PROJECT

PROPOSAL

A. ABSTRACT
 The title of my paper will be The Fight for Equal Funding. My project will be titled,
Education is for Everyone. My overarching topic is unequal funding for public schools. My
specific topic deals with comparing schools within our district and neighboring districts in
regards to funding and how equal it truly is. Equal education is an issue I feel very strongly
about. From early on, my parents have stressed the importance of a good education. This had me
wondering, what exactly is a good education? What separates one persons education from
another? I have taken advantage of every educational opportunity that has come my way. I
attended a private school for eight years before being accepted into the Legal Studies Academy. I
know that not all students have had the same educational experiences I have. I decided to
research unequal funding to find the reasons behind inequality in our education system and
whether or not people in the United States are being denied their right to education due to
inadequate funding. Driving questions behind my research include the following:

What is the impact of school funding on the academic achievement of students?

Is there a correlation between low-income areas and low funding for schools?
Does unequal funding contradict Americas objective of equal opportunity for all
students?
What is the basis behind the opposing viewpoint that funding does not affect student
achievement?
What are the most recent court rulings regarding the right to education in public schools?
How does school funding in Virginia compare to that of other states?

My project, Education is for Everyone, will be hosted at an elementary school in the Hampton
Roads area. I plan to hold the event at either Bettie F. or Seatack Elementary. First Colonial,
specifically the Legal Studies Academy, has relationships with these schools known for being in
lower-income areas of the city. I will set up an appointment with the principal of one of these
schools to propose the idea to them. I will hold my project next semester. Preferably, my event
will be on a Friday. I could talk to the principals and decide on a time when they believe the
event would be most successful. I will prepare an educational day for the students filled with fun,
constructive activities. I will ask the principal what academia the students need to focus on to
ensure that my project is being as beneficial as possible and targeting the areas in which they are
struggling. I hope to have some fun, yet educational, activities planned with a strong focus on
literacy and whatever curriculum the students need extra help with. I plan to bring volunteers
with me to help execute the project. I will talk to Mrs. Phillips about negotiating community
service hours for those students willing to help. I selected Mrs. Disher as my consultant. I believe
that she is going to see my vision through and work alongside me to ensure the project meets the
objectives I am proposing in this paper. Working with my consultant, Mrs. Disher, we decided
that at the end of the project, we could hand out Weekend Bags to the students. Since I am
working in low-income school districts, we figured that there is no guarantee that the students are
going home on the weekends and being provided with three meals a day. I will ask volunteers
from First Colonial to help me pack the bags with materials such as pencils, an apple, and some
cookies. The success of my project will be evaluated by my consultant and volunteers. I may also
give the students a quick survey at the end. I could make the survey in the form of a quiz to see
how much the students learned throughout the time allotted for this project. I will determine the
number of volunteers needed for this project once I have spoken with the principal and am aware
how many children to be expecting. Other materials needed will be the tools for the educational
activities as well as the fun goodies for their bags. The purpose of this project is to have an
impact on a local school that may not be afforded the same opportunities as we are.

B. LEARNING SKILLS

This project will enable me to acquire new skills while enhancing old ones. I expect to
challenge myself through this project. By completing this project, I will be venturing outside of
my comfort zone. I will grow not only in knowledge of a topic I am passionate about, but on a
personal level. This project presents obstacles that will force me to improvise, compromise, and
work hard to adjust to any unexpected scenarios that may arise. Learning skills I will strengthen
include the following:

Organization
Time Management
Scholarly Research
Compare and Contrast skills
Creativity
Improvision
Public Speaking

Learning skills I will gain consists of the following:

Contacting professionals
Conducting professional meetings
Preparing a lesson plan
Engaging students in an educational setting
Preparing a 15 minute presentation
Answering questions in front of a panel

By the end of my senior project, I will have experienced growth in the key areas listed
above. My learning skills gained and strengthened will be evident as I make progress throughout
the year. I will show the skills I have acquired in my final project and my panel presentation.

