I would first like to make it clear that this is not directed towards Kathryn. :)
People have said recently more than ever, education in the United States has gone down the tubes. High school dropout rates are on the rise. Teachers, grade school through high school, are being fired in front of their students. Standardized tests are showing little or no progress in individual students and in the school as a whole. These trends seem especially bad in New Mexico where the graduation rate in some schools is only 46% and test scores are some of the lowest in the nation. Even in college setting, we are told that programs are declining steadily. I've heard from more than one student in more than one department that education is a joke and that their department "sucks."
What is happening here? Are the standards used to hire education professionals lower than they used to be? Are students just becoming more apathetic? Are parents taking less responsibility for their children's education? Are these only products of a failing economy? Are we just being too critical? Or it is something entirely different? I will love to hear from you guys.
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I have no idea whether how economy or apathy plays into education, but there is one thing I know for sure. Standardized tests put sooo much pressure on teachers. They are forced onto a very narrow path of teaching, and if they don't stick to it, the kids will fail their bubble tests. And if this happens, the teachers lose their jobs and the school loses funding. When this happens, schools don't have the money to hire good teachers, and the cycle repeats itself, where good-testing schools are rewarded and bad-testing schools fall further and further into the negatives. If kids start dropping out, the situation gets even worse, and you are left with a hollow building with RIP written all over it. Sounds pretty busted to me.
I see where Jimmy is coming from, but I also see how economy and apathy play into the declining education system. On the economy side of it, government continues to cut education to help get out of debt. Teachers were not making great salaries to begin with and it is not looking like there is going to be any raises in the near future. Also with these budget cuts, schools are not able to supply their students with all of the necessary materials. For example, some schools can't afford to update their textbooks, or buy computers, etc. This is taking away from the quality of the education.
With the negatives of the school systems growing, I feel that teachers are becoming more apathetic to their jobs because they are not receiving adequate pay for what they are doing and their materials to teach with may be outdated.
I also think that parents are becoming more apathetic to education as well because throughout the years the hustle and bustle of life continues to increase, leaving less time to focus a great deal of attention on their child's education. If the teachers are not doing their jobs at school and the parents do not have time to help their children at home, the child's education is going to be the one to suffer.
I think that it is a ripple effect that is going to continue to get worse if something major is not done to intercept the downfall of the education system.
The main problem as previously discussed is funding. With the No Child Left Behind act, the standards are raised every year and the funding is cut from schools that do not meet the standards. Pardon my language, but the system is ass-backwards! The schools that are not meeting standards are the ones that need the funding in order to attain better scores. Also, if they did not meet it the first year and the bar is raised the next year, they have no hope of ever catching up.
On top of this, let us consider the fact that teachers have an enormous job! To educate the next generation. With more and more testing and more pressure put on the scores, teachers are forced to focus an increasing amount of time on test prep and paper work. Not only are they continually restricted on what and how they can teach, but they are also putting in longer hours and trying to cram in more information in less time purely in order for the students to spit back out that information on tests so that hopefully the teachers and school they work for do not receive a pay cut or budget cut.
Not to mention the difference in pay between a teacher and a football player. No offense to athletically talented individuals, but I believe a teacher is doing a much more important job and yet their pay is bare minimum and ever-decreasing. Societally, our priorities need to shift in order to fix the school system. People have to be more focused on their kids' education than on entertainment and celebrities.
Another serious part of the education collapse is that none of it is fluid. Rather than building a foundation first and then up from there, each grade is entirely separate which causes a disconnect from the information being learned.
On top of this, education has become a one-way street. Critical thinking has all but disappeared as schools become increasingly "standardized." It is more about making a grade than actually learning anything. It is so focused on evaluation that it has become a business rather than an educating environment. Teachers and students interact less and less and rather than the students engaging, the entire responsibility is left to the teachers to fill the students' "blank minds" with disjointed facts that they will be expected to identify on a test. There is rarely a correlation between education and the real world and it is more about memory than actual concept application.
