Changing the Education System in America
Olivia Bitner
English 2010, 10:30 Section
Diagnostic Essay
America’s education system is not what one would call “competitive”. Yes, some may choose to believe otherwise, but one doesn’t have to look very far to realize Americans aren’t up to snuff. Why is this, you may ask? One possible explanation is that children in American schools are not being taught information that will prepare them for the real world. Anyone can memorize dates or the elements on the periodic table, and Americans probably do that better than most, but that is not the information students need to be successful in life. The U.S. high school graduation rate—which is about 70 percent of the age cohort—is now well behind countries like Denmark (96 percent) and Japan (93 percent)—and even Poland (92 percent) and Italy (79 percent) (Wagner). Americans have the ability to be the greatest, smartest people in the world based on the technology and opportunities that are provided in this country. By drastically shrinking the time wasted in classrooms, gaining knowledge as well as innovation skills and real-life experience, and getting students on the path to careers as soon as possible, education in America would be second to none. The first step in improving American education is to not waste time in classrooms. If one were to ask a teacher how much time is “wasted” in their classrooms, most would say absolutely none. They would argue that everything they do has a specific purpose that is best suited to help the student achieve greatness. Now if one was to ask a student, the answers would most likely not match up. Students, who would usually speak the truth, would point out how many movies they watch, how many useless projects they do that don’t even pertain to the subject and how many times their teachers give them “free time” to “do their homework”. No wonder American education is behind. High school education should be very similar to college. The classes should be shorter, which means
English 2010, 10:30 Section
Diagnostic Essay
America’s education system is not what one would call “competitive”. Yes, some may choose to believe otherwise, but one doesn’t have to look very far to realize Americans aren’t up to snuff. Why is this, you may ask? One possible explanation is that children in American schools are not being taught information that will prepare them for the real world. Anyone can memorize dates or the elements on the periodic table, and Americans probably do that better than most, but that is not the information students need to be successful in life. The U.S. high school graduation rate—which is about 70 percent of the age cohort—is now well behind countries like Denmark (96 percent) and Japan (93 percent)—and even Poland (92 percent) and Italy (79 percent) (Wagner). Americans have the ability to be the greatest, smartest people in the world based on the technology and opportunities that are provided in this country. By drastically shrinking the time wasted in classrooms, gaining knowledge as well as innovation skills and real-life experience, and getting students on the path to careers as soon as possible, education in America would be second to none. The first step in improving American education is to not waste time in classrooms. If one were to ask a teacher how much time is “wasted” in their classrooms, most would say absolutely none. They would argue that everything they do has a specific purpose that is best suited to help the student achieve greatness. Now if one was to ask a student, the answers would most likely not match up. Students, who would usually speak the truth, would point out how many movies they watch, how many useless projects they do that don’t even pertain to the subject and how many times their teachers give them “free time” to “do their homework”. No wonder American education is behind. High school education should be very similar to college. The classes should be shorter, which means
Cited: Swallow, Erica. Creating Innovators: Why America 's Education System Is Obsolete. 25 April 2012. 11 January 2013. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericaswallow/2012/04/25/creating-innovators/>. Wagner, Tony. The Global Achievement Gap. 15 January 2008. 11 January 2013.