Is America's Public Education System In Trouble
Challenges of Public Education
Is America at risk of losing its competitive edge? Is America public education system in trouble? The research clearly suggests that America’s public education is behind its international counterparts in educational benchmarks. The Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, gives tests to high school students across a range of countries. The evaluation finds that the U.S. ranks behind 16 other economies in terms of student literacy—the ability to read, integrate and evaluate texts; U.S. student rankings on mathematics are even lower (Kenny 12). Also, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that 2 out of 3 eight-graders can’t read proficiently and most will never catch up and …show more content…
nearly 3 out of 4 eighth and twelfth-grade students cannot write proficiently (4). In addition, the NAEP found nearly two-thirds of eighth-graders scored below proficient in math (5).
The education gap could be especially troubling in the areas of science and technology if the United States wants to keep its competitive technical edge.
America needs solutions immediately because the gap represents its future leaders of tomorrow. If nothing is done soon to correct the disturbing trend, the United States will be in danger of falling even further behind other developed countries. The many challenges are frightening: (1) too many high school students quit school before graduation, (2) too many high school students graduate without the ability to read or write well, (3) too many high school students are not prepared for the workforce, and (4) too many high school students are not prepared for college. In this short essay, the writer will explain some of the consequences, causes and possible solutions for America’s educational …show more content…
dilemma.
Consequences of the Problem First, if America’s public school leaders don’t devise a plan to improve the nation’s troubling schools, the consequences will be devastating. Normally, consequences can be traced back to the student’s level of education and usually comes to light when making choices or decisions. Furthermore, certain characteristics come in play such as a lack of motivation, which may prevent someone from securing a job because the person wasn’t motivated enough to take classes or gain the skills needed for a job.
The lack of motivation is a problem in my hometown of Lenoir, NC, located in Caldwell County. The county has seen substantial job losses lately because many workers were unqualified to enter into advanced manufacturing methods. As a result, many jobs have been shipped overseas resulting in high unemployment rates within the region. Although the graduation rate in Caldwell County has been rising over the past decade, that wasn’t always the case decades ago. The county high school dropout rate was significantly higher approximately 20 years ago, well above the national average. One of the main reasons was that many furniture factories didn’t require a high school diploma for low-paying and unskilled labor. This statistic isn’t to say the workers weren’t intelligent, only that they weren’t motivated enough to improve themselves when educational opportunities were available. As a result, most of the uneducated factory workers will face high unemployment rate for the rest of their life unless they make a choice to seek additional educational opportunities. Probably the most important consequence of failing public schools is that students are not prepared for college upon high school graduation. My dad, a department chair and instructor at a local community college, tells me that a majority of students come to the college unprepared for college-level classes. Most students have to be placed in so-called developmental classes, which don’t count as college credit. Plus, the more developmental classes students have to take, the less likely it will be for them to graduate. Therefore, many students drop out of college because they either can’t do the college-level work or determine that it will take them too long to graduate.
Causes of the Problems Second, in order to address America’s public school crisis, it is first necessary to understand the underlining causes of the problem. For many students, the reason for poor academics can be traced to their own self-esteem. Thus, it is quite possible that the student wasn’t challenged enough in school or encouraged enough by the teacher or parent. Without a doubt, a poor teacher has a tremendous impact on the academic achievement of a student. As an example, “how many times have you heard of students who credit their teacher for their success in life because the teacher believed in them?” Likewise, a dysfunctional home life has a negative effect, as conditions around the home may not conducive to student learning. For instance, if a student can’t find a quiet place to read or study without distractions, then it makes it more difficult to learn the subject matter, usually resulting in a lower grade.
On the other hand, Sam Dillon of The New York Times concluded that the blame for America’s sagging academic achievement does not lie solely with public schools, but also with dysfunctional families and a culture that undervalues education. Schools are inheriting an over-entertained, distracted student (3). Moreover, first-generation students whose parents never attended college also face numerous obstacles making it more difficult for them to be successful in the classroom. It’s really sad that many parents don’t care about their child’s grades. In doing so, it’s the students who suffer at no fault of their own.
