Before you read this extremely long post, let me explain what it is. I am extremely passionate about getting the most out of my education, and like seemingly everyone else in this country, I have my ideas of improvements. The American Education System is a subject I've done a lot of research on, so when I had to write a research paper for my senior English class, I was really excited. It was only required to be 5 pages long. If you can't tell, my paper exceeded this by just a little bit. (The finished product was about 27 pages, I believe.) I had many requests for me to share this paper, so I figured this was the best place to do it. My sincerest apologies that the transition to my blog didn't keep the perfect MLA format, but without further ado, here is my senior research paper.
Emily Sabey
Lisa McMullin
English 12
3 February 2015
If There’s One Article to Read About Education, Read This
"If the purpose for learning is to score well on a test, we've lost sight of the real reason for learning" (Fulbright). Despite America’s best intentions, this statement made by Jeannie Fulbright depicts a scarily accurate image of the current American Education System. Being educated is a privilege every American is lucky enough to be given. In the scramble to transform students into the most intelligent, productive adults possible, the current system does not come to par with what most would ideally hope. It hinders America’s ability to be successful rather than improve it. Although there have been several attempts to improve the current education system in the United States, it has not improved because it causes students to lose their desire to learn by focusing on grades rather than interests, thereby diminishing their ability to transition into functional adults.
Of course, the United States government has tried to improve education over the past several decades. They have created several programs such as No Child Left Behind, Common Core, and STEM. While each program has brought beneficial aspects, there are also several problems that reduce the effectiveness of American schools. STEM has been beneficial because it has brought our leaders to “unite under a common goal” to help develop students “into leaders who will solve challenging problems in our world” (Brady). Because modern society has advanced so far technologically, there is a great demand for jobs in high-tech industries which require a knowledge of math and science. In this way, STEM is incredibly valuable to students.
However, it fails to look beyond following a formula. It does not encourage curiosity, creativity, or imagination. According to an article from The Washington Post, “Inventors are more likely to create high-growth, high-paying jobs . . . and that’s the kind of target we should be looking for”. It also states, “Our contemporary world craves empathy and understanding in the face of an intensified onset of technological advances and a decline in direct interpersonal communication.” It’s creativity and knowing how to connect with people that will create more high-paying jobs.
Some solutions suggested converting STEM into STEAM, by adding an additional emphasis on the arts. Including art, music, dance, and theater as part of a well-rounded education increases students’ ability to be creative. It has also been scientifically proven to improve scores in other subjects, especially math and science. However, even in schools where music and other art credits are required, kids are still not wanting to learn.
The No Child Left Behind program tried to encourage the kids who seemed not to be motivated or able to learn on their own. In theory, every child was supposed to succeed better in school because of this. This is not what happened. In fact, it resulted in the exact opposite. Teachers must jump through several legislative hoops in order to prove whether or not their children are learning (Smith), and instead of being able to focus on the children who truly do want to learn, teachers have to help the kids who are completely uninterested to make sure everyone passes (Crosby). As a result, teachers have less time to do their jobs and can’t help the kids who want to excel in their subject. The biggest problem with this is evident in a tweet by one high schooler when she states, “HONESTLY SCHOOL ISN’T EVEN ABOUT LEARNING, IT’S JUST ABOUT PASSING” (Ines). This program, while having good intentions, outputs adults who are jacks of all trades, but masters of none. Students don’t learn, they pass. This is not a formula for generating great ideas for the future of America.
Common Core is the most recent program intended to help students in their schooling. It’s intention is to help students understand why math works instead of just memorizing equations. Shari Taylor has been in the education system for twenty-two years and says she is pro Common Core. She says, “We are in great need [of] 21st century skills for students--[t]hinking skills, creativity, complexity, career oriented skills. The core creates modern standards in education that include 21st century learning skills with grade-appropriate curriculum standards.” She continues saying, “A common core makes it easier on the mobility of families today. If you move between state[s], the standards don’t change” (Taylor). Common Core has done exactly what the name implies--created a core that everyone will learn at the same rate. However, Shauna Smith, a teacher for 17 years says that “common core is important, but . . . we miss much of the value in education when we only teach to it, and [when we don’t] make it current to society and it’s issues” (Smith). In other words, it’s too narrowly focused. Even systems with a lot of good aspects haven’t improved the American System of Education to be up to what is needed in this fast moving society.
