American School System Failing

The American school system is failing. There is so much that is not being done to help the system. We see the children struggling every single day. So many cannot read or write. Then they continue on to become adults who cannot read or write. When will it change? Are we doing something about the failing system, or will it be like the when the stock markets crashed and caused the great depression?
How is it we continue to pass students through each grade level and they can’t read. Did you know “two out of three eighth graders cannot read” (NAEP, 2011) (NAEP, 2011). Or how about the fact that an average of 1.1 million American students drop out each year (EPE, 2012). Many cannot believe that “nearly three out of four eighth- and 12th-grade students …show more content…
Most of the ideas are being passed up. For instance, some people believe we should redo the whole calendar system for schools. “Our public education system is a vestige of the 18th century, when 85% of Americans were farmers and schools lacked air conditioners.” Another way we could fix our school system is to have a big selection of high education, or have cheaper, even free schools. “There are two frequently cited reasons for failing to raise US college completion rates: poor preparation and exploding cost.” Some smaller things that can be done in communities, is one have a high parental involvement. Having students’ parents involved in their schooling can have a high impact on the student’s education. Two communities can make sure they have good standards for the teachers and administrators in the schools. If the communities do not care about who is teaching their students who will. Three Pay attention to how the schools bond money is being spent. I once had a teacher tell me that he and his wife were being sent to a convention for history teachers the catch here is that one was a music teacher and the other was science. The convention was mandatory for them to attend. They were being flown out with eight other teachers and they hotel and other expenses would be paid for as well. So if communities are not paying attention to what their school money is being spent on money will continue to go down the …show more content…
Yes, we can fix the system. It is definitely not too late. We must put an enormous amount of work into the system to fix it. Some of the ways that we can fix it is to take a cue from private schools. Have smaller class rooms. “Researchers generally agree that lower class sizes, at least in the earliest grades, are linked to positive educational benefits such as better test scores, fewer dropouts and higher graduation rates, especially for disadvantaged children.” Smaller classes work because students are not getting lost in a big class. There are a lot of students who try to “hide behind” their peers, or some peers will out shine some students. It is easy to lose track of someone who is quiet and does not ask questions. This leads me into the next thing we can do to fix the system. I myself was a quiet student. I had an English teacher my freshman year of high school who thought he was cool and funny, but I wasn’t learning anything in his class. When my mom came to parent teacher conference and asked why I was failing, he simply said “Well she does not ask for help”. This was actually false I had asked for help, but he had told me it was easy and I should be able to do the assignment. Well with great parental involvement my mom sought the help of the school counselor and the eventually the principal. The principal reviewed the teacher’s curriculum and his teaching method. When it was all said and done the teacher had to change