The Failure of Public Education in the U.S.

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Public education in America is the responsibility of both the federal and state governments. With the rise of the technology-based economy and industry, there is a high demand for workers that are skilled in more ways than the basics. In order to meet the needs of these changes, “reading, writing, and arithmetic” are no longer making the cut and students are entering the world of work only meeting the bare minimum. What is the problem? Public schools are not preparing Elementary and Secondary education students for the jobs of today because the importance of technical and trade skills are being ignored. For decades, education in America has been focusing on the basics of education which include the bare minimum competencies of reading, literacy, writing, mathematics, and science for students in elementary and secondary schools. In 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act reaffirmed the need for basics and pushed for all students to be evaluated based on a set of minimum standards. These standards instituted the need to be tested in a manner so that students from all ethnic and economic backgrounds have the same opportunities. Furthermore, these standards have not included the need to adapt to the continuous change in order to meet the needs of today’s economy and industry. When the focus should be adapting to higher standards of education, public education system still remains the same. Meanwhile, private schools and vocational training gives students a better chance at obtaining a job in today’s world. The opposition claims that there are many advantages to public education as opposed to private or vocational education. Some people suggest, “Public schools generally have a range of children from the whole gamut of socioeconomic clas... ... middle of paper ... ...tages of Public Schools - Education Bug." Education Bug - Articles, Public & Private Schools, Colleges. EducationBug.org, 2014. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. Cooper, Donna, Adam Hersh, and Ann O'Leary. "US Data and Analysis." Center on International Education Benchmarking. The Center for American Progress, 2012. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. Foster, John Bellamy. "Education and the Structural Crisis of Capital the U.S. Case." Monthly Review 63.3 (2011): 6-37. ProQuest. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. Guisbond, Lisa, and Monty Neill. "Failing our Children: No Child Left Behind Undermines Quality and Equity in Education." The Clearing House 78.1 (2004): 12-6. ProQuest. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. "Pros and Cons of Public School Attendance." Public Schools. N.p., 2012. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. Shaw, Jane S. "Education-A Bad Public Good?" The Independent Review 15.2 (2010): 241-56. ProQuest. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.

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