AndrewB
Feb 2, 2015
Undergraduate / 'countless educational programs offered' - Education among the American society - UT Transfer essay [7]
here is a revision of the opening paragraph and the fourth paragraph (states what needs to be changed):
Many Americans have deemed No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) as a failure. The act has cost American taxpayers billions of dollars since its initiation in 2001. From a 2012 poll by Gallup, 29% of adults say that NCLB has harmed the educational system while only 16% say it has improved the educational system. There is also a 38% that say that it has had no affect. It is thought that after being in effect for at least a decade the act would have made some changes, however most students believe that is has only harmed the standardized testing is harming the overall education of students and reducing the effectiveness of the educators by restricting what is being taught.
The current education system in the United States is simply failing. Why is it required for children to go to school until they are at least 18, unless we are able to graduate sooner? It is said for children to have a basic set of knowledge, but as I see it not everyone must know what is taught in high school. Why must everyone know they Pythagorean theorem, yet we are not taught how to balance a checkbook or file taxes. Granted some of those things need to be taught by the parents but there need to s some sort of standard that by the time someone graduates high school they must know what and how to do certain task. The answer is not to rely on standardized testing.
Standardized testing is possibly the biggest failure in the current education system. Prior to the implementation of 2002's No Child Left Behind Act, requiring mandatory annual testing in all fifty states, the U.S ranked 18th in the world in math (2000 ranking). After the bill went into affect, the U.S. dropped to 31st place in 2009, with a similar drop in science ("Standardized testing"). There are many situations that could cause this but increasingly more people blamed standardized testing, because it "[causes] a lot of stress in both educators and students as well" as it "causes many teachers to 'teach to the test'" ("Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing" 2). Both of which hinder the overall education of students. They are not taught how to learn, we are taught a test, so the school will look better and get more money form the federal government. Einstein stated, "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education." To some people the education system holds them back from reaching their full potential. Through-out all of high school the homework and class work are a reiterations of previous topics with maybe some in-depth discussions or concepts. All of which are at a superficial level of understanding. There is very little true learning in high school; it can all be considered memorization and reiteration of the same material on a test. Very rarely are you tasked to apply any concepts to a complex problem, which will require any analytical thinking or a change of perspective to solve the problem. However, from my own experience, most of the Advance Placement programs have some analytical problem solving or a required depth of thinking.
There is no doubt that the education system needs to be changed in one-way or another. But how do you fix a system so diverse and one so massive? I would have to done by the districts; the local education systems would be given more power to decide how the local students are being taught. The NCLB should be abolished or highly reformed, taking away the mandatory annual test of students. Also to move away from the scores on a standardized tests as the means receiving funding from the federal government; funding all the schools the same amount with proportion to the population of the school no matter the location. It would give a better chance of success to the students and to the school in poorer areas in the United States. For a second change, the foundation of a child's education should start earlier with a rigorous kindergarten or pre-k, because it has been proven that it is easier to learn at a younger age. I would give children a sound understanding of the basics; therefore, allowing them to understand the complex concepts at a younger age. By having a rigorous kindergarten there would be a need for an allowance of students that aren't ready for that kind of school. In the end it would have to be personalized to the needs and the learning capabilities of the individual student.
The United States education system need to be reformed, taking a look at the root of the need for education and not allow the school to be clouded by politics. The education system should be allowed to have the freedom to teach how they wish and, to an extend, what they want. At the end of the day the students that go through these schools systems will be leading and running this country. I believe those people should have the best education we can offer them; it should start when they are young, not just when they go to college. I see a bright future for the children of this country; we just need to set the foundation for then to get there.
here is a revision of the opening paragraph and the fourth paragraph (states what needs to be changed):
Many Americans have deemed No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) as a failure. The act has cost American taxpayers billions of dollars since its initiation in 2001. From a 2012 poll by Gallup, 29% of adults say that NCLB has harmed the educational system while only 16% say it has improved the educational system. There is also a 38% that say that it has had no affect. It is thought that after being in effect for at least a decade the act would have made some changes, however most students believe that is has only harmed the standardized testing is harming the overall education of students and reducing the effectiveness of the educators by restricting what is being taught.
The current education system in the United States is simply failing. Why is it required for children to go to school until they are at least 18, unless we are able to graduate sooner? It is said for children to have a basic set of knowledge, but as I see it not everyone must know what is taught in high school. Why must everyone know they Pythagorean theorem, yet we are not taught how to balance a checkbook or file taxes. Granted some of those things need to be taught by the parents but there need to s some sort of standard that by the time someone graduates high school they must know what and how to do certain task. The answer is not to rely on standardized testing.
Standardized testing is possibly the biggest failure in the current education system. Prior to the implementation of 2002's No Child Left Behind Act, requiring mandatory annual testing in all fifty states, the U.S ranked 18th in the world in math (2000 ranking). After the bill went into affect, the U.S. dropped to 31st place in 2009, with a similar drop in science ("Standardized testing"). There are many situations that could cause this but increasingly more people blamed standardized testing, because it "[causes] a lot of stress in both educators and students as well" as it "causes many teachers to 'teach to the test'" ("Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing" 2). Both of which hinder the overall education of students. They are not taught how to learn, we are taught a test, so the school will look better and get more money form the federal government. Einstein stated, "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education." To some people the education system holds them back from reaching their full potential. Through-out all of high school the homework and class work are a reiterations of previous topics with maybe some in-depth discussions or concepts. All of which are at a superficial level of understanding. There is very little true learning in high school; it can all be considered memorization and reiteration of the same material on a test. Very rarely are you tasked to apply any concepts to a complex problem, which will require any analytical thinking or a change of perspective to solve the problem. However, from my own experience, most of the Advance Placement programs have some analytical problem solving or a required depth of thinking.
There is no doubt that the education system needs to be changed in one-way or another. But how do you fix a system so diverse and one so massive? I would have to done by the districts; the local education systems would be given more power to decide how the local students are being taught. The NCLB should be abolished or highly reformed, taking away the mandatory annual test of students. Also to move away from the scores on a standardized tests as the means receiving funding from the federal government; funding all the schools the same amount with proportion to the population of the school no matter the location. It would give a better chance of success to the students and to the school in poorer areas in the United States. For a second change, the foundation of a child's education should start earlier with a rigorous kindergarten or pre-k, because it has been proven that it is easier to learn at a younger age. I would give children a sound understanding of the basics; therefore, allowing them to understand the complex concepts at a younger age. By having a rigorous kindergarten there would be a need for an allowance of students that aren't ready for that kind of school. In the end it would have to be personalized to the needs and the learning capabilities of the individual student.
The United States education system need to be reformed, taking a look at the root of the need for education and not allow the school to be clouded by politics. The education system should be allowed to have the freedom to teach how they wish and, to an extend, what they want. At the end of the day the students that go through these schools systems will be leading and running this country. I believe those people should have the best education we can offer them; it should start when they are young, not just when they go to college. I see a bright future for the children of this country; we just need to set the foundation for then to get there.
