It’s clear that the public education system in America is, if not quite failing, falling far short from the standards that are needed for either a globally competitive economy or a vibrant civil society. The data shows that in many schools, high percentages of students at every grade level are failing standardized tests, which are themselves heavily watered-down. While there are arguments that can be made regarding standardized testing, I have experienced first hand some problems that plague public education, from the incompetent administrations to the endemic student apathy and lowest common denominator philosophy of teaching–and that was in a good high school. The nature of the issues changes depending on the exact context, but it’s difficult for anyone to make the argument that our school system is succeeding.
Rather than simply point out the problems though, I wish to make two suggestions. It is my firm belief that if these two policies were enacted, the overall quality of education in America would improve, and at an insignificant cost.
Property Taxes
With property taxes being the basis for education funding across America, there exists a fundamental problem of inequality. Poorer communities pay lower property taxes, and thus have lower funds available for school budgets. A wealthier district pays more in property taxes, and thus can easily invest far more in a local educational system. What I propose is that the allocation of education funds take place on the state level, with each district receiving a budget commensurate with the number of students enrolled in that district. While this is far from a perfect solution, it would go a long way toward closing the gap between the richest and poorest schools–whether or not students have textbooks and quality teachersshould not be dependent on the economic situation of the surrounding district.
Helping Elementary and Post-Secondary
In my first semester of college, I worked as a tutor for an organization called AmericaReads. It pays college students to work in their local public schools, acting as reading tutors and generally assisting teachers for several hours a week. However, I was only a volunteer since I was not given federal work-study as part of my financial aid. My second proposal (which I can’t really take credit for, since my friend Liz gave me the idea), is for the federal government to invest a significant amount of money in the federal work-study program, particularly in programs like AmericaReads. Teachers are often overworked, and students aren’t able to receive the individual attention that they need. By sending America’s college students into the classroom, teachers can receive some much-needed assistance, students can receive more personal help, as well as have more exposure to positive role models. With the rising cost of a college education, this benefits the college students as well, being able to earn more financial aid by contributing in a significant way to their community.
Those aren’t solutions, because I don’t believe that the public education system can be “fixed” in any fundamental ways. But I believe that those would be a step in the right direction, and improve the quality of education for countless young people.
