The overall impact of my proposed policy will be to provide a solution to the problem I identified in Section One. That is, the district’s focus as an educational organization will be reformed in such a way as to shift from emphasizing state assessment test performance almost exclusively to also emphasizing the successful implementation of capstone projects. The positive effects of this shift in focus are multi- faceted.
The district’s students will learn 21st century skills through their capstone project
experiences that will prepare them for higher level Common Core Standards and the state standards. The district’s focus will be on standards and curricula. Teachers will balance their focus on test preparation with authentic student activities and assessments. Teachers will be encouraged to help students develop critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, social skills, persistence, creativity, and self-control. Therefore, students will be better prepared for the next step in their school career than they currently are.
The implementation of this policy will enable teachers to meet students’ needs that I identified in Section Two based upon the work of Markham et al. (2003). Students will have the opportunity to learn to do important work, to be taken seriously, to be at the center of the learning process, to engage in important concepts and provocative issues, and to deeply explore important topics. Students also will have the opportunity to learn how to use technology, to learn self-management and project management skills, to develop products that solve problems, and to learn from experience. Students will learn how to explain dilemmas, present information, and collaborate with others.
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Students will gain the skills needed to contribute in meaningful ways to society. They will have an increased opportunity to develop core values and character traits that contribute to good citizenry. As I demonstrated through my description of the capstone projects implemented at Georgia Tech (Capstone Projects, 2015) and the capstone project at the middle school in the district of my study, the capstone experience provides an impact on the social development of individual students that leads to a positive impact on other people. Thus, society becomes a beneficiary of the positive impact of this policy on our students’ learning and future quality of life and living.
Garcia (2014) addressed the positive impact of capstone projects on democracy. She explained the value of students’ developing noncognitive skills and that capstone projects contribute to such development. She claimed that these skills have a correlation to civic and democratic participation.
The goals of my proposed policy, as described in Section Three, are to provide students with an educational experience that is action-oriented rather than passive. They are to promote the moral development of character, to cause students to think and reflect on issues that matter, and ultimately become agents of societal transformation and improvement. These goals include development of the traits of a fully developed person.
While students are at the center of this policy, the positive impacts go beyond the students to society, at large, as previously mentioned. It is also important to note that teachers are also at the heart of this policy. This policy requires teachers to make a significant change in their thinking and their actions, and it also provides a benefit to them. When teachers implement capstone projects with fidelity, they are empowered to facilitate authentic learning. This policy has the potential to invigorate teachers as they,
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themselves, experience authentic learning through their students. Teachers may be empowered to have a much greater positive impact on their students than simply preparing them to pass high stakes test, and through their students they truly can have a positive impact on society.
The current count of students in grades 5, 8, and 12 across the school district in my study is more than 42,000. The potential impact of implementing capstone projects with that many students annually is huge. As I consider the vision behind this policy based upon the problems in American education stated so poignantly by Ravitch (2010) and Wagner (2008), as well as my own observations as a teacher and district
administrator, I believe my policy will have a positive impact on students, teachers, schools, the district, and society. The implementation of the policy will be driven by the goals and objectives I described above and in Section Three. It is most important that the implementation of this policy be consistent with the vision behind it.
My description of the problem in Section One makes a clear case for the need to address better the needs of students, teachers, and society. My proposed policy addresses the needs of all three stakeholder groups. Furthermore, I feel a moral imperative to move forward in proposing the actions involved in the policy I have described in this paper, as well as assisting the district in implementing it. When I become aware of an important issue, concern, or problem, and I have the wherewithal to do something about it, then I am obligated to do so; therefore, I will request to be a part of the guiding coalition, if the superintendent and school board decide to approve and implement my policy proposal.
We have a serious problem across America in our public education system, and that problem is that we are neglecting to prepare our students to be globally competitive
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in the 21st century. My review of the literature combined with my action research has
demonstrated that capstone projects will propel us toward a solution to this problem. While the problem is complex, and the implementation of capstone projects cannot be the sole solution to such a complex problem, this policy will certainly help the school district in my study to focus on the genuine needs of its students and how best to prepare them for their future.
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