I am entirely certain that twenty years from now we will look back at education as it is practiced in most schools today and wonder how we could have tolerated anything so primitive. The pieces of the educational revolution are lying around unassembled."
- John W. Gardner, Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, "No Easy Victories" (1968)
Sadly over 40 years later, the the educational revolution still hasn't taken off. The “pieces” are still lying around unassembled and the education in the schools is still tolerated. The need for change of public schools in the United States has been emerging since of the the passage of Pennsylvania's Common School Act in 1834. The Common School Act of 1834, set up a "general” system of education by common schools. People are continuously saying how children are the future and we must nurture them in order to ensure a bright future for our country. However, we are failing at a very basic level. The current education system in the United States is extremely poor. Drop-out rates for high school students continue to rise and student performance has been steadily declining. An article published in 1999 showed exactly how much of a crisis the American education system is really in. The article was written by William J. Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education, and it ranked high school seniors form 21 industrialized nations based on their performance in math, science, and advanced physics. American high school seniors ranked 19th in math, 16th in science and last in advanced physics.
Despite the push for education reform some thirty years ago, the American public education system has still not made adequate progress. The issue of education reform is a very complex issue with many di...
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...erican Education." Heartlander Magazine. 1 Oct. 1999. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. .
Liu, Goodwin. "Improving Title I Funding Equity Across States, Districts, and Schools." Iowa Law Review, 2008. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.
Reardon, Sean F. "The Widening Academic Achievement Gap between the Rich and the Poor: New Evidence and Possible Explanations."Center for Education Policy Analysis at Stanford University. Stanford University, 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. .
Whitehurst, Grover J. "Don't Forget Curriculum."- Brookings Institution. The Brookings Institution, Oct. 2009. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.
President Ronald Reagan once described America as, “A Nation at Risk,” He was addressing this statement to the education department thirty years ago and meant it as a wake-up call. He was aware that the United States was falling behind in education and needed to take action in order to prevent the demise of the country. Reagan correctly predicted the grim fate of America if education did not see improvement. Today, research finds that American education is failing to provide the necessary skills to succeed in college and various careers. The quality of education in America is a growing issue and every year graduate students are finding it more difficult to obtain high paying jobs and start his or her career. According to studies conducted globally, the curriculum in America is not as advanced and years behind international schools in countries such as China and Japan. There is much controversy in government over what can be done to reverse the situation in public schools but possible solutions that have been suggested are hiring more qualified teachers, more classroom time, and investing more money into education.
America has not changed it’s educational system in over two hundred years. For this reason, our students and population are falling further and further behind. Our society has done nothing but move forward, so why hasn’t our learning? Everybody has a story, opinion, or response to education. We need to invest in refining our tools to succeed, to create a better sense of self, and a stronger, more well-rounded nation. The American educational system is hurting students by passing them without merit and relying on standardized tests; however, many are now running back to these hollowed halls to ensure better futures.
The United States was engulfed with movements calling for social revolution before the advent of the civil war. Reformer led associations pursued transformation of education in public schools, the elimination of social problems including drunkenness, prostitution and to ensure American families remained intact and strong. They also demanded changes to the system that would uplift the lives of the poor and bring slavery to an end. Several reform agendas from this period have present day equivalent in the efforts to modify welfare, eradicate drug menace, put an end to domestic violence, and reduce crime. Although some were considered controversial, the temperance, education, prison, women's rights, and antislavery movements engineered the deepest
Since the beginning of the first education reformation, there has always been criticism on how education should be provided and taught. Throughout time, different countries have made reformations to provide better educations to their people. These examples range from creating a better school system, to providing free education in elementary and secondary school. Education reform is not over as it is still an ongoing process in the making that may never end. Education reform first started to happen in ancient Greece with Socrates, Plato and other great Greek scholars. They studied the “how’s” and “why’s” of life. They also believed in creating a better education system for the common people. It went so far as Socrates creating the first university
America’s public school system started off very rough, but through the dedication of many hard-working Americans, it was starting to shape into a system that allowed all children, regardless of race, gender, religion, or nation of origin, to have an education.
As noted by the graph our standings in education is below average, especially with African Americans and Hispanic children compared to other states. If this is the outcome in elementary school what should we expect by grade 8. With all of the various reforms enacted throughout the 30 years the curriculum in public schools did not improve nor did our standing compared to the rest of the world. Even though in each presidency monitoring tool was developed to ascertain the level of learning based on the test. In states where students passing their test equated to more funding of the school as well as the school remains open, jobs for the educators. So oppose to teaching students the information needed educators taught to the test. This is due to politicians not addressing the core issues that prevent children in low social economic status of of color due to cultural biases. Then there is the political climate of education including ignorance towards the benefit of vocational schools and real world learning.
Not only do the families of impoverished children lack resources necessary for success, the school districts themselves lack vital assets as well. In reference to the PISA exam, “the average American PISA reading score for higher-income schools exceeded that of all other developed countries, while the average score for lower-income American schools was far lower” (Friedman). Extreme funding gaps and lack of proper government funding are the main contributors to this drastic distinction in educational success.
Reardon, Sean. "The Widening Academic Achievement Gap Between the Rich and the Poor: New Evidence and Possible Explanations." Stanford University, July 2011. Web. 10 May 2014.
Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the American educational system has undergone much transition in response to our changing society. Though there have been many problems raised throughout the years in regard to what our school systems should be teaching our children, there have also been many developments.
Ideas swarm around us everyday. They run through our heads and at times they alter our thoughts, believes, and perception. The question is, what ideas, events, or words affect us so that we do the things we do and say the things we say. If we understand the causes and know the effects, we have yet to fully understand the “chain.” In essence, the real question is not “what” ideas, events, or words affected the person but rather “why” it affected them. To understand the why, we must first understand the initial cause and effect.
The United States prides itself on its public education system making it a core value of many families. The level of education a person has will influence their career achievements. Americans expect their public system of education to provide a solid curriculum. Most of the people in the United States place their trust in the public school system in which they support through taxes. This trust although is contradicted by the public system of education’s current shape. Much of the schools in the United States are either deteriorating, or failing all together. The drawbacks of public education create an unhealthy environment for student learning.
Scott, T. (2011). A nation at risk to win the future: The state of public education in the U.S. Journal For Critical Education Policy Studies, 9(1), 267-316.
Historically, unions have a long and proud presence in the United States. They have served as a powerful force for change, providing support for transition eras, such as during women’s suffrage and Civil Rights movements. Unions have also broadened the scope of professionalism for teachers, while also securing the rights and benefits of those who dedicate themselves to serving students (Bascia and Osmond, 2012). However, the question has been raised about the actual effectiveness of unions regarding actually increasing student academic achievement. Education reform movements are ever changing, and the reach of the powerful unions cause contention in some minds. Ultimately, are teacher unions and school quality potential allies
Senge, P., Cambron-McCabe, N., Lucas, T., Smith, B., Dutton, J. & Kleiner, A. (2012). Schools that Learn (pp. 32-69). Boston: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
John W. Gardner said, “Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.” Education today is very ineffective. It is in an in between phase of the ways of old and a time of complete reform. The main issue is that people often lose sight of why the education system should even be reformed. It shouldn’t be reformed because “that’s what everyone else is doing.” It needs to be reformed to bridge the gap for the students who have a different learning style. It should be reformed to expand knowledge for students. Education reform can have good and bad effects. Because the education system is very complex, educators are being faced with changes and they must decide what is best for students.