“Education System in America” by Tanner R.
American’s often consider the U.S.A as the greatest country in the world. However in recent years the education in America has not shown this to be true. As of the end of 2018, the U.S is ranked 14th overall in test scores.
“We throw more money at our schools than just about any other country, and what do we get? For our K-12 school system, an honorary membership in the Third World. Not long ago, we had a superb public school system, but now we trail most countries. In math, we’re 38th in the world among developed countries in terms of how 15 year-olds perform. And it’s getting worse, not better.”writes Professor F. H. Buckley in a Fox News opinion column. Professor Buckly stated that the U.S at one time had a great public school system, but we quickly dropped down the list. At no level, early childhood, K-12, higher education, are we in the top ten internationally.
One of the reasons that our education system isn’t very good is that it’s out of date. About 100 years ago, America made secondary education in high school compulsory. It created a massive leap forward, and it was one of the driving forces in our economic boom over the past 100 years. However, we haven't moved past that and we haven't adjusted or changed how we teach America’s future. Obviously, the world was very different 100 years ago. So why is our education system the same?
The last two Presidential Administrations to take major swings at changing the school system were George W. Bush with No Child Left Behind; and President Obama with Race to The Top and the state-led Common Core - with mixed results. In some ways we are heading in the right direction. For example, we were able to get high school graduation rated to an all time high of 84%. Even with graduation rates at an all time high we need to do a better job of making sure those graduates are ready to go to college.
There are plenty of ideas on how to fix the school system. One of the solutions may actually to spend more money. Many people believe that America spends the most money on school. Actually, America is fifth on spending per student.
Another idea is to try to lead the world in high quality pre kindergarten. We’re 28th right now. We should also try to get the 84 percent of graduating high schoolers higher. Third, we should get those graduated ready for college. That includes four year degree and trade schools.
With all of these new ideas we could possibly return to our former glory. We could rise up the test scores again and prove that we are the best country in the world and leave no doubt.
Education Rankings By Country 2019, worldpopulationreview.com/countries/education-rankings-by-country/.
“Education.” Ranking America, rankingamerica.wordpress.com/tag/education/.
Tures, John A. “How American Students Truly Rank in International Testing.” Observer, Observer, 15 Jan. 2018, observer.com/2018/01/how-american-students-truly-rank-in-international-testing/.
10, et al. “18 Reasons the U.S. Education System Is Failing.” The Edvocate, 3 Apr. 2017, www.theedadvocate.org/10-reasons-the-u-s-education-system-is-failing/.
“Rethinking Education in America.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2018-07-27/americas-schools-arent-working-for-americas-kids.
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| Test scores in 2018 with top ranking south Korea compared to 14th rank U.S. From World Population Review |
One of the reasons that our education system isn’t very good is that it’s out of date. About 100 years ago, America made secondary education in high school compulsory. It created a massive leap forward, and it was one of the driving forces in our economic boom over the past 100 years. However, we haven't moved past that and we haven't adjusted or changed how we teach America’s future. Obviously, the world was very different 100 years ago. So why is our education system the same?
The last two Presidential Administrations to take major swings at changing the school system were George W. Bush with No Child Left Behind; and President Obama with Race to The Top and the state-led Common Core - with mixed results. In some ways we are heading in the right direction. For example, we were able to get high school graduation rated to an all time high of 84%. Even with graduation rates at an all time high we need to do a better job of making sure those graduates are ready to go to college.
There are plenty of ideas on how to fix the school system. One of the solutions may actually to spend more money. Many people believe that America spends the most money on school. Actually, America is fifth on spending per student.
Another idea is to try to lead the world in high quality pre kindergarten. We’re 28th right now. We should also try to get the 84 percent of graduating high schoolers higher. Third, we should get those graduated ready for college. That includes four year degree and trade schools.
With all of these new ideas we could possibly return to our former glory. We could rise up the test scores again and prove that we are the best country in the world and leave no doubt.
Work Cited
“Education.” Ranking America, rankingamerica.wordpress.com/tag/education/.
Tures, John A. “How American Students Truly Rank in International Testing.” Observer, Observer, 15 Jan. 2018, observer.com/2018/01/how-american-students-truly-rank-in-international-testing/.
10, et al. “18 Reasons the U.S. Education System Is Failing.” The Edvocate, 3 Apr. 2017, www.theedadvocate.org/10-reasons-the-u-s-education-system-is-failing/.
“Rethinking Education in America.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2018-07-27/americas-schools-arent-working-for-americas-kids.
I had no idea that the United States was so far behind in educational standards. I am not surprised however, to learn that the system is outdated. The recent efforts to improve our standings in the international scope of education have been numerous, but not equally effective. I think that if we focus more on creating quality programs for our future generations, we will not be grasping for straws in terms of educational ranking in education.
ReplyDeleteI feel like we are not that far behind from South Korea. I feel like if our Nation was a little bit stronger on our education, we could catch up. But the person that we currently have as the Secretary of Education inst doing the best for us and the generations behind us. It seems that they need input from the state so they can help better the education system. I feel like college is not for everyone, you should have at least a high school diploma for some education you can fall back on. It is important that everyone gets a education so they can better their future.
ReplyDeleteI think that if we would update our education system then we would be much higher in international test scores. If we employed many of the practices that countries like South Korea use then we would have higher test scores. I also agree that if we would spend more money on education then it would help us out vastly in the long run. More money spent in education means a more educated population which would be good for the economy. A better preschool system would also be great. A higher quality preschool system would result in more kids being exposed to school earlier which could result in fewer dropouts. Overall, I think that our nation could surpass other countries education system if we put our minds to it.
ReplyDeleteIt is evident that the schools in America are in need of a curriculum change, and the efforts around us have been minimal compared to the attention that the school system actually needs. I believe if the country began to push raising the test scores then the U.S. would be at a higher rank than it is now. If more money is spent on schools to update the out of date textbooks and teaching materials then the possibility of the U.S. rising in the education ranks isn't far out of reach. The nation needs to take initiative in our education and only then will we be "the greatest country in the world".
ReplyDeleteI feel like we should use use other countries high education scores as a wake up call. The United States has all the right reasources to be the highest ranked country, but I feel as if were stuck in the past. Our school system needs to be updated so we can advance and children will benefit greatly.
ReplyDeleteI believe that a lot of America's education system needs a complete and total overhaul. I think kids should be taught by the style of learning that helps them succeed the most. I also believe that we should spend more on our education system. If we do not do anything drastic about our educational system soon we will soon fall farther behind more and more countries.
ReplyDelete