America's ranking in comparison to other countries around the world makes it even more evident that these programs are not working as well as intended. One statistic states, “The U.S., which had some of the highest graduation rates of any developed country, now ranks 22nd out of 27 developed countries” (DoSomething). In addition, “Almost 2,000 high schools across the U.S. graduate less than 60% of their students.” That’s barely more than half. Students aren’t even making it out of high school. This will leave more and more Americans with earnings that will not even provide enough to live.
This doesn’t even begin to discuss statistics for those who do stay in school. In a tweet, one teen expresses, “It’s sad how school isn’t even about learning anymore. It’s all about memorization purely to pass a standardized test so the school looks good lol” (Kenz). Students go to school, they memorize what they can, they pass (hopefully). Then students forget everything they “learned” in the first place.
However, American schools aren’t even accomplishing the task of making themselves look proficient. According to GreatSchools, “On average 16 other industrialized countries scored above the United States in science, and 23 scored above us in math” (Wilde). “Researchers also made note of the fact that . . . the United States has one of the biggest gaps between high- and low-performing students in an industrialized nation”.
In comparison to other countries, American schools are doing quite poorly. In 2013, only nine percent of Americans scored at the highest or second highest level on the PISA test in comparison to fifty-five percent of students in Shanghai-China (Ryan). Even Massachusetts, “which is a high-achieving U.S. State and which averaged above the national PISA score, is still two years of formal schooling behind Shanghai”. In China, children of similar ages in comparison to children in the U.S. are much farther ahead in their educational pursuits.
Even worse, American scores are only getting worse, while schools in developed countries worldwide are steadily improving. “Less-wealthy countries like Chile, Brazil, Indonesia, and Peru, have made what the O.E.C.D. describes as ‘impressive gains catching up from very low levels of performance.’ In other words, if things remain as they are, countries that lag behind us will one day overtake us” (Editorial Board). Other statistics “rank the United States 52nd in the quality of mathematics and science education, and 5th (and declining) in overall global competitiveness.”
Furthermore, “over ⅔ of the engineers who receive Ph.D.’s from United States universities are not United States citizens” (Level Playing Field Institute). Those getting doctorates from American universities are not even American citizens. The United States is third in hours per year required in the classroom at 997 hours annually (Zhao). Even so, scores continue to drop. Even with fewer hours in the classroom, other countries improve while America continues to slide further down. It’s evident that America is in a sorry shape, and if not improved, will only end up worse in the future.
At this point, it might be easy to conclude that the solution is mimicking the country with the best education system. This is not the best option. The countries with some of the best education systems have aspects hindering their students. In Korea, some lessons last until 11 PM each day. They have no time to develop in any area other than academics. America strives for a well-rounded education, and that requires more than just knowledge gained within the classroom. Additionally, Korea found their students were lacking interest in the fields that South Korea excels in (Brady). Even in countries such as Singapore and Japan--both which are looked to as examples in STEM education--the nation as a whole suffers in creativity, which ultimately brings them down. With all of this overwhelmingly negative information, it must beg the question, what is causing all of this?
The current American education system causes students to lose their desire to learn by focusing on grades rather than interests, thereby diminishing their ability to transition into functional adults. What happens between the first day of Kindergarten when children are enthusiastic about finally going to school and senior year when students are convinced they are dying of “senioritis”? There are three main contributing factors: teachers are unable to teach using methods that help students learn; students are mandated to learn subjects that they have no interest in and will not benefit from in the long-term, and the stress of school is causing psychological and emotional damage that is causing long-term problems in adulthood.
American teachers are required to attain at least a bachelor’s degree in education to even be considered for a teaching position. Still, they cannot teach students in a way that will stick with the students after they leave the classroom. This isn’t entirely the teachers’ fault. There are some teachers who are simply bad teachers, nothing more than that. On the other hand, there are many teachers who are extremely qualified for what they do. However, because of obstacles placed in their way, teachers can’t use their full abilities to help students reach their full potential. An article from Reader’s Digest begins to explain why this happens.
“Most people assume that the basic design of today’s schools emerged from scientific evidence about how children learn. But nothing could be further from the truth. Schools as we know them today are a product of history, not of research.” There was absolutely no scientific research to create the system Americans have continued to use.
