Education in America is currently both good and bad, depending where one looks Essay Example

measure educational progress, such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

Even though divorce rates and single parent households have risen, students' average NAEP-test scores in reading, writing, and math have either stayed the same or gotten better from the 1970s to the 1990s. It is important to acknowledge that nowadays many families have both parents working full time which may make it challenging for them to supervise their child's academic performance as compared to those who have stay-at-home parents - a significant difference from the 1960s and 1970s.

According to Berliner (29), students in industrialized nations face the highest poverty rate, with 25% living at or below the poverty line. This struggle starts before birth due to low prenatal care and drug-addicted mothers. Schools also need to address pressing issues such as inadequate facilities and insufficient funding.

Camden, New Jersey is the fourth poorest city in the United States for cities with populations of 50,000 or more. About 60% of its residents rely on state aid to make ends meet, resulting in a high poverty rate for children that is currently the highest nationwide. Financial struggles have caused a lack of funds, leading both the city and schools to face difficulties. For instance, reports indicate that one middle school has access to books for only half of its students while an eighth-grade student was unable to solve a simple addition problem (5+2) during class.

The school has only one computer available. Also, at the High School, due to financial constraints, 2000 students must go home for lunch and do not return. In addition, the fire alarm is defective and has not been repaired for 10 years. Moreover,

there is an illegal dump site located outside the school that has been speculated to emit toxic fumes.

Despite being the city in the state with the highest taxes, Camden is confronted with a major problem of inadequate businesses. This has resulted in four elementary schools being overcrowded in an obsolete factory that does not meet safety standards. Additionally, the high school's science lab lacks essential equipment. The district spends around $3,800 per student, which is below both state and national average expenditures of over $5,000.

Camden's undesirable features comprise its impoverished community, resulting in restricted expenditures, elevated taxes, and an insufficient economy. These problems have caused the local schools to deteriorate as a result of inadequate funding. This also affects the quality of teachers hired by Camden since it has had to resort to employing those who have only completed three years of college.

This idea is positive, however, once these individuals complete their education, the school loses them to suburban areas where they may earn up to an additional $10,000. This results in high teacher turnover rates, leaving behind those who may lack capability and cannot escape the environment (Kozol, 142-145). The outcome of inadequate funding, facilities, teachers, and resources will lead to poor test scores and a high rate of dropouts. Wilson High School in Camden has a dropout rate of 58%, not including the 20% who left before entering high school; therefore, they are not calculated into this data.

Out of the 1,400 students who begin high school as freshmen, a mere 200 successfully graduate. Among these graduates, only 60 take the SAT and 80 attempt to pursue higher education. Of these 80, just

20 attend a four-year university with only 40% of them graduating. To put it into context, this translates to only eight out of the original 1400 students graduating from college (as cited in Kozol, 145). These issues are not unique to Camden alone.

The impact of education challenges affects the entire country, but it disproportionately affects urban areas due to limited funding. Consequently, teachers in these areas face a shortage of resources and inadequate facilities resulting in low test scores and college graduation rates. Addressing these interconnected issues is crucial to prevent further widening of the education gap between privileged and underprivileged students. Currently, homeschooling serves as an alternative option besides public education.

It is becoming increasingly popular for parents to choose homeschooling as an option for their children's education. Homeschooling allows students to receive their education from the comfort of their own home, and while the number of homeschooled students ranges from 900,000 to 1.2 million, it is important to note that this number has increased by 25% since the early 1980s when only 15,000 children were homeschooled (Reed, 86). While public schools have an attendance rate of around 46 million and private schools see approximately 5 million attending students, there are several reasons why parents may opt for homeschooling.

There are multiple reasons that encourage parents to homeschool their children. Some of these include discontentment with the public school system in their area, a preference for a more religious or moral education, and the desire for their children to focus on particular subjects. According to Reed (86), there are many other motives behind homeschooling. Despite this, all parents who choose this route share an unshakeable commitment

to ensuring their child's education and are prepared to devote time and energy into it themselves.

