Why is the American education system so bad?

Education is a foundational pillar for personal and professional success. While America has ensured to develop a good curriculum, many people claim that the system is a mess due to financial burden. In this article, we explore some of the reasons the system is seen to be less effective. 

Reasons why is the American education system so bad

While American parents have demonstrated support for the country’s education system, a good number consider it ineffective. Here are some reasons why the US school system is bad:

• Emphasis on standardized testing. America’s education system focuses on grades and testing. The focus discourages critical thinking, creativity, and the enjoyment of learning in students. This may lead to students failing their essay exams due to no interest in learning. Emphasis on standardized testing promotes a narrow focus on test preparation at the expense of well-rounded education, calling for targeted reforms to boost performance. Therefore, there is a need for reevaluation of the system to ensure it meets the students’ expectations.
• Lack of exposure to cultural diversity. Textbooks used in US schools present a narrow view of history and society, leading to a limited understanding of various cultural groups and their experiences. While some schools offer an emphasis on European languages like French, German, and Spanish. Less commonly taught languages, which may be spoken by immigrant communities, are often neglected hence administrators may not receive adequate training in cultural competency. This can lead to discrimination in the classroom and misunderstanding.
• Classrooms are overcrowded. The smaller the class, the better the individual student experience. A study by the National Center for Education Statistics found that 14 percent of U.S. schools exceed capacity. At a time when children need more attention than ever to succeed, overcrowded classrooms are making it even tougher to learn and tougher still for teachers to be effective
• High college fee cost. Higher education in the United States is very expensive. It’s characterized by higher tuition fees, revision textbooks, and living expenses leading to substantial debt to students. This can be a headache to students from lower-income backgrounds, for pursuing higher education related to their career. Graduates may have much financial stress which limits their education needs. The American education system should consider other families with lower earnings when deciding on their school fees. Higher college expenses discourage students from joining the US school, they will not be able to pay for their whole learning period.
• The system doesn’t focus on life skills. The education system places too much emphasis on academic subjects and not enough on practical skills like training, financial literacy, and critical life skills. Students who use this system are unable to know some life skill challenges that are needed in real-life situations. Their schedules are fixed and do not include life situation activities that exercise the students’ body, reducing being attacked by some diseases. Many students find it very difficult to adapt to difficult situations after completing their studies using the system.
• Lack of universal healthcare. The absence of universal healthcare in the United States means that it costs a student to maintain their health, which is a great burden. This will negatively impact their overall well-being and hence poor academic performance. Universal healthcare is meant to reduce expenses which are totally not offered, to mean when you don’t have money you won’t be treated while sick.

Problems with the United States education system for students

Most parents from different countries would like their children to use America’s school systems to easily get international jobs. However, it has some challenges for both students and parents.  Below are some of the problems with the United States education system that may lead to student failure. 

1. There is no parental involvement

Students using the United States education system are not given time for parental involvement in their education, which can hinder their academic success. Of all the things out of the teachers’ control, this situation is so frustrating. Time spent in the classroom isn’t enough to teach the students all that they need to know. Demand for a career in school puts higher-class students at risk when it comes to the lack of parental involvement in their academics. Therefore, there is a need to allow students to interact with their parents to learn some skills that may not be taught by teachers.

2. High student-teacher ratio

Some rural and urban areas struggle with the shortage of qualified teachers. Lack of salaries and very challenging working conditions in some schools can make it difficult to retain educators. The American education system has a ranking of low teachers’ compensation. It’s well known that low salaries can discourage talented individuals from pursuing teaching careers. The US teacher training programs don’t adequately prepare educators for the challenges they face in the classroom. As a result, they are unable to handle students’ issues, leading to the need for learners to work with tutors or to get professional essay writing help on CustomWritings from experienced writers.

3. Technology has led to assignment cheating

Academic dishonesty isn’t a new phenomenon, particularly with the rapid technological innovations in the country. However, the most interesting thing is that the students don’t think that they have done anything wrong with their assignment cheating. Some students use online writing services to do their assignments. These services help students write papers of high quality but they keep relying on their paper writers. By using recent technology they can easily find answers to their homework without creative thinking. The United States provides some online assignments in which the students just feed the internet with the questions to get the correct answers. Parents need to talk to their kids about the appropriate ways to find academic answers and alert them on how cheating can collapse education dreams. There is also a need for teachers to ensure that the students don’t cheat on their assignments.

4. Lack of technology that is more available for people with disabilities.

Students with disabilities are most experiencing American education system problems due to technology. Key to improving the educational experience for students with disabilities is good accommodation in schools and improvement of assistive technology. It should be the one that  improves functional capabilities for a child with a disability. The US should use simple ways to lift the educational experience and provide a better life foundation for people with disabilities. Education that considers all human challenges attracts more students and encourages learning in an area. This is why the US system is bad for students with disabilities, as they can’t manage to overcome important personal challenges.

5. Rigid school schedules

Students attend schools from Monday to Friday and the daily schedule is divided into several classes, where students move from one class to another throughout the day. They strictly follow the class start and end times while lunch times are very short. In the American education system, homework assignments are usually expected to be completed outside of school hours. Students are also required to attend school regularly and be in classes on time, failure to do this leads to punishments.

Understanding the American education system

America has been the benchmark for innovation and growth for a very long time. However, there are issues that have presented it in a bad light, leading to the notions of ineffectiveness. Therefore, this post provides a foundation for redesigning the curriculum for successful student growth.