The U.S. education system is a flawed one, but not many people like to think about that. After all, we are America, “the best country in the world”, some would say. How can we be the best while simultaneously admitting our flaws? Our test scores are behind those of other countries, on top of the fact that students in U.S. classrooms are simply not learning at the level they should be. That is where it is important to take a step back and examine our country’s education system at a deeper level, just as Amanda Ripley does in her book, The Smartest Kids in the World. She gets the first-person perspectives from the students themselves, asking them the difficult question of “If you don’t understand something, what do you do?” She then adds, “In …show more content…
is easier than school abroad. The results of the survey entitled Difficulty confirmed that. “In all, 92 percent of international students and 70 percent of U.S. students said school in the United States was easier than school abroad,” Ripley reports. I have often thought this, especially after conversations with my friends from abroad. There have been times when they will discuss their classes and my jaw will drop. It even sounds more difficult, let alone actually doing that caliber of work. Given, my friends are typically from the categorized high-achieving countries of Denmark, Germany, and Finland. However, I have spoken to friends from the lower-achieving countries of Brazil, France, Italy, and Costa Rica and their schoolwork also seemed more rigorous. Ripley states, “It is interesting to note…that even students from lower-achieving countries overwhelmingly reported that U.S. school was easier.” This confirms that even students from countries that do not have a highly ranked school system think that school in the United States is easy. This says a lot about our education, and no amount of reform – like the No Child Left Behind Act – is going to change that. The only thing that can change our education system is the students’ and teachers’ attitudes. Until both student and teacher can cohesively agree that the material taught in school is important, our education system will continue to lack the rigor it …show more content…
I was surprised to learn that students from both the U.S. and abroad agreed that American schools had more technology. I think of Japan and Hong Kong as being very technologically advanced and did not expect to have more than them. Ripley reports that “the United States invests more heavily in technology in classrooms than even high-performing countries.” This result opens an interesting debate of whether technology advances student learning. In my high school, we had a one-for-one policy, meaning each student in grades 9-12 received a district-owned laptop. The laptops did indeed increase student learning, but for reasons other than what the school board wants to think. The laptops provided every student with a means to complete their homework. There were no more excuses of “My printer broke!” or “My Wi-Fi connection was down!” Each student was expected to download the assignment while at school, where the Wi-Fi was guaranteed. Then, the work could be completed at home and turned in during the next class session. The laptops provided accountability for all the students, but did not ‘enhance classroom lessons’, as was the intention. The school board liked to believe that the technology would increase interactivity in classrooms and open new doors for learning, but that interactivity that was discussed in board meetings was nonexistent in practicality. In addition, they tended to waste time. We would spend the
In Rereading America Michael Moore entitled “Idiot Nation” focuses on the failing educational system in the United States of America. The American nation has decreased in their studies and have lowered their standards, yet America still claims they have their priorities in order, which is education. Moore attempts to persuade his readers that the people who are to blame are lack of education in politics and the budget cuts they are making, however, politics blame teachers for making America decrease in their schooling test scores. Americas have many opportunities and useful tools to be successful; however,
America has not changed it’s educational system in over two hundred years. For this reason, our students and population are falling further and further behind. Our society has done nothing but move forward, so why hasn’t our learning? Everybody has a story, opinion, or response to education. We need to invest in refining our tools to succeed, to create a better sense of self, and a stronger, more well-rounded nation. The American educational system is hurting students by passing them without merit and relying on standardized tests; however, many are now running back to these hollowed halls to ensure better futures.
It’s no surprise that there are faults within our schools in today’s society. As both authors’ point out if our educational system is
We live in a society where we are surrounded by people telling us that school/education and being educated is the only way to succeed. However, the school system is not up to the standards we want it to uphold. There are three issues we discuss the most which are the government, the student, and the teacher. In John Taylor Gatto 's essay “Against School”, we see the inside perspective of the educational system from the view of a teacher. In “I Just Wanna Be Average”, an essay written by Mike Rose, we hear a student 's experience of being in a vocational class in the lower level class in the educational system when he was supposed to be in the higher class. Both Gatto and Rose give their opinions on how the educational system is falling apart. Today the government is only trying to get students to pass, making it hard for teachers to teach what they want. Students are affected everyday by the school system. They sit there - bored - and do not think that the teachers care, making the
The human mind is perhaps the greatest object on the earth, animate or inanimate, but without the proper training, the mind is a relatively useless tool. Through the development of formal education systems, humans as a whole have tried to ensure the training of all minds so as to continue prosperity for the world. Most of the time, though, education systems do not realize the harm they are doing to developing minds and the subsequent negative consequences. Among the largest of these inadequate education systems is the American primary schooling system. The American education system is in fact failing; it continues to deplete children of their natural creativity and thirst for knowledge while preaching conformity, which in turn creates an ill-prepared and incompetent public.
