HeartWorks Weekly Digest

The Education System Is

Outdated: Gen Z Needs An
Upgrade

by Allison Gayrama on November 28, 2023

 Education has a long history. The current system is over 200 years old. Many
generations of students have gone through the same schools with the same system.
However, with each generation comes change. There’s change in the people who go to
school and their needs, and there’s change in the purpose of school. Does the school
system that hasn’t changed in years need to be changed in order to fit the needs of
students today that were different years ago?

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Background Information on 1900s Schools

There was an industrial revolution. The education system changed to make sure
students have more knowledge and skills, especially to meet the demands of the changing
workplace and society. Some people believe that the 200 year old education system that we
have today is factory-model based because it appears that it was created to train future
factory workers.
Factory-model schools began in Prussia in the early 19th century. Students weren’t
placed by their abilities, but by age. Some saw sitting in a classroom as training for students
to show up and do as they were told as the factory owners wanted. Northwestern
University economist, Joel Nokry, says, “Much of this education, however, was not technical
in nature but social and moral. Workers who had always spent their working days in a
domestic setting, had to be taught to follow orders, to respect the space and property
rights of others, be punctual, docile, and sober. The early industrial capitalists spent a great
deal of effort and time in the social conditioning of their labor force, especially in Sunday
schools which were designed to inculcate middle-class values and attitudes, so as to make
the workers more susceptible to the incentives that the factory needed.” Schools focused
on morals and discipline, as well as making sure the students were all knowledgeable. No
matter if the schools are factory-model or not, the education system hasn’t changed since
it was created.

Generation Z Students V.S Students in the

1900s
In order to consider if schools need to be adapted to the needs of students today,
let’s first compare the students of today to students in the early 1900s, when today’s system
was first used.
 1. Resources
Gen Z members are the first generation to grow up immersed with technology like
cell phones. They have the internet, the door to billions of trillions of facts and information.
However, students in the early 1900s did not have technology like students do today.
Instead, their information was limited to books. They couldn’t communicate with people on
the other side of the world, or search up whatever questions they had when a book didn't
satisfy them. There were no video games, texts, or social media to distract them. The
technology between the 1900s students and today’s students are different.

2. Gen Z Students Have Lower Attention Spans

How long were you able to keep focus on this article? Johann Hari—who has traveled
the world for three years to interview leading experts about focus—in an article called,
“Your Attention Didn’t Collapse. It Was Stolen,” claimed that phones have stolen our
attention spans. Companies are designing social media to get our attention and keep us
scrolling. He also said that different factors affect people’s attention span (food, how long
they sleep, the air they inhale, taking play away from kids, schools basing everything on
tests, etc). Hari also mentioned a “switch-cost effect” which is when you switch to another
task and go back to the task you’re doing, your brain has to refocus and you lose time doing
so. Carnegie Mellon University human computer interaction lab had 136 students take a
test, some with phones on and others with phones off. Those who got texts did 20% worse
on average.
According to Abby Schukei, a 7th and 8th grade art teacher in Omaha, Nebraska,
95% of Gen Z teens have a smartphone. Gen Z members are multitaskers and have an
attention span of eight seconds (compared to Millennials who have twelve seconds). Phones
are a big part of their life, and phones are affecting them. Similarly to the first point,
students in the early 1900s didn’t have phones. Thus, they had longer attention spans than
students do today.

3. The Mentality is Different

Schukei claims that Gen Z students went through more standardized tests than any
other generation. That means that there weren't even as many tests in the 1900s than there
are today. Tests have stressed many students out. Plus, many question why they have to
learn things they’ll probably never use in life, such as some parts of math that appear
useless. It’s like a ripple effect; if one student thinks this way, so will hundreds of their
peers. Frankly, students don’t care about what’s being taught if it doesn’t seem important, if
it’s just being taught for a test, or if it won’t help them in a career in the future. Schukei
admitted that their mentality has caused creativity to suffer.
It’s different from past generations. They were able to sit in a classroom and learn
without question. That’s how the current system stayed for generations. However, it’s
starting to get worn out. Students have a different mentality towards school than those in
the 1900s.

