Education Accountability
Among the numerous education issues that have been extensively examined in the State is the school accountability. The quality of education and ensuring that students account for their grades has been at the center stage of these discussions (Boling, 2008). The bone of contention in education accountability among student has been whether to overhaul the current framework and policies or not. Suggestions have been put forward on better means of ensuring that students’ grades reflect their capabilities and not just ‘manufactured’ grades. Educationists have concurred on the maintenance of performance index and value addition alongside transparent and clear grading system like the A-F. These issues are put on the table to realize and uphold high standards for students through quality education (Boling, 2008).
E-Schools
E-schools have been on the increase in all states. For instance, in Ohio, approximately 30,000 pupils have been attending virtual charter schools. Online learning has had a soft landing in many states because of the following reasons: Its proponents cite flexibility and environmental safety besides comfortable conditions prevailed in their homes as its pros. Notably, rigorous research has catapulted a lot of issues on e-schools’ students in regards to losing academic grounds and the high impersonation and online crime cases. Although this issue has received proponents and critics in equal measure, both concur with the plain fact that it is here to stay. Therefore, the issue is on how to control its shortcomings through the formulation of salient policies to bring sanity and quality education. This will be in line with the great Michael Horn words, “Harnessing their (e-schools) benefits while reigning in their downsides is critical” (Haertel, 2017).
Impact of the Federal Administration
The effect of new federal administration on education is one of the commonly discussed issues in the United States of America. With the emergence of the Trump administration, many transformations have been felt in different states with different intensity. Trump’s administration advocate for school choice encompassing charter schools and voucher initiating discussions in various states on how to implement the ministry directives. Drug and dress code issues among students have also claimed their portion of the overall education issues in the states. The effect of drug use on education quality has been a common topic in various education seminars (Haertel, 2017). Whether dress code should be upheld or abolished has excited discussions about quality of education. The education system in regards to information overload has also hit headlines as a hot debate has been on whether to reduce academic content or not visa viz the impact it will have on education quality. Despite Afrocentric education dominating education issues in America, it seems not to end in the near future. Affirmative action promoting less fortunate students through scholarship and sponsorship has been a common issue. The blacks have been the great beneficiaries of these discussions (Haertel, 2017).
Student Diversity
To ensure equality and education to all, the state has been cognizant of the student diversity. There exist various diversities among students ranging from cultural diversity, physically challenged students among others. The previous education eras formulated bridges courses and ‘relaxed’ grading systems to non-whites meant to favor foreign students. The move received criticisms from the whites who argue that this derailed their education standards. Special treatment to physically challenged students has been on the rise in a bid to ensuring education parity. Change is inevitable and different cultural dynamics have been embraced and protected by the state legal provisions. This has left the educationists with no system but to formulate policies that favor them. Some of the cultural diversity among students that have initiated a hot debate are lesbianism, bisexual behaviors, queer students (LGBTQ+), transgender issues among others (Haertel, 2017). The education issues have focused on how to formulate policies that encompass all these cultural diversities to ensure that there is peaceful coexistence and peaceful learning among them.
Teacher Remuneration
Noteworthy, remuneration of teachers has frequently found its relevance in academic issues all over the State. Equality when paying the teachers has caused discomfort among tutors. There have been same academic qualifications but different packages in different states in the USA. For instance, teachers’ pay in Arizona is an excellent case at hand. The conditions of teachers in Arizona in comparison with those from other states has been pathetic over decades. In regards to the elementary sector, Arizona teachers are receiving lesser pay compared to other teachers in various states. A recent study showed that teachers’ salary in Arizona currently ranked 49th in the state as far as secondary teachers’ pay is concerned.
In summary, teachers in Arizona are the worst paid in the state. The issue has been critical as it translates to education quality and study performance. Comparison of states’ education has revealed it. The average pay for secondary school teachers is $ 58,030 while that of Arizona teachers is $ 47,890 (Wahl, 2018). To exonerate absurd feeling of Arizona teachers, there have been discussions on ways of improving their pay and the current administration has set aside $ 1 billion to bridge the gap. In the past, most teachers have been resigning while some have fled Arizona to look for greener pastures in other states (Wahl, 2018). However, with government education initiative of ensuring remuneration equality and other incentives for Arizona teachers, the numbers of teachers are steadily increasing again. It is worth noting that, the recent researches show that the quality of education in Arizona is catching up with that of other states.
References
Boling, C. J., " Evans, W., H. (2008). Reading Success in the secondary Classroom. Preventing School Failure. New York, America.
Haertel H. Edward (2017). The Testing Charade: Pretending to Make Schools Better by Daniel Koretz,: University of Chicago Press. https://doi.org/10.1086/697069.
Wahl Jen (2018). Valley Teacher’s low salary post is firing up the internet. Virginia, America.