It continues on to explain that the “blueprint” used for this system developed during the Protestant Reformation. Schools were created to “teach children to read the Bible, to believe Scripture without questioning it, and to obey authority figures without questioning them" (Gray). Schools then were not to explore or to create. They were to teach children so they would believe what parents wanted them to believe and never think about deviating from that. This system is good for indoctrination and teaching obedience. Learning is motivated on a basis on rewards and punishments. However, students are never able to gain that real desire to know because the system doesn’t allow for teachers to teach in a way that sparks a student’s interests.
This system has also lead to a tactic that even further diminishes any desire to learn. This tactic is commonly known as “teaching to the test”. There is a set number of objectives teachers must teach in the school year. Failing to do so makes them appear to be an incompetent teacher because their students do not do as well on mandated standardized tests. Because of this, teachers cannot spend as much time on what students like or need because they have to fit in all the material.
Matt Damon, an actor and the son of a teacher has said, “I don’t know where I would be today if my teachers’ job security was based on how I performed on some standardized test. If they had to spend most of their time desperately drilling us and less time encouraging creativity . . . I sure as hell wouldn’t be here” (Damon).
Unfortunately, this is exactly what most teachers now are required to do. This is incredibly frustrating for students, teachers, and parents alike. Students lose interest because they don’t get to go in depth on a subject they find fascinating, or on the other hand, they don’t understand what is being taught because the teacher must move on to fit in everything else. Students become frustrated when they don’t understand, which again kills any desire to learn. Teachers must then compensate by assigning sometimes outrageous amounts of homework to cover anything they can’t complete in class time. This again teaches a lesson, but not the one American society would like: “Homework is work, and work is to be avoided whenever possible” (Gray).
In a recent survey of forty high school students attending Utah high schools, students were asked about their favorite teacher and least favorite teacher. Common responses for why students’ favorite teacher was able to make class so worthwhile included, “they spend individual time with students and encouraged them to do things that would take them the extra mile. They genuinely cared!” Similar responses were, “he made everything seem exciting and worthwhile,” “made the subject interesting and thought-provoking,” and “[made sure we] understood what we were learning before she went on to a new subject.”
In comparison, least favorite teachers had a tendency to appear uncaring about student success. Responses included, “he didn’t really help us with homework we didn’t understand,” “unclear even after someone ask[ed] for a clarification”, “gave lots . . . of busy work,” and “acted like school was just for the grade” (Sabey).
Any other teacher-student relationship outside of school is not like this at all. For example, some young children elect to take music or dance lessons. In those cases, the teacher must teach in a way that will best help each student. They are at liberty to spend more time on concepts that their student doesn’t understand, and they can talk more about concepts that their student has an interest in. If the teacher in this setting fails to do this, the student does not continue to take lessons from that teacher.
School should follow that same outline, but they don’t. Every student is taught what is absolutely necessary for “enough” students to pass standardized tests. Yet even the standardized tests don’t show an accurate representation of what students can really do. Albert Einstein once said, “If you judge a fish on it’s ability to climb, it will spend its entire life believing it is stupid.”
Standardized tests test what students can memorize and regurgitate in an academic setting. There are many other important characteristics that it does not test: creativity, critical thinking, empathy, leadership, and resourcefulness, just to name a few. Standardized testing creates such a narrow-minded approach that students can not learn just how much they are capable of achieving, and teachers have to stick to what will help most students pass these same tests year after year after year.
Of course, class time only comes after teachers spend time proving to outside sources that they are competent to complete their job. Because of school set-up and factors outside teachers’ control, such as events in students' personal lives, even hours of paper work cannot adequately discover which teachers are doing their job.
An internet “meme” illustrates this point. It says, “Mr. Jackson has 27 students. He has received 9 new students from charter schools. 3 students left for charter schools and 2 were expelled. 8 students have IEPs and 3 students have 504 plans. However, 2 IEPs were modified and 1 504 plan expired. 19 students don’t have supplies and 6 students' didn’t take their medicine today for the Ohio Achievement Assessment. How does this determine if Mr. Jackson is a ‘skilled’ teacher? Write an equation and solve” (Someecards). Already the complexity involved to prove a teacher’s skill is extremely evident. There is so much outside of their control that is not factored in. It is physically impossible to factor in every scenario. Even if there was enough paperwork to somehow compensate, this takes time away from an even more valuable use of time: teacher training.
