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DanielHoneycutt
UWRT1103
Grant
11/4/14
FailuresoftheUnitedStatesEducationSystem
Anewideahasdevelopedintoaviewoneducationandkeepinglearningthesameforall
students.Thisissupposedlytodevelopstudentsatthesamelevelandyetitseemsasifitalsohindersat
thesamelevel.Withthemanydifferentlearningstylesitseemsirrelevantifnotabsolutelyuselessto
trytoteachstudentsthesameway.Standardizedtestingandotherformsofmeasurementhavebecome
nothingmorethanboostersforAYPscores.ThisAdequateyearlyprogressscoreservesno
purposebuttoshowwhatschoolsarethebestandwhicharen't.Thishardlymattersifaschoolhasa
highscorewheninmoretimesthannotstudentsarestuckinwhateverschooltheygrowupcloseto.It
isacommonfeelingthatinsteadofpreparingtheyoungmindsofsocietytheeducationsystemshave
fallentothecorruptionthatisasuperioritycomplexandthatschoolisnolongeraboutthestudents.
ThiscanbereflectivebyanewpolicyatDavidsonCountySchoolstochangeanygradeinacourse
belowasixtytothelaterinthefirstandthirdquarter,thisisinordertoencouragestudentstodo
betterwheninfactitservesnopurposethantopromotelazinessandbeliefinhandouts.Thispolicy
showsthelengthsschoolsystemswillgotoshowimprovementorboosttheirownstatistics.This
ideaabouteducationinschoolsanditslacktocompleteitsprimarypurposeofpreparingyouthfor
highereducationandeducatingtheminfieldstheywillneedwillsurelyblowopenthedoorsonwhat,
ifanything,ismotivatingtheratherthoughtlessdecisionsandpoliciesbehindsecondaryeducation
systemstoday.
TheEducationsystemintheUnitedStateshasgoodintentionswithalltheopportunitiesthey
providefortheyouthinAmerica.ThingsliketheNoChildLeftBehindActthatareintendedtodo

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greatthingsjustturnintopointlessextraworkforteachers,whichinturndoesnothingtohelpstudents.
ThingslikeAcademicYearlyProgress(AYP)scoresandstandardizedtestsseemtobethestepping
stonesofmodernizingeducationwheninrealitytheyarethehooksinthenetofageneralizededucation
Withthesepointlessscoresthatdonothingthantolabelanentireschoolasopposedtocheckingonthe
studentasanindividualkidstheNoChildLeftBehindActhasledtoentireschoolsdistrictsfalling
behind.Thesedistrictsthenintroducenewpoliciesto"helpthestudents",thesepolicieswhichinfact
donothingbutmaketheschoollookbetter.Schoolsarestartingtofocusmoreuponstudentspassinga
testthanactuallyretainingtheknowledgetheyweresupposedtolearn.Whatwasthepointeducationif
nottolearn?Howisbeingabletoregurgitateinformationontoabubblesheetsupposedtomeasurethe
qualityofastudent'seducationorhowmuchtheyhavelearned?Althoughtheeducationsystemhasits
heartintherightplace,thefactofthematteristhateducationneedstoprogresswithsociety.Without
progresstherecanbenoimprovement,butwithoutimprovementnoprogresswillbemade.This
paradoxgoestoshowthattheeducationsystemwilleventuallyforceitselfintoajam,orbetweena
rockandahardplace,withhowtocompromisefromqualityofeducationorqualityofscores.The
educationprovideddoesnotpromotebetterstudentsbutdetersthemfromreachingtheirtruepotential
andoptimizingtheirlearningexperience.
Thelearningprocessfortoday'sstudentsisfrequentlyinterruptedbycurriculumchangesand
newpoliciesthatareimplementedbyschoolsystems.Thesecurriculumchangescauseteacherstobein
disarraywithhowtoandwhattoteachtheirstudents.Thiseffectivelyputsahalttoachild'slearning.If
astudentcanseethatateacherhasnoideawhatisgoingoninaclassroomtheyinturnwillnotbother
topayattention,astheywilldeemitpointless.Thatalongwithnewpoliciesthatgetputintoplaceto
improvegrades.AccordingtoJaneDoe(ateacherwithinaschooldistrictinNorthCarolina)
Thecountyhasimplementedanewpolicyregardinggradesinthefirstandthirdquarters.This
policyisthatastudentsgrade,nomatterhowlow,willbemoveduptoasixtyattheendofthe