In addition, low academic standards are a major problem in public schools. Often, too many school systems have set the graduation bar so low that nearly everyone graduates from high school, whether the student is ready or not. Furthermore, many teachers assign students “busy-work” that’s not very challenging. This type of work does nothing to develop critical thinking skills. In reality, low academic standards (just like student cheating) will only hurt the student in the long run. This loss of knowledge is literally slipping through the student’s fingertips without them knowing the harm it causes. Thus, not only is the student harmed, the reputation of the school might be as well. No doubt the academic reputation of a school influences the parent’s decision on whether to move into or out of school districts. To the contrary, friends from private schools have told me their academic standards are much higher than public schools, and that their SAT scores are higher on the average too.
Perhaps, the main cause of public school failure can be blamed on poverty. Without a doubt, people living in poverty have more important things on their mind than making good grades in school. Parents may be more concerned about rent, groceries, car payments, and less concerned about their children’s education. My dad has always told me that there is a direct correlation between poverty and grade point average. He says “students from poorer families generally have lower GPAs, while students from wealthier families tend to have higher GPAs.” Unfortunately, this disturbing trend has plagued this country for decades, and it doesn’t appear to be getting any better.
Solutions for Problems Although the writer suspects that many possible solutions have already been tried to improve our failing public school systems, the state public schools systems may want to try the following innovative solutions: (1) provide students free college tuition for the first two years of college if the student maintains a certain high school GPA (say a B average) and is also able to maintain that same “B” average in college, and (2) base teacher’s bonus on a combination of evaluations done by the students, other teachers, and their own student scores on standardized test.
To begin, if the state could add a motivator or incentive like free college tuition for the first two years of college for any student who maintains a “B” average in high school, it would greatly improve high school graduation rates. Not only that, more people would graduate with higher-level reading, math, and writing skills. Moreover, student debt levels would be much lower (at least 50%) if they attended a four-year college, or have no debt if they went to a two-year community college. It’s a win-win situation for the student and school. Also, the state can base a teacher’s bonus pay on a combination of students, other teacher evaluations, and their own student scores on standardized test.
Initially, students get to evaluate their own teachers. Next, teachers get to rate or evaluate other teachers teaching the same subjects (i.e., English teachers rating English teachers), since they would probably know which teachers are most respected among their peers. Lastly, the other part of the teacher’s bonus could be based on student achievement on standardized test. Combining all three factors together helps determine the teacher bonus for that year. By doing it this way, those superior teachers will be rewarded with higher bonuses, while the underperforming teachers will get little or no pay bonuses. Then, maybe the underperforming teachers will consider switching jobs, as students deserve only the best. Likewise, since teachers are considered the backbone of the education systems, the school systems should do all they can to retain the good teachers. While the new pay standard for teacher’s bonuses might be difficult to pass (especially with teacher unions and lobbying organizations), the reward may outweigh the risk because outstanding teachers will produce better
students.
Conclusion
America’s public educational standards are low compared to other international educational systems. In short, America’s high school students just aren’t prepared for college or even high-tech jobs after entering the workplace after high school. At the very least, public schools need to set the educational bar higher in terms of reading, writing, and math skills. In addition, schools need to hold underperforming teachers accountable. As discussed above, many challenges and factors make it difficult for the school and student to succeed in the classroom. Furthermore, the writer has suggested possible solutions to help alleviate some of worse problems within America’s public school systems. Although more research should be done on the proposed solutions to determine their overall effectiveness, one thing is certain—something has to be done and soon.
Work Cited
Dillon, Sam. “Many Nations Passing U.S. in Education, Expert Says.” The New York
Times. New York Times, 10 March 2010. Web. 13 October 2013.
National Assessment of Educational Progress. 2011 Writing: The Nations Report Card.
14 Sep. 2012. Web. 13 October 2013.
Kenny, Charles. “The Real Reason America 's Schools Stink.” BusinessWeek. Bloomberg BusinessWeek, 19 Aug 2012. Web. 13 October 2013.