Most jobs have some form of training to make sure those working there maintain their abilities. For example, doctors have to watch other surgeries and attend classes that review basic skills periodically if they wish to continue practicing. Teachers occasionally do this, but the way it is done is not the most effective nor the most efficient way.
According to the New York Times, “a recent report called teacher preparation [in the United States] ‘an industry of mediocrity,’ rating only 10 percent of more than 1,200 [teachers] as high quality” (Editorial Board). Teachers in America are only getting mediocre preparation.
A country that does not seem to have this problem is Finland. During the last several decades, while other countries poured excessive amounts of money and intelligence on “external evaluations and standardized testing”, Finland has been investing in teacher education instead. Professor Jouni Valijarvi of the Institute for Educational Research at the University of Jyvaskyla, and Project Manager of PISA for Finland comments, “I dare to say that the profit of the Finnish investments has been greater” (Wilde).
Finland also requires teachers to have masters degrees and requires stronger academic credentials for junior high and high school positions. In return, these teachers are paid more. In the United States, most teachers eventually earn a masters degree just to stay employable. Finland’s set-up has also made Finnish teachers able to learn how to be better teachers in the time most American teachers are proving they still meet basic requirements. Instead of improving, thereby teaching their students more effectively, they are stuck with mountains of paper work, making it harder to prepare to teach in a way that students will learn.
However, one thing every teacher knows is how incredible and surprising they find their students. Teachers never ceased to be amazed by what their students can do. Lisa McMullin from American Fork High School said, “My students know what they think and they are able to express themselves very capably” (McMullin). Joseph Atwood comments, “the most remarkable thing is that . . . they can all learn--ALL of them” (Atwood). Christine Hoopes adds, “Do not underestimate teenagers. They can accomplish great things. I am always stunned by the challenges they face and still overcome. My students are awesome. They are positive. I love to hear how their lives unfold” (Hoopes). Teachers spend a lot of time around their students and they can see that they are quite incredible. Unfortunately, most don’t get to see this side of students, as statistics have shown they don’t perform very well on standardized tests.
Why is this? Students are mandated to learn things they do not have an interest in and that will not benefit them, and have no choice in the matter. In American schools, children’s “freedom is greatly restricted, far more than most adults would tolerate in the workplace” (Gray). There is so little choice in school that students don’t get to learn what will help them.
More than that, students that do have a burning passion to learn about a subject can’t follow that passion because there are many other classes they are required to take if they wish to get a diploma. When classes are mandated, there is no motivation because most students have no idea what the benefit from that class will be, such as what careers each subject leads to. A tweet displays how youth feel about this. “It doesn’t help that any subject in school isn’t interesting to me. I would like learning so much more if I got to choose what I learned about” (Santiago).
No one is interested in learning about things they do not care about, including students. The article “Is the American School System Damaging Our Kids?” from Reader’s Digest comments on what happens because of this. “Most students--whether A students, C students, or failing ones--have lost their zest for learning by the time they’ve reached middle school or high school.” It continues about a study which reported that students felt the lowest levels of unhappiness while at school, usually feeling bored, anxious, or both, and that students were developing “increasingly negative attitudes toward the subjects taught, especially math and science” (Gray). Society tends not to think much about these finding because they seem obvious. However, what if this is causing more trauma to America’s youth, more than most realize? Twitter user Alex Young tweets, “School isn’t about understanding or learning anything, it’s learning how to get marks” (Young). It doesn’t have to be this way.
Reader’s Digest continues on saying, “Research has shown that people of all ages learn best when they are self-motivated, pursuing answers to questions that reflect their personal interests and achieving goals that they’ve set for themselves. Under such conditions, learning is usually joyful.”
These findings can be confirmed by anyone who has watched a young infant explore. They love utilizing their own self-motivation to learn about the world around them (Gray). Older people are no different. A psychology professor at Boston College studies learning in children who are “school age”, but not sent to formal school in the sense most think of. In his research, he has discovered that when people are self-motivated to learn, their curiosity and desire to learn lasts through adolescence and into adulthood. Learning can and does remain exciting if people are motivated to learn what they like, not mandated to learn what does not seem interesting.
