The Outdated American Education System Essay Example

High school has always been an extremely important part of a adolescents life for a multitude of reasons. It prepares students for college, the workforce, and teaches them undeniable social skills. However, as of relatively recently, a plethora of issues with America's high school education system has been brought into the light. Educational officials believe that high schools are teaching all the wrong topics, and students who don’t want to pursue a career that is driven by college will not benefit from the high school curriculum. Additionally, it is important to acknowledge the lack of changes made to a traditional structure of an American high school over the past few decades. This is an issue due to the fact that this structure does not cater to every student's educational needs. These two issues can be evaluated and solutions and innovative ideas can be developed to help tackle them.

Education is undeniably vital. It has been an institute of American life for a very long time, and without it, many of the careers that exist today would not be achievable. With that being said, recent issues with this institution have been brought up and need to be addressed. One of them being that some of the topics being taught in schools will not benefit all students and the careers they wish to pursue. In his article “Why We Desperately Need to Bring Back Vocational Training in Schools”, Nicholas Wyman dives more into this topic. Wyman recalls in the past how students, along with the high school curriculum, were taught skills that prepared them for the workforce. When this way of learning was stopped, backlash was implemented, but it did not stop the new wave of education that did not include vocational learning. Wyman discusses this when referring to the reasoning that all students need to prepare for college, “Won’t all students benefit from a high-level, four-year academic degree program? As it turns out, not really. For one thing, people have a huge and diverse range of different skills and learning styles. Not everyone is good at math, biology, history, and other traditional subjects that characterize college-level work”. This expresses Wyman’s belief that an education that is more adaptable to a multitude of students' needs, would be significantly more beneficial. The expectation that every student will attend college is not backed up with evidence(only 68% of high school graduates attend college) and the remaining 32% of students graduate high school, with an education that does not prepare them for the workforce. Moreover, college is not deemed as affordable for a great deal of students, and the mindset that it is open to everyone, is not accurate. Wyman states that many of these workforce jobs can continue to teach graduates without the, “expensive, four-year degrees for which many students are not suited.” This all demonstrates that the modern education system, which seems to be used as only a one-track road to college, is not suitable for every student, and changes need to be implemented to prepare those who don’t intend on continuing their traditional education.

An additionally vital issue with the American modern education system is that there has been a small space of growth from the past education system. It is important to acknowledge that although certain changes have been made, there seems to be a lack of major, beneficial conversion. To expand on this point, standardized testing has been a component of American education since the early 20th century, and it has been proven on multiple occasions that there are alternative testing methods that are significantly more effective on teaching students complex curriculums. Amanda Ripley expands on this in her article “What America Can Learn from Smart Schools in Other Countries”, when she provides evidence showing schools in other countries that use a form of testing called PISA, and how these schools statistically have higher educational success rates. The PISA is different from traditional standardized testing due to the fact that it is “unusually relevant to real life and provides increasingly nuanced insights into education.” Furthermore, the PISA does not place students with economic disadvantages below those who have extreme amounts of financial support, and does not hold a bias based on “pre-existing notions of what teenagers in Japan or Mexico can or cannot do.” Assumptions previously made of students’ capabilities are ignored, which cannot necessarily be said for standardized testing like the ACT or SAT. Ripley points out that, “math, a subject that reliably predicts children’s future earnings, continues to be the United States’ weakest area at every income level.” This point is essential to recognizing the institutional flaws in the present education system-this recognition can lead to necessary progressive changes being made.

Some believe that high school as a whole has become completely unnecessary. In “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood” Leon Botstein introduces this ideology. He states that the time students spend in high school is wasted, because it is the key time for teenagers to get jobs. Botstein agreeably believes that the current high school education institution is outdated, but instead of offering changes that could be implemented, he suggests it should be cut out in entirety. He states that “young people should graduate at 16 instead of 18.” This would eliminate many of the social stigmas that are repeatedly correlated with high school. There wouldn’t be the “popular” or “unpopular” cliques, and Botstein is detrimental to the fact that this system would allow for “the high school outsider,” to have a multitude of early opportunities that otherwise would not be present. Although this concept is backed up with evidence that could prove it effective, it skips over a great deal of practical, more feasible solutions. It is true that a deep issue with being an adolescent in school can include social archetypes that put certain students at benefit; but who is to say that this would not continue after students graduate at 16? While the institution needs to be changed, cutting off two years of school would not necessarily do anything. Conversely, as Wyman previously stated, introducing a modern form of vocational learning, in which teenagers could learn about the career they individually want to pursue would likely be more beneficial. This solution would allow for students to work with like-minded individuals who all have similar passions and beliefs, and likely reduce the social stigmas that are so often associated with this age group. While Botstein denies that education for teenagers is essential, it is a key time in an adolescents life and without it, there would be a significant loss in the social and educational interactions that are repeatedly deemed as important.

With over 12 years of the young peoples’ lives being in the educational system, it is necessary to start recognizing common issues and implementing change. To do this it is important to listen to students and the repeated flaws that they bring up. Conversations are an extremely important starting factor for change, and adolescents should be included in the discussion. There are many issues that prove educational institutions in America are outdated and unfair, so it is needed to make changes that mold to a newer, modern world.