Final Review Day 2: Education in America

Problems with American Education -Currently 68% of students in high school will graduate -Dropping out of high school has lasting effects -Average income of a worker without a diploma is $20,100 (1/3 less than the salary of a worker with a diploma) -Increasing graduation rate by 1% would save America $1.4 billion dollars in healthcare costs

Reading Epidemic More than 8 million students in the U.S. cannot read or comprehend what they have read 7,000 students drop out of school each day because they lack literacy skills to be successful

Teachers and Parents 46% of new teachers quit after the first 5 years Number jumps to 50% in urban schools Lack of Involvement from parents: –Scheduling conflicts –Language barriers –Lack of transportation –Their own bad experiences in high school

Solutions From Our Current Government Race to the Top: The Obama administration presented the United States with a challenge to reform each states educational system in order to make sure that America’s students are college and career ready.

What is Race to the Top? 1. Backed by $4.35 billion dollars invested, states were required to create data-driven systems for training and evaluating principals and teachers; 2. It encourages the establishment of high- quality charter schools; develop plans for turning around failing schools; and demonstrate a strong political consensus for reform.

Pros -Promotes state accountability -Promotes innovation and results through competition -Promote reform to the lowest performing schools -Create a data system to improve curriculum and instruction -Create new means for teachers to enter the field

Cons -Increased pressure to teach to the test -Less funding for arts and humanities in school -Gaps in funding continue – low performing schools stay low performing if not granted additional funding -Teacher evaluation becomes primary grounds for school performance -Sets schools up for failure

The Common Core -45 states voluntarily adopted the initiative to make our students career and college ready -Designed to streamline state curriculum through universal specifications so that kids all over the country will learn the same things.

The Common Core: Pros -Create more understanding amongst students -More rigorous curriculum makes students career and college ready -Attempting to raise international ranking of American education -National continuity – students throughout the country are learning the same things -Increase literacy skills

The Common Core: Cons -Too much federal control over education -Emphasis on testing in school, less creativity -Focus is on math, literacy and science – less focus on Social Studies, Creative Writing, Arts, etc. -Increase in teaching to the test -Waste of money – need for all new textbooks etc.