The Education System Sucks

Once upon a time, enthusiasts designed a formal education system to meet the economic demands of the industrial revolution. Fast forward to today and, with the current global economic climate, it seems apparent that the now established education system is unable to meet the needs of our hyper-connected society - a society that is in a constant state of evolution. Let's examine 10 problems that prevent the US education system from regaining its former preeminence.

1. Parents are not involved enough. Of all the things out of the control of teachers, this one is perhaps the most frustrating. Time spent in the classroom is simply not enough for teachers to instruct every student, to teach them what they need to know. There must, inevitably, be some interaction outside school hours. Additionally, children learn to associate teachers as their parents, which is another issue.

2. Our schools are overcrowded. The smaller the class, the better the individual student experience. A study by the National Center for Education Statistics found that 14 percent of U.S. schools exceed capacity. At a time where children need more attention than ever to succeed, overcrowded classrooms are making it even tougher to learn and tougher still for teachers to be effective. In fact, many students perform several times better when given individualized attention. To place children with several other children in a classroom and forcing them to sit still while simply accepting the words of a stranger is in and of itself an abomination on humankind.

3. Technology comes with its downsides. I am an advocate for technology in the classroom. I think that ignoring the educational opportunities that technology has afforded us puts kids at a disadvantage. With that being said, screen culture overall has made the jobs of teachers much more difficult. Education has become synonymous with entertainment in many ways. Rather than using technology to learn and grow, children tend to use their given tablets or library computers for YouTube or gaming purposes. Schools should at least disable these features.

4. School spending is stagnant, even in our improving economy. As the U.S. economy continues to improve, according to news headlines, one area is still feeling the squeeze from the recession years: K-12 public school spending. A recent report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that 34 states are contributing less funding on a per student basis than they did prior to the recession years. Since states are responsible for 44 percent of total education funding in the U.S., these dismal numbers mean a continued crack down on school budgets despite an improving economy. When teachers are paid so little, their motivation deteriorates and teaching becomes just another job in the mill.

5. Education tends to waste everyone's time. Retention is thrown out the window after every semester leading to the question: What's the point? Ladies and gentlemen, the point is to program you to become slavish dogs that will obey and to do as you're instructed until you are given permission to leave - much like how it is at a 9 to 5 job. That's the low-down.

Can you think of any additional reasons why the U.S. education system is failing?