Chapter 3: Adolescents in the Digital Age

In chapter 3 of the article, I found some issues presented to be noteworthy (while I also disagreed with others). I will highlight the parts I agreed with.

Firstly, King and O'Brien state that many schools have a basic curriculum "with enriching real-life learning activities taking place in private, pay-as-you-go spaces and oportunities" (45), meaning that if students want to participate in a worthwhile, life changing event, they are going to have to pay money because the school environment gives students only the basic skills for competency.

I believe this idea is generally a true trend in today's schools, but not always. For example, many schools allow students to participate in clubs or sports activities, but if a student has to work after school in order to help his parents pay their bills, then he is at a disadvantage.

The writers also note that schools sometimes label themselves as "educationally disadvantaged," "at risk," or "struggling" in order to take the blame off of the schools for a lack of student competency. However, the real culpable unit is the schools themselves. The students are merely producing what the school asks of them, and the studentss economic abilities or inabilities cannot be held accountable.

As an establishment, schools must require students to perform at a certain level and provide the resources in order to get there. The excuse that the student body is predominantly from a certain social or economic background is not legitimate. Therefore, schools need standards by which they expect and help students achieve success.