Z’S MAY YIELD MORE A’S

When the Seattle School District delayed high school start times by an hour, students caught an extra 34 minutes of sleep per day, and their grades improved by about 5 percent while absences decreased by 7 percent. The new research highlights the ways in which traditional high school start times—which aren’t aligned to teenagers’ natural circadian rhythms—can cause physical, mental, and cognitive health problems.

While previous studies relied on anecdotal or self-reported evidence to establish a link between sleep, academic performance, and school start times, the new research is the first high-quality, scientific study to quantify the real-world benefits of delaying start times for high school students.

FEWER WARNINGS FOR BLACK STUDENTS

Compared with their white peers, black middle school students were given fewer chances to correct their misbehavior before being sent to the principal’s office or being suspended, according to a 2019 study from the University of Illinois. 

The finding is the latest in a long line of similarly disturbing conclusions about race and discipline in schools, with most research agreeing that black students are disproportionately suspended or expelled compared with their peers. Last year, for example, a study found that while an astonishing 40 percent of black boys were suspended or expelled by third grade, only 8 percent of boys who were non-Hispanic white or other races were.

PAPER BEATS SCREENS, SAYS A NEW STUDY—BUT READ THE FINE PRINT

Virginia Clinton, an education professor at the University of North Dakota, analyzed 33 studies published since 2008 and found that children and adults tend to remember more of what they’ve read on paper compared with digital devices such as e-readers, tablets, and computers.

But there’s a catch: Many of the inherent advantages of digital devices—such as hyperlinking, commenting, and multimedia—were eliminated to allow for “direct comparisons of the media.” In addition, the actual advantages of paper were “rather small,” the study conceded. The newest digital reading tools can enhance note taking, encourage students to read collaboratively, and incorporate pop quizzes—all of which can clearly tilt the benefits in digital’s favor.

GROWTH MINDSET FALTERS, THEN RECOVERS

One of the most popular theories in education was put to the test last year when a large meta-analysis found that growth mindset interventions had “weak” benefits—although at-risk students did see bigger gains. But a new national study, this one encompassing more than 12,000 ninth-grade students, gives new life to the theory.

Unlike previous studies, the new one employed a multipronged approach. Students were taught a powerful metaphor: “The brain is like a muscle that grows stronger and smarter when it undergoes rigorous learning experiences.” They also reflected on their own learning and gave advice to future students who were struggling. The result? Students saw modest gains of 0.1 of a grade point and were also 9 percent more likely to take advanced math courses the following year. Students who were academically at-risk saw major gains, however: 11 percent were prevented from being off-track to graduate.

The 30 Most Innovative People in Education Alive Today

To the Department of Education, innovative people are seeking to better the country one student at a time. Though there are certainly more than thirty deserving people in the world of modern education, the men and women on this list were chosen and ranked based upon the following guidelines:

1. Leadership — Each of the people on this list are leaders in their field, and most have either founded or run a school or education program of some kind.

2. Applicability — While most of the ideas and programs credited to the people on this list apply to various parts of the population, those who have directly improved the education of large numbers of American children were given higher priority when it came to ordering this list.

3. Awards & Recognition — Many of the people on this list have been recognized by various groups for their contributions to education.

4. Other — Those individuals with other notable accomplishments such as personal circumstances or educational background were also considered.

Though Sir Kenneth Robinson is an English citizen, the former professor has made quite the impact on American education. Robinson spent twelve years as a professor of education at the University of Warwick, where he developed his philosophy that Western education ignores creativity to a harmful extent, an idea that has become more and more relevant in America as schools continue to cut programs such as art, music, and drama. Most recently, Robinson has appeared on a number of TED talks, most of which have received upwards of 12 million views each.

When Clara Hemphill, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, began looking for a New York City public school for her son, she became frustrated by the lack of available information. She decided to found InsideSchools.org, a website meant to empower parents by offering information on each of the city’s 1500 public schools. Each school profile contains information on admissions, test scores, culture, teaching styles, homework, and discipline. And Hemphill doesn’t hold back; her profiles are as honest as possible. A school is just as likely to be called out for their barren library than they are for their great principal.

After decades of experience and two key education policy positions under two different presidents, Diane Ravitch shocked many in the education world by drastically changing her opinions on a number of major policy topics. Once a supporter of school choice and school accountability, Ravitch began to feel disillusioned when No Child Left Behind was debuted as a near-instant disaster. Ravitch is now an outspoken opponent of No Child Left Behind, charter schools, and test-based accountability. Her book, “Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools” was released last year.

