What is wrong with the U.S. educational system?
961561
There are dozens of problems, but here are some of the root ones: \n\n- Parents don't get involved enough. The number one indicator for success in school is parental involvement, however, too many parents are letting schools raise their kids for them. \n\n- No competetion between schools to obtain and keep students. Public education is a monopoly. No where on the planet, at any time during recorded history has a monopoly made a better service than can be had in an open market. Allow vouchers and school choice, and you will see monumental gains. Screw the teacher's union, they have zero interest in educating the kids, only in maintaining the appalling status quo. \n\n- Schools are focusing too much on disciplinary problems, and running away from law suits. If teacher A has to spend 80% of the time addressing the misbehavior of student B, how much does that affect the rest of the class? \n\n- NCLB forces schools to teach to a standardized test rather than focusing on learning the material.
639047
Sadly, we are already losing it, if we haven't lost it completely.  The present American political leadership is not willing to spend any serious money on education, preferring to squander it on prisons, wars, and the futile pursuit of the War On (some) Drugs.  Local governments without rich tax bases cannot make up the shortfalls, even if they don't have spending caps imposed by ignorant legislators.
469608
Because teachers are incompetent at doing things that require following guidelines.  We should make our children learn to be just like them.
802667
If 1/2 the schools in the US thinks yes, then teachers are not doing well in the history aspect of education. Now, these kids need to know their rights, and the rights of others. I thought schools get taught the Constitution and bill of rights. At least I would expect thee civil war to be mentioned before 6th grade, the rest would follow. Freedom of speech, FREEDOM OF PRESS, freedom of religion, and so on. With this knowledge one can understand why America is America and not new great Brittan or some British ruled country paying taxes on land we are not living and harvesting from. ( ha, nowadays, this country is doing all kinds of illegal activities. No wonder why 1/2 the youth is lost and confused)
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.
929986
That`s the trouble with the education system, You are only taught what the so called mainstream academics think you ought to know, which is their accepted view of the world and no other alternate theories will be allowed to surface. Children and college students will be drowning in censorship sooner rather than later. The system is fundamentally flawed, and that`s exactly what American academia is looking for. I dread to think how the next generation will turn out, it`s an obscenity.
368095
In California it's a big problem.  Did you know only 30 something percent of the education budget is spent on teacher's salaries, only 3% on supplies and just 1% on books.  It's in a Claremont Institue study.  The problem is bureaucracy -- the rest of the money is going to a multitiered bureaucracy with a district bureaucracy, a county bureaucracy, and a state bureaucracy.\n\nTo fix it you need to streamline the bureaucracy!  You probably didnt even know there was a county educational bureaucracy -- most people don't -- i say totally eliminate that layer and streamline the rest.  The Claremont study found that when they did that in Texas performance actually went up.  Then use the money you save by cutting the bureaucracy to build new classrooms and hire more teachers, thus reducing classroom size.
406722
Yes i have lost faith in the American education system by reading some of these questions. When i went to school during the mid 70s Thur the 80s they taught you how to spell and proper grammar.I do not know how some of these young kids make it through college, because they must write reports with proper spelling and grammar. Sigh, they are going to be our future leaders.
1014540
The total ignorance of our lawmakers about the importance of education and the educators that make it happen. As a teacher I am disgusted with the lack of monies given to our educational systems and the amount of @#%$&* we as teachers are expected to perform to meet their requirements, yet we are paid chicken feed. I am a single mom and only JUST have my head above water financially and work my toucas off to educate my students. It's a travesty!
275757
u r right.... American students are weak in math and chemistry, they cant spell things right and their writing is wormy.\nEnglish system gives the students more confidence through a well designed program.... Amercan educ should restablish it self again
1140186
You are correct!  Sorry to say.  Teachers in this country do not want to educate... they want to pass the time and offer knowledge and if it is taken, it makes them seem successful.  And the "No child left behind" is the worst thing that could happen to our country's children. \n\nAccording to the statistics of the world's young people, the children of the USA are down in the lower 1/3 level of educated children.  For some reason in this country, educators are under the assumption that knowledge should be FUN and not WORK.  If it becomes work... it is not presented properly... and memorization is a thing of the past.  Vocabulary is not taught, phonics is not taught, penmanship is not taught, grammar is covered lightly... in the public schools.  If a parent wants their child to get a better education, they must send their child to a expensive private school.  \n\nAre the public schools in the USA lacking... YOU BET!!!  Check out the language and the spelling on this site... Even with the use of computer shorthand language... syntax and grammar, spelling and punctuation is appalling.  \n\nLatin is no longer taught... and it is the basis of most of our words in the English language.  It is also the language of all sciences.  If you know just a little bit of Latin, you have a large advantage in any profession.  \n\nWe need a major overhaul in our public education... but it needs to begin with the concepts of teachers requirement and qualifications.  You posed a good question!
822872
You'll find it's mostly Americans who can't spell. Our educational system has gone down the crapper. As far as that goes our society as a whole is quickly turning into mush. It's a scary thought that these people will someday be running our country. Both the parents and the teachers simply don't care enough to make sure our kids learn how to do anything. I think the spelling talents are just the tip of the iceberg. It's just the most obvious. \nThe parents don't care. So the kids don't care. They say things like, "why do I need to know how to spell?" "You knew what I meant!". "It's never bothered me, why should it bother you?". It's not only pitiful but it's sad. America, the land of the free blithering idiots.\n.
449962
Our universities are really good, but our K -- 12 public education is nothing to write home about.  In terms of expected duration of education, we're 14th, but in terms of the literacy of our total population, we're 68th.  Pretty dismal for a world power.
207076
Well, you are right, but money never solved anything.  Actions solve problems. We have to change the educational system from top to bottom.  And to start we need passionate teachers who know how to teach, enough of glorified babysitters.
345802
Students change school systems and face new requirements (testing...).\nAlso the language factor. Some schools work very well with students from different countries and in some areas they don't know what to do.\nAnother problem is that some students come from very poor areas and they didn't have good schooling. Students with good schooling learn English earlier and better.
861782
It always makes me sad when ignorance is made to seem a virtue.  And, yes, I would say religion's interference in education is a factor in the decline of education in the U.S.  I wouldn't say it's as large a factor as lack of discipline due to overcrowding in classes and parents who are too distracted by jobs or their own selfish wants to make sure kids do their homework and respect their teachers, but it's a factor nonetheless.
938385
It's not working because it wasn't written by educators. It was written by beaurocrats.\n\nThe only way to fix the educational system is to let educators write the laws. Not the beaurocrats.