Ask any parent in the US and they will say next to their child's safety, comes education. Education is the gateway to social mobility. With a GED, one can procure remedial work, but can still be self-sufficient. With a Bachelors degree, you can be assured that your pay grade will be slightly higher than average. And with a higher degree such as a masters or doctorate, a person can be confident in having a substantial career. With so much promise in the world of education, who wouldn't make the most of a learning opportunity? Sadly, the drive to become a proficient academic has floundered in America.
According to the Organization of Economic Co-operation and development, the US educational system is ranked 14th internationally, receiving scores of 487 in math and 502 in science from a scale is out of a possible 1000 points; scores that are described as being average. Why is it that the country regarded as the most powerful and affluent in the world, has the education system behind 13 other countries? Should we not be at the tippy-top of all lists? The answer can be explained by observing the higher educational system (college and up).
In the documentary "Declining by Degree: Higher Education Risk", systemic flaws are exposed to the viewer. It was determined that 44% of all professors are part-time workers. Another startling statistic is that half of all students accepted to a four year university eventually drop-out. This could be said to show how hard our institution, but this however is not the case. Instead of focusing on ensuring information sticks with a student and knowledge of how to apply it in real-world situations, information is spewed at the students in hopes that it all is absorbed by the the individual in their half-awake state of mind. Why have we gone to such an impersonal and un-interactive format? Who is to blame for all this? The answer my friends is the economic pressure educational systems are subjected to.
The problem first arises at the lower educational levels (elementary and high school). Because schools receive money and grants based on standardized test scores, teachers have adopted a method of teaching based solely around the tests. This in turn shifts the learning experience from practical, comprehensive knowledge of subject to teaching students how to effectively take tests. It seems that the passion to spear-head future generations to greater success has fallen victim to the desire for more money, and job security. This style is also relevant in higher education institutions.
Professors in college are not as concerned if students actually retain knowledge, it is more about if the children pass the class. retention of students ultimately is the determinant if the professor is welcomed back the next year. It is broken down to basic economics: more students passing classes leads to more students paying tuition, more tuition received the greater the revenue for the university, and the more revenue the university is able to bring in allows it to expand and recruit more incoming students the next year; thus perpetuating this vicious cycle that leaves many students lost in the wind. The emphasis seems to be more inclined to increase the university's prestige rather than train a highly effective work force. Because the drive is to ensure there is a high GPA on campus, poor teaching techniques are utilized by the staff.
Grade inflation is a huge problem on college campuses. For fear that if they grade to harshly they may lose their job, professors give higher grades on papers (such as C+s and Bs) that traditional exemplify a piece of work deserving of a D or C. This robs the students of knowing what they need to improve on and teaches them that they can just float through the courses. Class size also plays into this as well. A professors consumed by three classes, each with 150 plus students, doesn't have the time to give critical attention to each paper. Curving of grades and deliberate inflation of student work creates an atmosphere of, "oh i can breeze through the information right before the test and still expect at least a C." A sample of students in the documentary went on to describe that 50% of all students attending four year programs spend less than 15 hours a week studying. Not only has this system taught students a slacker-mentality when it comes to school, but economic strains also hurt the professors ability to teach as well.
In most universities, tenure (or a permanent job placement) is given to professors with the most research. How well students actually retain knowledge comes second to the institutions desire for higher prestige. This creates a dilemma for professors at these universities: should i publish as many studies as possible so I can have a guaranteed salary or focus on actually teaching my students? It would appear that selfishness has gained hold of the majority of these professors. In large universities, teaching assistants, not even actual professors, lead classes in power point format; while the actual professor is off conducting their own research. With this, we see a lack of traditional teaching skills in professors, as they are more specialized in their individual areas of research. Loss of the teacher and replacement by a graduate student is a severe blow to the learning environment.
It seems that this trend will continue to characterize the US educational system, unless a HUGE paradigm shift happens. Gone are the days of actual teaching (ensuring that training and knowledge is gained for future application), and that has now been replaced by professing (Spitting out information & hoping that it sticks with the students). This unethical cycle of greed and economic motivation must stop if we are to seriously improve the state of learning in America. However, education is most often the victim of budget cuts (as seen in the crises in California) when a state faces economic hardship. Change needs to start with those who are in charge of our learning.
Teachers, why is it that you were first lured to the field of education? I doubt that it was to become rich. No, i believe that a traditional teacher pursued a career in education to truly have a significant effect on future generation, and had a deep desire to make the world a better place. The role of a teacher was once revered as a honorable position to hold, but now it is seen as an unfavorable occupation. We must rekindle the flame of genuine passion in the learning process! The administration at universities must look within their selves and have a conscious discussion on what is more important: money or the improvement of our society as a whole. My vote is for the later of the two options. Until they have a deep conversation with their selves and realize the error in there ways, this system of economics driven learning will lead us into a great depression of knowledge; which is something we cannot afford to do.
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