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The American educational system has been under heavy criticism for many decades. Schools are watched, tested, compared, surveyed, ridiculed, changed, and accused. Schools are such an important part of society that this attention is not only warranted, but necessary. Schools should accomplish what they set out to achieve and that is to educate America’s youth. This sometimes includes Mexico’s youth, and Jamaica’s youth, and China’s youth, and any other immigrant youth who find themselves placed into the system. Being the world’s melt pot and most diverse nation comes with some unique challenges and learning environments. America is unique in that we have such a kaleidoscope of cultures and traditions that it can make it difficult to recognize America’s culture. We encourage the celebration of who the individual is and where they come from all the while trying to blend all of these different cultures together into a functional society. An unusual educational environment and climate is the result. Regardless of who is in the desks in the schools across America, they are given an equal opportunity to be educated.

America has high expectations for our young people, after all, they will one day steer this great nation, but these high expectations do not necessarily result in favorable accomplishments. Drop out rates seem to be on the rise while more and more students perform poorly on standardized tests designed to give the state a picture of how the schools are executing the educational plan. Many years ago the government decided that a curriculum was necessary to ensure that each child in the state and thus the nation is taught and gains an understanding of a core group of standards. These are the things that all Americans should know. Schools are be rated on how their students perform on these exams. If the assessment is dismal, the school can be placed on probation.

Is standardizing the education of our youth needed? Is it effective? The answers to these questions are double edged. Educators do not disagree that there are core standards that everyone needs to know to function and be successful in today’s world. However, the disagreement comes in the following: execution of the core values, assessment, and responsibility. Many teachers, students, and parents feel that schools are being forced to “teach the test.” This can be very limiting to creative, and many times, more interesting teaching methods. Teaching memorization rather than application can become frustrating for educator and student alike. Teachers are often asked, “When will I ever use this?” or “How does this apply to my life?” Teachers can’t really reply with, “Because this is what a government board decided that you need to know.” Students are not concerned with policies of government directly, but more so of how they are affected by those policies.

Another hot button for educators, students, and parents is the standardized test. Each student is judged based on their performance on these exams. They are compared within their own school, with the state, with the nation, and with the world. It should be noted that the same test is not given to every student. The tests will vary state to state and nation to nation. Many people do not feel that this is an accurate way to compare students, schools, states, or nations. The second aspect of standardized testing is the cost. States pay millions of dollars to testing companies to prepare, distribute, and evaluate the exams.

The final point of interest that I will discus in this article is that of responsibility. When a child succeeds or fails on a test who should be assigned the credit or the blame? The media and the government are quick to give the glory and the guilt to the schools and the teachers, but two important groups are being neglected. One is the parent. Parents are responsible for the child’s health and well being, including physical, mental, and emotional. The other group is the students. At some point in education the learner has to be responsible for their own education. Teachers and parents can only do so much, but the individual makes choices that directly affect their education. Will I do my assignments? Will I listen in class and participate? Am I getting enough sleep? Where do I focus my attention and spend my time? How important is my education to me? Am I eating right and taking care of my body? Am I getting the help I need to succeed?

I wanted you, the reader, to get a snapshot of what schools, teachers, students, and parents in America are experiencing in the modern American educational environment. I did not intend to leave you with the impression that education could be summarized in a few paragraphs, because the truth is volumes of information could be compiled on the subject with many different opinions and findings. In coming articles, I will offer opinions, facts, and statistics on the question, “Is there an educational decline in America?” Look for Part 2: Advanced Curriculum to be out soon.