Issues with the Education System
The education system in the United States lacks effectiveness. In fact, the United States is ranked 17th globally in education. Considering that the U.S. is one of the richest and most powerful countries on the planet, the low education ranking is unacceptable. However, the United States government has only itself to blame for the terrible education system. Tragically, the issues with our education system is not a quick fix problem. Three factors contribute to our horrid educational system: high stakes testing, poverty, and funding.
High stakes testing is the most damaging practice. Due to high stakes testing, teachers are forced to focus less on promoting knowledge
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Budget cuts have created a tremendous amount of difficulty in providing education systems with the financial support needed to help students succeed. Less funding means smaller staffs, fewer resources, and a lower number of services for students. Often, exceptionally skilled teachers won’t accept positions in school districts that do not pay well. One of the copious negatives caused by a lack of funding is the insufficient supply of student resources. Public schools that receive significantly less funding cannot provide students with resources such as up to date textbooks, technology, and other up-to-date learning materials. This lack of funding can also affect the students on an emotional level. Many students aren 't motivated to learn, regardless of their situation. So when presented with bad teachers and poor resources even the gifted students begin to distinguish education as a chore and not a means to a successful future. It is as Bill Gates was once quoted saying,”I went to public school through sixth grade, and being good at tests wasn 't cool.” Imagine if Bill Gates had given up, perhaps the world would have never have profited from the technology he developed and the philanthropic contributions he has made. When teachers teach students, rather than tests, they are essentially investing their effort in the future of the United States, so why can’t we apply as many resources as possible to the people and systems that play a huge role in ensuring a bright future for our
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.
The United States of America has placed low on the educational ladder throughout the years. The cause of such a low ranking is due to such heavy emphasis on standardized testing and not individual student achievement. Although the United States uses standardized testing as a crutch, it is not an effective measure of a student’s ability, a teacher’s competency, or a school’s proficiency.
When it comes to education, it is about helping people discover, refine, and develop their gifts, talents, passions and abilities; and then helping them discover how to use those gifts, talents, abilities in ways that benefit others and oneself (Bull, 2015). However, with education, there are many places where this does not happen and learners may fall between the cracks. Schools are heavily measured on testing, student outcomes and student numbers that it has become the main focus to excel the school district—but what about the students? I recall a time where I was sitting in a classroom and the teacher was going over a math lesson. Many students struggled and were having a difficult time following along with the task. The teacher started
The U.S. education system is a flawed one, but not many people like to think about that. After all, we are America, “the best country in the world”, some would say. How can we be the best while simultaneously admitting our flaws? Our test scores are behind those of other countries, on top of the fact that students in U.S. classrooms are simply not learning at the level they should be. That is where it is important to take a step back and examine our country’s education system at a deeper level, just as Amanda Ripley does in her book, The Smartest Kids in the World. She gets the first-person perspectives from the students themselves, asking them the difficult question of “If you don’t understand something, what do you do?” She then adds, “In
I think that high-stakes testing is changing teaching in a number of negative ways. It forces teachers and administrators to align the curriculum to these standards instead of the standards being aligned to realistic, appropriate learning needs for every level. At the same time, the standards should fit what key stakeholders agree as the means and ends of education. Otherwise, high-stakes testing becomes an authoritarian means of shaping schooling according to a one-test-fits-all thinking. Instead of being inclusive and participatory, our education system becomes restrictive and static.
Education is the most powerful weapon a person can possess. An abundance of examples could be given to further prove this statement as well. Albert Einstein used his to show the world that everything is made of atoms and that light is made up of energy called photons. Marie Curie used hers to discover radium. Martin Luther King Jr. used his to fight for equal rights for African Americans. The list could perpetually go on to describe many people who used their education to influence change in this world. However, one country’s list of influential people seems to gradually dwindle as the years go by. The reasons for this could be never ending, but the root of the problem is the education system. This country
The United States has persistently been ranked at the bottom when it comes to education among developed countries. They have tried to come up with strategic ways to change their ranking, like standardized tests. This is an administered test over certain subjects like Math, English, History, and Science, and the form is the same for all test takers. They were not the first country to develop this method; in fact, this method was inspired from other countries that appeared to be doing better than them and still remain ranked at the bottom.