Is America at risk of losing its competitive edge? Is America public education system in trouble? The research clearly suggests that America’s public education is behind its international counterparts in educational benchmarks. The Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, gives tests to high school students across a range of countries. The evaluation finds that the U.S. ranks behind 16 other economies in terms of student literacy—the ability to read, integrate and evaluate texts; U.S. student rankings on mathematics are even lower (Kenny 12). Also, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that 2 out of 3 eight-graders can’t read proficiently and most will never catch up and …show more content…
nearly 3 out of 4 eighth and twelfth-grade students cannot write proficiently (4). In addition, the NAEP found nearly two-thirds of eighth-graders scored below proficient in math (5).
The education gap could be especially troubling in the areas of science and technology if the United States wants to keep its competitive technical edge.
America needs solutions immediately because the gap represents its future leaders of tomorrow. If nothing is done soon to correct the disturbing trend, the United States will be in danger of falling even further behind other developed countries. The many challenges are frightening: (1) too many high school students quit school before graduation, (2) too many high school students graduate without the ability to read or write well, (3) too many high school students are not prepared for the workforce, and (4) too many high school students are not prepared for college. In this short essay, the writer will explain some of the consequences, causes and possible solutions for America’s educational …show more content…
dilemma.
Consequences of the Problem First, if America’s public school leaders don’t devise a plan to improve the nation’s troubling schools, the consequences will be devastating. Normally, consequences can be traced back to the student’s level of education and usually comes to light when making choices or decisions. Furthermore, certain characteristics come in play such as a lack of motivation, which may prevent someone from securing a job because the person wasn’t motivated enough to take classes or gain the skills needed for a job.
The lack of motivation is a problem in my hometown of Lenoir, NC, located in Caldwell County. The county has seen substantial job losses lately because many workers were unqualified to enter into advanced manufacturing methods. As a result, many jobs have been shipped overseas resulting in high unemployment rates within the region. Although the graduation rate in Caldwell County has been rising over the past decade, that wasn’t always the case decades ago. The county high school dropout rate was significantly higher approximately 20 years ago, well above the national average. One of the main reasons was that many furniture factories didn’t require a high school diploma for low-paying and unskilled labor. This statistic isn’t to say the workers weren’t intelligent, only that they weren’t motivated enough to improve themselves when educational opportunities were available. As a result, most of the uneducated factory workers will face high unemployment rate for the rest of their life unless they make a choice to seek additional educational opportunities. Probably the most important consequence of failing public schools is that students are not prepared for college upon high school graduation. My dad, a department chair and instructor at a local community college, tells me that a majority of students come to the college unprepared for college-level classes. Most students have to be placed in so-called developmental classes, which don’t count as college credit. Plus, the more developmental classes students have to take, the less likely it will be for them to graduate. Therefore, many students drop out of college because they either can’t do the college-level work or determine that it will take them too long to graduate.
Causes of the Problems Second, in order to address America’s public school crisis, it is first necessary to understand the underlining causes of the problem. For many students, the reason for poor academics can be traced to their own self-esteem. Thus, it is quite possible that the student wasn’t challenged enough in school or encouraged enough by the teacher or parent. Without a doubt, a poor teacher has a tremendous impact on the academic achievement of a student. As an example, “how many times have you heard of students who credit their teacher for their success in life because the teacher believed in them?” Likewise, a dysfunctional home life has a negative effect, as conditions around the home may not conducive to student learning. For instance, if a student can’t find a quiet place to read or study without distractions, then it makes it more difficult to learn the subject matter, usually resulting in a lower grade.
On the other hand, Sam Dillon of The New York Times concluded that the blame for America’s sagging academic achievement does not lie solely with public schools, but also with dysfunctional families and a culture that undervalues education. Schools are inheriting an over-entertained, distracted student (3). Moreover, first-generation students whose parents never attended college also face numerous obstacles making it more difficult for them to be successful in the classroom. It’s really sad that many parents don’t care about their child’s grades. In doing so, it’s the students who suffer at no fault of their own.
