Problems in Education

I chose this chapter on education because education is something that has defined my life and my family. And not just because we've all attended school or anything. From the time I was very, very young my parents knew they wanted to give their kids a really good education. I was the oldest so when I was three years old I began attended a music academy and when I was four I began to read voraciously. I started preschool at a local Christian school but only attended for half a year. My mom pulled me out and started homeschooling me. My three siblings and I were home-schooled by mom until I was in seventh grade. She did an incredible job especially considering there were four of us to teach and she had two more babies at home. Yes, I have five siblings but super-woman mom didn't let that effect the quality of education she strove to maintain. My dad worked on history, geography and reading with us and my mom taught us spelling, grammar, memorization, vocab, math, and science. They are a great team and made learning fun and competitive. Of course some days it was disorganized and we got less done than we were supposed to. During my homeschool years my parents were always hunting for other schools. My mom didn't want to continue throughout high school (and I don't blame her) but they never found anything they thought was rigorous enough.

Before seventh grade my parents heard of a school in north Idaho so we moved up there to go to Logos in Moscow. So far, four of us kids have graduated and my two younger siblings still attend. My parents effort to give us the best education possible, even if it meant moving to another state, has made me realize just how much education molds you into the kind of person you are. I think education has one of the greatest impacts on our country because it is creating the product that makes the decisions about the direction of the United States.

Right now I would say our education system is in dire straits. Among other things, I think one problem is that the educational system has lowered the bar which has caused the value of an education to decrease. Schools want to encourage kids and allow the great majority to be able to pass into the next grade at the end of each academic year but by lowering the standard they are only slowly tightening the noose around their own neck. Eventually, we are going to realize that our slow decline is the reason the United States is academically lagging behind many other developed countries. The 'No Child Left Behind' Act has crippled our system.

Articles:
This New York Times article shows that over the past few years, some states are lowering their levels of proficiency for reading and math. States are working to define common standards but not all have joined in on the effort and the process could take a long, long time:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/education/30educ.html

This link to an interview with analyst Michael Davidson on a study that confirms that in the United States our education is falling behind other countries. We are on level in reading and writing with many countries but almost always behind on math and science:
http://www.npr.org/2010/12/07/131884477/Study-Confirms-U-S-Falling-Behind-In-Education

Video: link to video clip from Fox News on the U.S falling behind in education. These stats are depressing!
http://video.foxnews.com/v/4453981/us-falling-behind-in-education/

Internet Sites:
This link to the U.S Department of Education website have all the information about the No Child Left Behind law. It also keeps readers updated on new news and all the laws on school funding, tenure, and progress on reform:
http://www.ed.gov/esea

Many people think that whites are the only ones suffering during our academic slump. But Hispanics are feeling the fall out too:
http://www.vdare.com/articles/american-schools-lowering-standards-for-hispanics

Quote:
"Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence."
- Abigail Adams