The Problem With School: Discussing Issues in Our Current Education System
It is no secret that there are deep issues plaguing the current
American educational system. These issues are rooted in deeper issues affected
by government spending, teacher's unions, the American labor force and
legislative interests. I intend to discuss a few of these issues that affect how children are being short
changed in the American education system.
What does education often do? It makes a straight-cut ditch of a free,
meandering brook. ~Henry David Thoreau
The notion of schools teaching conformity is not a new thing, and
in perhaps some aspects not a bad thing. We must all find a way to participate
in our society. The issue is when our roles become decided for us. This is evident in the practice known as
"Tracking."
In this animation from the documentary film, "Waiting for
Superman" tracking is explained in detail.
Standardized testing is another problem with the American education
system. Teachers are under intense pressure to make sure their students receive
high marks on standardized tests which have been show to inaccurate in many
cases. Furthermore, because of this intense pressure, teachers tend to teach to
the test. In Christopher Longo's article, "Fostering Creativity or
Teaching to the Test? Implications of State Testing on the Delivery of Science
Instruction" he states, "High-stakes testing often causes educators
to lose
sight of meaningful and creative science instruction." (Longo,
55)
Longo's article can be viewed here:
The problems with our current education system are covered widely
in the media and is a focus of many controversial sub-issues. The San Francisco
Gate recently published an article on the topic entitled, "What's Wrong
With America's Education System."
The full article can be found here:
Many parents are electing to send their children to private schools
or pursue alternative schooling options. The website, www.dropoutprevention.org
provides information on this topic and discusses options for parents.
http://www.dropoutprevention.org/
The system is broken and fixing it involves the smooth cooperation
of so many different people. In the meantime, how do we function as a society
that remains largely unprepared to compete with other countries? What do you
think?
