Preview

Hypocrisy Of American Education Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
714 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Hypocrisy Of American Education Essay
Learning is an aspect of nearly everyone’s life. In America, the basic high school education is available to whomever wants to put in the effort to pursue it. There is a slight problem; Benjamin Barber argues Americans as a whole do not care about education. The education system lacks funding and slowly falls apart. Additionally, students and most of America do not care about education. The citizens’ care of education is displayed by their lack of attention to it. Many students once completed with their education cease to care about the education of future students. Compared to other nations, America has fallen behind in education and, “the National Commission on Excellence in Education warned that America’s pedagogical inattention was putting …show more content…
Others that notice the lack of education in the education system sometimes blame the teachers …show more content…
The funding our government allows the schools in America is not enough for them all to educate the youth properly. “The children are on to this game. They know that if we really valued schooling we’d pay teachers what we pay stockbrokers; if we valued books, we’d spend a little something on the libraries so that adults could read.” The amount of attention and funding given to schools directly reflects the amount of care towards education. Children notice the amount of money and where it ends up, and they are drawn towards the money. They pursue money with their future careers and do not invest in the education of future generations. Some of those students end up dropping out to pursue money. “Dropping out is a national pastime, if by dropping out we mean giving up the precious things of the mind and the spirit in which American shows so little interest and for which it offers so little payback.” Young children yearn to feel normal and fit in. when they grow up they will feel the same way. They will follow the money and not invest in the future of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Barber talked about liberty and freedom in his essay for this very reason. He stresses the importance of the youth knowing the government and its actions so that they will become interested in the topic later in life. He wants us to ignore Henry’s elite plan because if America allows that plan to go into action, then there would be no democracy, no freedom, and no free critical thinking. He remind us of how Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both warned the citizens of the United States about the problems that would follow if the population was uneducated. Benjamin R. Barber’s essay, “America Skips School” is superior to that of William A. Henry’s essay, “In Defense of Elitism”, because Barber reminds his readers that without a well-educated society then America would cease to exist the way as we know it. He warns us that if we disregard education and put it on the back burner then we will be unable to think for ourselves and the government will take control of what we do not know. Barber believes that by allowing the population to have the opportunity to higher education, then American democracy will be much stronger in the future than it is in the present day. The American citizens need to realize how good they have it and take advantage of all opportunities that they are proposed because one day all of that could be taken away in the blink of an…

    • 1329 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Today, 314.5 million people call themselves Americans. Each of them, with God permitting, will make the journey to old age. However, in this huge set of individuals, roughly fifteen percent of adults over the age of twenty-five have not received a high school diploma (“Educational Attainment in the United States: 2009”). By itself, this percentage feels rather small, and so we as Americans pride ourselves in our educational system. After crunching the numbers, however, this measly percentage actually represents twenty-nine million Americans, twenty-nine million individuals who lack an accomplished high school education. Aristotle would be displeased to say the least. In 2008, then senator Barack Obama delivered a speech to the Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts titled “What’s Possible for our Children.” Though intended for his election campaign, the speech also reflected this introduction’s attitude, calling attention to the gaping holes in American education. More specifically, however, Obama promoted educational reform based on a three-point platform: “fixing” No Child Left Behind (an act which encourages state standardized tests to measure and regulate primary and secondary education in the United States), encouraging teacher reforms and furthering teaching…

    • 1810 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people of all ages have different views on education. In the following essay I will compare two authors’ ideas on the educational system in America. I will share my thoughts from the essays titled “Against School” by John Gatto and “I Just Wanna Be Average” by Mike Rose and how they relate to my experiences and schools today.…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The discussion of education in America is one of the most important topics that our nation faces today. America’s economic future and ability to compete with the rest of the world depends on having a highly educated populace and well trained workforce. Our education system has had its problems but I feel that over time with the right elected officials, we can turn around and rank in the top ten to compete globally.…

    • 1883 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Wagner and Dintersmith’s incisive article slices via the politics to signify, without pointing fingers how the schools should refocus their attention to prepare the kids for their future jobs. The book offers a searing and urgent indictment of the current damaging priorities of the American education system and a fully grounded as well as a practical vision of how to re-imagine the system for the world in which we live now. The authors use plain language to tell it the way it is and how it ought to be if the American students, civil, and economic democracy are to survive and thrive in the 21st century.…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Kelly Gallagher states very clearly the dirty little secret of schools in America in chapter 1 of his 2011 book, Write Like This. He declares, “In other words, seven out of ten students are leaving schools without the necessary skills to actively participate in either civic life or in the global economy” (Wiens). These startling statistics should disturb you, and, if nothing is done, there’s only room for future generations’ stats to get worse. If you’re a parent put in the position of telling your teenager exactly why they should spend a whole thirteen years of their life getting an education when they’ve already learned, how to read, write, and do simple math, basic skills, and they throw this statistic at you, what do you do? My father…

