Our Imperfect American School System

Therefore it is unfair to determine that a student may perform poorly at college simply because of one standardized test they took at high school. 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).

The student body and the school administration is morphing into a nonproductive system with a zombie-like attitude. American students lack academic drive and curiosity compared to European and Asian countries because the standard for academic success is constantly lowered. Americans must reform the school system and change their perspective on how important an education is to the rest of the world. One of the main issues in the educational system is the mindset of students, especially those in poverty. Students in poverty since the, “...beginning of the Progressive Era...” have had a tendency to not put forth effort in the classroom (Hood).

These presumptions have been calamitous to the education system in light of the fact that they don't represent favoritism of schools in the edification system. For instance, schools that have profoundly taught educators, advanced material, and suitable facilities can give more to the learner than those that don't. How then can schools be required to be evaluated the same on the off chance that they are not the same? By dismissing the education of American youngsters, and not giving an equivalent thorough training to each person in every school, social order is setting them up for failure. More people will drop out of school because of failing grades in light of the fact that schools are equipping them for government sanctioned tests, and not giving a thorough training that shows them how to utilize their education, other than a test taken yearly.

Knowledge is an important aspect of life. Author Michael Moore in “Idiot Nation,” said, “so if you live in a country where forty-four million can’t read- and perhaps close to another who hundred million can read but usually don’t –well, friends, you and I are living in one very scary place” (123). Moore argues that because people do not read enough and don’t teach history in schools they lack intelligence. Intelligence is important in the real world. He says that especially political figures are ignorant, and they complain about kids not doing well in school because they do not support the school system with books and good certified teachers.

The recent statistics that the education system could be producing high school graduates who are functionally illiterate is very worrying. Researchers interested in investigating whether the high school education system is producing illiterate graduates investigate the issue by exploring three types of illiteracies; functional, cultural and moral literacy. The most disturbing news is that the level of functional literacy among high school graduates is wanting. Functional literacy “is the inability to read or write well enough to accomplish everyday tasks in modern society” (Sweet Par. 2).

School is Bad for Children In “School is Bad for Children”, John Holt discusses the faults and failures of the education system. According to Holt traditional schooling stifles children’s curiosity and learning, causing them to be ill-equipped as adults. He believes children are smarter before they enter school, having already mastered what he says is the most important thing, language. Holt goes on to describe how children no longer learn for themselves in school. Their learning has become a passive process.

Today, countries and their education systems are in a mad race to keep up with the world’s technological advances. Unfortunately for the residents of the United States, one of the country’s most debilitating problems is that it is falling behind is the lack of STEM (Science, Technology, Math and Engineering) Education directed towards all students, both male and female, in its school systems. Attempts to remedy this are currently in progress, but the nation has fallen drastically behind other global powers concerning its STEM- literate workforce. This is a result of educational failures, particularly the failure of education opportunities to bridge the gender gap. Improving the diversity and knowledge of the technological workforce is the only way to return America to a position of technological prowess.

Reading, writing, and math require the understanding of symbols, and so does constructing shapes and colors in art pieces or learning music notes in order to understand fractions easier. Many schools are not meeting the sufficient amount of art education for students that would help them participate and succeed in other areas and build skills that would help them be noticed on a global level (Education Next). The way in which people’s intellect is judged is through testing them. In many public and private schools across the country, test scores are probably the most important thing because they show who the most intelligent students are, which teachers are most effective, and what students will be boosted up to the next gr... ... middle of paper ... ... decision makers and determine that they have the limit and capacity to settle on choices to guarantee our stature on the planet. Works Cited Deasy, Richard J.

In the article “In praise of the “F” Word” Mary Sherry discusses the “F” word, which means failure. Basically Mary Sherry stated that the kids of today are getting cheated out of a good education. They are passing through the school system because some are good kids and they do not create any problems in the classroom. But, at the same time employers are also being cheated because they expect graduates to have the basic skills. She also stated that Diplomas are considered meaningless because most of these kids who were awarded one could not read or write properly and therefore, they are back in night school along with adults who are trying to get their G.E.D.

Public education is failing. The public education system in the United States provides education to all students despite their race, income, religion, and gender. However, there is significant academic achievement gap between American students and students belonging to other foreign countries. In the article “Teacher Incentives and Students Achievements” by Fryer, R.G he states: “The progress of American students is low as compared to students from most developed countries due to flaws in the public education system” (p.303). The low academic achievements of students result from several issues and problems.