In modern times, it is difficult to sustain a family with one salary, resulting in a decrease of stay-at-home mothers. This impacts income and employment for parents who opt to homeschool their kids as they are giving up potential earnings. Moreover, homeschooling incurs expenses like textbooks that may amount to $2,000 annually for an individual parent residing in Sheboygan. While some books can be reused, others may no longer be available when required again. Nevertheless, these committed parents are striving to provide their children with excellent education despite the personal sacrifice.

In 1994, homeschooling encountered a significant challenge when the House of Representatives proposed that all educators, including parents instructing their children at home, must receive state accreditation for the subjects they teach. This proposal posed a threat to parents' rights to homeschool their children. Homeschoolers responded by expressing opposition through letters, faxes and phone calls which led to a reversal of the decision with an almost unanimous vote in support of prioritizing homeschooled children's autonomy and freedom (Reed 86). Another possible solution to enhance education in America is implementing voucher programs like those already established in Cleveland and Milwaukee with plans for expansion.

Since being authorized by the Supreme Court in Cleveland in 1994, voucher programs have allowed inner-city students to receive financial aid from taxpayers and attend private schools that they would otherwise be unable to afford. This opportunity provides a chance for urban youth who are underserved to access private education. While participation does not require religious affiliation, data from the academic year of 1999-2000 shows that almost all

participating students (96%) attended religiously affiliated institutions (Reed 89).

Although introduced in 1990 in Milwaukee, the program has encountered considerable resistance from different factions. These include the American Civil Liberties Union, most public school teacher unions and even the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), despite its advantages for those it represents.

The Milwaukee program started with 1,500 participants and saw growth to 7,500 within two years. It was initially restricted to private non-religious schools but now accommodates religious schools too. Despite efforts by liberals for a review, the Supreme Court upheld the program with an 8-1 vote. Consequently, other cities have adopted similar programs.

Donald Lambro, a member of the National Education Association, is hopeful that economically disadvantaged minority families will have equal access to educational opportunities as prominent families such as the Clintons, Kennedys, Rockefellers and Jesse Jackson. While he recognizes varying outcomes and believes it's too early to evaluate the long-term effects of vouchers on students, Lambro admits that equity principles are fundamental to this initiative.

The program is likely benefiting all participants, enabling them to attend private schools which would otherwise be impossible. Although homeschooling and vouchers may offer temporary solutions for the problems in public schools, they do not address the larger issues at hand. The American education system can be divided into two categories; one offering quality educational opportunities to white suburban residents while others face significant challenges.

Schools in rural areas of the Midwest and Western regions generally have ample resources, including funding, new facilities, qualified teachers, and quality educational materials. Conversely, inner-city schools, those serving minority populations, and impoverished Southern states often lack sufficient resources such as funding

and adequate facilities. Unfortunately, this is not surprising as local tax dollars typically fund city school systems.

Insufficient funding is the primary problem in education systems, particularly in low-income areas where taxes are lower and school funding is reduced. The level of available resources significantly impacts school quality, as some schools have more funds than others. Generally, public school districts receive funding based on their number of students, with certain states distributing funds equally among all districts.

While districts receive a fixed amount of funding per student, the distribution of funds to schools is imbalanced. For instance, some schools like Neuqua Valley High School obtain additional financial assistance from private grants and taxpayers whereas others such as DuSable struggle due to insufficient resources despite having a significantly higher poverty rate among pupils. Though it may be difficult to completely overhaul the education system currently, we can work towards promoting equity in education by prioritizing allocation of more resources towards underprivileged areas.

Why do suburban schools have a computer ratio of one per three students, when some inner city schools have only three Apple II E computers for the entire building? This proposal suggests creating a task force in each state to study how much money each school spends per student, and then disperse aid to schools at the bottom of the list. While every school would receive money, the amounts would vary. Although we can't fully equalize all school districts, this plan would substantially narrow the gap.

