American Public Education Essays

Throughout the history of public education, there have been barriers to the equality of opportunity philosophy. Thomas Jefferson’s proposal and Horace Mann’s implementation of public schools excluded non-citizens like blacks, women, and Native Americans. Next, an increase in immigration and industrialization widened cultural and economic differences between students. The greatest obstacle to equal education

After the American Revolutionary war, the people of the United States were responsible for determining the best course of action within the new republic. The Articles of Confederation were replaced by the new Constitution, which provided a general set of principles the government was to be guided by. This new system was a new and improved integration of historical warnings, hoping to prevent tyranny by individual or the masses and injustice. However, it quickly became apparent that a certain education was necessary to perpetuate this union. Before a new system for education could be introduced, public or private, a common goal and specifics on the different subjects to teach became a question the founding fathers and other prominent

Gatto starts his paper by addressing the problem of boredom in public schools; something anyone who has ever attended a public school can attest to. Because the majority of his audience would already agree with this statement, Gatto can then effectively make a claim about why he thinks students and teachers are so bored without having to explain the context of that claim. He believes that we are all to blame for school boredom, and supports this with a personal story about his grandfather. While it can be difficult to use personal narrative to support an argument, here it works efficiently because it is the common trope of a wise old man giving life advice, making this stranger seem more reliable. However, Gatto then seems to leave this argument of being bored behind, not referring it for the rest of his essay. It functions as a good hook to get the attention of his audience, but children and teachers being bored alone is not a sufficient argument for

Gatto informs us that he himself was a teacher for about 30 years. In those 3 decades, he “became an expert in boredom.” He believes boredom is everywhere in the classroom. When asking his students, “Why they

New York City consists of five boroughs, Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. The borough that I reside in is Brooklyn. Brooklyn has approximately 2.592 million people inhabiting this district and approximately 23.4 percent of individuals who reside in Brooklyn, NY come from a low-income household or in other words come from poverty. With catholic and private schools being expensive, people have to rely on the education system to provide their children with a good education. In this paper I will be discussing the public school education system ranging solely up to high school in Brooklyn New York and giving a general idea of the New York education system as well.

“I Just Wanna Be Average”, is a book written by Mike Rose, which goes into detail about how he went through an education system that wasn’t designed for himself, but more so for the students that we’re not so smart. In this environment he was with both teachers and students that didn’t care much about school. He went to describe how even though the students wasn’t very educated many of them was special in their own ways, while others just never tried in school. One of the students he meet was Ken Harvey, who when asked about their opinion on working hard to reach their goals said, “I just wanted to be average”. Rose questioned why Harvey would settle for less than he had potential for. During Rose’s sophomore year his teacher checked his school

In “Against School”, Gatto told the readers about the boredom in the schools through the teachers because the students were as bored as they, the teacher, were. In school, boredom strikes amongst both teachers and students. Gatto said it best when he stated, “Boredom was everywhere in my world, and if you asked the kids, as often as I did, why they felt so bored, they always gave the same answers: They said the work was stupid, that it made no sense, that they already knew it. They said they wanted to be doing something real, not just sitting around. They said teachers didn’t seem to know much about their subjects and clearly weren’t interested in learning more. And the kids were right: their teachers were as every bit of bored as they were.” (Gatto, page 608). Most students do not want to be at school anyways so therefore, boring school work, unprepared teachers, and pure lecture class time would not help the matter. This next quote can still relate to today’s society, “Boredom is the common condition of schoolteacher, and anyone who has spent time in a teachers’ lounge can vouch for the low energy, the whining, the dispirited attitudes, to be found there.” (Gatto, page 608). When the teacher comes unprepared with a mindset of boredom then nothing will ever change. Although a teacher may have a routine for teaching , because they have taught the same material for years, they should never just recite it. The students have not heard this, because it is new information for

The greatest country in the world still has problems evenly distributing education to its youth. The articles I have read for this unit have a common theme regarding our education system. The authors illustrate to the reader about the struggles in America concerning how we obtain and education. Oppression, politics, racism, and socioeconomic status are a few examples of what is wrong with our country and its means of delivering a fair education to all Americans.

In my diagnostic essay I wrote about the issues towards education and education reforms. I strongly believe that there needs to be a change in the educational system because it is corrupt. The fact that people are required to pay thousands of dollars or take out loans that put them in debt for years is absurd. Many students are forced to take out loans that put them in debt for years. It also concerns me that low income youths do not have that much of an option, and cannot afford an education. Online, I found an article on Republicanviews.org stating democratic and republican views on education and education reforms. The information in this article states the problems that I ponder the next president and Congress should focus on. This includes reforming financial aid programs for college tuition, creating more teaching jobs and expanding education options for low-income youth. This is one of the biggest challenges that the United States are facing today.

In “Against School” by John Taylor Gatto states that, “Boredom is a common condition for teachers and students.” The text questions if we really need forced schooling as a necessary part of our society. The text reads that schools are confining, restricted and do not promote a real education. A problem I have observed in the public schools, is the fact that all children do not learn in the same manner or at the same pace. There is no cookie cutter mold concerning education that all individuals can incorporate into. Standardized tests and curriculum in a one size fits all method is not an effective way for children to learn.

The American public educational system is filled with an assortment of problems. Most students are graduating with less knowledge and capability than similar students in other industrialized countries. Classroom disruptions are surprisingly common, and in some classrooms, nearly continuous. The public education system is having difficulty adjusting to the no child left behind act. The No Child Left Behind(NCLB) is a landmark in education reform designed to improve student achievement and change the culture of American’s schools.

He challenges widespread expectation of all middle-class Americans: “‘vocational training’ is second class. ‘College’ is first class” (Murray 632). This passage, while appearing to offer a simple definition to the reader in order for him or her to be informed of the subject matter argued herein, already states his position in the matter.

Since 1983 public education has been an issue in America. The system has been constantly changing every year with reforms. This constant change has been driven by the American people’s perception that education has declined and something should be done about it. First there was an increased emphasis on basic skills, making school years longer and more graduation requirements. Second, many began focusing on increasing teachers professionalism. Third, they began restructuring many things such as how the schools were organized and how the school day was structured etc. Now today the most of the American people believe that not enough money is given to public schooling. They associate academic improvement with the money the school is funded.

Grotto claims that a big issue of why public schools are so detrimental to a student’s learning is because school structure promotes boredom.

“Education is the foundation upon which we build our future” (Christine Gregoire). Education is what has been shaping the children of every generation. Its importance is something that cannot and should not be ignored. Donald Trump and Secretary of Education Betsy Devos have definitely been giving education a lot of attention. This past March Donald Trump released his administrations first full budget, and all hope for more improvement in the education department is lost. Here’s the nightmare that this Nations education has in store.