The United States of America: the seemingly idyllic nation of absolute excellence, the nation citizens adore and immigrants flock too. Thriving with immeasurable imports and exports and capitalized by the almighty American dream, the red, white, and blue stars and strips of the USA seem ideal in nearly every attribute. However, alongside a massive national debt and a collapsing economy, not everything in Uncle Sam’s homeland is truly as well-off as it may seem. Perhaps, of all the country’s difficulties and troubles and hardships, the greatest may be its education. The American youth are constantly being submitted to an ever-changing education system in which they are subjected to mold to a learning style that may not necessarily be most suitable for them. Public education changes from day to day and it is evident that the drastic modifications instituted upon public school system have a significant impact on both the local and national stage.
Melissa Siegal, an AP US History teacher at Norton High School, says that “Public schools have conformed far too much to standardized testing. Teachers are, in a way, almost forced to teach material that may not necessarily be beneficial to the students. Because of the class I teach, my curriculum revolves solely around that AP test at the end of the year, and I don’t think that’s really helping anyone.” One of Siegal’s students, senior and student council president Anthony Kennedy, expressed similar views saying that “Although its always good for our education system to grow and evolve, I think we’ve comply with the national standards and international competition too much. We are constantly forced to have good grades because we are told how intense the competition is out there.”
One thing is for certain: the United States will never stop changing its education system for what it believes is in the best interest of its hundreds of millions of students. However, the only doubt lies in what truly is best for these students, and unfortunately, it is not for those teaching the material or being taught the material to decide.
More information on the American education system can be found at the American Educational Research Association website.
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