Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

The Education System of the 21st Century

Good Essays
897 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Education System of the 21st Century
The Education System of the 21st Century

“Education is the passport to the future for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” ~Malcolm X

While watching television recently, I came across a commercial for an older episode of the Oprah Winfrey show. This particular show was to address a documentary entitled, “Waiting for Superman.” I sat and watched the 45 second commercial and became so engrossed I wished I could have called my mother. Coming from a family of Native and African American heritage, education has always been a priority growing up. My grandmother instilled in her children the ideals and principles of not only obtaining a great education but also to taking pride and valuing their education. When the time came, she would teach her grandchildren those same ideals and principles and constantly remind us that furthering our education beyond high school was not an option but a requirement. It was imperative we continue educating ourselves in order to compete with our classmates as well as our peers throughout the world. Before her passing, my mother had always been an educator in some form or other since before I was born. I can recall many instances when I accompanied her to teach Adult Literacy or tutor children at the local library. I thought it was so cool for her to be able to teach adults and children how to read and at the same time instill in them the value of education. I remembered a conversation she and I had where we discussed the education system in America versus the system in other countries. At the time she was a college instructor and had taught in the public school system for over seven years, which convinced me she would have a lot to say. The thing that most surprised me was when she said, “This system is not preparing our children to compete with children of the world.” I thought, “WOW! She’s an educator and she has issues with public education.”

Now let’s fast forward to the first episode in a two-part series on public education in America. I was so geared up and ready for this discussion. Much to my chagrin it did not address the issues in a manner in which I felt was inclusive. Education is a four-part component: student, parent, teacher and administrator. Judging from the first episode, one would gather that teachers in America as a whole are doing a poor job of educating our youth. This took me by surprise and made me livid. How could administrators sit here and point fingers at a group of people without acknowledging that we all have a part in this? One of the panelists said that the reason why children in other parts of the world are succeeding more than American children is because of how they value education. Growing up I was always taught that completing your homework was not enough. Studying, coupled with completing your assignments, is what mattered. This was how society knew you valued your education.

The question remains: “How is the value of education an international issue?” First, let’s look at the facts. Here in America, students tested in the fourth and eighth grades test below average in subjects like math and science versus students in Asian and European countries. This statistic is very alarming to me and the first question that I had was “why?” How can one group of tested students out-perform another group of students? Both groups are equal in age, education and learning abilities. So why are students in other parts of the world able to score higher on these exams? The only answer I was able to come up with is Asian & European groups tend to value their education more than we do. President Obama stated in an interview that his daughters could not get the same level of education from a DC public school that they receive at the elite private school they attend (Obama: DC schools don’t measure up to his daughters’ private school The Washington Post). The article goes on to discuss the lottery system for some schools. President Obama states “it’s heartbreaking that some parents rely on a lottery to get their children into a school that they believe will meet their needs.” I whole-heartedly agree. I can remember my journey from elementary school to high school and having to endure this same archaic lottery system. The anticipation of waiting to hear from a school you truly would love to attend only to find out you weren’t ‘accepted’, not because of your education level or test scores, but simply because your number wasn’t drawn. As an adult this would have me believe that the best education for my child is one where I pay an exorbitant amount of money, or a place that my child “won.” Does this become the value of their education here in America? Why is it that children in other parts of the world can receive the same education (unfortunately in some instances a better one) just because they are children? Why do we in the US rely on archaic and demeaning tactics to educate our future? If we continue, at this rate, children here won’t be able to compete with their peers simply because their parents couldn’t afford their education, or because “their number wasn’t picked.”

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Education is not a product: mark, diploma, job, money -- in that order: it’s a process, a never-ending one. -Bel Kaufman-…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Throughout the course of our class we have read about many scholars and their thoughts on the schooling system. Our first author we read about was Rebecca Cox, a professor who thinks not only schooling should be improved but our entire political system as well, and her book The College Fear Factor explains exactly that. The second author discussed was Hsun Tzu who thinks that the goal of education should be to make a person who is truly consistent, but says that this takes time and comes with the experience of truly learning rather than relying just on memory. Freire was next and his thoughts on the schooling system are similar to Cox’s. He thinks students are seen more as objects rather than the subject and this is holding back our next generations…

    • 1300 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Future of Education

    • 7714 Words
    • 23 Pages

    All Students, Regardless of Social Status, Race, Gender, or Minority, Have Equal Opportunity to Pursue a High Quality Education…

    • 7714 Words
    • 23 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Summary: College For All

