Evaluating Our Education System

Education, it is a chief concern for any modern society, and nations with outstanding educational systems are guaranteed to be the leaders of the world for generations to come. Since it is such an important matter, it is vital that we as a nation, as a species, often objectively evaluate how our educational system is working. Is our way of doing things really best? What can we do better? These are questions that we must ask ourselves if we are to continue progressing forward as a society. Our predecessors laid the foundation; according to John Locke, education is a matter of answering all questions concisely and completely and never mocking, of instilling belief in and reverence for God, and of fostering virtue in young men. It is now our duty to take these ideas even further, constantly perfecting the education of our society. I believe that the most important issues that we must address in our educational system now are pushing high achieving students to their potential, making sure teachers are properly trained and doing their jobs, and instilling an attitude of excitement and eagerness in education that is sadly missing from today’s students.

Nine years ago, President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law. One of the chief problems with NCLB is that it required all students to meet a minimum standard but nothing above it. Therefore, funding for many gifted and other high-achievement programs has been cut. More and more, all students have been funneled through the same track so that they can meet the same minimum standards. While gifted students have never been a priority when it comes to legislation, in recent years, they have become even less of one, and this has had a very real and tangible impact on our best a...

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...thinking specifically of a popular Disney show and Alice Copper’s “School’s Out.”) Perhaps the fault lies in our approach to education. Maybe by forcing it on everyone, we are creating a natural disliking. Maybe by providing information not asked for and mocking questions, we are teaching students to stifle their natural inquisitiveness and eventually despise the institution that is designed to make their lives better. Or maybe, it is just a feeling that gets passed from generation to generation. I do not really have the answer, but I do know that somehow, someway, as a society, we must embrace education in a way we have never before embraced it if we are going to get the most out of the system that is in place. If we can do that, I have no doubt that we will create a society that is more educated and prepared than ever before, and we will greatly benefit from it.