What would happen if class requirements were discarded? Common worries may include that students will gravitate towards taking easy subjects or similar subjects. In reality, this would result in exactly the opposite. In the same survey where students were asked about teacher experiences, they were also asked about subjects they were genuinely interested in. The results were surprising from what one may guess. Students in this survey showed an interest in a wide variety of subjects, including World Language, Government, Computer Science, and Performing Arts. Scores were fairly even between all of the different subjects.
Even more surprising was the subjects that students showed the most interest towards. Many students showed an interest in science, including the core sciences: Chemistry, Physics, and Biology. Thirteen students out of forty who responded claimed to be genuinely interested in this subject. This was followed by eight students who had a passion for math. Third most interest was shown in History, with six students.
When asked about classes students would have liked to take but couldn’t due to graduation requirements, an even wider variety of answers were given, including challenging courses such as Latin, AP Psychology, EMS, and Current Issues. 50% of students even reported having done extra work for a class just because they loved the subject (Sabey).
Because students are required to take several courses they do not desire to learn about, especially when they feel they could be taking other courses that they actually find fascinating, this leads to boredom and frustration at school. The account “Seniors” on Twitter posts the thoughts and feelings of fairly typical high school seniors. One tweet states, “Retweet if you’re bored at school” (Seniors). A retweet is used to share a post or a tweet that a person likes or agrees with. On this particular tweet, 762 people shared, or retweeted, this tweet to their accounts. This only accounts for the people who happen to follow this particular user and happened to be using Twitter in a timely manner in order to see this tweet. Students are bored, which is the exact opposite of what will make them want to learn and thereby succeed in school. However, the boredom isn’t caused by a lack of tasks to complete.
Many teens find school overly stressful, as expressed by this tweet: “SCHOOL ISN’T EVEN ABOUT LEARNING. IT’S ABOUT HOW MUCH STRESS YOU CAN HANDLE BEFORE HAVING A MENTAL BREAKDOWN” (GoldiLocks). How common are these supposed breakdowns? They are actually quite real and quite common. Research is showing more and more children are now suffering from mental illnesses, most commonly depression and anxiety. These children are developing problems with mental health at younger and younger ages no matter their social class, income level, ethnicity, or academic ability (Noguchi).
The causes of depression are extremely complex. Like anything regarding health, some people are more prone to develop problems than others. In the case of depression, those with a greater likelihood are those with a first degree relative who suffers from depression, those who suffered traumatic events, or those living in highly stressful and demanding environments (Huberty). The latter is the most probable cause for the students of America.
School is stressful. As the world has gotten more competitive, the need to excel has increased. As the need to excel has become more prominent, the level of stress students experience has increased too. High school students have many important responsibilities demanding time and attention.
Students are at school for roughly eight hours. On top of that, they must complete additional school work outside of school, as well as scholarship and college applications. Most parents additionally require their students to complete chores to help their home function and help them develop the skills and habits for when they are living on their own. Once all that is added, some students are even pressured to get a part-time job or need one for economic reasons. A part-time job alone is incredibly demanding on students’ time. In a study of several high school students, 41% of students reported having a part time job (Sabey).
Socializing is also very important for emotional, mental, and physical health, and is vital to develop skills for future roles such as in careers and relationships. Students also need to make time to accommodate personal hygiene and health needs, religious activities, extra-curricular activities, and medical care. Almost all students also participate in one or more extra-curricular activities. When asked about homework, the average student said they spent about two hours on homework per night, but could spend anywhere up to six (Sabey).
Looking at the sleep levels of most students, however, is what is most astounding. Doctors say for a teenager to develop properly, they must get nine or more hours of sleep every single night. People who get enough sleep have been proven to be healthier physically and mentally, be involved in fewer automobile accidents, and perform better in school. Those who do not get enough sleep, which is generally understood as six hours or less each night, are put at serious risks. It can result in irritability, cognitive impairment, hallucinations, symptoms similar to ADHD, impaired immune system, tremors, growth suppressions, and an increased chance of getting diabetes or heart disease. In this survey, the majority of students were getting six hours of sleep each night. This is not enough sleep!
Despite not getting an adequate amount of sleep, students are somehow still expected to do it all, and to do it all well. Even from elementary school, students are told over and over if they do not perform better than their “competitors” (other students from various countries), they will not get into college, not get a good job, and essentially, not have a good life. While this may be true to a degree, it has been taken too far. Cristy Dawson, an assistant principal at Los Altos High, comments on just how extreme this is saying, “[Students] are not expected to be great; they’re expected to be stupendous” (Noguchi). Physically, that is unhealthy, but that does not begin to cover what happens emotionally and psychologically.
