The United States already spends more on education than most countries. Yet, "The students in many countries routinely perform better than American students" is a statement we are used to hearing.
One can argue that there are many reasons why students in America perform worse. One of those reasons is poverty. The poverty rate for children in the United States is about 20 percent. That is extremely high, and it makes sense for poverty to affect student performance. It is hard to learn when you do not have the proper supplies, when you are hungry, when you are cold, when you come from a humble background and are busy worrying about how you look and what others think of you. It's hard to learn when there are problems at home. It's also hard to teach in those circumstances. Teachers try to give students what they need, but they are only with them for a limited time, may not be entirely aware of a child's circumstances, and may only be able to do so much.
The way a school is run may also contribute to the poor performance of the students. While I have been lucky enough to have teachers who are amazing and love their job, not everyone is as lucky. Some teachers may not be as effective as others. Finland is considered to have the best education system, due largely to the rigor of the credential programs for their teachers. The also have up to three teachers per classroom, and the administration is composed of teachers. This helps students because teachers know what the students need and can alter the curriculum to meet those needs.
The values in the United States may also influence the education system more than we realize. Amanda Ripley, a writer about human behavior and public policy, was also interested in what is causing poor performance, and eventually realized that she should ask the kids. The most important thing she learned is that in other countries, in the countries that are performing better than the United States, people place a lot of value in education. Not only do they have better quality curricula, but children take their education and school work seriously. They believe that their prospects are better if they have a proper education. This is in large contrast to students in the United States, many of whom are disenchanted with the job market, even if they have a higher education.
There are many ways that the education system in the United States can be improved. Many have argued for later start times, less or no homework, a flipped classroom, dual immersion classrooms, improving access to technology and integrating it into the classroom more. All of these are good ideas and have already been implemented in some schools.
President-elect Donald Trump is taking office in January, and with a new president, we can expect new education policy. Trump recently revealed that he supports "school choice." The plan is to provide grants to charter schools, private schools, and magnet schools so that poorer children can attend the school that their family chooses.
This raises many issues. Not all charter schools have been successful. They have destabilized many school districts. And although some charter schools have had some success, we aren't entirely sure why.
Also, private schools are more concentrated in wealthier areas of cities. This brings into question issues of transportation. How will the child travel to an entirely different area of the city? Most people choose schools that are closer to home because they are convenient. If funds do allow for the inclusion of transportation, that would be great, but then the child would spend more time travelling when they would otherwise be able to use the time to concentrate on schoolwork or having a social life.
Investing funds into charter and private schools would pull funds from public schools. This would be disastrous for the schools that are already low on resources. This would perpetuate the poor performance of students in the education system. Furthermore, private and charter schools can only enroll a certain amount of students. Not everyone will have equal access to better funded schools. This would mean that some students will be forced to attend underfunded schools despite Trump's education policy.
The education system in the United States is broken, and there are ways to improve it. This is not one of them.
