The education system in the US
The education system in the US has been undergoing reforms since 1958 with the attempt to make learning objective and fulfilling to the learners and society. Despite the improvements, there are still some loopholes in the system as the number of students who fail and dropout is increasing. Some of the changes needed for the system to meet the objectives of education include; modifications of study programs, the motivation of teachers, reducing education inequality and developing a well-structured blueprint.
Equality in the Education System
In the event, the education system shift towards a productive and more equitable postsecondary system, the metrics of success in education will focus more on outcome, for example, learning, graduation, and persistence. Post-secondary selectivity is one of the underlying mechanisms and motivations of inequality which has been propelled by political negligence and socioeconomic differences among people. Currently, postsecondary is evaluated using the quality measure which depends on the disparities of inputs of education for instance rejection rates, test score, and per learner spending (Linda-Darling pp. 1-2). Every citizen is entitled to school despite the socioeconomic status. In the USA, states that have a high composition of black have increased poverty. As a result, a lot of the young people fail to join school as they don’t have funds (Linda-Darling pp. 1-2). This kind of society will remain poor and dependent on the federal government as long as the few individuals can access education.
Discrimination in School Funding
Discrimination is also evident in the funding of African American schools in, for example, Out of the nine states that have achieved school funding equity; Mississippi and Texas are the only areas that have a lot of African American. The racial favoritism in the distribution of educational resources can justify the high tuition fee, low-grade point averages, and college achievement, amid colored and African American learners. The discriminatory funding mechanism is partially aided by the concentration of blacks and the prevalent poverty levels among them (Vickie pp. 2-3). Additionally, the learning institutions funding formula relies on local taxes rather than the federal levy. Therefore, creating selectivity and funding equity will enable the education system to flourish and meet its objectives (Linda-Darling pp. 1-2).
Modification of Study Programs
Curriculum developers have significantly increased the number of study programs availed for learners in the United States. However, it only prepares the middle and high school students for higher learning education but puts less emphasis on the learners who opt to join elite schools. Education policymakers should introduce programs and policies that will create value for learners even if they have not entered the tertiary training institutions such that they can sustain themselves and be independent (Vickie pp. 2-3). Additionally, colleges should introduce a new achievement test that will guide educators in the admission of learners in the tertiary training institutions. Exemplary performance in high school and scoring high grades in admission exams like ACT and SAT is not an assurance for excellent performance in college. Therefore, a new success test is needed to forecast college performance as it will make students keen on their middle and high school program of study instead of only focusing on the examinable courses.
Well Developed Blue Print
Last year, a blueprint which contained a set of comprehensive policies was issued by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTA) to make sure that teachers are qualified, caring, and competent (Kane, Clause and Kan p. 35). Currently, the commission is working directly with more than twelve states to ensure the success of the blueprint. Additionally, overhauling the federal Higher Education Act will guarantee the recruitment of highly qualified teachers who are trained to relate to learners. The policymakers can also introduce incentives that will cater for teachers in high-need areas and shortage fields as it will be a motivation to the educators. States (Wax-Amy pp. 687-692) The federal government can reallocate funds from particular add-on and administrative superstructures to support the skilled instructors who can develop a challenging curriculum for learning institutions and classes, as modernized schools in San Diego and New York have done.
Valuing our Teachers
Teacher’s contribution is a critical factor in improving education. Renowned writer Friedman Thomas said that to emphasize the value of teachers; the government should exempt them from paying tax and for those teaching science and math should have doubled wages. Besides, students are facing an increased demand from parents and the society to perform well, join college, get sustainable jobs and compete with other workers and this is only possible if the teachers are well prepared to deliver the knowledge and skills to learners. Additionally, the constant motivation of learners improves the performance of students and schools. In the United States, training and evaluation of teachers have been a significant challenge facing the education system. The competence of educators is a crucial determinant of how a learning institution prepares scholars for higher learning (Haddawy and Peter pp. 389-406). Therefore, instructors and schools should adopt the benchmarking system which enables teachers from different educational institutions to interact and share teaching techniques that will ensure the fulfillment of the national goals of education (Haddawy and Peter pp. 389-406).
Conclusion
Education reforms are important as they make the education system efficient and effective. The teachers are the determinant of the success of learners; therefore, they should be motivated and valued. Additionally, it is necessary for them to adapt the benchmarking system whereby they interact and team up with other instructors in order to learn from each other.
Works Cited
Haddawy and Peter. (2017). "Uncovering fine-grained research excellence: The global research benchmarking system." Journal of Informetrics.
11(2) : 389-406.
Kane, Joanne., Clause, Brian., and Kan, Michael. (2017). A validation framework for credentialing tests. Testing in the Profession. New York: Routledge.
Linda-Darling, Hammanton. (1998). Unequal Opportunity: Race and Education. .
Vickie, Madden. (2014). Why Poor Students Struggle. The New York Times. .
Wax-Amy , L. (2017). "Educating the Disadvantaged-Two Models." Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy : 687-692. -
