Why American Education Fails?


Despite previous initiatives to improve the American educational system, including No Child Left behind, Race to the Top, and Every Student Succeeds Act, the American education system is broken. Forbes proposes that the main reason for this degradation of the U.S. education system is because teachers are not treated like professionals.

Background: 
  • Many individuals would argue that there are certain characteristics that make good teachers --> a passion for their subject, deep knowledge on that subject, a willingness to listen to their students' needs, and a vision of what a properly education class will look like at the end of the academic year. 
  • The largest problem with the American educational system is that it prioritizes standardized test scores above anything else. Test performance is tied to state funding and the evaluation of teachers and students. 
  • While there is no empirical evidence to assert that standardized testing is the best indicator of knowledge, it is the government's accepted metric for determining academic success. 
  • What teachers need is the freedom and flexibility to assess their situations in the classroom and make empowered decision that are the best for their students.
  • The vision of a successful student has collapsed to a test metric.
  • In the education system, there is also a lack of diversity among those who are considered the "talented and gifted." 
  • Some students are lost in the school-to-prison pipeline. Nearly half of young, black men in urban high schools do not earn a diploma. They are caught in the prison and school pipeline. Students who are at risk for dropping out need more support for their education than good grades on their report cards, they need support. 
  • The U.S. is still struggling to determine how to handle high school dropouts. Nearly 38% of high school dropouts are in poverty. 
Questions to Consider: 

What are the benefits of standardized testing? 
What are the harms? 
What other ways should the U.S. test student performance universally?

Additional Resources: 

the Atlantic -- Education Percentage Gap
Diane Ravitch "Reign of Error: The Hoax of Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools" 

Potential Debate Motions: 

This House would abolish the No Child Left Behind Act 
This House believes that Obama should have prioritized education over healthcare

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