Low performance scores and the achievement gap among students is a highly debated topic in the United States. According to Sherrow, “As of 2010, about 99,000 public schools in the United States were educating more than 48 million students.” The 2007 recession impacted many public schools because the budget for public schools diminished; therefore, many schools had to teach more students with less resources. The recession left the issue of how to improve schools when there are less teachers and counselors, yet there are more students to teach. The government of the United States created several education reforms in order to improve the quality of education and student success; however, students still face many issues that are affecting their
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The push for equality led to the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, which resulted in the courts ruling that “separate but equal” schools were in fact not adequate because schools for black students were not equal to schools for white students. Although this ruling desegregated schools throughout the country, several states in the south did not desegregate schools quickly, which led to a second ruling on Brown v. Board, which stated that the schools needed to desegregate “with all deliberate speed.” (“Chronology: Education Policy”) Considering these rulings, the high school completion rates for black students increased from 12.7 percent in April 1950 to 21.7 percent in April 1960. (Alters 6) According to the data presented by Alters, there has been a steady increase in the high school completion for students of different ethnicity and race and for the total population in the United States. Throughout the 1950s to the 1970s, there was an increase in birth rate which led to an increase in student enrollment in public schools. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA); therefore, public schools would be provided with federal funding. (“Chronology: Education Policy”) For this reason, there has been a steady increase in the amount of federal funding for public education. In the 1980s, the nation began to focus on resolving issues that affected education, such as the low academic performance of students, high dropout rates, the impact of poverty on student’s education and the amount of resources schools received. In order to resolve these issues, President Jimmy Carter’s administration created the Department of Education, which would develop and establish education policies throughout the nation. The Department of Education reported “A Nation at Risk” in 1983, which
The push for equality led to the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, which resulted in the courts ruling that “separate but equal” schools were in fact not adequate because schools for black students were not equal to schools for white students. Although this ruling desegregated schools throughout the country, several states in the south did not desegregate schools quickly, which led to a second ruling on Brown v. Board, which stated that the schools needed to desegregate “with all deliberate speed.” (“Chronology: Education Policy”) Considering these rulings, the high school completion rates for black students increased from 12.7 percent in April 1950 to 21.7 percent in April 1960. (Alters 6) According to the data presented by Alters, there has been a steady increase in the high school completion for students of different ethnicity and race and for the total population in the United States. Throughout the 1950s to the 1970s, there was an increase in birth rate which led to an increase in student enrollment in public schools. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA); therefore, public schools would be provided with federal funding. (“Chronology: Education Policy”) For this reason, there has been a steady increase in the amount of federal funding for public education. In the 1980s, the nation began to focus on resolving issues that affected education, such as the low academic performance of students, high dropout rates, the impact of poverty on student’s education and the amount of resources schools received. In order to resolve these issues, President Jimmy Carter’s administration created the Department of Education, which would develop and establish education policies throughout the nation. The Department of Education reported “A Nation at Risk” in 1983, which