For many years, scientists thought depression caused stress. However, what more recent studies are showing is that it is actually the other way around--stress causes depression.
An example of this happened to a young woman at Los Altos High School. She was very accomplished and did exceptionally well in all of her classes. She participated in athletics and was quite talented. She had all A’s, except for one D. After being texted by her parents to come home to talk about her grades, she asked to be excused from class to go to the bathroom. She did not return. She suffered a disabling emotional breakdown in the bathroom. She was later diagnosed with major depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
If this caused such a dramatic result, why did no one notice it before? It’s how students are taught to behave. The young girl in this story says, “I was very good at putting up a facade. I was raised on how to sell myself, which buttons to press, which phrases to drop, until one day everything just shattered” (Noguchi).
This student is not alone in this. Other evidence indicates that "children who believe that others do not view them as competent are more likely to develop depression. This view [has] particular salience in schools. That is, if teachers and peers view a student as not being academically or socially capable, there may be a greater risk of development of depression” (Huberty).
According the the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, “severe anxiety can be attributed to years of uncontrolled and inconsistent stress levels” (Saringo-Rodriguez). In a study of forty random Utah high schoolers, four admitted to having been officially diagnosed with a mental disorder that they could logically connect back to having started due to stress from school. This is 10% of students! An additional six students either had suspicions of having an issue with mental health, had a mental disorder that was not connected back to school, or had dealt with mental health issues previously in their lives.
Additionally, between 68-75% have had panic attacks, cried, etc. to the point of not being able to function due to stress they felt from school (Sabey). There are so many students dealing with this that no one is aware of, and even those who have perfect mental health are still suffering. Increasingly, a larger amount of people, no matter their circumstances, are suffering from this, and it all seems to lead back to school.
However, there is a lot people in general don’t know about mental illnesses. According to PsychCentral.com, “people often misinterpret depression as a phase that is not serious and will fade over time. Another misconception is that depression only affects the week and lonely, and that medicine can help eliminate all forms of depression just as medicines can help eliminate one’s allergy symptoms” (Saringo-Rodriguez). People dismiss depression and other mental illnesses as almost nothing. These are just a few misunderstandings.
Thomas J. Huberty, PhD, from Indiana University says, “For many years, it was believed that young people could not experience depression, but we now know that they can and do become depressed, sometimes to a serious level" (Huberty). In fact, "depression is one of the most common, but unrecognized, conditions of childhood and adolescence, and often is mistaken as a motivation or behavior problem."
About 8-10% of students experience depression that is so severe that it requires intervention. Even more still suffer from depression, but even though they do not need intervention, it still affects their school performance. About half of students who have depression also have problems with anxiety. Another study suggests that up to 25% of teens have suffered from anxiety at some time in their lives, and 11.2% have suffered from major depression (Noguchi). That is a large percent of people going through this, and seemingly alone. However, what most forget is that students with depression do not choose to be depressed.
Because the general society is so oblivious to these basic facts about mental illness and it is becoming a more prevalent issue for students, this causes many problems for those involved in education. People in general are almost completely ignorant to this, so the problem is just allowed to become worse.
In other industrialized countries, such as Finland, schools provide daily hot meals, psychological counseling, and other services for families and children in need that will improve their mental health (Editorial Board). They understand that mental health is an important aspect to being successful in life and to overall well-being.
Americans do not do this. Not every school has staff that is trained to notice their students’ well-being in that way, nor do they have therapists and psychologists at hand. Students’ mental health is not being taken care of, and worse than that, because this happens, it only adds to the already prevalent mental illness stigma.
A YouTube video called, “Let’s Talk About Mental Health” discusses mental health and the stigma surrounding mental health. In the video it talks about how Americans are scared of the idea of mental illnesses, and are in fact so scared that they try not to talk about it and pretend it is not there. This is understandable. The brain is the control system for humans and the idea of that not working is potentially frightening (JacksGap).
