Education Reform in American Schools

Education Reform in American Schools

Frederick Douglass was, and still is, a golden example of why education is so important to a human being’s life. Douglass spent the first part of his life in ignorance. However, his life of a seemingly endless servitude and ignorance was completely shattered by the fact that he learned to read. Once he learned to read, his life was forever changed. He escaped slavery and tyranny and became an icon even to this day.

Douglass’s story more than adequately shows that a quality education is perhaps the most important thing a person can receive in their life. Without his education, he would not have realized the shame and inadequacy his slavery, and unfortunate acceptance of that slavery, held him in. At least he would have had the chance to choose his fate whereas in slavery, he was but a machine to be disposed of at the master’s will.

In the present, however, it is so overly obvious that our education system is quickly becoming inadequate (if it isn’t already). Obviously, we cannot let it slip deeper and deeper into the abyss, but what can we do to fix it? Should we throw more money at it? Should we create more watchdog groups and set up more committees to hash out what we should do?

It is my contention that none of those things we continue to do are going to work.

I do not believe there is anything we can do, on a governmental basis, to fix the problem or stave off the descent. Changing the system from within is not going to work. The key is to change it from without (Sarason 4).

Of course, it is easy to talk about social change as a means to education reform, but talk is always more desirable than action. It is a given that broad strokes of social reform take years and years. We do not have that time, to be honest. We need to make these changes now.

The problems with education are, quite obviously, many. And it is a well-known fact that we cannot just fix education. We must point out specific problems first.

The first problem is destroying the enormous difference in scholastic success between races and cultures. In many instances, schools have chosen to take on this responsibility when they are in fact incapable of taking it on. The schools have chosen revisionist history and picking and choosing which subjects should be included in curriculums. However, since the schools are so heavily...

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...st as much a part of it as baloney is part of a baloney sandwich. Until we can change the attitudes in our society regarding education, we will not be able to do it. New teachers are products of society.

New principals are products of society. New office and grounds staff are products of society. Parents are products of society. Everyone is a product of society. So how can we change something that is embedded in and completely reflective of the society that bred it? We cannot without changing the broader system: ourselves.

A change in education will, without a doubt, be a part of a change of America. I welcome it-- sooner rather than later.

Works Cited

Ehrlich, Elizabeth. “America’s Schools Still Aren’t Making The Grade.” Business Week,

Septermber 19, 1988: p61-64

Long, Robert E., editor. The State of U.S. Education. New York: D.H. Wilson, 1991

Ravitch, Diane. “Multiculturalism.” The American Scholar, number 3, summer ‘90.

59: p337-54.

Sarason, Seymour B. The Predictable Failure of Educational Reform. San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass, 1990.

Wood, Dr. George H. Schools That Work: America’s Most Innovative Public Education

Programs. New York: Dutton, 1992.