Essay Sample: The Question of Free Education

The question of whether the U.S. should have free education seems controversial, but the answer is obvious. Free access to all forms of education should be considered a basic human right in the United States, it is not something that has to be earned especially because it improves the country. Education improves individual health and well-being, creates many societal benefits, and gives people a chance to develop skills that are necessary in everyday life.   

A multitude of benefits for individual health and wellbeing are created by having free access to quality education. According to the School Nutrition Association, “nearly 100,000 schools/institutions serve school lunches to 29.6 million students each day...” School breakfast and lunch programs ensure that students have access to a healthy meal every day. Proper nutrition is fundamental in supporting children's overall health, obesity prevention and starts their daily path to academic achievement. Physical education programs are also extremely important because they help prevent kids from living a sedentary lifestyle. The CDC’s website says, “Regular physical activity can help children and adolescents improve cardiorespiratory fitness, build strong bones and muscles, control weight, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and reduce the risk of developing health conditions.” Providing physical activity to students guarantees that students will gain knowledge of a healthy lifestyle. Education does not only improve physical/mental health, but it improves individual well-being by creating chances to get well-paying jobs to advance their life. Having the ability to take the path to higher education is necessary to live a healthy, comfortable life. College tends to lead toward better jobs, and more money, which means people are more likely to have access to healthcare, a safer living environment, and a healthy lifestyle. According to the AAFP, “The median wage for college graduates in 2012 was one-and-a-half times higher than that of high school graduates”. Higher education does more than high school could alone. This is because it prepares students for jobs in specialized areas of their interest, which why everyone must have the opportunity to go to college without having to worry about the cost.   

People often express their concern of fear that their taxes will be raised to provide education for others. For example, “Students will not be paying for this higher education, the taxpayer will. Attention students, you are the taxpayer. Eventually you will have to pay this back in the form of increased taxes” (Denhart, 2014) However, free education would create many societal benefits. Even if taxes were raised, it would be in everyone's best interest. In the congress and senate, representatives often present bills that would ensure that the lower and middle classes, which make up about 81% of the U.S. population, would not have to take on mass tax increases. For example, senator Elizebeth Warren’s plan would implement an “ultra-millionaire tax,” which is “a 2% annual tax on the 75,000 families with $50 million or more in wealth.” Plans like this would allow everyone to have access to free higher education. Currently the rise in education costs “has propelled student debt to a record $1.5 trillion, more than twice what consumers owe on credit cards. The average baccalaureate recipient at a public or private college in 2017 faced $28,500 in debt.” (Greenblatt, 2018) This would also help with the detrimental issue of student loan debt.  Equal access to education would also lift minority groups out of poverty. These marginalized groups are people that are discriminated against because of economic, social, cultural, ethnic, and racial traits. The students who are a part of these communities have access to free K-12 education, however, they are set back by often under-resourced schools and by not being able to afford some of the technology needed to succeed in classes. “One cannot dismiss the financial pressures facing these students as well,” he adds. “Even for those who receive full Pell Grants and some institutional aid, that rarely provides enough to cover their needs, and their families typically do not have the wherewithal to help.” This statement by Watson Scott Swail, EdD, president and CEO of the Educational Policy Institute (EPI) proves that even with opportunity for potential scholarships, it still not enough to set the student up for success.  Social Justice and equality in society can also be achieved through free and effective education. When young people are properly educated, they are more likely to treat those of a different socioeconomic class equally.  This is what the United States should push toward as one of the leading nations in the world.   

In school, critical thinking and problem-solving skills develop while learning different subjects. Education allows people the chance to gain skills that are necessary for everyday activities. Children who attend school at a younger age, such as those who attend Pre-K, tend to develop cognitive and literacy skills better and faster than those who do not. The article Head Start talks about how preschool programs would start impoverished children on their road to success. “A recent study of 200 preschoolers in Michigan, California and New York found that children in classes with High/Scope-trained teachers outscored comparison children on many measures of social interaction, were more independent and tended to have better language skills.” (Glazer, 1993) This confirms that impoverished children having access to a free education helps them get a fair start next to the children whose families have an economic advantage. If all children had the opportunity to enroll in those pre-k programs their cognitive skills would develop at a higher level, which would help them moving forward in education and life. Access to quality education also helps people develop effective oral and written communication skills. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, 21 percent of adults, 43 million people (about twice the population of New York), in the United States are illiterate. Literacy is a crucial skill to have in the 21st century, it is needed to understand current events, and communicate with others. In a democratic society, people of any background should have equal opportunities to gain skills, improve their cognitive ability, and lives. 

Multiple benefits are created by having equal access to a free, and quality education at all levels. Proper schooling provides health benefits and the development of skills without discrimination. Education is a means to societal improvement, and no one should be held back from improving themselves because of the cost and greed of major educational institutions. That is why education is not a privilege. It is a human right.