Education is one of the cornerstones of society. In various academic and human rights circles it is a fundamental human right. Though education is in plenty the system that exists leaves much to be desired., I feel there are fundamental flaws in the system. The education system is about the amount of information a child can memorize and regurgitate. As opposed to the quality of education, they are offering students. Educationalists and teachers are more concerned fulfilling curriculum requirements, as opposed to genuine learning.
The funding of schools today is a juxtaposition between grades and funding. Logic, Reason, economics, suggests that greater funding should be given to those who are most successful. However, sometimes these create a systemic failure of the whole due to the numbers supporting the part.(Omer, 1997) The worse a school does the fewer funds they get the worse the students do. Empirical evidence suggest that the better educated an individual is regardless of their socio-economic background the more successful and prosperous they become. The less literate an individual is the more limited they become in their opportunities that a society can offer.
Societies with poorly funded schools have higher crime rates and all the ills one can imagine that come with it. When the scenario is extrapolated over time a compounding effect becomes intergenerational. This also compounds the effect on educators as well due to the deteriorating state affairs of the society in which they teach . Educators focus more on results than teaching the students practical skills of life. (Sizer, 1984)The core values of society.
The students taking FCAT are taught how to pass an exam not how to read and write. This creates an enthralling scenario in which a student can pass an exam, but be incapable of understanding what they are reading. The grading policies and system do not perfectly reveal the students abilities. This leaves policy makes with imperfect information when it comes to funding. There is the question of private and parochial students being exempt from taking the FCAT. (Sizer, 1984)The one shoe fits all principle does not apply.
It is my firm belief that education quality is contingent not only on funding, but also on instilling academic and life skills. It is a truism that most people don't end up in college. The testing system is skewed to favor the rich and privileged. The one cannot penalize them for taking their kids to exemplary schools it is an Orwellian tragedy that we are all born equal, but some as the saying goes are more equal than others. (Stigler, 1999)
References:
MStigler, J.W. & Hiebert, J. (1999) The Teaching Gap: Best Ideas from the World's Teachers for Improving Education in the Classroom. New York: The Free Press.
Omer, J.P. (1997). Waiting for a Miracle: Why Schools Can’t Solve Our Problems- and How We Can. New York: Penguin Books
Sizer, T.R. (1984). Horace’s Compromise: The Dilemma of the American High School. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
