Erika Christakis, in “The War on Public Schools” (Atlantic 2017), argues that the public school system in the U.S has been denigrated. Christakis supports her arguments by telling how most of the Americans have lost faith in the public school system, demonstrating how even the secretary of education Betsy DeVos see the public school system as a dead end, explaining how articles and documentaries as “Waiting for Superman” had led to false conclusions about the teachers unions, and finally, describing how the public school achievements have been minimized. Christakis’s purpose is to inform readers about the conditions of the public education system in the U.S in order to create interest about the current system of education. Christakis uses a…
In an article published by Inequality.org entitled “How America Is Failing It’s Schools” (23 June, 2015), Salvatore Babones argues that “the real crisis in American education is not the schools system,” but rather inequality. He argues this point by providing statistics that prove that highly-concentrated impoverished communities result in lower test scores that, consequently, make America trudge behind international standards; by blaming the public for denouncing the schools that helplessly educate poor children without many resources; and by reaffirming that failing schools are not the result of parents, teachers, or the students themselves, but of inequality. Babones’s purpose is to address and hopefully better America’s equality, eventually…
John Gatto’s “Against School” is a persuasive essay arguing both the ineffectiveness and negative outcomes of today’s public school system. Not only does Gatto provide credibility with his experience as a teacher, but he also presents historical evidence that suggests that the public school system is an outdated structure, originally meant to dumb down students as well as program them to be obedient pawns in society. Fact and authority alone do not supplement his argument. Gatto also uses emotional appeals, such as fear and doubt, to tear down the reader’s trust in the schooling system. Although it may seem to be so, Gatto’s argument is not one sided. He also offers suggestions to make the educational system more efficient at the hands of positive reinforcement and the employment of more motivated teachers. Through the effective application of ethos, logos, and pathos, John Gatto provides a well-rounded argument against the public school system that would cause any reader to question the goals of modern schooling.…
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.…
In “Five Ways to Fix America’s Schools,” an op-ed article that was published in The New York Times on June 8th, 2009, Harold O. Levy, a former chancellor of New York City schools, contends America’s educational system is no longer the best in the world. Levy comes up with several ways that the American education can return to being the juggernaut that it once was, and he provides five specific ways to repair or “fix” it. First, he states that we need to raise the age of compulsory education to 19. Second, Levy pushes the point of enforcing stricter truancy punishments. Third, Levy argues more aggressive and creative advertising for college enrollment. Fourth, Levy insists on getting rid of private college accreditation reports. Lastly, Levy states that the biggest advancement we can make in higher education starts with producing better-qualified candidates. Although Levy effectively establishes his ethos, he struggles to fully demonstrate his logos and pathos, which causes his article to be insufficiently persuasive. While Levy does raise valid points, he seems to have direct his article at the wrong audience.…
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.…
“a continuing recession, escalating political polarization, rising racial/ethnic tensions, a growing national debt, and a widening divide between the haves and the have nots portend a future fraught with unprecedented challenges to and clashes over the form and substance of public education in America” (p.1).…
When reading “The Myth of Helplessness” and “What I Learned about School Reform” both articles pointed out very strong points, some very alike and others very different. The article that stood out to me the most was “The Myth of Helplessness” coming from a big city like Houston you see a lot of these issues going on around us. Houston has its poor and wealthy areas, but the education system is not that different. I believe that a school’s poor performance is really based on the people who run the school. I come from a High school that is pointed out to be one of the “worst” in my district. Yet, my class took home about two millions worth of athletic and academic scholarships. “The difficulties caused by social problems have become an excuse…
There are many things wrong with the current public school system, specifically the secondary schools. The destructive environment of the secondary school system is turning young adults away from academics. Progress is quivering as trivial social matters in the high school arena rear their ugly heads. This system needs to be updated. It needs to be changed to fit the modern world, changed to allow the United States to start making positive progress in academic excellence once…
As a soon to be Chicago Public Schools alum, in my lifetime I have experienced school budget cuts, teacher displacements, and two teacher strikes. I have always believed that education is the key to success and extended opportunities, but for the past two years, the optimism that I have always had has slowly started to deteriorate. Everyday when I view the news, it seems that my education is being attacked. Whether it is on a federal, state, or city level. Recently, I just learned that the Trump administration is planning to make significant budget cuts to the Pell Grant program; the state of Illinois seems to also be doomed. Because the state has no budget, funding for the MAP Grant program is tentative. As far as the city, it seems that Chicago has the power to invest in every project except 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…
With the learning gap, hidden curriculum, and federal education programs it would be reasonable to believe that is the only reason why the educations system is failing. Although, there is one factor that plays the largest role of all, demographics. The type of schooling a child is receiving and where they are receiving that schooling is the main concept of their education. Depending on the orientation of students, those who are in suburban public schools are going to receive an entirely different education then children in rural public schools. Continuing, those who are in private schools are going to be taught differently than children who are in charter schools or go through public schooling. Students who are from completely two different…
Educational programs demand effort and dedication to be successful. Barber expresses his concern for the lack of literacy in America. In Barbers essay, he states, “As America’s educational system crumbles, the pundits, instead of looking for solutions, search busily for scapegoats” (Barber, 2014, pp.210). America’s government takes minimal actions toward the educational crisis. The situation resembles a hole in the wall that needs fixed, but instead of fixing it America’s society hangs a picture over the hole. The lack of educational reforms causes the America’s youth to fall behind other countries youth in literacy. The lack of effort from the government, from schools, parents, teachers, and students put a strain on learning. Some American citizens proclaim that they want a change in the school systems, but nothing results from it. Barber states, “With all the goodwill in the world, it is still hard to know how schools can cure the ills that stem from the failure of so many other institutions. Saying we want education to come first won’t put it first” (Barber, 2014, pp.217). Society labels schools as “prisons,” and sadly, some are less safe than actual prisons. The lack of safety forces students to focus on their own safety rather than learning. Not all schools provide safe environments for students; The result of this problem is conflicts and disinterest for learning. The lack of effort put forth by America’s society and government is only one factor in this multitude of…
I have chosen this topic because as a person enrolled in an institute of higher learning and the mother of children who are currently enrolled in a public school system I am concerned that for to long we have turned a deaf ear as well as a blind eye to issues that could potentially affect us as a society in…
In today’s economic turmoil, schools have been receiving budget cuts across the board. A perfect example would be Lamar University of Texas whose budget was cut by 15 million dollars (Moore) just this year. Furthermore Lamar University lost 120 employees (Moore). Since schools are getting money taken away from them they have to seek elsewhere to recuperate what they have lost; as a result colleges and universities have increased their tuition. We see that the rise in tuition is keeping low and moderate income students from ever attending a higher education institute (Zaho). On the same note Kindergarden-12th grade schools now have more students per classroom, meaning more students less teachers. This effects how much a teacher can teach a student overall, and how much attention one teacher can focus on one student throughout the year. The desired teacher to student ratio is now encroached upon. “There are less supplies, less teachers, less field trips, less extracurricular activities” said Principal Marshall; he later went on to say “The money being taken from education is lowering the overall quality of education” (McCartney).…