Comparing Education
Posted by admin on December 21st, 2009
For years, the US has been compared to other industrialized nations across the world when it comes to our educational standards. The media tells stories of how far behind our children are compared to the children of other nations, like China, especially when it comes to our math and sciences. Presidential candidates always seem to make education a part of their platform during the race for office, but how many have truly followed through with their original plans/promises?
President Bush signed the “No Child Left Behind” Act into law during his presidency with the hopes of bringing all of our children up to, at the least, a proficient level in their studies. Unfortunately, without a budget to really back this type of undertaking it became somewhat of a joke to professionals and teachers in the education industry. Unfortunately, the plan backfired and with such pressures on the schools to achieve certain levels, teachers have begun “teaching to the test” instead of taking the time to make sure students grasp the knowledge their being given and know how to actually apply it in a real-life setting.
And, recently, the Obama Administration has urged everyone to go beyond their high school diploma to achieve their associates or bachelors degree. His plan includes more funding for early-learning programs as well as an item to address the current affordability of higher education and how to make it more accessible to everyone.
So, what are your thoughts? Are we struggling in the world market because of our current educational system? Should students start going year-round as in other industrialized countries? What are your thoughts on the state standardized tests that are being given to gauge our children’s’ success in school?
This entry was posted on Monday, December 21st, 2009 at 6:00 am and is filed under Online Education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
