Just how important is a formal education in America?
109715
That is a great question. I have a college education and am living just about paycheck to paycheck because the job I landed out of college happens to be in an extremely expensive area. \n\nMy brother-in-law went into the Marines right out of high school, served for four years, went to Iraq twice, and is now laying hardwood floors for his dad - and is raking it in. He and my sister are doing just fine - BUT they live in a far-less expensive area. \n\nShort answer - beats me how important it is. I guess it depends on what your goals are and what you want to do with your life.
764502
I travel quite a bit to Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, as well as the Middle-East and are very familiar with their educational systems.  Many of my friends are also foreigners who studied over-seas and part of my own education was overseas as well.\n\nPrimary schooling in the US between k-12 does not match European standards in levels of Mathematics, Science, and Foreign Languages.  The level of education in the US is different based on where you live.  Certain cities, counties, and school districts tend to spend a great deal more money than others and can afford better instructional environment for students.  Since education is provided for by the State and not the federal government there is not a lot of standardization throughout the US nor even within a State in some cases.  For example in California you can go to an inner-city school in Los Angeles and receive an education that is inferior to one you would receive in a suburb of San Diego an hour away.  There are, however, schools and school districts that are consistently outperforming others and that information could be found on the internet.\n\nThat said, you should know that American universities are among the best in the world. Schools such as Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT, Stanford, etc. are unmatched in the quality of education they impart and have in fact educated many of the world's so-called experts.\n\nI hope that answers your question.  Best wishes.
925267
This is where you find the heart of the matter. The future of any country depends on an educational system available to everyone, look at Ireland's example in their universal education system, they have transformed their economy in a very short period of time and are now attracting the best companies in the world. The greatest purpose in America was to see our children reach their American Dream and yet, all we do is complain about the cost and how much the teacher is making, complain about the jobs leaving the country, but don't give the kids the tools to compete. If you want jobs to return you must compete with countries that are providing first rate education to their future work force. It ain't rocket science.
1153506
where? the USA? the world?\n\nin the US you need money to continue your education past high school. Either in the form of scholarships, student loans, grants, or out of pocket. A lot of people that want to go to college simply cant afford it.
183961
The education system is efficient and based on the US curriculum. The literacy rate is 95.9%, one of highest in Asia, and about equal
482146
i think the biggest threat in america is stupidity.  there are just so many stupid people in this country and its whats causing so many problems.  if people actually cared more about their lives and their education, instead of trying to be cool and popular and not care about anything but marrying into money and stop being lazy and actually TRY to learn something, our country would be MUCH better off.
116932
No. I think that the education system in the US is terrible. The schools here don't get students ready for college. When I made the transition from high school to college it was very difficult. I was not ready and I think that the schools need to do more to get high school grads ready for life outside of school.
1030565
America is one of the few industialized countries that does not have free education for its citizens.  Other nations feel, as do I, that education is a fundamental right...not a privilege.  Other nations understand how empowering education is and how, without education, the general populace sinks into despair that often translates in joblessness.  People in extreme poverty, with no way to meet their needs, often resort to non-peaceful methods to express rage when their needs are continuously denied, generation after generation.  And who wants to be around ignorant people?  They do stupid things like support people who support war.
1114847
Higher education is important for two reasons.  First, depending on what you want to do for a career, you might need knowledge to do your job.  You can't be an engineer without some higher education.\nSecond, in college you learn whole new ways of thinking. Employers like to hire people who have gone to college because they can think in more sophisticated ways.
650293
Definitely!The term education is not just restricted to your textbooks.The term education encompasses moral as well as literary values.A world without proper education cannot be better place to live.Today,if we have the anti-socialists,the nationalists,the fanatics and the insurgents....the prime reason behind this is that they didn't get a proper educational backing.
552559
Hi, I'm an Indian, doing B.Sc. from an American college.\nI feel that though American colleges have been good in giving practical knowledge, it is loosing on the account of theoritical knowledge. Just for a basic example, in India, a 14 year old student knows what is trigonometry, which is taught much later to an American student. Although, as i said, practicality wise, American education is very good.
127583
No, the children in the U.S. are not as educated as in other countries. In many European countries, every student who graduates from secondary school has studied advanced math, chemistry, physics, biology, and can speak, read, write, and understand at least two foreign languages. In the U.S. students can graduate having taken Algebra 1 and Geometry, two years of science, and a year or two of a foreign language - taught from the perspective of "we will never need this, except to graduate from school, so it doesnt matter if we can even say 'where is the toilet' in the language we are studying". It is appaling that the U.S. has such low education standards when they insist they are the most civilized and advanced nation.
1182606
I'm sorry to dissappoint you, but that aspect of history at least, is not going to repeat itself. Job requirements are getting higher everyday. Before u didn't need school, then all u needed was a high school diploma, now it's at least an Associate's Degree. The bar is being set higher, everyone needs to keep up.\nAlso, Henry Ford might have become successful, but back then he didn't have the Germans (Mercedes), and Japanese (Toyota, Hyundai etc) breathing down his neck. Today you don't have to compete with just Americans, the whole world is competing for the job and money you want. And most of those people are educated and will have better chances.\nIf you don't think school is important thats great. But don't complain if some more educated person takes a job you want, gets paid more, and ends up more successful.
855737
The educational system in the United States has gone down hill since the 1960’s when the emphasis shifted from Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Science and History to socialization and political correctness. It also has to do with the Federal Government taking the power away from local school boards. The government changed the focus from education to integration and I am definitely not against equal rights and opportunities for all races of people. \n\nDo all children in America need to be taught the same things? I think not. Schools were better run by local boards that could take action quicker without going through a hundred levels of Federal bureaucracy. Most schools in America today are more concerned about students sitting quietly than they are in the education of our children. The education level of children graduating from high school today is a national embarrassment. We should all be ashamed for what we have let happen to our schools. The best way to correct this is to give control back to the communities. Maybe there should be some minimum standards of performance, but that should be the extent of it. Does the Federal government really belong in the class room? That is the real question the country needs to take a hard look at.
541376
School is important because it helps you to learn how to be a good person. There is an essay that was written in 1985 called All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. It is a wonderful essay about the life lessons we learn in school. The link to it is below. Please read it, and I think you will find out that school DOES teach you more than what you think it does. By the way, the one thing no one can ever take away from you is your education (my grandmother told me that), the more you learn and the more you know, the wiser you will be as you grow up.
962955
I think you should come (stay in) America. There are so many great things you can do. America has educated and produced some of the worlds best thinkers. We have great extra curricular activities and hard-working proffesers and scholars who work all year around to make sure that the next genneration has what it needs to make a difference.
675459
In schools I know, you'd need no particular formal education.  High school graduation would not be necessary.  You'd need to be good with kids, patient, well groomed, pass a criminal record check, and the same kind of skills you'd need to work in a restaurant kitchen or cafeteria.  Most of the training for such jobs happens after you get the job as each situation is different.  Previous experience in a school lunch room would be considered an asset.