I think that akelly (Amanda?) has a really good point with the fact that students aren't really taught to think critically, and this is an extremely important skill to learn in order to be successful. I think that one of the biggest reasons why I have done well in school is because I am interested in how and why things work the way they do, rather than just memorizing facts, and I think that the constant testing (at least by the state or someone who puts pressure on the teachers) encourages only teaching students to memorize the facts the way they are presented. Additionally, I think that the priority of education has been lost as a society because people such as athletes or celebrities who have no education what so ever are idolized for their success, but I think people can lose track of just how important education is (in part) because of stories like these. Overall, I think it is a complicated issue with many factors involved.
As a product of the California public school system, I really cannot say much about conditions in New Mexico. I am sure, though, that many education-related issues are fairly consistent across the nation.
For some reason, it seems that public education is always one of the first areas to be cut when times are tough. The parents are the same, the students are the same, but the government is not, and really education itself is not. In our modern world, schools rely on expensive computers and technology to provide the best education, whereas before, all that was required were books in a small schoolhouse. Our world is becoming more expensive, and a not-for-profit school system simply cannot continue to function. The United States is really big on free enterprise, so perhaps our schools should be privatised. If hospitals can be run as businesses, then why can't schools? Although public universities charge tuition, they are ultimately controlled by the government. Public schools without government influence could use tuition to create competitive learning environments. Ultimately, I blame the economy and the current school system which seems to encourage cost-cutting without looking towards a long-term solution. This brings national standards down when districts hire brand new teachers for just a year in order to lower salaries and bring down the number of tenured faculty. Our expectations are high for the students, but low for the system they are entered into, and there is very little that we can currently do about it. Equal opportunities for children are important, but public education in this country is simply not working.
I think a big part of the education is the attitude that comes with the environment surrounding it. For example, in China, the students are taught to be the best of the best not only academically, but also physically, and they also go to school literally all day from dawn til dusk. The attitude they have surrounding education not only of the students but also of the teachers are key components of why China is a leading power in the world.
Another component of why the education is not up to par, I think, is curriculum and, some part, teachers. Many teachers may get their teaching degree but their actual effect in the class room is poor and ineffective for the students.
I also think others had a good point about funding of education, that it is seriously lacking and is always getting cut more and more. Without all the opportunity available, the participation of kids in school decreases. Kids need outlets to get involved and maintain the diligent mindset.
Speaking in terms of high school education, I've had more than my fair share of awful teachers and mediocre education and I've been a part of the private school education system my entire life, so declining education isn't just a characteristic of public schools.
The American education system honestly really just makes me angry to think about. We're pouring tax money into here, expecting them to educate our children, but instead the standard keeps dropping lower and lower because teachers either don't have the flexibility to teach to the best of their abilities or they lack the motivation to do so.
This is not the case in other parts of the world where education is actually an important part of society like in most of the asian countries. Teachers get paid decently for their time and effort, and students learn the necessary fundamentals to prepare them for their future careers.
I would love to be a teacher, and if it was a profession that paid better in our country I would do it in a heart beat, but because there is virtually no job market in education and salaries are barely enough to get by on, I'm choosing to do something else with my life. If it paid more to be a teacher I absolutely believe that we would be able to attract more competent people to the position.
@ Sam-
I don't think that privatizing education is a good idea. Education needs to remain sponsored by the government to keep options open for kids from under privileged backgrounds. No offensive to private schools, but they function solely to serve the upper class. If every school was run like a business,only the families that could afford education would receive knowledge. Only the richest would get the best education because the most gifted teachers would want the largest pay. In other words, the rich would get richer. We would have a distinct class system arise because class mobility would be nearly impossible. If anything, more tax payer money and more nurturing should be given to poorly performing schools.
It's no secret that the U.S. education system has been declining. I agree with many of who who've said that the main reason for this decrease is due to lack of funding to our public schools. I think a lot of times when our economy is struggling, programs that benefit the education system are some of the first to be cut to reduce spending. These budget cuts for schools make it harder for schools to get the newest and best materials for students, which could inhibit their education. I also agree with Amanda's statement about the counter-intuitive system we have for schools that don't measure up in standardized tests. I don't see how cutting funding to these schools can ever help them improve. I understand it is supposed to be some kind of incentive for schools to do well on these tests, but it doesn't seem like the system is really helping improve education.