The implementation of revenue sharing, luxury tax and salary cap has been successful in professional sports. The Green Bay Packers are a prime example as they can compete with major cities and

teams despite being located in a small media market thanks to this approach. Conversely, in baseball where there was little revenue sharing and no salary cap until recently, the likelihood of winning is typically greater for teams that invest more money into salaries.

According to my perspective, the reason for the Yankees' consistent postseason success and the Brewers' lack thereof is directly tied to their respective salary expenditures. This same principle could potentially extend to schools, with some possible exceptions. One area of concern regarding taxpayer funds is their distribution, as evidenced by Chicago's spending of $6,941 per student compared to an allocation of $18,615 for each inmate.

Jackson (188) suggests addressing an issue by redirecting some funding from the prison system to the school system. Allocating adequate resources to children can prevent them from becoming criminals, unlike those already in prison. Cook County Alternative School in Chicago is an example of this approach, with all students being inmates. Run by Chicago Public Schools and located within a jail, the students achieve above district averages in academic performance. The "Principal" credits this success to a focused mentality.

Being in a correctional facility allows individuals to focus without the worry of being involved in a sudden shooting. These prisoners are given three meals every day and have access to medical care, according to Jackson (189). This communicates the idea that "imprisonment results in improved education." It is often noted that teachers are frequently blamed for poor quality education.

It is commonly believed that all teachers are bad, but in my view, this is a misconception. Although there may be some poor educators, most of them are actually competent. Teaching

is not merely a profession where you attend work and receive compensation; it necessitates a significant level of devotion and resolve.

Teachers consistently maintain their certification through ongoing education and dedicate time beyond the school day to tasks such as lesson planning, grading papers, creating curricula, and engaging in extracurricular activities. However, in my opinion, the problem lies with inadequately qualified teachers rather than solely those who perform poorly.

Inner-city schools often hire college students who are tempted by monetary incentives. However, upon scrutiny, these student-teachers earn much less than what they could potentially earn with a degree and more experience. As financial limitations prevent most inner-city schools from hiring highly qualified educators, some districts resort to placing these students in the toughest teaching environment - the inner city. This practice is unethical.

To address the problem of underprepared teachers in urban classrooms, two solutions have been proposed. One is to require teaching degrees from colleges for all teachers in every state. While not a complete solution, it would be a good start. The other option is to enhance teachers' awareness of their surroundings. This could be achieved by offering courses on Urban Education specifically for teachers who are teaching in urban areas.

Encouraging teachers who have never experienced living in rural areas to take a Rural Education course could be beneficial, although it may not solve all problems in education. According to Gardner (120), personality development is already formed before children begin kindergarten, highlighting the responsibility of parents or caregivers to prepare the child for the challenges they may encounter in the school system.

Failure to instill discipline at home can result in a lack of discipline

among children, especially inner-city students who rely on school for structure. This may hinder academic achievement and increase the chances of dropping out or causing disruptions in class (Gardner, 130). These effects may already be irreversible when children begin school. Thus, parents have a crucial role in shaping their child's success by offering sufficient support and guidance.

While I am not a specialist in education, I have acquired extensive information on the topic by reading numerous books and attending several classes. Based on my research, there is a difference in the quality of education based on the location. Although some schools located in inner city and Deep South regions may face deficiencies, generally speaking, most areas provide adequate education.

Although money is not a universal solution, it heavily influences the success of schools. Certain districts possess surplus funds but are uncertain about how to allocate them, and redistributing these funds could aid in the prosperity of more schools. This process, however, would require time to establish and may not happen promptly due to the existing economy. Additionally, individuals may be reluctant to relinquish their earnings. Furthermore, there is substantial cynicism regarding American Public Education within this group.

It is crucial to acknowledge the positives of the American school system rather than solely criticizing its faults. Despite its imperfections, this system has produced numerous influential individuals who have greatly impacted society such as Nobel Prize winners, doctors, and presidents. As a result, students have thrived in this environment leading to a prosperous nation.