It’s Common Sense…Say YES to Education
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“According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, students at
more than 27,500 schools nationwide - almost 31 percent of all
U.S. public schools - are failing at math and reading” (1).
Is it not obvious that the United States’ current
educational agenda is not holding up? With national math and reading
test results at such a low, one would think that this problem would be
addressed immediately. Obviously, education has taken a back seat.
The United States has officially placed war, the fight on terrorism, and the
military in the driver’s seat, and it is looking like we are in for the long
haul. Clearly, the future security of this country is and should be
held at a high priority. However, the unfortunate aspect of this whole
concept is that it can be straightforwardly observed that the future of our
country is in trembling hands. How can one expect great plans for the
future if the forthcoming generation is lacking in skills as fundamental as
math and reading? This downward slide ought to come to a halt.
The United States must amplify federal funding in favor of an increase in
constructive and beneficial educational resources.
In terms of the future of educational programming, what does the United States have in mind anyway? Well, the answer is simple; this is especially so in accordance with the fact that there is not much substance to the actual plan itself. As of the year 2002, President George W. Bush instituted a continued enactment of The No Child Left Behind Act. This act calls for increased flexibility, as well as ensures accountability, or responsibility, for the students‘ academic achievements. As stated in a U.S. Department of Education overview, “The No Child Left Behind Act continues the legacy of the Brown v. Board decision by creating an education system that is more inclusive, responsive, and fair” (2).
Although the No Child Left Behind Act does in fact support the contention
that the United States is working to improve educational resources, the
entire plan itself should undoubtedly be based on more than one idea
alone. In other words, those against the increased funding of
educational resources at the expense of funding of military technologies
might argue that the No Child Left Behind Act has, in actuality, filtered
money directly towards the increase of ‘teacher quality and
performance.’ But in reality, the No Child Left Behind Act is only
a small step towards what this nation needs for true academic success in
children and adolescents. Some may envision the raise in funding,
through the NCLB Act, as a slow but promising adjustment. This is
true, but the No Child Left Behind Act is simply not enough! In
addition, an increased number of revisions must be made to the United
States’ educational programming in order to better support the future of
our nation. An increase in federal spending would support other
resources, specifically increased teacher education and preparation for
the field.
If the problem is that money spent on military technology produces more
concrete outcomes than that spent on the cultivation of teachers’
skills, then why not put the excess funding towards computer technology
for students and teachers?
Look at the problem of low testing scores objectively. What the
United States truly needs is a concrete plan of action. One such
action could be incorporating better technologies into schools for an
increased promotion of a sturdy literacy environment. When viewing
the facts and statistics, a solution is obvious…Investments should be
directed towards an increased number of computers for every school.
Surveys have shown that 81 percent of children and adolescents utilize
computers at school (3). Studies have also shown, along side
these statistics, that with the greater the use of computers children and
adolescents have higher results in testing scores as well.
Additional studies have shown that 78 percent of children and adolescents
access the internet at home (3). But with the low income rates
of families, lower class children are less likely to own a computer within
the home. To solve this problem, higher investment in computer
technologies within the school would increase the usage of resources such
as the internet. Observations like this one should have been taken
and placed into effect long ago; a lot of these testing score issues would
have been avoided if the United States would have simply invested a little
more time and research into discovering what was causing such a downward
slope in scoring.
To bring this argument to a close, think about the kind of people we
envision our children to be. Which of these children will be the
future Presidents? Which one of these children will discover a cure
for cancers and disease? We must focus, at this present moment, on
what has to be done to ensure a prosperous future for our children and
their children to come. If we hope at all to ever come to an
understanding about the state our world is in, the nation of the United
States will need steady, resourceful leaders. Reading and math
skills are at the basis of what needs to be adjusted to do just that.
Some may argue that the No Child Left Behind Act should suffice for what
is needed now and that the future security of our nation should override
all other issues. However, as a part of the future of the United
States of America, I firmly believe that education is single path of
promise. It’s common sense…Say YES to education.
Works Cited
1. "Educators expect lawsuits targeting federal No Child Left Behind Act." 01 Nov. 2004. WMCTV.com. WMC-TV 5 Memphis. 18 Nov. 2004 http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=2509058.
2. Paige, Rod. "A Guide to Education and No Child Left Behind." ED.GOV Oct 2004. 18 Nov 2004 http://www.ed.gov/print/nclb/overview/intro/guide/guide.html
3.
DeBell, Matthew . "Computer and Internet Use by Children and
Adolescents." 2003. Education Statistics Quarterly. National Center
for Education Statistics. 18 Nov. 2004
http://search.aimhome.netscape.com/aim/boomframe.jsp?query=United+States+education&page.
fix this!!!!!!!!!!!