In my opinion, I think that it is important, especially in regards to the economy, for the government to give it's public education system enough funding. I mean if education improves, then more people will have more opportunities in higher education, which will lead to more opportunities for more people to get better paying jobs and pay taxes to improve the nation's economy.
@ Kathleen:
I think that government funded schools already cater to the rich. Schools in richer neighbourhoods tend to have the best facilities and teachers, whereas inner-city schools end up being ignored. If schools had to compete for students, then many might have lower costs in order to attract more students. The richest are always going to get the best education, but if the poorest schools could be controlled by businesses or charities trying to help the poor, then a more equal education could probably be provided.
Great points so far, everyone. I really like that you are digging in here. This is a really complex and multifaceted topic, which is why it's so hard to figure out just how to fix our current educational system (much like health care, no?). :)
Anyway, I did want to address some points you have brought up, especially in relation to public v. private schools. Remember, the local tax payers play a huge role in how much funding a local school has. That is, the richer communities tend to have better facilities because they have more money and they vote to increase how much of their taxes go to schools. They also tend to work within the schools more (volunteering and so forth). In poorer communities, you obviously have fewer resources (both in terms of money and time; if a parent is working three jobs just to buy food, then there is no time to volunteer on the PTA). So, just the basic way schools are funded comes into play here. I'm not saying there is an easy solution, but I thought it would be beneficial to talk about the actual infrastructure some.
I hope that helps! :)
This topic reminds me of a story I heard in the news a few weeks ago. The state wanted to audit the student enrollment numbers of Albuquerque Public Schools to make sure that schools were not misrepresenting the number of students that they had, particularly the number of special education students. The amount of money certain schools get from the state is determined in part by the number of students enrolled in certain programs at the school. Recently, enrollment numbers in some schools have gone up drastically, leading to the audit. If you want to know more, this article explains it:
http://www.abqjournal.com/news/metro/152330465437newsmetro04-15-11.htm. (or if the link doesn't work google "APS student numbers audit")
My question is, what does this type of scenario say about our nation's (or at least this state's) school system? I'm not saying that if schools did misrepresent number that they were justified, but do you think the system for funding schools may, to some degree, force schools to take other options to get the funding they need? I'm interested to hear what you guys have to say.
In response the Miranda's post, that is interesting that the enrollment numbers have increased drastically. But understandable so, I think that there are plenty of individuals that deeply care for the education system and want to offer more to the younger generations. Desperate times call for desperate measures. That being said, if fudging enrollment numbers increases funding and is therefore going to increase the quality of education, I think that that is a great possibility of what is happening.
To me, this is saying that the budget cuts are obviously having serious affects on society if schools are taking it into their own hands to get the funding they "deserve". It just shows how skewed our society is becoming. The cuts to the budget for education just does not make sense since the kids in school now are the future generation that need to be well educated!
Also in response to what Miranda posted, I think that this type of scenario show that there are huge issues within a school system. I think that it shows that schools are desperate for any money that they can get because of the cuts that have been going on, and I think that it should cause the state to look into why so many schools fudged numbers (I know it wasn't all of them, but it sounds like a lot did) and what can solve this problem. Considering the fact that teachers probably didn't get into that career because of money, it is much less likely that they are fudging the numbers just because they are greedy, and more likely that their school really does need that money. I think that if the state does nothing but remove funding as punishment for lying they will simply exacerbate the problem and further lower the quality of education. Not to say that the schools should get away with intentionally giving inaccurate numbers if they did, but I think it reflects a much bigger problem than dishonest employees.
There are many factors that play into our flawed education system. As it becomes more and more difficult for schools to recieve governemtn funding, schools continue to pass students who do not deserve it in order to continue to recieve this money. This is why many students feel that education is a joke. They do not turn in any work during the entire school year and get away with not learning a single thing during the entire school year and yet are able to walk with their class at the end of 12 years. This plays in greatly into why so many students to finish college and/or high school. Many of the demands for them to work are to hard for them to achieve because there is work expected out of them that they have absolutely no idea how to go about. My calculus teacher in high school had a 66% failure rate in his freshmen classes of algebra I, and the principals were all looking into firing him. His only defens was that "they don't know it, I'm not passing them" and they merely replied to find a way to pass them. It is reidiculous for someone to say that, but money is obviously a pressing need. Standardized tests are also a big input into the decay of education. In my pre-cal class our junior year our teacher had to have us fall behind a month because we needed to prepare for the TAKS test by reviewing algebra II. As you can see this standardized test is a total draw back to students trying to get ahead.
