The road to learning for American children (K-12) is currently filled with potholes and obstacles which prevent students from learning to their full potential and from progressing from one grade level to the next based on knowledge acquired. Many children are promoted each year despite their lack of meeting grade level expectations. I speak for my friend who barely graduated from high school and is now lucky to have a menial job working for Walmart. I speak for my cousin who could have used more help in school and now has five children, possibly destined to live off the state. I speak for my neighbor, a little girl in the fifth grade and only reading at a third grade level while the school refuses to provide extra help because she is progressing.
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Tom DeWeese, in his article “Public Education is Failing,” from Opposing Viewpoints in Context, suggests our education system is failing to teach our children the basic subjects of reading, writing, and mathematics. DeWeese is the president of a public-policy organization that promotes less government involvement and more free enterprise. According to DeWeese, the “root problem” with our education system is, “. . . the federal programs and the education bureaucracy that run them.” He also suggests that the education system no longer concentrates on teaching the basics, but is training our children to perform “menial jobs.” If the public education system is going to work for all children, changes need to take place with less focus on standardized testing and inclusion, and provide more focus on building a solid foundation, establishing programs which address the learning style and academic level of placement necessary for the student to comprehend and acquire an appropriate education in reading, writing and arithmetic. This would be a great step forward in correcting the American education system. One size fits all mentality needs to …show more content…
“The teacher is key to student motivation. We have immense power to unleash—or diminish—a young person’s desire to learn,” says Carol Ann Tomlinson in her article, "One To Grow On/Releasing The Will To Learn.” Carol Ann Tomlinson is a successful author, a professor and also chairs the Educational Leadership, Foundation, and Policy at the Curry School of Education, University of Virginia. One of the most important aspects of motivating students, according to Tomlinson, is the student’s perception of whether they are not only seen as an individual in the classroom, but also seen as being able to succeed in the classroom. The public school system removes individuality from the equation and expects everyone to fit into the parameters established by the federal government. Tomlinson also suggests, “Students flourish when they find a sort of school family—a group that accepts, nurtures, and needs them.” She feels the best way to accomplish this task is to, “. . . ask ourselves what we can do to model, commend, and necessitate mutual
Tom DeWeese, in his article “Public Education is Failing,” from Opposing Viewpoints in Context, suggests our education system is failing to teach our children the basic subjects of reading, writing, and mathematics. DeWeese is the president of a public-policy organization that promotes less government involvement and more free enterprise. According to DeWeese, the “root problem” with our education system is, “. . . the federal programs and the education bureaucracy that run them.” He also suggests that the education system no longer concentrates on teaching the basics, but is training our children to perform “menial jobs.” If the public education system is going to work for all children, changes need to take place with less focus on standardized testing and inclusion, and provide more focus on building a solid foundation, establishing programs which address the learning style and academic level of placement necessary for the student to comprehend and acquire an appropriate education in reading, writing and arithmetic. This would be a great step forward in correcting the American education system. One size fits all mentality needs to …show more content…
“The teacher is key to student motivation. We have immense power to unleash—or diminish—a young person’s desire to learn,” says Carol Ann Tomlinson in her article, "One To Grow On/Releasing The Will To Learn.” Carol Ann Tomlinson is a successful author, a professor and also chairs the Educational Leadership, Foundation, and Policy at the Curry School of Education, University of Virginia. One of the most important aspects of motivating students, according to Tomlinson, is the student’s perception of whether they are not only seen as an individual in the classroom, but also seen as being able to succeed in the classroom. The public school system removes individuality from the equation and expects everyone to fit into the parameters established by the federal government. Tomlinson also suggests, “Students flourish when they find a sort of school family—a group that accepts, nurtures, and needs them.” She feels the best way to accomplish this task is to, “. . . ask ourselves what we can do to model, commend, and necessitate mutual