4. Mental Health Is Their Greatest Enemy

According to the article, “3 Generation Z Traits Today’s Teachers Need To Adapt to,”
the total number of teens who experienced depression grew 59% from 2007 to 2017.
Factors included lack of sleep, high rates of perfectionism, and academic pressure. On top
of that, Schukei mentioned that the Social Dilemma Documentary revealed that the suicide
rate in girls aged 10-14 increased 150% in the last 10 years. There’s an increase of students
whose mental health is impacting their learning, and their learning is impacting their
mental health. Mental illnesses have always been around. However, with almost every
student having connection to social media which presents every problem, insecurity, and
idea to their screens, mental health is a bigger focus now than ever. Today’s students need
to focus more on their mental health than students did in the 1900s.
Problems Students Today Face
In the 1900s, the schools adapted a new, formal school system to fit the needs of
their times. That included getting students ready for factory jobs as well as making sure
students were literate and knowledgeable. The generation today presents new needs in the
education system. Why shouldn’t it change too? The questions are: what should we change?
What does today’s generation need? Here are a few issues to spark ideas:

1. Testing Stresses

The New York Times made an article called “What Students Are Saying About How
to Improve American Education” that features some students’ perspectives on topics about
school, one about getting rid of standardized tests. Here’s what three students from
Hoggard High School in Wilmington, NC had to say:

Brennan Stabler says, “I know that I stress over every standardized test I have taken
and so have most of my peers. I mean they are scary [...].”

William Hudson says, “In private schools, students have smaller class sizes and more
resources for field trips, computers, books, and lab equipment. They also get more “hand
holding” to guarantee success, because parents who pay tuition expect results. In public
school, the learning is up to you. You have to figure stuff out yourself, solve problems, and
advocate for yourself. If you fail, nobody cares. It takes grit to do well. None of this is
reflected in a standardized test score.”

Carter Osborn says, “Teachers will revolve their whole days on teaching a student
how to do well on a standardized test, one that could potentially impact the final score a
student receives. That is not learning. That is learning how to memorize and become a
robot that regurgitates answers instead of explaining “Why?” or “How?” that answer was
found. If we spent more time in school learning the answers to those types of questions, we
would become a nation where students are humans instead of a number.”

Paul Boyce wrote an article called, “Schools Are Outdated. It’s Time For Reform.” He
claims that tests train students to know answers, but note how to find them. They rely on
repetition, regurgitation, and memorization. Like Carter Osborn, he thinks students are
learning for a test. After all, simply being told the answer, memorizing it, and moving on
after a test isn’t learning. Blake Richards and Paul Frankland are neurologists that claim
that brains quickly disregard information once it’s no longer needed. Schools have
unconsciously centered learning around tests. However, test scores shouldn’t be the thing
educators obsess over. This made students lose hope in learning and testing.

It’s good to look up to schools in other countries that are doing well. An article
called, “U.S Education: An Outdated System” says that Finland’s education ranks one of the
highest in the world because it doesn’t focus on memorization but on other skills like
creativity and critical thinking. They’re taught to know why some of the facts are true.
They’re given questions with difficult answers and are encouraged to find answers by using
deeper thinking skills. They retain and absorb information and will learn something.

Jealous? U.S education can rise in the ranks if we change the focus of school: less
tests and more learning. However, don’t worry about the ranking and test scores—that’ll
come later. Instead, focus on what students today need: less focus on tests, more learning
for their benefit.

2. Prep For The Future

Many students today don’t feel that the classes they’re taking will benefit them or
will prepare them for the future. Hear from some students:

From Hoggard High School in Wilmington, NC, Eliana D says that, “I know many
college students who have no idea what they’re doing [...] I barely understand credit and
they expect me to be perfectly fine living alone a year from now. We need to learn about
life, things that can actually benefit us. An art student isn’t going to use biology and
trigonometry in life. Exams just seem so pointless in the long run. Why do exams focusing
on pointless topics end up determining our entire future?”

Similarly, Bella Perrotta from Kent Roosevelt High School said, “I feel frustrated
about what I’m supposed to learn in school. Most of the time, I feel like what I’m learning
will not help me in life. I am also frustrated about how my teachers teach me and what they
expect from me. Often, teachers will give me information and expect me to memorize it for
a test without teaching me any real application.”

Lastly, Daniel Capobianco from Danvers High School said, “At this point, homework
is given out to prepare the students for…more homework, rather than helping students
apply their knowledge to the real world.”