Because people are so frightened, it is hurting the people who do suffer from mental illnesses. In fact, “the stigma of going to therapy still exists; some people may think that going to therapy means that there is something wrong with them or that they are crazy” (Saringo-Rodriguez). Helen Hsu, says, “I’ve had parents refuse to sign permission for counseling for one boy. They were afraid it would negatively affect his college application.” Instead, people continue to “overload themselves with advanced-placement classes and extracurricular activities.” Hsu continues, “everyone really focuses on the future, like college and jobs, but no one’s looking at themselves and asking ‘Am I happy?’” (Noguchi).
In 2011, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America did a national survey which uncovered an astonishing fact. “More than 62% of students who withdrew from college with mental health problems did so because of an anxiety disorder” (Saringo-Rodriguez). People aren’t getting the help they need because of this stigma, and they end up all the worse for it. However, it shouldn’t be this way. “[One’s] brain is an organ, just like [one’s] heart, so they should be treated the same” (JacksGap). Because of the mental illness stigma, though, mental health and physical health are not treated with equal concern. People go through school never learning how to manage their health in that aspect, then enter adulthood still facing those same problems and not knowing how to take care of them. This does not seem like a good recipe for a productive American society.
Unsolved, all of these factors will contribute into an even bigger problem. Foremost, scores on international ranking tests will continue to drop. A 2011 study found that PISA scores could indicate how well an economy would do. Rising scores yielded a better economy (Ryan). The opposite is also true. If American scores continue to drop, the economy will inevitably get worse. Countries that are currently behind America in industry, education, etc., will one day overtake America. John Green, a famous author, said, “Public education does not exist for the benefit of students or for the benefit of their parents. It exists for the benefit of the social order” (Green).
However, if education fails to benefit the “social order”, companies will find more qualified individuals from other countries. A tweet from a girl named Natalie says, “. . . school isn’t really about wholeheartedly learning anymore. It’s about how to fluff all your work in order to make it into college” (Natalie). All the work currently given, as she puts it, is “fluffed” to ensure a spot at a good college. This doesn’t produce a good work ethic after students graduate. Americans will be out of jobs. Not because people from other countries will be undeservingly taking them, but because the education system did not prepare Americans well enough to earn the jobs.
There are programs set up in other countries, and even within the United States that have been proven to have a positive outcome in educating students. In Finland, students have light homework loads, little standardized testing, and diagnostic testing to find which students need more help and provide them with said help (Wilde). Children in Finland also do not start until age 7, and preschool programs--which are not mandatory, but most attend--put emphasis more on “self-reflection” and socializing, than academics. This gives children a better foundation for emotional and social growth before they start school.
Finland has the best education system in the world. There obviously is something about this that must work. However, America has so many flaws present in education that even mimicking the best of Finnish education would not eliminate the shortcomings of American education.
Within America, there have been other attempts that have been wildly successful. At Sudbury Valley School, in Framingham, Massachusetts, students ages four to eighteen are free to do what they wish all day, as long as it doesn’t violate any school rules. These rules have been democratically created by students and staff and are there simply to maintain peace and order.
The budget of this school is on a per-child basis and cost less than half of surrounding public schools. Many students who have attended these schools have been “remarkably successful in finding employment” and have gone into a wide variety of occupations. “Most said that a major benefit of their Sudbury Valley education was that they had acquired a sense of personal responsibility and capacity for self-control that served them well in all aspects of their lives” (Gray). This school proves that self-directed education works! Since then, many more schools like this one have been started around the country. While this has been a successful method to educate children, most Americans would not be ready for such a radical change. There is however, another way.
Although there are many things that need serious reevaluation and reconstructing about the current American education system, there are three aspects that will dramatically improve students’ desire to learn and their ability to become functional adults. In order to do this, there must be a change in: how homework is given, in courses required, and in teacher evaluations.
Studies have shown that homework in and of itself does not raise a student’s GPA. Besides, students are not all that fond of doing the homework that is assigned. However, what has been proven to raise GPAs is guided work. At American Fork High School in AP Music Theory, students are given their homework to begin working on during the last fifteen to twenty minutes of class. During this time, Tracy Warby, the teacher of this course, actively answers questions and helps students who are still struggling. If class time is used wisely, the majority of students finish most of their homework. Whatever remains then becomes work to do at home.
