Problems in the United States education system

Education was originally intended to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. The skills and knowledge gained in the classroom were meant to help students secure promising jobs after school. Students were encouraged to maintain good grades in school because this would in turn increase the chances of getting high-paying jobs. For people living in poverty, education acted as a stepping stone that would help them to raise themselves out of their poor living conditions. Although education is meant to help all citizens alike, there are major challenges in the United States education system that makes it difficult for all students to enjoy the same opportunities offered through education. The problems that exist in the United States education system are a result of the system's inability to accommodate the different needs of the United States' diverse population.

The major problems that the education system experience are attributed to geographic and economic isolation. They include lack of access to high quality education for people living in poverty; poor learning environments; lack of resources and proper infrastructure in school; existence of stereotypes that encourage discrimination; language barriers and racial discrimination; and oppression of teachers. Despite the various attempts to offer equal opportunities to all students, various factors favor some individuals more than others. Issues such as class and race influence where people live, what opportunities are available to them, and how convenient they can access them (n.a 1). Access to good schools and high quality of education is restricted to students in the suburb. The population in such an environment comprises Whites mostly while African Americans and other indigenous people are forced to live in poverty where the quality of education is poor and access to good schools is limited. The geographic and economic isolation is a disadvantage to both students and teachers alike. A significant number of teachers living in poor neighborhoods are forced to take on more than two jobs to sustain their livelihood (n.a 1). This means that teachers have to take on extra workload other than the work they do in school. The strain in maintaining multiple jobs can negatively affect the impact they have in school and the attention they give to their students. Teachers are forced to divide their time between school and their other careers and this can negatively affect the efficiency and competence when teaching.

The constantly growing population is another problem that troubles the education system in the US. Other than American citizens, the schools in the US are also expected to accommodate students who immigrate from other countries. At present, there are over 43 million immigrants in the US who have fled their country in search of a better life. In the period between 1970 and 2000 the number of students in k-12 school triple with over 17.9 million children living with at least an immigrant parents in the United States. Immigrant children aged 18 years and younger make up 26% of the student population in the United States (Anderson et al 4). These students apply for the same schools that American citizens attend thereby contributing to the rise in population. Although the United States infrastructure can accommodate the growing population, the growing number of students in a classroom makes it difficult for teachers to attend to the needs of all students equally. This is especially because a significant number of schools lack the resources to accommodate a large number of students per class.  The diverse population in the US contributes to the growing population as was the case in 2014 where “White students made up 50 percent of school-age children in the United States; 25 percent were Hispanic (or Latinx 4 ), 16 percent African American, and 5 percent Asian” (Anderson et al p.4)A high number of students in one classroom also add to the workload that teachers have to handle in a day. Teachers are therefore forced to generalizing teaching as they are unable to offer special treatment even to students that may need it.

To offer high-quality education teachers are expected to be mindful of the needs of each student. With a large population however it becomes difficult to attend to the needs of each student because the time is divided across all students in the classroom. Treating all students alike creates a lot of problems because the understanding ability of each student differs. In classrooms that employ the dictation mode of study, some students may find it difficult to grasp what is taught and may require explanation and interpretation. There are however those that grasp concepts easily and do not require more explanation from the teachers. In classrooms that have an adequate number of students, teachers have the time to identify students that need special attention and structure their lessons to accommodate the needs of every student. In an overpopulated class however teachers at first treat all students as equal regardless of the disadvantage that this presents to students that require special attention.

The quality of learning is also affected why stereotypes exist in society. Schools dominated by African Americans, Latinos, and other ethnic groups are the most affected by stereotypes. A good example is a misconception that African Americans are more susceptible to crime than other races. Schools with a high population of African Americans and are influenced by such stereotypes fail to recognize students contributing members of society I may not invest fully towards helping students achieve a good grade. The belief that the student will end up in a Life of crime discourages professors, parents, and guardians from investing in their child's education and may fail to properly motivate them (n.a 5).  Such notions and their dominance in society is influenced by the existence of “…connections among oppressive beliefs, habits, and social structures such as racism, sexism, homophobia, religious discrimination, and so on. Intersectionality emphasizes that these -isms do not exist in isolation; rather, they intersect and operate together. In doing so, they contribute to systems of privilege and oppression, layers of discrimination, and patterns of social inequality” (Anderson et al 9). Also attaining good grades and performing well in school is the responsibility of the student the motivation and guidance from parents and teachers greatly contribute to the overall academic performance of the student. The existence of such stereotypes is therefore a hindrance to high-quality learning as it creates a negative image of the student.

