Statement of Purpose
	Throughout history our society has seen changes come in small forms and large forms.  Each of these changes impacts society in different ways. As society begins to adapt to the changes the individual aspects of society are forced to change as well.  We have recently faced a dip in our economy due to these changes and we must learn to focus on what is important to fix it. Education is no different than the other aspects of society. We are seeing a shift in our culture, our economy, as well as our focus. Because of this shift, career and technical education is becoming more important again in our society. The programs offered in these schools help students get a head start in life and we must be sure to stress the academic importance as well. James R. Stone III, Director of he National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE), “Few Americans are aware of the extent to which our civilian economy used to depend on the breadth and quality of the vocational education system.” We, as educators, must understand and take into account the needs of our society and the wants of our students.   According to Pradeep Kotamraju, deputy director of the NRCCTE, “Too often we forget that students come to programs in different ways, and their interests, plans and aspirations also have to be taken into account.” (Fleisher, 2012)   Teacher must learn to focus the concepts and learning goals on students wants and needs.  Schools need to focus on creating learners that can benefit society on many levels.  
At the Medina County Career Center we expect our students to focus on academics as well as career technical classes.  We offer a wide variety of classes to meet student needs.  American Literature is a two semester course offered to first year students at the Medina County Career Center.  The students will study a broad scope of literature from all periods of American history.  Each genre from our past is used to align with the time period as students discover the relationship of each.    The course influences students to look at the impact that the time period had on the literature as well as the impact that the literature had on the time period.  It is important for students to know the powerful influence that literature has had on American society.  Using previously learned material students will be able to apply certain universal concepts to different pieces of literature.  According to Classroom Instruction that Works, “One of the most interesting findings is the negative effect that setting goals or objectives has on outcomes other than those specified in the objectives.” (Marzano 2001) Students must have relevant and focused curriculum in order to find success.  When the goals and objectives work together throughout an entire unit it increases the understanding.  As the class progresses to modern literature students will be able to see the impact of modern literature through the use of novels, poems, music lyrics, as well as other forms of literature.  
	We strive to create well rounded, life-long learners.  Students will also gain various communication and technology skills that will benefit them throughout life.  Each lesson is embedded with concepts that go far beyond the English classroom. As a student completes a particular lesson they will gain a better understanding of the spoken and written language.  These concepts are beneficial to our learners because they can take them with them into our community.  As their skills begin to grow they will be able to look further into the literature and begin to tie the themes into everyday events.  This application allows students to connect to the literature and grow as citizens as well as students.  Marzano also stresses that “once the teacher has established classroom learning goals, students should be encouraged to adapt them to their personal needs and desires.” (2001)  When students are able to find a personal connection to their learning it makes it a better experience.   When creating a curriculum, one must make sure that the concepts connect to each other as well as the lives of students.  
References
Fleisher, L. (2012, January 29). Flaws seen in vocational education. Wall Street Journal. 	Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article 
Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., & Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-	based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision 	and Curriculum Development. 
Stone, J. R. (2012, February 10). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://136.165.122.102/mambo/content/view/538/1/