Public schooling systems today are hindering, rather than helping, the creativity and individuality of high school-aged students who are looking not only for their future, but for themselves as well. What needs to be changed in order for students to get the most from their high school education? Much research has gone into this, resulting in differing opinions, multiple methods of change, and thousands of other questions. Some researchers feel that too much class time is spent forcing students to learn advanced science, math, and language arts; others believe that these same classes should be the main focus of schools in order to increase intelligence. This begs the question of how to measure the intelligence of students in order to find what they need as an individual. Is there a way to measure how capable an individual is? There are thousands of different types of intelligence, so how does one label the intellectual capacity of anyone by using a number-based system? Those being tested by these defective methods are going to become the leaders of their country and must learn how to effectively do so. Education must be reformed in order to secure the future of the United States of America.
As time goes by, American citizens find themselves conforming to society and molding to the changes surrounding them. Why, then, are education systems remaining as they were hundreds of years ago? In his book The Element, Dr. Ken Robinson points out that the current systems of education were designed in “times that were dominated by the Industrial Revolution in Europe and America” (13). This refers back to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, approximately 300 years ago. Basic skills in math, science, and language were essential for findin...
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...e the education that fits their future roles in life and current systems of education are not focusing enough on these subjects. Perhaps those in charge will see this. Perhaps they will reform how they educate their children. Perhaps they never will, but in order to succeed and keep from becoming a third-world country, the United States of America must find a way to modify education for the benefit of themselves, their children, and the future of their country.
Works Cited
“How Standardized Testing Damages Education.” 20 Aug 2007. n. p. FairTest. Web. 22 Mar 2011.
Lumsden, Linda. “Student Motivation to Learn.” n. p. ERIC Clearinghouse. Web. 6 Apr 2011.
Robinson, Ken. The Element. Strand, London: Viking Penguin, 2009. p. Print
Roekel, Dennis Van. “Reforming High Schools for the 21st Century-An Imperative.” NEA policy brief (2008): n. p. Web. 17 March 2011.
Miltich, Matthew. "Standardized Testing and Assessment Do Not Improve Education." Education: Opposing Viewpoints. New York: Greenhaven, 2005. 151-54. Print.
Horace Mann addressed several issues before the Massachusetts Board of Education in 1848. His vision revolved around the idea that a successful schooling system would enable people to transcend social class. Among the issues he discussed were physical, intellectual, political, moral, and religious education. Mann believed that modern science put control of one’s well being in their own hands, and people must learn to care for themselves adequately so that healthy habits are ingrained into our culture and subsequently the upbringing of children. Intellectual education, perhaps the most important issue, as it is the one predominantly aimed at enabling people to move up in social class. Mann deemed “vast and overshadowing private fortunes” as...
“More than one million High School students fail to graduate high school each year. This not only affects the individual and his or her education but also takes a toll on society and the economy”.-Unknown. Today’s education cap affects society in many ways. Education is one key element that is needed throughout everyday life. It is needed for critical thinking, problem-solving, and great independent decision making in our lives. Without education, we wouldn’t be able to communicate with one another or make something out of ourselves. So we might ask ourselves how can we make education better for us and the future generations? In the book “Smartest Kids in the World”, Amanda Ripley gives an explanation of the difference between the education system in U.S. and in countries like Finland, Poland, and South
Standardized testing is not a new concept; it has been in use since the mid to late 1990’s. However the “high stakes” focus on standardized testing is. The practices that accompany standardized testing have long been in debate. Those in favor of standardized testing will argue that the testing creates a system that increases grades and accountability among teachers, students and school districts across the country. On the other hand those that oppose standardized testing will argue the ill effects that standardized testing can have on students, teachers, and schools. There are numerous ways in which standardized testing has gravely impacted education, some of which are high stress levels of students and teachers, the hindrance on educational instruction, high monetary costs of testing as well as inadvertent discrimination and bias. Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota stated “Far from improving education, high-stakes testing marks a major retreat from fairness, from accuracy, from quality and from equity.”
Ruthven, R. (2007, November 7). Is Standardized Testing Hurting Education? Associated Content. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from www.associatedcontent.com/article/438846/is_standardized_testing_hurting_education.html
"The Standardized Testing Debate: The Good, the Bad, and the Very Ugly." TakePart. N.p., n.d. 22 Feb 2013. Web. 15 May 2014.
Schooling has a lot of problems that need a lot of solutions. Many of these problems stem from the fact that the American school system is notorious for wasting the time of students and teachers. Students rarely get the chances to learn and experience topics that not only interest them but are also topics that have the potential for being important in their future careers. Time is also wasted during standardized tests that do not give American students an accurate representation of their intelligence compared to the intelligence of others worldwide.
Overall it is evident that standardized testing has affected the education in the United States negatively. The main flaw is that policymakers made standardized testing the center of our education system, which intern led to vast changes in curriculum where educators were forced to teach to test rather than teaching materials that fosters creativity, and enhances knowledge. Howard Gardner, famous for his work on multiple intelligences, stated he was unconcerned that American children were ranked last among the major industrial nations in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. He reported that tests measure exposure to facts and skills not whether or not kids can think (Ritter 5).
Authors Amy Witherbee and Denise B. Geier of “Point: Standardized Testing is the best Way to Establish Education Standards” say, “Standardized tests are important, not for the testing, but for the standards. They are, in essence, a benchmark that when properly done, sets out for students, teacher, parents, and a nation, goals for the next generation” (1). Standardized testing can aid in measuring student success, but they are not always an accurate representation of a student’s knowledge or a teacher’s capabilities. The key phrase in their claim is “when done properly”, which is not something that is easily said or done. It is nearly impossible to ensure that the system is not being corrupt, or to prove that everyone is testing the same way, “standardized” or not. Some students are simply not good test takers. They could be the next Einstein, but when it comes to their ACT scores students may seem as though they lack basic knowledge. Other students may be master test takers but have no comprehension of what they are answering. Sure, they know the nucleus is the center of the atom, but do they know what that means? These tests are much less accurate than their supporters may
In the 20th and 21st centuries the American educational system has witness much transition in response to our changing society. Throughout the world education will vary and have different standards to what each individual person must meet. In the final decades of 20th centuries education system began to change to meet soceityś standards. However, within U.S. educational system problems raised throughout the years in regard to what our school systems should be teaching our children, there have also been many developments. Moreover, in American educational system it is very challenging and have a lot of rules and regulations. On the other hand, throughout the U.S. education system there have been many concerns about racism, brain complexity,
... to changes to the current United States public schools. However, the people in charge of making the changes are the ones who profit and will probably never change their mindset. The school system needs to be changed entirely, but solutions to this problem simply aren’t out there. Experimentation needs to be done in certain school systems to determine the most successful method. Until then, the United States of America will continue to support a failing school system and will continue to produce uneducated adults.
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.
Sacks, Peter. "The Toll Standardized Tests Take." National Education Association. 2000. Web. 2 July 2015.
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.
Before the education system was implemented in the U.S., many political figures “wanted to create a national culture and qualified politicians for a republican government” (Spring, 2014, p. 10). Thomas Jefferson was the first to propose “an education, but with limited access for the whole population” (p. 11). On the other hand, Horace Mann called the father of the public schools believed that education was essential to reforming the society and one “important idea was that all children in society attend the same type of school. The school was ideally the common place for all children” with the philosophy of equal opportunity for all (p. 12); however, many were the debates at that time, how to incorporate education in an unfair society. That is why the big question about the U.S. education system is: what are the political and social goals of education since then to now?