The American education system’s purpose has been argued for decades, no one can decide what the ultimate objective of our education system is. There are just a few goals that the education system suggests schools focus on. One of the top priority goals of the U.S. Department of Education is to “Increase college degree attainment in America” (2015, March, www2.ed.gov). This is a flimsy goal that only has the purpose of being used as a measurement of educational success. Much like judging the success of a school by test grades alone. Instead of prioritizing what the focus and objectives should be to enable a better education, the current ideology is only concerned with results. The purpose of the education system cannot be summarized into just
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America is an extraordinarily diverse country; this fact cannot be ignored and instead, should be embraced. Simultaneously, individuality should be celebrated and praised by the education board. Not all children are similar and thus not all children can be taught or encouraged in the same manner. Currently, we have a law in place called the “No Child Left Behind Act”. This law was put into place to decrease the academic performance gap between under privileged students and privileged students. However, the results and implementation of this law have been widely controversial. The role of our education system should not be focused on what the law calls a student’s “adequate yearly progress” (2015, April 10, Alyson Klein, No Child Left Behind). This system inherently focuses on only the student’s overall performance, and not their strengths or weaknesses. A student may have a strong aptitude and passion for math and science, without having any talent for English or social studies. It should not be up to the school system to decide whether the student needs to be well rounded in every area, or focused into one or a couple areas. Of course, every child needs to have a fundamental grasp of basic subjects. However, if a student is deeply passionate about computer science, perchance, the student need not know about advanced chemistry. When this shift occurs the thinking of our educational system …show more content…
I would argue that this way of thought veritably increases our production of great minds. Technological and societal advancements do not come from college graduates alone. Individuals with a strong desire and motivation to accomplish their goals oftentimes would only be slowed down by attending college. One such example would be Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, who ended up dropping out of college because he and his parents could not afford it. One more argument can be made against this idea of education’s purpose in America; how would it prepare children for the adult world outside of work. The answer to this is somewhat controversial, but I do not believe it is the role of education to enrich children socially. Rather, the school itself is a place for the child to practice their social skills. The educational environment should only serve as an opportunity to allow social growth. Parents, friends, and mentors are the ones who should be providing preparation for
America is an extraordinarily diverse country; this fact cannot be ignored and instead, should be embraced. Simultaneously, individuality should be celebrated and praised by the education board. Not all children are similar and thus not all children can be taught or encouraged in the same manner. Currently, we have a law in place called the “No Child Left Behind Act”. This law was put into place to decrease the academic performance gap between under privileged students and privileged students. However, the results and implementation of this law have been widely controversial. The role of our education system should not be focused on what the law calls a student’s “adequate yearly progress” (2015, April 10, Alyson Klein, No Child Left Behind). This system inherently focuses on only the student’s overall performance, and not their strengths or weaknesses. A student may have a strong aptitude and passion for math and science, without having any talent for English or social studies. It should not be up to the school system to decide whether the student needs to be well rounded in every area, or focused into one or a couple areas. Of course, every child needs to have a fundamental grasp of basic subjects. However, if a student is deeply passionate about computer science, perchance, the student need not know about advanced chemistry. When this shift occurs the thinking of our educational system …show more content…
I would argue that this way of thought veritably increases our production of great minds. Technological and societal advancements do not come from college graduates alone. Individuals with a strong desire and motivation to accomplish their goals oftentimes would only be slowed down by attending college. One such example would be Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, who ended up dropping out of college because he and his parents could not afford it. One more argument can be made against this idea of education’s purpose in America; how would it prepare children for the adult world outside of work. The answer to this is somewhat controversial, but I do not believe it is the role of education to enrich children socially. Rather, the school itself is a place for the child to practice their social skills. The educational environment should only serve as an opportunity to allow social growth. Parents, friends, and mentors are the ones who should be providing preparation for