As Children Physically Mature Into Young Adults, Their

Public education in America began in the early to mid-19th century with the simple goal of “uniting the American population by instilling common moral and political values” (Spring, 2012, p. 5). Our country was founded by men who designed the constitution so that it could be amended to accommodate changing political and social climates. They believed in the ideology of the American dream which “holds out a vision of both individual success and the collective good of all” (Hochschild & Scovronick, 2004, p. 1). It is with this same ideology that our public schools were

An educated society has always been thought of as an essential need for the people of the Americas. The Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 were enacted in the colonies pre declaration of independence from England. These were the first ordinances or acts passed that stated responsibilities of the nation for an education system. Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution allowed Congress the power collect taxes to provide for the general welfare of the United States. It is under this "general welfare" clause that the federal government has assumed the power to start educational activity in its own right and to participate together with states, and people in educational activities.

The class size is surprising to most students because the tuition is so reasonable. While classes aren't as small as those of a leading private university, many have as few as twenty students. In a smaller class, professors have the opportunity to learn more about their students. Likewise, students will find their teachers more accessible and can get assistance when they need it.

The early colonists of America established the first guidelines of education, creating the guiding principles of the American Philosophy of education. Those principles included local administration and financing of schools, the distinction between secondary and elementary schools, and local administration and financing of schools. These guidelines shaped the foundations of schools in the colonies and eventually led to the establishment of the first universities. Initially, most schooling was not truly standardized, with traveling teachers and no middle or high school, but instead only the bare essentials, such as reading literature, including the bible. Thus, higher education was not as common for everyone and does not follow the original philosophies of the colonists. This freedom and non-standardization of higher education led to inflation and high costing education for the individual. All of which

Additionally, the constant refutation of students necessitated by a teacher engaging them in a Socratic Dialectic has a questionable impact on the academic outlook of students. Christopher Ford describes the modern usage of the Socratic Method as psychologically abusive, saying that the public questioning is terrifying and that the style is both ‘invasive in that student’s knowledge/intelligence is publically examined, and evasive in that the professor ‘hides the ball’ from the students.” This practice of systematically and ruthlessly deconstructing any and all flaws in a student’s argument can be extremely humiliating and can trigger

Imagine. You're in a classroom with 34 students. The teacher is teaching a subject that you don't really understand. You need help. All the students around you are either passing notes, throwing things, or laughing at each other. The teacher keeps stopping the lessen, trying to get the class to pay attention. What are you going to do? Over-sized classes are just a waste of time. Class size matters because students won't get the right amount of education for the teachers to give them and the students test scores won't be very proficient if they don't get the help they need.

Creating smaller class sizes may appear to result in higher state expenses. Although this is true, the state actually benefits in the long run by the increase of college enrollments. “Research shows that students in smaller classes perform better in all subjects and on all assessments when compared to their peers in larger classes” ( “Why Class Size Matters Today”). This quote is significant because it proves that being in a smaller class helps students improve academically when being compared to a larger class size. Being in a smaller class helps students interact with their teacher, receive more attention from their teacher, and engage with others.

Before delving into the weaknesses of United States education, it is important to have an understanding of what has shaped it to become the system it is today. The rich history of United States education reveals many of its founding principles. When the first settlers came to the country, a basic system for education was established. Local governments were in charge of providing their communities with a source of education. These authorities would build and fund schools as well as choose what subjects would be taught based on the values and needs of the towns. This historical involvement of government in schooling explains why today’s government plays a similar role (Spellings, 2005). Over time, schools developed, incorporating complex textbooks and taking into account children’s cognitive readiness for certain levels of education. Noah Webster, who lived in the late 1700’s and 1800’s, was an avid supporter of the philosophy that children go through specific learning phases. He claimed that children should not learn to read until they are five years old, and his textbooks followed an age-based structure for learning (“History of Education,” 2016). Age-based education and the involvement of government in schooling are just a few of the many historical factors that are still being put into

The education system in America has greatly evolved for better and for worse. The standards of what we learned have changed but what has not changed is the purpose. In the United states everyone has a right to a free education from grades K-12 but the quality of what is being offered is most important. Lately it has been brought to many people's attention that what children are receiving as an education today may not the quality they thought.

Teachers sometimes teach things based on correct or incorrect basis to cover the curriculum quickly instead of switching places with their students momentarily to understand the reasoning behind their misconceptions that caused their wrong answer in the first place. In “The Importance of Getting Things Wrong by Anya Kamenetz”, she argues using quotes from Philip Sadler, professor of astronomy and the director of the science education department at Harvard University, that “if you don’t understand the flaws in students’ reasoning you’re not going to be able to dislodge their misconceptions and replace them with correct concepts”. A more Socratic teaching style would both benefit teachers and students by allowing teachers to destroy any lasting

The statement of the problem is that most classes have become larger over the last several years. This has hurt the quality of education that students are receiving. The reason why is because there is no way to have effective

Larger classes takes away the opportunity to work with each student in need of assistance to make their work more accurate. Having a smaller class requires students to be more engaged in their work. Students will be more helpful to their fellow classmates with a small class with a mixture of higher quality students. It has been proven in different states that class size plays a big role in a student’s education. Smaller classes are particularly effective at raising achievement levels of low-income and minors. Attending a small class increases the rate of attendance, Students get more individualization and achievement in a smaller class. A large class can cause a lot of chaos and if there is too much chaos and loud distractions in a learning environment the students would get stressed out. The amount of noise and this can also cause a lot of stress among teachers. When there is too many people around you it can cause you to become more distracted and you will be most likely lose focus. In a large classroom students often blend into the crowd in order to be noticed they have to either be brilliant or a trouble maker. Teachers who have less students can give each student more attention and one on one instruction. A student

The Socratic Method teaches critical thinking by encouraging students to question their beliefs and their own line of thinking. As a result, this may lead to discomfort, as one attempts to understand. However, universities feel that it is their duty to protect students from ideals or words that may lead to discomfort, and by doing this, they can create "safe spaces." If anyone was to interfere with this goal, even accidently, then he or she will be punished. As they teach their students to be fragile, the opposite effect will occur. Instead of providing a comfortable space, the students will become more anxious and depressed as they are unable to consider and accept the viewpoints of others. This act of vindictive protectiveness ill-prepares students for the professional livelihood, in which new, diverse opinions and ideals

Since early human civilization, education has been an important aspect of society. Children were taught to hunt, fight, and other basic survival skills. Over the centuries, education has evolved into an organized system to teach people academic skills. One prime example of an American educational system would be high school. You hear about high school often—the best four years of your life, or the worst.

Thomas Jefferson referred to education as a “diffusion of knowledge” in the bill he proposed to the Virginia legislature in 1779 (Jefferson, 1779, p.20). He meant that by diffusing the knowledge amongst the people they will be able to protect the values, liberties, and rights that had been granted to them. Jefferson’s ideas were derived from the English education system. His bill did not pass Virginia’s legislature, but it shows us Thomas Jefferson’s views about education, and because of his efforts it was not long until there was a national push for education from the north, starting with the Boston schools.