Pros And Cons Of The American Education System

Is the American education system struggling? This is the question that has been brought up multiple times in recent years. Nothing has been done to improve the quality of our education despite the many complaints revolving around it. Steps must be taken in order to come about a change such as: in the classrooms to improve work ethic, introducing creativity, and changing the current grading system. The level these steps are currently at is damaging the American education system.
A major problem with our current American education system is how the grading system is calculated. Doing well on a test is the main focus of the current system, measuring whether or not a student can remember information for the next test. This shows that tests don’t
even test to see if students have actually learned the material, since the current grading system allows students to memorize information instead of leaning it. If the grading system was changed for students being graded based on how much they truly learned, the education system in America as a whole would be one step closer to success.
One of the most important things that affect the learning process itself is the students’ current work ethic. Not only are students neglecting their school work, but they’re being distracted by technology as well. In order for the American education system to improve, distractions such as technology and social media, when being used inappropriately, must be eliminated so students are more focused on learning. The work ethic of the average American student has been blown out of proportion. According to an article on the Huffington post, “A compilation of the top 40 books teens in grades 9-12 are reading in school shows that the average reading level of that list is 5.3 -- barely above the fifth grade” (Zhao). This claim by the Huffington post cannot be taken into consideration because all schools aren’t at the same level, some much more advanced than most. Although the work ethic level of the American student body has been blown out of proportion, it is still a problem and students need to work harder in order to improve the system as a whole. In her article, “My Lazy American Students” Kara Miller states “Teaching in college, especially one with a large international student population, has given me a stark - and unwelcome - illustration of how Americans’ work ethic often pales in comparison with their peers from overseas. My “C,’’ “D,’’ and “F’’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have - despite language barriers - generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants” (Miller). Students in foreign countries have a much different work ethic compared to the students in America. Other countries take education much more intense and in most cases is the absolute number one priority. Even though the American students’ work ethic is holding back the countries educational system from being better than it is, it’s not the biggest problem.
Another thing to look at when debating why the educational system is falling is the lack of creativity in classrooms.
The education system in America focuses on the core subjects including math, reading, and writing. By having this focus students aren’t given the opportunity to explore their creativity. In his essay “Against School: How Public Education Cripples Our Kids, and Why,” John Gatto states, “Boredom was everywhere in my world, and if you asked the kids, as I often did, why they felt so bored, they always gave the same answers: They said the work was stupid, that it made no sense, that they already knew it. They said they wanted to do something real, not just sitting around” (226). In school students are taught the same basic math, reading, and writing concepts. They are also forced to memorize material for a test instead of actually learning it. The College Board is working to make the education in American schools more reliable, as seen in Tamar Lewin’s text on David Coleman. “There’s no reason on earth for common core standards and these tests that we’re wasting billions of dollars on” (Lewin). If students were offered a better curriculum they would actually learn the material instead of just memorizing it for a test. They would have the opportunity to be more creative and learn the best way they can, leading to the improvement of the American education
system.
Although America’s education system may not be a complete failure, it is becoming worse with time, especially compared to foreign countries, and needs to take steps forward. These steps forward include students changed their work ethic and eliminating distractions, increasing the presence of creativity in the classroom itself, and also changing the grading system so kids are more focused on learning and becoming educated.