As generations pass, we are witnessing a slow degradation of one of America’s most fundamental institutions: public education.
Year by year, America has gradually fallen behind the rest of the world in having an educated citizenry.
President Barack Obama has spent significant amounts of time recently promoting education and professional development elsewhere in the world, yet our own nation’s education should be the topic of discussion.
We are in an age where Asian and African countries are seeing their economies and middle classes expand — in large part because of increasing education levels — while our own remains stagnant and, in some cases, diminishing.
Math and science statistics for public school students annually frighten state education boards, yet little is being done to transform the curriculum of public education.
Going into 2013, the U.S. was ranked 25 out of 34 countries in math — a startling statistic considering we wield the title of “world power.” In the same test, China, Singapore and South Korea dominated all three sections: math, science and reading.
From top to bottom, the U.S. education system is flawed and our mishaps are being internationally recognized.
More alarmingly, some economists worry that these numbers may inevitably affect our economy and the nation’s GDP, according to Paul Peterson, a Harvard University government professor.
“Math skills are the most significant for economic growth," Peterson told The Huffington Post.
Along with lagging math skills, American children are failing in understanding our nation’s own history.
According to proficiency exams, only 12 percent of high school seniors in 2010 were at grade level in American history and only one-third of fourth graders understood the significance or the “purpose” behind the Declaration of Independence.
If we continue on this trajectory, how can we expect our history and the worldwide impact the U.S. had for hundreds of years to continue? We are a nation that helped spark revolutions across the world, yet many of our own citizens do not understand the very document that freed us from an oppressive crown.
Perhaps more worrying is the trend of being “undereducated.”
In an Oct. 8 study, U.S. adults were ranked near the bottom of the pack for literacy, mathematics and computer proficiency.
The test was administered to examine nations’ ability to compete in the global market. The U.S. failed miserably.
Arizona, in particular, is a prime suspect of the misgivings in the public education system. According to a study by Harvard University, Arizona’s education system has one of the slowest growth rates in the nation.
As pessimistic and gloomy as all these statistics sound, the U.S. is at an opportune time to turn around and reform the system that gave birth to leaders such as Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey and President Barack Obama.
Funding programs such as Head Start or pre-school, along with improving primary and secondary education, will provide even the youngest Americans the opportunity to understand the importance of education.
Making a college education obtainable for a larger segment of the population will also allow our citizens to thrive. Reducing the costs of attendance at four-year institutions would be an ideal move in that direction.
Our education system is in danger of becoming stratified, with children who attend elite private schools having greater opportunities to succeed on a global scale, which may be less obtainable for middle and lower-income students.
Reach the columnist at jemeyer3@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @JordanElizaM
