| The role that the educational system should play in the | | | | of the public school system would not be a factor |
| live of people is to educate them to be conscious, | | | | because under my plan, the educational system in |
| critically thinking individuals who do not passively accept | | | | America would be fully and equally funded by the |
| knowledge but question the knowledge that is being | | | | federal government and closely monitored. With the |
| taught to them. Education should be taught to give | | | | influx of money pouring into the educational system |
| students the skills and intelligence they need to | | | | from the government, schools would change |
| understand the world and how the world works in | | | | dramatically for the better because that is the biggest |
| order to survive in it. However, the American | | | | issue in most public schools: lack of money. |
| educational system has been known to produce | | | | The educational system's curriculum would be |
| students whom are woefully ignorant about the world | | | | changed in order to fit in with the nation's melting pot of |
| and different cultures. One of the reasons is because | | | | different cultures and ethnicities. From elementary to |
| the educational system in its current state does not | | | | high school, students are bombarded with facts and |
| leave much room for critical thinking but trains | | | | figures about wealthy, white men as if women and |
| individuals to be docile, worker bees in a global | | | | other minorities do not exist or contribute anything |
| economy that keeps the status quo wealthy and | | | | worthy to the history of America. No wonder so many |
| "others" barely making it. The problem becomes | | | | students blank out historical facts: they do not care |
| evident if we look at the varied curriculums and | | | | these fact because they cannot relate to the actors in |
| subjects that are being taught. There is a lack of | | | | the story. Student should be required to take courses |
| emphasis on academic learning, and the only thing that | | | | that have will give them a more in depth understanding |
| matters is high stakes testing. The schools in this | | | | of the world surrounding them, courses that will discuss |
| country have become swamped with fuzzy | | | | the history of marginalized and oppressed individuals in |
| curriculums that assume that through constant testing, | | | | this country and around the world. They should be |
| students will be prepared for life in a new global | | | | required to read books that make them think, not just |
| society . . . whatever that is. | | | | process information for the next test. If more students |
| I recently had a conversation with a co-worker and | | | | understood the values and cultures of people unlike |
| we were discussing how African-Americans were | | | | themselves, it would not be easy or maybe even |
| treated forty years ago and I was amazed by her | | | | possible for the government to lie and use propaganda |
| naivety about the subject, considering the fact that she | | | | techniques to lull the masses into believing everything |
| was a college graduate and an African-American. | | | | was okay and its leaders competent. High stakes |
| From the moment I entered college, I was eager to | | | | testing would be eliminated because most of the tests |
| explore the history of African and African-American | | | | are designed by people who do not have a clue about |
| history from a view point that did not make them | | | | the demographics, ethnicities or economic backgrounds |
| seem sub-human and college affords students that | | | | of the students who are to be tested and these tests |
| opportunity. I could not help but wonder what type of | | | | are biased against minorities and the poor. If students |
| history and sociological classes she had taken; from | | | | are to be tested, extra tutoring would be available to |
| her conversation, none. But the sad truth is that when | | | | students, at no cost to the parents. |
| most people make the decision to attend college, it is | | | | Having competent teachers, board members, and |
| for the purpose of reaping economic rewards, not for | | | | administrators are also a vital part of restructuring the |
| expanding one's consciousness. | | | | educational system. Having qualified administrators and |
| In order for the educational system in this country to | | | | board members who know and enforce standards |
| produce students who are not clueless about its | | | | and guidelines is important. What are the qualifications |
| history and the world surrounding them, it should be | | | | for an administrator? Are there required qualifications? |
| restructured in several ways. Parental involvement | | | | These are the questions that need answers. Just |
| should be mandatory, just as school attendance for | | | | because someone has obtained a degree does not |
| students is mandatory for graduation. Lack of parent | | | | make this person the best for the job. Board members |
| involvement is an enormous contributing factor to the | | | | should not be chosen because they golf with the |
| current failing educational system. Parents need to instill | | | | mayor; all board members should have a Master's |
| in their children just how detrimental a lack of education | | | | degree in Education or have an extensive social justice |
| is to their future. Teachers are wonderful people who | | | | background. As for teachers, the educational system |
| can take students from the top of Mount Olympus to | | | | should make sure that the best teachers are chosen |
| the cold and desolation of Antarctica but they are | | | | for the positions and evaluations should be given |
| there to teach, not parent. Many teachers spend a | | | | frequently. This would give parents and the educational |
| great deal of their class time disciplining children and | | | | system a chance to find out what is wrong and what |
| playing babysitter, two things that are not a part of | | | | is needed to correct the problems. Public education |
| their job duties. Teachers need involvement from | | | | needs teachers and board members that actually care |
| parents in order for the educational system to work | | | | about the children and their education, not individuals |
| and education begins at home. | | | | who want the perks of working for school system: |
| Funding for the educational system should also be | | | | summers and holidays off, steady raises and a fat |
| restructured. Public schools are traditionally funded by | | | | compensation package. American children are |
| property taxes which results in a very unequal | | | | suffering due to the inadequacies of the individuals |
| distribution of educational opportunity. Communities that | | | | involved with the educational system. |
| are wealthy have more funding for their local schools | | | | The "culture of poverty" theory that has been used by |
| than those who do not. This situation directly affects | | | | several politicians to explain differences in learning |
| the quality of education that children in urban and poor | | | | between different ethnicities would be exposed as a |
| rural areas receive. The No Child Left Behind Act will | | | | blatant attempt by the status quo to "blame" individuals |
| only make it worse because of the required testing | | | | for their poverty if the educational system was |
| and public reporting of results. When parents are | | | | restructured to meet the needs of all students, not just |
| buying a new house, they want to live in a school | | | | the wealthy. Huge educational gaps between poor |
| district that has strong test scores. This drives up the | | | | students and wealthy students do not occur because |
| property values in those areas, meaning that only | | | | the poorer students have adapted to their |
| affluent families can afford to live in the top performing | | | | poverty-stricken existence but because they do not |
| school districts. This means more property taxes to | | | | have resources needed to succeed in school. If |
| those areas, while the lower performing schools lose | | | | students have to deal with textbooks that are |
| their funding if they do not meet federal standards. | | | | outdated, lack of toiletries, and computers from the late |
| There should be a fair tax system for education that is | | | | 1980s, their opportunity to advance academically is |
| not based on property taxes of homeowners. | | | | dismal and their chances of dropping out of school |
| Government funding, for the most part, is distributed to | | | | likely. |
| the various schools by state and local governments | | | | In a just and an equal society, the educational system I |
| and there is huge disparities in this funding based on | | | | have discussed would have already been implemented |
| race. According the text American Education by Joel | | | | decades ago but it has not and more than likely will not. |
| Spring, there is a gap of more than $1,000 per student | | | | In a hierarchical society such as in America, there will |
| nation wide based on race, with large states like New | | | | always be someone on the low end of the totem pole |
| York, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, who lead the nation in | | | | and the best way to do that is through the |
| their unwillingness to fairly fund education (Spring, pg. | | | | mis-education of its most vulnerable: the children. The |
| 77). Children should not suffer because of their | | | | neglect of the educational system in the US threatens |
| economic background or ethnicity and public education | | | | the economic well being of the entire nation. Unless the |
| should make no distinction between rich and poor, or | | | | inequalities in education is diminished and its system |
| black and white. Every child attending a public school | | | | totally restructured, the wealthy gap between the rich |
| should be granted an equal education. Equal funding | | | | and the poor will continue to widen and the US will be |
| would grant teachers the proper resources to better | | | | infamous for being the nation of the undereducated. |
| educate students. School choice and the privatization | | | | Spring, Joel. American Education. (2006). |