C. MARKETING PLAN/FACILITIES/AUDIENCE

My target audience will be elementary school students. I believe that by completing my

project at an elementary school in a low-income district, I will be working with students directly
affected by the problem of unequal funding. I aim to work with some volunteers and help them
improve the skills that their teachers say they need help with.
Since the elementary schools are in lower income areas, I would like to provide
educational assistance to those students who need help outside of the classroom. I also expect to
have a school supplies drive. I will ask the First Colonial community as well as people I know
outside of school to donate. I plan to speak to classes as well as post flyers to advertise for the
drive. I will give any collected supplies to the elementary school where I hold my event.
Additionally, I would hand out weekend bags for the students that come to my project. I will
encourage FC students to volunteer by offering community service hours, If the event is after
school, I will advertise around the school by making announcements and posting flyers. I will
ask the teachers to recommend it to their students.This project will give back to the local
community while raising awareness about the problems of unequal funding for public schools.

D. PROJECT STEPS

Preliminary Contact elementary schools. 6

Steps Set up meetings. Hours
Establish date of the event.
Plan activities for students.
Plan what materials I will need for the activities as well as
materials for the weekend bags.
Negotiate community service hours for volunteers with
Mrs. Phillips.
Begin thinking about advertising/flyers.
Check with Mrs. Disher on progress of my project.

Midway Steps Begin advertising. 6

Create lesson plan. Hours
Work on school supply drive.
Find volunteers.
Collect materials.
Plan meeting for weekend bag making.
Progress check with Mrs. Disher.

Later Steps Review lesson plan. 6

Confirm with school. Hours
Confirm with volunteers.
Make weekend bags.
Collect school drive items.
Progress check with Mrs. Disher.

Follow up Prepare for panel presentation. 6

Collect pictures and videos from project. Hours
Get feedback from project.
Evaluation from Mrs. Disher.
Practice panel presentation/Make revisions.

Total 24
Hours

E. PROJECT DOCUMENTATION
 I plan to document every step of my project. I will use the table above to keep track of
my progress. I will take pictures of the progress being made on my project. At the event, I will
record a video. I will use this documentation to evaluate my growth throughout the project. I will
keep a timelog throughout the year to record how much time I am spending on each step of the
project. I plan to keep any notes, to-do lists, or other documentation in a senior project portfolio.
I will take notes after each step when my progress is evaluated by my consultant. The
documentation I keep throughout the year will be used in my panel presentation to show my
growth as I complete the project.

F. PROJECT JUSTIFICATION

Unequal funding for public schools is an issue that needs attention. This project is
something that is close to me. I am passionate about equal opportunity for all students, and I will
be sure to see my vision for this project through. Since I view education with immense
importance, I am driven to research this topic and create a project that will make a difference. I
am confident that with this project, I will have the opportunity to experience personal growth
while bettering my local community. It will be a stretch for me to complete this project because I
will be working in a different environment than I am used to. I will have to adapt to and
overcome situations I am not able to anticipate. By throwing myself into a new environment
through my project, elementary school students will be presented with an educational experience
they would not have otherwise received. Hopefully, they will be engaged educationally in a fun
setting different than that of a classroom which will inspire them to further their studies and
appreciate education in the same way I do.

G. PROJECT-PAPER CONNECTION

My paper will be written about equal funding for public schools. My project will be in a
lower-income school district where I try to expose children to fun ways of learning. I will also
try to encourage students to push themselves in school. This relates to my paper because it is
dealing directly with students affected by inadequate funding. In my paper, I will research court
cases dealing with people who believe their right to a public education has been violated. From
my paper, I will learn more about the concept of equal opportunity. By completing this project, I
will gain the experience necessary to compare higher income schools with lower income
districts. The project portion will tie together my senior project.

H. ACADEMIC HONESTY

Academic honesty is being truthful in your work and never taking someone elses work
as your own. This project was created by me and will be completed by me with the help of my
consultant. Academic integrity is having the ability to do your own work and be proud of the
work you were able to produce. This project is about personal growth and making an impact. By
the end of this project, I will know that my accomplishments were my own and that they
attributed to my growth throughout the year. I understand that if I am dishonest with my work,
there will be serious consequences.
I understand that any academic dishonesty by me on any part of the project will result in failure
of the Senior Project and forfeiture of the Legal Studies Seal on my High School diploma.