An article on the University of Massachusetts Global called, “3 Generation Z Traits

Today’s Teachers Need To Adapt To” suggests that teachers need to, “explain upfront why a
lesson is important and how it’s applicable in the real world” since students are always
receiving the latest news and expect relevant information. In other words, students want to
know the reason why they’re learning something. From how they see it, the classes they’re
required to take are pointless since it won’t benefit them. It’s like making a monkey who
lives in the wild paint on a canvas; everyone knows the studies will help scientists, but how
will it help them?

Students go to school to learn something in order to prepare themselves for the

future. That’s the point of education. If that’s the case, then why aren’t basic skills required
to be taught to students such as paying the bills or saving money? It’s good to force
students to take certain classes to spark interests, as well as challenge their brains to work
outside their comfort zones. However, do students need to be required to take four math
classes in highschool to know they’re into (or not into) math? Do brains need to constantly
be poked outside their zone?

Students need a reason for why they’re taking these classes. They also need classes
that will help them in both career and everyday life when they become adults.

3. Pressure on Students/ Mental Health

Pressure and mental health weighs down the mind. Such factors affect the way a
person is able to get through a day, moving and thinking.

Stephanie Cueva, from King of Prussia, PA, says, “As a Freshman and someone who
has a tough home life, I can agree that this is one of the main causes as to why I do poorly
on some things in school. I have been frustrated about a lot that I am expected to learn in
school because they expect us to learn so much information in such little time taht we end
up forgetting about half of it anyway. The expectations that I wish that my teachers and
school have of me is that I am only human and that I make mistakes. Don’t make me feel
even worse than I already am with telling me my low test scores and how poorly I’m doing
in classes.”

From the Masterman School, Theodore Loshi said, “In my school, we don’t have the
best things, there are holes in the walls, mice, and cockroaches everywhere. We also have a
lot of stress so there is rarely time for us to study and prepare for our tests because we
constantly have work to do and there isn’t time for us to relax and do the things that we
enjoy. We sleep late and can’t ever focus, but yet that’s our fault and that we are doing
something wrong. School has become a place where we just do work, stress, and repeat but
there has been nothing changed. We can’t learn what we need to learn because we are
constantly occupied with unnecessary work that just pulls us back.”

Henry Alley, who goes to Hoggard High School in Wilmington NC said, “As a student
of an American educational center let me tell you, it is horrible. The books are outdated,
the bathrooms are hideous, stress is ever prevalent, homework seems never ending, and
worst of all, the seemingly impossible feat of balancing school life, social life, and family life
is abominable. The only way you could fix it would be to lessen the load dumped on
students and give us a break.”

There is a common theme in these statements: school is giving them stress.

Stress stems from many factors. Factors include: the urge to do better in school, the
pressure from adults like parents to do well on tests (some students feel their
parents want them to always get 100 on tests), and the delusion to always be perfect
or happy or amazing like the people students see on the internet. These are what
are causing higher rates of perfectionism. The source “Social Media Used and
Teaching Methods Preferred by Generation Z Students in the Nursing Clinical
Learning Environment: A Cross-Sectional Research Study” claimed that Gen Z take
fewer risks than past generations. Students aren’t supported to make mistakes. They
forget that it’s alright to.

These students have lives outside of school as well. They’re being crushed by
the pressures to do well on tests, as well as facing problems they have with external
factors like families or a change in life. Imagine school is giving them three balls to
juggle. However, extra curricular activities throw in two more balls, and problems
throw in ten. The students will eventually be overwhelmed and can’t balance
anymore. They always have to juggle everyday until they stop school.

Students need to learn how mental health affects them and how to take care
of themselves. Pressure and “perfection” need to be toned down. Don’t let students
forget that nobody—from professional athletes to the guy next door—is perfect 24/7.
Everyone is human and making mistakes teaches people more fruitful lessons than if
they don’t try. Students also need school to be more fun. Learning shouldn’t be
stressful. Why is it stressful? The focus isn’t on enriching the brains and lives of
students. How information is presented, taught, and interacting with students needs
 to change in order to make students more curious and happy when learning. They
should enjoy it. Also, the tests should be changed too. Students shouldn’t be scared
of tests or stressing over it as if it’ll give them a death sentence. This shows that too
much pressure on students to do well has affected them for the worse. Let’s change
that.