In this text, the author explores the role that technology currently plays in schools and in education in general, as well as future consequences that will occur depending on whether society continues to insist on a type of education that is relatively lacking in technology or decides to embrace the options available whole-heartedly. There are both gains...
Technology is something that seems to be on everyone’s mind in today’s society. Does it really help? When it comes to medicine, there have been huge medical advances with help from technology, saving thousands of lives all over the world. Our society has been forever changed with the introduction of the smartphone; getting movies, music and news faster than ever before. But what about education? Does technology go too far and interfere with the learning process, and relationship between professor and student? Smartboards, laptops, tablets and smartphones are becoming more and more frequent in today’s classrooms. It helps teachers engage the students in their work, and it caters to different types of learning between students. However, our progress
The United States of America has placed low on the educational ladder throughout the years. The cause of such a low ranking is due to such heavy emphasis on standardized testing and not individual student achievement. Although the United States uses standardized testing as a crutch, it is not an effective measure of a student’s ability, a teacher’s competency, or a school’s proficiency.
Since the release of the report by Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in December of 2010 many in the government and community are searching for ways to reform the American education system to give American students the greatest opportunity to succeed. According to the report, American students are not testing as high as other nations in the world (Duncan, 2010). There are many contributing elements that have brought America to her knees in the education system, however, the obsession with standardized testing is found to be one of the most influential downfalls.
In The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way, Amanda Ripley investigates the education systems of three of the world’s highest performing countries offering insight into the components necessary to raise education in the United States from its current mediocre place on the world stage. By involving three teenage American exchange students, Ripley gained access to firsthand experience of the familiar US system as compared to the highly competitive systems in Finland, South Korea and Poland. The author proposes that, although the systems vary greatly, commonalities in cultural valuation of education, rigor and teacher quality have made students from these three countries the “smartest kids in the world.”
Education is one of the cornerstones and pillars to the establishment and preservation of democracy. In history, countless scores of philosophers and political thinkers believed that only an educated citizenry can take on the quintessential task of upholding democracy. Thomas Jefferson, the primary writer of the Declaration of Independence, stated that “an informed citizenry is the only true repository of the public will.” A renowned defender of public education, Jefferson proposed plans for an education system that included grammar schools in his presidency. As a result of these relentless policies for education, the United States expanded on the concept of public instruction through the establishment and upkeep of a practical education system. The United States continued this tradition and established a reputation as one of the best education in the world. Currently, this is no longer valid as other countries such as Finland, China, and South Korea are competing for the dominant position through rigorous reforms that aim to boost student performances (“Best Education”). Meanwhile, the American system is inefficient, inhibited by political obstacles and gridlock while Finland, the top ranked country in terms of schooling, is continuing to improve. According to the PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) examinations that tested pupils across a variety of subjects such as reading, mathematics, and science of 2009, Finland’s students were ranked among the top (“PISA 2009”). The American students were ranked below average for industrialized countries in the world, revealing the reality of the educational crisis in the country. Finland’s education system, compared to the Americans, offers major differences that greatly ...
The United States has proven to be a world leader with their powerful military, democratic government, and stringent foreign policies. There is one category however, the United States struggles to be number one in, education. As shocking as this may sound, the public school system in America is not superior to other developing countries. I have witnessed this scandalous phenomena firsthand, engrossed in the public school system from kindergarten to freshman year of high school. The student body and the school administration is morphing into a nonproductive system with a zombie-like attitude. American students lack academic drive and curiosity compared to European and Asian countries because the standard for academic success is constantly lowered. Americans must reform the school system and change their perspective on how important an education is to the rest of the world.
Do you ever think about how much technology has changed the way we work, learn, play, and even think? Technology is a major beneficiary to society; especially in the classroom where we get the opportunity to learn and grow. In recent years, schools have begun implementing tablets and other devices in the classroom to better student’s education. The use of technology in the classroom provides more of a personalized learning experience and gives students a widespread availability to engage in learning. Technology is necessary in today’s modern globe, it is basically “the pen and paper of our time and the lens through which we experience much of our world” (Warlick, 2013). Technology is not just considered the “internet”, it is so much greater than that. Overall, it enhances the quality of education and engages students deeper than ever before. With all the significant gains, why would people argue that technology hinders students more than it helps? Critics may try to repute the use of technology in the classroom but I believe what really matters “is the way we use it, the context that we use it in, and the learners who we use it for” (Chong, 2012).
But why are schools so eager to improve their use technology? And why is there so much importance placed on educating today's students with modern technology? The answer is simple: because technology has such a positive impact on education, and in so
Zhao, Y. and Frank, K. A. 2003, “Factors Affecting Technology Uses in Schools: An Ecological Perspective”, American Educational Research Journal, vol. 40, no. 4, pp. 807-840, viewed 15 Jan 2014, retrieved from Sage Online Article.