Imagine walking down the hall of a crowded high school. Most of the students there do not envision how well school prepares them for college. Teenagers have few cares in the world! A vast majority takes the bare minimum amount of courses needed to fulfill school requirements. These graduation prerequisites usually do not come close to adequate, and rarely exceed sufficiency. Should high schools change current curriculum to better prepare students for college? The answer is simply, "yes." Consideration of why and how holds the key to solving America's problem.
Why would one hypothesize a change is needed? First, international comparisons show the decline in education. Tests show American high school students rank much lower than other nations on standardized math and science tests (United States 66). On a test given in twenty-one nations, American pupils only outperformed Cyprus and South African students. These results seem more devastating when one sees Asian nations, usually ranking high in competitions, did not participate (McNamara 73). Examinations also reveal pupils' performances decline as students climb up the educational ladder toward college. "We seem to be the only country in the world whose children fall farther behind the longer they stay in school" ("Nation" 1). Yet, just comparing our students to international standards does not divulge the whole story.
A big gap exists between stereotypical "poor" schools and "rich" schools. Millions of Americans do not enjoy the option of enrolling children in schools where better teachers and materials are affordable. They are forced to remain with whatever the district can provide. Usually these children are not of lower intelligence, they just do not have the opportunities to learn educational necessities. Most parents want to place posterity in institutions where they will obtain a better education, but lack the means to do so. If the government could implement programs emphasizing curriculum, these children would have a better chance of becoming leaders of the country. From here, one must consider courses.
Current statistics and trends in American curriculum need examination. Since 1983, over twenty million American seniors graduated unable to do fundamental math. Also, over ten million did not learn to read at essential levels (1). Students graduate without rudimentary information about history, literature, art, and the philosophical foundations of their nation and civilization (Bennet 2).
The United States has proven to be a world leader with their powerful military, democratic government, and stringent foreign policies. There is one category however, the United States struggles to be number one in, education. As shocking as this may sound, the public school system in America is not superior to other developing countries. I have witnessed this scandalous phenomena firsthand, engrossed in the public school system from kindergarten to freshman year of high school. The student body and the school administration is morphing into a nonproductive system with a zombie-like attitude. American students lack academic drive and curiosity compared to European and Asian countries because the standard for academic success is constantly lowered. Americans must reform the school system and change their perspective on how important an education is to the rest of the world.
In “The Essentials of a Good Education” by Diane Ravitch, she states that students are not getting a full curriculum because schools are focusing too much on the subjects the government has mandated. Since public schools are insistent on maintaining good test scores from their students, they taking more time for practice tests and are making cuts to other classes or departments they feel are less necessary to the students’ education, but in reality make them well-rounded students and future citizens. The No Child Left Behind law and the Race to the Top program have caused schools to obsess over test scores and data instead of keeping an advanced curriculum for their students. Educated parents would only want the best school with a full curriculum
Some students would argue that a college education is not a vital aspect of the future of children because it is too much schooling, costs too much, and it is not needed for their future. First of all, these students have struggled through 13 years of school whether elementary, middle, or high school. They have endured many long days and late nights to pass their classes. Although it is true that 4+ more years of school will be mentally tough and hard to endure, these important years will help shape
As the economy evolves and the job market continues to get more competitive, it’s becoming harder to have a successful career without some kind of college degree. This creates a belief in many young students that college actually is a commodity, something they must have in order to have a good life. There’s many different factors that influence this mindset, high schools must push the importance of the student’s willingness and drive to further their education. College isn’t just a gateway to jobs, but it is an opportunity to increase knowledge and stretch and challenge the student which in return makes them a more rounded adult and provides them with skills they might lack prior to
With Luxembourg (Tucker, 2011) being the country that spends the most money per student in the world, the United States comes in second. This proves that educational funds are vital for schools to remain operational. Though money is not the only issue. In Marc Tucker’s article, he states that schools “put more money behind their hardest-to-educate students than those who are easier to educate.” (Tucker, 2011) He also says the schools have curriculum and standards that math and the assessments and materials used are “based on that curriculum.” (Tucker, 2011) I feel that the public schools in America need to focus more of their funds on the lower performing schools that are falling behind. The reasons for them falling behind may be numerous, but none-the-less, the lower achieving schools seem to be moving at a slower pace than schools with higher funding and better test
High schools must begin to do their part in preparing graduates for the rigors of college. In the last couple of decades, high stakes testing along with state and federal mandates have put tremendous pressure on public schools to increase graduation rates (Steele 616). Sadly, high schools spend so much time on preparing students for the graduation tests that no time is left for the needed psychological preparation for college. High school policymakers need to reevaluate their desired results for graduates to include college r...
