Redefining Education for the Future

991 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Technology in school tablets vs textbooks

With the economic situation today, it is more important than ever to make sure that students are being provided with skills that allow them to compete in the job market. Every year it seems like we are hearing how schools in the United States are falling behind students in other developed countries, and yet funding for education continues to be cut. Education needs to be pushed to the forefront, in order for the United States to remain competitive in the world market. While spending for administration needs to be cut, focused spending for academic programs and upgrading technology needs to continue and even be increased to make students better prepared for college and the job market.

Although we need to provide a better educational experience for children, with current budget constraints calling for tightening of belts, not expanding our spending on education. However with the United States falling further behind in world rankings, we have to look at cutting costs that do not take away from the classroom. A major expense of every school district is the administrative budget, not the secretaries and custodial staff, but the school board and superintendents salaries. Many states have copious numbers of school districts all with their own superintendent and support staff. In Pennsylvania, state officials are proposing caps on superintendents’ salaries. “Roughly 70 percent of superintendents statewide earn more than the proposed caps, according to the state. Administration officials estimate the salary limits would save nearly $9.8 million annually” (Giordano). Besides capping salaries some states are looking at consolidating school districts, many rural districts throughout the USA can have fewer than fifty to one hundred students...

... middle of paper ...

...e more productive in their careers, allowing for a more industrious society. Until we change the way we teach our children they will continue to fall behind other developed countries, and we will lose jobs to other countries.

Works Cited

Enriquez, A. G. (2010). Enhancing Student Performance Using Tablet Computers

College Teaching, 58 (3), 77-84. doi:10.1080/87567550903263859

Lamey, Cynthia, W. Steven Barnett, and Kwanghee Jung. "The Effects of Oklahoma’s Early

Childhood Four-YearOld Program on Young Children’s School Readiness." National Inttitute for Early Education Research. NIEER, 12/2005. Web. 18 Jul 2011. .

Giordano, Rita, and Inquirer S. Writer. "Christie Targets Salaries of School Superintendents."

The Philadelphia Inquirer, sec. NATIONAL; P-com News for PC Home Page: A01. July 16 2010. Web.

Show More
Related

  • School Funding in the Modern Era

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    School funding is a recurring issue in the modern era. Debates ranging from give schools more money, to get rid of the system in place and reform a new idea have been plaguing the world over the years. “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed in 2009, provided more than $100 billion in education aid to offset budget cuts..” (School Finance). Later, “Congress provided an additional $10 billion in 2010 to avert mass teacher layoffs (Education Week, "Total Recovery Act")” (School Funding). These numbers are just a sample of the struggles in school funding, that is costing a ton of money to keep afloat. “There are many ways schools fund varying from state to state and even school to school. Income taxes, corporate taxes, sales taxes, and other fees provide 48 percent of the elementary and secondary school funds. 44 percent of local districts draw money from local property taxes. The federal government makes up approximately 8 percent of state education budgets. These funds are a dealt out on a per-student basis, and categorically to ensure enough resources for each special program or facility” (School Funding). These funds play a huge role in every student's education, either positive or negative. The three main areas that need to be addressed in the school budget are extracurricular funding, building and equipment maintenance, and last but not least staff funding.

    Read More

  • Rising College Tuition

    736 Words  | 2 Pages

    America’s future lies in the youth and building an educated youth that is interested in their career would benefit society. Rising college tuition is hurting the higher education of America. As more financial pressure is placed on these kids, the more they aren’t able to focus on their goals and dreams. Although inflation is a problem, the students who are able to graduate will benefit society if they worry more about their job. They should be able to satisfy their duty in society and a rise in college tuition will hinder that vision substantially.

    Read More

  • Cheaper College Tuition

    636 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today’s competitive climate, there is no time to waste. The US as a nation is being left behind by other governments that have focused on funding education. Students in other nations are taking advantage of the educational tools and service...

    Read More

  • College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be by Andrew Delbanco

    1393 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the words of Claiborne Pell, U.S. Senator of Rhode Island and sponsor of the Pell Grant, which provides financial aid to American college students, “The strength of the United States is not the gold at Fort Knox or the weapons of mass destruction that we have, but the sum total of the education and the character of our people.” These words speak of the importance of education and the need for public support in order to continue America’s tradition of investment in our youth being an investment in our country.