Randi Weingarten is a former high school history teacher and the current president of the United Federation of Teachers, which represents upwards of 140,000 active and retired teachers. Weingarten has made waves opposing recent changes made by the New York Board of Education. In recent years, she has fought head to head with NYC Mayor Bloomberg, successfully negotiating higher pay for teachers, and opposing principal autonomy, private school tax credits, and the increased focus on standardized testing.

Conrad Wolfram, along with his brother Stephen, is best known for creating the popular TED talks. Wolfram has spent a decade developing various forms of tech-based education, among them the Mathematica software and Wolfram Alpha. Driven by the belief that if math could be made more practical, and less mechanical, it would become more appealing to students, Wolfram has become a major advocate for the use of computers and calculators in k-12 classrooms.

Anant Agarwal is a professor of electrical engineering at MIT, though he is best known as the founder of edX, an online program that offers free course material from world-class institutions such as MIT and Harvard. So far, edX has proven a massive success. People hungry for education have logged into edX from hundreds of different countries around the world. Though edX is still relatively new, Agarwal is confident that his program is poised for a major impact as more and more large universities are beginning to make content available.

Jose Ferreira is the founder and CEO of Knewton, a groundbreaking online education program that allows schools, publishers, and content developers to easily and inexpensively provide personalized educational content in the form of lessons and targeted practice. Focusing especially on test prep for the ACT, SAT, and GRE, Knewton is mostly used by those in k-12 schools. Ferreira, however, is quick to point out that Knewton has the potential for application in any number of settings. For example, Arizona State University has already begun to offer blended courses that implement Knewton, and as a result have seen pass rates in these classes increase by 10%.

23. Anthony Cody

Anthony Cody, a former Oakland, California teacher is a blogger for Education Week and the co-founder of Network for Public Education (NPE), a national advocacy group aiming to protect and strengthen the U.S. public school system. Through NPE, Cody has actively come out against the Common Core, accusing the corporate textbook manufacturer McGraw Hill as pushing for the nationalized curriculum, and Bill Gates for creating a national marketplace for education and testing products.

22. Sebastian Thrun

As a professor at Stanford University, Sebastian Thrun was frustrated that he could only reach 200 carefully selected students per semester. To reach a wider audience, Thrun decided to start Udacity, an open-education tool that offers free courses to the general public. Udacity received over 160,000 sign-ups in its first two months and has barely slowed down since. Udacity now offers an elite education at no cost to any person, from any background, located anywhere in the world. Thrun, whose program already has a few colleges rattled, has publicly predicted that his program could cause a major shift in the future of education.

21. Robert Hughes

Robert Hughes is the President of New Visions for Public Schools, a multi-year, multi-million dollar project spurred by Joel Klein of the New York Department of Education. Hughes has led the creation of more than 112 small middle and high schools throughout New York City. It is Hughes‘ belief that these small schools will keep kids from getting lost in the system and help them to learn that school can be engaging. Already, these schools seem to be a success, as graduation rates have reportedly increased by upwards of 30%.

20. Kevin Johnson

This former NBA player has been making waves in one of California’s largest school districts. As mayor of Sacramento, Johnson founded a successful network of charter schools that have spurred major reform among the city’s education system. In recognition of his success, Johnson was appointed Chair of the Mayors’ Task Force on Public Schools at the United States Conference of Mayors. Johnson’s wife, Michelle Rhee, is also active in education reform and has written a number of books on the topic.

19. Arun Alagappan

Though he started out as a lawyer at the prestigious Sullivan and Cromwell, the Harvard and Princeton-educated Arun Alagappan decided to leave the world of law to found Advantage Testing, Inc., a boutique tutoring service for college-bound students. The New York-based Advantage Testing now employs 100 tutors to assist over 2,000 students per year with SAT prep, essay writing, and core subjects. Students and their families shell out upwards of $650 for a 50-minute session, and a year’s wait for Alagappan himself is not uncommon. Not surprisingly, Alagappan’s success has incited a number of imitation companies throughout the country.

18. Larry Arnn

Larry Arnn is best known as the president of Hillsdale College, a top-ranked liberal arts university located in rural Michigan. In the last few years, Hillsdale College has teamed up with the Barney Charter School Initiative to launch a number of charter schools throughout the country. Like the College, these charter schools seek to “train the minds and improve the hearts” of students through a rigorous, classical education. Arnn and the initiative work specifically with school founding groups who are interested in the association with Hillsdale College. Currently, Hillsdale has opened charter schools in Texas, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Nevada, with a number more planned for the near future.

