The American Education System: Its Problems and How We Can Fix Them

A study carried out by Yale researchers has shown that about 75% of high school students feel negatively about school. Generally speaking, the words many students use to describe school are something along the lines of “stressful” or “boring,” but why is that? 

Many students can agree that grades seem like they define them as a person and display the extent of their intelligence with a mere letter or number. This has grown to a point at which kids are now focusing more on grades rather than learning. Students will often hear things like “don’t take that class, it’ll lower your GPA” or “take this instead, it’s an easy A”. They also refer to themselves as the grade they get in class, for example, a “B student,” or “C student”. Being absent in a class often causes kids to worry more about having a lowered grade due to not submitting an assignment compared to missing out on new lessons and topics. Too much  pressure to get good grades can also lead to mental health problems like anxiety and depression. The stress has even led students to take their own lives in certain situations. Grades restrict creativity, often making students focus on what the teacher would like, or what the rubric says, rather than learning and exploring more about a topic. There should be some emphasis on grades, to the extent that their main purpose is to motivate kids to do well in school, but not to the point at which they cause unnecessary stress. 

Teacher salaries have declined since 2010, spanning from a -4.4% to -8.4% drop compared to the median earnings of other full-time workers in America. Teaching has become a job that many are hesitant to pursue despite having a passion for educating, all because of the low pay. Pay is one of the top reasons that teachers are resigning. According to a 2022 survey, 55% of teachers said they were considering leaving the profession earlier than they had planned. Many report having less resources, time, and respect. As teachers become unmotivated, so do their students. America’s public schools are leaving teachers burned out and open positions in schools are becoming harder to fill up. In general, Massachusetts is a state that prioritizes education and sees astounding results within the school system, but the same cannot be said for many other states, due to various reasons like safety concerns and underfunded schools. What does this mean for the future of education in America? There is no simple fix for this problem, but the government needs to put more money and effort into supporting our teachers.

Nowadays, students and teachers are starting to rely on technology for learning at too young of an age. Technology is useful for interactive lessons and different ways of absorbing information, but is often detrimental when introduced early on. Grades K-4 are the time students have to focus on being outside, with family, and with friends in order to develop their social skills and discover new interests. According to a professor that studies writing and cognition, handwriting skills have worsened, which has also affected reading. Moreover, constant access to technology is too much of a distraction at that young of an age. Earlier, Ipads were introduced for grade 4 students to use solely in the classroom, as opposed to the current system, which introduces access to an iPad both in school and at home starting in kindergarten. The earlier approach proved effective at the time and should be in effect now as well. 

The American education system faces these problems as well as many more. What matters are the steps we take in order to solve these issues and work towards a better learning system for future generations.