Deborah Tannen The Argument Culture Summary

In 2012, a study was conducted by Universitas 21, the leading global network of research-intensive universities, in which the number of citizens with college degrees was calculated out of 26 developed countries. The United States, a nation which used to lead the world, "... ranked 16th in the number of 25-34 year-olds with college degrees" (Huffington Post). The same research also concluded that workers without a degree are twice as likely to be unemployed in the United States. This statistic directly correlates with the number of high school graduates who "are not adequately prepared for the courseload that awaits them, and are thus forced into remedial classes when they start college. This fact contributes to a staggering number of students
pursuing a bachelor’s degree, 42 percent.... to drop out. This number is about 30 percent higher at the two-year or community college level" (Huffington Post). The public education system in America has suffered considerable set back in recent years in primary and secondary education and needs a drastic change in expenditures in order to decrease unemployment and raise literacy rates.

In an article published by Jonathon Kozol in 1991, two schools in Chicago, roughly 25 miles apart from one another, had shown a remarkable imbalance in school funding which correlated to their school’s own academic performance. New Trier Township High School had succeeded in virtually every aspect in academic and athletic performance than their counterparts DuSable High School. With an incredible 27 acres of land, up-to-date technology, seven gyms, fencing and wrestling room, dance studios, and an Olympic sized pool, New Trier is one of Chicago’s best-funded schools. The same cannot be said, unfortunately, for DuSable which finds itself located in a crowded city block with no campus nor schoolyard. “The graduation rate is 25%. Of those who get to senior year, only 17% are in a college-preparation program. Twenty percent are in the general curriculum, a stunning 63% in vocational classes” (Kozol). Blame, however, cannot be always directed at the students. The teachers are also not fully adequate of teaching lessons which will actually prepare students for the future. What can be the core reasoning behind its failures? The lack of school funding or the lack of desire for teachers to even teach? Some research has suggested that the answer may be both.

According to Benjamin Barber, an American political theorist, failure to excel in school can be traced more notably to adults who do so little to educate their young as opposed to the child’s incompetence. With more money spent on recreation annually, it’s no wonder that America falls short in educational standards. Interestingly enough, “America spends more on education on a per capita basis than any other county, yet seems to get worse results than many countries with lower education expenditures” (Frankel). This may be due to the fact that America places more attention on administration, public/political relations and prestige and contribute so little to educational quality. Countries with successful educational systems spend 50% higher budgets going towards direct teaching and classroom activities than in the US. “Most agree that although, money can’t by itself solve problems, without money few problems can be solved…and although there is evidence suggesting that an increase in general educational expenditures doesn 't translate automatically into better schools, there is also evidence that an increase aimed specifically at instructional services does” (Barber). A quote by Dr. Michael Bittner, who has a Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in Education in the Social Sciences from the University of Washington, can help encapsulate most of the issues experienced in this country, “Americans are the most entertained & least informed people in the world.”

Another hypothesis as to why to push for educational standards in this country have plummeted is simple. “Teachers and other educators in America are not only underappreciated, but also generally grossly underpaid. In 2008, an average primary or high school teacher in the U.S. had a salary of $37, 200 and $46,800, respectively, about one-third or one-quarter of that of a school principal and barely above that of a manual unskilled worker, nurses assistant, or custodian” (Frankel). “I we were serious, we would raise teachers’ salaries to levels that would attract the best young professionals in our society…” (Barber). This can be attributed to the problem DuSable was having with some of the teachers who did not know how to correctly educate the students and prepare them for college adequately.

With such a growing issue encompassing this nation, many professionals have spoken out as to how we should change our educational system. In an interview conducted by John Townsend, contributor to Forbes magazine, education professionals were asked to answer a few questions concerning their views. Sam Chaltain, former national director of the Forum for Education and Democracy, mentions that “…we have chosen to standardize two things: what gets taught, and how kids get assessed. By contrast, a country like Finland has standardized two very different factors: how school gets funded, and how teachers get trained.” Perhaps the step in the right direction should be to invest more heavily in teacher education and research as opposed to criteria that needs to be met be a certain point in time. In addition, “countries with the best educational systems and best performing students invest heavily in teacher education and research. Not only do they usually train teachers at government expense, but also retrain teachers throughout their teaching careers at government expense, often using summer breaks for intensive training” (Frankel). Perhaps if we were to reduce the amount of money spent in top name universities for prestige and sport promotion and started funding all schools the same then just imagine how differently the landscape of modern school reform would look.

It is imperative for the United States to change its views of importance on spending for education.
When such schools exist where funding is nowhere adequate and sufficient enough to prepare a child for college and beyond, we should ask ourselves, “have we given up on public schools?” Have we given up on the kids because we have given up on the future? Benjamin Barber stresses this thought-provoking idea because there is, without a doubt, a need for a change. In a book written by Deborah Tannen called The Argument Culture: Moving from Debate to Dialogue, she expresses the idea that when two parties have a debate over an issue then usually there can only be two sides to a solution; no more no less. The more one side gets into conflict with another, the more it is willing to take outrageous action to not be proven wrong. Could it be that the United States, a nation regarded as the hegemon of the Earth, must now consider reform and learn from the education structure of smaller countries? Maybe this thought process is what prompts America to be stubborn about changing its own educational system and sticks to its own material hoping that one day everything will work itself out. Well, with the number of unemployment rates still relatively high and those will college degrees relatively low compared to other nations, it seems as though we need a
change.

Works Cited

Barber, Benjamin R.
"America Skips School: Why We Talk So Much about Education and Do So Little." Xythos WFS. Harper 's Magazine, Nov. 1993. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
Bittner, Michael, Dr. "Elephant Journal." Elephant Journal. N.p., 8 Nov. 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
Frankel, Ernst. "Can We Fix American Education During the Current Economic Crisis?" MIT Faculty Newsletter. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nov.-Dec. 2008. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
Kozol, Jonathon. "A Tale of Two Schools: How Poor Children Are Lost to the World." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 1991. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
Kuczynski-Brown, Alex. "U.S. Graduation Rate, Unemployment Compared To Other Nations In Infographic." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 26 June 2012. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
Tannen, Deborah. The Argument Culture: Moving from Debate to Dialogue. New York: Random House, 1998. N. pag. Print.
Townsend, John C. "How Should We Rebuild the U.S. Education System?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 15 Feb. 2013. Web. 11 Feb.
2014.