Since the early 1980's, the issue of America's faltering public school
system has become a serious concern. The crisis in K-12 education is one of the
biggest challenges facing the nation. There is a great deal of evidence to show
this problem. The pathetically low results of American students through
international test scores is one obvious fault. Another is the failure of many
students to demonstrate their knowledge of basic skills and literacy. It is
surprising that such a long time has passed without any sufficient effort put
forth to correct the problem. Even more surprising, is the fact that some deny
that such a problem exists.
The failure of the nation to adequately educate the students of America
has an endless list of negative effects. With the lack of proper education,
generations of kids are growing up without the basic, essential knowledge to be
able to compete in the workplace. As a result of this, the U.S. stands a chance
in losing its superpower reign of the world. Therefore, it is not only a social
concern, but also a major economical issue.
Another alarming concern is the high rate of student dropouts. Now,
instead of all students receiving a poor education, some are not getting one at
all. The main cause for this is the students'lack of interest in school. So
much of the teaching that goes on today is based on rote and memorization. Not
all learning can be exciting, and sometimes memorizing things is necessary.
Although teachers should find other ways of getting the information to the
students. When students are taught like this, they get bored and tired of
school, and this is why they dropout. Obvoiusly, if they drop out of school,
they probably aren't going to earn there degree. However, if more kids do earn
their high school degrees, the country would have less unemployment. More
people in the workplace then leads to a stronger and more stable economy. If
our society could find a way to keep more kids in school, our country would
prosper, and the educational system on a whole, would be much better.
Inner-city inequality produces a great deal of problems in all aspects
of life. One way it shows up continuously is in education. Although many
people realize this problem, nothing is being done to improve it. Statistics
show that wealthy school districts offer much better opportunities for their
students. This increases the gap in the social status of America by educating
the wealthy and leaving the others with the low paying jobs. This could quite
possibly wipe out the entire middle class, leaving a huge gap between the upper
Jeremy “Jem” Finch is a leading protagonist in Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mocking Bird” published in 1960. Jem matured greatly throughout the duration of the book, starting to resemble and idolize his father, achieves the status of a guardian to his sister and introduces a whole new set of ideals in his lifestyle. He embodies the themes of growth. Throughout the novel we see how perceptions of things such as courage, respect, tolerance, and cruelty changes Jem as he matures.
The American school system is no stranger to criticism, but everybody seems to have a distinct idea of what should be done to improve it. It was not too long ago that we had no public schooling system at all. A man would change that forever, immortalizing himself as the “father” of American education. It was surprising to me that I had never heard of this man, especially considering I had finished my journey through free and compulsory education two years ago. The man who went on to change American education, was Horace Mann, the first Secretary of the Board of Education in Massachusetts. Horace Mann tirelessly campaigned for the public to be educated, heralding it as a “great equalizer.” So why is the gap between social classes rising exponentially? There are fundamental issues holding us back from fulfilling Horace Mann’s dream of an education system which empowers citizens by leveling the playing field for everyone, including pedantic policies, a limited curriculum, and standardized testing.
Education in our nation is in crisis, and in order to confront the problem we need to tackle it at the center. We need to target school boards; they control funds, education, and more or less the community. With school boards these days being counter-productive, there seems only one way to solve the problem. Get rid of school boards across the nation and provide each school with its individual power much like private schools, or initiate the creation of a nation-wide school board. With the whole nation on the same page, maybe together we can help save education, and ensure the future of our country. Only until something is done to school boards will there be a positive, productive change towards education.
A child’s first day of school is often viewed as a rite of passage; the first step on the road to a happy and successful life. This is true for most children from affluent families who live in the best school districts or can afford expensive private schools. But what if a child’s first day of school is nothing more than the first step on the road to poverty and possibly even illiteracy? The documentary Waiting for “Superman” addresses many issues in a failing school system and the innocent children that system leaves behind. Although the documentary spends little time suggesting parents’ roles in their children’s education, it clearly shows that we must make changes to help children from low-income families and improve the teacher’s unions.
Many individuals have been affected negatively by trouble makers in school. Troublemakers have either disrupted classes or bullied other students. Yes, trouble makers may harm one’s learning environment, but should they be kicked out of school? Though many individuals argue that troublemakers will not change and hold the class down, they should not be kicked out because they need help. Most of these kids that are disobedient do not know the distinction between right and wrong. We should not withdraw trouble makers from school, rather, we should help these troublemakers and teach them right from wrong. In the article “Let’s Really Reform Our Schools” by Anita Garland, she states that American high schools are disasters because there are troublemakers (694). She asserts that the withdrawal of troublemakers in schools would make the learning environment peaceful for students who want to learn
The Enlightenment was the highlight of the eighteenth century because it brought about dramatic change that was a rebirth of the classical ideas of Greece and Rome. This philosophical, cultural, and social movement spread through England, France, Germany, and other parts of Europe as a result of the unsuccessful ways of feudalism. It resulted in an intelligent and more aware society due to the revival of government, philosophy, and morals.
Children may start out simple-minded but shift into maturing young adults. Jem is proof of this in Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird since he has many life experiences with the people who influence him most. Through this novel, Jem matures from an ignorant boy to a young and more to respectful young man due to learning loyalty and valor.
