Essay on "How to Improve the United States Education System"

Essay 4 pages (1462 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Education System

Cover Letter:

What was the purpose of this essay? In your response, explore the deeper meaning of this question. The goal is not to just complete the assignment but instead to convey a message. What do you plan to accomplish with this essay? What do you hope the reader takes away from this argument

The purpose of this essay was to investigate some of the shortcomings in American public education. Consequently, the focus of the essay is on the need for reform in areas such as diversity sensitivity. The hope is that the reader leaves this essay with a sense that the need for reform is considerable.

What did you learn from completing this assignment? Did you experience a new understanding of the topic? Did you change your perspective after completing the research?

One particularly interesting fact I learned is that standardized testing has been detrimental to student learning. This didn't change my perspective so much as reinforce it. The essay offers several sources which support the claim that this mode of testing is destructive to learning interests.

3. What difficulties did you encounter during the research, writing or editing phases of the assignment?

The greatest difficulty I encountered was in writing about the counterpoint to the essay's primary argument. Because I believe that standardized testing as a tool of accountability is highly flawed, I was hard pressed to write any argument in support of this strategy. Ultimately though, I was able to describe this position with objectivity.

4. What did you enjoy about this assignment?

My favorite aspect of this assignment was the opportunity to address a problem that impacts all of us. I enjoy the prospect of contributing a discussion on educational reform. I enjoyed offering my research-based position on said reform.

5. What made you decide to write about this particular topic? Is this a topic you are discussing in another course? Is this a topic that concerns you in particular?

I chose the topic of educational reform because it is something that I believe is especially pressing today. This is also why diversity would be an important focus of the essay. This is an issue that is becoming ever more pressing to deal with as our population diversity grows.

6. Is there anything else you would like for me to know before reading your essay? One thing to know before proceeding is that, in spite of the pressing need for reform, I believe that legislation is moving in the wrong direction today, intensifying rather than reducing our dependency on standardized testing.

Improving the U.S. Educational System

Introduction:

The United States projects itself as being at once the most powerful and advanced nation in the world. But its recent performance in the field of education suggests that if this was true at one point, it is increasingly less true with each passing generation. According to the article by Moore (2013), in a study "conducted among industrialized nations every three years, American students finished 25th in math, 17th in science and 12th in reading on the latest PISA assessment. Obviously, in our global economy, this nation's international educational attainment is discouraging for our future prospects." (p. 1)

It also denotes that there is a serious pressure on our education system to find ways to move toward improvement now. The discussion here considers the best path forward and addresses the counterpoint to this strategy as well.

Claim:

One of the most troubling realities of America's educational system is its sheer inequality. Minority populations often suffer the lowest performing, most resource-strapped and most neglected public schools. According to the article by Mehta (2013), "half a century after the end of official segregation, huge gaps continue to divide students by race and class, with the average black 12th grader scoring in reading at a level equivalent to the average white eighth grader on the National Assessment of Educational Progress." (p. 1)

A disregard of America's growing ethnic diversity is underscored by the stalwart ethnocentrism of America's academic curriculum, content and strategy. As the article by Hurtado (1999) et al. argues, there is a need for schools to begin to think of education as an avenue for exploring diversity rather than denying it. According to the article, "the needed fundamental institutional changes would include a conceptual shift in thinking about diversity and about an institution's overall teaching and learning priorities, in… READ MORE

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