As noted by the graph our standings in education is below average, especially with African Americans and Hispanic children compared to other states. If this is the outcome in elementary school what should we expect by grade 8. With all of the various reforms enacted throughout the 30 years the curriculum in public schools did not improve nor did our standing compared to the rest of the world. Even though in each presidency monitoring tool was developed to ascertain the level of learning based on the test. In states where students passing their test equated to more funding of the school as well as the school remains open, jobs for the educators. So oppose to teaching students the information needed educators taught to the test. This is due to politicians not addressing the core issues that prevent children in low social economic status of of color due to cultural biases. Then there is the political climate of education including ignorance towards the benefit of vocational schools and real world learning.
The downfall of the US Public Education system is very concerning to me. A number of children are leaving the school system without the proper tools for them to be successful and productive. Over the years, schools have been victims of budget cuts; therefore, they are no longer able to supply children with sufficient and basic needs for success. There are several factors other than budget cuts that contribute to young adults leaving school without the proper tools for success.
Even in this time of struggle, with billions of dollars going towards various war efforts overseas, America still has managed to keep taxpayer investments in education higher than that of funds for national defense (U.S Department of Education). In the 2004-05 school year, there was an estimated amount of 536 billion dollars set aside from taxpayer investment for education purposes. Without a doubt, education is a priority for the American government, and if these funds are used in the correct way, there is no reason why each and every kid in the United States shouldn’t be getting a quality education. However, the organization of the financial system is flawed, funds are not handled proportionately at the state level; rather, this system favors the wealthier districts and hands more funds to them while the less wealthier districts are handed a smaller pool of funds. This really affects America’s quality of education, which also reflects upon how America fairs on the world stage when it comes to competition in education with other countries. The disorganization of funds in the United States can be seen in the Hoover City School district, which has bought every student in that district an iPad for use in school. The first problem with this is that this school district does not even have a viable bus system that can transport students to and from school. Secondly, not even 20 miles from this district lies the Birmingham City School district where a little more than half the students are graduating, compared to Hoover City Schools where a bit more than 90 percent of the students are graduating. If anything, the state should be working towards improving educational standards in lower-income communities rather than debating on the log...
Education is a concept that is synonymous with anyone one that is living a good life. It is believed that in order to live a prosperous life that members of this society must first obtain a good college education. But how can education be considered a founding block of success when only the privileged enjoy the benefit of a proper education? A large percentage of undocumented immigrants arrive to this country because they want their kids to be able to attend a good school and receive a proper education but that is not always the case. Undocumented people arrive to this country with no money; therefore they are forced to live in low-income communities. As we have discussed in class, the schools in neighborhoods with low economic status are not as good
Standardized testing is not an effective way to test the skills and abilities of today’s students. Standardized tests do not reveal what a student actually understands and learns, but instead only prove how well a student can do on a generic test. Schools have an obligation to prepare students for life, and with the power standardized tests have today, students are being cheated out of a proper, valuable education and forced to prepare and improve their test skills. Too much time, energy, and pressure to succeed are being devoted to standardized tests. Standardized testing, as it is being used presently, is a flawed way of testing the skills of today’s students.
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 their 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. The No Child Left Behind Act, standardized testing, and the large use of technology are some of reasons why the United States is falling behind in educational rankings.
All throughout the United States for the past several years, states are “hurting because of falling state revenues,” (Emeagwali), and schools are trying to cope with tremendous budget cuts that are resulting in less funds provided for educational services. These cuts are putting pressure on everyone invested in the education system, including students, teachers and any other administration within them (qtd. in Johnson 2), and the reduced budget is not solely affecting any particular level of schooling either. All levels of education, ranging from primary learning to advanced, have been affected (Emeagwali). Additionally, it is not just one or two states having to adjust their budgets; by 2002, “at least 40 states [had] been forced to consider budget cuts,” and these cuts have taken their toll on the amount of funding designated towards educational opportunities (Feldman). As pressures hit hard on state governments, a rise in educational budget cuts has resulted in deleterious effects on the level of education provided to students. As a result, researchers and infuriated teachers and parents have begun supporting education as it is ignored by government administration.
Socioeconomic status can be defined in terms of family wealth and assets as well as educational background. For this reason, many comparisons can be made between socioeconomic status and education. Furthermore, academic achievement and the level of education reached by an individual, is determined by socioeconomic status. Research has shown that environmental circumstances and family issues greatly influence a child's future because the impact of the socioeconomic status depends on the level to which an individual becomes successful in life. Research also shows that family conditions can impact a child’s education and their quality of life. For example, being raised in a high-economic culture increases the chances that a child will attend