    • 202 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Summary: College For All

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Whatever path America chooses to travel, if the decision to invest in our country’s education is made, the United States is definitely headed on the right path. Now is the time to act! Lets make education a priority to ALL American students not just the precious few, before its too late. In closing, a quote from our 35th president sum it up, “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource.”…

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    American schools have the responsibility to create better human beings, and they are expected to do it consistently over the years for all young people. Currently, anyone can observe the differences between the school system today and 10 years ago. The academic rigor and behavioral expectations of American education have declined. The efforts to make students more competitive worldwide and ready to embrace the demanding workforce have not borne out. The Schools are failing our children because of low standards and poor discipline policies.…

    • 95 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever felt like you or your child is not getting a proper education? Are you a student who has below average grades and yet still manages to pass your class? Have you ever wondered why the U.S has gone from 18th in math to 31st? The answer to these questions, and many more that people have been posing is quite simple. Our education has just simply gotten worse. Many people today in society believe our education has gotten worse, though some believe that it is up to standards. I believe that our education has actually gotten worse, because the quality of our education has been going down, our performance has been going down, and our standardized tests are a mess.…

    • 887 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Education is a major part of being an American. Eacher person wants to a contributor to society, and that is only possible through knowledge. A person’s mind can hold endless amounts of ideas or thoughts; there is no limit. Education is taken so seriously in America because “the free exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing…

    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Waiting for Superman

    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The concept of education as a vital part of life and success is universal, regardless of how it is done. Unfortunately, regardless of its importance in society, the education system does not always accomplish its goals. The documentary, Waiting for Superman, was an excellent illustration of the large problems we face here in America. From our disappointing comparisons of education in the US compared to other countries, and the system of the government (impoverished neighborhoods, poor and failing education institutions) is a crisis that should be addressed and brought to public attention. Although there have been countless attempts to reform education, increase budgets, and implement new programs, the education system in the U.S. is not doing its job entirely and as effective as society needs it to be to foster the future generations.…

    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is dumbing down our children by focusing solely on reading and mathematics. By ignoring everything but basic skills, it is not preparing students to compete with their peers in the high-performing nations of Asia and Europe, nor is it preparing them for citizenship in our complex society” (Ravitch). Some of the contributing factors to the failing education system can be described as far back to 1837 when the famous American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson addressed the essential influences on a man’s education in his speech “The American Scholar.” In this speech, Emerson describes several aspects of how students should learn and these points can still relate to today’s education system. The American education system has many lacking aspects and Emerson addresses some of these issues in his speech. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “The American Scholar” describes the problems with today’s American education system by explaining the lack of creating well-rounded students, the confinement of…

    • 1789 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Schooling is seen as a necessary part of life in America for generations, needed to transform the children of the nation into happy and productive individuals. Unfortunately, there seems to be a problem with overall performance. According to the Program for International Student Assessment survey administered by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in 2012, the United States ranks 27th in math, 17th in reading, and 20th in science. According to the OECD the US spends more on education than most countries with an average of $115,000 per student (PISA, 1). Unfortunately, that level of spending has not equaled an improvement in education. We have tried to improve our schools with more money, better teachers, and legislation such as No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. What if the true problem with schooling is not the components of the system, but the system itself? In the article “Against School” John Taylor Gatto present several causes for the failing of the American public school system. One of the main causes he puts forth is the institution of compulsory schooling in a system designed to repress the working class, keeping the classes…

    • 1400 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Education empowers and educates generation after generations. What is the result of educational standards not being met? In his essay, “America Skips School,” Benjamin R. Barber explains his views on America’s education crisis. In his essay, he talks about the absence of actions the government and society take regarding education. He expresses his views on the rise of illiteracy in America. The rising complacency in formal education leads(contributes) to an education crisis.…

    • 822 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When it come to our America’s education system I think it’s great because I believe anything is possible, whether you're poor or rich. I agree with President Obama when he states “ Every single one of you has something you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is.That's the opportunity an education can provide”. I agree with this because if you don't go to school how will you develop the material and discover what's your talents and skills. Yes, of course not all schools can afford the books and get quality like ours but that’s isn’t an excuse to not achieve your goals. You’ll need an education for basically any career you want to become that's why We have…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays

Related Topics