Welcome to the WISE website where we are working to improve schools and education.

The purpose of this website is to provide anyone interested in improving U.S. schools with valuable information and resources about important issues in education and teaching. The information and resources presented here are the product of ongoing work by an education professor, Jeff Claus, at Ithaca College, in Ithaca, NY and students in one of his courses. Most of these students are preparing to teach and work with young people in disciplines ranging from social studies, biology, English, Spanish, and math, to music, speech & language development, and health & physical education.

To begin, we conducted a survey of teachers in Tompkins County, NY, the county in which Ithaca College is located. This survey asked teachers to list topics, issues, and concerns they would like to see addressed by a website. Over time, the WISE website is developing resources on all of these topics as well as those of the course in which the students are enrolled. This course, the Social and Cultural Foundations of Education, is a broad-based, social science study of U.S. education involving history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, economics, and politics. It focuses on analysis of contemporary educational issues, with particular emphasis on issues of equity, diversity, multicultural education, and the development of schools more effective for ALL students and families. The purpose of the course is to help students interested in education and teaching develop greater sociocultural understanding and skill and a critically reflective framework and knowledge base for making informed decisions about issues of educational policy and practice.

To enter the site, please go to the index of topics. Then follow your interests and needs to find information we hope will be helpful to you in providing engaging, just, effective education in your schools and communities.

 

This site was last modified by Jeff Claus (claus@ithaca.edu) on 8/30/07