Student Teacher 36 | - ✏ Freelance Writer
Nov 19, 2019 | #1
Today's educational system does many things right, following in the footsteps of generations in which the American education system was considered the best in the world. In recent years, however, American students do not stack up as well against their foreign counterparts, and it is clear that there are several problems with today's educational system. These problems include too much focus on standardized testing, a lack of qualified teachers to help students most in need, and the increasingly prohibitive cost of higher education, especially when added to the need for a college degree to succeed.
The No Child Left Behind Act, first put into place in 2001, put forth the lofty but admirable ambition of making sure all children were educated equitably, no matter if they went to a school in a wealthy neighborhood or an underfunded, overcrowded school. For the first time, strict and consistent measures of progress and improvement for schools were put in on both state and national levels. In order to assess student progress, however, students must be assessed. As a result, No Child Left Behind also ushered in an era of extremely high-stakes standardized testing. Because these tests are so important not just to show the learning of individual students, but to show the progress of whole schools or districts, the focus on these tests in the classroom is nearly all-consuming.
Children are drilled over and over again on test skills, and as a result there is less time for creative projects or learning things that are not directly tested. This may help children succeed on the tests, but is not teaching them how to think, and they then do not succeed as well in college or life. Professors are noting the increased use of Wikipedia as a source in research papers (Jashick 271) and it is clearer and clearer that students are not learning what used to be basic skills, such as how to tell if a source is trustworthy and how to avoid plagiarism, early on. Much of the time that used to be devoted to these and many other important matters is now spent drilling for standardized tests.
A. Culture clash
1. "In today's increasingly diverse student population, many needs are represented. However, teachers are not always ready to meet these needs, sometimes due to a lack of understanding of the students' home culture and norms." (Delpit 261)
2. A lack of teachers who speak other languages is also an issue because more and more immigrants come to this country.
B. Salaries/Prestige
1. Teaching is traditionally not especially prestigious work.
2. Teaching does not pay well compared to other jobs, so educated grads from the best schools pursue other paths.
A. State college tuition increasing
1. In many states, budget crises are forcing cutting professors and increasing tuition so that what has traditionally been an affordable option no longer is.
2. More students are opting for non-traditional, for-profit universities instead, often sending them into debt. Many of these students never graduate (Clark 64)
B. College degrees are now needed to succeed
1. Jobs for which a high school diploma used to sufficient now require college credits and even full degrees.
2. Examples: public service such as police, secretaries, etc.
Conclusion
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Clark, Jane Bennett. "The Real Deal on For-Profit Colleges." Kipinger's Personal Finance.
Delpit, Lisa D. "Education in a Multicultural Society: Our Future's Greatest Challenge." Macdonald, James C. The Reader. New York: Longman, 2009. 261-268.
Jaschick, Scott. "A Stand Against Wikipedia." Macdonald, James C. The Reader. New York: Longman, 2009. 270-272.
The No Child Left Behind Act, first put into place in 2001, put forth the lofty but admirable ambition of making sure all children were educated equitably, no matter if they went to a school in a wealthy neighborhood or an underfunded, overcrowded school. For the first time, strict and consistent measures of progress and improvement for schools were put in on both state and national levels. In order to assess student progress, however, students must be assessed. As a result, No Child Left Behind also ushered in an era of extremely high-stakes standardized testing. Because these tests are so important not just to show the learning of individual students, but to show the progress of whole schools or districts, the focus on these tests in the classroom is nearly all-consuming.Children are drilled over and over again on test skills, and as a result there is less time for creative projects or learning things that are not directly tested. This may help children succeed on the tests, but is not teaching them how to think, and they then do not succeed as well in college or life. Professors are noting the increased use of Wikipedia as a source in research papers (Jashick 271) and it is clearer and clearer that students are not learning what used to be basic skills, such as how to tell if a source is trustworthy and how to avoid plagiarism, early on. Much of the time that used to be devoted to these and many other important matters is now spent drilling for standardized tests.
Lack of Qualified Teachers
A. Culture clash
1. "In today's increasingly diverse student population, many needs are represented. However, teachers are not always ready to meet these needs, sometimes due to a lack of understanding of the students' home culture and norms." (Delpit 261)
2. A lack of teachers who speak other languages is also an issue because more and more immigrants come to this country.
B. Salaries/Prestige
1. Teaching is traditionally not especially prestigious work.
2. Teaching does not pay well compared to other jobs, so educated grads from the best schools pursue other paths.
Cost of Higher Education
A. State college tuition increasing
1. In many states, budget crises are forcing cutting professors and increasing tuition so that what has traditionally been an affordable option no longer is.
2. More students are opting for non-traditional, for-profit universities instead, often sending them into debt. Many of these students never graduate (Clark 64)
B. College degrees are now needed to succeed
1. Jobs for which a high school diploma used to sufficient now require college credits and even full degrees.
2. Examples: public service such as police, secretaries, etc.
Conclusion
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Clark, Jane Bennett. "The Real Deal on For-Profit Colleges." Kipinger's Personal Finance.
Delpit, Lisa D. "Education in a Multicultural Society: Our Future's Greatest Challenge." Macdonald, James C. The Reader. New York: Longman, 2009. 261-268.
Jaschick, Scott. "A Stand Against Wikipedia." Macdonald, James C. The Reader. New York: Longman, 2009. 270-272.