Education Reform: Areas of Education that Need Attention

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“Nothing in education is so astonishing as the amount of ignorance it accumulates in the form of inert facts” (Adams Para 1). The issues within the education system are having negative effects on education and the students. Even though there are more and more students taking advanced courses in high school each year, it does not mean students are receiving a proper and fulfilled education (Wagner Para 4). It is not only the educators problem to fix but also the people (Boyer Para 2). Statistics have shown that foreign countries’ students are moving up in areas, such as math and science, and are surpassing American students (Werner Para 4).

One of the many problems in education is the attrition rate of teachers (Boyer Para 4). Many believe the level of achievement for students is quite lower than the general standards; in addition, many teachers are only motivated to teach because of the money and not to teach young, growing children (Wagner Para 3). Middle school and high school teachers have the highest attrition rates. This is probably due to the many responsibilities, other than teaching, that teachers gain. These responsibilities may include coaching sports or sponsoring a club. This can be overwhelming for new teachers who are just beginning to settle in (Boyer Para 9). “Forty-six percent of new teachers in this country quit teaching after five years or less, with that percentage growing to fifty percent in urban areas” (Boyer Para 4). In addition, about ninety percent of teachers are hired because teachers choose to leave their profession for reasons other than retirement (Boyer Para 4). “The commission estimates teacher attrition has grown by 50 percent over the past 15 years” (Boyer Para 5). Coats are also estimated at...

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Isaacson, Walter. “How to Raise the Standard in America’s Schools.” 15 Apr 2009. 24 Jan. 2011. .

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Wagner, Tony. Making the Grade: Reinventing America’s Schools. Routledge Falmer: New York. 2002.

Werner, Erica. “Obama readies new focus on education.” MSNBC. 15 Jan. 2011. 24 Jan 2011. http://msnbc.ms.com/cleanprint/CleanPrintProxy.aspx?1295903300550>.

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