In addition, low academic standards are a major problem in public schools. Often, too many school systems have set the graduation bar so low that nearly everyone graduates from high school, whether the student is ready or not. Furthermore, many teachers assign students “busy-work” that’s not very challenging. This type of work does nothing to develop critical thinking skills. In reality, low academic standards (just like student cheating) will only hurt the student in the long run. This loss of knowledge is literally slipping through the student’s fingertips without them knowing the harm it causes. Thus, not only is the student harmed, the reputation of the school might be as well. No doubt the academic reputation of a school influences the parent’s decision on whether to move into or out of school districts. To the contrary, friends from private schools have told me their academic standards are much higher than public schools, and that their SAT scores are higher on the average too.
Perhaps, the main cause of public school failure can be blamed on poverty. Without a doubt, people living in poverty have more important things on their mind than making good grades in school. Parents may be more concerned about rent, groceries, car payments, and less concerned about their children’s education. My dad has always told me that there is a direct correlation between poverty and grade point average. He says “students from poorer families generally have lower GPAs, while students from wealthier families tend to have higher GPAs.” Unfortunately, this disturbing trend has plagued this country for decades, and it doesn’t appear to be getting any better.
Solutions for Problems Although the writer suspects that many possible solutions have already been tried to improve our failing public school systems, the state public schools systems may want to try the following innovative solutions: (1) provide students free college tuition for the first two years of college if the student maintains a certain high school GPA (say a B average) and is also able to maintain that same “B” average in college, and (2) base teacher’s bonus on a combination of evaluations done by the students, other teachers, and their own student scores on standardized test.
To begin, if the state could add a motivator or incentive like free college tuition for the first two years of college for any student who maintains a “B” average in high school, it would greatly improve high school graduation rates. Not only that, more people would graduate with higher-level reading, math, and writing skills. Moreover, student debt levels would be much lower (at least 50%) if they attended a four-year college, or have no debt if they went to a two-year community college. It’s a win-win situation for the student and school. Also, the state can base a teacher’s bonus pay on a combination of students, other teacher evaluations, and their own student scores on standardized test.
Initially, students get to evaluate their own teachers. Next, teachers get to rate or evaluate other teachers teaching the same subjects (i.e., English teachers rating English teachers), since they would probably know which teachers are most respected among their peers. Lastly, the other part of the teacher’s bonus could be based on student achievement on standardized test. Combining all three factors together helps determine the teacher bonus for that year. By doing it this way, those superior teachers will be rewarded with higher bonuses, while the underperforming teachers will get little or no pay bonuses. Then, maybe the underperforming teachers will consider switching jobs, as students deserve only the best. Likewise, since teachers are considered the backbone of the education systems, the school systems should do all they can to retain the good teachers. While the new pay standard for teacher’s bonuses might be difficult to pass (especially with teacher unions and lobbying organizations), the reward may outweigh the risk because outstanding teachers will produce better
students.
Conclusion
America’s public educational standards are low compared to other international educational systems. In short, America’s high school students just aren’t prepared for college or even high-tech jobs after entering the workplace after high school. At the very least, public schools need to set the educational bar higher in terms of reading, writing, and math skills. In addition, schools need to hold underperforming teachers accountable. As discussed above, many challenges and factors make it difficult for the school and student to succeed in the classroom. Furthermore, the writer has suggested possible solutions to help alleviate some of worse problems within America’s public school systems. Although more research should be done on the proposed solutions to determine their overall effectiveness, one thing is certain—something has to be done and soon.
Work Cited
Dillon, Sam. “Many Nations Passing U.S. in Education, Expert Says.” The New York
Times. New York Times, 10 March 2010. Web. 13 October 2013.
National Assessment of Educational Progress. 2011 Writing: The Nations Report Card.
14 Sep. 2012. Web. 13 October 2013.
Kenny, Charles. “The Real Reason America 's Schools Stink.” BusinessWeek. Bloomberg BusinessWeek, 19 Aug 2012. Web. 13 October 2013.