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Whatever path America chooses to travel, if the decision to invest in our country’s education is made, the United States is definitely headed on the right path. Now is the time to act! Lets make education a priority to ALL American students not just the precious few, before its too late. In closing, a quote from our 35th president sum it up, “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource.”…

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    PGCE Module 1 Assignment

    • 3987 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Education empowers individuals to contribute to society, fulfil their personal talents, fulfil their civic responsibilities and carry tradition forward (Trilling and Hood, 2001:9).…

    • 3987 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    From early on in our country’s inception, education has been mandatory. As we progressed as a country, many schools were created to provide children of many races a free, equal education. Millions of children passed through the public schools in the United States every year. Educating our children usually begins at ages 5 or 6, and continues for 12 years. The U.S. education system is made up of different types of schools that teach in a variety of styles; some are public, some are private, some are charter schools, and some are home schooled. All of these different types of schools give a diverse education to millions of students.…

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever quit college and thought that you could never go back? I did and it took me in fact ten years to go back to school. Education is the key to knowledge and success. There are many reasons for us to return to pursuing our education. It is crucial that we also have to make time and a commitment to it. "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela (Powerful Information. (1992). Powerful information. Retrieved from http://www.powerfulinformation.org/page.cfm?pageid=pi-knowledgequotes Powerful Information, 1992)…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Failing Education System

    • 1179 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The modern education system is not very modern after all, considering it has not changed in many years. Many people believe that everyone should have an equal opportunity when it comes to learning. But if the education system has been the same for many years, how can the students be learning equally? Others may say that the education system needs no change because it has been proven effective for years. But not everyone learns and deals with things in the same way, and the students could be doing better. For students to thrive in their education, the education system needs to be changed so that every student has an equal opportunity.…

    • 1179 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The U.S has been perceived upon as a country of hard workers, overachievers, and gifted people all having a vigorous work ethic. Americans work approximately 40 hour work weeks, compared 35 for the French and a measly 30 hours for the Germans. In addition to this, Americans only get an average of four weeks of vacation, whereas the French get the month of August to recover from their hectic work weeks, causing Americans to dub the Europeans as a bunch of lazy people. There is some bias and exaggerations to these statements, but overall Americans do work more than other Europeans, the same can’t be said however, for the nation’s youth. Unfortunately, the vigorous…

    • 2801 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Parents always seem to encourage you to earn a college degree and an education, but why? On the other hand, American education system has the intention of creating educated individuals, but is falling short. Our education system aims to create educated individuals that will bear the weight of the future United States. Moreover, it aims to create innovative minds while presenting equal opportunity yet is constantly used as means to an end. The American education system, in its modern form, seeks to encourage students to learn however is predominantly used as a form of ensuring a career. College should exist as a form of becoming a more literate person, not merely to get a job. College’s purpose in the American education system should be to…

    • 337 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Outline some of the main issues facing higher education in the 21st century. To what extent is higher education an effective means of both obtaining employment and learning the basic prerequisite skills for global workplace?…

    • 1094 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    “Education is not preparation for life. Education is life itself.” – John Dewey (1859-1952) (Ministry of Education, Singapore, 2003)…

    • 1691 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Changes in Education

    • 3845 Words
    • 16 Pages

    Part Two – An overview of a contemporary issue in education and an analysis of how the issue has been informed by historical perspectives.…

    • 3845 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Waiting for Superman

    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The concept of education as a vital part of life and success is universal, regardless of how it is done. Unfortunately, regardless of its importance in society, the education system does not always accomplish its goals. The documentary, Waiting for Superman, was an excellent illustration of the large problems we face here in America. From our disappointing comparisons of education in the US compared to other countries, and the system of the government (impoverished neighborhoods, poor and failing education institutions) is a crisis that should be addressed and brought to public attention. Although there have been countless attempts to reform education, increase budgets, and implement new programs, the education system in the U.S. is not doing its job entirely and as effective as society needs it to be to foster the future generations.…

    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A new era has dawned in world order. The current world order is ‘global’ rather than ‘international’; we are increasingly becoming a world without borders (Suter 2005, p.71). The opening up of countries both politically and economically has driven the process of globalization and a key facilitator of it all has been the revolution in information technology. With the big picture in mind it should be the goal of our education system, as the national organisation: The Partnership for 21st Century Skills promotes, “to ensure that students who graduate from our schools have the skills needed to be effective workers, citizens, and leaders in the new global economy.” (Shelly, Gunter & Gunter, p.14) As teachers, we need to facilitate high quality learning and to do this, we need to move beyond the walls of our classroom through the use of current and emerging technologies, to develop the necessary skills our students will need as they graduate from their school environment.…

    • 934 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays