Chester Thai ’14, Matthew Robinson ’14, and Rojan Ravishankar ’14
“A world-class education is the single most important factor in determining not just whether our kids can compete for the best jobs but whether America can out-compete countries around the world”, said President Barack Obama in his education adress on July 18th. The American education system is struggling. According to the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Survey, released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United States ranked 14th overall among the 34 members of the OECD. The U.S. placed 14th in reading, 17th in science, and a dismal 25th in mathematics. How can it be that the world’s number one economy has mediocre academic performance? One answer may lie in the heated debate over No Child Left Behind.
In 2001, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act. This act sought to improve the quality of education in the United States by reducing the achievement gap between whites and minorities. It offers help to children who require assistance, improves teacher quality, utilizes technology, and provides a drug-free environment for schools. The act is most well-known for its rigid enforcement of standardized tests and strict punishments if certain standards are not met. While well-intentioned, the No Child Left Behind Act suffered from serious flaws which undermined the U.S. education system. First, the act allowed states to impose unrealistic expectations and ineffective punishments on their schools. While high standards are essential, it is unreasonable to expect a school in which a majority of the students are under the poverty line to improve so quickly. For example, 89 schools in Pennsylvania were found cheating on standardized tests. Mr. Bryant, chair of the history department, says, “The problem is much more complex than just one of teachers and students.” Indeed, a plethora of factors, including poverty, hunger, and inner-city violence, contribute to the poor performance of schools. As a result, teachers are forced to “teach to the test,” stressing rote memorization and superficial understanding over creativity and mastery. In essence, No Child Left Behind, while holding schools accountable for the students’ performance, muddles up the true purpose of schools: to encourage creativity and critical thinking.
In addition, the standards set as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act do not properly prepare children for global competition. According to Salerno, simply studying reading, arithmetic, writing “will not cut it” in today’s competitive economy. Today, a high school diploma is not sufficient. The competitive jobs in today’s world demand a bachelor, and sometimes even a master’s degree. In the United States, many jobs are being outsourced to China and India because people with the necessary education simply cannot be found here.
The countries ahead of the United Stateshave diverse educational philosophies and policies that have enabled them to be successful. Ranking at the top of all three categories in the recent PISArankings, Chinaseems to have become the powerhouse in education. Their education system takes a strict approach, allowing time for sleep during the middle of the day so that students can study more efficiently and prohibiting long hair for girls in order to avoid distraction from academics. However, as described in the new documentary, The Finland Phenomenon, Finland takes a very different approach. Ranking in the top six of all three PISA categories, Finland has fewer classes, gives barely any homework, rarely tests students, and has shorter school days. Tony Wagner, writer of The Global Achievement Gap and narrator of the film, attributes Finland’s success to the fact that teaching is a very desirable position in Finland. This success contrasts with the failings of the American education system.
One must note however, that theUnited Statesis very different than other nations. Bryant says, “The selectivity of education systems in countries such asFinlandandChinamakes it so that a comparison between theUSand those countries is like comparing apples to oranges.” The United States is taking on a broader challenge than most countries, as universal education is a fundamental philosophy of our country. AsJeffersonsaid, “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.” Nevertheless, this cannot become an excuse to not to improve in today’s world. The United States must abandon its test-and-punish policy, and instead create a student-centered approach that promotes creativity and innovation. Mr. Salerno says the country is failing to fix the “deep, entrenched problems of the education system,” but instead “rearranging deck chairs on the titanic.” The community as a whole, from teachers, to curriculum designers, to school districts, must work together to find a solution. The destiny of our nation on the global compass, and of the lives of our children on a moral one, rests in our ability to adapt and not be left behind.