4. Mindset
As mentioned before, today’s students have a different mindset than students in the
1900s. The mindset they have depends on how they’re taught to think and who’s around
them. One person can be affected by the things other people say, think, and feel. It’s like a
virus; if negativity is coughed out of one person, their friends will get it and spread it to
more people and beyond.

Schools need to create a positive environment for students. There are many ideas
and strategies to go about this. Teachers can break up the curriculum into frequent
milestones for students to celebrate. Not many people realize the progress they’re making,
and lose the reason and interest of why they’re doing something. If students are rewarded
or complimented or acknowledged for what they’ve done so far, they’ll be more motivated
and excited as they keep learning.

Other solutions include teachers encouraging students to help each other, breaking
tasks into smaller pieces, and offering to help students to make study plans. Huge tasks can
seem daunting. That’s why students procrastinate or do other tasks first. They think that
it’ll take too much time and effort, though it is more rewarding to get huge things done
first. Breaking things down can help students work through things easier. Study plans will
also guide students to plan out their day and balance. Plus, support from their peers will
motivate them to do their best. After all, peer pressure can sway someone to do good, not
just bad. If one student has the mindset to do their best in school, another student will
receive it too. Influence is another powerful tool schools have; not just technology.

In all, students need school to be enjoyable and engaging. They need a positive
environment.

5. The Way Students Are Taught

Many students are tired of sitting through a class just taking notes, only to be tested
on it days later. Other students are tired of technology. It’s too easy to find answers and
they’re always using it.

Ema Thorakkal from Glenbard West HS IL said, “Kids now a days are always on
technology because they are heavily dependent on it- for the purpose of entertainment and
education. Instead of pondering or thinking for ourselves, our first instinct is to google and
search for the answers without giving it any thought. This is a major factor in why I think
American students tests scores haven’t been improving because no one wants to take time
and think about questions, instead they want to find answers as fast as they can just so they
can get the assignment/ project over with.”

From Hoggard High School in Wilmington, NC, Ethan Pinkey said, “There needs to
be a healthier balance between pen and paper work and internet work and that balance
may not even be 50:50. I personally find myself growing as a student more when I am
writing down my assignments and planning out my day on paper instead of relying on my
phone for it. Students now are being taught from preschool about technology and that is
damaging their growth and reading ability. In my opinion as well as many of my peers, a
computer can never beat a book in terms of comprehension.”

Vivina Dong said, “Learning needs to be more interesting. Not many people like to
study from their textbooks because there’s not much to interact with. I think that instead of
studying from textbooks, more interactive activities should be used instead. Videos,
websites, games, whatever might interest students more. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t
use textbooks, I’m just saying that we should have a combination of both textbooks and
technology to make learning more interesting in order for students to learn more.”

Gen Z students were born into technology—it’s all they’ve known. However, it’s not
always favored in the classroom. Students use technology to quickly find the answer
without thinking about it. However, what if that flaw could be turned into a blessing?
Instead of finding answers, it’s possible students can do research on a topic using websites.
Then, they could share what they’ve learned with the teacher. They can use technology to
watch educational videos, play educational games—anything to make learning more
engaging. Lessons could alternate between paper and technology work, adding variety to
learning styles. Plus, students could bounce between stations, projects, presentations, labs,
crafts, and simple work.

On a similar note, Schukei suggests that slideshows teachers present should be kept
short and videos should be less than six minutes. As mentioned before, gen Z students have
low attention spans. Sieva Kozinsky in a Forbes article called, “How Generation Z is Shaping
The Change In Education” says, “Gen Z-ers tend to embrace social learning environments,
where they can be hands-on and directly involved in the learning process.” Students should
interact with one another and be involved with what they’re learning. That’ll make learning
more fun. Plus, students learn from their peers through conversations, work, and games.

Students today need to be constantly engaged to learn. Some may not pay attention
or care if they learn simply through a presentation and a few papers all the time. There are
so many ways of learning to try, and today’s students need to try them all. They need to
work with their learning, and need to see more than one way of learning when they walk
into their classrooms. They need to communicate with others when they are learning. They
need the way they are taught and do work to be changed.
Conclusion

The students of today have different needs from school than students in the early
1900s did when the current system was created for them. It’s time to change the school
system so we can address those needs. Doctors changed their practices over time as they
got more resources, learned new information, and gained new technology. There’s no
reason why schools should be any different.

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