The Pros And Cons Of US Education System

There was a time when America’s education system was top-notch according to the culture and society. With time, a myriad of things has changed, but unfortunately what has not evolved is the American education system. The country is still following a system which was not designed for the current global economic climate. Equality, as positive as it sounds is not as sufficient when it comes to education. The system treats students equally yet expect a similar culmination and outcome. Every child has his individuality and distinct abilities; one cannot judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree. Conversely, a few of the prominent reasons why the education system is failing are overcrowded schools, the rise of technology, and following the same old school hours.

America used to thrive on its education system and that is why it became one of the greatest nations in the world. Education is the backbone of our country, and we must give high priority to improve its current condition. Unfortunately, in the past couple of decades, the education system has been regressing. It has been on the decline and not as effective. The quality of education in a country has an influence on GDP growth, social cohesion and social well being in general. In order to improve the quality of education in the U.S., the following must be taken into consideration: the structure of our education system must be reanalyzed, we must compare and contrast our education system to systems of other countries with higher rankings, and finally, there must be a solution.

Parents send their kids to school thinking that America has the best school in the world. They think wrong. Out of all the countries in the world, we aren't first place in any educational subject. We rank 14th in education, ranks 2nd in ignorance to social statistics (chart shown on image to the right) , 24th in literacy, 17th in educational performance and ranks 11th in fourth grade math.

Although often taken for granted, education is a privilege the U.S. offers to aid in achieving the “American Dream”, in which some define as opportunity and success. The U.S. proves being the “greatest country in the world” by leading other countries in military strength, political strength, plentiful resources and a powerful economy. In order to maintain a mighty military, the “Department of Defense deploys 1.8 million soldiers in active duty and owns 29,819,492 acres of land worldwide.” (military.com/military-trivia-facts.html) Economically, the U.S leads the United Nations in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with an annual production of $16,768.1

It is interesting how the United States is seen as one of the world’s strongest economies while their school systems are so inefficient. The United States spends such a small amount of time improving and updating their education system which molds the minds of their future generations. American education is falling behind because the Nation refuses to make changes on helping schools get up-to-date while the rest of the Nation is evolving and changing. However, an educated America would help achieve two types of goals which are short term and long term. Short term benefits include shortening the

So why is the U.S. struggling to keep up in education? It appears to be due to the way the education system is set up. In order to understand the probable issues with the system, you need to first understand how the system works. Students typically start school around the age of three or four. They spend six years in elementary school, three years in middle school, and four years in high school. From there, they can either choose to continue their education in either vocational school, at a community college, or at a university. There is access to a free public education in grades K-12, but without financial aid, college can be very costly. There are a lot of government financial aid programs, but each year the cost of tuition increases, making it harder for some individuals to receive a college education.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), American students ranked 25th in math, 17th in science and 14th in reading when compared to students in only 27 other industrialized countries in 2012 (Broad Foundation). In addition, the United States, who used to have the highest graduation rate among these countries, has now dropped to number twenty-two out of twenty-seven (Broad Foundation). These statistics are staggering and should be alarming to Americans. What has happened within the education system to cause such a decline in the education being received by students? Perhaps, the education is not the real problem though; the problem is that students are struggling to find interest and relativity in what is being taught. One of the greatest reasons for this occurrence is the simple fact that teachers are disconnected

Along with the progression of time and age, more and more students and their parents are expressing their dissatisfaction and vexation with the American public school system. Turning towards alternative methods ranging from private institutions, to removing their children from public schooling altogether and homeschooling instead, this leaves a multitude of people questioning, what is the problem, why is it present, and what is it stemming from? The answer is simple. The problem with America’s public school system is the inability of institutions to accurately see and meet the true needs of students.

Education, next to politics, is one of the most debated topics in America. More people than ever are attending college because there is a stigma that one has to get a Bachelor’s degree in order to get a good job. People over the last few decades have begun to realize that in order for one to be successful in life they must achieve a higher education, but at the same time people are pondering the question of whether or not America’s educational system is up to par. In a recent study the United States was labeled “average” by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (U.S. Falls In World Education Ranking). It is an international ranking system that rates 35 countries educational system, and the United States was not

Is the United States education system the best system in comparison to the rest of the world? There are positive aspects to the system, but there is also negative ones that can be improved if the United States took in consideration the way other countries run their education system. Students should be taught life skills that will help them make the right decisions and help their life be less stressful and keep their mental state healthy. Instead of allowing students to have the mindset that the subjects they learn are useless, schools should be teaching them the way their studies will help them with their futures. The U.S. education system is problematic and needs improvement in terms of students’ preparation for their future, student

So, in that respect America is behind with its school system. To better compete in the global market, America must catch up with all the other first world countries by having colleges to be free. With people able to get a degree for free, they will be able to go on and get a higher education.

The United States is considered by many to be a world leader who excels in every arena. In education, however, the U.S. has fallen behind other countries in Europe and Asia, such as China, Korea, and Finland. These countries outperform the United States when it comes to education. In order for the United States to continue to compete in the world economy it has to improve its system of education to compete in changing times. The United States education system is inferior to many foreign countries education system based on how U.S. students score on tests compared to students in foreign countries.

Sometimes, Americans tend to think that they are the best at everything, no matter what. However, if one looks at the facts, he would see that they aren't. In education, America is trailing behind many countries. In America there is much stress with schooling, and how it is so important to be successful. Things such as the length of school, cost of schooling, and the early ages of schooling, will show how countries such as the U.K. are surpassing the United States in education.

Why is education lacking in the USA, when it is one of the wealthiest countries in the world? If there is enough money in the USA, shouldn’t there be the means for a higher level education? Yes there is, but we do not use the means the correct way. The USA provides so much material for an easy-understanding education, that students never understand what the value of learning is. The USA has worked with two systems first using open classroom then a bureaucratic system. An open classroom is a more democratic system that focuses more on values, discipline, and profitable skills whereas bureaucratic is a system of intelligence and achievement. Overtime, neither bureaucratic and open classroom (non-bureaucratic) has been enough to improve education,

Have you ever wondered why our country is ranked low in comparison to other countries when it comes to education? Our country is said to be the best country in the world; yet when one takes a closer look on our system, defects are bound to be found. Take a look at our education for instance. We have the least productive schools in the nation. The truth is that the board of education has dumbed down the system due to a decrease in testing averages.