17. David Coleman

According to the Huffington Post, David Coleman is the “most influential education figure you’ve never heard of.” Coleman, the son of a university president, is the current president of College Board, the national organization responsible for creating, distributing, and scoring the SATs. In fact, Coleman helped to design College Board, and was directly responsible for its re-organization of the SATs into a test of 2400 possible points (an increase from 1600). Though he himself has never been a teacher, there is no doubt that Coleman continues to have a major impact on the world of education.

16. Salman Khan

At first, Salman Khan simply wanted to help his cousin with his algebra homework by creating a few YouTube videos. Those initial videos have since expanded into the Khan Academy, a free, online program that has made its way into thousands of homes and classrooms. With more than three thousand lessons for students to progress through at their own pace, the Khan Academy is now being used in a number of pilot schools in California, where it is rapidly gaining momentum. Recently, Khan was named by Time Magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.”

15. Clark Durant

Detroit is looking a little brighter thanks to Clark Durant. In 1991, Durant, himself a Detroit native, co-founded the Cornerstone School to bring a quality, Christo-centric education to inner-city kids. Durant’s first Cornerstone School was so successful that in 1995, he was named by the state of Michigan as the Michiganian of the Year for his work in education. Since then, Durant has increased Detroit children’s access to education by establishing a network of Cornerstone charter schools. Each year, the Detroit Tigers host Be a Tiger for Kids, a charity event which has raised over $2million dollars for Cornerstone.

14. Arne Duncan

Arne Duncan, the son of a University of Chicago father and a tutor mother, has climbed to the top of the American education system. In the 1990s, Duncan was named director of the Ariel Education Initiative, a program which aims to help inner-city Chicago kids fund their college educations. In 2001, he was named CEO of the Chicago Public School system, a position which directly prepared him for appointment as U.S. Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama.

13. Cami Anderson

Like many superintendents around the nation, Cami Anderson has made it her life’s work to prove that students can succeed at the highest levels, regardless of the circumstances into which they are born. But unlike most of her counterparts, Anderson has remained under the national microscope since her district received a $100 million donation from Facebook’s Mark Zuckerburg. Prior to her work in Newark, Anderson successful raised achievement and graduation rates in NYC’s infamous District 79, but so far has been unable to replicate her success in New Jersey, where an incredible $25,000 is being spent on each student. If Anderson succeeds in turning Newark schools around, her district will surely become a model for other struggling schools to emulate.

12. Linda Darling-Hammond

Linda Darling-Hammond has been a force in the world of education for more than two decades. She is a strong believer in the idea that teachers, not bureaucrats, should reform education. As a professor at Stanford University, she redesigned the teacher education program, adding more opportunities for teachers to work with students of diverse backgrounds. She also served as the Executive Director of the National Commission of Teaching and America’s Future, and is the author of a number of works, including the influential “What Matters Most: Teaching for America’s Future.”

11. Joel Klein

As Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, Joel Klein has brought a corporate ethos to the city’s public schools. Believing that social justice, urban planning, and sports management form a fulcrum for learning, Klein has made sweeping changes that include a universal curriculum for elementary schools, the abolishment of social promotion, greater autonomy for principals, and higher pay for teachers. Though it is too early to tell whether Klein’s reforms will have a lasting effect, many agree that his leadership has restored a sense of hope to the city’s public education system.

10. Michael Bloomberg

Education has been a centerpiece of Michael Bloomberg’s agenda throughout his three terms as mayor of New York City. Almost immediately, Mayor Bloomberg dismantled individual Boards of Education and consolidated power under the New York Department of Education, a move considered controversial by many and bold by just about everyone. Throughout his time in office, Mayor Bloomberg has continued to increase the number of charter schools and has taken action to make teachers more accountable for their students‘ performances through test scores and frequent evaluation. Though his time in office will end in November 2014, Bloomberg’s mayoral legacy is sure to live on.

9. Wendy Kopp

As an undergraduate student at Princeton, Wendy Kopp came up with an idea. Though she wasn’t an education major herself, Kopp wanted to set up a program in which recent graduates and other professionals could teach disadvantaged youth. She made this dream a reality when she founded Teach For America, one of the most successful teaching programs in the history of U.S. education. The program has helped thousands of teachers and disadvantaged youth alike. To piggyback off the success of Teach For America, Kopp recently founded Teach For All to place teachers throughout the world.