However, the question that does stand is if a college education is right for every high school student. From early education to secondary education, the belief that one can go anywhere from here and achieve whatever they set their minds to have been pounded into students heads. With these statements, there is always that underlying idea that these goals can only be achieved with the help of a college education, but this isn’t always the case. Counselors and teachers have been scouring the halls and classrooms in high schools encouraging the prospect of college while neglecting to offer other paths and choices that could fit a student better. Almost every person in this country can agree that school is a remarkable honor and something that is definitely not frowned upon, but the pressures to only look towards and pursue college could get in the way of what is best for a certain individual. By telling all students that they should attend college no matter the circumstances is potentially doing some of them a disservice
The United States is a melting pot: we have built our country on the customs of many others. We cannot be afraid to revert to old tactics so long as they are successful. Other countries hold the key to success in the education system and the United States must be willing to take note.
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.
Receiving a high school and college education is a great privilege to a lot of people in the United States. For many Americans, attending college can be a great hurdle to surpass in comparison to attending high school. This is because college is more academically rigorous and costly than high school. However, despite college being a great way to advance academically and professionally, it is understandable why many people choose not to continue their education after graduating from high school.
The purpose of a high school education is to prepare one for college and ultimately, the workforce. By the end of freshman year, in high school, the average student has learned a sufficient amount of material in enough subjects , that he or she can be considered "well-rounded" in his or her studies. This is because the rate at which material is covered in schools, across the nation has increased dramatically compared to the past. Students now learn more advanced curriculum at a younger age, and this continues to become more evident year after year. High school has now become more focused on teaching students a small amount of information on several essential subjects, rather than having them focus deeply on the subjects they seek to pursue in career. Unfortunately, this shift in focus has caused the overall high school experience to stray away from its intended purpose. If students are not prepared for their career, what purpose does a high school education have? If High Schools inserted more elective course opportunities into their standard set of curriculum, it would further prepare students for the career of their choice, allow them to truly master a subject, build their confidence, and refine their talents so that they may grow and succeed their future occupations.
Within recent decades, college has become a more easily available path than it has been for the past generations. In a current news release, The Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that, “Of the 2.9 million youth age 16 to 24 who graduated from high school between January and October 2014, about 68.4 percent were enrolled in college in October” (BLS Economic News Release from April 2015). When a student graduates high school, most of them intend to continue on to college. They have the idea that, while there, they can break away from all the general classes and just focus on what they want to learn. However, for almost all students, they find that this is not the reality. Just like high school, they find that they have to take approximately two years in general studies in order to attend and graduate with the major of their choice. General education classes should not be required because a majority of the information learned has already been covered in past years. Most of the courses do not benefit a student 's major, and the total amount of required hours for these classes can become a big waste of time and money.
Many students entering college may discover that they are not prepared for college curriculum courses. These students enter college courses facing a major issue. They find that high school has not adequately prepared them for the difficulty of college level courses. These students lacked the sufficient basis in being well equipped for advanced careers and college entry. These students have suffered a great inequality prevalent throughout high schools since several high schools do not receive equivalent aid. The unequal funding in high schools prevents students from attaining the same education that other students in different areas may receive. Unequal school funding in secondary schools causes inadequate preparation for students wanting to attend a post-secondary institution.
In the 1980’s a report called “A Nation At Risk” stated that American children had fallen behind in such subjects as math and science. Thus came the advent of education’s increased focus on literacy and numeracy, accountability and academic standards. These high standards, according to Dumas (2000), are the most significant trend in schools today.
There are many important things children gain while growing up; the most important thing children gain growing up is their education. The educational skills children learn in school teach them the skills they need to perform outside of the classroom and in the workforce. With education being one of the most important gains in the lives of children, it has come to light how in recent years the United States has fallen further and further behind its peers in international rankings. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2009 educational scores, the United States ranks “33” (1), which is lower than the 2002 ranking of “18” (CNN). With such a decrease in the United States ranking, parents wonder why American students are falling behind.