This method is extremely effective. If a student does not understand the homework, doing more of it at home will not change the lack of understanding. In this method, students are given the opportunity to work at their own pace, ask questions and get help on an individual basis, and then they have more time at home to complete other responsibilities. At the end of the school year, the majority of students taking AP Music Theory at American Fork receive fives on their AP exam. It is also extremely unusual for a student taught by Mrs. Warby to not pass this test. In the past 17 years of Mrs. Watch teaching this course, she had had a 98% pass rate for students taking this test. Homework should follow this model, and be given to help students, not as extra to do at home.
Students should also have a lot more say in what classes they take. Not all mandated classes should be eliminated. Elementary school should stay much how it is. Students have core classes to learn reading and math, and a variety of specialty classes such as science, computers, music, and physical education to give them a basic understanding of all these subjects that every person needs.
Junior high stays similar in some regards. There are a number of credits required each year and a number of credits should be designated for various subjects. Some credits will be used for core classes, but some will be electives, like it is set up now. These classes will be more in depth than those in elementary school, but more as a preparation for what students could really learn about in high school. This might sound exactly the same as what is in place, however instead of, for example, having ‘Integrated Science’ students will be able to choose from Physics, Biology, Chemistry, etc. These courses will not go as in depth as high school classes. This way students can start to see specifically what they might be really interested in.
Finally, when students reach high school, almost all class requirements will be done away with. There will still be a minimum number of credits needed to graduate, but students will have a lot more freedom. Government and Citizenship, Financial Literacy, and English classes will still be required. This way, students will all understand the government of the country they live in, how to wisely use money, and how to express themselves through speaking and writing. These are skills every American needs. The rest of the classes can then be used to explore and discover what students truly enjoy and begin to discover what they would like to pursue. Students will be able to take subjects that truly interest them and won’t have to miss out on classes they would have liked because of classes they are only taking for the grade. On an individual basis, schools can still set regulations, such as how many academic study periods a student is allowed to take and such.
Additionally, formal grades would not be given until high school. Instead, there would be a certain standard that must be passed, but it does not rank students against one another. This is a technique used in several countries with excellent results in education. This will decrease the number of children who learn at a young age to dislike certain subjects because they feel they are “not good enough”. Currently, grades do not “count” until high school, anyway, when they are used to help prepare students for college. This change will help students be even more open to many different subjects because they will not have the predetermined opinion that they “are not good enough” or that they just do not like that subject from bad grades in the past.
This approach will cost the schools no extra money because they can continue to use the class selections they currently have. “We don’t have to force [students] to learn; all we need to do is provide them with the freedom and opportunities to do so. Of course, not everyone will learn the same things, in the same way, or at the same time. That’s good. Our society thrives on diversity. We need people with different skills, interests, and personalities. Most of all, we need people who pursue life with passion and who take responsibility for themselves throughout life” (Gray).
Everyone learns different things in different ways, but allowing that is what will ultimately encourage students to keep learning and be successful. Students will be more motivated because they are taking classes they actually want to learn about, and it will also benefit them long-term as they become more knowledgeable in the fields they will one day work in.
Currently teacher evaluations are conducted in this way: a time is scheduled for a member of administration to come in and watch the teachers, and the teachers are given a score. Teachers must also fill out excessive government-required paperwork that takes away time from teachers to learn how to better teach their students. Students (who spend the most time around the teachers) don’t have a voice in what the teacher is like, and administrative evaluations often don’t show an accurate representation. Teachers are aware of their evaluator which, consciously or unconsciously, will affect their teaching.
Instead, teacher evaluations should be based on a combination of administrative, student, and parent evaluations. Many student teachers are required to have students fill out a questionnaire about their experience with the student teacher. This gives a more representative and accurate feedback of how the student teacher teaches. If teachers followed a similar process, it would give a well-rounded perspective of their teaching and would actually diminish the amount of work it takes to evaluate. This gives teachers more time to do what they were hired to do: teach their students the best they can.
Currently, despite America’s best efforts, the American education system is headed for disaster. It does not enable teachers to teach to their full ability, it restricts student freedoms so excessively that they cannot follow interests which will benefit them as they become adults, and it causes stress and psychological damage that continues to hurt people into adulthood. There have been many attempts to fix this, and many have been somewhat effective. However, the solutions that will benefit society the most are changing how homework is assigned, how classes are chosen, and how teachers are evaluated. Education is where all other professions are born. There is still a long way to go, but following this will dramatically improve America from where it’s currently headed. This is the future. It’s time to step up and make that future worth seeing.
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