"Failing Public Schools"

“Failing Public Schools”
Example Essay
(Final revision)

My husband and I are products of the Prince George’s County school system. We both grew up in Prince George’s County. Now our children are attending Prince George’s County schools. In the 1960’s and 70’s when I was in school, I never thought of PG County schools as substandard. But today, I wonder if my kids are getting the same education as I did.
Teachers are underpaid and overworked. The schools are overcrowded. If you live in an area where the majority is barely above the poverty line; it seems “lower income” means “less”. For example, less pay for teachers and less pay for other professionals in our school district. If teachers do not get the pay they deserve, they may start to feel unappreciated. That could affect the way in which they teach our children.
Reforms have been made for poverty stricken areas. In fact, our public school system has more funds per student than the private schools. However, even though the budget has more than tripled since 1970, there have been no results. These areas will never catch up educationally, due to a lousy educational system.
There also is the “No Child Left Behind Act”. This act requires all public schools receiving federal funding to give its state standardized test each year to all students. All the students must take the same test, under the same conditions. If funded schools do not make adequate improvements each year, they are labeled “in need of improvement”. Then the school must develop an improvement plan for the subject(s) they are not teaching well. Therefore, students may opt to transfer to a better school within their district.
But transferring to a school of your choice may not be so easy. I recall a time when my own child had the option to attend a magnate school in our area. We were excited at the possibility. Upon further research we learned we had to apply to the school during their lottery. If the application was approved and she was chosen from the lottery; then she could complete the admissions process. Needless to say, my daughter never attended that school. We did apply several times. You see, my daughter tested high on the state standardized tests. Her teachers enrolled her for TAG (talented and gifted) which qualified her for transfer. After applying several times, I called to check on her application, but no one was able to locate it. They promised to research it and call me back. This was attempted many times, to no avail. Eventually, I gave up. I figured I just had to make the best of the school she was zoned for.
Generally, we don’t have a choice of schools. We as parents, must send our children to the school they are zoned. Even though we know in our hearts they are not getting the education they deserve.
We not only have to worry about our children’s education. But we also worry about how the other students treat our children. You hear about bullying on the news. This kind of “bullying” behavior creates a hostile learning environment. It interferes with students’ ability to learn. Bullying, harassment and intimidation have no place in school. Bullying is one of the main reasons why high school students drop out. As parents, it is our responsibility to teach our children at a young age to think before you speak. Treating people badly because they’re different from you should not be tolerated, especially in school. Teachers, counselors and principals should encourage students to speak up regarding bullying so they are not afraid to come forward.
Reporting bullying is not as easy as it seems. Unfortunately, children will usually keep it to themselves because they don’t want to make matters worse. They fear that if they tell someone, the bullying will escalate.
No matter what era you grew up in; the 70’s or today, bullying has always been a part of growing up. I feel bullying should not have a place in our schools. Our economic background should not play a role in the quality of our education either. Rich or poor, we all deserve access to the same education. Let’s educate our children not to tolerate a failing school system and stand up for a better education.