What Now for American Education?

What I’m about to talk about is important to all Americans.  About their children or grandchildren. They are the future of our country.

We, in the United States of America, enjoy the highest standard of living in the world.. We have the highest standard for a number of reasons. Abundant natural resources and a multi-ethnic people living under a government that promotes personal freedom. These were the people who placed men on the moon, split the atom and invented the supercomputer. And many other products and services that we enjoy today. 

But one factor behind this success is the education of its children. At the turn of the 20th century emphasis was placed on education. At least eleven years of public education. This was soon increased to twelve years. Out of this system came hundreds of well educated factory workers, tradesmen and professionals. During the 1960s emphasis was placed on mathematics and science in our public schools. This was primarily due to the Space Race the USA had entered with the  USSR. A bold American president said we would put a man on the moon in a decade, and we did.  The result of this goal culminated in tremendous advances in technology and the invention of new materials and processes. 

During the Clinton administration the Department of Education was created.  Later the federal government instituted programs such as the ”No Child Left Behind Program'' in the Geo. W. Bush administration. The intent to improve was a failure.  Later during the Obama administration the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was passed. Although it was designed to stimulate a poor economy, it provided millions of dollars for education. The “Race For The Top'' initiative provided $4.35 million for certain educational programs. These were normally referred to as “Common Core”. The idea was to have a national standard for education. This program was not endorsed by educators or students’ parents.  This did little to slow the slide to education mediocrity. Perhaps the only positive response to Common Core was the interest sparked among normally disinterested parents 

One of the major factors contributing to a substandard American education system is the lack of interest of parents in their children’s education. During the school shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic parental interest in education increased considerably. Now such organizations as Moms for Liberty are demanding accountability from local education systems. Although millions of dollars has been funneled from the federal government, state and local governments, very little has found its way into a teacher’s paycheck. Average teacher pay is $62,304. There is a scarcity of qualified teachers. It should be noted that teachers’ unions are all about teacher benefits and not about the quality of instruction. 

There is an interesting fact concerning money for education. It seems that with the more money given to education, the better the letter grades students receive. Interestingly, scores on national tests indicate that as more money is given to education and student grades are higher, the actual learning decreases. According to a Business Insider report in 2018 the U.S. ranked 38th in math and 24th in science. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, commonly referred to as “America’s Report Card”,  measures students' knowledge in key subjects—math, reading, history, science,and more. The NAEP results echoes the same findings. 

But now our education system is deteriorating. There is no longer an emphasis on the curricula that produces mathematicians, scientists and engineers. And our place as a world leader is 

diminishing. But it’s not too late to reverse the trend.