The American Education System Analysis

“To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to create a menace in society.”- Theodore Roosevelt. Education is a pillar of modern, post-industrial society. Education has been the crown jewel coveted by individuals looking to make their mark on society; such as Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington. Education is also the means by which individuals have become enlightened, such as Martin Luther, instigator of the Protestant Reformation. Recently, the focus of education in our country has changed. President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has weakened the once prized culture of American public schools, changing its focus from education to fabrication. This policy has damaged the American education system, weakening the nation’s
The Clinton Administration boasted “higher standards” during Bill Clinton’s period in office, as well as “hiring quality teachers” and to “reduce class size”. The Clinton Administration introduced GEAR UP, a program to increase college availability to low income students economically as well as within schools on an educational basis. Also, the administration introduced the e-rate and the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, both focusing on integrating technology into the school system (The Clinton… Opportunity). Overall, the Clinton administration passed a number of smaller, more focused set of education policies over Bill Clinton’s 8 years, quite the contrary to the next presidential
Probably the most well-known and most obvious of these changes is the increased emphasis on testing. As previously stated, the policy insights the usage of standardized tests to measure the successes and weaknesses of students. However, this usage has become an overdependence. Presidents of the NEA and the PTA, two groups considerably involved in the public education system, believe that these tests identify problems but they do not provide any means to progress forwards. They also believe that this emphasis on testing does nothing to create a “critical, creative mind, a healthy body and an ethical character”, crucial to the success of our society and education system. Also, they point out multiple ways in which the standardized test is a blanket statement of success. These tests fail to account for success in Advanced Placement courses and honors programs, as well as which students have had access to tutors and councilors (Garcia & Thornton). The second factor that these women believe the tests overlook is an entirely economic factor, to which the Bush Administration, and the Clinton Administration have praised themselves for overcoming. In reality, these barriers have not been overcome, because this testing emphasis, and the policy as a whole, fails to take them into account. It treats the student whose primary concern is