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firstandthirdquarter.Ideallythispolicywouldmotivatestudentstotrybetterinthesecond
andfourthquarterswithhopetopass,butIbelievethatallitwilldoisshowstudentsthatdo
nothavetotrytogoanythinginthebeginningofeachsemesterandstriveforaneightyor
aboveintheend.Theonlywaythisworksisifstudentsnevercaughtontotheirgradesbeing
changed.(Doe)
Thispolicyisjustoneofmanyexamplesofhowthemoderneducationsystemiswillingtosacrificethe
qualityofeducationtheyaregivingtheirstudentsforhighergradestoshowotherdistricts.Thereisno
pointinthesekindsofpoliciesthat,despitetheircleverintentions,arenotforthegoodandbetterment
ofachildseducation.Theoverwhelmingmajorityofthesystemsputinplacetodayareputinplaceto
playthenumbersgameofsociety.Thisgameissimplythattheschoolswiththebestscoresand
betterstatisticsgetthemostattentionandfunding.
AnotherredundantadditiontoeducationistheexistenceofAYPscores.Informationtoobtain
thesescoresarerequiredofschoolswhoreceiveTitle1funding.Title1wasbroughtaspartofthe
ElementaryandSecondaryEducationAct.Thisactallowedgrantsandotherfundingtogotolocal
educationagencies.Thisisbasedoninformationlikehouseholdincomeandage.Informationabout
studentsissentinandaftercertaincalculationsareappliedalistofformulastudentsisobtained.
Basedofftheamountofformulastudentsandtheamountofschoolagedresidentswithinanagencies
area,itcanbegrantedTitle1funding.This,aswithallthingsinlife,comeswithaprice.Theschools
whoreceivethismoneymustthensendininformationabouttheirstudentbodies.Thisinformation
includes:studentswhoareeconomicallydisadvantaged,informationabouttheirspecialeducation
programs,LimitedEnglishProficientstudents(sometimesreferredtoasEnglishlanguagelearners,and
informationaboutstudentsfrommajorracialorethnicgroups,andofcoursetestscoreinformationin
relationtotheaforementionedgroups.Theproblemwiththisisthatforascorethatisintendedto
measuretheprogressofaschooldistrict,itrequiresalotofinformationthatdoesntpertainto

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educationalongwithdemandstoreachacertainscore.IfaschooldoesnotmeetAYPthereare
sanctionsandotherrepercussions.ThiscouldbeseenastheUnitedStatesprotectingitsinvestmentin
theseschoolsbutalsoitcomesacrossasawayofkickingthemwhiletheyaredown.Althoughitisa
commonbeliefthatAYPissolelybasedoffoftestscorestheNationCoalitionforParentsInvolvedin
EducationpointsoutthatInadditiontotestscores,stateAYPaccountabilitysystemsmust

incorporategraduationratesforpublicsecondaryschoolstudentsandatleastoneother
academicindicatorforpublicelementaryschoolstudents.(National1)Thiscanbeanything
fromotherassessmentsoftheirdistricts,decreasesinratesofchildrenbeingretainedand/or
changesinpercentagesofstudentscompletinggiftedprograms,advancedplacement,orother
collegeclasses.Requiringsomuchfromtheseschoolsonlyappliesmorepressureandstresson
notonlythefacultyandstaffbutalsoonthestudentsthemselves.Themajorityofdropoutsfrom
theseschoolsdosobecausetheyfeelsostressedandthatlifewouldbeeasieriftheyjust
acceptedtheinevitable.Thismindsetcomesaboutwhenstudentsknowthattheyarebeing
pushedtofulfilltheseexpectationsandtheythinktheyareexpectedtodosobecauseoftheir
background.ThoughtheAYPscorewasintendedtohelpmotivateandprovidefundingfor
studentsithasmanagedtoonlypreformthelaterattheexpensiveofthemotivation,thus
renderingitsentireexistencetobepointless.
InternationalcomparisonsandstatisticscomparedtoUnitedStatesarethedirectcauseof
muchmisappropriatedblameandmanyunsatisfactorypolicies.InDecember2012averagesfrom
the2011TrendsinInternationalMathematicsandScienceStudy(TIMSS)werereleased.The
U.S.SecretaryofEducationissuedastatementcallingthescoresunacceptable,particularlyinthe
factthat8thgradesciencehadnotimprovedfromthepreviousTIMSStwoyearsearlier.When
thesescoreswerereleasedhehadstatedthatAmericanstudentswereunpreparedfortheglobal

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knowledgeeconomy.Hestressedthisbeingduetogapsinachievementformdisadvantaged
studentssayingAsdisturbingasthesenationaltrendsareforAmerica,enormousachievement
gapsamongblackandHispanicstudentsportendevenmoretroublefortheU.S.intheyears
ahead.MartinCarnoyandRichardRothsteincombatthisstating:
Conclusionslikethese,whichareoftendrawnfrominternationaltestcomparisons,are
oversimplified,frequentlyexaggerated,andmisleading.Theyignorethecomplexityof
testresultsandmayleadpolicymakerstopursueinappropriateandevenharmfulreforms.
(Carnoy)
Thesemenareabsolutelycorrect.Thefactthatdemographicsareblamedforthefailuresofthe
DepartmentofEducationisoutrageous.ThefallofeducationintheUnitedStatesistobeblamed
onthesystemasawholenotintothesubgroupsanddemographics.
TheeducationofAmericatodayislessthansatisfactory.Notthestudents,notthe
teacherstheeducation.Untilpolicymakersandofficialsunderstandthisnoprogresscanbe
made.Thepoliciesandproceduresinplacetodayneedtobeplacedunderamicroscopeand
thoroughlyexaminedandfromtherechangescanbemadetoimprovetheyouthofAmericaand
theireducation.Thisistheonlywaytoensureprogress.Notmakingupnewpoliciesanddealing
blametospecificschoolsorchildrenbutbylookinginwardtothesystemandthepoliciesthat
composeit.

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