After reading Joel Spring?s book, and reflecting on some of the issues facing our schools, it is apparent that our educational system requires much attention among our nation?s leaders. While the system has transformed in many beneficial ways, we are still plagued by the growing problems of society. I look forward to reading another book by Joel Spring, and developing my evolving understanding of the educational system within the United States.
In this generation, with this continuously improving developments and the global economy, education that is of high quality is not only the pathway towards opportunity but it is a pre-requisite that one needs for achieving success. Since educational achievement and economic progress are inextricably linked, it is essential to educate every student in America so as to graduate from high school fully prepared to join college and for a career is of national importance. So as to create an economy that will last, there should be revision of competitive and complete education that can enable learners to succeed in the global economy that is based on innovation and knowledge. This essay argues for reform of K-12 education through includes stopping cuts in education budgets to curb teacher attrition, incorporation of technology to empower teachers on delivery, expansion of the K-12 engineering curriculum and accountability reforms including the delivery of tests so as to improve K-12 education in the United States.
Jem shows that he is growing up in many different ways. For example, he shows this when he goes back to the Radley house to retrieve his pants. “Atticus ain’t ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanta keep it that way.” (Jem 75) The fact that Jem went back to get his pants was a brave decision. This quote shows that he is maturing because he didn’t want Atticus to whip him, but not because he was afraid, because he didn’t want Atticus to go through the pain of having to whip his child. A quote that describes Jem at the moment is "We have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood until we move from the passive voice to the active voice--that is, until we have stopped saying 'It got lost,' and say, 'I lost it.'"(Sydney J. Harris). In addition to Jem’s developing characteristics, he acquired a load of wisdom. Jem shows a loss of innocence, after his perfect view of the world is shattered right in front of his eyes. For example, “I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, at least that’s what they seemed like.”(Jem 288) This is important because Jem realizes that Maycomb folks aren’t that great. This also shows that he saw the prejudice in the people, and how racist they were to African Americans. As Jem matures and starts developing a new eye for the world, he slowly starts to lose his childhood innocence and is exposed to the wrong doings of the
Jems naïve views are soon corrupted as he goes through experiences like with Boo Radley, but Jem manages to grow in strength as he sheds his pure qualities and learns to have hope. Jem and Scouts childhood friend Dill represents another killing of a mockingbird, as his innocence is destroyed during his trial experience. Scouts childish views dissipates as she witnesses different events in her life, and she grows in experience and maturity as she encounters racial prejudice, making her learn how to maintain her pure conscience that Atticus has developed without losing hope or becoming cynical. Harper Lee’s novel explores human morality, as she weaves the path from childhood to a more adult perspective, illustrating the evils in a corrupt world how to understand them without losing
The education system has been a controversial issue among educators. Requirements of school do not let student choose what they want to study for their future. It’s a big issue to force student study specific curriculums, which don’t help them improve, and what they like to create something. Educators choose a general system for education to all students which based on general knowledge. Intelligent or genius students have to be in that system of education, which doesn’t let them improve their creativity. Educators attempt to change that system to make it better, but their changing was not that great to be an example for the world. Also, did that change qualify education system to compete other systems or not? In some examples and reasons have been made me agree with some of points from Gatto’s and Edmunson’s and disagree them.
We say that we are heading toward a more global economy because of the fact that competition in today’s markets is global. This means that corporations in the United States can compete in foreign markets and vice versa, therefore U.S. corporations and foreign corporations become interdependent and thrive off each other. This can have a good impact on the United States because it allows U.S. corporations to seek materials and labor outside of the U.S. in countries such as China, India, and Mexico, where workers are paid a lot less money than U.S. workers, thus allowing them to sell their products for significantly cheaper than if they were produced in the U.S.; however, the tradeoff is that many American workers in the industrial sector lose jobs due to this shift of labor to overseas. In the long run this will be beneficial for the U.S. and although some percentage of workers are losing work, new jobs in the services sector, in fields such as computer technology, telecommunications, and language skills are opening up and experiencing growth because of this change.
Learning occurs when each child is developmentally ready, and this happens at a different pace for each individual child. I experience this daily in my Kindergarten classroom. Although a lot has changed in education over the course of my career, I try to focus on the constant that each of my students can learn on any given day and that I must challenge all of my students to reach his or her potential. This is my school’s motto, and we recite it daily. Education has faced many challenges over the years with politics, the economy, students’ culture, and legal issues. Politics does play a crucial role in education. Different school systems and population areas receive more or less government funding. Educational dollars can play a key role in a school system receiving the latest technology, updated facilities, educational funds for teachers, and curriculum needs. I have been able to experience this for myself by transferring schools from the city to the county school district. The social aspect of learning affects children in different ways also. Different cultures of schools are negatively and positively affected as well. Having taught in an inner-city school for 9 years, I was able to witness firsthand the downfalls and negative effects that come into play for students who come
In an age of rapid change due to so many technology and innovative advances, a revolutionary change in the educational system is as vital as what our next energy source is. Education is the most powerful wealth in the world and it demands more attention, and where better to start with than out youth. The school system will soon go out of date due to the information highway and information availability if there isn?t a dramatic change in the way things are run in our domestic institutional facilities. The reason why college was such a success in the 20th century was because books were all of a sudden available to students on university campus. Now with internet, a student could specialize their profession solely with the computer with the click of a button. Something needs to be done to smoothen the rigid gaps and cracks in the school system before the technological pace at which we are advancing decides to bring the whole thing down.