Is the Education System weak?

 By Sybelle Gesman

In an ideal school, a teacher’s mission is to help a child develop and grow not just cognitively, but also socially, emotionally, linguistically, ethically, and physically. Nowadays, school’s main focus does not correspond to those certain lifelong growths but mainly focus on the temporary results. High schools today focus so much on honors classes and standardized testing that they fail to see students are missing out an opportunity to learn beneficial life skills they could use in college or beyond. Has our education become more about temporary grades and results rather than long term success and knowledge? 

A common trend today is standardized tests. These tests or “high stakes” are one of the major factors that determine a student’s future. But research show that high stakes testing causes damage to the student and their education. One of the reasons that the article, “The Dangerous Consequences of High- Stakes Standardized Testing,” stated is that, “more schools focus instruction on the tests. As a result, what is not tested often is not taught.... Important topics or skills that cannot be tested with paper-and-pencil tests – such as writing research papers or conducting laboratory experiments – are not taught.” Some may argue that these standardized tests would be beneficial to a person while others would disagree. 

Some of the reasons people disagree is because it tends to drive out good teachers. Good teachers are often discouraged and even disgusted on the overemphasis of test preparations. The overemphasis on standardized test eliminates the teaching aspect of being a teacher. Setting the curriculum to standardized test prevents teachers from utilizing creative teaching styles. The lack of focus on creativity oriented learning styles diminishes the enthusiasm of many students. 

 There are also non-academic factors that standardized testing can cause affecting the student’s score. These include test anxiety, fatigue, lack of attention—and the list goes on. Other characteristics can be categorized through the child’s grade. Students in kindergarten through 2^nd grade have short attention span and there is little motivation to do this type of test because of their lack of understanding on the purpose of the test. In grades 6 to 8, there is an increase of test anxiety and the students become more skeptical about the value of the test. While students in high school, are more skeptical about the validity and usefulness of the standardized test. The standardized testing advantages and disadvantages are explained in this video Standardized Test in Education.

A study in 2009 found that U.S.A students ranked 25^th among 34 countries in math and science. According to an article, “Best Education in the World,” it stated that, “just 6 percent of U.S. students performed at the advanced level on an international exam administered in 56 countries in 2006. That proportion is lower than those achieved by students in 30 other countries.” The low performance of American students could jeopardize the nation’s economic growth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLluAqPIo8w&feature=player_embedded (embedded video)

So should schools really focus more on these tests and forget about the other subjects? Is the American education system really weak? All these lingering questions needs solutions or answers so educators know how to help and improve a student’s learning.

Bibliography

 “Best Education In The World: Finland, South Korea Top Country Rankings, U.S. Rated Average." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/27/best-education-in-the-wor_n_2199795.html>.

"Standardized Tests in Education: Advantages and Disadvantages - Free Educational Psychology Video." Take Free Online Courses. Earn College Credit. Research Schools, Degrees & Careers. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013. <http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/standardized-tests-in-education-advantages-and-disadvantages.html>.

"Statistics About Education in America | StudentsFirst.org." StudentsFirst.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013. <http://www.studentsfirst.org/pages/the-stats>.

"The Dangerous Consequences of High-Stakes Standardized Testing | Education.com." Education.com | An Education & Child Development Site for Parents | Parenting & Educational Resource. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013. <http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Dangerous/>.

curiosity, forcing them into a compliance-based model of education. All children are natural learners. We’re born with, creativity,  wonder, intrinsic motivation. Research shows that with more years of formal schooling, those very qualities are stunted tremendously. Moreover, schools largely resemble prisons: children are cut from society, and social media is banned.. "How Should We Rebuild the U.S. Education System? - Forbes." Information for the World's Business Leaders - Forbes.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka/2013/02/15/how-should-we-rebuild-the-u-s-education-system/>.