Inkspire

Democracy and Education

America is a democratic republic meaning the people directly vote for some government positions and laws (democracy) while there are also representatives voting for the people (republic). It’s important to note that philosophers intended to use democracy as a form of  education. For example, if a dentist and the owner of a candy shop were running for president, they wanted the people to learn that they must choose the dentist – even if the candy shop owner promised them all free candy. Theoretically, only educated people should be voting to prevent exploitation by corrupt candidates. However, are America’s School Systems adequately preparing future voters to rise to the occasion?

Pros of the American School System

America has completely free primary education – unlike many other developed nations. For instance, in 2022 alone, the government provided public schools $857 billion in funding. This amounts to a little over $17,000 per public school student in America. While there are some questions regarding where that funding goes and why there are still so many teachers left with very minimal pay, America is still better off than most in this aspect.

Since America itself is diverse, its schools are also very diverse. Especially in public schools where children of varying socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds interact and learn together. Also, there are laws that make sure that teachers and other educators are aware of students’ complex backgrounds, so they can be more flexible to each student’s needs. Some critique this by saying that public schools make the differences between students more clear, leading to trouble.

One unique aspect of the American School System is that citizens can complete their primary education (grades 1-12) at any time with funding from the government. This means an adult at any age can be paid to get their high school diploma if they demonstrate the desire to the government. Overall, it proves that the American Education System wants the general population to be somewhat educated.

American schools are also known for being more creatively engaging than Asian and some United Kingdom schools. The emphasis on project based learning, arts, humanities, sports, and other electives ensure that the student will usually find some part of school that they genuinely enjoy and can excel at – contradicting Asian schools that focus mainly on traditional excellence.

Cons of the American School System

The American School System is completely decentralized, meaning the states and local governments make most of the important decisions regarding public schools rather than the federal government. For students, this means they have to take specific mandated exams that differ from state to state, and the curriculums will also be different based on the state they attend public school in. It causes further inequalities between students as they enter college or the workforce with different knowledge than others.

American schools are also known for their various discriminatory practices, the largest being the SAT. Numerous studies have shown that Asians score the best overall on the SAT while the greatest gap exists between the scores of whites and African Americans. The studies prove that economic and social standing can severely affect how well a student does on the SAT and in public schooling overall.

Another issue in American public schools is overcrowding. Once again, studies prove that younger generations need more one-on-one tutoring and mentorship because they are not receiving nearly enough specialized attention in the class. Classes with lower student to teacher ratios perform significantly better. There is only so much one teacher can do for a class of up to 30 students with various needs.

The reason for the overcrowding can be traced back to poor teacher pay. Since schools and the government don’t pay teachers nearly enough, many are leaving their jobs leading to the imbalance ratio of students to teachers. Although many consider teaching to be one of the most important positions (especially in a democracy), teachers are simply not being paid enough in America.

Poor teacher pay also leads to another issue in the system: disparities in teacher quality. Many students admit that numerous teachers do not actually want to be teachers. While it’s obvious that students need good teachers to obtain a good education, many quality teachers are being forced to leave their jobs due to financial reasons – leaving students with a mix of good and bad teachers.

Additionally, in many states, parents and families choose the public school their children attend or send them to private school instead. Students switching to private education has a huge impact on the students left in public school. For example, it decreases funding because money is given to schools based on the number of students enrolled or attending, causes more overcrowding because schools are forced to combine to get enough funding, and leaves students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds suffering as educators cannot properly cater to their needs.

Overall, these issues have led to American students’ test scores and standard of education declining and dipping lower than many other Asian and European nations.

Conclusion

Democracy requires an educated population. However, due to numerous reasons mentioned above, the American School System has been declining since the 1960s. Test scores are dropping, curriculums are being simplified, and students are left unprepared. On the bright side, public schools have adopted some positive aspects modeled after American ideals including creativity and diversity. As someone who has been in the public school system for years, I can say it’s not going to get better unless people act on it now. For democracy to survive and thrive in the future, the education system needs to be mended and improved greatly. Now it’s up to you to decide if America’s School Systems are adequately preparing future voters to rise to the occasion.