The stereotypes that govern society also greatly influence how resources are divided into different communities. Students in the African American communities are greatly affected by “racial disparities in wealth and income” especially because they “lead to corollary disparities in children’s access to the basics of life—food, health care, housing, and safety—as well as access to high-quality schooling (Anderson et al 11). Despite the various attempts to promote equality, white people and the wealthy class living in the suburbs have better access to opportunities compared to the poor living in rural areas. Some stereotypes like the belief that whites are more hardworking and more productive in society have created an environment where communities with a high white population have access to better resources and infrastructure. Anderson et al (11) claim that there is a misconception about what motivates students to become successful and  “that what might look like relative success at school is often a function not of students’ skills or smarts but of the synergy along class lines between their families and their schools”. African Americans and other minority groups are forced to live in poverty-stricken areas where the infrastructure is poor and there is little motivation and opportunities to improve the standard of living. Families in such environments face various challenges such as lack of resources and parents that were “once assumed to be “middle class” now find themselves on the margins of being unable to afford college for their children” (Anderson et al 7). The resources that exist are divided among a high population making it difficult for all students to fully benefit from their learning experience as compared to students in schools in the well of communities like the Whites.

The belief that's some races are superior or require special attention at the expense of others has greatly contributed to the education system's inability to embrace diversity. The majority of the policies and laws enacted fail to recognize the different needs of each student. A good example is the use of English as the main language in schools despite having a diverse student population. There are more than 12 million students who speak different languages other than English in the United States. In 2015 the number of students that did not speak English as their native language accounted for 22% of the student population in the United States (Anderson et al 4). Despite the diverse population schools in the US continue to use English as their major language. This place is a lot of students at a disadvantage especially for those who come from countries that speak languages like French and Spanish as their national language. The reliance on English as the official teaching language in schools forces students from countries that do not use English to learn the language on top of their educational curriculum. This adds to the already huge workload that students have to take on not to mention the difficulty it creates when trying to learn new things. Students that do not understand English have a hard time keeping up in class and often have to revisit what is taught to develop some level of understanding. This combined with the challenge that teachers face where teaching is generalized makes it harder to identify students that are struggling in class due to the language barrier (Anderson et al 4). Despite having embraced diversity the policies and processes that are used in the United States education system are yet to accommodate the needs of the diverse school population. Teaching in English only offers more opportunities to American-born citizens because they already know how to communicate and understand English. Native speaking students however have a hard time understanding the course structure and lectures given in class until they learn English.

Although there are major challenges in the United States education system they are problems that can be resolved using the right approaches. One method that can be used to resolve the problems that exist is through teachers' unions. Throughout history teachers' unions have been used to resolve issues related to public education, rights for workers, and also as a way to give back control to teachers and the educational institution in general (Green and Hagopian 141). The unions give teachers a voice to air their grievances and protect their rights from being infringed upon. A good example of how teachers' unions help teachers can be seen in the improvements that have occurred concerning access to healthcare (Knopp 11). Through them, teachers have been granted better healthcare and medical covers which allow them to perform better at their job. Other than access to quality medical care the unions have also helped to improve the teaching environment for teachers and students alike.

If used correctly teachers' unions can be used to advocate for a better working environment for teachers and students alike. There is however I need for the teacher's unions to shift their attention from just teachers and focus on the entire education system. Other than advocating for the rights and freedoms of teachers the unions can also seek out different ways to improve the learning environment break stereotypes and encourage the government and relevant organizations to promote equality (Knopp 12). Their influence will encourage people to alter any negative perceptions they may have about learning and promote high-quality education. The teacher's unions can also help to educate people on the importance of embracing diversity and giving equal opportunities to all students despite their background or racial orientation.

Education plays an important role in society as it determines the type of life the individual is likely to lead in the future. Given its importance, the government teachers and other stakeholders have a responsibility to ensure that all students can access high-quality education regardless of their background social status class, or race. Although there are a significant number of problems in the United States education system they are problems that can be resolved if the country embraces diversity and alters its systems to accommodate the needs of its diverse population. Teachers' unions can therefore be used to create awareness of the problems that exist and also to advocate for positive change. The unions can also help to make learning student-centered thereby pushing policymakers to enact policies that have the interest of the student as their foundation.

 

 

Work cited

Anderson, Martin., Lipton, Jeannie., and Stillman, Lauren., “The U.S Schooling dilemma:            Diversity, inequality and democratic values” n.d

Green, John and Hagopian Jesse, “Teachers’ Unions and Social Justice” Education and    Capitalism, n.d

Knopp, Sarah, “Schools, Marxism, and Liberation” Education and Capitalism, n.d

n.a “Building social movement teachers unions” n.d

n.a “The roots of revolt” n.d