The United States is responsible for providing millions upon millions of children with knowledge in several different fields that positive mental development and growth through the education system. Education in the United States has never failed to produce great minds that have utilized the knowledge gained through schooling to create monumental differences around the world in nearly every field. However, in recent years, the education system has come under fire in terms of efficiency and international position, leaving many citizens to speculate whether education standards and norms in the United States are as high as they should be. I decided to focus my research analyzing the role of the public sector in education, the efficiency of a few of the techniques used in our system, and how well the US compares to other educational systems around the world.
In the current economic situation, the public sector has found itself struggling to manage funds on the local, state, and federal levels. An article published recently in The Concord Monitor provides an excellent example of how large the role of local officials is in determining what children are able to learn. Less than a month ago, the newly-named New Hampshire Teacher of the Year and her husband spoke about a recent million-dollar budget cut to their school district through a decision voted on by district members. Heidi Welch, music teacher and NH Teacher of the Year, recently decided that the decline of education spending in their district is deterring her from putting her 3 year old son in the school district in which she teaches. Randy Welch, Heidi's husband, was quoted saying, "...when you cut $1 million out of a $20 million school budget – if this is
what our town is going to do, I don’t know that I have the same faith in
the town that I did when we were raising our first two kids". Budget cuts at the local level directly impact the educational freedom of children in the area heavily. $1 million could provide students with new musical instruments and the means to pay "good" professors, new textbooks, art supplies... The list goes on.
Events much like the one listed above accurately represent the gravity of our economic situation combined with the ignorance of the public regarding the importance of primary and secondary education. Numbers on the National Center for Educational Statistics clearly show that the number of students enrolled in schools at nearly every single age group, race, and gender has increased over the last decade. So, with more students arriving at public schools all over the United States annually at nearly every level, why is taking money from this necessary program deemed acceptable in so many cases?
The Washington Post published an interesting article regarding performance by US students in math and reading and how well they compare to those in other developed countries, such as Finland or Japan. A graph pictured in the article depicts the United States scoring below several countries on two different studies designed to mark the progress and knowledge of students in reading and mathematics. The article continues on to compare the style of education utilized in the United States and criticized it's efficiency compared to places like Singapore or Finland. For example, the Finnish education model does not believe in standardized testing, but instead emphasizes creative play between students and the important role of teachers in the classroom. Another article published by Harvard's Graduate School of Education goes in depth explaining the troubles that come along with the use of standardized testing, and the extreme limitations that it can place on a student's interest and will to learn and to enjoy school overall.
The Education system in the United States is a costly but necessary part of nearly every citizen's life. My post has only outlined a few of the many problems in the system today. Although a national revamp of education as a whole in the country coupled by a larger investment in the system would undoubtedly move the United States forward and open opportunities for students everywhere, there are hundreds of factors that make large changes improbable. The recent speech made by Arne Duncan, the Education Secretary in the US, quite possibly points to a step in a new direction for the education system. Duncan not only refers to education as a critical investment, but goes as far as to say that, "America cannot win the race for the future without investing in education—it’s that simple." You do the math!
Bibliography
"Hillsboro-Deering Budget Cuts." Concord Monitor. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.
Khazan, Olga. "Here’s Why Other Countries Beat the U.S. in Reading and
Math." N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/11/heres-why-other-countries-beat-the-u-s-in-reading-and-math/>.
Koretz, Daniel. "Usable Knowledge: Measure for Measures: What Do Standardized Tests Really Tell Us about Students and Schools?" Usable Knowledge: Measure for Measures: What Do Standardized Tests Really Tell Us about Students and Schools? N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/decisions/DD315-608.html>.
"Overview." The Condition of Education -. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.
Strauss, Valerie. "Duncan Spells out Education Agenda to Congress."
N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/04/21/duncan-spells-out-education-agenda-to-congress/>.
5 comments:
This is a very good topic. As you mentioned in the post it doesn't make sense to cut education spending while there is too many students attending school. I always hear politicians said that America can't win the future without investing in education but still they don't do anything; instead they vote on reducing education funds. As many other countries are investing lots of money in education to prepare they children for the future, our country in the other hand we do the opposite. Education is not a state or local issue. instead it's a federal level. Therefore, the federal government have to step in and do whatever it can to invest more money in education especially at primary and secondary education. I believe that if a child doesn't get a good education in primary school it will be very hard for them to move on secondary level and college. Therefore, if our goal is to win the future the federal government have to act and start putting more money into education instead of cutting education.
I have nephews that range from 5 to 13 and a little sister who is 15. Reading your article makes me wonder what type of education they are actually recieving. I went to the same school and found the education good but the school is so small class options aren't expensive and you can't take a math at average level and take an advanced english
I think this post tackles a critical issue and more importantly, suggests that our whole approach to education in this country with our emphasis on standardized testing may not be the best way. It did leave me wondering however, are these cuts happening across the board in all sectors or will things like the arts be affected most?
I think this post tackles a critical issue and more importantly, suggests that our whole approach to education in this country with our emphasis on standardized testing may not be the best way. It did leave me wondering however, are these cuts happening across the board in all sectors or will things like the arts be affected most?
This is a great topic glad its being brought up, education is very important and is constantly under attack, it seems that in a lot of ways testing takes away from learning and well looking at education in other countries, not many do it the way we do.
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