8. Bill Gates

Though he has never stepped foot in the classroom as a teacher, Bill Gates has influenced modern education in ways that few people are capable. The founder of Microsoft has contributed over $1.2 billion as part of his efforts to introduce more technology into American high schools, and has been an outspoken advocate for the Common Core, donating over $30 billion over the course of its development and implementation. As early as 2010, the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center named Gates the most influential person in education policy. He may not be a teacher, but Gates is bound to remain a major player in education for years to come.

7. Don Shalvey

Don Shalvey is a long-time public school educator who teamed up with Silicon Valley entrepreneur Reed Hastings to start Aspire Public Schools, one of the first charter management organizations of its kind in the United States. Aspire’s mission statement is to “grow the public charter school movement by opening and operating small, high-quality charter schools in low-income neighborhoods.” Fifteen years after first opening its doors, the 37 Aspire schools throughout California and in Memphis, Tennessee are some of the highest performing schools in the country. In the last four years, 100% of Aspire’s graduating seniors have been accepted into 4-year colleges and universities.

6. Reed Hastings

Considering the success of Don Shalvey and Aspire Public Schools, it’s only right that Shalvey’s business partner, Reed Hastings, also make the list. Hastings is best known as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and the founder of Netflix, but the Aspire network of charter schools will almost certainly cement him a spot in the history of education as well. Aspire is one of the highest-performing and most well-respected charter organizations in the country, and Hastings is looking to add to the 37 campuses in the near future.

5. Jason Bernal

YES Prep Schools may just be the most successful charter school organization in the country, and much of that success is because of Jason Bernal. After starting as a teacher at the original YES campus, Bernal has climbed his way up the ladder to School Director, then Head of Schools, then V.P. of Operations, and now President. YES Prep Schools, nearly all of which are located in low-income areas, are consistently ranked in the top 100 public schools by U.S. News & World Report, and have won a number of competitive awards including the Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools. YES now has thirteen campuses, 1,000 employees, and over 9,000 students.

4. Geoffrey Canada

As a poor boy in South Bronx, Geoffrey Canada’s life was changed when a teacher took an interest in him. Now, Canada is returning the favor as the founder and CEO of the Promise Academy, a Department of Education-approved charter school in Harlem. Dedicated to keeping at-risk kids on the right path, Promise has a school day that is an hour longer, and a school year that is a month and a half longer, than other New York City public schools. The school, which admits students by lottery, has proven itself a huge success. In 2004, just 11% of Promise’s kindergarteners were testing above grade level. Today, that number hovers around 80%.

3. Cheryl Lowe

When Cheryl Lowe’s two sons began returning home from school with what she considered nothing more than “busy work,” she decided to supplement their education with timeless subjects such as Latin and classical studies. The problem: she couldn’t find a Latin book appropriate for children’s learning. So she wrote one. Lowe’s single Latin book has turned into an educational publishing company, Memoria Press, and Highlands Latin School, a top-ranked private classical school in Louisville, Kentucky. Lowe and her now-grown son run the k-12 school, which has become a model to a rapidly growing number of similar institutions around the world.

2. Governor Bobby Jindal

Though most of the country knows him as an “is he or isn’t he?” Republican presidential candidate, those in the state of Louisiana know Bobby Jindal as the sweeping reformist who has incited the Southern state’s slow climb to improvement. Most notably, Jindal expanded Louisiana’s award voucher and school choice programs for lower-income students. As a result, more than half of the state’s 380,000 students are now eligible for an additional $8,500 “scholarship” for the public, private, or charter school of their parents‘ choice. Jindal was recently praised by the Wall Street Journal for his efforts to hold teachers accountable and improve education.

1. E.D. Hirsch, Jr.

E.D. Hirsch, Jr., the longtime advocate for education reform, has been in the news a lot lately as the founder and chairman of the Core Knowledge Foundation, the group largely responsible for developing and implementing the national Common Core. Hirsch’s education philosophies stem from the belief that background knowledge, and not just general readability, will influence a student’s ability and desire to understand material. Though it is too early to tell just how successful the Common Core will be, Hirsch’s curriculum has proven increasingly controversial, with many states suing over the right to refuse to implement it into their public schools.

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