I think parents play the majority of the role in the education of their children. I would not be where I am now if it had not been for my parents pushing me and making me do my work from a young age. Yes, making me do it. I would come home from school, play outside, have dinner and my mom would literally have my sisters and I sitting around the table until all of our homework for the night was done. Another thing she made us do was read each night for 20 minutes, and this increased to almost an hour each night up until the end of middle school. By the time I reached high school, homework was not a big deal to me because I was so used to it. I listened to my friends complain about how much they hated it, but to me it was just part of everyday life. Parents are the biggest influence we have, and if they don't care about or take the time for their child, then failure is almost inevitable.
I think a big reason the education system is failing is because the goal of education has changed. In this day of standardized testing, it becomes much too easy for teachers to teach for the test. I don't know about any of you guys, but I remember many instances where my teacher explicitly told our class we would only need something we had learned for the test. I used to hate when teachers would give us tests and there would be some multiple choice, but the majority were free response or something similar. Looking back, however, out of everything I learned in high school I remembered that stuff the most. When we teach students for the test only, are we really teaching them? Education should be about actually learning a concept, not being able to parrot the right answers for a test then forget them.
Education is a multi-faceted issue(as shown by the many arguments presented) however, I feel like declining standards from faculty, students, and parents is a major issue that can be addressed with relative ease.
I also agree with what akelly said about sports and education. It's terrible that the NFL and its players are in dispute over money. They all make absurd amounts of money, yet their contribution to society is minimal compared to teachers. Frustrating would be an understatement when referring to this. haha
I definitely agree with what Tony said about the goal of education changing. I think a lot of students just want to get the grade rather than actually learn something (which also leads to cheating on assignment, exams, etc.) I think this is mainly because everyone likes to measure improvement, which is what a grade scale or standardized testing statistics supply. The motive for education has moved from actually gaining an education to having all these numbers on a piece of paper to show off how "smart" you or a group of students are.
As far as complaints about teachers, I think that the lower salary definitely steers some people away from careers in education. However, I don't think there is a better way to raise salaries besides charging a tuition to attend all levels of school, which would only steer those who could not afford it away from education.
I agree that too much stress is put upon standardized tests. Students should be learning to think critically, rather than learning to pass a multiple-choice exam. It's frustrating, going into classrooms and listening to the teachers explain how the lesson fits into the curriculum that was determined by a committee located halfway across the state. Students should be getting an education that's beneficial in the long run, not just for the short term. Additionally, determining funding based off of year-end tests hardly does anyone any good. As Jimmy said, teachers' jobs are put at risk, which gives the students a greater disadvantage.
I strongly disagree with the government cutting education funding to save the budget. If anything, I feel that education should be a major priority: it provides such an immense foundation for success, on so many different levels. Over time, people seem to have lost sight of the importance of a well educated population and that has led to some of the decline of the American education system. One thing that I'm thankful for is the fact that education is mandatory in the United States. If public education wasn't already a well-established institution, then I highly doubt it would ever be approved in today's political climate. It would be way too easy to reject and veto, considering the scope, expenses, and the fact that the government would be "controlling the minds of the children."
Oh yeah- I think standardized testing has failed the education system in other ways, as well. Most notably (for me, at least) is the divide between the committees who design the tests and the students who have to take them, especially in Arizona. I know there have been a couple of years where the essay question was largely directed to children living in urban areas, which was more difficult to answer as a student living in a small, rural town. It’s a struggle coming up with “standardized” tests that have to be effective for the entire state. Attitudes and concerns down south are way different from those up north. The Arizona test, the AIMS, tried to apply to the entire state, but could only pander to one group or another. More often than not, they choose the Valley as their focus, and any small town was expected to conform to that focus. As a result, the test is even less personalized, the student is less motivated to do well on it, the teacher’s job is questioned, and funding is threatened. Yet another part of the decline in the education system.
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