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At the onset of the 21t century, the United States of America as the sole superpower in the world; this was as a result of the fall of the Soviet Union. This is the case for most other aspects of life in the US, it has the third-largest population in the world, a strong military force, a large and stable economy, and many other superlatives. Besides, the US is a top choice for international students willing to broaden their horizon.
The US has numerous challenges that plague its education systems. When you hear of the US, you envision a land of opportunities and equality. However, this is far from the truth concerning the current state of the education system. The formal system of learning in the US was developed to help meet the demands of the industrial revolution. A look at the current global economy and what the US education system has evolved into, it is clear that it is not able to cope with the requirements of a continually changing and technology-oriented society.
A good example is a student attending a public school is sometimes expected to buy his/ her own textbooks in addition to being required to tutor non-native English speaking students or English as a second language students (ESL). You will quickly notice that a student’s access to educational resources directly affects their levels of success. Although public education is free in the US, a student is still expected to part with a sizable amount of money to sit for exams. This is because, for the most part, the US government has allowed the unequal disbursement of learning resources.
This is a subject that has already been discussed and concluded to be one of the primary reasons why a student would opt to pay a essay writer to help them complete various assignments; an action that has previously been attributed to the students’ laziness. Here are a few challenges that are hindering the US education system from regaining its former glory:
- Parents and guardians are not involved in their children’s academic life
This is a challenge that is out of the schools’ control, and perhaps the most frustrating problem faced by the US system of learning. Students require to spend some additional hours learning or doing homework at home. But this process is hindered by the lack of interest by parents and guardians, thus lowering their child’s productivity.
- Lack of adequate funding and closure of public schools
Even as the US economy is seemingly growing, the budget allocated to public schools by each state is still suffering as a result of the recession that affected the US economy years back. This results in the cut back of essential learning resources and in worst-case scenarios, the closure of the school due to inadequate funds to keep it running.
- Overcrowding in classrooms
The lower the student-teacher ratio, the better the learning experience, which directly translates to the results at the end of each term. The more the number of students, the less practical the learning experience will be. This is confirmed by the National Center for Education Statistics in the US that found out a large number of public schools far exceed the capacity.
- The drawbacks of technology
Technology is an excellent addition to any learning environment; however, most public schools have either completely ignored it or are unable to implement it due to reduced state funding. When schools lack to take advantage of the opportunities offered by technology, they will be at a disadvantage in the future.
- Inability to adopt new modes of teaching
Today’s students go to school with a view of the world that is shaped by much more than just life experiences. This is majorly due to the widespread use of the internet, and as such, the learning environment also needs to evolve.
- New avenues that facilitate cheating
Academic dishonesty is not a new concept, however, with current technological advancements, it is now easier for students to cheat in their assignment and exams. The problem arises when schools do not update their policies to cater to these new advancements.
- School security efforts
Understandably, as parents, you would do just anything to protect your children. And with this mentality, more and more public schools have increased police presence, metal detectors at the entrance, a security camera at every corner and gated campuses. But what you fail to realize is that these security measures greatly interferes with the natural learning environment and readily provides opportunities for distractions.
This is just a tip of the iceberg that is the problems that plague the US education system. Most of these challenges are already known by the relevant authorities but little I being done to rectify the situation.