    Read More

  • Poverty Strategies In Poverty

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poverty affects a child’s educational outcomes beginning in the earliest years of life, both directly and indirectly. School readiness has been recognized as playing a unique role in escape from poverty in the United States and increasingly in developing countries. The driving forces in poverty are Survival, relationships, and entertainment. These are critical elements that make up the poverty alleviation strategy. This essay reviews the interventions needed to improve school readiness of children in poverty, and provides recommendations for helping them further their driving forces.

    Read More

  • Early Learning

    1294 Words  | 3 Pages

    Zill, Nicholas. (1995). School Readiness and Children’s Development Status.Eric Digest. [Electronic version]. Retrieved April 21, 2003, from http://www.ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC

    Read More

  • Need to Stop the Tuition Inflation in the US

    2338 Words  | 5 Pages

    Higher education costs have been increasing at a rapid pace, faster than inflation for the economy as a whole, for the past fifty years. It started in the 1960’s when the federal government passed the Higher Education Act to increase the amount of people able to afford and attend college. Regardless of the Unites States Government efforts to increase the affordability of college, federal aid programs have not risen to expectations due to the ever-increasing college prices. To lower the price of college, the government needs to cut back on student financial spending to go only to the lowest income families and create tax incentives for families to start saving up on their own.

    Read More

  • A Nation at Risk According to Ronald Reagan

    1951 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Challenges in Accessing Higher Education in America

    2158 Words  | 5 Pages

    This nation has always prided itself in seeking knowledge. The truth is that for many, it is difficult to obtain a higher education than that of a high school diploma. However, the issue we face is that we are in a time and age that requires our workforce to have the best possible education to have a fighting chance for a decent job. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the premier government source for information on jobs, shows that only 27 percent of jobs in the U.S. economy currently hold a college degree (associate degree or higher). This is a dangerous statistic to be facing when this nation needs to remain competitive in the workforce against competitors in other countries. In 2012, a study was conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in which the United States was rated fourth in the world for being the most educated country; leaving Canada, Israel and Japan in the top consecutive slots and placing our nation with only a slight narrow advantage over New Zealand and South Korea. This seems like good enough of a reason for more people to want to push themselves for a higher education. However, the biggest problem that faces most people today in the United States is how to pay for college. According to research conducted through a non-profit organization called The

    Read More

  • College and Career Readiness

    1668 Words  | 4 Pages

    College preparation is not the only area in which schools are failing students. According to Achieve, Inc. (2005), 39% of high school graduates in the workforce say that they have deficiencies. When asked about being prepared for future jobs, forty-six percent say that they are deficient in the skills needed. These shortcomings in the education system will escalate when in the next 10 years, 80% of job openings will require education or training past the high school level (Achieve, 2010). One third of jobs will require a bachelor’s degree. Lower educational attainment is a national problem. Competing countries now boast more workers with associates degree...

    Read More

  • How important is Education to the Economy and Where Are the Funds for Education Going?

    1844 Words  | 4 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Childhood Physical Development

    1878 Words  | 4 Pages

    McDevitt, T., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Child development and education (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Kindergarten Readiness

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kindergarten is an important milestone for young children. When children enter kindergarten, there are a variety of children that are from different backgrounds homes and preschools that need a wide range of support in kindergarten readiness. In either scenario parents would like their children ready for kindergarten. Kindergarten Readiness are specific skills and requirements for children who will be entering kindergarten. According to (Graue 1993), kindergarten readiness is a complex idea linked to meanings and factors, chronological age, development stage, specific academics and social skills, and home school connections. Each state has a kindergarten transition plan, checklist and what is expected from the children before they enter kindergarten.

    Read More

  • Analyzing Education Gaps: Why Boys Fail

    1214 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the United States, many lack the skills necessary for college. Unfortunately, the education system fails to prepare some of its students for work or higher learning. Despite these circumstances, teachers and bureaucrats seek improvements to obtain higher success. In spite of the pressure for success, the current situation is not yielding the desired results. Moreover, in the recent State of the Union Address in early 2014, President Barack Obama stated the need for improved education, especially in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM fields. Yet, what should reformers pursue? Researchers have observed recurring problems to direct the improvement of education. The information presented, particularly over the past ten years, has revealed a need to involve the students that lag the most. Education risks excluding k-12 boys and minorities, as well as remedial education collegians, in higher education.

    Read More

  • The Future of Education

    371 Words  | 1 Pages

    The future of education is very promising to younger generations. From Kindergarten though college many changes are brewing. On the horizon are things like smart objects, full-length online courses, and prosthetic devices designed to equalize education.

    Read More

More about Redefining Education for the Future

Open Document