The Broken U.S Education System

Hundreds of years ago, our founding fathers put together a plan for the future of the 13 colonies and set a vision of what would eventually become the United States of America. Now we have mostly established the idea that everyone is equal and should receive equal opportunities in society. Fast-forwarding to the 21st century, we see that everyone is not treated equally. But one thing that is hidden behind the public eye is our failing education system. The US education system is one of the best in the world, but the current system contains several prominent errors that it must address. For the United States education system to become the best in the world, we must confront the challenges and face them head-on.

First, let's get the details of our current system. Recently released data from international math and science assessments indicate that U.S. students continue to many other advanced industrial nations. The most recent PISA results, from 2015, placed the U.S. an unimpressive 38th out of 71 countries in Mathematics and 24th in Scientific Studies. Among the 35 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which sponsors the PISA initiative, the U.S. ranked 30th in Mathematics and 19th in Scientific Studies. These are mind-boggling statistics; you might have thought that the United States of America should be leading in education as they lead in other topics but that's not the case.

So what's our current system like you might ask? Our current system includes K-12 schooling and then a higher education option in various colleges. These would include private schools, public schools, and homeschooling. During people’s schooling years, they are subject to various standardized exams unique to each state, which doesn’t accurately measure a student’s potential compared to others.

So here are some reasons why the education system is failing in the world’s superpower nation. Number one reason Parents are not adequately involved. Time spent in the classroom is simply not enough for teachers to instruct and help students absorb the material/knowledge. Outside instruction is needed for the student to grasp and understand the material. Most times this is not possible because either parent is too busy with their job, they are not educated enough because of socioeconomic reasons, or they believe that they should not help the student. The second reason is that schools are overcrowded. The smaller the class, the better the individual student experience. A study by the National Center for Education Statistics found that 14 percent of U.S. schools exceed capacity. If teachers are given a small number of students to work with then they can easily focus on each student’s strengths and weaknesses without wasting any time. The third reason is technology. The technology was a blessing during this year’s pandemic. It helped us connect to the outer world despite being restricted in our own homes. I feel lucky that I come from a school district that takes care of each student’s needs and spends money, time, and effort to make the school the best it can be, but other school districts don’t have the proper funds to deliver technology to those students in need, and that creates a huge hole in a student’s education period. The fourth reason is the lack of diversity shown in gifted programs or accelerated programs. The “talented and gifted” label is one bestowed upon the brightest and most advanced students. Beginning in early elementary grades, programs separate student peers for the sake of individualized learning initiatives. Though the ideology is sound, the practice of it is often a monotone, unattractive look at contemporary American public schools. District schools need to find ways to better recognize different types of learning talent and look beyond the typical “gifted” student model. Most students in these programs belong to a certain race/ethnicity and some school districts do not have the appropriate tests to measure the actual student’s capability due to an absence of resources for studying, test prep, etc. in their communities.

So how can we fix this problem? But Americans like to be number one in everything, so the question is, how do we get better? Spending more money on the education system and relating ideas may seem to be the simple solution. Critics claim that America spends the most money on education, but the United States is the fifth in the world in the amount of spending money per student. How the money is spent matters. Don’t waste your money on buying textbooks for each student, and tell them to read it and understand it. I suggest them not to force the memorization of material, but to develop creative lesson plans that can help their students remember the material with greater results. The creation of innovative ways that will help the student grasp the material better will allow for better success in the student’s future. Instead of giving them exams that involve facts, give them tests on how they can apply the knowledge to real-world events, why does it matter, and what is the significance of it. I believe that most adults that you might talk to will tell you that they did not learn anything important during their childhood that they could’ve applied to during their adult years. This calls for a change.