Persuasive essay on why/how the education system is failing

Education is imperative for the development of both children and the nation. Learning provides children with the capacity to be successful physically, intellectually, as well as emotionally (Wolk 56). Education serves as a key for opening the door to the future’s opportunities. A good education system holds the key to the future of the nation. Therefore, good schools act as a prerequisite for economic success, personal social mobility, in addition to a healthy society where learned voters involve themselves in public issues facing the nation.However, there is a lot of concern in relation to the current inconsistencies of the American educational standards. This essay will look into why, as well as how the education system in the U.S. is failing.

The American education system operates on the rationale of teacher equality, a notion that teachers have the same level of both knowledge and skills (Caulkins et al. 76). However, teachers recognize as well as incorporate diverse levels of expertise. There is the lack of better nurturing of the human capital that comprises of teachers through the development of knowledge as well as assist teachers to grow. The strategy that the U.S. has taken is to place emphasis on using tests so as to hold both teachers as well as schools accountable. However, more measures have to be put in making sure that the teaching approaches that teachers adopt in the classroom are appropriate in dispensing knowledge to the students. The success of the education system in the U.S. lies on boosting of investment in the education sector as well as making the teaching career an increasingly attractive profession. 

Another reason for the failing education system is attributed to the fact that students spend very little time at it. According to the National Education Commission, many students in the U.S. spend less than half of the day studying academic subjects (Fox, Paul and Mason 312). The two-year’s study by the commission revealed that the students spent approximately 41% of the day on primary academics in their course work such as family life, self-esteem, and holistic health. This implies that the typical U.S. student in high school spends just 1,460 hours in learning subjects like math and science in the entire four years. In contrast, students in Japan spend 3,170 hours on academics, which is about three times of the hours that U.S. schools devotes in education.

There is a non-systemized way of developing the technical requirements that are required in the teaching profession. These requirements involve three types of knowledge that teachers ought to possess, that is: substantive knowledge (knowledge regarding the subjects that teachers teach), pedagogical knowledge (the way they teach), as well as pedagogical content knowledge (the manner in which students are going to comprehend the subject). The practice of licensing the exams for teachers is lacking the rigor that exist in the education system of other countries in Europe and Asia. A teaching approach that teachers ought to adopt must challenge the students to reason, think, as well as analyze problems (Fox, Paul and Mason 212).

The education system has failed in properly educating the youths. When the system is compared globally, the student tests in U.S. are lower than average in comparison to students from other nations. In spite of the fact that there are more students going to college now than ever, there is no guarantee that college degree can get them a job. The education system seems to be teaching students that the only way of getting a good job is through going to college.There is an agreement among many experts that children are not receiving adequate skills in fields such as economics, finance, and sciences so as to remain competitive with their fellow students. School children are not competing with their fellow schoolmates but with other children from all over the globe.

The American education system is focusing on the aspect of accountability at the expense of advancement on other elements such as human capital. The most recent determined reform in the education sector has been the “No Child Left Behind” that has increased accountability through measuring the performance of schools yearly on the students’ tests, with increasing effects for the people who do not improve. However, it has essentially failed to address other elements in this area, which leads to an imbalance that partly clarifies why this initiative did not attain its purpose (Fox, Paul and Mason 124).

In conclusion, although the measures that the government has taken in order to make sure that there is an improvement in the standard of education has improved, there has not been extensive progress. Schools in the U.S. still suffer in middle international ranking, despite the nation being a superpower. There are still huge gaps affecting the education system such as race and class, which ought to be addressed. The government should come up with better and efficient policies in education, as well as invest in research programs so as to make sure that there is development of knowledge.

 Works Cited

Wolk, Ronald. Wasting Minds: Why Our Education System is Failing. Farmington Hills, MI:

Greenhaven Press, 2012. Print.

Caulkins, Jonathan P, Angela Hawken, Beau Kilmer, and Mark Kleiman. Issues Affecting the

U.S. Education System , 2012. Print.

Fox, Steve, Paul Armentano, and Mason Tvert. Education Reforms 2013. Print.